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The Genius Wizard Who Takes Medicine - Episode 12

“There’s a request from the Grimgald Mercenary Office. They’re planning to reclaim a building and need a wizard for fire support.”

“Is that why the pay is so high?”

Jenny nodded at Lenoch’s question.

“The request from Baritz didn’t specify any particular job, so they consistently paid 50 million Cel. It’s customary to raise the pay significantly when hiring a wizard. There’s always more demand than supply.”

Lenoch sipped his drink, contemplating Jenny’s words with a crooked smile.

A mercenary office… He thought if he were to get involved again, it would be with Dylan’s Antares Office. He didn’t expect to work with another office so soon.

“I’d like to hear more details. Which building are they planning to reclaim exactly?”

“The Scavengers have occupied a shared office used for financial consulting and are using its power facilities without permission. The company couldn’t cut the power for fear of losing all transaction data, so they were forced out. Grimgald took on the consulting company’s request and is launching a reclamation operation.”

“So the mercenaries hired by the consulting company want to hire me separately.”

“Exactly. Grimgald is one of the more successful private offices in the area, and they usually have a couple of wizards. The fact that they’re looking for additional magical support suggests something’s up on their end.”

“What exactly do they mean by fire support?”

Jenny shrugged.

“It’s not difficult. Wizards like you and Van are quite helpful in urban warfare. Just cast some spells from behind the mercenaries. It’s much easier than sneaking into a cosmetics factory and blowing it up.”

“Hmm…”

Lenoch seemed to ponder, but he had already made up his mind after hearing her explanation.

Jenny’s insistence suggested that the job wasn’t as difficult as the generous pay implied.

Moreover, if all he had to do was provide firepower from behind instead of engaging directly, it was a perfect opportunity to test the support magic he had been researching.

Jenny watched Lenoch quietly before casually sliding another file in front of him.

“If you don’t want to get involved with mercenaries, there are other jobs. All of them specifically requested you. It seems the story of the wizard who survived Crocken’s hands is getting a bit famous in this field.”

“…….”

If it weren’t for Evelyn, he’d be as good as dead. What meaning did it have?

Jenny, not noticing Lenoch’s calm gaze, continued cheerfully.

“There’s plenty of time. You can decide slowly. But personally, I think the Grimgald job is the best. Mercenaries are very sensitive about money, so they rarely cheat or withhold payment.”

“Does that happen a lot here?”

“How many thugs and scumbags do you think are in this field? There are plenty who cut ties cleanly after doing their business.”

“……..”

“That’s why people like us make a living by taking a commission. We sell trust and safety, to both clients and freelancers.”

Every time he met her, he felt that she was really eloquent.

A personnel office. Even though she was essentially brokering jobs and taking a cut, she seemed confident and unashamed.

Lenoch chuckled and nodded.

“Grimgald. I’ll do it. When and where?”

“Sector 53. Tomorrow at 11 AM. I’ll send you the exact location via communication.”

Mercenary Office

“It’s about time…”

Dray Grimgald, the head of Grimgald Mercenary Office, looked anxiously at his wristwatch and swallowed.

Though they’re called mercenaries, they’re technically part of a private military company (PMC).

Their service is force. Their methods are somewhat aggressive.

Moreover, the Grimgald Mercenary Office he runs isn’t a large franchise like Antares or Plato, but a newcomer just starting to establish itself.

Mercenary groups are notorious for being avoided by wizards, and with their small size, opportunities are scarce for him.

Even if he manages to hire one or two, they’re quickly scouted by other organizations or leave, tired of the tough mercenary work.

He tried to maintain a steady employment of at least two wizards to minimize gaps in magical power, but things went wrong just when he took on this request.

“I can’t believe the two wizards we hired this quarter left together…”

The young man, Weian, who was warming up nearby, chuckled at Dray’s sigh.

“I told you not to push them too hard from the start, boss.”

“I didn’t even give them hard tasks. I catered to their every need, asking them to just endure this quarter, and they stabbed me in the back like this!”

“Maybe it was too harsh for those delicate scholars.”

“Right, let’s not dwell on what’s already happened!”

The bespectacled woman, Kidel, holding a long gun, and the bald giant Ike, boasting thick arms, laughed.

Seeing the dozen or so mercenaries chattering around him, Dray let out a weak laugh.

“Alright. Jenny assured me, so at least for this job, we’ll have a proper wizard. After this, I’ll have to recruit some rookies again.”

“Is the wizard coming this time any good?”

“They say he’s a very skilled lightning wizard. He’ll be quite helpful for this operation. That tough woman insisted on 20 million Cel, so he must be worth it.”

An elemental wizard, especially a lightning wizard capable of area attacks, is invaluable.

In a job as large and lucrative as this, the stability they provide is unmatched.

Dray decided to pay 20 million Cel because of that.

“He won’t be lacking in ability. …Though I don’t know about his personality.”

Getting tired of the rotten personalities and antics of wizards is one thing, Dray thought as he raised his head.

Someone emerged from the alley at a slow pace.

