INFINITE - 26
"Hoho! You did amazing." He patted the wagon proudly. "The wheel's perfectly attached now."
He looked back toward the road ahead.
"Thanks to you, I can continue my travels as a merchant again."
Marc's eyes instantly widened.
"Oooooo! You're a merchant, mister????"
----------------------------
The man laughed warmly before replying,
"Yes, I am. Although I'm not some famous big-shot merchant or anything." He scratched the back of his head with a grin. "I'm just a solo merchant traveling from place to place."
Marc's eyes sparkled instantly.
"That's so cool!"
He paused for a brief moment after hearing that.
Most people barely paid attention to ordinary merchants like him.
Yet this kid was genuinely looking at him like traveling around selling goods was something amazing.
He softly smiled.
"…Thanks, kid."
He then puffed his chest slightly before introducing himself proudly.
"I'm Greg. Greg the Merchant!"
Marc immediately pointed at himself.
"I'm Marc!"
Then he pointed beside him one by one.
"And that's Bell, and that's our teacher, Juro!"
Marc grinned brightly before adding,
"And we're on an adventure to become great mages!"
Greg gently laughed.
"Hoho! I'm sure you all will become incredible mages someday."
Marc smiled warmly after hearing that.
Juro quietly smiled while watching the interaction.
Even Bell's expression softened slightly.
Then Greg suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Oh! Since I don't really have many coins on me right now, let me check my wagon and see if I can give you kids something instead for helping me out."
Marc immediately shook his hands.
"Oooo, but it's okay, mister! I just wanted to help!"
But Greg had already walked toward the back of the wagon and started searching through his belongings.
"Hoho, nonsense. Kids deserve rewards too for helping old people like me."
After rummaging through several boxes, Greg finally walked back over toward them.
"Here," he said while extending his hand outward. "It's not much, but take this."
Resting on his palm.
Was a mana crystal.
It wasn't huge, but it was remarkably clean and clear.
The mana flowing inside the crystal shimmered beautifully beneath the morning light.
Marc's eyes widened immediately.
"WOAAAAA…"
He leaned closer toward it in complete fascination.
"The mana inside the crystal looks like it's dancing!"
Greg looked slightly confused since he himself couldn't see the mana flow the same way Marc could.
Still, seeing the kid so excited made him smile.
Greg then glanced toward Bell and Juro as if he was about to apologize for only having one.
Before he could even speak.
Juro casually motioned his hand with a smile.
Bell also lightly shook his head while smiling faintly.
Both silently telling him the same thing.
Marc deserved it.
Greg smiled knowingly before looking back at Marc.
"Well? Want it?"
Marc looked completely stunned.
"Woaaa… can I really have this????"
Greg laughed.
"Of course you can. It's yours now." He gently placed the mana crystal onto Marc's open palm. "Think of it as my thank you gift for helping me fix the wagon."
Marc carefully held the crystal with both hands.
His smile looked brighter than ever.
"I'll take good care of it!"
Greg blinked in surprise.
Most people would've immediately talked about selling a mana crystal or using it to replenish mana.
But Marc's first thought was taking care of it.
Greg suddenly laughed again.
"Hoho! What a kid…"
He then smiled warmly toward the three of them.
"I wish all of you the best on your journey."
Marc smiled brightly before they finally continued on their way.
Just before leaving, he turned around toward Greg and waved enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Mister Greg!"
Greg stood beside his repaired wagon and laughed warmly.
Then he raised both thumbs up with a grin.
[IMAGE HERE OR ON KOFI]
"You're welcome, kid! And thank you too!"
Marc happily waved goodbye one last time before the three of them continued forward on their journey.
As they walked along the wide path, Marc couldn't stop staring at the mana crystal in his hands.
The soft blue mana flowing inside it reflected beautifully in his eyes.
Juro noticed immediately and laughed.
"You really like that mana crystal a lot, huh?"
Marc nodded repeatedly.
"Mhm! It's my first time ever holding a mana crystal and seeing one in real life!"
