Chapter 509: ‘This makes no sense…’

Hogg thought as his arm got caught by the reformed mana shield. It really didn’t make any sense.

The magic formation collapsed due to the strong impact, and recombining the mana that lost its binding force was an extremely difficult task.

Without the control over mana particles, it’s nearly impossible.

Even more shocking was that not only had the shattered formation been restored, but the shield had also once been altered from a defensive barrier to a binding tool.

Now, this wasn’t just a mana shield. It also restrained its target, a step beyond the usual shields.

All that came to mind was how amazing it was.

It didn’t look particularly flashy, but the execution of this technique was on a higher level that goes beyond just power.

You needed expert understanding and application of mana and magic formations.

Even an average master wouldn’t stand a chance.

You needed to compare it to a One Master, someone who leads a magical school.

This realization gave Hogg quite a shock. Even more so than the news that the living legend of Randa’s solver community, Seamus, had fallen, or that 82 Druids had been killed by one person.

Perhaps it affected him more because he was from the Tower of Magic.

“This is a fascinating item.”

Taking advantage of Hogg’s distraction with the mana shield, Oliver briefly took one of Hogg’s magical items and admired it.

It was a magical item similar to a pocket watch, and Oliver compared it to his recording device.

“It does look similar. Was it made by the Ilmarinen Workshop?”

Hogg answered calmly.

“Yes. You can tell by the emblem on the surface of the watch.”

Oliver then noticed the old-fashioned hammer logo engraved on the surface of the watch. He had been so captivated by the intricate mana inside that he missed the outside details.

“Impressive. I’ve heard items from this workshop are hard to come by.”

Oliver showed his recording device, which he had barely obtained under the condition of retrieving an auctioned item for the Crime Firm.

“No surprise there. They make items exclusively for the upper class. You can’t get these things just with money, you know. Money is just the beginning.”

That was sincere. As you might expect from someone from the Tower of Magic, he seemed to know quite a lot about this field.

“Was this item provided to you?”

“Before that, answer my question first.”

Hogg didn’t answer Oliver’s question but instead brought up his own request. A statement someone captured shouldn’t make, but his hostility and fight had diminished compared to before.

“Go ahead.”

“Your control over mana and formations… How are you doing this? It’s beyond ordinary.”

Despite his feelings of inferiority and jealousy, Hogg asked honestly. He wanted answers from this illogical person who could use such advanced magic at a young age.

“I learned it.”

“You learned it?”

“Yes.”

Oliver explained, recalling his training sessions with Merlin.

Merlin demonstrated incredible power by simply adding appropriate formation variations to basic magic, and Oliver learned by watching and imitating him.

Oliver learned the art of adjusting formations according to situations.

It was trickier than expected, but after replaying his recording device several times and practicing, he quickly established the theory and managed to execute it.

“And you happened to be here, which made it a great practice opportunity, Mr. Hogg.”

“I’m a practice target because I’m wearing the Armor of Inphy… That’s just… frustrating.”

Hogg spoke sincerely, not with anger or sarcasm. The overwhelming difference humbled him so much that he couldn’t even feel rage. It was just frustrating.

Oliver gave an unexpected reply.

“Congratulations. If you know the gap, now you can start closing it.”

“Closing it…? What do you mean?”

“Earlier, didn’t I offer to teach you magic if you wanted? It might sound boastful, but I do have some talent for teaching. If you wish, I can teach you the technique I just showed you, though you’d have to refine your basics again. How does that sound?”

Oliver extended his hand politely. Hogg stared at that hand without a word instead of slashing at it with a knife. He felt an emotion he couldn’t describe.

An emotion you couldn’t feel in this age of cutthroat magic and industry, which promised unlimited freedom and wealth.

It could’ve been a lie, but his instincts told him it wasn’t.

If nothing else, the person in front of him didn’t seem like the type to tell that kind of lie.

Despite it being their first meeting, Hogg found himself believing in Oliver.

For the first time in his life, Hogg felt an overwhelming presence different from fear.

It wasn’t just from wealth or power. It was a presence that stemmed from a person’s very nature, an overwhelming feeling that was like encountering a different life form.

“…The request-”

-Thud!

Just as Hogg opened his mouth after thinking for a moment, a flash of light burst from nowhere, and an ice bullet pierced through his back.

It was a combination of spatial shooting and ice magic.

The ice bullet burrowed into Hogg’s back, exploded a massive amount of cold within him, and quickly froze his body.

His blood, muscles, and flesh were frozen solid, turning his body into ice.

Without even a chance to react, Hogg became a block of ice and shattered.

…

Oliver silently watched this unfold. It was truly strange.

Dozens of people lost their lives in the underworld every day, and Oliver had accepted this as natural. Yet, he felt a slight sense of regret.

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t obtain the information, but it felt more like a personal emotion.

