In a small tent that had replaced an old fruit shop, Aren sat in front of the joker.

  The joker, still wearing his clown face paint, lit a candle in the dim tent and loosened his tie, settling into his chair with deliberate ease.

  His hat rested on the nearby table, surrounded by various trinkets and potions.

  Looking at it, Aren couldn’t help but wonder if he had been kidnapped again. Well, of course, he had been the one to approach the man. But still, the joker looked far too shady to be trusted as a decent person.

  He coughed twice, steeled his gaze, and looked sharply at the joker in front of him.

  “I—”

  “You want to awaken your Mana, right?” the joker interjected smoothly.

  “Ah, yes,” Aren replied after a brief hesitation.

  “I knew you would come. I see talent in you. But before that, what else do you want? A potion to enhance your strength? A magic spell to stop hair loss? A pill made for… well, I doubt you are at that age yet. Ah, Mana. Of course, I have something for that too…”

  The joker instantly slipped into his usual boisterous, street-performer persona, his voice rising theatrically. Before he could go too far, Aren cut in.

  “You are a Sorcerer, right?”

  “Sorcerer? No, kid. I am just an average clown living a modest life,” he replied with a faint, inscrutable smile.

  Aren responded with silence. Then he took out the joker card. In his hand, the card looked too ordinary, but after what he had experienced, he knew it was anything but ordinary.

  “It’s magic, right?”

  “Magic?” The joker tilted his head thoughtfully. “Ah, you mean spells? Actually, not many spells can cast supernatural phenomena.”

  Aren frowned. ‘Is he saying magic isn’t that magical?’

  “Then what were all those coincidences?” Aren asked.

  “Oh, that? That’s my innate ability, of course,” the joker answered lightly.

  “Innate ability?” Aren repeated, anticipation flickering in his eyes as he awaited a satisfying explanation.

  “Yes. Judging by your curious gaze, you don’t seem to have much knowledge about Mana, do you?”

  “Ah, yes.” Aren nodded.

  The joker smiled again, amusement dancing in his painted eyes.

  “Huh, I would have offered tea, but I really don’t have any,” he remarked, finally noticing the utter inadequacy of his cramped tent.

  “Oh, no need. I just want a way to awaken my Mana,” Aren replied, shaking his head firmly.

  “Of course, your Mana. You failed at the Dragon King Festival, didn’t you?”

  Aren frowned slightly before answering with a quiet nod, “Yes.”

  “Hahaha. Of course you did,” the joker laughed derisively. “Those fools are still using the same centuries-old method. What do you expect, except failure? With that approach, the chances of your awakening are around twenty percent.”

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  “Twenty percent!” Aren narrowed his eyes. ‘He sounds disturbingly confident.’

  “Do you have a better option?” Aren finally asked, his voice steady but edged with urgency.

  “Hmm?”

  The joker studied him for a moment, then chuckled knowingly.

  “Of course. The method I use will give you a fifty percent chance of awakening.”

  “Fifty percent? You’re certain?” Aren’s eyes gleamed faintly as a fragile thread of hope surfaced.

  The joker leaned closer, his smile widening.

  “Yes. And in your case, it should be close to eighty percent.”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, your condition is similar to the first generation, after all.”

  ‘What? Can’t this clown be more elaborative?’ Aren frowned in irritation.

  “Alright. What do I need to do?”

  “Nothing much, actually,” the joker replied casually.

  He tapped the table lightly, and from the darkness a small lizard-like creature emerged and crawled onto his hand.

  Despite its diminutive size, its dark green skin, rough stone-like ridges, and glowing yellow eyes gave it a distinctly menacing aura. One small damaged wing protruded from its back, far too small to serve any practical purpose.

  “A dragon?” Aren stared at the creature in disbelief.

  Although this world had replaced all creatures except humans with dragons, possessing one was considered a crime. As such, he had never seen a dragon up close, except for the white dragon that had dragged him into this world, and the occasional flying dragons that pulled the massive spacecraft across the skies.

  “Hehehe, don’t be afraid. She doesn’t bite,” the joker assured him, then paused before adding mischievously, “probably.”

  ‘Probably?’

  “Hahaha, no need to be afraid.”

  The lizard-like dragon’s eyes fixed on Aren, and it tightened its mouth as though trying to suppress its vomit.

  The dragon shivered for several seconds, its neck swelling more and more. Finally, with great struggle, it spat something out.

  ‘Agh, that’s disgusting.’

  Looking at the small dragon, Aren felt his stomach grow heavy.

  The joker’s smile widened as he glanced at the substance the dragon had vomited a moment ago and said, “Go on, pick it up.”

  “Huh? Pick what?”

  Aren’s gaze followed to the table where the dragon had vomited. Among the disgusting, gooey substance, a black polish rock like the rocks children gathered from riverbank was visible.

  “That?”

  “That’s a Mana Stone,” the joker said.

  He nodded to himself and continued,

  “It also works in a similar way to the ones used during the Dragon King Festival, but because of it’s substance, it makes all the difference.”

  He glanced at Aren and smiled again.

  “All you need to do is hold the stone in your left hand for twenty-four hours. Then, congratulations, you will become a Sorcerer.”

  “I-It’s that easy?” Aren asked doubtfully.

  “Of course. And it will only cost you two hundred Aurel,” the joker replied.

  ‘Eh, of course I have to pay.’

  Aren hesitated for a moment, then thought it over and wore a sweet smile like that of a naive child.

  “Well, Mr. Joker, the thing is…”

  He put his hand into his pocket and pulled it inside out on both sides.

  Only a new model of flip phone came out, which Aren deliberately hid as he smiled.

  “Can I wash some plates… or, in your case, clear things after performances to pay it back?”

  Aren couldn’t see properly beneath the joker’s face paint, but he did feel that the joker’s lips twitched slightly.

  Yet without letting his well-practiced business smile fade, he said, “It’s fine, but you’ll have to pay me back in the future.”

  *****

  And that was how he remained stuck with a smooth black stone for an entire day.

  Although it was difficult, especially during the night. Aren had no choice but to bind the hand holding the rock with bandages.

  It became one of the worst nights of his life. Yet, the night passed regardless. Now, only four hours remained.

  When morning arrived and Mira’s shop opened, one of Aren’s tasks was to sweep the storefront.

  After finishing his work, he straightened his back and looked at the rock clenched in his left hand.

  ‘It was hard hiding it from her.’ Aren’s smile turned bitter as he recalled his struggle.

  He lowered his gaze to his hand again. It had grown numb. Carefully, he peeled back the bandages slightly and noticed that the once-black stone was turning clear.

  ‘Does that mean it’s working?’

  At that moment, he noticed a lady with hair in a beautiful shade of light blue walking past him. Beside her strode a tall woman, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of the sword strapped to her wrist as she glanced back at him.

  Her gaze narrowed perceptibly as she slowed to a halt and turned fully in his direction.

  The lady beside her also stopped, confusion flickering across her face.

  The tall woman wore a pristine white uniform. A long scar ran across her slightly darkened skin, yet it did nothing to diminish her striking beauty.

  She bowed slightly to the lady at her side.

  “Forgive me, my lady,” she said gravely. “But this boy appears to be poisoned by the Shadow’s corruption.”