A week had passed.

Lenoch had delayed accepting the request Jenny had given him and instead went on a couple of bounty hunts.

He wanted to check if there were any shooting support spells he hadn’t yet utilized in real combat.

Except for using [Bloody Chase] to track bounties, he tried to rely solely on shooting support spells instead of lightning, binding, or destructive spells.

He had become so accustomed to dealing with bounties that he didn’t need to rely heavily on magic, making it less burdensome.

The results were satisfactory.

As soon as he got within range, he would just pull the trigger twice, hitting both thighs, leaving the bounties crawling helplessly on the ground.

With [Aim Correction], it was easy to capture other bounties and hand them over to Jordan as long as the revolver’s range allowed.

Adding the [Silence] spell made it easy to subdue targets without anyone noticing.

It was simple yet effective, and Lenoch managed to earn an additional ten million Cel in ten days.

However, there were some drawbacks.

The combination of the revolver and support spells upgraded the gun’s specs by several levels, but there were clear limits to this shooting combo.

No matter how much he used shooting support spells, it ultimately boiled down to shooting faster and stronger.

The spells supported the act of shooting itself rather than adding effects to the bullets.

The number of support spells a firearm could handle was limited, and the efficiency was concentrated in a narrow field, causing problems.

To maximize the efficiency of the shooting combo spells, it was necessary to specialize in one aspect rather than improving all parts of the gun’s specs.

And that was difficult to achieve with an ordinary revolver.

To achieve better performance, he needed a better gun or more powerful support spells, a new path.

While he could solve the gun issue with investment, obtaining more powerful support spells required acquiring a unique magic system.

Even if support spells were relatively undervalued, could he buy a unique magic system with his money?

And would it be worth it?

‘…I need to look into related cases.’

Lenoch pondered as he walked down the street.

In the WORLD’s magic system, support spells related to shooting existed only within the common magic system.

It was natural since the Gun Mage profession couldn’t learn unique magic.

Therefore, Lenoch planned to obtain a more powerful support-type unique magic system and modify the shooting support spells he knew within that system.

But what if the support-type unique magic in this world was different from what he knew? What if there was no room to modify the shooting support spells?

‘I need to think about it as much as possible.’

Nothing was certain. He needed to be cautious.

Understanding the power of shooting support spells was important, but he shouldn’t be obsessed with it.

There was much to do. Lenoch was barely maintaining a precarious balance in life.

If he stumbled somewhere, it wouldn’t be surprising if he fell without resistance.

When he entered the bar, Jenny was waiting for him, smoking a cigarette.

When they first met, she didn’t touch anything, but now she seemed to live with smoke.

It seemed she had been holding back until she got to know him better.

When their eyes met, Jenny slowly stood up from the bar she was leaning on.

“You’re finally here. Did you enjoy your vacation?”

She said, extending her hand as if asking for something.

“It’s Amnac Pharmaceuticals, right? I don’t have much time, so hand it over quickly.”

“How did you know?”

Lenoch asked as he handed over the documents from his pocket, and Jenny laughed.

“That’s the only request with a deadline left until today. And you, Van, seem oddly interested in medicine, so I had a feeling.”

“Hmm….”

Lenoch nodded quietly, acknowledging her point.

“Anyway, should I contact them separately, or can we have a briefing here?”

He asked as he sat on an empty barstool, and Jenny immediately picked up the receiver.

“Just wait a moment. The person in charge should be coming here.”

“Is it that urgent?”

Lenoch muttered, but Jenny was already busy talking to someone on the other end of the line.

With no choice, he opened a bottle of whiskey on the counter when someone sitting a seat away spoke to him.

“So, you’re the new client Jenny mentioned.”

A gentleman in a suit with a mature impression. He looked younger than Jordan but had a weighty, experienced face.

Lenoch, who was watching the man sip his drink with a straight back, asked.

“Do you know me?”

“Of course. Aren’t you the famous lightning wizard? Rumor has it you’re a relentless bounty hunter chasing petty criminals for bounties.”

“……..”