Like the feelings brought out when smoking Duncan’s Filgarett.

“Hmm…”

But the event had already taken place. Oliver pushed aside his personal regret and looked at the green spatial shooting magic circle that appeared above where Hogg had been targeted.

It was still at the same spot, but Oliver had two questions.

The first was how the magic circle had been formed here.

A spatial magic circle literally allowed you to bypass space. Usually, the caster needed to be nearby or have an item that secured a view of the place.

However, there were no spatial mages or magical surveillance items in sight.

All around was a dense forest, with only Derick, Yareli, and Unner in the distance.

And the second question was, if they could kill Hogg so easily, why hadn’t they shot Oliver too?

The floating green magic circle remained silent, not launching any attack at Oliver.

Oliver silently stared at the magic circle.

After a while, he heard a voice from afar.

“Are you done?”

The voice belonged to none other than Unner. She flew swiftly, supported by wings made of blood.

When she came close to Oliver, she dispelled the blood wings and landed.

“Hmm… It’s done, for now. Unner, it seems you’ve finished as well.”

“Yes, but I have something to report.”

“Did an ice projectile suddenly fly out and kill the captured gang members?”

Unner froze for a moment at Oliver’s accurate guess.

“Could Xenon also have done it?”

“Yes… Please just call me Xenon, without the honorific ‘Sir’.”

“Understood… Anyway, as you said, all the captured gang members were killed. One shot per person. Considering the shooting skills, spatial magic deployment, and the level of ice magic, we’re dealing with a considerably skilled individual. The danger level is even higher.”

Oliver agreed. Just as the saying goes, you can tell a lot from a single detail. The same applies to magic. From this one attack, it was easy to gauge how extraordinary this mysterious opponent was.

As Unner mentioned, the danger was above average. If an unknown enemy could shoot deadly projectiles using spatial magic, regardless of skill, they were a significant threat.

In extreme terms, it raised doubts if their operation could continue. They might be killed by spatial sniping on the way.

“However, it should be fine for now.”

“…? Why do you think so?”

Oliver gazed at the empty space where the magic circle had been. Though it had disappeared, traces of mana remained.

“Just a feeling.”

It wasn’t the best answer, but Unner didn’t question it. She had already pledged her loyalty. In this world, you had to trust and follow those whose side you chose.

While Unner was convincing herself, Oliver once again surveyed the area, then examined the frozen and shattered remains of Hogg.

Hogg had shattered under extreme freezing, turning from a human form into a pile of rocks. The only intact piece was the Armor of Inphy he had worn.

As Oliver packed the Armor of Inphy, Unner commented.

“The Armor of Inphy… And a fairly high-quality one at that.”

“You recognize it?”

“Yes. It’s nothing to boast about, but my family once held significant influence in the dark magic market.”

Oliver immediately understood. The Bathory Family had a long history with deep power and produced remarkable products like the Blood Elixir. It was only natural they knew much about that market.

“It’s clothing made from human skin, processed into armor. Just like any dark magic item, the performance is determined by its material. It’s quite impressive, much like the Head Wand we found in the warehouse.”

“What is a Head Wand?”

“It’s a dark magic item made by fixing a sorcerer’s or warlock’s head onto a staff. The item allows the user to cast magic or dark magic.”

“Ah…”

Oliver thought back and realized he saw something fitting this description earlier. It was the object that one of the gang members wiped out by Derick had been carrying.

It had been prominent amidst the magitech weapons.

“The Big Wheel’s warehouse is similar. It’s filled with various magitech weapons, dark magic items, and even illegal weapons from Y-District like harpoon guns, waste launchers, toxic gas bombs, and some things I’ve never seen before.”

In total, there was a significant amount. As Oliver looked through the weapons, he picked up the Head Wand.

It was a dark magic item combining a person’s head and a staff.

Oliver didn’t know why, but he was drawn to this item. Perhaps because it was the most unique and visually striking thing there.

“This… Both the head and the staff parts are made from human remains. It uses spinal bones, flesh, and blood vessels.”

Oliver observed the staff closely. Its outer surface was so neatly finished that it was hard to notice, but a closer look made it clear.

The blood and mana inside the staff nourished the head, allowing it to stay alive like a clam.

It was truly fascinating. Was it alive or dead?

One thing was certain, however; it wasn’t a simple item. It was significantly difficult to make.

“It’s probably made in Bean City.”

“What is Bean City?”

“A small city on the coast. It’s a city of pirates, smugglers, and dark sorcerers.”

Hearing that for the first time, Oliver tilted his head in curiosity.

Dark sorcerers typically lived in cities due to the nature of their work, but the existence of a whole city dedicated to dark magic was surprising…

“It’s no surprise you’ve never heard of it. It’s quite far from Seland.”

“So you’re saying that items from that distant city are here in such large quantities?”

