How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 45: Fluren Acid (1)

Was this because of that Blood Skull raid?

Whatever. It wasn’t really Karl’s concern.

Still, it was a bit strange she was going so far to help.

The way she acted now—more respectful, more careful—Karl had a pretty good guess why.

‘Guess they finished digging up everything on me.’

No way a top-tier info guild like hers would just blindly trust someone, no matter how much he’d helped them. They’d definitely done their homework.

While searching for Fluren Acid, they must’ve run a full check on Karl too.

He’d already admitted he was from the Altius faction, so they’d probably figured out about his connections to the Elders and the stuff that went down in Bard City by now.

Even setting aside those ties, Karl himself was already more than valuable enough.

A prodigy who hit the 5-circle rank at such a ridiculously young age. At least, that’s how he looked to them.

Of course Herlando wanted to stay on good terms with him. Offering a bit of extra help was the least they could do.

"I’m leaving right away. Do you need to get anything before we go?"

"No, I’m ready. I’ll just grab some travel gear and a horse."

Once they were both prepared, the two of them left the city and set out on a long journey by horseback.

Their destination: Keramic City, in the Moulton Kingdom.

The place where the man who held a clue to returning to Earth could be found.

* * *

Over fifteen days of hard riding later, they finally arrived at Keramic.

"There it is," Scarlett said, gazing at the distant city walls.

They gradually slowed their horses.

After passing through the gates, she turned to him.

"Shall we head there immediately? Or would you like to rest at an inn first—?"

"Let’s go now."

He was tired after camping on the road, sure. But Karl didn’t want to waste even a second resting.

Scarlett led the way.

They passed through busy streets, full of all kinds of people, before turning down a quieter alley.

As Karl followed behind, he recalled what she’d told him before and asked, "You said he’s running a general shop, right?"

"Yes. Mostly sells magic potions. Most of his disciples are gone now—only one stayed behind..."

"Guess they all left because of his condition."

She nodded.

Karl exhaled slowly.

Fluren Acid.

The man he absolutely had to meet, the one who knew about the Fragment of Dimension.

But according to Herlando’s intel, Fluren wasn’t in his right mind anymore.

They’d said he just sat there all day, staring blankly like a madman.

No one knew what had caused it, or how to cure it. One by one, his disciples abandoned him, until only one remained.

‘Figures it wouldn’t be easy from the start.’

Karl still had no idea what he was supposed to do once he met this broken man.

But the only option now was to see it with his own eyes.

"We’re here."

They stopped in front of a building.

A simple sign above read “Potion & General Goods”.

Stepping inside, the first thing Karl noticed were the shelves lined with all sorts of items and potions.

Various odds and ends cluttered the space.

Karl glanced left.

There were already some customers at the counter, and a woman was helping them.

"Ah, welcome," she said politely, before turning her attention back to the people in front of her.

Karl leaned in and whispered to Scarlett, "Is that Fluren Acid’s disciple?"

"Yes, that’s her."

There seemed to be some kind of argument going on, but Karl didn’t want to interrupt, so he idly browsed the shelves for a bit.

He wandered over to a section filled with red potions.

‘Healing potions?’

He opened one slightly, feeling the subtle, well-refined magic inside.

Pretty high-quality for something from a general shop.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the potions in Karl’s inventory.

The instant-use magic potions Karl had didn’t exist in this world. They were pure game items.

Though, maybe, somewhere in this vast continent, something similar might exist. And if it did, it’d be priceless.

Karl’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shout.

"...Are you really going to keep this up?!"

He turned his head.

Those customers were now pointing fingers, yelling at the woman behind the counter.

"What reason could you possibly have for refusing to join our faction? We’d treat you far better than running some tiny store like this!"

The woman’s face was calm, but her patience was clearly being tested.

"I told you—several times—that I have no intention of joining."

"No, seriously, what’s your damn problem?!"

Karl watched for a moment, then asked Scarlett, "Who are these clowns? There’s a magic faction in this city?"

She nodded and explained, "There’s a mid-tier faction here called the Tojem School. Looks like those mages are from there. I think I get what’s going on now..."

"They’re trying to force her into joining, huh?"

"Exactly. Her name is Barrett, Fluren Acid’s disciple. She’s well known around here for her potion-making skills."

So they were trying to recruit her for her talent. And clearly not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

What a bunch of pathetic bullies.

While Karl and Scarlett exchanged a few words, the scene at the counter heated up.

