Chapter 429

Still, since I had booked my departure flight for the next morning this time, I was able to do quite a bit of sightseeing and shopping.

***

Monday. Anguish.

Tuesday. Research.

Wednesday. Back to anguish and research.

And the remaining days on the calendar were inevitably filled with more of the same.

"Hmm."

Some time had already passed. Today was Sunday. To be precise, it was the beginning of a new week after returning from the auction event that had started on Friday.

As soon as I returned to my cozy home, I found myself lost in thought. Though I'd made quite the grand prelude of it, the gist was simply that I dreaded the coming weekdays, much like any ordinary office worker.

"I have so much to do."

For reference, at this point it was already clear that I'd have to cut back on sleep for roughly thirty days straight to push through an intense schedule of experiments.

"Of course, overwork among researchers isn't exactly uncommon, but this is way too much even by those standards."

How could anyone possibly stay sane under these circumstances?

"At this rate, I'll probably catch an alien..."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose once, pressed the area around my shoulder blades again, then stepped away from the calendar I'd been looking at. My words trailed off from the mental shock, but in any case, dealing with the [Feeling-Eating Worm] was expected to be anything but easy in many respects.

"Gisimche... I have to face those travelers from that universe again."

First, before diving into the experiments in earnest, let's summarize a few things. As a result of the recent auction, the following outcome was achieved.

[Expected Deposit Amount: Approximately 54.1 billion KRW]

Since the money earned from selling the Hydra was split three ways, that roughly amounted to the pre-tax sum shown above.

"Pre-tax..."

Right. Pre-tax. Having painfully experienced the strictness of the social tax system, there was no way I could simply forget about that.

"Given the circumstances, I guess that's a pretty high price for a poisonous item."

With that much money, of course I wouldn't have to worry about making ends meet for the time being. Yet once again, a familiar concern began to surface.

"Still, it's nowhere near enough to build a full golem army, the trademark of an Archmage."

For expendable troops I could use however I pleased, I could simply turn the endlessly spawning dungeon monsters into organic golems. But if I wanted to create a weapon that truly satisfied me, I'd have to put a considerable amount of effort into it.

"When I was F-rank, I was desperate, so I just tore apart whatever I could get my hands on. Honestly, if you dismantle gate monsters one by one, their structures have far too many flaws..."

Ah, I wonder if a [Legendary] might just fall out of the sky somewhere...

For a moment, I indulged in an impossible daydream.

"If only I had a [Legendary], things would be much easier."

To be honest, I had briefly entertained such thoughts purely out of greed.

Those Japanese guys... you could tell at a glance that they were terrified of the artifact malfunctioning...

Simply put, it was a malicious scheme.

If I'm the only one who can operate Ego equipment, and I keep pressuring them with deliberate malfunctions, wouldn't they get scared and hurriedly put that item up for sale?

Moreover, I was from that planet Alphauri. In other words, I was born ready to be selfish. If I simply turned a blind eye once, committing such a crime would be entirely possible.

"Let's drop it."

As you can tell from the fact that I returned empty-handed, I didn't dwell on it for long and had already abandoned the plan.

"Whether they do anything with that greatsword is entirely up to those Earthlings."

Respecting free will. That was exactly the kind of ethics one ought to uphold. And moreover, it was the attitude I wanted to maintain as a mage from now on.

"But by the same token, I won't concern myself even if humans eventually end up waging a magical war among themselves."

Your affairs are yours to deal with. However, any external pressure coming from space will likewise be dealt with by the Sorcerer Who Crossed the Galaxy. Having finished making that resolution, despite there being no one around to hear it, I shifted my posture.

"Well then, shall I do some web surfing for the first time in a while?"

① Create a golem that will serve as a useful weapon for a lifetime.

To be honest, if I wanted to bring down the Gisimche in this world, there were plenty of other things I needed to do alongside that. Starting today, I simply had to hunt down whatever materials were necessary, regardless of the field.

② Prepare a dedicated scope (scope) for observing the invaders from that universe.

I've only written down two things so far. Yet for some reason, my head is already throbbing.

③ Do whatever it takes to overcome the (pathetic) limitations that come with being human.

Hmm...

"Oh, right."

That was when it happened. Just as I was carefully going over my upcoming plans, a sudden realization flashed through my mind. Life, after all, always requires some degree of planning for the future—but more important than that is not putting off today's work until tomorrow.

"It's already noon."

Lunchtime. It happened right after I checked the clock. The moment I realized it was time to eat, I immediately put everything else aside and began preparing a meal.

It's not like I have fixed mealtimes like an ordinary office worker, so why make such a fuss? Of course, if someone else were watching this scene, they would probably wonder the same thing...

"Ah... what should I eat?"

If someone were to voice that suspicion, honestly, I'd have plenty of logical explanations ready. For instance, even though I'm walking around and talking just fine, this body had recently gone nearly two months without eating. Or that I could partially ignore pain stimuli, which made me physiologically more prone to hunger than other people, and so on...

***

To restore my body weight, I made sure that every meal contained a balanced mix of carbohydrates, protein, fat, dietary fiber, and minerals. I also slept—though for far less time than the native inhabitants of this planet—since my body modification was still incomplete. And the rest of my days were spent on research, research, and more research.

"Huh? What is this?"

It felt empty, but that was how the world had always been.

"What the—how is it Thursday already?"

It felt as though I'd only gone through my daily routine once or twice, yet before I knew it, more than half the week had already slipped away.

"Seriously, the days are flying by in the blink of an eye."

