Unlike the undeveloped districts of the 50th district, which are full of shabby slums with only development plans, the 40th district, especially the early number districts, do not lack facilities much compared to the upper districts.
District 42, where Charlotte’s manufacturing plant was located, had a rather empty feeling, but it had a neat and orderly street.
“Looks like Jenny has a pretty high opinion of you.”
“what?”
“I am not a woman who gives up her money so easily. I thought it would be better to maintain a good relationship than to take off fees right away.”
Dylan’s tone was light, but it captured the context of the bar conversation.
“So what?”
“Wow, that didn’t make any sense. What I want to say is…”
Seeing Dylan suddenly reach into his arms, Lennok took a step apart and put the tobacco in his mouth.
If even a gun came out from inside, I had to immediately increase the strength of the barrier and respond.
However, what was sandwiched between the thick leather gloves was not a piece of hard metal, but a business card.
“But you don’t have to look for a job in just one place.”
[Antares Office]
Lennok looked down at the business card and let out a blank laugh.
“Are you doing business with me now?”
Lennok hadn’t shown any magic yet, but such an aggressive attitude as soon as he left the bar.
But Dylan responded calmly.
“Wizards say that no matter how much you know, there is no shortage. The floor here is the same. Even if there are dozens or hundreds of them, each of them has a different field to deal with, and their fighting ability and temperament vary widely, so the wider their feet, the more chances they have.”
He shrugged.
“It won’t be a bad story for you either. Our office is a bit… rough, but there are many friends who are good at working hard. Just like me.”
“”
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have multiple options, right? Unless you have a reason to be loyal to that woman.”
Lennok laughed.
“You speak well. Let’s see if your skills are that good.”
“Look forward to it.”
Dylan said that, put on his mask, and started walking.
Following him, Lennok suddenly realized how rare a wizard is.
It is a rare and fatal talent to know how to handle magic enough to hand over your contact information to a wizard you met for the first time today who has no knowledge of origin or skill.
Arriving near the manufacturing plant, the two slowly circled around the factory site and looked at the situation.
The number of security guards located inside the factory was not that many, but they all had the number ‘888’ engraved on their left chest.
“Triple Eight. You hired the worst of the security companies. They’re thugs who are famous for choosing only those with criminal records and jumping into the business of making money without hesitation…”
Dylan gritted his teeth.
“Even if I accidentally kill one or two people, I won’t have any remorse.”
“It’s not that I’m on the strict side.”
Although they are steadily armed with submachine guns, bulletproof vests and various sub-weapons, the security posture itself is not very strict.
It was to the extent that it seemed blatant to kill time while keeping a moderate distance from each other.
“Who’s crazy to mess with a corporation like Charlotte? It’s a business that even the city government gets involved in, so everyone thinks they’ll notice it on their own. I wouldn’t have even looked at it if it hadn’t been arranged by Balitz.”
“You mean it’s different when Balitz intervenes?”
“In a fight between corporations, we are just messengers. If she knew it was Balitz’s work, Charlotte wouldn’t even care who we were.”
Lennok tried to remember everything Dylan muttered.
“Then let’s begin. Can I cover my face? No matter what, there is no need to reveal your identity openly.”
“Hmm…”
Looking at it now, there is not a single part of Dylan’s skin exposed in his clothes.
Is he just wanting to hide his identity or is he hiding more secrets?
Dylan’s concerns were valid, but Lennok wasn’t worried that his identity would be revealed.
In the first place, this face and the name Ban were artificially created to work here.
In addition, after being discovered by an unknown woman in the market, Lennok changed his magic pattern little by little every time he used magic, eliminating the possibility of being discovered.
Even if something went wrong and his identity as Van was tracked down, Lennok would just change the face of this camouflage spell and start working as a new identity.
“Does not matter. start.”
“No I can’t. I shouldn’t get caught by being chased because your face is known for nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Try this on,”
said Dylan, pulling out another mask similar to his own from a small bag slung at his side.
Although the colors are not flashy, it was not strange to see them as a crew of professional wrestlers because they were covered with all sorts of patterns.
“…”
“Quickly.”
Reluctantly accepting it, Lennok put on the mask with a disgusted expression.
It was fortunate that the nose and mouth were wide open.
“good! Then I’ll start first. Follow me.”
Saying that, Dylan kicked off the ground in an instant and started running in the direction of the back gate of the factory.
Doo doo doo!!
Even at a glance, the footwork is unusual. Rather than continuously maintaining high speed, it is threatening enough to think that it is accelerating while running.
Obviously, it surpassed the main power of ordinary humans.
A warrior who strengthens his body with magic and wields martial arts. These are the types that already existed in the world of WOLRD.
Lennok stood at a distance, holding a cigarette in his mouth and fanning a flame between his fingers.
“Sweeup-” I
sucked in all the smoke until my head was pounding and caught my breath.
My body and mind awoke with the familiar sensations now that the accumulated fatigue was dull and forgotten.
Desperately feeling the efficacy of the disposable medicine head he bought for 70,000 cells, Lennok followed Dylan and started running very carefully.
In the meantime, Dylan charged like lightning at the two guards guarding the back gate.
Whoop!