Then while still walking, Marc slowly closed both hands around the crystal.
A warm smile quietly appeared on his face.
"And…"
His voice softened slightly.
"It's also the first time I used my own magic to help someone… and make them smile…"
Bell and Juro both looked at Marc for a brief moment.
Then the two quietly smiled before turning their gazes back toward the road ahead.
..
…
The three continued traveling down the massive path stretching across.
The wind gently brushed against their faces as they casually talked while walking.
Then suddenly, Juro spoke.
"Kids, do you know why there are paths almost everywhere?"
Bell stayed quiet while Marc immediately answered first.
"Is it because of adventurers?"
Juro smiled.
"Could be."
Marc thought again.
"Then merchants like Mister Greg?"
"Could be."
Marc puffed his cheeks slightly.
"Hmmm… so people don't get lost?"
"Could be."
Marc immediately groaned.
"Ehhhhhhhhh!"
Bell finally spoke up from beside them.
"Does it have something to do with the King?"
Juro pointed at him immediately.
"Ding ding. Yep."
Marc tilted his head curiously.
"How does the King have anything to do with roads?"
Juro smiled while continuing to walk.
"Well, the continent of Demanas is one of the.. if not the largest continent in the world according to current research."
His expression became slightly more thoughtful.
"And a continent that massive naturally comes with problems."
Marc blinked.
"What kind of problems?"
Juro answered simply.
"Creatures."
Marc's eyes widened immediately.
"Ooooo… creatures?"
Juro nodded.
"Mhm. Creatures."
"The continent of Demanas alone has millions of different creatures living throughout it." He glanced toward the endless lands ahead. "And some researchers even believe there are still countless undiscovered species out there."
Marc looked more and more fascinated.
But then he suddenly realized something.
"Wait… what do creatures have to do with the King and the paths?"
Juro chuckled lightly at Marc's endless curiosity.
"Well…"
He looked toward the sky for a moment.
"Our current King was actually alive during the same era as The Greatest Mage."
Marc's eyes instantly sparkled again the moment his idol got mentioned.
"MHM! MHM! Then what happened?!"
Juro laughed.
"At that time, the King had only recently taken the throne."
"And while traveling across Demanas, he noticed something."
Juro's expression softened slightly.
"No matter where people went, villages, towns, kingdoms, forests, open plains, trade routes…"
"There were always creature attacks happening."
He continued calmly.
"Kids playing outside would get attacked."
"Traveling merchants would get attacked."
"Even adventurers constantly got ambushed while moving between settlements."
Marc listened silently.
"So eventually, the King gathered prominent figures around him and proposed something huge."
Juro pointed down toward the road beneath their feet.
"He ordered the creation of massive paths connecting villages, towns, and kingdoms across Demanas."
Marc looked down at the road in awe.
"But that wasn't the most important part."
Juro smiled slightly.
"The paths were also enchanted with repellent magic."
Marc tilted his head curiously.
"A repellent magic?"
Juro nodded while continuing to walk down the path.
"Mhm. It's said that every path across the continent constantly emits a type of repellent effect that discourages creatures from roaming too close to areas where humans, merchants, wagons, and travelers frequently pass."
Marc's curiosity immediately deepened.
"Ooooo… then how does that magic work???"
The moment Marc asked that question, even Bell quietly became curious about Juro's answer.
Juro simply shrugged helplessly.
"That part, I don't know."
He placed both hands behind his head casually.
"It's considered hidden magic. The exact mechanics were never publicly revealed."
"Only a very small number of people know how it actually works."
Juro grinned slightly.
"People like the King himself…People he trust and…"
At the exact same time
Both Marc and Juro smiled and said together,
"The Greatest Mage."
Juro burst out laughing afterward and immediately ruffled Marc's hair.
Bell quietly stayed silent beside them.
Though after hearing everything, a faint soft smile still appeared on his face.
"It wasn't a singular magic…"
Bell looked down at the path beneath their feet.
