The Wizard Has A Biochip

Chapter 20: Ruby

The moment I stepped through the doorway, I was swallowed once again by the massive crowd of acolytes.

The corridors were far busier than before.

I adjusted the bundle I’d been given under my arm and started looking for a familiar face.

It didn’t take long.

Near one of the large corridor windows, I spotted Helena and the rest of our group.

I smiled.

— So, you all survived.

Helena was the first to look at me.

— Glutton!

She waved.

The others smiled as well when I approached.

— So...

— How did it go?

I looked at everyone.

— I passed.

Victor broke into a grin.

— Congratulations!

Clara clapped softly.

— I knew you could do it.

Leon chuckled.

— Now we just have to find out where everyone ended up.

Arthur answered first.

— I chose Mining.

— I passed.

Victor raised a hand.

— Creature Skinning.

— I made it too.

Clara smiled.

— Jewelry Crafting.

— I barely passed.

Leon let out an awkward laugh.

— Herbalism.

— I figured it was safer not to take any risks.

Finally, Helena put her hands on her hips.

— I chose Herbalism too.

She sighed.

— The test was much harder than I expected.

— I thought I was going to fail.

I nodded.

— Congratulations.

She smiled.

— Now it’s your turn.

— Which profession did you choose?

I raised the white uniform I was carrying.

— Engineering.

For a moment...

No one said a word.

The five of them simply stared at me.

Arthur blinked several times.

Victor’s mouth slowly fell open.

Clara looked back and forth between me and the white uniform.

Helena was the first to break the silence.

— Engineering?

I nodded calmly.

— I passed.

The five of them froze.

Victor let out a nervous laugh.

— Wait...

— You’re serious?

I held up the ring engraved with the two golden gears.

— I think this answers your question.

Arthur leaned in for a closer look.

— That emblem...

His eyes widened.

— It really is the Arcane Engineering insignia...

— I can’t believe it...

Leon slowly shook his head.

— That’s one of the three hardest professions in the entire tower...

The atmosphere changed.

The excitement from only moments ago simply vanished.

In its place...

Much more complicated expressions appeared.

Envy.

Disbelief.

Confusion.

Helena kept staring at me for several long seconds.

Then she frowned.

— It doesn’t make any sense.

— Because I know I studied far more than you did.

Her voice carried a mixture of frustration and disbelief.

— I practically never left my room.

— I spent months studying day and night.

— Even so...

— I almost failed Herbalism.

— Herbalism is much easier than Engineering.

She looked at my ring again.

— The three major professions...

She counted them off on her fingers.

— Enchanting.

— Alchemy.

— Engineering.

— They’re known as the hardest professions in the tower.

— There must have been some kind of mistake in the test.

I smiled faintly.

— Maybe I just got lucky.

Helena rolled her eyes.

— There’s no such thing as that much luck.

— Who knows?

The group fell silent.

I decided not to drag the conversation out any longer.

I adjusted the white uniform beneath my arm once more.

— Well...

— I think I’ll head back to my room.

— I still need to get everything organized before tomorrow.

Then I turned around.

Leaving the group behind.

The others probably knew me mostly through the image Helena had painted of me. After all, the two of us came from the same kingdom, so it was only natural that she found all of this so hard to believe.

She probably still thought I was the same guy she’d known back then...

Just with a few changes.

Besides, I noticed that the moment I said I’d passed Magical Engineering, their smiles changed.

They were replaced by envy...

And even a hint of resentment.

I shook my head, remembering an old saying from my previous world.

Your friends want to see you succeed...

Just never more than they do.

.

.

.

.

I returned to my room.

I carefully laid my new uniform on the bed before putting on each piece.

The trousers.

The boots.

The gloves.

Finally, the long white robe.

I straightened the collar and walked over to the small mirror mounted on the stone wall.

For several seconds, I simply stared at my reflection.

Now this was different...

Now I truly looked like someone who belonged in this world.

The white robe reached below my knees.

The fabric was heavy and elegant.

Its wide sleeves partially concealed my hands.

My body, strengthened by months of training, made the uniform look far better than I’d expected.

I slowly raised a hand.

Then pulled the hood over my head.

The shadow concealed part of my face.

Next, I clenched my right fist.

The small silver ring engraved with the two golden gears caught the light.

Who would’ve thought...

Just a few months ago, I was nothing more than an engineer trying to miniaturize a nuclear reactor.

Now...

I was an apprentice mage.

It was time to celebrate a little.

I could have gone with Helena and the others earlier.

But after seeing those eyes filled with envy...

And even a trace of resentment...

I realized the gap between us would only continue to grow.

Thanks to the Biochip, my rate of progress would far surpass theirs.

And the more that happened...

The harder it would become for us to understand each other.

That was simply reality.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Then I walked over to a hidden compartment.

I moved aside the wooden panel.

Inside rested a small leather pouch.

It contained the magical crystals I had accumulated over the past few months through carefully calculated bets at the Arena of Death.

I took only a few.

Just enough to enjoy a pleasant evening.

Then I sealed the hiding place once more.

A good meal...

A decent drink...

And perhaps a chance to explore the commercial district of this tower a little better.

In the tower’s commercial district, people sell almost anything; there is even a market for beautiful acolytes who owe magic crystals to someone—and since they cannot pay, they are forced to sell themselves for a few crystals.

.

.

.

.

I walked slowly down the main street of the commercial district.