“Yes. We don’t know who this woman is, but she seems to have quite the reach.”

“A woman? What do you mean?”

Derick, who had been listening quietly, asked. Unner responded.

“I drank Hogg’s blood and read his memories. Although there wasn’t enough blood to see everything, I did see a woman with hair dyed in multiple flamboyant colors who brought these weapons.”

Oliver looked at Unner blankly. His black-and-white hair mixed, giving him a chess-like appearance.

“…Do I look flamboyant?”

“No, black and white carry the dignity of chess. Not flamboyant at all.”

Unner hastily corrected her slip of the tongue, using her tongue honed in the Bathory household.

Even so, it was a bit awkward, but Yareli fortunately interrupted at the right moment.

“Are there any other clues? It wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary person to obtain and carry all those weapons and items simultaneously.”

That was a reasonable suspicion, typical of Yareli. The magitech weapons and Bean City’s dark magic items had nothing in common.

Supplying both of these items at the same time needed someone special.

They would have had to control multiple rare trade routes simultaneously.

The problem was that they had no idea who this person might be. Not Oliver, who didn’t care about such things, nor Derick or Yareli, who needed to know.

Because such a person simply didn’t exist. Just holding one route consumed so much time and effort.

So having two such routes seemed more likely to be the work of an organization.

A woman might just be a subordinate of that organization.

Yareli asked if Unner had seen the woman’s features, but Unner replied that the blood amount was insufficient to see her face.

As they exchanged opinions while conversing, Oliver took out the folded Big Mouth from the leather case on his waist.

“Ghlllurp?”

Big Mouth, puffed up like bread dough, made a crying sound in the unfamiliar environment. The appearance of Big Mouth, with its absurdly large size, made Derick flinch.

Yareli and Unner, who had seen Big Mouth before, were not surprised.

Big Mouth seemed to recognize Yareli and waved to greet her.

“Ghlllurp. Gllerp.”

“What is it saying?”

Yareli asked as she reflexively returned Big Mouth’s greeting.

“It says you look prettier without the glasses.”

Oliver, who had been inspecting a magitech weapon, answered. It was the hammer-shaped piece of machinery Hogg had used earlier. Oliver operated it to memorize its composition, operating principles, mana flow, and formations.

“Really?”

Derick asked in disbelief. It was hard to believe that a huge, pouch-like dark magic item would say such a thing to a person.

“It’s true. Some people I owe a lot to taught me.”

Oliver recalled the employees at the House of Angels, who had taken the opportunity to teach Big Mouth manners and conversation during Child’s lessons.

It sounded crazy, but Oliver had let Big Mouth learn while teaching the Child, and the employees, though bewildered, were professional enough to teach manners to Big Mouth as well, whether it wanted to learn or not.

“And Big Mouth seems to have gotten smarter after eating another Glutton Pouch.”

“…Why did it eat one of its own kind?”

“Because I told it to?”

Everyone stared at Oliver, who had forced Big Mouth to indulge in cannibalism. Their gazes were filled with shock and disdain.

Oliver tried to defend himself.

“We agreed on it mutually.”

“Grrr…”

Big Mouth shook its head, muttering, ‘No, damn it.’

Feeling things were turning against him, Oliver quickly shifted the conversation back to its original track.

“Big Mouth, could you please swallow all the items here? Leave nothing behind.”

Big Mouth, grumbling but still following Oliver’s request, began to swallow the items within the warehouse, all while glaring at Oliver with its many eyes.

It didn’t just swallow items that fit easily like the Head Wand, but even oversized ones like the Exoskeleton Gloves.

Originally, it was impossible to swallow items larger than its mouth, but after devouring multiple of its own kind, its mouth could now stretch like a snake’s, allowing it to ingest larger objects.

This wasn’t intended, as Oliver had only meant to increase Big Mouth’s capacity, but an unintended ability was gained.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment over having the foresight to make it fight and eat its own kind, Oliver turned to Derek, Yareli, and Unner.

“Perhaps we should decide on our next steps.”

“What next steps?”

“Whether or not to continue this mission.”

It was a reasonable suggestion. Even though they had carefully planned every move, their opponents had already figured out their destination and had even bribed gangs to hinder them. Their plan was flawed from the start.

On top of that, the resources spent to hire the gangs and the way those bribes were handled showed that their opponents were not ordinary in any sense.

So, it wasn’t strange for this question to be raised. It just sounded strange coming from Oliver.

Derek raised an eyebrow.

“Are you thinking about quitting?”

“No, I intend to continue.”

“But you want us to back out?”

This time, it was Yareli speaking. She sounded both hurt and irritated at being overlooked.

“I apologize if I offended you. However, I’ve come up with a rather risky plan.”

“…What exactly is this risky plan?”

“If it works out well, we can contact our target as soon as we get to the city. Would you like to hear it?”