Walking the Tightrope

You might need someone to clear your throat on the spot. 

It would be important for him to become strong enough to break the leash on his own and survive alone… but no one can guarantee the future. 

In preparation for that day, I plant a small seed here today with this greedy old man. 

No one knew how it would sprout and cast its shadow. 

# 

Submit a sample to the patent office and finalize the work. 

Fortunately, Amnak Pharmaceuticals had prepared the relevant documents in advance, so Leo was only able to submit a sample and have it verified. 

After leaving the Patent Office, where he was greeted much more kindly than by the borough officials of District 49, Leo headed straight for the orchard in District 31, his body weary. 

I would have liked to report the situation to Jenny and then go rest right away, but making up for the lack of supplies was much more important. 

It is a very precious item that allows Leo to forget about fatigue and move his body like normal people. 

It was worth investing a significant portion of Leo's earnings just to be able to dilute the penalty, even if only for a little while. 

"Who is this? A very distinguished guest has arrived." 

A hunched old man with a hunched appearance smirked at him as he sat on a chair. 

He was holding the bear's tail as usual, and he tapped his knee as he looked at Leo. 

"I was rude to you last time because I didn't recognize you. Now that I think about it, you're a very talented magician." 

"Master, is there anything that you don't like?" 

The old man chuckled at Leo's question. 

"No, honestly, I was a little surprised. If the rumours reached my ears, it means that you've somehow managed to adapt to life here… I couldn't quite imagine it." 

The eyes of the old man, who was belching purple smoke, briefly glowed eerily. 

"I can't believe that idiot who brought in something without even knowing what he was smoking is still alive." 

"… … .." 

Leo chuckled silently. 

They may be smiling brightly on the outside, but inside they are thinking such things. It seems like everyone here lives with a knife in their stomach. 

Well, okay. 

Because it's better than just mumbling and hiding your true feelings until the end. 

"So, you're not going to sell anything?" 

"Oh my, what do you mean? Our store is always open." 

Leo silently bought 100 sticks of Cashburn cigarettes at once, looking at the old man whose expression suddenly changed and who rubbed his palms together. 

"I made a mistake! I was rude to meet such a solid young man with such a bright future!" 

After paying close to 8 million cells by simple calculation, the old man came out of the counter with a cheerful look on his face and started recommending completely different items. 

"If you've made that much money, why didn't you tell me earlier? Instead of Cash Burn, how about this? It's a little addictive, but it works really well. The side effects aren't that different either. I'm not saying you should buy a lot, but it wouldn't be bad to try a few cigarettes." 

"… ..as long as the dependence isn't too severe." 

Leo had no intention of settling for the blooming tobacco he was enjoying. 

If there is a drug that has fewer side effects or is better tolerated by Leo's body, he is willing to switch at any time. 

In that sense, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a few extra cigarettes based on the old man's recommendation. 

The excited old man tried to offer me some more expensive items, but I flatly refused from there. 

I had to save money and make a nest egg, except for a few expenses that I felt were absolutely necessary. 

Leo was planning to use all the money he had saved up to bid on the elixir Stemonia soon. 

The bid is 100 million. An additional amount of 20 million cells is needed for caution. 

Of course, you can't expect much effect at that price, but at least it can improve Leo's weak body. 

If only I could verify it, that would be enough. 

They always say time is running out, but they're not so far behind that they've thrown all their options away. 

As you grow further, gain more power and fame, and accelerate your money-making, there will come a time when you do not regret spending that much. 

It was very important for Leo to look at that moment and gain confidence to run. 

"8.95 million cells. I hope you live long and continue to patronize this old man's orchard." 

In the end, I chose and chose from the various recommendations the old man gave me and bought a few more and ended up paying close to 9 million cells. 

Leo came out of the orchard and went straight into a dark alley, where he plucked a new pack of cigarettes and put it in his mouth. 

Until just now, I had been holding back because I had to save on cigarettes, but now that I had replenished my portion, it was important to relieve my immediate fatigue. 

I leaned my back against the cold concrete wall and sat there, lost in thought, letting the smoke drift away. 

'Dependency... Even if you are careful, can you escape it?' 