It was a long, bustling, noisy avenue lined with stalls on both sides.

Colorful crystals, freshly polished weapons gleamed atop wooden displays, dried herbs hung from ropes, and dozens of potions in glass vials displayed liquids of every imaginable color.

As I made my way through the street, a conversation caught my attention.

A young acolyte, dressed in a well-worn blue robe, was arguing with a potion merchant.

— You have to be joking... Forty magic crystals for a Critical Injury Healing Potion?

The merchant folded his arms.

— Joking? It’s brewed with Blood Bark Essence. It cures poison damage, low-level injuries, burn wounds, and even injuries caused by monsters. It’s worth every crystal.

— Thirty.

— Forty.

— Thirty-two.

— Thirty-nine.

The acolyte took a deep breath.

— Thirty-five. That’s literally all the money I have.

The merchant stroked his beard, pretending to think.

— Thirty-eight.

— Thirty-six!

— Thirty-seven. Final offer.

The young man remained silent for several seconds before sighing in defeat.

— ...Deal.

The merchant broke into a broad grin.

— I knew you were a smart young man!

I kept walking without slowing my pace.

None of those goods truly interested me.

I had another objective.

After a few minutes, my eyes landed on a simple wooden sign hanging above one of the buildings.

[High-Quality Meat — At a Fair Price]

A smile naturally spread across my face.

I walked toward the entrance and, to my surprise, found a familiar face.

Eduard Von stood in front of the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the passing crowd like a true guard.

The moment our eyes met, I got straight to the point.

— I heard you recently received some beautiful, virgin acolytes, right?

Eduard stared at me for a few moments.

Then a smile spread across his face.

— You’ve come to the right place. Come on, I’ll show you the new arrivals.

I followed behind him.

We passed through the shop and entered a narrow alley hidden behind the building.

As we walked, Eduard glanced back over his shoulder.

— Funny...

I looked at him.

— What is?

— I have the feeling I’ve seen you somewhere before.

Must be déjà vu.

Months ago, I had watched this man kill Ethan.

Back then, I had looked completely different.

My body had been much weaker, my clothes were plain, and I hadn’t even been wearing an acolyte’s uniform.

Now I was taller, more muscular, and dressed appropriately.

It wasn’t surprising that he only felt a vague sense of familiarity.

— Actually... I’m just that impressive, you know? That’s probably why you think you know me.

Eduard stared at me for a few seconds.

Then burst into laughter.

— Hahaha!

— No... I’ve definitely never seen you before.

I kept smiling.

— That’s a shame.

A short while later, we reached our destination.

The area was spacious and surrounded by high walls.

Lined up against one of them was a long row of completely naked female acolytes.

They were all restrained by metal collars.

Some sat on the floor with utterly vacant expressions.

They seemed to have already accepted their fate.

Others gritted their teeth, glaring at anyone nearby with pure hatred.

These acolytes were even more heavily restrained, their arms and legs bound by thick ropes.

Eduard spread his arms like a merchant proud of his stock.

—Welcome.

—Here are our latest ’guests’.

He pointed to the first one.

She was a teenage girl with greenish skin, relatively clean, wearing an exaggeratedly friendly smile.

As soon as she saw me, her eyes lit up.

She took a few steps forward, as far as her chain allowed.

—Master... I can serve you just right.

I tilted my head slightly.

She continued.

—I’ll do whatever you command...

I shook my head.

—No.

Eduard just shrugged.

We moved on.

The second was an older acolyte with dark skin.

As soon as she saw me, she flashed a sycophantic smile.

—Sir! I’m obedient! I can give amazing anal sex.

I ignored her.

The third was a brown-skinned acolyte with long hair who struck a seductive pose.

—I’m a pro at oral sex, baby. I’d love to swallow your sweet cum.

I didn’t even wait for her to finish.

—Next.

Eduard smiled faintly.

—You’re quite demanding.

—I’m looking for something specific.

We kept walking to the end of the line.

There was the last one.

Unlike the other women, this acolyte kept her green eyes filled with hatred.

Her pale, petite body was delicate. Furthermore, unlike Helena, this girl actually had incredible breasts.

Ropes bound her arms and legs, yet she still tried to lunge forward.

As soon as she saw me, she snarled.

—Filthy pervert, rapist... I hope you die!

Eduard tapped the girl lightly on the shoulder.

—She’s a virgin and arrived today.

The girl tried to bite him.

Eduard dodged effortlessly.

—This wild girl’s name is Ruby; she owes crystals and couldn’t pay, so here she is.

I crossed my arms.

—And how much?

—One magic crystal per hour.

I looked again at the girl staring back at me with those delicate green eyes.

Anger still burned in her gaze.

Exactly what I was looking for.

—Deal.

I handed over the crystal.

Eduard raised his hand and took it.

—Payment accepted.

He signaled to someone.

A few seconds later, a burly man emerged from another room.

—Take Ruby to a private room; our client will be using her.

The employee nodded.

Before pulling Ruby along, he turned to me.

—Do you prefer him tied up or loose?

I answered immediately.

—Tied up.

—Understood.

The man tightened the ropes even further before dragging Ruby down the hallway.

Ruby kept cursing and trying to resist, but it was useless.

Eduard watched the scene with a faint smile.

—I hope she meets your expectations.

I nodded.

—I think she’ll do.

—Then enjoy yourself.

He raised a hand in farewell.

—I have to get back to the entrance. New clients are always showing up.

...

2012 Words

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