Chapter 64: How to Survive in a World of Absurdity (2)

The sewer had somehow regained its past appearance.

Foul-smelling garbage and rotting corpses floated in the wastewater, with swarms of sewer rats gleefully swimming through it.

This morning, upon Luis’s message, I went to find Guartes’s laboratory.

“You’ve arrived, Master.”

Seeing Guartes after a week, he seemed in a strangely good mood.

I had thought he’d be worn out from dealing with the tiresome aftermath of Narsi’s sudden death, but apparently not.

‘Well, Guartes is just a bridge connecting me to the cult, a mere cleric. The ones truly worn out would be the higher-ups.’

Still, seeing that smelly prospective guy grinning in front of me didn’t exactly lift my spirits.

‘It’s like the stench has gotten worse.’

Chalking it up to my imagination, I put a bit more distance between us.

We sat down at a spot prepared inside the laboratory.

As soon as we sat, Guartes asked about my well-being.

“So, how have you been holding up?”

I answered immediately.

“Not great, but quietly.”

Guartes chuckled at the bite in my response.

“I bet. Same here. I’ve been holed up here, buried in research day and night.”

I glanced around the laboratory.

Come to think of it, things had changed.

There were new experimental tools I hadn’t seen before.

Among them, a small vial caught my eye.

It contained a pitch-black liquid, like soy sauce.

‘What’s that? Never seen it before.’

Even I didn’t know every potion and material in Frey.

The world of Frey was vast, and there was no way to know about things not shown in the game.

So, I instinctively used [Detection].

It had become a habit—whenever something piqued my curiosity, I’d use [Detection] without thinking.

Information is a thief’s greatest weapon, after all.

Soon, I sensed a thick, concentrated aura of death emanating from it.

“Is that the result of your research?”

“No hiding anything from the Master’s eyes, huh.”

Guartes admitted it readily.

“It’s something I made, the ‘Elixir of Death.’”

“Elixir of Death? Sounds like a big deal just from the name.”

“It is a big deal.”

Guartes’s reply carried strong pride.

“To put it simply, it can forcibly accelerate the growth of the undead.”

I was inwardly shocked.

If what he said was true, this potion was indeed a remarkable item, as the smelly guy claimed.

Naturally, this was an item that didn’t exist in the original story.

It seemed the week-long gap had sparked some kind of epiphany in Guartes.

Damn it.

The small ripples caused by the butterfly effect were now stirring up storms in various places.

“You developed it yourself?”

“I got lucky. Heh heh.”

Though he said that, Guartes’s expression was filled with undeniable pride.

“The Bishop will be pleased. This will be a great asset to the Darkness.”

“Krhehe. Oh, but please keep it a secret from the Bishop. It’s not fully complete yet. You’re the first person I’ve told, Master.”

That was valuable information.

Whether it would be completed or not was uncertain, but this was something that couldn’t fall into the hands of the Darkness.

‘I’ll have to find a day to destroy it all.’

Contrary to my thoughts, I nodded as reliably as possible.

“I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Thank you. Keke. Oh, and the reason I asked to see you is this.”

Guartes pulled out a request form from his pocket and handed it to me.

As I skimmed it, it was, as expected, the event I had anticipated.

“The Obelisk. Destroying it is the task I’d like you to handle this time, Master.”

The Obelisk was a guardian pillar recently developed through a joint effort by the Academy and the Magitech Research Institute.

It was a countermeasure to suppress the Mana Freeze that occurs as a backlash when a Beast Pouch bursts.

The Academy had already deployed it in practice.

“The Beast Pouch is a threatening terrorist weapon due to the magical beasts it unleashes, but without Mana Freeze, its value drops significantly. The higher-ups believe it’s too valuable to be rendered useless like this.”

Mana Freeze is a kind of wide-area silence that completely blocks mages from using magic.

Only a rare few mages could operate freely under Mana Freeze—those with high mastery, robust Mana Circuits, or exceptional mana affinity.

From third-year cadets and up, some could use magic to an extent under Mana Freeze, but even they were merely resisting it, not completely free.

I was no different.

“Here are four scrolls embedded with [Flame Explosion]. One should suffice, but I recommend using two for certain destruction. The rest are spares for emergencies.”

I tucked the scrolls into my coat.

The destruction of the Obelisk was an event that happened in the original story.

I had already prepared for it and was just waiting for the request.

“Is that all?”

“Yes. Anything else you’d like to say?”

I pointed at the request form.

“It says the deadline is a week.”

“That’s right.”

“If I take care of it today, is there any chance of extra pay?”

The guild was broke because of that money-eating jerk.

* * *

Fortunately, Guartes agreed to my request.

“Then I’ll give you an extra 4 gold.”

I wanted to haggle for a clean five, but that would’ve hurt my pride.

‘Still, I earned enough to enhance that jerk Dayle four more times.’

This was a big haul for just a few words.

It was a skill only I, with the cult’s trust, could pull off.

‘Nice.’

With a satisfied look, I left the sewer and headed for the Academy.

Step, step.

There were plenty of ways to make money.

Knowing the rough future, I could invest, develop products, or start a business.

Or even monopolize items like magical tools or artifacts.

Knowing the future was a powerful advantage.

Making money was practically guaranteed.

But there was something more important than making money.

Thievery.

If someone heard that, they’d scoff, “What? That’s ridiculous.”

I mean, how could thievery take precedence over making money?

But my thievery was different.

It was a matter of survival.

Because of this damned thievery, I wasn’t free within the confines of the Academy, constantly worrying about when I’d bite the dust while busy cleaning up my image.

Items?

I had to hand those over to the great protagonists fighting for this world.

I was left scraping by with the leftovers.

And that’s not all.

