This time, Azurks brought Zorka into the dimension space he had created. Prior to this, Zorka bought a lot of food and gathered drinking water as instructed by Azurks.
"Is that all the food you gathered, Zorka?" Azurks squinted as if the food piled up in one cart didn't seem sufficient in the eyes of the blue crystal dragon."Hey, hey, I almost spent all the money given by Daralam's leader just to collect this food." Zorka was annoyed by Azurks' seemingly irritating attitude."Well, never mind. Let's enter the dimension space!"Zorka and the pile of his food suddenly disappeared. Then they reappeared in Azurks' dimension space. Azurks appeared a moment after Zorka arrived in the dimension.Zorka looked worriedly at the stacked food."Will this food not spoil just being stored here like this?""Hoho, young one. Are you doubting the power of my dimension space, huh?" Azurks seemed a bit bothered by Zorka's question. "My diA week has passed in the dimensional space. Zorka's small body is showing improvements in his magical powers' foundation. He's growing, muscles forming over the bones once visible beneath his skin.Zorka's inherently handsome face is now more distinct. His blue eyes are clear and sharp. He's accustomed to intense physical training alongside honing his magical abilities.Azurks brings Zorka outside, leading him to a bustling market. The ten-year-old wonders, "Why are we in the market?" communicating telepathically to avoid looking crazy talking to the invisible Azurks."We're shopping, of course. Still got money?" Azurks asks."Some left. What are we buying? We still have plenty of the food we got a while back." Zorka walks through the market aisles, curious."Heh, kid. Look at your clothes now. Your top's torn, and your pants are too short. Even your spare outfit is in bad shape. Didn't notice your body's grown fast compared to before?" <
Zorka is currently bewildered. He won't be able to afford the inn rent due to a shortage of money. Selling medicinal plants seems impossible with the unwritten ban imposed by the mayor. Even his magical skills are of little use since only the guards utilize magic."Here, sorcerers aren't much appreciated, as most folks are just ordinary people without magical talents," Uncle Burt explains to Zorka."I shouldn't have asked Azurks to drop me off in this market," Zorka recalls the forest moment after picking medicinal plants. The dragon had granted him permission to hunt for food. If he hadn't hurriedly agreed to Azurks' wish, Zorka might have asked to be moved to another town or a place more conducive to magic and medicinal herbs.Unbeknownst to Zorka, Uncle Burt observes the change in his expression – a face filled with disappointment and seemingly devoid of hope. Inevitably, Uncle Burt feels pity for the young boy who has just stepped into Sylvanvale.
Before the sunrise, Zorka was already awake. He cleaned Uncle Burt's house and washed the dishes and cooking utensils that Uncle Burt had left dirty the night before. Uncle Burt, tired from the day, went straight to bed without cleaning up. So, Zorka took the initiative to clean up, not wanting to burden Uncle Burt since he had kindly offered him a place to stay.In addition, Zorka toasted bread, made sunny-side-up eggs and bacon, and squeezed orange juice. When Uncle Burt woke up, he seemed surprised by Zorka's actions."Oh, boy, you shouldn't have done this. I should be the one doing it since you're a guest here," said Uncle Burt.Zorka smiled."Don't worry, uncle. This is my way of thanking you for letting me stay. Last night, I saw a scavenger bird monster flying over your roof. I was lucky to meet you; if you hadn't invited me to stay, and I had to sleep outside, I might have been attacked by that bird monster."Uncle Burt nodded app
After the commotion settled in the market, Zorka was lost in thought for a moment. He was certain that the boy who became the target of the market guards had smiled at him, as if acknowledging that Zorka had protected him using the protective rune in the form of a transparent bubble.However, he soon snapped out of it, captivated by the laughter of the two adults who had helped him yesterday. Especially Uncle Burt, who looked pleased because most of his merchandise had sold out. Only some low-quality fabric remained, unsuitable for clothing."Wow, wow, you're really lucky this time, Burt. Despite the unpleasant incident earlier, your goods sold well, leaving only the low-quality fabric," Tom praised.Burt laughed; indeed, it was his lucky day. His merchandise, which usually took months to sell out, was gone in a single day."Maybe it's because of Zorka. I've never been able to sell fabric in such large quantities before. There's no special day, ye
Inigo looked at the copper coins in his palm, surprised that Zorka had noticed. Zorka seemed to understand that he was selling medicinal plants to support other children who shared a similar fate—discarded and abandoned by their own parents.Especially Inigo, considered strange even by his own family. He was expelled by both of his parents because he was deemed a child cursed by the gods. Even though he could see the magical energy of someone and even see wandering spirits, the stigma of being a cursed child stuck with him."Inigo..." a small-cheeked girl named Shendy gazed sadly at Inigo.The tiny hand of the little girl stroked Inigo's arm. The other kids looked at Inigo with concern.Seeing the worry in the eyes of the kids he cared for, Inigo realized that it wasn't the time for him to be lost in thought. That day, he had failed to sell an order of medicinal plants, but someone new in Sylvanvale, someone around his age, came to his aid and pro
Zorka couldn't sleep all night. The innocent faces peering at him from the abandoned building haunted his mind."Oh, shit!" Zorka cursed. "Facing kids really messes with my head! And that selfish dragon is still unreachable!"Uncle Burt, who had just come out of his room, was startled by Zorka's outburst. Finding Zorka in the kitchen preparing breakfast, he tried to calm him."Woo, woo, boy. Careful with your curses!" Uncle Burt chuckled, attempting to ease Zorka.Zorka was slightly startled, not realizing Uncle Burt's presence that morning. Accidentally swearing and being caught made him blush, his face turning crimson."Hahaha, boy. Looks like you had a rough night, huh? Bad dreams?" Uncle Burt asked.Suddenly, Uncle Burt noticed dark bags under Zorka's eyes, and his eyeballs were reddened."You couldn't sleep, lad? What's wrong?" Uncle Burt asked, growing concerned."Ah, last night, I couldn't sleep, Uncle. T
Zorka reluctantly left the children. Before leaving, he intentionally inscribed a protective rune on the empty building. As long as the children stayed within, they would be safe from the attacks of the corpse-eating bird monsters.He roamed the city in search of Inigo, recalling the market. Zorka intentionally wandered through the market to find Inigo. He found the boy in an alley in conversation with someone behind a building wall. From a distance, it seemed Inigo was talking to an adult, as he conversed while tilting his head upward. After a few minutes, Zorka witnessed Inigo being assaulted by the adult wearing a market guard uniform.Zorka reacted immediately, but Inigo shouted, "Don't come closer! Don't interfere with my affairs, and don't use magic, or you'll be in danger!"Inigo's warning made the guard turn towards Zorka's direction. Zorka realized it and quickly hid behind the wall at the other end of the alley."You cursed kid
"Drugs? Is that guard using drugs?" Zorka asked, surprised that Inigo would take on such a risky job.Inigo looked down, feeling ashamed of his decision. Honestly, he hated doing this kind of work. But with five kids to support, he needed the money. He was willing to do any job as long as it meant his kids could thrive."You're not just risking your life, but you're putting those little kids in danger, Inigo!" Zorka exclaimed angrily.Inigo remained silent, not offering any response. Making excuses would only complicate things further."I'll repeat my question! Inigo, is that market guard using drugs?" Zorka asked, repeating his question.This time, Inigo looked directly into Zorka's eyes and responded firmly."No, the guard is making drugs to sell. The prices are pretty high. I've made some money helping him out a few times."Smack.Zorka slapped Inigo hard."You're such an idiot!" Zorka yelled. "Can't you find a better job than selling drug materials? It's heartless to feed them wit