The wizard's powerful reason and mental powers are always warning him about the smoke he is inhaling, but he also understands that it is a necessary evil for survival. 

No matter how careful and thorough Leo is in managing his drug dosage, he can't help but gradually become addicted. 

I think we've managed to do pretty well so far without relying on strong-armed things, but can we continue to do so? 

A never-ending tightrope walk continues on this cold and harsh street. 

I've been walking steadily without wavering, but I'm sure I'll stumble at some point. 

At that time, Leo was not confident that he could stand on his own without collapsing. 

"… … .." 

It's no use worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet. 

I headed to Jenny's bar, forcing myself to swallow the bitter taste that was gnawing at my heart. 

Since it's been a long time since I've pulled an all-nighter, I plan to get some rest for a while after finishing this request. 

It would have been better to organize the various necessary procedures beforehand. 

"Our wizard has arrived. I heard the news." 

She raised her glass with a grin. 

"You said you completely destroyed that gang? I heard there was a lot of complaints among the locals about setting off fireworks in the middle of the night." 

"… … … " 

Leo smiled bitterly as he realized what she was saying. 

It was certainly an unusual sight to see a car jumping around as it exploded. 

"I submitted a sample to the patent office. Please contact the pharmaceutical company." 

Leo collected his thoughts as Jenny quickly picked up the phone. 

Wasn't there something you needed to tell her and ask for her advice on the way here? 

"Isn't he completely crazy?" 

When I told her the story of my encounter with the councilman, Jenny said with a bewildered expression. 

"I've heard that there are many people among the corrupt politicians who are obsessed with politics, but this is beyond imagination." 

"Do you think they'll do anything extra?" 

"Well… ... From what you told me; it doesn't seem like that. Considering that they were making a lot of noise, they handled it very cleanly. If they approach me again, I guess… ." 

Jenny smiled brightly. 

"You'll have a much better reputation later on than you do now. That is, if he's really interested in your abilities." 

"I really wanted to be a wizard." 

"It's not such a bad thing to know a couple of politicians. In exchange for listening to their annoying complaints, they can provide various conveniences on a daily basis. When you don't know anything, you may be reluctant, but when you actually work together, there are more convenient aspects than you might think." 

"… … .." 

A vivid answer, as if you had experienced it yourself. 

Clearly, there was a concrete conviction there that was far from mere conjecture or delusion. 

Reunion: It's free up to here. 

Leo briefly watched her profile as she sipped her drink, then quickly looked away. 

She must have her own story too. 

In the first place, among those rolling around on these dirty streets, who would be without circumstances? 

Jenny, who set up a proper human resources agency at a young age and worked as a broker for various companies and organizations, would not have lived an ordinary life. 

It would be a lie to say that he wasn't curious about the inside story, but Leo refrained from opening his mouth. 

Just as Jenny didn't ask Leo anything, Leo needed to be considerate of her in the same way. 

At least if you want this relationship to last. 

The waiting time for the success fee from the pharmaceutical company was not long. 

You must have already confirmed that a sample of the new drug has been registered with the Patent Office under the name of Amnak Pharmaceutical Company. 

After the patent office completes its own testing and officially registers the new drug, sales can begin in earnest. 

"The money has been deposited. Should I send it to your account right away?" 

"Okay." 

In an instant, the remuneration minus the commission was deposited, and Leo stood up from his seat. 

As Leo was leaving after saying goodbye, he said to her as if he had remembered her. 

"Ban, you haven't found another source of income yet, have you?" 

"Is that what you were talking about last time?" 

"Yes. It's better to create multiple sources of income in advance to avoid suspicion. Commercial banks will recommend various things to you if you deposit a large amount of money into your account, but the city government's financial supervisory office will be different." 

Certainly, wasn't the purpose of creating an identity to secure a plausible position in the public eye? 

Because of my low status, it's hard for me to focus on more than just part-time work, and I still have to rely on this as my main source of income because I need to keep earning money. 

Jenny was saying that it is important to create such a source of income in the first place. 

"The important thing is the pretence, the pretence. It's impossible to investigate every single one of the tens of millions of people living in this city, so the people who are subject to tax audits by the city government are often limited to those who are unemployed and handle large sums of money." 