A calm-looking young man in a shirt, holding a sandwich in one hand, chewing as he surveyed his surroundings.

“……”

The moment Dray’s eyes met the young man’s, he immediately changed his course.

The mercenaries watching from behind groaned.

“No way.”

“Boss, it can’t be, right?”

Before Dray could answer, the young man stopped in front of them.

Lenoch, still chewing his sandwich, spoke.

“Grimgald Mercenary Office?”

“…Van the Wizard?”

“That’s right.”

Lenoch finished his sandwich and stuffed the remaining wrapper into his bag.

It was a paprika sandwich he made for his health. Ironically, paprika was paprika in this world too.

It was a terribly bland taste, but Lenoch endured many things for his health.

“Are you smoking before the operation?”

Kidel snapped at Lenoch, who had pulled out a cigarette, but he didn’t flinch.

“It’s necessary.”

He had no intention of explaining to them why he was smoking.

He had already smoked one on the way to calm his nerves, but he was taking another dose to be fully prepared.

Since Grimgald Mercenary Office was paying a significant amount, Lenoch intended to give it his all.

Dray watched Lenoch silently before speaking.

“We’ve paid 20 million Cel solely to hire you.”

“…….”

“I hope you won’t be a hindrance in the operation.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Despite his shocking first appearance, which was hard to believe for someone going on a mission with mercenaries, Dray nodded at Lenoch’s calm reply and turned around.

“Now that the wizard is here, let’s start the final briefing.”

With that, he pulled out a laptop from the bag he had placed on the ground.

After pressing a few buttons, a blue light emitted from the lens on top of the laptop, forming a hologram.

It was a model of a three-story building.

Dray rotated the hologram to show everyone clearly before starting his explanation.

“The place the Scavengers have occupied and are siphoning power from is the rooftop of the three-story building. The two routes leading up, the elevator and stairs, are guarded by armed forces from three Scavenger branches.”

Considering there’s usually one Scavenger branch per district, it means Scavengers from three districts are involved in this operation.

“It’s a unit composed of mana users with some combat capability among the Scavengers. They might not be difficult to handle, but they’re not to be underestimated.”

Dray continued his explanation, quickly displaying numbers on the hologram.

“We don’t know why these rats are siphoning power, but our task remains unchanged. As discussed, the third squad will break through the first floor, the first squad will enter through the second-floor windows, and the second squad will infiltrate directly to the rooftop.”

Lenoch listened quietly with his arms crossed. Dray’s words were fast, but his pronunciation was clear and stable, naturally calming the listeners.

If there’s a term for a field commander, it would refer to people like him. Watching this scene, Lenoch suddenly became curious about what kind of person the Antares mercenary was.

If he’s capable of commanding someone as strong as Dylan, Antares must also be an excellent commander and mercenary.

While lost in thought, Dray’s explanation continued.

“Once the second squad neutralizes the forces occupying the power facilities and confirms the server is intact, the third and first squads will simultaneously drive the Scavengers towards the stairs and eliminate them. Then, the second squad descending from the rooftop and the first and third squads ascending will repeat the same operation. Understood?”

“““Understood!!!”””

Hearing the mercenaries’ loud affirmation, Dray concluded his explanation, looking at Lenoch.

“Wizard, after providing maximum firepower during the initial breach, please follow the third squad and support from the rear.”

Lenoch nodded silently. Simply put, they wanted him to stay behind and use magic whenever the situation allowed.

Compared to the request to infiltrate a manufacturing plant and blow up the basement, this was much easier.

As Jenny said, it didn’t seem like they were asking for anything too difficult.

‘Or perhaps the Baritz request was just too hard?’

Dylan was highly skilled and drew attention well on his own, but without Crocken’s interference, blowing up the factory was indeed a challenging task.

Of course, Jenny knew Dylan’s skills and wanted Lenoch to experience a corporate request, but Lenoch couldn’t fully understand her goodwill.

“Alright. Let’s start immediately. Everyone to your positions!”

Upon hearing Dray’s words, the mercenaries picked up their equipment and began moving in unison.

Some wielded uniquely designed hammers or tonfas, but the most common types were swords and firearms.

In a world where physical strength can be enhanced with mana, close-range weapons with maximized power and ranged weapons that are effective with minimal physical ability coexist.

It’s not strange that there’s a moment when magic becomes desperately needed, which is why people in this field so eagerly desire and seek wizards.

As they walked along with the mercenary group, the surroundings began to rapidly deteriorate.

A three-story building located at the end of the alley. A chaotic appearance with tangled wires protruding from the windows, and armed individuals loitering at each window and entrance.

Various firearms and unified attire. Even the faint mana emanating from them.

Indeed, this armed force was different from the Scavengers Lenoch knew.

From the 50th district onwards, the Balkan police had completely abandoned the area, making it a lawless zone. That’s why groups like the Scavengers could occupy other companies’ offices and brazenly hold their ground.

The consulting company that lost its office must feel wronged, but they were the ones who set up an office here, lured by low rent and virtually non-existent taxes.