Indeed, he had been repeatedly tracking and capturing bounties to earn money, so he couldn’t deny it.

Compared to the various abilities Lenoch had, catching bounties was relatively easy, not too troublesome, and, most importantly, he could choose his targets.

By avoiding getting involved with large organizations and chasing those with satisfactory bounties, such rumors had spread.

“No offense meant. In this city, bounties usually fall into two categories.”

“Two categories?”

“Small fry that no one cares about if they disappear. Or big shots who don’t even care if someone targets them.”

“….That’s quite extreme.”

“Exactly. People in between try to live within certain boundaries. It’s the same here in District 49. Murders and robberies happen every day, and there’s never a day without gunshots, but everyone tries to move within the lines. Am I wrong?”

Indeed, there were several unwritten rules here that you could feel without anyone saying them.

Strict indifference, the presence of freelancers who move for a price, and various requests handled through intermediaries.

The man’s words were light-hearted yet serious enough to make one think.

“So, who are you?”

“Took you long enough to ask.”

He smiled faintly and flicked a business card from his pocket with his fingers.

Lenoch instinctively raised his fingers to catch it, but hesitated.

The business card the man flicked was floating slowly in the air.

A psychic.

A clear anomaly defying physical laws. Yet, Lenoch’s sharp senses detected no magic.

As Lenoch caught the business card with two fingers, the man clasped his hands together.

“Call me Sebastian. I do similar work to Jenny.”

If he did similar work to Jenny, it meant he was also in the business of connecting clients and freelancers and taking a commission.

In other words, he was both a colleague and a competitor to her.

But Lenoch was more focused on what had just happened than that.

There weren’t many abilities that could be used without magic, but the number of abilities that worked like Sebastian’s was limited.

Intuitive and visible results. An anomaly with no particular signs. Considering there seemed to be no special cost, it was likely a mental power-consuming type.

The answer was clear.

“…..A psychic, huh.”

A rather common type, one who exercises telekinesis.

The man laughed heartily at Lenoch’s words.

“Hahaha!! Showing it right in front of you, isn’t it obvious?”

“……..”

“Is it true that you drifted into the city after training somewhere remote? It’s not common to see someone surprised by a psychic. In terms of rarity, a young wizard like you is much rarer than an old guy like me.”

In WORLD, psychic powers had the advantage of being very intuitive, but to be honest, they weren’t abilities with great versatility or depth.

Therefore, there weren’t many players who chose psychic powers as their main ability…. But in this world, psychic powers were abilities one was born with, so it was natural that such common sense didn’t apply.

“Sebastian, are you trying to mess with my client again?”

Jenny, who had finished her call, approached with a raised voice.

Her sharp eyes were fierce, but he leaned back leisurely and waved his hand.

“We were just having a little chat. No need to get so worked up.”

“I wondered why you hadn’t been around for a while, but if you keep this up, it’s no fun.”

“Of course, I did hand the wizard friend my business card, but I also brought something for our spirited young lady here.”

Sebastian casually handed over a file from his briefcase, brushing off Jenny’s words with a nonchalant attitude.

Jenny opened it immediately and began reading through it. It was typical of her.

It didn’t take long for her face to show signs of bewilderment as she read through the documents.

“A summons? Why is this coming out now?”

“It’s proof that the city government is in a hurry. Haven’t you watched the news?”

Jenny replied irritably to Sebastian’s words.

“The delegation from the Filenom Autonomous Region is still over two months away. They haven’t even formed a proper response team yet, so how can they issue such orders already?”

“It’s certainly not common.”

He leaned slightly into the bar and spoke in a low voice.

“Rumor has it that one of the city council members is pushing this agenda very aggressively.”

“…..Are they short on money to feed that side?”

“That’s unlikely. Aren’t they in a shoulder-to-shoulder relationship, holding each other’s weaknesses? The speculation is that they have something else they want.”

Lenoch listened to their conversation while sipping his drink.

They didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it from him, as they continued talking with him nearby.

From what they were saying, it seemed like the city government had issued a separate summons to private contractors due to the visit of the Filenom Autonomous Region delegation, which he had seen on the news yesterday.

