The Wizard in the Game Is Rewarded in Reality

Chapter 32

As Park Dong-hyuk said, I did nothing, but change began.

The beginning was very quiet.

– Where did the budget for the missing childcare facility support go?

An article written by an online media outlet.

The content of the article was ordinary without anything special. It was an article about the corruption of a department in the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a public institution.

Similar articles poured out every day, so it didn’t attract much attention.

But as similar articles were reported one by one, the atmosphere began to change little by little.

– Luxury acts of X department head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s childcare policy department, not matching his salary.

A photo of a public official coming out of a department store’s luxury goods section with both hands full of shopping bags.

– What money do the public officials of the XX district office’s social welfare department and welfare policy department use to hold banquets at five-star hotels?

A photo of dozens of people enjoying drinks in a luxurious indoor setting with fancy food in front of them.

It wasn’t just articles being published.

Several YouTubers with millions of subscribers visited childcare facilities and covered their poor environment and lack of government support. Their live-streamed broadcasts had tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of concurrent viewers.

Just as a small spark can set a huge mountain ablaze, the small knight’s spark began to engulf all of Korea.

Major media outlets started their own investigations, and several broadcasting stations also covered the issue.

The burning fuse eventually detonated the bomb.

– The current affairs program “Do You Know This?” reported on the state of childcare facilities and the corruption-stained officials involved.

The bomb was properly detonated on a highly-rated current affairs program on a public broadcasting station.

“It always takes a fire on their feet for them to realize, ‘Oh, it’s hot.'”

The Dark Merchant did his job properly, but he didn’t feel good about it.

Reality was more horrific than I had anticipated.

The prosecution and police announced a large-scale investigation, but they too are not trustworthy. The prosecution, which has fallen to the role of a servant of power, and the police, who are under their control.

If a power-holder involved in dirty deeds orders the case to be covered up, they will, as always, sacrifice a few small fry to escape the net of the law.

But this time will be different.

Because the one biting at them is not a small, struggling media outlet that screams “ouch” when pressed by power, but the Dark Merchant, who even stands up to the superpower America.

*

I am attacking the Infinite Tower, moving between the real world and the world of Doomsday.

I entered the Infinite Tower alone several times in reality to hunt.

“Ha-. This is a real problem.”

After finishing the hunt, I came down to the lobby on the first floor of the Infinite Tower. I had entered the Infinite Tower two days ago, hunted on the 8th floor, and returned today.

An unforeseen problem tripped me up.

“I hunted for a few hours and spent the rest of the time just walking.”

The problem was the time spent on movement.

In the world of Doomsday, I could use the warp magic circle installed by the Magic Tower to instantly move to the desired floor.

But in reality, I had to walk to my destination.

“I wish I could fly.”

If I had the Fly magic, the time spent on movement would be drastically reduced.

The reason I haven’t learned the 5th circle Fly magic yet is-.

– Fly magic requires meticulous mana control. A careless mistake could lead to a fatal fall from the high sky.

It was because of my master’s advice.

Unlike walking on the ground with two feet, flying in the sky relying solely on mana would naturally be different. But it is also a magic that I must learn someday.

I exited the Infinite Tower through the teleportation stone.

“What is happening······.”

Near the entrance of the Tower of Infinity, chaos reigned.

Countless ambulances were visible, and numerous people were shouting and running around.

I moved towards the gathering crowd.

People armed with weapons detached from reality stood there with vacant expressions.

‘The Hyunmu Guild.’

On their chests was engraved Hyunmu, one of the Four Guardian Beasts.

It was the giant guild Hyunmu, ranked third among the top 10 guilds in Korea.

‘Hyun Inseong.’

Hyun Inseong, the guild master of Hyunmu and one of the top awakeners in Korea, was no different. His face and various parts of his metal armor were stained with blood.

Paramedics were treating the members of the Hyunmu Guild. Those who couldn’t be treated on-site were being urgently transported to the hospital.

‘A major accident.’

Awakeners entering the Tower of Infinity always had to risk their lives. They would die or suffer serious injuries in unexpected situations or dangers beyond their capabilities.

If they could be treated with the holy healing of healers or prepared potions, it would be fine, but if not, they would inevitably die.

Awakeners attacking the lower floors could quickly descend the tower and go to the hospital.

But those attacking the higher floors needed a lot of time to descend to the first-floor lobby.

The Hyunmu Guild, representing Korea, would have been attacking the 32nd floor.

The necessity of the warp magic circle becomes painfully clear.

If a warp magic circle had been installed, the number of awakeners losing their lives in vain would decrease.

Leaving the injured members of the Hyunmu Guild behind, I headed to the parking lot.

Today, the road home seemed unusually congested.

*

I stopped my hand as I was about to move the carving knife.

My senses warned me that continuing to carve the rune would lead to danger.

“Phew-.”

I put down the carving knife and let out a deep sigh.

I was engraving the sixth rune on the Mana Drain Artifact. It had been three days without progress in engraving the 6th circle rune.