Sometimes, when dealing with such troublesome matters, other means of force are needed instead of the police. Like the Grimgald Mercenary Office present here.

Seeing the wires protruding from the windows all turning towards the rooftop, Lenoch leisurely fell into thought.

‘It would be much easier if I just dropped a Thunder Calling from the start.’

Dropping a lightning strike on the power facilities located on the rooftop would instantly turn all of the Scavengers’ schemes to dust, but doing so might cause the server to go down, so it must be avoided.

One of the conditions in the financial consulting company’s request was to ensure no data on the server was lost.

It’s a tricky condition, but with the pay being what it is, it’s a task that must be accomplished.

The mercenary group each picked a cover, hid, and began moving slowly in sync with Dray’s hand signals.

He whispered to Lenoch, who was following behind.

“There’s a low chance, but they might have hired a wizard too. If you sense anything, let me know immediately.”

For the Scavengers, who are already impoverished, putting in such effort means this operation is very important to them.

“Got it… huh?”

Just as Lenoch was about to respond to Dray, he felt a piercing gaze, as if being stabbed by mana.

A sensation he had never felt before. However, Lenoch’s powerful mana perception quickly identified it as a visual substitute created using magic.

Someone was watching them from above.

The moment Lenoch realized this, he instinctively extended his mana to grasp the thread of that gaze.

[Ugh…!!]

A voice of shock echoed beyond the resonance of mana. Lenoch’s keen mana quickly traced that sensation to pinpoint the location.

…Found it.

Crackle..!!

Inside a secluded room on the third floor of the building, a man was kneeling, using magic.

Lenoch didn’t know how he did it, but he instinctively knew he could achieve more.

He seized the wizard’s probing gaze with his will and snapped it.

Crack!!

With an inaudible noise, the mana extending from the wizard’s interior was severed by Lenoch’s mana.

The backlash shattered the ongoing spell.

Lenoch confirmed the wizard’s collapse, blood streaming from his nose and ears, and spoke to Dray.

“The opposing wizard just used a probing spell.”

“…What?”

“I detected the magic and traced it back to neutralize him. We should breach now.”

A declaration so absurd it was hard to believe even after hearing it.

But when Dray turned his gaze to the third floor, he saw the armed forces, who had been maintaining strict vigilance, suddenly moving busily.

An unexpected gap. Sensing the opportunity, Dray immediately signaled the mercenaries.

“Let’s go…!!”

Boom!!

The mercenaries, following the command, threw something from their pockets and charged forward.

Pshhh…!!

They first suppressed visibility with flashbangs and created a path with smoke.

With that, the mercenaries from Grimgald Office began silently sprinting across the asphalt.

Sensing something was amiss, the armed forces of the Scavengers turned their guns towards them in response.

Seeing this, Lenoch immediately gathered his mana.

Suppression

“They said they needed strong fire support during the initial breach.”

The most effective spell to suppress the Scavengers aiming their guns from the windows.

Lenoch quickly found the answer and projected his will into the overflowing mana.

Crackle!!

Blue electricity crackled and glowed between the fingers extended from both hands.

The bundle of electricity, seemingly ready to leap from his hand at any moment, was directed with mana and distorted to allow for chain reactions.

Zap zap zap zap!!

The electricity shot from Lenoch’s hands split like dozens of chains in mid-air, extending in all directions.

[Chain Lightning]

The dozens of currents, moving and branching with a set relay point, swept over the Scavengers leaning out the windows like a wave—

“Argh…!!”

“Ahhh!!”

The Scavengers, directly hit by the lightning spell, rolled their eyes back and screamed in agony.

With a single spell, the overwhelming firepower swept the building’s facade, instantly incapacitating the armed forces at the windows.

“This is insane!!”

Weian, witnessing Lenoch’s miraculous feat while running, cheered, and the other mercenaries also increased their speed in admiration.

They realized that Lenoch was a wizard several times more skilled than anyone they had hired before.

With the successful fire support from the wizard, the mercenary group began breaching the building as planned.

The third squad, composed of solid close-combat forces, broke through the front, while the first squad, armed with light weapons, leaped directly to the second floor.

The agile second squad, aided by the first squad climbing the walls, swiftly ascended to the rooftop. Dray, witnessing this, joined the third squad to help break through the entrance.

One must never hesitate when riding the momentum.

Sensing the Scavengers’ defenses had opened due to Lenoch’s lightning spell, the mercenary group didn’t miss the opportunity and plunged into the Scavenger formation with full force.

Ratatatatatata!!

Ike and another giant held massive shields, absorbing the gunfire from the front, while a man wielding a greatsword charged into the enemy lines, increasing the chaos.

Dray, too, wielded a gun in one hand and a sword in the other, slicing through the Scavengers.

“Argh!!”

“Hold your positions, you idiots!”

“If the rooftop is breached, the operation is pointless!”

Despite the Scavengers’ superior numbers, they couldn’t handle the mercenaries charging through their ranks and fell into panic.

Still disoriented from the aftermath of the [Chain Lightning] Lenoch cast just before the breach, most of them were unable to regain their senses.

