Pilgaret.
It was said to be the main product of the Joseph family, no, for the majority of the warlock family.
“What's a Pilgaret?”
“Do you happen to know about cigarettes? It's similar to that. But it's only similar in appearance, the contents are very much different. I don't know how to explain it because there's so much to talk about.”
Rasso pretended to be worried as he talked like a salesman.
Then he opened his mouth again.
"Pilgaret is a kind of health drug. The quality varies depending on the maker, but it's a great thing. Pleasure is greater than most drugs, and there are few side effects. No, it's a special medicine for depressed patients these days, so it's rather good for their health?"
Oliver didn't understand, so Rasso explained again, pointing to the briefcase.
"How's the emotion in there? The motherhood of beautiful mothers who are alone but didn’t abandon their children."
"Uh… beautiful."
"Isn’t it? Once it’s processed and inhaled, it's even better than a potion-boiled stimulant. On top of that, there is little fear of being caught and no side effects."
It was hard to understand because it was something completely unknown to Oliver, still, his curiosity arose, thinking that emotions can not only be used for black magic, but also for something like this.
Oliver became curious about the production process and the actual effect.
“Is this the only ingredient we will be extracting?”
“No, it's not. There are many different kinds of Pilgaret. And it's not only the Pilgaret that's our source of income. I'll tell you more about it as we move."
As soon as Rasso finished, he started moving again, and Oliver followed him.
This time, they went to the basement in a back alley.
The basement was filled with a pungent smell, and at a distance, they saw a locked iron door and a bald guard guarding it.
While looking at a book with a naked woman on it, the guard grunted at the appearance of strangers.
"Who is it? Get out of here."
The bald man picked up blackjack at his waist as if it were not just a warning.
Blackjack with a metal ball on one end.
As long as the person wasn't a fool, he could easily guess that even if he was hit once by it, his head would explode.
Rasso said.
"Have you collected enough dried leaves?"
The bald man lifted his face and put in the blackjack.
Then he pressed the buzzer on the wall.
Inside the basement, a little beep was heard!
As soon as the sound was heard, the locked iron door opened.
The security guard beckoned inside, and Rasso bowed politely and went down.
Further down Oliver saw a cellar.
There was nothing to pay particular attention to, except for the musty sweet smell.
"You are here?"
A man in his 50s with half gray, half black hair and gold-rimmed glasses greeted them.
"How are you? Pharmacist.”
“Yes, yes. Welcome. I thought it was time for you to come."
As if they knew each other well, Rasso talked to the man called pharmacist, and then he guided Rasso somewhere.
Of course, Oliver and Peter followed whispering and chatting along the way.
"Who is he?"
"Who? Pharmacist? I don't know. He’s our family's big dealer. I've heard that he’s also dealing with other families."
“Are there other families?”
“Of course there is. How can it be just us?”
KACHAK
"Here you go," said the pharmacist, opening the door at the end of the hallway.
When he opened the door, Oliver saw a room that was like a warehouse.
There was only one white light bulb lit up in the room, and beneath it were the shabby people sitting on their knees.
"All the dried leaves I've got. The books are here, so check them yourself."
"Okay."
After finishing his conversation with the pharmacist, Rasso looked at people and books alternately as if he was looking at things.
It seemed quite familiar, and in the meantime, Oliver asked Peter what the dry leaves were.
Peter answered kindly.
"Debtors with no money to pay off their debts. All they have is their body. So we'll pick the one who's in good condition, and we'll pay off the debt and extract a little bit of Life-force instead."
As Oliver was about to ask what Life-force was, Rasso opened his mouth.
"This person, this person, and… everything except this person is on us."
"What, what?" asked the person not picked by Rasso in bewilderment.
But instead of answering, only a rough touch returned.
He was dragged away somewhere, looking very frightened.
Of course, it wasn't like the chosen ones were relieved.
They also looked around as if they were afraid, but nevertheless, they were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and did nothing.
Rasso smiled at them and said,
"Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you all. I can't tell you who I am because of personal reasons, but I'd like to make a good offer to you. Before I get to the point, everyone owes a lot of debt here, right?"
Some people nodded looking around.
"We'll pay back all those debts for you, right now. Instead, give us a little bit of Life-force."
Life-force.
The heavy word surprised the debtors.
Then, the pharmacist stepped in.
It looked skillful and familiar.
"Don't be so afraid. You’ll just be losing some energy. If you eat well and rest well, you will be able to recover."
Still, the debtors looked at each other as if they were not relieved.
Then a timid-looking fat man quietly raised his hand and asked.