I captured the acceleration I was running at and fell down with the inside of my elbow hanging over the neck of one of the guards.
Unable to resist, the guard’s eyes, which had been planted on the ground on the back of his head, turned around and hit the other guard’s chin with his heel before the eyes could even turn upward.
Kwajik! Wood deok!
two guys at once.
Dylan jumped up between the two guards who fell like helpless chopsticks and sprinted toward the back gate of the factory.
Intruder
Lennok saw that and swung his body in a completely different direction from Dylan.
‘The plan made at the bar was basically a diversionary operation.’
While Dylan, who has infiltrated through the relatively unprotected back gate of the factory, draws attention, Lennok goes inside through a warehouse that is a little away from the back gate.
The warehouse, which receives products from all parts of the three-story manufacturing plant and loads them onto trucks, is, in other words, directly connected to all floors of the factory.
Dylan’s rampage seemed to have all the employees waiting in the warehouse headed there, and there was no one in the warehouse except for three large trucks.
Lennok took out the laser cutter from his bosom and pressed both buttons firmly.
Gying!
When I inserted the cutting machine, which sparked blue flames, into the doorknob of the locked manager’s office inside the warehouse, the doorknob melted in an instant.
After kicking in the door, Lennok stepped inside and reached out a hand to the grim-looking security guard who was staring at him with a startled face.
[Nature Sleep]
“
Who…!!
Magic that interferes with the mind or body in this way does not work well against opponents with magical powers, but on the contrary, it is extremely effective to subdue ordinary people without any magical powers.
The five threads of magical power stretched between her fingers were pasted directly onto the employee’s limbs and moved.
[Marionette]
The body of the fainted employee began to walk out of the factory, limp like a doll with a string cut off.
If you go to the manual operation system of the unique magic system, you can do anything more complicated than this, but [Marionette], which is used in common magic, is limited to making an unconscious person walk.
But enough of this. It was better than leaving a pity in this factory that might explode in a while.
Entering the passage inside the management office, you can see the stairs at the end of the rather dirty hallway.
Lennok’s face blurred slightly at the somehow familiar scenery.
The look of the shabby factory where he first opened his eyes is still vivid in his memory. If I hadn’t made up my mind to escape as soon as I opened my eyes and didn’t move, I might have died of exhaustion.
In extreme circumstances, life and death are separated by a single difference.
Lennok’s time now is much better than it was back then, but he can’t rest on his laurels.
In order to survive in this unknown world, we do our best every moment we live and breathe.
I brushed off my thoughts and moved.
The operation management office, which oversees all systems of the plant, is located on the 3rd floor.
But Lennok didn’t hesitate at all and ran down the stairs.
Doo doo doo!!
The sound of gunfire in the distance. In order to repel the intruders, the guards began to use their hands.
“Aww!!”
You can even hear the sound of production workers in the factory freaking out and running outside.
Not a bad thing. Unlike Triple Eight, a security company, there was no reason to let the workers working here get caught up in the explosion.
I had to get the job done while Dylan was pulling time.
When you go down to the basement of the factory, the hot air disappears and a cool breeze blows through your body.
A server room stored in the basement. In order to manage the system, the designated power supply room is being cooled so that it does not overheat.
And the air-conditioning and heating facilities that manage such cooling are also located in the basement.
Dozens of gas pipes tightly cover the basement walls like snakes climbing up the walls.
Open all the valves attached to each pipe.
Chii profit!!
One, two, three…. When one or two valves are open, it doesn’t even show, but when I unlocked all the dozens of valves, I started to hear the sound of gas leaking clearly.
Originally, gas leakage would not occur just by opening all the valves.
It is normal to have two or three gas shut-off devices installed to prevent such safety accidents.
However, this was possible because the manufacturing plant had just been newly built and was in operation without a proper safety inspection at the request of the city government, and Charlotte Corporation was not a company that spent a lot of money on site safety.
And it was neither Jenny nor Dylan who gathered and handed over all this information, but none other than the Balitz company.
‘To say he even specifies the way to proceed with the work… He’s so picky.’
The reason Jenny brought the blueprints for the factory and assigned them a plan was also because Balitz wanted it.
Jenny, who asked for the work of such a company,
has released the gas, so the only thing left is to put a spark.
Lennok placed his palm on the cold cellar floor and immediately cast his spell.
[Ignite]
Very basic ignition magic. This is the magic that Lennok uses to light his tobacco.
But now I had to do it in a different way, rather than stoking fire between my fingers.
The other day, there was a time when Lennok neglected his research for a while with the pride that he had come to use most common magic.
However, after finding a new breakthrough through an encounter with a woman at a vegetable store, he repeatedly tried to transform and apply the magic he already knew, and the situation was achieved not long ago.
sue..!!
The magic imprinted in the head is solved in a standardized way like a formula.
Lennok was clearly aware of how ridiculous his talent was through dozens of experiments.
Beyond the level of using and applying magic, they naturally reach out to unknown knowledge and throw themselves into the unknown sea.
The creativity stat taken when creating the character is 30. The intelligence that has reached a threshold that can be called talent bears fruit.
Faaaaaa!!
Lennok’s right hand shone brightly, and a small circle was drawn around the mana he was drawing, and unknown figures began to fill the inside.
