The Cursed Wizard: A Game Made Real

Because when I saw her flowing hair, calm eyes, and heard her voice, I immediately remembered who she was. 

The greengrocer I encountered at the market. A woman wearing a bomber jacket and muttering something unknown was right in front of me. 

Although their relationship was only a passing one, Leo's extraordinary memory made him completely remember her existence. 

I thought he was an extraordinary person, but I never thought he would be an elite who worked directly under the city government. 

The claim that he made a lot of money is probably not an exaggeration. 

"hmm?" 

But it was the same for the woman, as she looked Leo up and down with her eyes glowing green. 

"I think I've seen it somewhere." 

"… ..I don't know." 

Leo averted his gaze, sweating profusely. 

His face has also been magically transformed, and he is wearing a strange mask following Dylan. It is rather strange that Evelyn recognizes him. 

But she nodded, staring intently at Leo's mask as if trying to see through it. 

"Um… Well, it must be someone else. The magic pattern is also very different." 

Did it help that I changed my magic pattern a little bit every time I used magic? 

I never thought I'd be able to use the lessons I learned from meeting her in our second reunion. People are so unpredictable. 

Evelyn lost interest as soon as she concluded that Leo was a stranger, and looked away. 

"I have to pretend to chase that inspiration, so go ahead and do what you want." 

"Aren't you going to catch it yourself?" 

Evelyn shook her head at Leo's polite answer. 

"They don't have the ability or the means to do that. How much money does Bokmajeon spend lobbying our investigative agencies? Even if that crocodile robbed a bank in the middle of the city, the police wouldn't be called." 

According to her flat-toned explanation, the Balkan investigative agencies also appear to be quite corrupt. 

Leo nodded calmly, as it was not surprising. 

"I see." 

"So be careful when you get involved with them. Even if you're pushed to the brink of death, no one will come to your aid." 

She left Leo with some advice in a calm tone until the end, then ran off and disappeared in the direction Croken had walked. 

Only then did Dylan walk up to Leo and tap him on the shoulder. 

"You were lucky, Your Majesty the Wizard." 

"… … " 

Instead of answering, Leo looked at Dylan coldly. 

As a result, this incident occurred because Croken arrived while Dylan was not able to escape from the factory quickly. 

It was only natural that he would feel annoyed, since it was Leo who had been beaten to the brink of death and was actually buying time against Croken. 

"We're going to have to give up quite a bit in this renovation." 

If he had refused, he might have thought about freezing only the lower half of his body and leaving him there, but Dylan nodded immediately. 

"Okay. Since you saved my life, I'll give you everything except the ten million cells. You take the four thousand." 

"… … .." 

Even though I got my money back, I still feel uneasy, as if I've lost something. It's even worse because Dylan is humming a tune as if he's in a good mood. 

"This time it was really close. Who would have thought that Charlotte would hire that old lady… .. She's famous for just sitting in her room and drinking, what's going on?" 

Leo did not respond to that, but took another cigarette from his bosom and asked. 

"Are you smoking again? You really do like it." 

"It's noisy." 

While dealing with Croken, I was mentally and physically exhausted. 

If things continued like this, I might have to suffer from side effects for at least two weeks. 

I had to stay awake at least until I got home, so I couldn't help but touch it at the beginning of the year. 

"… ..I keep looking at it and I feel like I want to smoke it too. Just give me one." 

"… … ." 

Leo frowned at Dylan's words, which now made him feel more like a porter than a partner, but he eventually took out one of the remaining cigarettes from his arms and handed it to him. 

What he did this time was worth more than 70,000 cells, so it was enough. 

The two sat down on the asphalt, which was so badly damaged, and smoked cigarettes in silence. 

"…It's delicious, isn't it?" 

The setting sun slowly illuminated the ruined factory. 

Second identity 

"What was that woman just now?" 

"Woman? Are you talking about Evelyn?" 

Dylan responded to Leo's question with smoke streaming down his face. 

"Well, I don't know much. All I know is that she's one of the best agents directly under the city government." 

"Agent?" 

"They are armed forces that the city government spends a lot of money to manage. The suit that the woman was wearing earlier is also a public good invested by the city government. If you calculate the price, it would easily be 5 billion cells." 

"5 billion… ." 

It's a huge amount of money that Leo can only dream of. With that kind of money and a suit on, can he really take on the power of a monster like Croken? 

"Not only is his skill extremely outstanding, but he is also known for his cruelty… so if we collide, we lose. I'm sure the old man felt the same way." 

"You still call me that even though you almost died at the hands of that monster? How funny." 

Dylan chuckled as Leo snickered. 

"That's what a mercenary is. Especially war mercenaries are the kind of people who will kill their comrades for money. If you were in your right mind, you wouldn't go into an office like this." 

"… … .." 

Dylan said that as if he was mocking himself, but Leo kept his mouth shut because it seemed unusual. 

As a result, wasn't he also willing to do anything for money? 

When Leo remained silent, Dylan patted his shoulder gently and said, 

"Well, anyway, the job was a success and we saved our lives, so now all we need to do is get the money, right? Let's go quickly and get the money I left with Jenny." 

"You go first." 

"uh?" 

"I guess I should go and rest for now. I'll get the money later, so tell Jenny." 

As I kept smoking cigarettes, my senses had become dulled, so I didn't feel any particular pain yet, but I could see the fingers holding the filter trembling faintly. 

