Magic System in a Parallel World

"What's wrong, handsome?" Lydia's voice suddenly resounded from behind Leo.

Without turning around, he spoke, "There's so many people here. How will this work? Do we all have to work together?"

"Although that would be ideal and have fewer casualties, it won't happen." Lydia shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because of greed." Trent said as he walked out of the van.

"Greed, huh… Now that you mention it, how are the rewards split?"

"You will receive what you earn. If you kill a monster, that monster's mana core is yours, but if you're too busy with another monster, someone might steal it from you." Khrome said.

And he continued, "That's why most people bring a mana core slave or two to focus on collecting the mana cores."

"Mana core slaves…? What kind of name is that?" Leo was speechless.

"It's as it sounds. They're slaves whose only purpose is to collect mana cores— even at the cost of their life." Lydia said with a somewhat unpleasant expression on her face.

"How does one become a slave, anyway? They're not common where I was from…" Leo asked out of curiosity.

"There are many reasons why someone would become a slave. Some people become slaves because they are a prisoner trying to get a reduced sentence while others become slaves because they couldn't pay their debt normally, so they all resort to risking their lives instead. Of course, there are those who are forced into slavery. Although it's illegal, it still happens quite often."

"Those branded with a Slave Mark are considered slaves, right?"

"That's right." Lydia nodded.

"You seem very interested in slaves. Don't tell me you're going to get one." Khrome looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"What? Hell no. I'm just curious."

"You know what they say. Curiosity will eventually become reality." Trent smiled.

"There's nothing wrong with owning a slave. Just make sure you follow the regulations and treat them properly. Most of them are no different than ordinary workers with the only real difference being their Slave Mark and the fact that they're more vulnerable, and never contribute to the illegal slave market."

Trent then said, "Believe it or not, but I used to be a slave at one point. When I was young, I made some bad choices and got into some trouble. I was supposed to serve 4 years in prison, but I opted to become a slave, lowering my sentence to 4 months. While I had some bad experiences, it was pleasant overall."

"Is that so…" Leo didn't know how to react to this world's acceptance regarding slavery, as it was an incredibly sensitive topic in his old world.

'Regardless, I will never get a slave, so this won't concern me at all.'

Sometime later, Leo and the others gathered with the other Adventurers.

"What are we waiting for?" Leo asked Khrome as they waited around.

"We're waiting for the Guidlmaster to give us the okay. Once we receive the official words, we'll enter the monster's nest and kill as many monsters as we can."

"With this many people here, it's going to be pretty crowded. I'm worried that we might not even get a chance to kill any of the monsters." Leo sighed.

"What are you talking about? The monster nest is large enough to fit all of us with no problem."

"Seriously? The last time I encountered a monster nest, it wasn't that big."

"You must've gotten lucky with a newly born monster nest. When a monster nest is new, they won't have as many monsters. The Skeleton Graveyard, however, is a different story. Due to the nature of the monsters in this area, all of the Adventurers have been ignoring it, allowing it to grow for over a year, and it has gotten to the point where we can no longer ignore it."

"I see… That makes sense." Leo nodded.

Sometime later, a familiar face appeared before the Adventurers.

"Guildmaster!" The Adventurers greeted Guildmaster Borus when he showed up.

"Thank you all for coming here today. I know the Skeleton Graveyard is a dangerous area, not to mention the monsters that dwell within. Furthermore, we have just received the information that there might be two bosses that we have to kill." Guidmaster Borus said.

"Two bosses?" The Adventurers looked at each other with nervous gazes.

"I thought a monster nest could only have a single boss." Leo mumbled out loud.

"That's because there is only one boss. When people say bosses, they don't literally mean multiple bosses. It just means that there will be an ordinary monster within the nest that could rival the boss' prowess, so it's like fighting another boss." Khrome explained.

"Hey, if I stand out, what are the chances of me being promoted to A-Rank?" Leo suddenly asked.

"You want to become A-Rank already? You just got to B-Rank!" Khrome exclaimed in a low voice.

"So what? Everyone around me is A-Rank. I feel left out. And it's not like I don't have the capabilities." He shrugged.

"Being an A-Rank Adventurer is more than just having strength and talent. You also need to be knowledgeable with the Wilderness, Labyrinths, and all sorts of monsters. Also, you need to learn how to lead a team among other stuff."

"What a pain in the ass…" Leo sighed.

"But don't let my words stop you from going all out, Leon. I want to see what you're truly capable of when you're using magic since I've really only seen you fight with the sword." Khrome said with a smile.

"I will try not to disappoint you." Leo smiled back.

Guildmaster Borus continued to speak about the raid for several more minutes before sending everyone off.

"The raid officially begins now! Good luck and stay safe!"

Once the Adventurers were dismissed, they all began rushing towards the Skeleton Graveyard that was about half a mile away.

"Follow me." Khrome said to his team as he retrieved his hoverboard.

"Alright! Let's go hunt some undead monsters!" Lydia spoke with enthusiasm.