Beyond the level of using magic without magic circles and hand signs, he began to draw a new magic circle that he did not know with only chanting.
Inside the circular magic circle, figures and symbols that even Lennok did not understand were arranged, and just before the ends of the fence that surrounded the world began to bite their tails, Lennok withdrew his magic.
It was withdrawn right before the magic circle was completed.
“…….”
There was no point in trying to complete Ignite’s magic circle and spark it right now.
In order to detonate the factory, it must be ignited only after the basement has been sufficiently gassed.
And Lennok already knew how to complete the spell over time.
No one taught him, but countless variations and applications run through Lennok’s head.
Beyond keeping and following the organized order, he opens up a new terrain and draws another law on top of it.
It is to bend the framework of common magic to the limit and create a new tool.
‘Of course, even if you do this, it will be difficult to completely catch up with the expertise of unique magic…’
At least you can follow similarly.
The timer is 5 minutes.
Five minutes later, the moment the completed ignition magic circle is activated in the middle of the basement, the factory is destroyed from the ground up.
If you take Dylan and get out of the factory before then, you will share the 50 million cell success fee between the two of you.
After escaping from the cellar, Lennok had another cigarette in his mouth.
The moment you step inside the manufacturing room on the 1st floor of the factory to find Dylan,
Quaang!!!
Shock waves swept all over the place with an intense roar.
Lennok’s body fell backwards with a completely unexpected shock.
I tore the back of my head to the floor and rolled my head quickly even while tingling.
‘explosion? Has the cellar exploded already?’
Lennok was suspicious of the magic circle carved into the basement floor, but immediately dismissed the possibility.
The magic he created is perfect, and if the server room exploded, it would be normal if the factory premise collapsed. It can’t end like this.
There is only one possibility left. It was clear that something was going on inside Dylan’s factory.
The shock doesn’t stop once, it comes slowly and with a weak intensity.
Listening to the eerie noises coming from inside, Lennok slowly opened the door to the first floor.
bang! Quaang!!
The first thing you see when you stick your head out into the manufacturing room and cast your gaze is a gunshot that fills the air.
Bullets flying with flashing lights from all directions and acrid smoke rising with them covered the entire first floor of the factory.
And in that ammunition storm, Dylan was dancing like crazy.
The daggers and daggers that were piled up all over the body were changed without even trying, throwing the body and slashing the guards.
The movement of a superman who strengthened his body using magical power was not something that a staff member standing with a gun could counter.
Even in the eyes of Lennok, who had no knowledge of actual fighting techniques, Dylan’s movements were smooth, and he easily disappeared even in the rain of gunfire, appearing behind the opponent.
The active mana that swirled around his body was often concentrated on the weapon in his hand, and at the moment when it glowed blue, the intense shockwave that Lennok felt earlier sent the staff flying out from all directions.
Are you planning on arranging all the guards after you asked for time?
It seemed that the confidence he showed before starting work was not in vain.
Swoop…
The constant ringing noise subsides, and only the low moans of the guards who fell after being cut by Dylan start to linger aimlessly.
Only then did Dylan catch his breath, as if he had calmed down somewhat, and started walking outside the factory.
The moment when Lennok, who confirmed the situation, was about to leave the factory immediately.
oh oh oh!!
The solid iron door shattered and hit Dylan as it was.
Dylan easily avoided the crumpled iron gate that flew at a speed that was invisible to the eye, but his body was hardened.
Turning his head to follow that gaze, Lennok could understand a little bit why he was reacting.
“Hehehe… you made a whole lot of shit.”
Thousands of scales tightly covered the entire body on a large body that could easily exceed 2 meters. An unrealistically elongated snout and sharp teeth hanging from the inside.
And even an elongated tail that swings leisurely between its legs.
It’s not that I didn’t see it well.
A crocodile-headed giant covered in blue scales slowly walks into the factory.
He rolled his vertically slanted eyes here and there, then grinned at Dylan’s figure.
“It’s a face I remember. Antares How is that kid?”
“…He’s alive and well.”
Surprisingly, Dylan and the crocodile giant seemed to recognize each other roughly.
“Hmm, I wondered what kind of guts he had when he said that he would start a business alone…. But he seems to have some talent.”
“The boss is a little bit sick of shit.”
At Dylan’s polite reply, the giant bared his teeth.
“Do you know what the situation is? It happened.”
“How much did you get?”
“10 billion.”
“Fuck…”
Dylan lowered his head helplessly, as if he had given up on everything.
The giant said as if to comfort him.
“I will look at Antares’ face and kill him painlessly.”
“…I won’t die easily.”
As Dylan replied, he grabbed two swords and raised his mana.
Lennok, who had been watching the situation from afar, hardened his face in a completely different serious attitude than before.
It seems that the crocodile giant decided to repel those who invaded the factory in exchange for 1 billion cells, but seeing that astronomical amount and Dylan coming out like that without even thinking about running away, it must have been a terrifying monster.
Should I help out here or should I run away?
Even at this moment, the basement is filled with gas, and the time for the ignition magic circle set on the timer is approaching.
‘2 minutes and 17 seconds… It’s breathtaking.’
