v1c1 (2/2)

Before entering the alley, I had seen the familiar creations of the King Sejong the Great written in large letters in front of the shops. Perhaps as a testament to how many Koreans had come here, after English and j.a.panese, there was a sentence written in Korean in front of the shop doors.

[T/N: A bit of Korean history -- King Sejong invented the modern written Korean language. Before, Chinese-derived characters were used.]

The sentence was this: ‘It’s cheap. Come take a look. However, no bargaining.’

My face flushed. I couldn’t explain my feeling of embarra.s.sment.

“Great Wizard? Archmage?”

Raising my flushed face, I checked out the deserted alley and saw a small store. It had blue-tinted windows, so I couldn’t look inside. But an English word, Archmage, had been written on the door.

‘What’s this? Are they the descendant of an alchemist?’

For some reason, my curiosity was sparked.

‘Should I go in?’

Even if this place wasn’t well known, there was sure to be something nice in a small store like this where people didn’t frequent. That definitely had to be the case. Currently, my wallet was so light that there was more dust in there than money.

Ti-ring.

A clear bell sounded as I opened the heavy wooden door.

‘Wo-aah!’

An exclamation burst out of me on its own.

It looked like a small shop you couldn’t expect anything from on the outside, but it was full of handicrafts that you could tell were amazing masterpieces in one glance. From jeweled cases to earrings, necklaces, hairpins, and all sorts of accessories, there were even ceramics that clearly looked antique and baubles that looked as if n.o.bles from the Middle Ages would have used them.

Gulp.

I swallowed my saliva.

‘Jackpot.’

Moreover, I saw a generous-looking old man dozing. With a white beard that reached down to his belly and stylishly wearing an ivory-colored robe, he really was like the Gandalf who appeared in the movies.

‘If this goes well, it could be frickin’ awesome.’

I had heard through internet news stories that treasures capable of turning your life around were found in antique stores like this. A tingly feeling of expectation filled me with excitement.

‘Kuku, this is gonna be cake.’

The Czech grandpa looked friendly for sure. He was napping with a large crystal ball in front of him.

“Ahem! A-hem!”

First off, I woke the grandpa up by clearing my throat. Maybe because I had grown up in the eastern land of courtesy, I first wanted to let him know that a customer had come.

‘Huh?’

But even at my throat clearing, Gandalf didn’t open his eyes at all. He made a look of annoyance as if hearing a dog bark and continued to sleep while rubbing his ear.

‘Is, is he a master?’

There was a saying that when a storekeeper reached the highest level, he could tell if a customer was rich or not simply from their smell. The fact that he didn’t get up even though I had come in was definitely because he had accurately determined that I was poor.

But I wasn’t one to retreat like this.

It was a certain fact that if I were to get even one of the items in this store, my parents wouldn’t call me a rude brat anymore.

“H-hi!”

[T/N: He says this in English.]

I raised my hand and flashed off a friendly, Western style smile. I predicted that if I didn’t have money, I might be able to get something if I was friendly.

Woosh. In that instant, the drowsing Gandalf’s eyes opened wide. And then, he delivered a shocking message.

“What’s with the rude ‘hi’? If you’re in front of an adult, you should immediately lower your head. Tsk tsk, kids these days are&h.e.l.lip;”

Coming into my ears was the all too familiar, perfectly spoken Korean. If not for his looks, Gandalf had such an outstanding command of an elder’s Korean speech that one might believe he was a village old timer.

“You, you don’t have money, right?”

Following that, Gandalf loosed a critical hit.

My body stiffened in a state of shock. Under the unfamiliar skies of eastern Europe, I had met a grandpa who was Czech in appearance only. Even I, who had nothing to fear, went under mental overload at this sudden situation.

‘H-how did he know that I was Korean? And what’s with that natural native accent!’

For the first time in my life, I experienced the feeling of being thunderstruck. No, after the remark about my parent’s wilderness simulation, this was the second time.

I stared at Gandalf’s golden eyes with a blank look.

“Kuku. You’re wondering how I knew you were Korean, right? And how I can speak Korean this well, right?”

‘Maybe he’s a Western shaman?’

If he hadn’t possessed me, then how else could he know my inner thoughts so well? I realized I was unknowingly nodding and returned to my senses.

‘Is, is he seriously a mage? Heh, no way&h.e.l.lip;’

The shop name that had been written on the sign, “Archmage,” flashed through my head. But no matter how I thought about it, there was no way a mage could exist in a world where tombs were made on the moon.

“That’s right, I’m a mage.”

“Ah!”

‘That’s&h.e.l.lip; ridiculous!’

Was he saying that there were people who could read minds? This foreign shaman was boldly calling himself a magician, one that didn’t just use trickery. He was definitely wrong in the head.

“Who are you?”

I gulped anxiously as I asked his ident.i.ty. Though it wasn’t as if I had received my formal education on fantasy, there was no sane person in this world who would seriously call themselves a mage. Especially if that person looked as if they were long past their prime.

“Tsk, tsk. Kids these days don’t believe in what adults say. D’you think I would lie at an age like this?”