Since Sebastian, who did similar work to Jenny, brought such news, it seemed they had specifically called in intermediaries from this side, and judging by their expressions, it wasn’t a light matter.

Their expressions were serious, but the conversation ended quickly.

They knew that discussing it here wouldn’t lead to any immediate conclusions.

Sebastian finished his drink and stood up, extending his hand to Lenoch.

“Well, I’ll be off. If you ever want to try something different from the work Jenny arranges, feel free to contact me. I can offer different rewards in a different way.”

With that, he used telekinesis to pick up his briefcase and disappeared from the bar.

Watching his retreating figure, Jenny, who had her arms crossed, grumbled.

“He’s such a shady person.”

“Have you known him for a while?”

“Sebastian? He settled in this field before me. He pretends to run a company in District 45, but his lackeys and clients are all similar types. It’s quite unpleasant.”

From the way she spoke, it seemed they weren’t just acquaintances, but Jenny continued to grumble as if she found him distasteful.

Lenoch pretended to drink while half-listening to her. She seemed to be getting more talkative with unnecessary comments as time went on.

“Well, he’s good at sweet-talking the rich and businessmen. If you want to take on requests from individuals, it might not be a bad idea to visit him once.”

Despite her words acknowledging Sebastian, Lenoch was slightly surprised by Jenny’s comment.

Considering they were competing freelancers, it wouldn’t be strange for her to discourage him from going, but Jenny didn’t seem to be overly fixated on that fact.

When Lenoch asked her about it, she shrugged.

“Does a merchant telling a customer not to leave stop them from leaving? I just do what I can.”

“I see….”

If Jenny was speaking like that, it might not be a bad idea to take on a job from Sebastian once.

While the requests she handed over from corporations or other organizations were impeccable, to be honest, the requests from individuals were often lacking.

If Sebastian could offer conditions enticing enough to pique Lenoch’s interest, he could be open to seeking work elsewhere.

“Enough about that. What about the request?”

He was sure she had finished talking with Amnac Pharmaceuticals, but there was still no word or reaction.

The deadline was today. Could it be that they had already found another contractor?

While Lenoch could just find another job, it would be an unpleasant outcome for Jenny, who had painstakingly narrowed down the requests.

However, instead of getting annoyed, she furrowed her brow and replied.

“They’ll be here soon.”

“What?”

“When I called, they said they’d come in person. So I just left it at that.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone pushed open the bar door and entered.

A man in a shabby suit with a tired face, holding a worn-out bag, looking awkward under the dim lighting.

He seemed out of place in a bar filled with hazy smoke.

Lenoch probably didn’t look much different when he first came here. He hadn’t been a fan of bars or pubs back on Earth either.

But people adapt, and he had gotten used to coming here regularly to earn money.

The man hesitated as he approached Jenny, who was leaning against the bar, and asked.

“Excuse me, I’m supposed to meet someone here…”

Jenny nonchalantly uttered a single word.

“Amnak?”

“Oh, yes…. That’s right.”

“I’m Jenny. This is Van.”

Only then did he notice Lenoch’s presence and hurriedly bowed his head.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Luan Sage, the sales manager at Amnac Pharmaceuticals.”

“I’m Van.”

After exchanging greetings, Sage fumbled with his bag as if trying to take something out without even sitting down.

Jenny shook her head as she watched him and said.

“I’ll get us a room. Let’s talk there.”

It was clear this wasn’t the best place to entertain a client.

Jenny led them up the stairs behind the bar to the second floor of the building.

“……You could’ve told me about this room earlier.”

Lenoch grumbled as he looked at the room, which had the sleek and static atmosphere of a hotel lounge. Jenny snorted.

“You always ran off after getting a job, so what are you talking about?”

“…….”

It was true that after getting a job, he would always return to his hotel room to rest or study magic, so Lenoch kept his mouth shut.

Sage, seemingly more comfortable in such a room, sat down with a much-improved complexion.

“Can we get straight to the point since we’re short on time?”