"I see what you mean. I'll find out when I get back." 

Of course, it's not like Leo had completely forgotten what Jenny had said. 

If what she said was really that important to Leo, he would have dropped everything and been knocking on the door of a burger joint. 

However, it was judged that it was important to increase reserve power even at the cost of taking such risks. 

While I was busy with my assignments and the rainy season was approaching, I didn't have time to do anything, but after I finish today's work, it wouldn't be a bad idea to look into something related to it. 

"I'm not urging you to find a job right away. It's okay to just look for a job, so give it a try." 

I leave the bar, leaving Jenny behind as she waves goodbye. 

I headed home; my body exhausted. After finishing up my work and hearing the definitive answer about my salary, the only thing on my mind was a desperate need for rest. 

# 

For a week. 

Leo rested soundly in his studio apartment, feeling that it was too much for him. 

Except for the meals I make myself, I spend all my time sitting still. 

Other than doing simple stretches to keep my body from stiffening up, I didn't move at all and tried to calculate my sleep time to normalize my biological rhythm. 

This is the first time I've worked through the night since I escaped from the factory. 

I was used to not being able to sleep because of insomnia, but when I thought about how my body's rhythm was disrupted due to my disrupted lifestyle, I needed to carefully maintain my balance. 

A body as uselessly delicate and fragile as glass. 

Although it was disgusting, Leo was somewhat adapting to this lowly body. 

While he was resting, he tried to find a part-time job that Leo could do as Jenny suggested, but it didn't yield many results. 

Basically, many places require consistency of about 3 days a week, and especially for adult males like Leo, the time slots they can work often span the night or early morning. 

If not, there are many cases where the body is used or the work itself is rough, either of which is extremely difficult for Leo. 

"I can't believe I have to put this much effort into choosing a part-time job…" 

Leo muttered as he nervously turned off the screen of his phone. 

Although he had registered his identity on a job search site under the name Evan Bylan, it seemed like it would take some time to find a job that suited Leo's circumstances. 

As I began to feel my body slowly regaining energy, I went out for the first time in a while. 

The megacity of Balkan moves slowly but surely, without any regard for the presence of even a single person. 

People moving busily through the pouring sunlight. The noisy advertising music heard between the buildings combined to create a stuffy liveliness. 

Leo walked slowly down the street so as not to get caught up in the heat. 

I got a call from Jenny shortly after, but she replied that she needed to rest a bit more before arriving at the library. 

In fact, the places Leo goes to while he is resting are somewhat set. 

Despite having a cell phone, Leo was accustomed to accessing information through the library's vast collection of books and data. 

This is especially true because knowledge about magic is often organized analogically in specific places rather than being spread out haphazardly on the Internet. 

Today, Leo arrived at the floor where the magic-related books were located and began flipping through the catalogue with his familiar hand movements. 

Until now, I had been walking around here because I thought I might find some vague hints for my magical research that I had been doing alone, but today, I have a more definite purpose. 

"Summoning magic, spirit magic, homunculus… Should I include necromancy as well?" 

While muttering to himself, he takes out the books according to the book numbers he remembered, stacks them, and begins to look through them one by one. 

A request from Amnak Pharmaceuticals. This is because Leo also realized something during the battle where he fought against werewolves and wizards at the same time. 

'What if you could create vanguard and use it in battle?' 

Although Leo had lost every fight and the match was decided in an instant, the tactics the two men attempted against him were simple. 

Werewolves stand in front, with wizards providing firepower from the rear. 

With strength and speed incomparable to that of an ordinary warrior, Guile attracts attention, and the magician dominates the space with firepower incomparable to that of a firearm. 

A tactic so simple it goes without saying, yet so effective. 

There are only three ways to deal with this situation. 

Like Leo, you can either crush them in a head-on fight with your out-of-the-ordinary abilities and talents, or you can come out with the exact same tactics and gradually gain the upper hand. Or you can start by suppressing the forces that pour out long-range firepower first. 

Although Leo has never felt that his abilities and talents are lacking, he has been feeling a little dissatisfied with the fact that the options he can choose from are limited.