Lennok’s internal clock is not even one second off.
It is not difficult to accurately estimate the remaining time without being conscious of it.
After a brief calculation, Lennok secretly raised his magic power to the extent that he could not be noticed by the crocodile giant.
‘I try as much as I can and lose weight.’
While making a decision, humans and crocodiles clashed.
Fierce Battle
A giant who squeezes out all the magical energy in his body and takes it alone with Dylan, who rushes at him.
Two sharp swords in Dylan’s hands, a dagger slung over his shoulder, and two daggers slung across his ankles emit sharp flashes as they plow through the dust of the factory.
Five blades that glowed faintly simultaneously aimed at the crocodile man’s limbs and rushed in, twisting the trajectory and closing the distance at once.
Kaga go go go!!
The slashes that sneered at the defense of the crocodile giant with its arms raised dartingly scraped off the blue scales all at once and sparked blue sparks.
Without paying attention to whether he landed an effective hit, Dylan unleashed his next attack.
Vicious life filled the factory floor and overflowed.
Lennok was able to guess that Dylan was a very powerful fighter beyond a reasonable level after seeing him.
Even the time to turn and catch your breath every time your foot touches is mixed within the category of wielding a weapon.
It is elegant yet blurry, secretive yet lightning-like.
Doo doo doo!!
The moment when the crocodile giant took a step back from Dylan’s pouring swordsmanship, which was so intense that it was even desperate.
Lennok, who did not miss the chance, created magic by assembling the mana he had raised so far.
A large blue current gathered above the slightly bent right arm and began to form a sphere the size of a head.
Pajijijijik!!
It is a magic that gathers and condenses dozens of bolts of electricity equal to [Volt].
Of course, the amount of mana consumed was enormous considering the mana Lenok had now, but he gritted his teeth and completed the magic.
[Lightning Bound]
The magic fired according to the will pierced the reaction speed of the two monsters and landed under the giant’s leg. The moment
the
sphere made contact with the floor, dozens of electrical currents that had been condensed inside exploded with a twisting noise as if they were pecking at the air, and attacked the giant.
The crocodile-giant wriggled his tail wildly at the moment, as if Lennok’s magic casting was so secretive that even the crocodile-
giant didn’t expect it at all—- Dylan, who didn’t miss the moment when the giant’s body stiffened, took all his energy this time and pushed forward.
Whoop…!!!
All of the attacks that were thrown out as if using the whole body to pour out became a huge wave and hit the crocodile giant.
The moment when the cold blade stretched out for an immeasurable moment beyond once, twice, or three times, finally squeezing between the giant’s hard scales and touching its skin.
Alligator moved.
Paralyzed by lightning, he raised his trembling hand and picked out only the blades aimed at the pupils, and used his tail to catch all the others.
The tail, which moved in a completely different way from the giant’s body, went back and forth dozens of times in all directions in the blink of an eye, completely erasing Dylan’s attacks.
In the meantime, while closing the distance, he grabs Dylan’s neck and throws him straight into the wall of the factory.
Whoa!!
A circular shock wave burst out centered on the crocodile giant along with a deafening sonic boom.
Dylan’s body, thrown like a bullet, pierces the wall and falls outside, and the wall of the factory that fails to overcome the force collapses as it is.
Quagwagwagwa!!
‘shit…!’
The [Lightning Bound] used by Lennok just now is a magic that boasts such intense firepower that it can melt even steel into molten iron.
Even after accepting such magic from the front, the moment he moved without getting hurt, the victory or defeat was decided.
The moment Dylan was captured by the giant, Lennok was already running away without looking back.
His fate is unknown, but it is certain that he flew out of the factory anyway.
I stupidly watched the scene until the end and had to avoid making eye contact with the crocodile.
’23 seconds remaining…!’
By concentrating mana on the legs and giving strength, the running speed increases dramatically.
Due to the harmful effects of the characteristic [Mana Addiction], he was avoiding as much as possible the act of ramming magic into his body, but this is not the time to go blind.
It would be much more convenient if [Blink] was used, but it consumed too much mana, so it was difficult for Lennok to use it.
I escaped through the door I had passed by and ran out of the warehouse at a speed enough to blur the surroundings.
Near the back door, a bloodied Dylan lay in a bizarre position. As if all the bones in his body had been shattered, ooze flowed from his body.
Lennok pondered for a moment, but eventually took another cigarette in his mouth, gritted his teeth, and started running with Dylan on his back.
It slams mana into its entire body and runs with all its might with enhanced muscle strength.
Even if I returned alive today, it was certain that I would not be able to move properly for about a week, but now was not the time to be arguing about such things.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha…!”
As much as dust, the remaining stamina ran out in an instant, and my breath filled up to the tip of my chin. A bitter smile formed on Lennox’s lips.
On Earth, he had served in the military, but here he is sore and weak as if he would collapse if hit.
It wasn’t strange at all that his lifespan was unknowingly being cut every time he pushed himself like this.
Dylan, who had wriggled a few times, regained consciousness while Lennok inhaled blood and moved his trembling legs.
Dylan checked the mask Lennok was wearing and let out a laugh.
“Cool!! Are you smoking now…? There is a degree to smoking…. It’s crazy.”