After Barrett’s firm rejection, one of the mages looked around angrily, then suddenly grabbed a potion off the shelf.

"I’ll buy this. You’re not gonna refuse to sell to me too, are you?"

"...1 gold, 5 silver."

CRASH!

He dropped the potion onto the floor with a loud smash.

"Oops. Slipped out of my hand. Damn shame, huh?"

"..."

Barrett glared at them, speechless.

The mage grinned, mocking her.

"Was that supposed to be an accident? Why the glare? I’ll pay extra to apologize, so relax. Here."

Clink.

A gold coin and several silvers hit the floor.

He even nudged them with his foot, like he was telling her to hurry up and pick them up.

"What are you waiting for? You should be thanking me for paying."

Scarlett frowned at that filthy display, just about ready to step in herself.

SPLASH!

Suddenly, red liquid splattered down over the two mages’ heads.

They jumped back, startled.

"...Wha—what the hell?!"

They spun around—and there stood a man holding an empty glass bottle.

Karl.

No way... Did that bastard just throw this on us?

As the mages realized what happened, they glared at Karl, their hair soaked in potion.

"You crazy bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"

Karl casually glanced between the empty bottle and the mages, then replied coolly.

"This is good for your skin. You should be thanking me, not yelling."

The sheer shamelessness of it left them speechless for a moment.

Karl nodded, continuing, "Oh, right. Your clothes are ruined now, huh? Guess I # Nоvеlight # should give you some money for new ones."

Clink, clatter.

Karl pulled a few gold coins from his pocket and tossed them at their feet.

"What, not gonna pick them up? I was being generous."

"......"

Only now did the two mages realize they were getting a taste of their own medicine—and their faces turned bright red with rage.

"You son of a—!"

One of them started drawing in mana, ready to blast Karl.

Behind the counter, Barrett, who had been frozen in shock, suddenly reached out, panicked.

"Wait, don’t—!"

BAM!

But somehow, the one who ended up coughing blood and flying back... wasn’t Karl.

It was the mage.

The other guy just stood there, stunned.

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"...W-what?"

"You too. Get lost."

BAM!

In an instant, both mages were thrown out of the shop.

With the trash taken care of, Karl turned to face Barrett behind the counter.

She was still staring at him, dumbfounded.

Karl gave her a small smile.

"I’ll pay for the potion I used. Are you Fluren Acid’s disciple?"

"...Huh?"

"I came to meet him. Don’t worry, I’m not here to cause trouble."

Karl pulled out his Altius badge and showed it to her.

Barrett’s eyes widened.

"A-Altius? Why would someone from the Altius School want to see our master...?"

"It’s nothing serious. I just want to ask him about some magic-related advice."

Barrett’s face twisted with even more confusion.

How did he even know to come here? And why would a mage from the great Altius faction come all the way out here to see a washed-up, forgotten mage like her master?

"Would it be a problem?" Karl asked politely.

Barrett quickly shook her head.

"N-no, it’s not that..."

Of course, Karl knew why she was so flustered.

After a moment, Barrett sighed and spoke in a gloomy voice.

"The truth is, my master isn’t really in a state to talk to anyone right now."

"Oh... is he sick? I’d still like to at least see him, if that’s okay."

Barrett seemed like she was about to explain more, but then just nodded—figuring it’d be easier to just show him.

Karl’s polite attitude made it hard to refuse. He didn’t act like the typical stuck-up mage from a high-ranking faction.

Hell, even those mid-tier mages from earlier had been full of arrogance and pride.

"Please, this way."

Karl told Scarlett to wait a moment and followed Barrett to the back of the shop.

* * *

A small room tucked away at the end of a short hallway.

Knock knock.

"Master, I’m coming in."

She knocked, then opened the door and stepped inside.

Karl followed behind.

The air smelled faintly of dust. Sitting on the bed, staring blankly, was a middle-aged man.

Fluren Acid.

"Master," Barrett called again.

But he didn’t respond—just kept staring into nothingness.

He looked like a shell, completely hollowed out, as if his soul had already left.

Barrett sighed and looked back at Karl.

"As you can see, he’s been like this for nearly a year now."

"What’s wrong with him?"

"I don’t even know. That’s what’s so frustrating. If we knew the cause, we could at least try something..."

Karl watched her sighing, then turned his gaze back to Fluren.

And then—

Suddenly, Fluren turned his head and looked straight at Karl.

And the words that came out of his mouth froze Karl in place.

"...Earthling?"