"Life-force… Is it dangerous?"-
"It's okay as long as it's not taken too much. Rather, it is more dangerous if you don't pay off your debts while your interests continue to accumulate. This is my choice… if you don't like it, you can pay back your debt right away and leave."
The debtors couldn't say anything at the pharmacist's words.
They were sold here because they couldn't pay their debts.
As the atmosphere became gloomy, Rasso stepped in once again.
"I'm sure you'll feel uncomfortable for a while, but you won't die. We don't want to kill people. If you don't like it, tell me. I won't force you. But I'm sure it's a lot more profitable in the long run if you pay off your debts now."
It wasn't much, but it was enough for those who owed a lot of money.
Eventually, reluctantly, everyone agreed, and Rasso reached out and began extracting Life-force one by one.
Oliver took a closer look at the figure.
Unlike emotions, Life-force was not around the body, but on the inside of the body, and it was similar to emotions but strangely different.
"Okay. It's over."
"Hiii! Hick… Hick…"
The man whose Life-force was sucked out breathed as if he was exhausted.
Rasso said, closing the test tube in which the extracted Life-force was filled.
"Take a good rest for a while, eat and get enough sleep. Yes, you'll recover soon."
The person involved was too tired to listen, while Rasso approached the second person without caring.
The frightened debtor said urgently.
“Now, wait a minute.”
“Yes, it will be over in a minute.”
Rasso interrupted and started extracting the Life-force.
The people whose Life-force was sucked out lose weight in real-time, and the bizarre sight made the debtors tremble.
It was scary, but there was no hope since they had no way for paying off the debt.
Rasso, who also completed the second extraction, said as he passed over the test tube.
“It's your first time seeing Life-force?”
“Yes.”
“This is the mystery of dark magic. When one ends, another one comes out."
"Haha, that's true.”
Peter answered flatly.
Oliver just stared curiously, and Rasso suddenly made a suggestion, as if on a whim.
“Do you guys want to try?”
“What?”
Peter was surprised.
"Haha. Sir. Rasso is good at joking, too. Don’t you know we haven’t learned it yet?”
At that moment, Oliver asked, with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Can I really try?”
“Huh?”
Someone’s surprised voice was heard.
The one who was surprised was not only Peter but also Rasso.
"…why?? Can you do it? Did you learn?"
“No, but I can do it from what I just saw.”
Unlike Oliver’s usual absent-minded attitude, his voice felt confident, no, more than that – it was so determined.
Rasso asked earnestly.
"Can you really do it? It's not a game, you can't just say, ‘I made a mistake,’ later.”
"Then I can do it if I did it without making a mistake?"
"Yes, but… All right, you're so confident. Try it. Instead, never make a mistake. Pharmacist. May I ask this child?"
The pharmacist only shrugged.
"As long as you compensate for the damage."
Rasso showed the books and the test tubes as if he really intended to make Oliver do it, and told him how much Life-force he had to draw depending on the debt.
Oliver just nodded as if he really understood.
"Okay, then try it."
Debtor, who instinctively noticed the dangerous situation, looked at Oliver with a scared look.
But, Oliver didn't care a bit and extended his hands in the air.
"Wait, not that many…"
Before Rasso could finish his words, the Life-force of all the remaining debtors was extracted at the same time.
The extracted Life-force which spread in the air was brought together.
SHUSSSSSH
As the number of people was large, the Life-force was large, huge, and shiny, and it was not easy to control, not only for the intermediate disciples but also for the senior disciples.
For some reason, Oliver did not have a hard time at all, after extracting the Life-force, he stabilized it in his hands, and said,
"Is this okay?"
At Oliver's usual expression, Rasso nodded with a silly face.
Not only successfully extracting the Life-force that he hasn't learned, but Oliver was also good at handling it all at once.
Rasso had no idea of what to say.
"Sir. I'm sorry, but can you open the lid of the test tube?"
Peter, who was mesmerized, got surprised and opened the lid of the test tube hearing the voice of Oliver.
Oliver filled the Life-force exactly to the point, while Rasso looked at the debtors who were losing their life.
The amount of Life-force extracted was exactly as mentioned in the books.
Even though he picked ignorantly all at once, there was no problem with precision.
No, this precision was difficult even if Rasso did it one by one.
‘Talent… Can this really be categorized as Talent?’
Rasso felt as if he was watching a monster at work.
Oliver transferred the Life-force to the test tube without any hesitation.
In the eyes of Rasso, the figure of Oliver felt like a monster that would break down the existing family order at once.
"Sir. Rasso?"
" Yes…Yes. What? Do you have something to say?"
"Yes, what is this Life-force used for?"
To the question of the monster, which was filled with nothing but curiosity, Rasso replied with a smile.
"I'll tell you on the way.”