“Haha…!! I can’t live without this…!!”
‘Two seconds.’
It’s time.
Lennok replied in a trembling voice and tossed the Dylan he was carrying on his back to the ground, where he immediately fell on top of him and raised his hands above his head.
right after that.
Kwagwagwagwagwagwang!!!!!
The flames bursting out from the basement engulfed the entire manufacturing plant and burned, painting the sky red.
In order not to be blown away by the raging hot wind, I hugged the floor tightly and endured.
In my ears, I heard the sound of the barriers hanging on my body being shattered little by little.
Lennok frantically placed barriers on himself, waiting for the explosion to end.
Originally, it would have been enough to confirm that the factory would collapse properly in a place farther away than this, but with the appearance of a giant, all plans went awry.
As the shock that seemed to never end went away and the shaking of the asphalt subsided, Lennok lifted his head with difficulty.
The explosion that destroyed the basement completely engulfed Charlotte’s factory and destroyed the building in half.
Looking at the scenery of the factory shaking as if it was about to collapse at any moment, Lennok slowly stood up.
“Cigarettes…?”
I inadvertently put my hand to my mouth, but there is no tobacco.
Did it fly away while enduring the explosion?
“we are here.”
“…Are you crazy?”
Lennok looked down at Dylan with the gaze of a madman.
A cigarette lit vertically on the back of Dylan’s hand was consuming a leather glove, giving off faint smoke.
“I do not need?”
“Throw it away immediately.”
Dylan, who brushed off his cigarette with a gesture of his hand, slowly rose from his seat.
“Turn it off… I think I broke ten bones.”
It was a carefree tone that didn’t show any tension, but Lennok knew he wasn’t lying.
The moment Dylan’s body was thrown by the monster with its throat caught, it was clear that Dylan’s body broke through the speed of sound.
It wouldn’t have been strange at all if the crocodile giant’s entire spine was pulled out the moment he swung his arm.
It was clear that Dylan, who was able to get up even though every bone in his body was shattered, was not an ordinary human being.
“I thought it was a battle between a human and a monster, but you’re not easy either. Are all superhumans who use their bodies like this?”
“No, well… there are various circumstances.”
Dylan, who was half-assed, grabbed Lennok by the back of his head and pulled him up.
“Get up quickly if you don’t want to fall behind. Because I have to run away.”
“…?”
Lennok looked bewildered for a moment, but immediately realized the meaning of the words.
“You think the monster is still alive.”
“It’s not a thought, it’s unconditionally alive. Do you not know who that old man is?”
“I don’t have the knack of guessing the age of a crocodile by looking at its face.”
It wasn’t that there were no heterogeneous races in WORLD versions 1 and 2, but there was no sub-species that was so extremely biased towards animals.
Dylan shook his head at Lennok’s answer, grabbed him, and began walking briskly.
“Croken Asilus. After retiring as a war mercenary, he accepted a Pandaemonium scout and is working as an executive.”
“Pandemonium?”
“An international criminal organization famous for handing out invitations only to the most dangerous criminals and outlaws. Did you really train like a wizard in the mountains?”
“…let’s just say that.”
It’s Pandemonium… If Dylan, who seems to be an excellent mercenary, would say that, there’s a high chance that Jenny and Jorden also know the name.
It seemed that an organization that had such a monster as an executive, not a leader, needed to be aware of it. Especially if you are going to continue to work on this floor.
…Of course, that would have happened after he had survived from this place.
Aaaaaaang!!
After breaking through the storm of fire, a long shadow casts on the backs of the two.
Croken, a crocodile giant, slowly walked out of the ruins of the collapsed factory and the dazzling flames all over his body.
Appearing unscathed except for a little scorched scales, he slowly bent his legs when he saw the two men running to death in the distance.
Awesome..!!
The moment my thighs swelled up tight and a small incontinence began to go to the ground.
Kwak!
Croken’s huge body fired as a single cannonball reduced the distance of hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.
If you hit that torso, you die.
There was no time to talk to each other.
Both Dylan and Lennok slammed the magic into their thighs and flung their bodies from side to side.
Wedge love!!
Croken’s reaction, realizing that he had passed the two by a narrow car, was lightning fast.
And it was phenomenal.
Cad de de de de de deuk!!
He hit the ground with one arm and stopped the massive body in the air.
As he draws a gigantic schema that is well over 10 meters long on the asphalt surface, acrid smoke as if the road is burning is rising.
Lennok’s mouth fell open at the transcendent strength that he couldn’t believe even after seeing it with his own two eyes.
Although it is a world where the body can be strengthened with magical power, isn’t this a level far beyond the limits of life?
Croken, who easily turned over and stood up, said as he walked towards Lennok.
“You were the wizard who threw the lightning ball earlier.”
“……..”
“You look young, but who didn’t teach you that you shouldn’t pop such dangerous objects between other people’s legs?”
“Can a creature that survives such an explosion be called a man?”
Croken chuckled at Lennoc’s harsh reply.
“You’re crazy. I would have saved it if I hadn’t touched the factory… I have to work for as much as I have received, so there is nothing I can do.”
The sharp reptile’s pupils flashed.