If I go to Jenny's bar like this and pass out on the way back with the money, there's no worse thing than that. 

Even if I could get the money later, I had to take a break for now. 

Leo got up first and started walking, leaving Dylan with a slightly embarrassed expression. 

The hotel he is staying at is located in District 34. It is not a short walk from District 42, where the factory is located. 

Leo went out to a relatively normal street, caught a cheap taxi, and laid his battered body down on the seat. 

"Phew… ." 

The day is dark. 

Leo sighed softly as he watched the bright lights of the billboards passing by outside the window. 

This time it was really dangerous. 

If it weren't for Evelyn, who showed up to see the factory explosion, I would have really died on the spot. 

There was a danger he had never anticipated when he received the request, and the current opponent was a force he could not deal with. 

Leo thought he had done his best, but his earnestness and effort were completely separate from the results at that moment. 

"… … … " 

This shouldn't be happening. 

The will to live that has been built up for so long. 

The earnestness with which he desperately struggled for life should become his strength and asset, and become the driving force that drives him forward. 

I had to get stronger. 

You have to struggle more, beg more, and try harder. 

I want to survive. 

It required strength and will to endure any hardship or danger. 

Leo knew he had the talent and determination to do it. 

While I was lost in thought, the taxi arrived in front of the hotel. 

As soon as he entered the room with his body covered in bruises, Leo quickly finished showering and lay down on the bed, chewing up a sleeping pill. 

I've been doing it ever since I realized that chewing the pill instead of swallowing it with water makes it take effect faster. 

Leo's expression, which had been quietly counting numbers while looking up at the old ceiling, faintly frowned. 

Even though I took the medicine, I couldn't fall asleep right away. 

"… Have you already developed a tolerance?" 

It's been over a month since I started taking sleeping pills to sleep, ignoring my insomnia. I don't think I've taken enough to build up a tolerance yet... . Maybe it's because I used such a cheap product. 

So far, the cheap sleeping pills sold near Area 49 have been sufficient, but I thought I should look for something more effective. 

40 million cells. There's still a lot to do after receiving the money. 

Leo, who was contemplating various things while soothing his exhausted body, suddenly fell into a deep sleep. 

# 

"Ugh…!" 

Leo, who had now emptied the contents with ease, sat up from the toilet he had been holding with his eyes wide open. 

After washing up and finishing my shower, I return to bed, waiting for the floor to dry. 

This is the result of increasing physical abilities through magical power without sufficient physical training. 

With the aftereffects of [Mana Addict] added to that, there were often times when it was really difficult to even breathe. 

"Phew… ." 

Leo, who had been sitting there with his head down for a while, turned his gaze with blank eyes. Hot sunlight was streaming in through the gaps in the blinds drawn on the window. 

Ten days have passed since the bombing of Charlotte's factory. 

All this time, Leo had been smoking drugs one after another and paying a heavy price for the toxins he had put on his body. 

Even though you may have gotten the drug from the orchard with minimal side effects, it is essentially a product that squeezes your body to exert strength. 

As much as he had to drain his magic and stamina to survive, the recoil was also considerable. 

After being sick in bed for a week and having been out of bed for three days, Leo began to notice that his body was slowly getting better. 

"I don't know how I survived when I escaped from the factory…" 

Aren't you enduring a much worse environment than now, smoking worse drugs? 

Maybe I was pushing myself too hard back then, so the side effects of the medicine were worse now. 

"I have to eat." 

The ingredients I bought at the market are just sitting in the refrigerator, unused, except for the first day I cooked with them. 

For ten days, all he ate was preserved food piled in the corner. 

I tried a variety of things to take care of my weak body, but nothing worked. 

"… … ." 

I guess I should at least get the money. 

Leo changed his clothes and left the hotel straight away, heading to Area 49. 

His legs were shaking, but that was okay. Before he knew it, Leo was slowly getting used to his surprisingly weak body. 

As he went down to the bar, using his magic to change his face, Jenny, who was smoking a cigarette, smiled at him. 

"Our precious customer is here. What have you been doing for the past ten days?" 

"Something came up." 

"Aha, if you were dead, I would have taken the success fee from you, but that's too bad." 

Naturally, she also seemed to know who Leo met on this assignment. 

"He's not sick enough to die like that." 

If he hadn't changed his face, his pale complexion would have been immediately revealed, but Leo lied skilfully. 

She still doesn't know that Leo is so weak that he can't work without smoking. 

There was no reason to tell you something that could be a weakness. 

I sat across from Jenny, handed her a glass of whiskey, and asked. 

"What about Dylan?" 

"I came to see you the day after work was done. I heard you were going to give me 40 million." 

As Leo nodded silently, Jenny took out a wad of bills and placed them on the bar table. 

"Baritz has added an additional allowance, so check it out. I've already put the commission on Dylan, so don't worry." 

After hearing Jenny's words, Leo picked up a thick wad of bills and started counting them. 

60 bills of 1 million cells each. That's a huge sum equivalent to 60 million cells. 

Considering the money that would go to Dylan, it's not a small amount of money as an allowance, but it's not even close to the price of life. I guess this kind of allowance is only possible if it's a dinosaur company like Balitz. 

It's no wonder that the lives of freelancers rolling around on the streets are worthless. 

Leo, who quickly gathered his emotions, looked up at Jenny at the fact that caught his eye before that. 

"A million-cell bill?" 

It is a huge amount of money that cannot be understood with Leo's concept of prices.