"1, 2, 3, 4…"
Arlo counted the magic stones, smiling. He knew the number, but counting them still felt good. "25 low-grade magic stones."
He had targeted seven people, but only managed to convince four to buy. He sold the item to three of them for 5 magic stones each, while one was wealthy, so they settled on 10 magic stones.
Arlo smiled and placed the magic stones in his inventory. This was a new feature he had just realized: he could put items other than those provided by the system into the inventory. After storing the magic stones, he leaned back against the headboard and started calculating.
Potions that restore one's magic were commonly used by every mage, making them relatively cheap and abundant.
Arlo initially planned to buy a large number of recovery potions after earning this money and then resell them when the competition was officially announced, but he abandoned the idea after a brief thought.
First, even if he could do such a thing, he wouldn't have any potions left for himself. That would be putting the cart before the horse.
Second, since recovery potions were one of the most common potions, price fluctuations would be minimal even if there was high demand. Therefore, it wouldn't be a logical move.
Is it ethical? Well, that was slightly important too.
Arlo considered ways to multiply his money, but they were all risky methods. For now, he gave up on that and got out of bed.
He actually wanted to do the shopping once everything was fully settled, but that also carried some risks. After all, most people didn't know about a major competition yet. Even if someone knew, they wouldn't make large purchases without confirmation. Therefore, no one would think that any purchase he made now was for the fighting tournament.
But if he bought a lot of recovery potions after the tournament was announced and then became the one who defeated everyone, his identity could be revealed.
So, without waiting any longer, he left the house and headed toward the City Market.
Although Keltore Magic School governed a certain area, the city right beneath it could be considered its capital. Since the power in this world was in the hands of the mages, it was inevitable that the place where they were abundant would be more important.
Furthermore, mage items were all things sold at high prices. For this reason, there were commercially developed cities next to every magic school.
The City Market was the area where all kinds of goods were sold. Although the items that could be found were limited for True Mages and above, it was a very beneficial area for Apprentice Mages.
Arlo entered the City Market and smiled when he saw the passing crowd. This crowd reminded him of the city crowds he used to complain about a lot. Now, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
---
A quest has been defined.
Quest Description: Old memories are full of moments that both sadden a person and create a bittersweet smile on their face.
Quest: Harass 5 people.
Quest Reward: 20 EXP
---
'...'
Arlo struck his forehead as he looked at the passing crowd.
'All that was left was for me to become a pervert.'
Moreover, what was this quest description supposed to mean? What did it imply? That he was a harasser in the past?
Arlo thought this system deserved a good beating, but there was nothing he could do.
He sighed and looked at the crowd.
'Nothing to be done. It's not my fault.'
...
"Brother, you are so handsome. So dashing."
"What?"
"I'm saying, should we hang out today?"
The young man blushed bright red as Arlo winked at him.
"What do you say, handsome?"
"NO, OF COURSE NOT!"
The boy ran away with all his might, and the smile on Arlo's face dissolved.
"Am I really that ugly?"
Then he consoled himself.
"Nah. It must be because of the things I put on my face to avoid being recognized. Otherwise, I'm a handsome guy."
Arlo shrugged and approached another man.
After all, the system hadn't specified a gender when it said harass.
"Brother, you look very handsome. Would you like to hang out today?"
"Sure, sweetie, where should we go?"
"Huh!"
...
Arlo collapsed, panting, and looked behind him. He finally relaxed when he realized he had escaped the man.
"I guess this is what it means to be hunted when you go hunting."
---
Quest completed.
Quest: Harass 5 people.
Quest Reward: 20 EXP
---
Name: Arlo Klser
Level: 4th-Level Mage Apprentice
Abilities: Fireball (Medium) , Fire Wall (Medium), Line Movement Technique (High)
EXP: 30/150
---
'The quest is finally complete.'
Arlo quickly found some water and wiped his face, returning to his old appearance. He was afraid he might run into that man again.
'Well, now that we've handled this, let me get what I need.'
Arlo first moved to buy a concealment item. Since he didn't know the exact price, it was logical to get it first. Although there were many similar items, he finally settled on a blank-faced mask.
When worn, this mask could cancel any recognition ability coming from outside. Even abilities from True Mages were included in this. Of course, such a powerful item had a major problem.
The mask was single-use. If a person took this mask off after putting it on, it became unusable. Furthermore, even if the person didn't take off the mask, it would disappear by itself after one week.
Arlo's research showed that this mask was not very rare. Many people used this mask for various reasons. Also, the mask would take the shape of an animal mask chosen by the person the moment it was put on, and it would remain that way until it disappeared.
This mask also had an ambitious name, the Mask of Nothingness, and an expensive price of 10 low-grade magic stones.
Even though spending that much money pained him, he sighed and paid the price. It was a necessary move if he didn't want to make two magic schools his enemy.
Next, he went to buy recovery potions. The price of a recovery potion was 2 gold. After long negotiations, Arlo managed to get the price of 3 potions down to one magic stone and bought 30 recovery potions for 10 magic stones. It might be too many, but guaranteeing his safety was better than regretting it.
Finally, he bought various hunting items for 3 magic stones: poisons with mild effects like stunning and sleeping, and various other necessities. Lethal poisons were both very expensive and bought by name. For this reason, Arlo gave up on buying any this time, even though he wanted a few for self-defense.
After buying everything, he had 2 magic stones left. Arlo saved this for later use and returned to the magic school.
As he returned, he couldn't help but notice that the sky was darkening. The two days since he arrived here had passed almost at the speed of light, and Arlo felt a little tired. Therefore, after eating a meal in the magic school's dining hall, he returned home and let himself fall asleep.
...
"DIN"
"System, let me sleep!"
"DIN"
"What the hell is going on? Is it going to keep going like an alarm until I wake up?"
"DIN"
Arlo finally realized the sound was not coming from the system. He got out of bed and noticed the sound echoing throughout the magic school.
It was a call to assemble.
Arlo quickly got ready and headed toward the magic school's square. As he went, he noticed a large crowd also heading there.
The square was a large open space used for announcements and briefings. There was a high platform at the end of the square, and an elderly man was standing on it.
As the students slowly gathered, the man finally looked at the crowd and spoke.
"Greetings, I am Rauf Vary, the senior of the magic school. We called you here today for the recent conflict with the Tolkar Magic School."
The crowd suddenly stirred at Rauf's words, but Rauf raised his hand and silenced the students.
"This fight injured many people and caused financial damage to both schools. For this reason, as the administrators of the two schools, we decided to manage this fight in a more orderly manner.
I now want to announce the Magic War that will be held between the two schools. Although this event is called a war, it is actually a competition with rewards. Everyone who is an outer student can participate in the event, and the rules are simple.
Students from both schools will be placed in a controlled area with various monsters, and everyone will be given an event medal. This medal will convert the monsters you kill into points and record them, and the person with the most points will win.
Yes, I know what you will ask. You can hunt other people too. The entire area will be controlled by a formation, and the formation will automatically take the person out when they take fatal damage.
Furthermore, defeating another person will allow you to take half of their points.
The competition rewards will be announced just before participation. Those who wish to participate can register at the tent that will open in the square shortly. I hope all of you will do your best and not disappoint our school."
Arlo smiled as he looked at the stirring crowd.
"The show begins."