“I’ll see Antares’ face and let him go without pain.”
The moment Croken lifted his ugly right hand and brought it to Lennok’s face, Lennok immediately activated his magic.
[Gravity Bind]
Kwajik!
“hmm?”
A purple whip fired from Lennok’s back stopped Croken’s arm for an instant.
If it were ordinary blockade magic, it might not have had much effect, but [Gravity Bind] has the power to suppress the movement in proportion to the target’s mass.
The gravitational whip that inherited the heavy weight of the croken is very momentary, but it surely crushes the defenseless giant’s body and stops it.
Lennok, who did not miss the opportunity, rolled back and raised his mana once more.
Without sparing the rest of the mana, he pours it all in. I had no intention of leaving any leeway in a situation where my life was at stake.
Even while the whole body is throbbing, the magic within the body projects images while elaborately combining according to Lennok’s will.
As soon as a frost-like cold air began to flow between the two outstretched fingers, Lennok put both hands on the floor.
[Frost Horn]
Whoa!!
A blinding flash of light. A tingling cold that runs through the skin.
The moment Lennok’s magic shot toward the ground flowed through the whip of gravity and touched his scaled arms.
Whoa!!
Croken’s huge body suddenly stopped moving.
White frost clings to its turquoise scales, and white breath flows from between its thorn-like teeth.
The reptilian pupils also froze and stopped their eyes in the air.
In the end,
“…Have you done it?”
Ignoring Dylan, who was speaking from a distance, Lennok continued to move his hand.
Cold-blooded animals that are vulnerable to sudden changes in body temperature. It seems that the attempt to stab the match was fortunately thwarted, but that was only for a moment.
If the opponent had only ended up like this, he wouldn’t have been able to survive the super-high heat explosion in the first place.
The remaining magic power is now close to the floor, and there are only two weapons left in the hand.
There is no option to run away. Lennok had a hunch that this temporary vacancy would not last long.
As expected, it wasn’t long before the hardened croken’s huge body shook little by little, and cracks began to appear between the frozen scales.
With durability and tenacity that far surpassed that of humans, it was escaping the restraints of the cold in an instant.
With the croken in front of him, whose vibration was gradually increasing, Lennok focused his mind.
Before he comes to his senses, he must use up all the time given to win.
Lennok, who was frantically rolling his head at the moment of desperation, pulled out from his waist the pistol that had been with him since he first escaped the factory.
This time, the mana that had begun to show the bottom was gathered to the end.
An overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that I have never felt since awakening to magical power.
But we have to see the match here. Lennok chanted magic while gritting his teeth at the emptiness that seemed to have left his whole body empty.
Just by wishing and wishing, the images that were assembled in an instant inside him seized magical power and appeared out of reality.
common magic. Among them, auxiliary magics specialized in assisting long-range weapons were instantly made into reality through magic through Lennok’s will and thoughts.
[Aim correction]
[Trace guidance]
[Penetration enhancement]
Horse Musketeer played in WORLD ver2.0. The shooting assist magic that I used countless times when dealing with the character quickly disappeared from the gun barrel.
As if I went back to that moment when I was enjoying the game without any worries, I hit the sub-magic that popped up in my head one after another.
Unable to overcome the magical energy imprinted on the old pistol, it burned bright blue, but Lennok ignored it and pulled the trigger.
[Projectile Acceleration]
Taaang!!
With the flash of light from the muzzle, the gun Lennok was holding collapsed. It could not withstand the violent fluctuations of the magical power contained within.
He fired one bullet, but Lennok poured four sub-magic spells.
swiftness. accuracy. By strengthening both firepower and penetrating power, the target is precisely the trajectory that penetrates Croken’s eyeballs and brain.
Lennok knew that even if he died and woke up in this confrontation, he would not be able to defeat Croken.
It is a monster that survives an explosion that destroys an entire factory without a single wound.
In order to deal with such a monster, there is no possibility other than a single surprise attack aimed at the vital point.
If Lennok forcibly amplifies the power of the large-scale magic he knows and hits it, he doesn’t know, but the remaining magic power from the ensuing battle is not much.
The sharpest attack that can be pulled out with the remaining magic power during the short time that can block Croken’s sight.
Ironically, what came to mind in Lennok’s mind was the auxiliary shooting combo magic that he used tirelessly while playing as the Horse Musketeer.
Auxiliary magics are relatively weak and inefficient, but consume very little mana.
The most powerful and effective move Lennok could come up with in this situation.
The thought was long and the preparation seemed like an eternity, but it only took a moment for the results to appear.
The moment the vertical pupil wriggled to reveal itself, Lennok’s bullet, aided by magic in timing, struck precisely in the center of the frozen pupil.
Kwajik!
With a sound, Croken’s face bent backwards.
Paang!!
Along with him, the effect of the [Frost Horn], which had bound his whole body, rang out.
…….
Dylan, who was struggling to hold his sword, and Lennok, who was holding the handle of a broken gun, stared at it without even breathing.
Silence like eons flows.
Croken, who started moving again, slowly lowered his head.
“It was a very good try.”
“……..”
“Except for the other person being me.”
“…a monster bastard.”
All the consequences were implied in Lennok’s despondently muttered words.