Some tried to hold their ground, but most ignored the orders and helplessly retreated.

“…..Damn it!”

The man leading the Scavengers on the first floor gritted his teeth and turned his gaze towards the mercenaries.

To turn the tide, he needed to inflict significant damage on the mercenaries with a single attempt.

The core of this offensive wasn’t the vanguard fiercely pushing into the building, but the thin, frail-looking lightning wizard who acted as the starting point and center.

If he could sever that unguarded neck and spill blood, he could change the battle’s outcome.

Having quickly calculated, the man moved stealthily to avoid the mercenaries’ gaze.

He knew he could handle mana to some extent, and that it wouldn’t be easy for the mercenaries to counter if he made a determined dash.

A single moment of vulnerability. The moment the mercenaries, intoxicated by their indiscriminate offensive, broke their formation and exposed the wizard would be enough.

‘Now!’

The moment Ike, holding a massive shield, slightly opened up, and Dray stepped forward, pulling the trigger, the man threw himself forward with all his might.

With sharp instincts, the man pierced through the mercenaries’ formation, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Even Dray, startled, leaped back, but it was too late.

The bowie knife in his left hand gleamed as it curved precisely towards the wizard’s neck.

Bang!!

With a sudden loud noise, the charging man was thrown backward.

There wasn’t even a scream. The man, knocked back by the impact of having his upper body pierced, convulsed without even closing his eyes properly.

Dray, who had been turning back towards Lenoch, looked down at the corpse with a dazed expression.

“He died of shock.”

Lenoch murmured. In his hand was a revolver he had pulled out at some point.

The moment the man charged at Lenoch, Lenoch had drawn the revolver at lightning speed and aimed for the man’s shoulder, pulling the trigger.

[Targeting Correction], [Firing Acceleration], [Impact Enhancement]. In a single moment, Lenoch had woven three shooting support spells into the shot, and the shotgun shell had struck the charging man with relentless speed.

Lenoch’s gaze lingered briefly on the grotesquely sprawled corpse, but the wizard’s rationality thoroughly suppressed any emotional disturbance.

The magical mental fortitude that made Lenoch’s thoughts extremely rational in everyday life was even more enhanced in combat situations like this.

Lenoch spun the revolver, letting the smoke drift from the muzzle, and glanced at Dray.

“Go ahead. I’ll take care of myself.”

“Alright.”

Dray answered obediently, turned around, and adjusted his grip on his weapon, but the shooting skill Lenoch had displayed in that brief moment lingered in his mind.

The shooting itself was ordinary, but the speed and precision with which Lenoch drew the revolver from his pocket and placed his finger on the trigger were difficult for Dray to replicate.

“Are the well-known wizards these days also skilled with firearms…”

Unaware that Lenoch was using shooting support magic, Dray sighed, worrying that the value of wizards would skyrocket, and quickly finished clearing the first floor.

After the man, who had been the leader of the group, tried to kill Lenoch and was countered and killed instantly, the Scavengers quickly disbanded and were swept away by the mercenaries’ offensive.

“Kidel, it’s me. The first floor is cleared. How’s the situation upstairs?”

Once you start, you must see it through to the end.

Dray and the mercenaries confirmed the kill on the fallen Scavengers while contacting the first squad that had gone up to the second floor.

[We’re in a standoff. If the boss comes to help, the second floor should be cleared soon.]

“I’ll be up shortly, so time it appropriately.”

With that, Dray finished speaking and immediately crouched and approached the stairs with the third squad.

Using the elevator to go up to the second floor would be suicide. Despite the height difference, breaking through the stairs was the wise choice.

Lenoch briefly considered using a probing spell, but the other mercenaries were cautiously climbing the stairs without his help.

At this distance, mana users could detect nearby presences with enhanced senses, making it possible.

Unlike the noisy first floor, the second floor was eerily silent.

A desolate office landscape. A place filled with desks and partitions serving as cover.

It seemed the first squad that had infiltrated the second floor and the Scavengers were still in a standoff, mixed together.

Only the sound of something scraping against the floor and the loose wind blowing through broken windows, brushing past the desks, could be heard.

Pshuk!

With a sound as if suppressing a gunshot, someone collapsed. Immediately after, someone stood up beyond the partition.

It was Kidel.

“It’s over.”

With those words, other members of the first squad began to reveal themselves one by one.

“It seems we weren’t much help?”

“No. They got distracted by the sound of the third squad coming up, so they easily let their guard down. They were agitated knowing the first floor was taken.”

Kidel spoke calmly, reloading her rifle.

Her mana wasn’t particularly abundant, but her handling of the rifle seemed incredibly precise and swift.

After changing the magazine and completing the reload, Kidel urged Dray.

“Let’s go up quickly. The second squad is probably holding out on the rooftop.”

Following her words, the mercenary group immediately entered the third floor and swept away the remaining Scavengers in one go.

With a significant portion of their forces deployed to counter the mercenaries infiltrating the first and second floors, the Scavengers were caught off guard. Conversely, the mercenaries, who had split up to attack both floors simultaneously, regrouped, instantly increasing their strength.

