Chapter 19

　　Bora immediately set up another small tent on the spot and had me start enchanting more shirts. At this point, she didn’t even need to be out front making sales pitches. Word had spread, and the remaining hundred pieces were flying off the table.

　　“One more over here!”

　　“We need enough for our whole guild! Give us twenty!”

　　“Ah, I’m sorry!” Bora called out, managing the crowd. “There are others waiting, so we’re limiting it to a maximum of three per person…”

　　It wasn’t just selling well; it was already becoming a scarce commodity.

　　I even heard rumors that the vests were being resold for a hundred dollars apiece deeper in the Lava Cave.

　　And just like that, within two hours, we were completely sold out.

　　Ten thousand dollars landed in my pocket in the blink of an eye.

　　“Bora, let’s pack up.”

　　We officially announced we were out of stock. Rather than making them one by one on-site, it seemed far more efficient to leave the dungeon, find a quiet place, and work in earnest. Since business was clearly booming, we could always come back tomorrow with a fresh supply.

　　With that, we exited the dungeon.

　　“Your magic is an even bigger hit than I thought!” Bora said, practically bouncing with excitement.

　　“You did well, too. It was worth bringing you along.”

　　She grinned sheepishly at my praise.

　　“And once the potions are ready, this will be nothing in comparison.”

　　“Ugh, I’m so excited! How am I supposed to wait until then?”

　　“More importantly, are you sure it’s okay to throw the school’s name around like that? You’re on the student council. What if the academy gets a direct inquiry?”

　　She flashed a mischievous smile. “I thought of that, so I actually coordinated my story with a senior in one of the academy’s research clubs.”

　　Oh. This kid was sharper than I gave her credit for. This whole affair had definitely made me see her in a new light.

　　“Besides, it’s not like we lied about the quality,” she continued, rationalizing. “At worst, it’s just a little exaggerated advertising, right? The customers are happy, so everyone’s happy! That’s all that matters!”

　　…She really was quick on her feet. I opened a map app on my phone and searched for nearby accommodations.

　　“Found a cheap guesthouse. I’ll work there.”

　　“Then what should I do?”

　　“Find something to do on your own. There’s an internet cafe nearby.”

　　“…An internet cafe,” she muttered, pouting at me. They were great. What was her problem?

　　“If you don’t like that, you might as well go hunting since we’re already here.”

　　“Ugh, it’s too hot in there! Can’t I just stay with you? I promise I won’t be a bother.”

　　“You’ll bother me…”

　　“Then let’s go!” she declared, latching onto my arm. Her attempt at being cute was completely transparent, but she had been a huge help today, so I decided to let it slide.

* * *

　　The moment we checked into the room, an intense session of manual labor began. I threw myself into producing the enchanted vests, working like a possessed man. It was grueling, but there was one small consolation.

　　[Magic has increased by 1.]

　　That player message, popping up every so often, was a good reminder. This is training. This is training. I repeated it over and over, clinging to my consciousness as fatigue threatened to overwhelm me.

　　“This is too haaard!”

　　Next to me, Bora was attempting to draw a magic circle on the floor. She’d refused to go to her own room and kept chattering away, so I’d started teaching her magic just to keep her quiet.

　　“Why can’t you do this? Look.”

　　But she couldn’t even manage the simple act of spreading her mana. I placed my hand on the floor to demonstrate.

　　“Spread your mana out wide, like you’re unrolling a flat sheet of paper. Like this.”

　　Beneath my palm, two bluish membranes of mana formed, layered perfectly one on top of the other. Seeing this, Bora pouted.

　　“It’s just too hard! Even when you say it’s like a sheet of paper, I can’t get a feel for it.”

　　“Why not?”

　　She shot her hand into the air like an indignant student. “First of all, I think there’s something wrong with the teacher!”

　　“…Hmm?”

　　I never expected a critique from that angle.

　　“Look at what I do! Now you try! No, why can’t you do this? If you teach like that, how do you think the student feels?”

　　“…I was just teaching it exactly as it’s written in the book,” I said, feeling a bit wronged. I had simply followed the instructions in The Fundamentals of Magic, and it had worked without a hitch.

　　Bora narrowed her eyes and recited in a monotone, “Wow, that’s so amazing. As expected of our Tower Master, you’re just built different. Hmph.”

　　She was sulking, but I honestly had nothing else to tell her. Why couldn’t she do it? To be fair, I wasn’t an expert in the theory of magic yet, so I couldn’t really offer advice tailored for a beginner. Explaining my own experience was the best I could do.

　　“I’m taking a break.”

　　Finally losing interest, Bora flopped onto the bed and started tapping at her phone. Since my goal of shutting her up had been achieved, I returned to my work. A moment later, a flawed shirt in the finished pile caught my eye.

　　“Ea, you did this, didn’t you?”

　　I had done the first batch alone to get the hang of it, but this time, Ea was helping. I would draw the main Heat Resistance magic circle, and she would add the Permanence magic circle beside it.

　　“Look at this. The formula for the Permanence circle is incorrect, which makes it defective. This won’t even last an hour…”

　　-…Tower Master.

　　“What?”

　　-My magical ability is influenced by yours, but my concentration is a separate matter. Therefore, while our skill is the same, your lack of focus… wait, that’s not right. In any case, it is my assessment that your level of concentration, where you barely blink for hours on end, is abnormal.

　　…Oops.

　　-Continuing to work at this pace will lead to mental exhaustion and interfere with my primary functions as an administrator. I am hereby declaring a strike.

　　“Ah! You’re talking to Ea right now, aren’t you?” Bora piped up from the bed. “You just got an earful from her, right? See! I’m not the only one who thinks you’re being weird.”