Because his wish, which he cast four spells over and fired at a single opportunity, stood still between Croken’s eyelids.
That monster was able to catch the bullet Lennok fired with only the muscles of its eyelids.
An unrealistic result that cannot be understood by human common sense. But Lennok’s reason was telling him that it was true.
“Hahahaha!! It’s not wrong. I don’t think I’m an ordinary human either.”
He let out a chest groan, slowly opening his eyes and dropping the bullet he was holding.
No matter how much it was, it was unavoidable that it could not avoid getting hurt in the process of blocking bullets, and juice flowed out of the reptile’s vertical pupil.
“It still hurts a bit.”
Croken grinned.
With trembling hands, Lennok took out the laser cutter left in his hand.
“Letting go without pain… just pretend it didn’t exist.”
Aaaaaaang!!
There was no second chance.
With those words, Croken’s right arm, which had been swung around, stretched out creating a huge shockwave and hit Lennok.
A roaring sound that would burst the eardrums. Transcendent muscle strength and enormous impact that seemed to mock the laws of physics.
It’s not strange that Lenok’s weak body, which couldn’t even react, turned into a handful of blood in an instant.
Are you dying?
That was the thought that came to Lennok’s mind only after he fell face down on the ground.
However, pain is still felt vividly, and the limbs move normally. He was unharmed except for the shield he was wearing.
“…?”
Realizing that his life had been saved, Lennok suddenly raised his head.
A black metal suit covering the whole body. A black iron mask covering the lower part of the eyes and black hair cut short.
A single woman with a green light flashing through her two eyes and a suit was defending herself from Croken’s attack.
The green waves emanating from the long mechanical device held in his left hand dullly deflected the Croken’s attack.
It was only then that the crocodile, who caught sight of it, grinned, baring its teeth.
“Oh… you took too long. Is it time for the city hounds to arrive?”
“Croken Asilus. It crossed the line.”
A cold voice came through the mask.
“Did you think you would blow up an entire factory and not get noticed?”
“…….”
“I thought pandemonium wouldn’t move for a while. What is the purpose of making Area 42 a mess?”
“That’s a little unfair, Evelyn. It’s not me who made the factory like this, but those two.”
While saying that, Croken pointed at Dylan and Lennok, but all he got back was a snort.
“This perverted mask that was on the verge of exploding your head? Even if it doesn’t make sense, you should do it in moderation.”
“……”
In fact, it is not strange to think so.
Rather than letting the factory blow up because he couldn’t stop Lennok, the scenario that Kroken, an executive of a criminal organization, is destroying the factory is much more plausible.
Croken shrugged his shoulders as if completely and completely dismayed by the answer.
“Keukkeuk… think as you like. I can’t eat any more.”
“Are you running away?”
“It wasn’t in the contract to fight the city’s agents. You don’t have to do anything to lose money…”
He slowly released his arm, which was still caught in the green wave, and turned his back without regret.
That belligerent monster decided to avoid fighting instead of fighting here.
It was proof that she was a superhuman powerful enough that even Croken would be embarrassed.
Instead of stopping Croken, Evelyn, the woman, silently watched him disappear beyond the ruined factory.
Although it came out strong on the outside, it felt burdened to face such a monster head-on.
Evelyn let out a small sigh and slowly turned around and walked toward the fallen Lennok.
“…Thank you for saving me.”
Lying on the hard asphalt, Lenok thanked me.
Whatever the circumstances, it is true that Lennok saved his life in her hands.
Was it an unexpected combination of misfortune and good fortune? There wasn’t a single day that the blood didn’t dry.
She ran a weary run through her hair and held out her hand to Lennok.
“Can you stand up?”
Lennok refused her hand and swayed to his feet.
Hearing her waving hair and calm eyes, he immediately remembered who she was.
A vegetable vendor I met at the market. A woman wearing an airplane jumper and talking incomprehensible things was right in front of my eyes.
It was only a relationship that passed by once, but Lennok’s extraordinary memory fully remembered her existence.
I thought he was an unusual person, but I never thought he was an elite who works directly under the city government.
It would not be a lie to say that he made a lot of money.
“hmm?”
But it was the same for the woman as well. She looked up and down at Lennok, her eyes glowing green.
“I think I saw it somewhere.”
“…I don’t know.”
Lennok averted his gaze in a cold sweat.
His face is also changed to magic, and he is wearing a strange mask like Dylan. It is rather strange that Evelyn recognizes him.
But she stared intently at Lennok’s mask, as if she were going to see through it, then nodded.
“Hmm…well, it must be someone else. The magic pattern is also very different.”
Did it help that I changed my magic pattern little by little every time I used magic?
I never thought I would use the lessons I learned from meeting her in my second reunion. It was a law that people couldn’t really know.
As soon as Evelyn concluded that Lennok was a stranger, she immediately looked away, perhaps losing interest.
“I have to pretend I’m chasing that inspiration, so go for it yourself.”
“Aren’t you going to catch it yourself?”
Evelyn shook her head at Lennok’s polite reply.
“I don’t have the ability or the ability to do that. How much money is the pandemonium lobbying our investigative agency? Even if that crocodile robbed a bank in the middle of the city, the police wouldn’t be there.”