The fact that the wizard, who should have aided in defending the third floor, was neutralized by Lenoch was a significant loss for the Scavengers.

With the third squad leading and the first squad providing fire support from behind, the Scavengers, who had no means of resistance other than firearms, were helplessly swept away.

Standing before the stairs leading to the rooftop, Ike muttered.

“The job is easier than expected.”

“At this rate, we might finish ahead of schedule.”

The time taken to eliminate the Scavengers was much faster than originally planned. At this rate, it seemed possible to complete everything before the Scavengers’ reinforcements arrived.

“Shouldn’t we ask for more money from the consulting friends over there?”

“It’s not over yet. We have to finish backing up the company’s data and drive out all the scum living in this cesspool.”

“Well, at this pace, it seems like we’ll finish before tonight.”

While conversing, the mercenaries subtly glanced at Lenoch, who was silently following them from behind.

They knew well that without the lightning spell Lenoch cast just before entering the building, the task wouldn’t have been this easy.

At that moment, there were at least twenty Scavengers aiming their guns at them.

By using the right spell at the right moment, Lenoch single-handedly neutralized nearly 10% of the Scavenger forces.

It was only natural for the mercenaries to develop a favorable impression of Lenoch after witnessing the true power of a skilled wizard.

So much so that even Kidel, who had snapped at Lenoch for smoking earlier, subtly suggested to Dray.

“Boss, can’t we recruit him as our exclusive wizard?”

“…We don’t have the money.”

“Instead of wasting money on useless rookies, we should invest in him. He seems like he can do the work of four people.”

“…..”

“Working with a wizard like him would make our jobs much easier, bring in more money, and quickly make our office famous….”

“Others are probably thinking the same.”

Kidel pouted but didn’t argue further.

She, too, thought Lenoch’s magical abilities were exceptional compared to other wizards she had encountered, and his personality was calm enough to work with comfortably.

Having a personality that was easy to work with and overwhelming abilities meant he would receive love calls from all over, with many places lining up to hire him.

“He’s a wizard personally recommended by Jenny. If the personnel office itself is recommending him, there’s no way we can afford him.”

Coveting a gem one cannot possess is a foolish endeavor.

Lenoch, on the other hand, was seriously contemplating whether to take another puff of his cigarette, having already smoked one.

Of course, one never knows what the future holds, but it’s best not to have regrets for now.

Dray thought so, wiping the blood off his sword and raising his communicator.

He intended to contact the second squad holding out on the rooftop and head there immediately.

“Weian, can you hear me? As you’ve probably confirmed through the communicator, we’ve cleared the third floor and neutralized the remaining forces. We’re planning to head to the rooftop now. Can you coordinate?”

Dray spoke in a light tone, but his face hardened at the voice that came through the communicator.

[…..Boss?]

Weian’s voice was faint, as if it could cut off at any moment.

It was clear something had happened, as he couldn’t even comprehend what Dray was saying.

Seeing his expression, the mercenaries stopped their chatter and immediately grabbed their equipment, rushing to the rooftop.

Something had gone wrong.

Retired Soldier

With low but quick steps, they ascended the stairs in an instant.

Dadadada..!!

Lenoch, too, drew his pistol from his pocket, imbuing it with support magic as he followed.

As they reached the rooftop, the cluttered office disappeared, revealing a wide-open view.

A large power machine positioned in the corner, a towering power line reaching for the sky, and countless wires connected to it.

And the bright red blood pooling on the ground.

“Weian!!”

Seeing Weian lying in a pool of blood, Dray shouted as he rushed to him.

The other members of the second squad were in similar conditions.

Each was in a state close to combat incapacity, barely clinging to life with severe injuries, only able to roll their eyes to welcome the arrival of their allies.

“Whew….. Boss. Sorry….”

Weian muttered weakly, opening his eyes with difficulty, and Dray quickly pulled out a potion from his waist and poured it over Weian’s wounds.

A recovery potion imbued with life regeneration magic. It’s a valuable item traded at a high price, but it’s not more precious than a human life.

The other mercenaries also grabbed their fallen comrades and took similar measures.

Once Weian’s breathing stabilized, Dray quickly raised his head and scanned the surroundings.

It was a precise skill, as if someone had deliberately refrained from delivering the final blow. It was impossible for anyone other than a thoroughly trained expert.

If such a capable force had appeared within the Scavengers, there was no reason for them to leave and watch the situation unfold.

They must be observing the battle without leaving the scene.

The other mercenaries seemed to share the same thought, as they all sharpened their senses and vigilantly guarded the surroundings.

A chilling wind swept across the rooftop.

In that empty landscape, devoid of any visible enemies, only the sound of blades slicing through the air persisted.

Where are you?

As the mana perception fields of the dozen or so mercenaries spread in all directions and overlapped, a low breathing sound began to emerge.

As if on cue, everyone simultaneously turned their weapons.

With Dray rising from his position, the wires hanging from the power machine swayed, revealing a man perched among them.

