Magic Trick

Jung and the other kids entered the city.

No guards protected the entrance, as if their arrival had been anticipated.

Stone walls appeared durable, strong, and almost alive.

As soon as Jung crossed the gate, he saw the tall buildings.

Most of them were built with bricks and had diverse colours and patterns on them.

The environment was nothing like Inbox City; starting with the vibe and ending with the road structure, the whole mood was exquisite.

Yet everything paled compared to the Arcane Tower.

It was the main branch of the Runic Society, the grand organization connected to the world government, employing the strongest and smartest people of various archetypes.

This imposing structure oversaw everything in the city.

Watching it created a feeling that the sky welcomed it with open arms and begged it to stay.

Jung's eyes were glued to the tower.

After getting to the city, he noticed Ronan all alone. 

The boy stood in front of a white-veiled human, whose entire body was covered in cloth, and only his eyebrows could be seen.

'What a weirdo,' Jung thought from afar, but he couldn't contain his amusement when he got closer to the guy. "Pfft… oh gods."

His expression drew attention to him.

Jung didn't care and watched Ronan and the guy.

Recognizing him, Jung didn't reveal his identity.

This white-dressed man, of course, was the old guy who stayed behind with guards to protect the cohort. He was the creator archetype.

Even his standing and moving patterns never presented a challenge for Jung to decipher.

Leora and Astra couldn't recognize him, though.

They walked with Jung and Mira, nearing the man and Ronan.

As soon as Jung confronted them, they dropped their silent conversation as the man pulled attention to himself.

"Hello," he said with a crispy, altered voice, and observed them attentively.

"I am Walt, the overseer of your arrival, and my mission is to lead you into the examination hall."

'No mention of the first trial.' Jung concluded.

The silence didn't descend.

Everyone, excluding Ronan and Jung, spoke their minds, asking various questions.

Walt accepted but said nothing.

It was apparent he didn't plan on answering any of their questions.

Especially to Leora, who was extremely talkative.

After numerous attempts to coax anything out of Walt's mouth, the teens gave up and allowed the man to do his job.

Content with the outcome, Jung followed them, observing the city.

It was as grand as he imagined, yet even if his interest was piqued, his expression remained unfazed, failing to impress a mind shaped by vast experiences.

However, there was one routine that in no way and form would bore him.

It was his favourite activity.

"Do you want to see a magic trick?" Jung asked the overseer as he strolled next to him.

"He is starting!" Leora said, agitated.

Jung had proposed the same question to the cohort every night.

His performance was different each time. A superb entertainer, he always said, never runs out of tricks.

Youngsters definitely didn't like his shows, but strangely enough, he was popular with elders, and they enjoyed his presence.

Walt had seen his every show.

The man favoured this youth and his outlook on life. Jung was lively, jolly, and wordy with competence under his name while understanding how to handle people.

Adding to the boring walk, Walt's interest was evoked.

"Show me, but be quick," he said and paused before they even traversed one street.

"The pleasure is mine," Jung bowed, smiling meekly.

Then he took out a coin orb from the pouch and demonstrated it for others to see it.

Money in Maskera worked in a not-so-unusual way.

There were two kinds of orbs. One was called the Snow coin, and the second was the Ember coin.

Embers were worth 100 snow coins, and their value stayed consistent.

The orb Jung displayed belonged to his father.

He was quite good at stealing it from a very young age and loved teasing Baki with his wilful acts.

"I want you to hold this," Jung said, handing over the orb.

Confused, Walt took it in his hand and completely hid it.

"What do I need to do?" the man asked, covering the coin between his palms.

"Just try to stop me from stealing it." Jung taunted.

"Before that, double-check if it is still there," he said as he stood over two meters away, with no way to touch it.

"Yeah, it's still her—" Walt was about to confirm where the orb was. "It's gone!"

Clasping his hands together, he exclaimed, puzzlement clear on his face. "But how?"

Overseer, the old man who had a distinguished reputation in the Arcane Academy, enjoyed a lofty position and was quite proud of his Tier IX status, lost an orb to a child.

It was an unpleasant pill to swallow.

He couldn't even notice how the kid pulled it off. At any rate, he didn't have a narrow mindset and wouldn't get angry over that.

Feeling curious, he asked Jung about it.

"How did you…?"

Jung halted him, smirking, his face comical.

"Forget it. It's merely an old coin trickery. There is no need to be so coinfused about it."

His voice was almost visibly full of mischief.

One could easily tell how proud he felt of that dad joke.

'My senior jester trained me well.' This prank had been taught by his jester teacher in his last life. 'Good thing I killed him,'

According to Jung's memories, his aged jester had been a menace, a total psycho who tortured innocent people for petty paychecks.

Jung slayed him during an important performance.

Which caused him to lose his job.

This development puzzled Jung for more than one life.

As for Walt, he chuckled at Jung's words, studying the boy once more.

"Say the price for that secret, and I will pay for it."

His statement caused a stir among teenagers.

They didn't even like the joke, not to mention understanding why the overseer would pay for it.

There was no need to think about it.

"Every good entertainer knows not to sell their trick." Jung rejected his offer politely.

He used inventory for that trick and had no reason to spill his beans.

"What a pity," Walt said dejectedly. "I would gladly pay 100 ember coins for it." He dropped his head, eagerly peeking at Jung.

"But do you know that every GREAT entertainer knows his worth?" Jung answered shamelessly, his eyes shining with greed. "And I think we might have a pleasant exchange." 

Based on the information he got from his parents and the system's ramblings, Arcane Academy was filled with resources to cultivate his archetype and reach higher tiers.

However, nothing was free in this world, as he required huge capital.

Exhilaration surged in his veins.

With money-hungry eyes, he was about to start negotiations when Jung saw something he loved even more than shiny coins.

'My sidekicks, my losers, are here,' he thought, locking eyes on players as they roamed the sidewalk.