I was the head of a ruined household, with two dependents—one of whom demanded money just to do work, like some foreign-educated snob.

‘Goddamn, is this for real?’

I suddenly felt a surge of anger.

The absurdity of yesterday, the current situation, all the hardships I’d endured, and the early morning vibe—it all piled up, and my stress exploded.

‘Trying to stay sane in this crazy world was the real mistake.’

I suddenly recalled the moment I was first transmigrated.

Back then, I was filled with venom, ready to do whatever it took to survive.

But living at the Academy had dulled that edge without me realizing it.

“Out of all the transmigrated bastards, I’ve got it the worst. My life’s the shittiest.”

It was like a soldier after discharge, boasting about how their unit was the toughest.

Under the bright moonlight, I started spouting some idiotic transmigration pride.

“If there’s someone who’s got it worse than me, step forward.”

And then, someone actually appeared behind me.

“You? You think you’ve got it worse than me?”

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Never mind.”

I turned around.

A figure in tight night gear, with a black sword strapped to their back, stared at me from the shadows cast by the moon.

“I’ve got something to tell you.”

The figure stepped out of the shadows.

Even the night gear couldn’t hide her figure.

Her eyes, visible above the mask, gleamed seductively in the moonlight.

She slowly removed the mask covering her lower face.

It was Rachel.

“Something to tell me?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it a request?”

I needed money.

“Not that. Didn’t you just get a request from Guartes?”

“Then make it quick. I’m busy.”

I had to hurry and destroy the Obelisk.

“Don’t rush. Relax. It’s something that’ll help you.”

“What is it?”

“The Darkness is acting suspicious. It seems they’re clashing with the Death council, and it feels like something big’s about to go down.”

“…”

“And Cristiano. Watch out for that guy.”

I stared at her without a word.

She must’ve misunderstood my look because Rachel hurriedly continued.

“Wait, don’t get mad. I know you two are on good terms. But I know more about him than you do. Don’t trust him. I’m saying this for your sake.”

“What’s that?”

“What?”

“You’re talking like you’re not part of the cult.”

“Did it sound like that? Well, think what you want.”

“Is that all?”

“…Yeah, that’s it.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Rachel’s face.

Did she expect me to thank her?

I approached her.

“Listen carefully.”

I leaned in close and spoke clearly into her ear.

“I don’t trust any of you. So don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Rachel’s face hardened, clearly offended beyond disappointment.

But then she suddenly giggled.

“Giggle. Really? Then you probably won’t believe this either.”

I looked at her.

“I said I’d cover for you when you took that artifact thief, didn’t I? You don’t believe that either… Urk!?”

Before she could finish, I pinned her against the wall, my forearm pressing against her throat as she struggled.

“Of course I don’t believe that.”

“Guh! W-What’s with this all of a sudden…?”

Rachel grabbed my arm with both hands, but I pressed harder.

“I’ve been watching you, just in case you blabbed about it. If I saw even a hint of that, I was going to put a hole in your heart.”

I drew my dagger with my free hand and aimed it at her chest.

“Luckily, you haven’t said a word to anyone yet, have you?”

Rachel answered with difficulty.

“Y-You… I promised! I said I’d repay my debt. I won’t talk…!”

“No, you said you’d pretend you didn’t see anything.”

“…!”

“But for someone who didn’t see anything, you seem to know an awful lot, don’t you?”

Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake.

“W-Wait, I slipped up… Gah!”

Too late.

I pressed harder with my arm and slowly pushed the dagger toward her chest.

She came here alone to meet me.

So no one would know, and if she died here, no one would find out.

It was a chance to eliminate a potential problem for the future.

Plus, it could prevent the upcoming “nightmare.”

Letting this opportunity slip would be idiotic.

“Goodbye.”

“…I-I have a request.”

I stopped the dagger.

“A request?”

“Y-Yeah…!”

“Is it a job?”

Rachel shook her head frantically.

I thought for a moment.

She hurriedly added.

“I’ll give you information you don’t know as payment!”

“Information I don’t know? You think there’s such a thing?”

“And all the wealth I’ve accumulated so far…”

That settled it.

I lowered the dagger.

“Haa…”

Rachel’s legs gave out, and she slid down the wall, collapsing to the ground.

A drop of blood fell from the tip of the dagger.

Her hair, damp with cold sweat, was disheveled, and her ragged breathing showed no trace of her earlier confidence.

She looked utterly pathetic.

‘And I’m an idiot.’

Blinded by money, I revived a disaster that could strike the Academy later.

‘Well, I’ll deal with that when the time comes.’

Ivan and his crew would handle it.

Turning down money in my tight situation would be foolish.

And she said all her wealth.

‘I’ll decide after hearing her out.’

I sheathed the dagger and pulled out a hemostatic agent and cloth from my vest pocket.

I crouched in front of her.

Rachel flinched.

“What are you doing…?”

“Stay still.”

I pressed the cloth soaked with the hemostatic agent against her wound.

For a thief, such supplies were essential—you never know what might happen.

As I held the cloth to her wound, I felt her gaze and spoke.

“You just came back from the brink of death and the one saving and treating you is none other than me.”

“…”

“So you owe me again. Don’t forget that.”

I turned to meet her eyes.

‘What is this lunatic…?’

Her horrified expression seemed to say just that.

Well, I had no defense.

Even though I thought I was acting like a madman right now.

But what could I do?

This was how a thief survived in a world full of absurdity.

Since I’d already done something foolish, I might as well milk it for all it’s worth.

I shamelessly added,“Of course, this debt is separate from the payment for the request you mentioned. Got it?”

“…”

“So, what’s the request?”

Hurry up and tell me.

I’ve got money to make.

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