“I thought there might be guests…”

Gray hair, a scruffy beard. A face covered in scars and eyes filled with a cold, subdued gaze.

An elderly man, exuding a fierce killing intent that seemed to overwhelm just by facing him, swung the knife in his hand.

“I didn’t expect the situation to be this severe.”

“…..It was you.”

Seeing the blood-soaked knife, Dray’s expression twisted.

“You bastard….. Were you just watching my men die?”

The man laughed sharply at his face. A dry voice.

“Do you know how much was invested in this operation?”

“What?”

“We gathered resources from three branches, scraping together everything we had to prepare for this. We occupied a server with access to the network managing the taxes of the 53rd district and bribed dozens of officials to get this far.”

Though the man’s words were slow and vague, Dray immediately understood what he meant.

“…..You’re insane. Are you planning to embezzle the reserve funds managed by the Balkan city government?”

“We don’t need to go as far as the city government. The funds managed by the district office alone exceed tens of billions of Cel. By occupying a proper power facility and destabilizing the power of the entire 53rd district, the network security naturally becomes lax. Is it wrong to exploit the gaps created by a corrupt institution?”

“Well. It doesn’t seem like a business a retired soldier should be involved in.”

Dray said, slowly bringing his finger to the trigger.

The man, hearing his words, glared coldly.

“……It’s been over three years since I left the front lines. I thought I had shed my military skin, but it was my mistake.”

“Isn’t it obvious that someone exuding such precise killing intent isn’t an ordinary criminal?”

“Haha…. You know well. Are you, by any chance?”

Dray didn’t respond to the man’s mocking answer.

The elderly man didn’t say anything about his background, but the atmosphere emanating from his actions couldn’t be hidden.

The precise yet ruthless skill that had perfectly subdued the second squad. The calm yet rigid demeanor and disciplined speech.

All things Dray Grimgald once possessed and longed for.

Things he had long forgotten.

“To be honest, I have no intention of debating the rights and wrongs of this matter. I have no interest in what happens to the Scavengers.”

Two soldiers who had cast aside duty and justice faced each other.

“It’s just business. Understand it that way.”

“I don’t care. This isn’t something I started just to stop here.”

The man, descending from the wires, reached into his pocket and spoke.

“…..It’s too early to be stopped by a mere mercenary group.”

In the tense situation, Dray’s mind began to race.

Among the things that could emerge from his pocket, what was the most dangerous and deadly?

A gun, a grenade, or perhaps a smoke or flashbang to obscure vision…. Whatever it was, the moment the man’s hand revealed itself, the battle would resume.

And the man betrayed all of Dray’s expectations, pulling out something several times more dangerous than those.

What emerged from his pocket was a disposable syringe with a long needle.

Seeing the syringe, Dray felt a chill run down his spine as he raised his gun and shouted sharply to the mercenaries behind him.

“Stop him!!”

Ratatatatatata!!

The shooters immediately opened fire on the man, but his reaction was much faster.

Quickly moving to the left to evade the mercenaries’ shots, the man unhesitatingly injected the syringe into his arm and pushed the plunger.

Pook!

“Whew….”

The effects of the unknown liquid injected into his body manifested immediately.

The man’s eyes turned pitch black, and his arms began to tremble.

A sinister black mist emanated from his body, slowly spreading across the ground.

The mercenaries continued to pull the trigger, but the moment the man took a step, everything went awry.

Crack!!

“Argh!!”

In an instant, a fist-sized hole appeared in the chest of a mercenary aiming a rifle at the man from the side of the formation.

“Hansen!!”

Ike called his name, quickly pouring a potion over the wound, but it was too late. The blood gushing from his chest was too massive to be stopped with mere medicine.

His eyes emptied in an instant, and his mouth hung open. There was no breath, only slight convulsions. He was dead.

“Do you know why I didn’t kill the ones who came up here first?”

The man spoke, shaking his blood-soaked hand.

Somehow, his hand held Hansen’s still-beating heart.

In that brief moment, he had pierced the opponent’s chest and extracted the organs of a living person.

“To use this power…. I need fresh, living fuel.”

With those words, the man began to eat the heart raw.

“……..”

The mercenaries, at a loss for words at the bizarre and horrifying sight, raised their weapons.

If his words were true, it was obvious whose heart would be used as the next fuel.

In the cold air, completely different from the previously relaxed atmosphere, Lenoch observed the man closely without batting an eye.

To be precise, he observed the unknown energy flowing around him.

Sticky yet flexible, slow yet swift. It occupied space without moving in lines, ascending from below rather than descending from above.

A nature closer to defying order than conforming to it.

‘Dark magic.’

Though it was his first time seeing it directly, it was a familiar movement.

In WORLD, there were quite a few player wizards who chose dark magic as their main path, and the proportion of related NPCs was significant, so Lenoch quickly guessed the identity of the syringe the man used.

‘Judging by his craving for human flesh, it seems like the Vampiric Order, but there’s also a possibility of the Bloodia Scythe. If the related magical system exists in this world, that is….’