　　Seeing my clueless expression, Bora sighed softly. “Um, I think you lack a bit of consideration for people who aren’t as skilled as you.”

　　Her words hit me like a jolt. People less skilled than me. I realized I’d never seriously considered that concept. I had always seen myself at the bottom, with nowhere to go but up. I’d assumed anyone less capable than me simply lacked willpower. But I was the Tower Master now. My world had changed.

　　“Yeah, you’re right,” I admitted. “I’ll try to be more mindful of that.”

　　My ready agreement seemed to soften Bora’s expression. In my head, Ea’s telepathic voice also regained its gentle tone.

　　“I’m sorry for being rude, too,” Bora added.

　　-There is no reason for the Tower Master to apologize to a homunculus.

　　The suffocating tension in the room finally broke. I stretched my arms wide and said, “Let’s take a break.”

　　“Deal!” Bora exclaimed, sitting up. “Want to go get dinner? I just looked up famous restaurants here, and they say the chive and pork stew is amazing!”

　　“Alright, let’s go.”

　　It was still awkward, but I decided I could get used to accommodating others, little by little.

* * *

　　On the second day of our sales at the Lava Cave, with Ea’s help, I managed to finish the remaining four hundred vests. We overslept and arrived a little after the dungeon opened, but as soon as we entered, we saw people already milling about, looking for us.

　　“The academy students are here!”

　　“You’re selling that item again today, right?”

　　“I saw on the forums that you have to buy the heat-resistant item at the entrance before going in.”

　　The word was out, so we no longer needed to advertise. I sat at the table and handled the money while Bora handed out numbers and organized the line.

　　“Hey, mister! You just cut in! Get to the back of the line, now!”

　　“Wh-what? Do you have any idea which guild I’m from…?”

　　“Oh, shut up! I don’t care what guild you’re from. If you want to buy one, get back in line!”

　　Every time we came here, I was reminded that Bora, with her sharp and decisive personality, was incredibly competent. If only she could sort out her issues with men, she’d be perfect.

　　The result was a foregone conclusion. All four hundred pieces sold out on the spot.

　　“Sold out! That means we’ve hit our target, right?”

　　“Yeah. Good work.”

　　“Yahoo!”

　　We had finished a little earlier than expected, but it was a happy ending. Watching the satisfied customers walk away with the products I’d made, I stretched my arms wide.

　　“Well, we have plenty of time left. How about we do some hunting before we head back?”

　　To be honest, I’d been itching for a fight since yesterday.

　　“Sounds great! They said the boss monster is appearing today, so it should be fun. Oh!”

　　“What’s wrong?”

　　“I should have saved a few vests for us.”

　　“What are you talking about? The magician who made them is standing right in front of you.”

　　I quickly engraved a Heat Resistance magic circle onto her clothes. With my proficiency now approaching seventy percent, it was an easy task.

　　“Ooooh! It’s not hot at all! This is amazing!” she exclaimed, excitedly examining her clothes. I enchanted my own shirt, and together we set off for the hunting grounds.

　　The entrance area where we’d set up shop was a barren landscape of large granite hills. As we ventured further, we came upon a vast plain where lava bubbled up from the ground. The most startling feature was the lack of a sky; far above, only a cavernous ceiling was visible.

　　So that’s why it’s called the Lava Cave.

　　The field was already teeming with hunters fighting monsters. The most common enemy was a creature made of crimson lava.

　　“Monster information, please, Ea.”

　　-Affirmative, Tower Master. The monster is designated as a lava worm. It is a rank-2 fire-type monster that attacks by spewing flames from its mouth. Its attack power is formidable, but its movements are sluggish. My assessment is that you can subdue it without much difficulty by focusing on ranged attacks.

　　“Alright, time for a warm-up.”

　　I gathered my mana and approached a Lava Worm. The creature, resembling a slug made of molten rock, spotted me and began to squirm in my direction.

　　Two arrows of pure mana materialized at my fingertips and shot forward. They struck the ava worm’s body squarely, but the creature withstood the attack, reared back, and spat a stream of molten fluid.

　　I instantly cast Shield, creating a protective canopy. Watching the superheated liquid drip from above, I knew a direct hit would have been fatal.

　　As expected, Mana Arrow isn’t very effective. In that case…

　　It was time to test a new spell.

　　Ea, I need formula support.

　　-Affirmative, Tower Master.

　　I closed my eyes and deployed a new magic circle—a textbook ice-type spell combining the rune of freezing with the rune of output.

　　The magic circle, formed by two interlocking rings, pulsed with a brilliant light and fired a spear made of solid ice.

　　Crrrack!

　　The spear struck the lava worm’s side, and the creature twisted in agony.

　　“Wow! Ice magic!” Bora cheered, clapping from the sidelines. “Come to think of it, being a magician is awesome! You can use the most advantageous element for any situation, which is much more… Yusin? Are you listening to me?”

　　Something was off. It felt lacking. Was it because my proficiency with Ice Javelin was still low? I had attacked with a counter-element, but considering the mana cost and casting difficulty, it felt inefficient.

　　Fine. This time, I’ll do it my way.

　　Shing. Shing. Shing. Shing. Shing.

　　Ten Mana Arrow magic circles materialized in the air around me.

　　“Go.”

　　A sudden rain of arrows poured down from the sky, riddling the lava worm’s body. Unable to withstand the sheer firepower, the creature’s form dissolved into slush with a wet pop!. The other hunters nearby stared at me, their eyes wide with shock.

　　[Magic has increased by 1.]

　　[Intelligence has increased by 1.]

　　I clenched my fist.

　　Just as I thought. Magic is all about overwhelming numbers!

* * *