He said, not waiting for a response, and immediately pulled out a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to Lenoch.

“I assume you’re somewhat familiar with this request since you accepted our proposal.”

“I’ve looked over the details.”

Lenoch replied, recalling the request proposed by the pharmaceutical company.

Currently, Amnac Pharmaceuticals is developing a tranquilizer through small-scale crowdfunding.

Having achieved visible results compared to the company’s size, there are positive projections that it will significantly surpass the company’s net profit.

The problem is that a district councilor, centered around the district where their headquarters is located, is pressuring them to hand over the patent for the drug under development.

The councilor is closely associated with one of the gangs in the underworld as one of the district’s maintainers and is using those connections to pressure the pharmaceutical company.

Amnak is trying various methods to counter this, one of which is reaching out to this side for help.

“So what exactly do you want me to do?”

“Contrary to what’s publicly known, the development of the new drug is already complete.”

Sage said in a much calmer voice.

“We planned to secretly submit samples to the patent office while the councilor believed the drug was still under development, but after information leaked from within the company, that became difficult.”

“You’re saying there’s a spy.”

It was common on Earth for companies to plant spies and steal information from each other.

In a well-established company, systems would handle such matters, preventing leaks to some extent, but a small pharmaceutical company would be helpless.

Sage nodded and pulled out a photo from his bag, handing it to Lenoch.

A warehouse located in a remote alley. Judging by the relatively low surrounding buildings, it didn’t seem like a bustling area, more like the outskirts of the city.

“After realizing there was a spy within the company, the CEO moved the developed drug samples to this location. He was concerned the councilor might use coercive means to seize the samples. The problem is that it’s almost certain this information has also leaked.”

Listening to him, it seemed like security at Amnac Pharmaceuticals was meaningless, but Lenoch understood.

In a company without a large scale, it would be difficult to enforce strict confidentiality among employees.

If given enough money and assured there would be no repercussions, many would open their mouths.

“If the information is leaking anyway, there’s no point in moving the samples around anymore.”

Lenoch picked up the photo and flipped it over. District 54. Address 8. The warehouse’s address was written in light cursive.

“We’ve contacted the patent office and received approval to submit the samples the day after tomorrow. We’d like you to retrieve the samples hidden in this warehouse and submit them to the patent office on our behalf.”

Sage said, watching Lenoch with a tense expression.

Lenoch, staring at the photo of the warehouse, suddenly spoke.

“Did you say your name was Sage?”

“…..Yes.”

A moment of silence.

Lenoch, staring into his eyes, chuckled.

“If you want to hire someone, you should be clear about what you want.”

Trickery.

Sage swallowed nervously at the harsh tone.

“What do you mean by that….”

Instead of replying, Lenoch shook the request summary in his hand.

“Isn’t it all written here what you want? Retrieving the samples and submitting them isn’t the end of the problem.”

Before taking on a job, it’s crucial to address any uneasy aspects.

While he didn’t doubt the authenticity of the information Sage provided, Sage hadn’t disclosed everything.

Sage’s eyes darted around, but in the end, he couldn’t say anything.

He knew exactly what Lenoch was talking about.

Jenny, standing beside him, drove the point home.

“The gang.”

“…….”

“You left out the gang part. If they find out you’ve hired a freelancer, won’t the councilor hear about it too? What’s the guarantee that Van won’t clash with the gang?”

While the councilor wouldn’t directly intervene, the gang he was associated with would be different.

If they found out that Amnac Pharmaceuticals had hired Lenoch to retrieve the samples, the gang would undoubtedly get involved.

“I could just sneak in and submit the samples to the patent office without anyone knowing. Is that what you want?”

Lenoch asked, but there was no response.

No, Sage’s silence was his answer.

Ultimately, what Amnac Pharmaceuticals wanted wasn’t just a courier but someone who could handle the councilor’s gang.

Their words were polished, but they hoped Lenoch would clash with the gang and deal with them while retrieving the samples.

The slyness of not mentioning it directly in front of him was enough to irritate Lenoch.

‘….This is definitely different from Baritz.’