The Vampiric Order refers to practitioners who borrow the traits of vampires, while the Bloodia Scythe is a beast’s technique that strengthens oneself by consuming the blood and flesh of others.

Lenoch remembered these practitioners and techniques as they were infamous for their gore among dark magic.

‘I know the side effects are significant, but is he planning to settle the score here? It’s not something to be taken lightly.’

Seeing a mercenary lose his heart without even reacting, Lenoch couldn’t afford to be complacent.

He reinforced the mana surrounding his barrier, enhancing his senses.

Meanwhile, the man was single-handedly turning the tide of the battle, rampaging through the mercenaries.

“Maintain the formation!!”

“Don’t let him rampage..!!”

“Delin, get out of the way!”

However, the mercenaries, who had to protect the incapacitated second squad while dealing with the man, were severely limited in their movements, while the man continued his assault without losing speed.

Before long, the formation was breached, and mercenaries began to die indiscriminately.

“Argh!!”

In this line of work, it’s natural not to know when one might die, but maintaining composure while watching comrades fall one after another is not easy.

As the blood flowed and lives dwindled, the mercenaries fell into panic, their limbs stiffening and senses dulling.

At this rate, they would be annihilated without even putting up a proper fight.

Realizing this, Lenoch immediately abandoned the spell he had been preparing to subdue the man and began constructing a new one.

The mana he had gathered for the spell scattered into the air, but Lenoch’s powerful mana control ability gathered all the scattered mana particles and reconstructed them within his mind.

A talent of reversing the heavens, controlling mana at the particle level to yield results beyond efficiency.

If the wizard who had died bleeding on the third floor had seen this scene, he would have been driven mad with the desire to kill him by any means.

The spell, completed at a terrifying speed, omitted the audible incantation and visible hand signs, descending from the air.

[Thunder Calling]

A blue lightning bolt pierced the dry sky, striking the center of the rooftop of the four-story building.

Boom!!

The building, supported by solid concrete, shook violently from the powerful impact.

However, the range of the lightning’s damage was skillfully directed away from the mercenaries and the power facilities.

Lenoch had intentionally controlled the power of the lightning by precisely calculating the mana amount and damage range with his transcendent perception.

Before reaching the building, it was impossible to accurately determine the coordinates of the space, but in this open view, where he could perceive all the coordinates, it was not impossible… Lenoch judged so and succeeded perfectly.

Even though it was only the second time he used the spell, Lenoch’s immense talent made that incredible control possible.

Whoooosh!!

Seeing the lightning strike before their eyes, the mercenaries wore expressions as if their souls had left their bodies, but Lenoch didn’t stop manipulating his mana.

It would be ideal if the man was incapacitated by the direct hit, but Lenoch’s mind had already clearly envisioned the scenario if he wasn’t.

The brief prelude before the lightning struck. If one could notice it with their eyes or intuition, evading it was also possible.

Having experienced the threshold of a creature like Crocken, Lenoch’s mind could easily calculate any superhuman movement.

The most likely scenario was that the man would leap into the mercenaries’ midst to escape the area of effect or use them as a shield to endure.

And if the man indeed evaded the lightning in such a manner, the next target he would aim for—

Thud!!

—would be Lenoch himself, who had cast the spell.

Talent

With a powerful impact, the shield Lenoch had meticulously constructed shattered, causing his body to lift off the ground, but Lenoch remained unfazed.

He had anticipated that the man would target him by following the mana’s source, and thus had layered multiple shields in preparation.

Moreover, Lenoch had deliberately set the shields to shatter upon impact, absorbing the shock instead of reinforcing them with mana.

If you know where it’s coming from and are prepared, even an anti-tank weapon can be handled.

The man’s arm, swung at a speed incomparable to before, shattered Lenoch’s shields one by one, but Lenoch’s body remained unharmed.

“Wizard!!”

The mercenaries, shocked, moved quickly, but the man, instead of fleeing, swung his arm fiercely once more.

He was convinced that it was better to kill Lenoch, even if it meant allowing the mercenaries’ attacks.

Such was the power of the lightning spell Lenoch had used, a power rarely seen even among wizards.

Swoosh!!

Having shattered a shield once, what couldn’t he break twice?

It didn’t seem difficult for him to penetrate Lenoch’s remaining defenses and bring his five fingers to Lenoch’s heart.

However, Lenoch neither retreated nor cast additional shield spells in the face of the man’s onslaught.

He simply raised the revolver he held swiftly.

The mana prepared for use immediately after casting [Thunder Calling] was swiftly arranged along his left hand, assembling a concrete thought like a flash.

Whoooong…!!

In an instant, the pistol was enveloped in a blue glow, trembling slightly, yet there was a distinct sense of stability.

Currently, Lenoch’s capacity made double casting of common public spells impossible, but the support spells, especially shooting support spells, which required relatively less capacity and mana consumption and were honed through gameplay, were different.

He remembered perfectly how to arrange support spells for the most efficient and powerful effect, and which support spells were effective depending on the firearm.

[Targeting Correction]

[Firing Acceleration]

[Recoil Control]

[Rapid Fire Adjustment]

Four support spells specialized in shooting.