Honestly, every time this happened, I couldn't help but think, "Why are days on Earth so short?"

[Ting.]

It was at that moment. The electronic device I'd carelessly shoved into my pocket suddenly began to ring. It had been quite a while since I'd last heard that alarm, but for an extraterrestrial creature like me—one who had always valued auditory senses—it was an unmistakable vibration.

"That means the important day I marked on my digital calendar has finally arrived."

Tak.

I picked up my phone and walked out into the living room on the first floor of the mansion.

The weather was nice today, and I could even hear the distant chatter of crowds from the beach—but none of that mattered.

[ELX]

Honestly, I had completely forgotten about this appointment until just a moment ago. And of all times, it had to come up in the middle of an already chaotic week.

"Aha, Elixir."

That's right. In fact, the note marked with Korean consonants in my phone's calendar was actually a code referring to that so-called universal cure said to heal every human illness.

'Among all the Gates revealed in the prophecy, this one seemed to be the most important.'

Aside from the item of immortality, it was the only event intriguing enough to capture the Archmage's interest. At that thought, I recalled the dungeon item once more.

'A potion so powerful that even a dying old man regained his youth after just a few sips...?'

Of course, that only meant his body had become somewhat healthier—not that his wrinkles had disappeared or his hunched back had straightened, let alone that he'd truly become young again.

"I'm curious."

I found myself intrigued by the item Earthlings called the Elixir. And if the shady underworld guild that shared information about the Prophecy happened to appear in the same dungeon, I might as well deal with them while I was there. With those two thoughts in mind, I began moving my legs one after the other.

'Should I bring the item box with me this time?'

If I'm already planning to go to the Gate, there's no point dragging my feet.

'I'd better make sure to bring along that used [Hydra] I couldn't bring myself to sell.'

For reference, this could be considered an extension of the research I'd been conducting so far. So spending some time on it didn't feel like a waste. The only concern that came to mind now was that someone still hadn't renewed his license yet...

'Entering a Gate without any proper qualifications.'

This, too, would be an illegal act certain to leave a black mark on my record if Earthlings ever found out. But it was fine. In the country I was heading to this time, a human underling was hiding—someone who had been manipulating the underworld through an enormous intelligence network and vast sums of money.

'I hardly ever visit that mammal anymore, so now I'm even forgetting his name.'

Looks like I'll have to get that man—Oliver or whatever his name was—to help me this time. Anyway, he's a creature burdened with plenty of sins, so using him doesn't trouble my conscience. With those thoughts, I fiddled with my phone.

'Besides, this time, thanks to the power of the scroll, I even know the exact "height" where the dungeon will appear. If I just arrive early, there should be almost no chance of interference...'

Every step I took was backed by the conviction that no ordinary person would be able to reach the Elixir Gate, which was appearing for the first time in several years.

'It's too far to teleport all the way from here to the Northern Mariana Islands. I'll have to catch a plane quickly.'

And after making all sorts of preparations.

About sixteen hours later, I found myself standing in front of the Gate in question. And just as expected, I didn't encounter a single competitor.

'Seeing it in person... even after hearing the Gate forecast, it's definitely a difficult structure to deal with.'

For now, I won't go into a lengthy explanation. The "Elixir of Health" dungeon, appearing for the first time in years, was located underwater. As a point of reference, a similar phenomenon had occurred with [Sin Classification] in South Korea.

'Judging by the fact that a passage formed this deep underwater, it seems this time it wasn't even a mistake.'

Come to think of it, this dungeon seemed to differ from [Sin Classification] in some respects.

'The surrounding seawater isn't being sucked in.'

Could it be... that the inside is already completely filled with water?

'A completely underwater dungeon?'

Bubbling.

For reference, in order to enter the Gate, I had to submerge my body directly into the waters of the Northern Mariana Islands. A human body felt somewhat awkward underwater without a swim bladder. Still, drawing on memories from a previous life as a marine creature, I somehow managed to keep moving through the sea.

'To find out what's happening inside, I'll ultimately have no choice but to enter it myself.'

I wasn't swimming gracefully like a fish. Nor was I relying on diving equipment like a diver. If I had to describe it, my posture was so stiff and rigid that "water ghost" would probably be the closest comparison.

"Let's get started."

I was able to move through the water as though stepping on invisible stars. All of this was possible thanks to abilities befitting an Archmage. So, was clearing the B-grade Gate before me truly difficult? Not at all. The process of obtaining the Elixir that followed was, to be honest, so straightforward that it was boring—too dull to even bother explaining to anyone else.

Jeeeeeeing.

Then, if I had to choose the one event from that weekday that truly remained in my memory...

"What the?"

After I finished the dungeon without encountering a single competitor, I made my way onto land with the help of Oliver—the sworn ally of the knight I'd left in the U.S.—and belatedly checked my phone.

"This vibration must be a text message notification."

Someone in South Korea had sent an electronic message to my number. However, which country it had come from wasn't particularly important.

'What's Seonwoo Yeon doing on a weekday like this? She should still be at work.'

I lowered my gaze and checked the message sent by my acquaintance. In short, it was a warning that a conflict had broken out between secret agents in South Korea.

I had asked them to let me know if anything unusual happened to Jung Haseong or Seo Esther. It seemed this Earthling had faithfully remembered that promise.

And the reason their conflict had begun was none other than the appearance of an [Elixir] monster in our country...

"Huh?"

Wait a moment. No matter how many times I checked, the contents of the message still seemed strange.