Whenever I tried to engrave the rune, I had to put down the carving knife due to the eerie feeling. The sensation of my hair standing on end was clearly a warning from my mana.

“Difficult.”

Unfortunately, there was no one to advise me on the Mana Drain Artifact. Even the Twelve Elders had no experience in creating a Mana Drain Artifact, and neither did my master.

The Mana Drain Artifact had not been made for over a hundred years due to its dangers.

– Runes do not become yours just by memorizing them. Only when the rune permits, can you use it.

This is what my master said.

I think the reason I can’t engrave the 6th circle rune is similar.

Is the rune rejecting me?

That can’t be the reason. I guess it’s because I, who have only been learning magic for a few months, am trying to skip the intermediate steps and aim for a higher level.

It’s like a child who can’t even walk properly trying to run and ending up falling and getting hurt.

From noble mtl dot com

In the end, I leave the workshop today without engraving a single rune.

By the time I return home after spending quite a bit of time in the workshop, everyone is asleep.

I sit at the table next to the artificial waterfall and look up at the night sky.

After the great upheaval, mana stones replaced fossil fuels, and the sky became very clear. Until a few years ago, it was hard to see stars in the night sky of Seoul.

Now, even in Seoul, you could see stars, though not many.

After staring at the night sky for a long time, I go back inside the house.

The ones welcoming me home are Seolgi and the minions.

A few days ago, I brought home a kitten and two puppies. It was a decision made because Baek Song said Seolgi seemed lonely.

Seolgi became the leader of the newly added young babies.

“Meow!”

Seolgi comes to me, rubbing its head against my leg affectionately, then fiercely yells at the minions who are crouching a little distance away.

“Haha. Our Seolgi has become the boss.”

I put Seolgi and the minions on my lap and play with them for a while. It feels like my complicated mind is getting sorted out. I guess this is why people keep pets.

*

“Indeed, it’s a problem.”

The twelfth elder mutters while looking at the metal plate in his hand.

It’s the mana drain artifact I’m making in reality. Just as I could bring artifacts made in the world of Doomsday into reality, I could also move from reality to Doomsday.

“First of all, the placement of the runes is not normal. Placing the runes of acceleration and expansion too close is dangerous. It’s better to put a rune that can act as a buffer zone between the two. And…”

Listening to the twelfth elder’s explanation, I realized how recklessly I had been making the artifact.

With my insignificant knowledge and pride as a mage of the source, I had taken on a reckless challenge.

“I can’t advise you on the core rune of mana drain, as I don’t know it myself.”

“I see.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you an answer to your question. Woon-ah, the key to making an artifact is harmony. The harmony of circles and runes, the harmony of runes and mana. When harmony is broken, accidents naturally occur. If you arrange the runes to maximize performance, eventually, a disaster will happen. It’s similar to how your body breaks down if you do very hard labor compared to your strength.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Do you have any other questions?”

“I want to learn how to create artifacts related to healing.”

“Healing artifacts, huh? You can make simple ones, can’t you?”

As the Twelfth Elder said, I can make simple artifacts. But what I want is an artifact with better performance.

A 3-circle ‘Heal’ can treat minor injuries.

It literally treats ‘minor’ injuries. Repeating it several times can be effective for deep wounds, but in a crisis where every second counts, repeating it multiple times would put the injured at risk.

“Do you want to create a 5-circle Great Heal artifact?”

“Yes, Elder.”

In my heart, I want to learn the sacred healing of the church, but mana and divine power are fundamentally different. Also, it’s not something you can learn just because you want to.

“As you know, runes related to healing are as picky as those used for mana drain. They don’t allow just anyone to use them. That’s why there aren’t many wizards specialized in healing.”

Even in the artifact workshop’s storage, the number of healing-related artifacts is very small compared to others.

“I thought you were too focused on the Tower of Infinity to care about artifact creation, but I’m glad to see that’s not the case.”

*

After learning about creating healing artifacts in the artifact workshop, I moved to the alchemy workshop.

“You want to create a mid-level healing potion?”

“Yes, Elder.”

The Eighth Elder, with a bald head, asked curiously.

“If you need it, can’t you just take it from here?”

“I want to know how to make it.”

“Hmm. Is it related to the world you live in?”

“Yes, Elder.”

The Eighth Elder nodded as if he understood.

“You said the highest floor your country has conquered in the Tower of Infinity is the 35th floor, right?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“It’s difficult. Even if you know the potion-making method, it’s impossible to make it in your world. The ingredients needed for mid-level potion making can only be found on the 40th floor.”

Neither my master nor the elders know my secret yet.

“Is that all you need?”

“I also want to learn how to make antidote potions.”

“Knowing that will be very useful.”

I didn’t intend to sell healing potions in reality.

The reason is to avoid encroaching on the territory of alchemists who have been making healing potions. They too need to make a living by selling potions, and if a disruptor like me appears, their livelihood will be cut off.

But there was something I realized after witnessing the major accident of the Hyeonmu Guild.

If the Hyeonmu Guild had proper, high-performance potions, they would have suffered less damage, even if not completely.

“Well then, let’s go to my lab.”