Thinking of the dinosaur corporation that clearly communicated its objectives, set different compensation for each goal, and even provided additional compensation for unforeseen variables, Amnac Pharmaceuticals’ handling of the situation was absurd.

While he understood that a venture company might handle things haphazardly, was it reasonable to start scheming from the moment they outsourced the job?

Considering their careless assumption that he would somehow deal with the gang while retrieving the samples, it might be better to just hand the samples over to the councilor.

Sage’s shoulders slumped, and he began sweating profusely, aware of the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Lenoch resisted the urge to pull out a cigarette from his pocket and glanced at Jenny.

Taking out his frustration on Sage here wouldn’t achieve anything.

It seemed wise to discuss with her before deciding whether to accept the request.

Noticing Lenoch’s gaze, Jenny smiled knowingly.

“Hey, client.”

“Yes, yes!”

Sage, who was extremely nervous, replied, and Jenny gestured with her cigarette.

“If you still want to hire us, we need to renegotiate the compensation. While you intended to just have our wizard run an errand, our perceived risk was different. Understand?”

Sage nodded.

Only then did Jenny smile satisfactorily and point with her cigarette.

It was Sage’s phone on the table.

“Then call your boss and ask how much they’re willing to invest in us, how much money they’ll give Van to make him want to take down the gang he encounters while running the errand.”

“………”

“We’ll step out for a moment, so feel free to make the call.”

With that, she naturally led Lenoch out of the office.

As soon as the door closed, Jenny spoke.

“What do you want to do?”

“What?”

“While they did try to pull a fast one, I think it’s cute. If they really intended to deceive us, they wouldn’t have mentioned the councilor or the gang in the request summary.”

“…….”

She’s not wrong.

The reason Lenoch could sense that Sage hadn’t disclosed all their objectives was because of the information in the request summary they provided.

“Of course, I cross-check requests, so I won’t fall for any shoddy lies, but in this case, instead of trying to stab us in the back……”

“Instead of?”

“…..I think they were trying to haggle over the price.”

Jenny said, quickly glancing at Lenoch’s reaction before continuing.

“Of course, this is just my opinion, and it’s natural for you to be upset. It’s annoying when someone tries to deceive you. It’s your choice whether to take the job or not. We can send that guy back right now. It’s not like there’s a shortage of jobs in this field. I can just bring in another request starting tomorrow.”

Lenoch chuckled as he watched Jenny speak smoothly.

Even though she should have a good grasp of his personality by now, her cautious approach was enough to win his favor.

She seemed to have a good sense of his rather high level of vigilance despite his nature.

“What do you think about the difficulty of the request? Is there a chance the councilor will get directly involved?”

“It won’t be difficult. I’ve looked into it separately. I’m sure of it.”

Jenny assured him.

“The gang that Councilor Meyer is associated with is a violent organization of about 100 people, but it’s not a large gang even in the 50s districts. Except for the leader, who is rumored to be a peculiar hybrid, the rest are no different from Scavengers. It won’t be hard to deal with them.”

Considering it’s called a gang, it must have at least dozens of members, but Jenny’s words carried no sense of burden.

She seemed to believe that Lenoch was no longer at a level where he would be constrained by mere numbers.

In fact, Lenoch also thought it would be possible to handle them without much risk.

The battle with the Scavengers, which he faced alongside the Creamgal Mercenary Office.

The various spells he used there, including [Chain Lightning], had the potential to allow an individual to face a group alone.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to turn that potential into certainty in this request.

After carefully considering his options, Lenoch nodded.

“…..Alright. But I’d like to negotiate for a higher fee.”

If he wasn’t going to avoid a confrontation with the gang, it wouldn’t be against business ethics to ask for a bit more in danger pay.

Jenny grinned at Lenoch’s words.

“Leave it to me. You saw me baiting him, right? I’ll squeeze out around ten million Cel, so just wait a moment.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the office door opened.

Sage, holding his phone like a precious treasure, nodded silently at the two of them.

Watching Jenny’s mouth stretch into a wide grin, Lenoch shook his head silently.