1 Odin, The Greedy Wizard

On the slope of a large mountain lay a poor and quiet village formed by mud huts with peculiar arrow-shaped roofs. Surrounding the mountain where the village resided, there was a dense swampy forest, consisting of a large flooded plain with dense vegetation and tall trees.

Such an unnamed village was comprised of less than two hundred people, the majority of whom were adults.

In this village, almost all residents shared the same characteristics: black hair and eyes, and pale skin.

There were some differences here and there; however, there was one specific resident who was quite different from the rest.

Her name was Odin, a young girl of fifteen years old. With her long grayish-white hair and deep blue eyes, Odin stood out from the rest like a sore thumb.

And of course, as in any human society, if you are too different, you end up becoming an outcast. And her usual poker-face expression led the villagers to believe she had some mental problem.

During her childhood, Odin lived alone, without relatives or friends. However, this never seemed to truly affect her. For a long time, she lacked human contact, until the Wizard of her village, noticed her talent for magic and took her in as an apprentice; needless to say, the village's displeasure was unanimous.

Not that it mattered to Odin or the Wizard.

In the early afternoon of a fateful day, casually walking along the dry dirt pavement, Odin, dressed in nothing more than leather rags, headed towards her master's hut.

As she walked and looked around the gray scenery surrounding the village - caused by a strange phenomenon that made the sky rain ashes from time to time - Odin thought distractedly.

'If I eat three bowls of Cemio soup today, I can go two days without eating, since I'm eating for three days. I'm truly a genius,' she thought with a gleam in her eyes.

Cemio was an edible grass-like plant that grew at the foot of the mountain. It was the main source of food for the village because of its abundance and nutritional value, though its taste was bitter and often sour.

Arriving at the Wizard's hut door, which was easily twice the size of a common villager's hut, Odin casually opened the door and entered.

"Master, I'm here." Turning to the interior of the hut, Odin examined the environment where she had been under the tutelage of the village Wizard for years.

It was a large one-room hut, with a simple lit fireplace in the background on the left side; diagonally across from it was a dark wooden dining table with two chairs and a small counter with various vegetables and somewhat exotic ingredients that Odin was unfamiliar with. On the wall opposite the door was a large shelf full of scrolls with a desk next to it that seemed to be frequently used, if wear was any indication, and further to the left was a large bed made of Prela leaves - a leaf harvested from the tall swamp trees, they were soft and quite elastic.

Sitting in a chair in front of the desk was an old woman who appeared to be in her seventies. She wore a light brown robe, smooth and clean, quite luxurious compared to Odin's attire, and a pointed brown hat on her head. She was the village Wizard and Odin's master.

Her name was Cordelia, a master in the art of magic and pharmacy who came to live in the village many years ago. No one knew much about her, not even Odin.

"You're late, you lazy brat," Cordelia commented with a dissatisfied huff without turning around. "I've told you not to be late. I've taught you for all these years, how can you still be so undisciplined?"

"I am your apprentice; I am just a mirror of what you are," Odin replied without hesitation with her usual poker face.

Cordelia grunted. "I wonder why I took on an apprentice like you."

"Because I have talent," Odin replied with a shrug. "And because you wanted someone to clean and do your household chores for free."

"Tsk, cunning brat." Rising from her chair, Cordelia straightened her robe, adjusted her hat, and turned to Odin. "Ready for your final lesson?"

After eight years under Cordelia's tutelage, this would be Odin's last day of learning. In the unnamed village, when someone turned fifteen, they were considered adults and needed to start venturing out on their own in their professions.

However, in Odin's case, things were a bit different.

"What are you going to teach me today, old witch?"

"Language."

"I said that out loud? Oops, I meant to say master, sorry."

Cordelia sighed. Throughout all these years, she still hadn't discovered the source of her apprentice's shamelessness. She didn't know if it was nerves of steel or simply because she didn't care. However, despite Odin's strange personality, Cordelia thought Odin was a great apprentice. She always did everything Cordelia asked without questioning or complaining, and she learned very quickly. Not to mention, she cleans the house very well.

