"This is Magic Void. Every Mage in the world relies on the external Elements to recover their Magic Power. The only difference is the speed and efficiency of that conversion."
"If the Elements are depleted, a Mage loses their means of recovering Magic Power."
"Of course, you can also replenish it by drinking a Magic Recovery Potion... but Potions are a finite resource, and drinking too many can be a burden on the body."
"But Magic Void..."
"...is not bound by such limitations."
"No matter where you are or what the environment is like, you can constantly recover your own Magic Power."
"Because your Magic Power... comes from the Void."
'It really is powerful.'
Lu Cang's Magic Power was now 70 times what it was at his limit.
And it was still continuing to grow.
'The recovery rate of my Magic Power...'
Lu Cang estimated he could recover 2% of his Magic Power with a single breath.
That was far more than his total Magic Power at his previous limit.
Feeling the miraculous process within his body, Lu Cang couldn't help but ask curiously, "But why does Magic Power come from the Void? And how is the Void formed?"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized something.
'Iz had said he might not understand these principles even if he explained them.'
'He learned Magic quickly, but he'd barely touched any purely theoretical knowledge.'
Iz patted Lu Cang's head, a helpless smile on his face. "I'd love to tell you. My desire to share this knowledge with others is perhaps even stronger than your desire to learn it."
"But this is what I meant by forbidden knowledge."
Iz fell silent for a moment.
He seemed to be thinking about what he should say.
Finally, he took a sip of his hot tea.
He said softly, "I can only tell you this: Magic Power isn't the only thing that comes from the Void."
"*Sigh*... want to go for a walk around town?"
Lu Cang committed his response to memory, knowing this was knowledge beyond his current reach.
He didn't press the matter and simply nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."
...
'This was the first time he'd truly gone out for a walk since arriving in this world.'
Three days.
'In three days, how many times had he passed out?'
'He'd gotten drunk and passed out on the first day. On the second day, he'd passed out from overusing Magic. And now, on the third day, he'd fainted again because of the 'Trial' Iz had set up.'
'Thinking about it, it seemed like he'd passed out once every day.'
The corner of Lu Cang's mouth twitched at the thought of this pattern.
'Don't tell me... I'm going to faint again tomorrow?'
It seemed he hadn't been unconscious for long today; the sun had just set.
Night had only just fallen on Raine Town.
The town was still brightly lit.
Iz first took Lu Cang to the Adventurer's Guild.
They settled the commission.
The reward for the commission was 1 gold coin.
Then, Iz gave the collected spoils to Celia, who immediately paid Iz the reward for them.
The final profit that ended up in Lu Cang's hands was 2 gold and 26 silver coins.
After extracting the loot, the great serpent was only worth 70 silver coins.
Iz didn't take his 1 silver coin.
The reason was simple.
He hadn't fulfilled his duty to protect him, so no protection fee was necessary.
Lu Cang sat at a wooden table in the Adventurer's Guild.
This place wasn't just for accepting commissions; it was also a tavern.
Adventurers gathered here to shoot the breeze, and they couldn't just do it on an empty stomach. A large portion of the Adventurer's Guild's income also came from its tavern business.
Lu Cang held up his money pouch. "So this is the profit from clearing a Tier Two Dungeon..."
"Two gold coins."
Iz reminded him, "Most Adventurer parties are teams of four or more, with at least one Physical Attacker, one Magic Caster, one Healing Mage, and one Defender."
"So this profit is usually split four ways."
Lu Cang calculated, "So that's about 56 silver coins per person."
"No. If they have a Gatherer, it would be closer to 90 silver coins each."
Iz continued, "But exploring a Dungeon requires buying supplies."
"A Mid Level Life Healing Potion costs 10 silver coins a bottle and can heal the moderate injuries of a Level 2 Warrior's Constitution."
"A Mid Level Magic Recovery Potion is 5 silver coins a bottle and restores about 30% of a Level 2 Mage's Magic Power."
