How a Wizard Lives 19

Chapter 19- Ready to explore.

The name of the mercenary group was Black Eagle-Owl, and the leader of the Black Eagle-Owl mercenary group was called Lekadi.

As it turned out, he was quite famous in these parts.

Since there were still two days of waiting time left, Yurik borrowed an alchemy workshop from Lekadi.

“Do you know alchemy too?”

“I’ve dabbled in a bit of everything.”

Of course, Lekadi didn’t pry further.

Asking about the past of mercenaries or wanderers was a surefire way to get yourself killed in this line of work, and no one would bat an eye.

After borrowing the workshop, Yurik immediately went to the market to buy herbs, spices, wood chips, and other materials.

Then he returned to the workshop and began brewing.

Yurik ground the herbs into a fine powder and smashed the wood chips into small pieces with a stone.

He then started adding the ingredients one by one to the warmed water.

Alchemy was an art of precision.

Yurik had been scolded countless times over the years for not getting that perfect pinch just right!

He stirred the mixture with a ladle, adding just the right amount of mana until it thickened slightly.

After staying up all night, the potion was finally complete.

The deep green liquid with a pungent smell… unsurprisingly, tasted just as awful.

He took a sip and gagged several times.

No matter how many times he tasted it, he couldn’t get used to the flavor.

Of course, he wished he could make it taste better, but with ingredients like these, even the best alchemist couldn’t work miracles.

As the Grand Mage Adrian used to say, ‘Bitter is good for you,’ so he had no choice but to accept it.

He discarded the settled residue and poured the liquid into three small bottles.

The potion wasn’t strong enough to revive someone on the brink of death, but it could heal most injuries with just one bottle.

In fact, after breaking his arm in a fight with a monster, Yurik had drunk this and fully recovered within half a day.

“Still, it’s a dungeon. I should at least prepare this much.”

Yurik wanted to make one or two truly high-quality potions as a backup for the long journey, but the ingredients for those were far too rare to obtain.

Dragon horn powder or spirit wing powder—how could he possibly get his hands on those?

The Grand Mage Adrian had only shown him such ingredients once, they were so precious.

After finishing the cleanup, Yurik stuffed a wool blanket into his sleeping bag and crawled inside.

As he inhaled the lingering medicinal scent, he soon drifted off to sleep.

—

Yurik woke up late at night and, seeing that there was still some time before the gathering, read through his newly purchased magic book.

As he alternated between dozing off and reading, darkness gradually filled the sky, and a pale light began to spread.

He washed his face with the water he had set aside earlier and tidied up.

“We’re going to the dungeon…!”

During the time when demons still roamed this land, countless mages had created hideouts.

Though the magic had likely weakened over the years, the dangers would still remain.

But precisely because they had remained hidden for so long, precious treasures and history lay dormant within.

If you didn’t feel curiosity and excitement, you couldn’t call yourself a mage.

After finishing his preparations, Yurik left the workshop.

Though it was still very early in the morning, the streets were already bustling with people preparing for the expedition.

Walking among them, he felt as if he had been assimilated into society.

Soon, he arrived at the gathering point and saw some familiar faces.

Along with Lekadi, the leader, the Black Eagle-Owl mercenary group was there.

As Yurik approached, the bald man announced his arrival to the leader.

“So, are you ready to work your ass off?”

“As long as I don’t die, I’m ready for anything.”

Yurik shook hands with the bald man, Viktor. Viktor introduced his comrades one by one.

“This furry guy is Engelgard. He’s our vanguard.”

The furry Engelgard gave a slight nod at the mention of his name.

The vanguard, who silently endured enemy attacks at the front, wore his many scars like medals.

“That big guy over there is Madarot. He’s also a vanguard.”

A man with a quiet and cautious demeanor, his imposing size was just a bonus.

He carried a massive axe on his back, suggesting his strength was no joke.

“Those two women are the archer Dymnos and the short one is the trap expert Achota.”

The archer was a muscular female mercenary, while the shorter woman specialized in traps.

“Finally, that old man is Haral. He supports the vanguard from behind.”

The elderly man, with graying hair, was a bit shorter than Yurik and had a small build.

But the muscles visible on his frame proved he had been through the wringer in this line of work.

The fact that he was still active at his age spoke volumes about his capabilities.

Of course, they too were surprised by Yurik’s youthful appearance.

In the mercenary world, there were certain types of people you had to be wary of: the young who were treated with respect, and the old who were treated with respect.

Lekadi, the leader of the Black Eagle-Owl, was no pushover.

For such an important mission as a dungeon exploration, he wouldn’t bring along some useless kid.

“I’m Yurik. A mage.”

A mage!

It was the mage position the leader had been so meticulously selecting for over ten days. They had expected a seasoned middle-aged mage, but the result was completely different.

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

With each piece of information, their surprise grew.

“Let’s see. What was I doing when I was seventeen?”

Engelgard recalled his seventeen-year-old self, getting beaten up while doing odd jobs for mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Lekadi approached the group huddled together.

“Is everyone here? Then gather around.”

The Black Eagle-Owl mercenary group followed the leader to the carriages.

Inside were the employers who had planned this expedition.

The leader of the exploration team that discovered the dungeon, the noble who had invested heavily in the expedition, a knight escorting the noble, a mage hired by the noble family, and two laborers—six in total.

When the leader tapped on the carriage, a refined face peeked out.

“Are these the ones joining us?”