"You already have all the basics of enchantments, basic magic, arcane circles, enhancement magic, and general knowledge of fauna, flora, and methane," Cordelia said with a slight pride in her voice. "Normally, if you were an apprentice to a master of a different profession, your task would be simple, but since you are a Wizard's apprentice, the task is naturally different."

Odin stared at her attentively and expectantly.

"Today's lesson is about the task you must fulfill to become a full-fledged Wizard. Are you ready?"

Odin, with a jump, nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I am!"

She had long awaited becoming a full-fledged Wizard. Why is that?

Because, according to Cordelia, Wizards were highly sought after anywhere. In other words, being a Wizard was a synonym for easy money.

Odin had never seen money in her life, in fact, she barely knew the world outside the mountain, as she lived in a village in the middle of nowhere. But with her mentor's teachings, Odin made an incredible discovery. Money is equal to having a comfortable and easy life.

'Anything for a comfortable life!' Odin thought with determination.

"If you're so enthusiastic, let's get started." With a snap of her fingers, a chair flew to Odin's back, making her sit, and a wand flew into Cordelia's hand. "All right, first of all, do you know what Dungeons are?" she asked, and from her wand came a blue light that formed the word 'Dungeon' in the air.

Thinking for a moment, Odin replied, "Dungeons are inhospitable places full of dangers, and they date back to the time of the Great War of the Gods."

Cordelia nodded. "Yes, a typical response from a didactic scroll. However, dungeons are much more than that. They are the legacy of those who came before us; a place full of danger, but also of wealth and knowledge. Not much is known about them beyond that, as historical records and ancient tales do not report anything about the ancient society that lived thousands of years ago."

"Alright, but what does that have to do with the task?" Odin tilted her head. "Don't tell me you want me to enter a dungeon, hahaha!" she chuckled dryly at her own joke.

"..."

"...Wait, really?!"

"Yes, indeed. But don't worry, it's not as dangerous as you think. Your task is simple: enter a dungeon and bring me back a relic, no matter its value. That will be proof that you are, without a doubt, a full-fledged Wizard."

"But that doesn't make sense! Why would risking my life be a task to prove myself?"

Cordelia sighed. "Odin, wizards are seekers of truth. Entering dungeons in search of ancient knowledge is the most common task for us. And of course, having the strength to survive in there is also a requirement."

Odin grimaced, visibly uncomfortable with the idea of venturing into a dungeon.

"...Within dungeons lie unimaginable treasures, I wonder how much money that would bring," Cordelia muttered under her breath, but loud enough for Odin to hear.

Upon hearing the word 'money,' Odin's eyes immediately lit up. "I'll do it! When do I start?"

Cordelia sighed. 'This brat only thinks about money without even having seen a single coin in her life. Where does all this greed come from?' she thought with a sigh.

Wizards should seek knowledge, unfortunately, her apprentice seeks money. Cordelia stared at her now enthusiastic apprentice and smiled faintly. 'Well, it's not all bad, as long as she's happy.'

"Before you start, do you remember the question I asked you when I took you in?" Cordelia asked seriously.

"Hm...You asked me what I thought magic was, right?" Odin quickly recalled. "Why do you ask?"

"On that day, you said magic seemed mystical and noble. Now, after eight years under my tutelage, what do you think magic is?" she asked, curious about her apprentice's answer.

Odin pondered and quickly became lost in her thoughts.

What is magic?

According to ancient records, magic is a gift given by the gods before the Great War of the Gods thousands of years ago. A way to shape and use the elements of the world itself. To use magic, a few things were necessary. First, one needed to know the enchantment formula, known as 'Chemistry'; the second step was to shape the formula, called 'Geometry'; the third step was to bring this formula into reality through a magical circle or circuit, known as 'Physics'. Odin didn't know what each of these names represented, but he knew they were from the ancient language before the Great War.

Another requirement was to say the name of the formula. By speaking the name of the complete formula, the Wizard has better visualization and can use spells more easily. However, there is an exception. Experienced Wizards can bypass this requirement by using a fourth concept along with Chemistry, Geometry, and Physics. When a Wizard masters an element or spell, it becomes ingrained in their mind, allowing them to use it with just a quick thought. This fourth stage that enables this is called 'Programming'. Unfortunately, Odin is far from this stage.

