It seemed that Minori had taken too long flipping through the pages.
The magician named Vala had already come back to his senses. With a hint of impatience on his face, he looked toward Minori.
"Have you made your choice?"
Hearing the inquiry, Minori finally tore his gaze from the manual and raised his head.
"I have. But I still have one more question I'd like to ask."
"Go ahead,"Vala said, reaching out for the manual with a slightly more relaxed expression.
"I saw two kinds of magic scrolls about Papermaking. I was wondering what the difference is," Minori asked, his tone filled with curiosity.
When flipping through the book, Minori had discovered something interesting: the magic known as Papermaking, which seemed unique to this world, was available not just as a Zero-Tier Magic Scroll, but also as a First-Tier Magic Scroll.
Since Zero-Tier Magic appeared to be a category specific to this world, encountering a spell that existed at multiple tiers was a first for Minori, and it made him naturally curious.
Could life magic from this world evolve into First-Tier magic?
You must know!
In the game YGGDRASIL, magic tier rankings were fixed.
Whether a player was Level 20 or Level 100, First-Tier Magic remained fundamentally the same. Sure, the output would vary depending on one's Magic Attack Power, but the nature of the spell itself would not change.
There were some special exceptions, like the Third-Tier spell Fireball.
That particular magic could be enhanced—its power and attack distance increased depending on the magic caster's mana consumption!
But even so, Third-Tier Magic remained Third-Tier, no matter what.
For example, powerful beings like the Guardians of Nazarick, including Ainz Ooal Gown, possessed skills like Low-Tier Magic Immunity, rendering them completely immune to spells like Fireball.
Thus,
In YGGDRASIL, if you wanted to defeat a Level 100 player, you needed at least Eighth-Tier Magic.
"Not much difference,"Vala replied lazily, clearly uninterested in discussing it further. He glanced toward Minori, as if silently urging him to hurry up and buy something.
"If anything, the paper made by First-Tier Papermaking is whiter, smoother, and of higher quality. It's good for writing on."
Hearing that,an unexpected idea flashed through Minori's mind, shocking even himself.
Suppressing those thoughts for now, Minori pondered briefly, then said:
"Give me a Zero-Tier Papermaking Scroll and a Zero-Tier Warming Scroll."
"And a First-Tier No Smell Scroll and a First-Tier Magic Arrow Scroll."
Upon hearing his selection,Vala nodded without a word, stood up, and moved toward the back.
Behind the counter, a wall was decorated with several murals. To Minori's surprise, Vala walked straight into the wall—
—passing through it as if it didn't exist.
"A magic barrier? I couldn't sense it at all."Minori thought, slightly impressed.
Before long, Vala reappeared, carrying four magic scrolls in his hands.
"Two Zero-Tier scrolls, two gold coins," Vala said."The First-Tier No Smell Scroll is one gold coin and ten silver coins. The Magic Arrow Scroll is three gold coins and ten silver coins."
"Seven gold coins and seven silver coins in total."
Vala placed the scrolls on the counter.
Hiss—Minori's eyebrows twitched at the steep price. After a brief pause, he sighed inwardly and produced eight gold coins, setting them down on the table.
Although both scrolls were First-Tier, the price of attack spells like Magic Arrow was nearly triple that of auxiliary spells like No Smell.
Vala gave Minori a faint look of surprise but said nothing, simply collecting the coins and handing over six silver coins in change.
Currently, Minori still had 14 gold, 7 silver, and 4 bronze coins left.It wasn't a large sum, but it would be enough to handle his immediate needs.
Pocketing the scrolls and coins, Minori turned and exited the Magician's Guild.
Once outside,he moved quickly, slipping all the newly purchased magic scrolls into his Item Box and making his way back to the inn where he was staying.
He needed to confirm his earlier theory as soon as possible.
By now, the sun had completely set.
The sky was cloaked in darkness.Though the streets and plazas were faintly illuminated by sparse street lamps, their scattered positions made visibility barely adequate.
Perhaps because E-Rantel was a border city, the streets were almost deserted at this hour.
Clack, clack—
Suddenly, a figure emerged from an alley up ahead, deliberately stepping loudly while playing with a dagger.
Minori's expression darkened. He slowed his pace.
Not only had someone appeared in front of him, but a second figure had materialized behind him, cutting off his retreat.
"Little brother, how about buying us a drink?"
The man ahead stepped out of the shadows—a masked figure dressed in black, twirling a dagger with practiced ease.
The figure behind him remained silent, blocking the path back.
Minori casually glanced backward.
The second man also wore black robes, his face hidden beneath a hood. Under the poor lighting, it was impossible to make out his features.
Looks like an attempted mugging.Minori thought grimly, sizing up his options.
"No, no,"the dagger-wielding man said with a smirk, shrugging casually."We just want you to treat us to a drink... and lend us a little money."
The second figure still said nothing, only adding to the sense of menace.
"How do you know I have money?"
Minori narrowed his eyes slightly under his cloak and, with a subtle movement, drew his dagger.
"Was it the Magician's Guild? No... that doesn't make sense," he muttered aloud.
"The Magician's Guild wouldn't stoop to this. They're too proud for such petty schemes. Plus, I just left minutes ago."
"And besides,"Minori's voice sharpened,"I only arrived in E-Rantel today."
By this point, he had a pretty good guess.
A sneer crept across Minori's face."You've been watching me since I entered the city, haven't you?"
If his assumption was right—
—then when Dosari, the captain of the Rock Team, handed him that coin pouch, these two had been lurking nearby.
In reality, these thugs were targeting lone travelers entering E-Rantel, seeking easy prey.
"Oh? A sharp little guy."
"In that case, no need for more chatter. Hand over the scrolls and the gold you bought—"
"Otherwise..."
The thief's grin turned cold."I'll break your legs and sell you as a slave."
"I'm sure a black-haired 'faith magic user' who can cast Low-Tier Healing will fetch a nice price."
Minori's expression changed at those words.
My information's been leaked?
The only ones who knew he could use healing magic were the Rock Team and Bareare's grandparents.
But neither had any reason to betray him.
First, the Bareares could be ruled out.The Rock Team? They respected him and had even invited him to join them.
It wasn't likely they'd slip up so carelessly.
Then—
—could it have been someone else?
The image flashed in Minori's mind:When he demonstrated healing magic back at the Royal Capital's Adventurer's Guild, plenty of eyes had seen it.
And judging by these thugs' behavior—
—they weren't just robbers. They were slavers.
A certain organization's name surfaced in Minori's mind.
"Eight Fingers."
He spat out the words coldly.
At that moment,the dagger-wielding man faltered for just an instant.