As she explains in a plain tone, it seems that the Balkan investigative agency is also quite corrupt.
It wasn’t surprising, so Lennok nodded calmly.
“Right.”
“So be careful when dealing with them. Even if they are driven to the brink of death, no one will help.”
She gave advice to Lennok in a calm tone until the end, then ran away and disappeared in the direction Croken had walked.
Only then did Dylan walk near Lennok and pat him on the shoulder.
“You’re lucky. You’re a wizard.”
“……”
Lennok gave Dylan a cold gaze instead of replying.
As a result, isn’t this division caused by Croken’s arrival while Dylan didn’t quickly run away from the factory?
It was only natural that he was annoyed, as it was Lennok who earned time against Croken after beating him to the brink of death.
“You’ll have to give up quite a bit of this payoff.”
If he refused, he would have thought about freezing only the lower half of his body and throwing it away, but Dylan nodded right away.
“good. You saved my life, so I’ll hand over all but 10 million cells. 4,000 is yours.”
“…….”
Even though the money was ripped off, I felt uncomfortable as if I had lost something. It’s all the more so because Dylan is humming as if he’s in a good mood.
“This time it was really close. I never thought Charlotte would hire that old lady… He’s a famous old man who stays in his room and drinks, but what kind of wind blew.”
Lennok didn’t respond, but took another cigarette from his pocket and asked.
“Are you smoking again? You seem to really like it quite a bit.”
“Noisy.”
While dealing with Croken, he was mentally and physically dragged to the floor.
At this rate, he might have to suffer from side effects for about two weeks.
At least I had to stay awake until the way home, so I couldn’t help but touch it at the beginning of the year.
“…..I’m getting thirsty because I keep watching. Just ask for one.”
“…….”
Lennok frowned at Dylan’s words, who now felt like a porter rather than a partner, but in the end he took out one of the remaining tobacco from his arms and handed it to him.
What he did this time was worth more than 70,000 cells, so it was enough.
The two of them sat down on the asphalt that had been so wrecked and were absorbed in smoking in silence.
“…isn’t it delicious?”
The setting sun was slowly shining over the ruined factory.
Second Status
“What was that woman like before?”
“female? Are you talking about Eveline?”
Dylan answered Lennok’s question, letting go of the smoke.
“I don’t know much about what. All I know is that she is one of the best of the city’s direct agents.”
“Agent?”
“The city government spends a lot of money to directly manage the armed forces. The suit that woman was wearing earlier is also a public good invested by the city government. In terms of price, 5 billion cells should be easy.”
“5 billion…”
It’s a huge amount that Lennok couldn’t even dream of. Is it possible to receive the power of a monster like Croken from the front because he is wearing a well-fitting suit with that kind of money?
“His skills are very good, and his hands are famous for his cruelty… In most cases, if he bumps into him, he should lose. Inspiration must have felt that way.”
“Is that what you call me even though I almost died at the hands of that monster? It’s fun.”
Dylan chuckled as Lennok laughed.
“That’s what being a mercenary is. In particular, war mercenaries are a tribe that will kill their comrades for money. A sane person would never enter an office like this.”
“…….”
Dylan said that as if laughing at himself, but Lennok somehow didn’t seem like a stranger, so he kept his mouth shut.
As a result, wasn’t he the same as looking at money and thinking about doing anything?
When Lennok was silent, Dylan patted him on the shoulder appropriately.
“Well, anyway, since the job was successful and his life was saved, wouldn’t it be okay to just accept the money and take care of it? Let’s go quickly and get the money I left with Jenny.”
“Go first.”
“uh?”
“I’m going to go get some rest. I’ll find the payment later, so tell Jenny.”
Smoking cigarettes in succession has dulled my senses, so I haven’t felt any pain yet, but I could see the faint trembling of my fingers holding the filter.
If you stop by Jenny’s bar and pass out on the way back with the money, there is nothing worse than that.
Even if I found the money later, I had to take a break for now.
Leaving Dylan with a slightly flustered look on his face, Lennok got up first and moved on.
The hotel he is staying at is located in District 34. It is not a short walk from District 42, where the factory is located.
After going out to a moderately sane street and catching a cheap taxi, Lennok laid his battered body down on the seat.
“Whoa….”
The day is dark.
Lennok sighed softly as he looked out the window at the flashing lights of the billboards.
This time it was really dangerous.
If it wasn’t for Evelyn who appeared after seeing the factory explode, she would have died on the spot.
At the time of the request, there was a risk that was completely unexpected, and he was a strong man who could not be dealt with now.
Lennok thought he had done his best, but that earnestness and effort were completely separate from the result at that moment.
“………”
It shouldn’t be like this.
The will to live that has been built up for so long.
The desperate desire for life should become his strength and asset and become the driving force to move forward.
I had to be stronger.
You have to struggle harder, beg more, and try harder.
want to survive
It required the strength and will to endure any hardships and dangers.
Lennok knew he had the talent and determination to do so.
While I was thinking about this and that, the taxi arrived in front of the hotel.
As soon as he entered the room with a battered body, Lennok took a quick shower and lay down on the bed, chewing a sleeping pill.
Chew instead of swallowing with water