“Yes, they’re all experts in their fields.”

“The investment we made this time is no small sum. I trust you’ll do well, Leader.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll complete the mission safely.”

Surprisingly, the noble joining the dungeon expedition was a woman in her forties.

Viktor, the bald man, looked incredulous, wondering if this middle-aged woman really planned to follow them into the dungeon.

As soon as he stepped away from the carriage, he grumbled to the leader.

“Damn it. She’s coming into the dungeon? Does she think it’s a resort? She might die in there!”

“It’s our job to make sure she doesn’t die. The lady invested a considerable amount in finding this dungeon.”

“This is insane!”

“That’s why she’s paying us so well. And she has a knight escort, so don’t worry too much.”

After all, the mercenary group had no choice but to follow the orders of their paying employer.

“Alright, everyone, get on the carriages. We need to hurry if we want to arrive today!”

Lekadi loaded the mercenaries onto the carriages.

After confirming that all the carriages were ready, he signaled the coachmen to depart.

Three carriages—one for the employer, one for the mercenaries, and one for supplies—left Rehinburg.

The dungeon exploration team, which had set out early in the morning, arrived at the forest entrance late in the evening.

The very forest where countless mages had fled from the demons and created numerous dungeons.

It was clear that this place, intended as a refuge, was treacherous even among treacherous lands.

“I never wanted to come back here…. Damn it, money’s the root of all evil.”

Those familiar with Rehinburg’s forest muttered curses as they looked at the eerie place.

Yurik, inspired by the sight of the forest, couldn’t help but start drawing. Under the moonlight, his frantic sketching looked almost terrifying.

“The leader didn’t pick him for nothing. Look at him drawing that instead of relaxing. It’s terrifying.”

“I’d rather feel reassured. If the mage at the back is this fearless, we don’t have to worry about him panicking while we’re getting our asses kicked at the front.”

The lounging mercenaries chuckled, recalling past experiences.

Viktor swung his fist in the air, saying he wanted to punch the face of a certain cowardly mage from the past.

“You just let that guy go?!”

“We beat the crap out of him! Thinking about it makes me want to do it again!”

The laughter soon died down.

A full stomach after dinner brought on drowsiness.

Everyone yawned and crawled deep into their sleeping bags.

Yurik, having finished his drawing, also slipped into his sleeping bag. The chirping of insects grew louder.

……And after closing his eyes for just a moment, it was already dawn.

The exploration team ate breakfast and quickly packed up the campsite.

Leaving the carriages behind, they formed two lines and headed deeper into the forest.

With each step on the dew-covered grass, a soft crunching sound echoed.

Having lived in the forest for a long time, Yurik loved the tranquility of the early morning forest.

He also loved the dawn that silently approached.

They continued deeper into the dark forest.

Surprisingly, the noblewoman kept up well.

Perhaps her stamina was honed from horseback riding.

The exploration leader took charge in the forest.

Having explored this area for a long time, he knew it like the back of his hand.

Ironically, discovering dungeons often came down to luck.

Sometimes, you’d stumble upon one on a path you’d walked countless times, accidentally triggering the entrance mechanism.

In fact, this dungeon was discovered in a similar way.

After selecting an area that seemed lacking in dungeons, they had poked around with iron rods until they found it.

The exploration team alternated between walking and resting as they ventured deeper into the forest.

The noblewoman was clearly exhausted.

The leader diluted a potion with water and handed it to her.

She hesitated, unable to drink or spit out the foul-tasting liquid, before finally swallowing it.

“It will help restore your stamina, ma’am.”

Even during breaks, the mercenaries remained vigilant.

Though the exploration team had mostly cleared the area, there was no guarantee that no monsters remained.

During breaks, Yurik would sometimes dig up a few rare herbs.

He carefully wrapped them in paper and stored them in his bag.

Once dried and ground into powder, they would surely come in handy someday.

“Want to chew on one?”

“Ugh, no.”

“It’s good for you.”

“You remind me of my grandpa.”

Achota, the trap expert, declined the herb root Yurik offered.

Yurik popped the root into his mouth and chewed.

It was bitter but edible.

…Perhaps his taste buds had been ruined from drinking so many foul potions.

After moving for half a day, the exploration team finally reached their destination.

In the middle of the forest, where everything looked the same in every direction, they pulled hard on a small stone, and the ground creaked open, revealing the entrance.

Those new to dungeons gathered around, marveling at the sight.

“This is amazing.”

Yurik sensed a faint flow of mana beyond the passage.

There was definitely something inside.

But it was too late to enter now.

The sun had already set, and the forest was growing dark.

The exploration team set up camp near the entrance.

The superstitious mercenaries began spouting nonsense.

“They say ghosts appear here!”

“Damn it, don’t scare us, you idiot.”

“I heard it’s true!”

The ghost-fearing mercenaries threatened to relieve themselves right there instead of going to the makeshift toilet.

Yurik was reminded of the past.

When he was afraid of ghosts, he would hold his older brother’s hand and go to the outhouse at night.

His brother would always smile and accompany him, no matter how late it was.

“I’ll go with you until you can go by yourself, Yurik.”

And now, it was Yurik’s turn to hold someone else’s hand.

“If you’re scared, I’ll go with you.”

Of course, the mercenaries thought he was teasing them.

“Ugh, do you want to hear that from the youngest? Grow some balls!”

Fortunately, there were no ghosts.