Magus Supremacy

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

"Yes. I'm coming." Thalos shouted as he rose from the bed with a sigh, but before taking a step, he glanced back to see Grey still snoring deeply under the blankets.

"Tch. Fool." He muttered, glancing around the room, then picked up a glass of water and splashed it over his face before striding toward the door.

"Argh! It's flooding!" Grey shouted, leaping out of bed in panic, his heart racing as Thalos opened the door to reveal Dame standing there with a beaming smile.

"Huh?" Grey muttered, scanning the room to see it completely dry. Then he noticed the empty glass on the floor and finally pieced it together. "You crazy bastard!" he thundered, slapping the bed in disbelief.

"Oh, it's you." Thalos said with a smile to Dame, totally ignoring Grey's rant.

"Is the Supreme Magus in?" Dame asked, leaning slightly to peek inside.

Hearing the voice, Grey quickly realized what was happening. He pulled up his hood to conceal his face before rising from the bed.

Seeing Grey fully disguised, Thalos stepped aside.

"Come in." He muttered.

"Thanks." Dame smiled as he entered, stopping in his tracks when he noticed the disorganized state of the room. "Huh?"

"Don't mind the room, an experiment I was doing yesterday caused this," Grey said, slightly thickening his voice so it wouldn't sound childish, ensuring the young warrior would not guess his true age.

"Oh!" Dame muttered, completely buying Grey's excuse.

"So, what brings you here?" Thalos asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, but I never did get your name," Dame said, frowning as he studied Thalos carefully.

"Pink. His name is Pink." Grey replied, trying hard not to laugh.

"Pink? What a ridiculous name." Dame muttered before turning back to face the Supreme Magus. "I just came to ask if you needed anything."

"I don't think I ne… oh wait! I do need something." Grey said, snapping his fingers.

"Sure. What is it? Let me see if I can get it ready for you," Dame asked, smiling politely.

"Can you get me twenty-five earth tier beast cores?" Grey asked. The smug smile on Dame's face fell, his eyes widening in shock, mouth agape, and hands dropping helplessly to his sides.

"Tw… twenty-five? The hell?! Where am I supposed to get that?" Dame stammered, clearly stunned.

"I don't know. You are famous here, figure it out." Grey shrugged, clearly uninterested in how the young man would obtain the cores.

Sigh!

Dame rubbed his temples, thinking deeply as he occasionally stole glances at the Supreme Magus.

'I don't know what he needs that many cores for, but I think I can arrange them. Still, what kind of experiment could require this? There's something strange about him. How was he able to cure Talon's infection? And what does "Magus" even mean? Where does he come from? Tch! I should have asked these things before bringing him into this faction, but the deed is done. No crying over spilled milk.' He sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine. I can arrange it. But it will take about two to three hours. Are you sure you can wait?" Dame asked, eyes flicking from Grey to Thalos.

"Yeah, sure." Grey nodded calmly.

"But do you want to spend all your time stuck in this room? Don't you want to head out, maybe explore the place?" Dame asked, watching Grey who carefully stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

"Alright. We will go explore the town a bit and in three hours, we will return here. The cores better be ready by then." Grey said, and Dame nodded along.

"Sure thing. I will go arrange them." Dame said as he exited the room, leaving the duo behind.

"What do you even want to use that many cores for?" Thalos asked, glancing at Grey as he casually shrugged while heading out.

"You will see later. Let's go do some exploration." Grey replied, fully stepping out of the room.

With a sigh, Thalos reluctantly followed.

---

A few moments later, two individuals could be seen walking through the town. One was clad in a dark purple robe, hood shadowing his face, while the other was a plain but handsome young man walking beside him.

"Wait! We don't even have any money on us and you want to explore?" Thalos asked, facepalming himself.

"Who says you need money to explore? We can just window shop. Doesn't necessarily mean we would buy anything." Grey replied casually.

'But come to think of it, I need to find a source of income soon. But what can I even do to get money?' Grey thought, brows knitted as he drifted into his thoughts while walking.

The townspeople moved about casually, some shopping, some chatting on the streets, and others hurrying along with urgent steps.

Grey was so lost in thought that he didn't notice where he was headed and then…

Bump!

He collided into someone.

"What the hell?!" The man shouted, snapping Grey out of his thoughts. Grey lifted his head to see four young men standing in front of him.

One of them had a shirt stained with a liquid, and on the ground lay a cup of something resembling orange juice.

"You spilled my drink and ruined my shirt! Can't you watch where you're going?" the man demanded angrily.

Looking closer, Grey realized they weren't older men. They were young, seemingly no older than twenty, all wearing similar clothing: black shirts, black pants, and red belts around their waists.

The one with the ruined shirt had a small scar across his cheek, giving him an even meaner look, and wild orange hair completed his rough appearance.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Please forgive me." Grey apologized, bowing slightly.

"Shut the fuck up! That drink cost three silvers, and you ruined it. How am I going to get it back?" the young man snapped angrily.

"I… I'm sorry, but I don't have any money on me right now. Is there a way I can repay you?" Grey asked, staring at the group with a worried expression.

"There's nothing of value on you, so you can't repay me. But maybe I'll forgive you if you rub your nose on my feet and beg for forgiveness." The young man said with a grin, while his friends laughed loudly.

"Huh?" Grey muttered in confusion, staring at the young men.

"Are you deaf?! I said rub your nose on my feet and use your damn tongue to lick off the stain on my boots!" the young man thundered, swinging his foot toward Grey's face.