Individually, they merely enhanced the power of a shot, but when all four were used simultaneously, the story changed.

Stacking four support spells into a single shot created a synergy that explosively increased the bullet’s power.

Tat tat tat tat tat!!!!

Five blue flames burst from the muzzle like lightning, striking the man’s entire body.

Two shots to the solar plexus, two below the abdomen, and the last one to the head.

The [Targeting Correction] activated at point-blank range precisely targeted the most vulnerable and lethal areas, rendering the man’s attack ineffective in an instant.

While the man’s pitch-black arm futilely sliced through the air, Lenoch’s shots struck all the vital points accurately.

“Argh!!”

Exposed to five retaliatory strikes in a single moment, the man abandoned all offensive measures and writhed in agony.

Though the man’s skin, hardened enough to deflect ordinary shots after injecting dark magic-infused drugs, seemed to have absorbed the impact, it couldn’t prevent his bodily functions from being temporarily incapacitated.

Lenoch didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly gathered mana to finish him off.

At such close range, the most efficient attack was predetermined.

Though his frail body teetered on the brink of life and death with a single mistake, Lenoch’s cold rationality understood perfectly that sometimes one must not fear close combat.

Tap!

With a mana-reinforced hand, Lenoch grabbed the man’s lower jaw, squeezing it tightly as he gathered mana.

Nothing had changed since the first time he escaped the factory.

Lenoch had risked his life at every moment to survive, and he would continue to do so.

This spell was akin to a beacon reaffirming Lenoch’s resolve.

[Bolt]

Crackle crackle crackle crackle crackle!!!

A thick, bright blue current, incomparable to the first time he learned the spell, surged between his five fingers, writhing.

The dazzling blue electricity, bright enough to obscure Lenoch’s vision, shot out and struck the man’s head directly.

“Ugh, argh!!”

A personal spell designed to induce unconsciousness. And at maximum output, a high-powered spell.

For an ordinary person, it wouldn’t be surprising if it turned their head to ash in an instant.

However, the man, even after being hit by the bolt spell in a defenseless state, thrashed wildly, resisting.

“He’s enduring?”

Realizing he hadn’t subdued him in one go, Lenoch immediately shook it off and retreated. A terrifyingly calm response.

There are monsters that can catch bullets with their eyelids, so there’s no reason he couldn’t withstand a lightning spell to the head.

After facing the superhuman Crocken Achilles, Lenoch was confident he wouldn’t be flustered by any opponent.

[Reload Acceleration]

Before the man could recover, Lenoch swiftly reloaded the revolver and pulled the trigger again.

Bang! Bang!

One shot to each eye. The third shot missed and hit the forehead.

Though the man’s skin, reinforced with dark magic, was tough, it seemed he hadn’t hardened his eyeballs, as the sound of his eyes bursting could be heard.

“Ah, haaa!!”

Even in that state, the man raged, trying desperately to land a blow on Lenoch, but.

Lenoch, this time, didn’t confront him and calmly looked down at the man.

Crack!! Thud!!

In the meantime, the mercenaries rushed in from behind, driving their weapons into the man and pinning him to the ground.

“You bastard…!!”

“Hold him tight!!”

Ratatatatata!!

“Argh!!”

Despite having blades embedded in his limbs, the mercenaries fired at the man for the kill, but he only howled in pain, showing no signs of losing strength.

Even in a fallen state, he was so full of energy that the other mercenaries holding him briefly staggered.

Despite pouring over a magazine’s worth of bullets, the man’s appearance, unaffected by the shots, made the mercenaries click their tongues.

Unlike Lenoch, who had aimed for the eyes, their shots seemed to cause the man no pain at all.

“This monster…”

“Can we really kill him here?”

“What are we going to do, boss?”

The mercenaries looked at Dray with heated gazes.

Several members had already lost their lives to the man. If they couldn’t settle the matter here, it would be a frustrating affair.

Dray, who had a sword embedded in the man’s left shoulder, briefly contemplated before looking at Lenoch.

With his limited knowledge of magic, it was impossible to accurately determine the man’s current state.

The only one present who could provide insight into the drug the man used and offer an opinion was none other than Lenoch.

“Wizard, is there any other way?”

At Dray’s question, all the other mercenaries fell silent, looking at Lenoch.

The three lightning spells he had cast during the battle had reminded them of what a true wizard was.

The skill of summoning a blue lightning bolt from a clear sky as if it were his own was neither a lie nor an illusion.

“It’s dark magic.”

Lenoch replied.

“The principle itself isn’t that complicated. It greatly enhances strength, recovery, and durability at the cost of sacrificing various things. It primarily uses human flesh or blood as fuel, and when that’s insufficient, it seems to impair cognitive abilities, including language skills.”

The man had been speaking and moving normally even after injecting the drug, but during the brief moment when Lenoch dropped the lightning and he endured the attack, his mental state had become unstable enough to prevent coherent speech.

It seemed that without constantly killing people to consume their blood and hearts, his cognitive abilities would dangerously decline.

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