"It was a massive combination of magic, mana manipulation, and layered spells working together."
His eyes subtly narrowed in thought.
"The effect causes most creatures to instinctively lose interest whenever they approach a path."
"Some feel slight uneasiness."
"Others simply turn away naturally without understanding why."
Bell calmly continued walking.
"It doesn't harm creatures at all."
"Even if they step onto the path itself, nothing actually happens to them."
His gaze quietly drifted toward the endless road stretching ahead.
"Although… not all creatures are affected equally."
"Some stronger or more unusual species can completely ignore the effect."
Still.
Bell quietly admitted to himself,
"It saved billions of lives over the years."
Meanwhile, Marc suddenly looked toward the grassy plains far from the path.
His eyes sparkled instantly.
"Look, Teacher Juro!"
He pointed excitedly toward the distance.
"You were right! There's a creature over there!"
The small white creature hopped around peacefully through the grass.
"And it doesn't even look interested in coming near the path!"
Juro laughed.
"Wanna go take a closer look?"
Marc immediately nodded excitedly.
Then suddenly.
He grabbed Bell's hand.
"Cmon, Bell!"
Bell got dragged forward so abruptly that he nearly stumbled.
"Woah— waittt, I can walkkk."
Juro laughed loudly behind them while casually following along.
As they got closer, Marc's eyes widened even more while staring at the small creature hopping around.
"Woaaahhh… it's so fluffy and white…"
He pointed excitedly.
"What's that creature called?"
Bell answered calmly.
"Lupan."
Marc repeated it with sparkling eyes.
"Lupan✨✨"
Juro smiled.
"Don't worry, they're really friendly."
"In fact, a lot of people keep them as pets."
Marc slowly crouched down before carefully placing his hand outward toward the creature.
The small Lupan tilted its fluffy head curiously before slowly hopping closer.
Then it gently sniffed Marc's hand.
Marc's eyes sparkled with pure joy.
The moment the Lupan allowed him closer, he gently hugged the fluffy creature and immediately buried his face into its fur.
"IT'S SOOOOO FLUFFYYYYYYYYYY"
"Lu!"
The Lupan happily made a small sound while its long fluffy tail swayed around.
Marc looked completely enchanted.
"Their tails are so long and fluffy toooooo…"
He then looked up toward the creature's horns with admiration.
"And they have such cool sharp horns!"
Bell suddenly spoke from beside him.
"Those horns are actually bad for Lupans."
Marc blinked before slowly loosening his cuddle on the Lupan.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Juro crouched slightly beside them and pointed toward the Lupan's horns.
"Bell's right. Look carefully at the way the horns curve."
Marc stared more closely.
Bell calmly explained,
"A Lupan's horns never stop growing."
Marc's expression slowly shifted.
"They continue growing throughout their entire life until eventually…" Bell looked toward the horn's inward curve. "…the horns curve back enough to impale them."
Marc froze.
"…What?"
He immediately looked back at the young Lupan in his arms.
"Then this Lupan is eventually gonna die from that?! But it doesn't even look fully grown yet…"
Juro gently placed a hand on Marc's head.
"Don't worry. Lupans developed ways to solve that problem a long time ago."
Marc quickly looked back toward him.
"They did?"
Bell nodded.
"Mhm."
"Most Lupans search for large rocks or boulders and repeatedly scrape the tips of their horns down before the curve becomes dangerous."
He continued calmly,
"And some Lupans intentionally seek out humans."
Marc tilted his head.
"They'd find people on purpose?"
Bell nodded again.
"Lupans are surprisingly adaptive and intelligent creatures." He glanced toward the fluffy creature rubbing against Marc. "They know there are humans willing to help them."
"People who help usually trim the horns safely before letting the Lupan go again."
Bell then added,
"Lupan horns also sell for a decent amount of money, so most ordinary people don't really have a reason to refuse helping."
Marc's darkened expression slowly brightened again.
His eyes sparkled hopefully.
"Then does that mean!"
Both Bell and Juro nodded at the same time.