"Worn-out equipment needs to be repaired by a Blacksmith."
"Furthermore, our haul this time included a bonus drop of a Dark Crystal, which normally wouldn't appear. Even if a team has a Gatherer, it wouldn't double the profit from a Dark Crystal."
"So, the profit for a normal party clearing a Tier Two Dungeon, when split among everyone, is about 75 silver coins."
"After deducting expenses for supplies and such, the real profit is only about 20 to 30 silver coins."
Hearing Iz's calculated profits,
Lu Cang gained a general understanding of the Adventurers in this world.
'They earn a lot less than I imagined.'
In reality, there were things Iz hadn't mentioned... for example, it wasn't a guarantee that a Dungeon could be cleared in one go. Sometimes it took two or three trips, which would drive up costs even more.
"Yo, Little Lu Cang!"
Suddenly, a hand clapped onto Lu Cang's shoulder.
He turned his head to look.
It was the red-haired Warrior, Chi Cheng.
Two questions popped into Lu Cang's mind... 'Where did he come from? When did he get here?'
"Oho, Little Lu Cang, I heard you solo-cleared a Tier Two Dungeon today and made a killing!"
"Haha, you changed your Profession to a Level 1 Mage just yesterday, and today you can solo-clear a Tier Two Dungeon without Iz's help! You really are the magic genius Iz praised!"
Chi Cheng's voice was loud.
The Adventurers drinking in the Adventurer's Guild all turned to look in their direction when they heard him shouting.
Even though they were drinking, their hearing was sharp.
That, combined with Chi Cheng's completely unsubtle way of greeting him,
meant that nearly the entire Adventurer's Guild had heard him.
"Just changed his Profession yesterday?"
"Isn't that the kid Iz brought in this morning? I heard he's only eight years old."
"Eight? Isn't the regulated age for changing Professions sixteen?"
"Changing Professions that early, won't there be a severe backlash?"
"I heard Kumironi was the one who performed the Profession change for him."
"No way! Kumironi presided over it personally?!"
"I heard even the Prince of the Kingdom is begging Kumironi to preside over his Profession change... just so he can start on his path a little earlier."
"If Kumironi presided, then eight years old really isn't a problem..."
"But Chi Cheng seems to have said he solo-cleared a Tier Two Dungeon today."
"A magic genius acknowledged by even Iz..."
'He could feel all the surrounding gazes focused on him.'
Lu Cang just wanted to get away as quickly as possible; he didn't want to attract too much attention.
However, with Chi Cheng's arm around his shoulders, he couldn't move at all.
"So! How about a celebratory feast!"
'Wait a minute...'
'Why does this plot feel so familiar?'
Before Lu Cang could even react, Chi Cheng raised Lu Cang's hand into the air!
"Alright! It's decided!"
"Let's have a celebratory feast! All of tonight's expenses will be covered by the personal grand-disciple of our very own Izparut, the magic genius, Little Lu Cang!"
Lu Cang: "Huh? Wait!"
But before he could even get a word in, the Adventurers present all raised their mugs!
"Yo!"
"Little Lu Cang!"
"Little Lu Cang!"
"Little Lu Cang!"
The Adventurers chanted Lu Cang's name in unison. He had already become the star of the party.
'Dammit...'
'How did I suddenly end up paying for everything?'
'My freshly earned 2 gold and 26 silver coins!'
Chi Cheng leaned in and whispered in Lu Cang's ear, "Don't worry, if you don't have enough, I'll lend you the money."
'Get lost!'
'Who asked you for a loan?!'
'You're the one who decided to treat everyone without asking!'
But he wasn't given any chance to complain.
Chi Cheng had already raised his mug. "Let's toast to tonight's guest of honor, the vanquisher of the Shadow Cave, the magic genius—Little Lu Cang, on his great victory in his first battle!"
"Cheers!"
CLANK—
'Hey... don't force a kid to drink!'