The last requirement is to have a catalyst. Mana, the energy that Wizards call upon, exists naturally in the world and within some people as well. Wizards cannot use the surrounding mana, as it is too volatile, but with a catalyst, it is possible to use one's own mana to perform spells. The most common catalyst is a staff or wand, but this is merely a preference. Odin have no idea how a catalyst works, but according to the scrolls, it had something to do with 'Stability' and 'Electrons', two words translated from the ancient language of the era before the Great War, which no one knows the meaning of.

After thinking for a while, Odin's eyes sharpened with sudden confidence. "As I thought, magic in the end is the path to making easy money...!"

Cordelia slapped her own face. "How did she end up like this..."

____________________

After a brief explanation of her task, Odin received a wooden staff that she normally used in her training, and was promptly dismissed by Cordelia, who seemed quite angry for some reason that Odin was unaware of.

Shrugging, Odin picked up the parchment her master had given her and opened it, revealing it to be a map of the mountain.

Odin's task was simple, as mentioned before; at the marked location on the map, at the foot of the mountain hidden among the Cemio thicket, there was a secret dungeon, and she needed to enter it and retrieve any relic she could find.

There were various types of dungeons; Open-air Dungeons, Tower Dungeons, and Underground Dungeons, among others. But one of the most sought-after was the Secret Dungeons. And the reason for that is simple. Secret Dungeons were usually ancient temples and bases of the Ancient Gods and their followers, which means that there was a lot of wealth and knowledge lost there.

"Who would have thought there was a secret dungeon so close to the village? Alright, let's go!" She said enthusiastically.

This task didn't seem too difficult, she would finish it soon and go eat some delicious soup, she thought.

Little did she know that, at this moment, she had triggered a very ancient and cursed magic, called 'flag'.

She quickly descended the mountain and soon spotted the Cemio thicket. The thicket was quite dense and full of insects and likely poisonous animals. However, none of this was on Odin's mind.

'How much soup can I make with all this?' She thought with saliva coming out of her mouth.

Entering the thicket carefully while cutting some Cemio grass and storing it in her bag, she opened the map again. "The entrance must be around here."

Odin searched for a few minutes looking around until she noticed a small depression in the middle of the bushes. Much of the depression was made up of soil and roots, but there was a part that was slightly more grayish, barely noticeable because of the soil on top.

"I found it!" She exclaimed.

Walking to the spot, she ran her hand over the soil, and soon a metallic gleam appeared. With a smile, she immediately began searching for the entrance.

According to some records, most secret dungeons tend to have a unique way to enter. That's what she's looking for.

After a few minutes of searching, Odin finally found next to the reinforced door an extremely narrow rectangular hole with a drawing just above that she recognized.

The drawing consists of a larger rectangle formed by 13 horizontal red (seven) and white (six) stripes, arranged alternately. In the first quadrant or the upper left half, there is a blue rectangle with 50 white stars.

This was the symbol of a very famous ancient God that appeared several times in old tales and stories; some portrayed it as a benevolent God, and others as a malevolent God. According to her master, these tales conveyed messages that depended heavily on the reader's point of view, and to this day were a subject of debate among scribes.

This ancient God was the God that was called United States of America, or USA for short.

Odin had a Cheshire smile stamped on her face.

Despite the controversies in the texts, Odin knew one thing.

'USA was a very wealthy God!' She thought. Odin could already imagine herself arriving at her master's house with items so valuable that she would never have to work again in her life.

Without wasting another second, Odin took out of her bag a blue card that her master had given her. On the card, there was a drawing of someone with some words in the ancient language, but the image and words were too blurred to discern anything.

This card was the entry pass that Cordelia had prepared for her. According to her master, she bought it from a traveler a long time ago, and the reason she ended up in that region years ago was to study this same Secret Dungeon.

Without further ado, Odin inserts the card into the rectangular entrance, and a green light illuminates above the metal wall. The depression seems to tremble for a few moments, causing the earth to fall and surprising Odin, and then the metal door opens in the middle, revealing a passage inside.

"All right, it's time to get rich!" She exclaimed and bravely entered the dungeon.