Chapter 167: I Can Throw My Weight Around Too

During an expedition to an Otherworld, the most crucial factor wasn't solely the powerful Wizards, but to a large extent, the logistics and supplies.

The two existed in a delicate balance.

Sufficient logistical support allowed Wizards to act without restraint during their expeditions into Otherworlds.

Without it, Wizards on an expedition would have to calculate the risks every time they acted. They'd have to consider if they would get injured, how severe the injury might be, and whether they could heal themselves.

If they couldn't, they would then have to figure out where to find treatment.

They also had to worry about whether their Witchcraft Artifacts could be replaced or repaired.

If they couldn't repair their artifacts or heal themselves, they would have no choice but to retreat.

After all, Wizards only launch expeditions for the resources found in Otherworlds.

Of course, other powers and worlds also launch expeditions for their own benefit.

But the benefits they valued were different from what the Wizards prized.

The World of Gods covets the populations of other worlds. By converting them into Believers, their own Power is enhanced.

Meanwhile, the Chaos Demons of the Bottomless Abyss and the Hell Demons would drag conquered worlds into Hell and the Abyss, turning them into breeding grounds for more of their kind.

Whether or not these worlds had inhabitants was of no importance to them.

Only the Wizards valued tangible resources like Magic Plants, Metal Minerals, and Elemental Crystals.

And now, by crafting the Crocodile Leather Armor, Andre was sending a clear message to Sander and Piedra: if you two want supplies, you'd better obediently bow your heads.

Otherwise, if you get injured or your Witchcraft Artifacts get damaged, I won't be healing you, and I won't be repairing them.

Sander and Piedra realized this. They knew exactly what Andre was doing. He was threatening them.

But even as their faces flushed with rage, they were powerless to resist.

Because he had truly found their weak spot.

Although they could also concoct Potions and had crafted their own Witchcraft Artifacts...

...if they suffered a truly severe injury, their personal reserves wouldn't be enough to heal them.

After all, if they could get injured once, they could get injured a second time.

If their Witchcraft Artifacts could be damaged once, they could be damaged a second time.

They might be able to heal themselves from the first injury, and maybe even the second, but they couldn't guarantee they could do so indefinitely.

Their supply of Potions was finite.

As for repairing their Witchcraft Artifacts, they could fix them once, maybe twice, but their supply of materials was also finite.

Sooner or later, their Potions and materials would run out. They would be immobilized by injuries they couldn't heal, lacking the materials to repair their Witchcraft Artifacts.

At that point, they would need materials and Potions from someone else.

At that point, they would have to ask Andre for help.

And now, Andre held this critical vulnerability firmly in his grasp.

'Sss... He really found our weak spot. This is a critical vulnerability.'

Sander sat in his room, pinching the bridge of his nose. He never thought Andre would use such a method to force them to submit.

"This is definitely a problem." Piedra was also in his own room, pinching the bridge of his nose as he used Witchcraft to communicate with Sander.

"Who taught him to do this?" Sander wondered.

"Does anyone need to be taught that?" Piedra replied helplessly.

When faced with such massive benefits, anyone who wasn't a fool would figure it out.

And now, Andre had laid out his terms.

They could either submit, or they could continue to act independently from Andre's group as they had before, quietly pursuing their own goals with just the two of them.

But they were truly unwilling to submit.

In their eyes, Andre, Karina, Rote, and Jessica were simply too young.

They, on the other hand, were older, had experience with expeditions, and were stronger than Andre and his group.

Why should they cede authority to them?

This wasn't the academy. And while Andre's status as Klein's grand-disciple—a status that did give them pause—was a factor...

...this was an Otherworld, not the academy. Even after Klein became a Red Sun Great Wizard, it would take him a great deal of time to cross the World Group and reach this specific Otherworld.

Under these circumstances, why should they bow their heads to these youngsters?

But now, after Andre had revealed his skill as a Caster, Piedra and Sander had to grudgingly admit that they might have no choice but to submit.

After all, having no supplies was a life-or-death matter.

This was especially true in an Otherworld they had just arrived in. They needed someone to help them identify their findings, analyze the properties of Magic Plants, and determine the types and characteristics of any Metal Minerals they discovered.

For all these tasks, they couldn't do without Andre's Abilities. In fact, one could say Andre had the entire six-person squad of the First Expeditionary Corps by the throat.

But as it stood, the two of them were truly unwilling to submit.

They might not know the characteristics of this world's Magic Plants or the properties and forms of its Metal Minerals...

...but they could figure it all out themselves, bit by bit.

'What was the big deal? We've studied Magic Botany and Magic Potion Science, and even know about Witchcraft Artifacts.'

'We can do what Andre does, but only if we have enough time.'

But in just six years, the Second Expeditionary Corps would arrive in this Otherworld.

At that point, they would have to share the world with the members of the Second Expeditionary Corps.

Once they had to share, the resources they could obtain would decrease significantly, while Andre's share would only grow.

And why wouldn't it? Andre was a Master Alchemist and a Caster.

No one on an expedition could afford to ignore someone with those two professions.

When that time came, Andre's position would only improve, while theirs would deteriorate.

They had been in this kind of situation during a previous expedition, and they had no desire to go through it again.

But if it meant truly submitting to Andre, they were still unwilling. In their eyes, Andre was simply too young.

He was a Master Alchemist and a Caster, yes, but his Age was a real issue.

Youth often meant recklessness, which could lead to a massive loss of Power. If that happened, this expedition would be declared a failure.

And so, Sander and Piedra were now agonizing over this very issue.