His folksy command of the language just kept flowing from his mouth. It felt as if this wasn’t a shop in the Czech Republic, but in Korea.

‘I’ve been possessed by a ghost. It’s probably because I haven’t eaten any kimchi in the past few days.’

No matter how many times I heard it, I just couldn’t get used to Gandalf’s native fluency.

‘This is dangerous.’

A warning sizzled up my spine and sparked through my body. I could feel a bizarre feeling emanating from the crazy Czech man who called himself a so-called mage. And now I also noticed letters and figures of an unknown language in the shop. It occurred to me that it might be the rune language that appeared in fantasy novels.

I hesitantly made my way over to the door.

“What, you’re just gonna leave? If you don’t have money, I could just give it to you&h.e.l.lip;”

At those words, my legs ignored their owner’s will and stopped right there.

‘FREE!’

A reward quest that was worth the danger!

‘That’s right, in a global world like today, he might be able to speak a foreign language. And he might be able to read a person’s intent a bit. Since he’s that old, he must’ve learned mind reading or something.’

My mind suddenly scrambled to comfort itself.

I flashed my signature detached smile to Gandalf, who was scanning me with his unknowable, peculiar eyes.

“Ha, haha! You are truly fluent in Korean.”

Even as I spoke, my eyes were working hard to scan every part of my surroundings. At that age, he probably wouldn’t lie. My eyes locked onto the item that would cost the most.

‘My luck today is good.’

Starting with a conversation with Ye-rin, I had happened to stumble into a store called “Archmage.” The only problem was that the owner had otaku fantasy mania, but other than that, there was no problem.

“I’m not lying. Out of the items here, pick out the one you want the most. I’ll give it to you as a present.”

This mage grandpa, who looked as good-natured as the Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings! At his incredible offer, my lips went from ear to ear.

‘Kuhaha! Jackpoooot!’

I had no idea that something like this would happen in this tough world.

“You do not have to go so far, but since an adult said so, I will swallow my sense of honor and pick one.”

Before he went back on his words, I picked up a silver bracelet that had drawn me to it the moment I had laid eyes on it.

‘Even if this big thing is a fake, I think it’ll make some money. Huhu, this is frickin’ awesome!’

The silver bracelet was engraved with unknown patterns and letters. Glowing with a silver-platinum color, it was clearly a high cla.s.s rare item. Furthermore, there were s.h.i.+ning stones that looked like diamonds embedded inside the silver bracelet. Even if it was a fake, it looked like it would fetch quite a price.

‘I’m strangely drawn to it.’

There were a number of other ornaments and items made out of gold, but I was peculiarly attracted to this silver bracelet. I could feel a s.h.i.+mmering energy so faint I might be imagining it from the bracelet.

“Kukuku. Right, I see. Of course.”

As soon as I raised the bracelet, Gandalf gramps nodded as he said something insensible.

‘Let’s run!’

Now that he had picked one out, Gandalf gramps could change his mind. With my thoughts of running away, my head went down to a 90 degree angle.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Because I had been raised under polite home discipline, I sincerely relayed my thanks. Then, I turned around.

‘Puhaha! This is so awesome!’

I really liked this bracelet. Just holding it gave me the feeling that I had become rich.

Ker-chunk.

‘Huh?’

But that was as far as I went. The shop door wouldn’t open no matter how hard I tried. Despite my physical strength, the door wouldn’t budge, as if it were stuck shut with the strongest super glue.

“Huhu&h.e.l.lip;”

And then, a sinister laugh.

All my hairs stood on end.

‘St-stingy. He won’t tell me to give it back, right?’

If it became a contest of strength, Gandalf gramps had nothing on me. But since I couldn’t do something like that, I’d have to give it back. No matter how much I wanted it, I wanted to avoid getting imprisoned as a thief in a Czech jail.

“Since you’ve gotten a present, let’s go.”

“What?”

Surprised by Gandalf gramps’ sudden words of going, I turned my head.

“Ah!”

Right there and then, I felt myself freeze again.

Psssssss.

At some point, Gandalf gramps had raised a strange stick. An intense, blue light was pouring into the room.

“Why, why are you doing this? Isn’t this free?”

My lips disregarded my will and trembled.

“Free? Of course it’s free. That is, if you can survive. Kuhahahahahaha!”

This time, my hands started shaking.

Gandalf gramps had suddenly changed. He emanated a brilliance that was truly like that of an archmage.

‘s.h.i.+t! What’s with this ridiculous situation?’

At the powerful force Gandalf was exuding, I couldn’t speak. I could only hear a single, friendly word by my ear.

“Sleep!”

A magic incantation that only appeared in fantasy novels! I felt my entire body getting enveloped in a wave of enormous energy.

Then I tightly closed my eyes. Unable to toss aside the delusion of “free,” I was still gripping the silver bracelet.

‘Ah, f.u.c.k&h.e.l.lip;’

Inconceivably horrified, I coughed out a short breath and was plunged into a deep sleep.

I couldn’t have even imagined my very first thrilling taste of magic or the future ahead of me.

<script>