Chapter 622: The Sound of the Flute

The Royal Family of the United Kingdom teamed up with the Puppet… At least, Oliver suspected that Crown Prince Edward X had allied with the Puppet.

Of course, there wasn’t any concrete evidence.

But, there were some indications.

First, Edward X was a demon worshipper, and the Puppet was a warlock who made deals with demons, implying a common connection between them.

That wasn’t the end of it. There were other links as well.

One of them was the Pinkman, stealing demon-related artifacts from the Contaminated Zone.

Though not confirmed, if the Pinkman were assigned a high-risk mission related to demons, it most likely came from their top client, which could only be the Royal Family.

The Pinkman valued power more than money, and the Royal Family wielded the power they respected.

Among the Pinkman was a former traditional mage from the Gaia Faction who had undergone the Puppet’s treatment.

A mage who struggled to preserve his efforts and achievements amidst the chaos.

The Royal Family collected demon-related artifacts,

while the Puppet recruited the White Swan Sect and traditional mages in a world approaching apocalypse.

Based on these circumstances, Oliver concluded that Edward X had sided with the Puppet.

He didn’t know for what purpose or in what form.

However, it wasn’t as if this background made Oliver foresee the assassination plot against Prince Albert.

He just vaguely predicted that something might happen.

Wasn’t it strange that after the Contaminated Zone incident, a Royal emissary suddenly came to Randa, claiming it was for friendly exchanges?

That’s why when Oliver first met Albert and parted ways, he gave him a piece of paper he had made.

It was inscribed with a spatial magic formula, and Oliver asked him to keep it on him at all times, at least while he was in Randa.

It seemed like a simple request, but upon reflection, it was rather excessive.

Only meeting twice, and suddenly asking him to keep a piece of paper on him—it was definitely suspicious.

However, fortunately, Prince Albert seemed to trust Oliver and kept the paper on him as requested.

“Are you okay?”

Thanks to that, Oliver could respond quickly by using a purple portal to move from Area U to the prince’s location and inquire about his well-being.

The boy, who always tried to appear mature, now had a face that fit his age—scared but relieved.

“…”

The boy couldn’t say anything, whether it was the overwhelming emotions or Oliver’s sudden appearance.

Oliver, unsure of what to say in moments like this, also remained silent.

It was an awkward moment. Then, Oliver noticed the presence of someone in front of him.

‘Corrado the Trash Dealer, Globe the Demolition Contractor, Judy the Restaurateur Mage, Big Bad the Loan Shark, Koloff the Steel Arm, Rooney the Barber…’

Oliver mentally recited the names as he examined each person standing before him.

They were all part of the New Gentlemen, the new class in Randa.

Although this was the first time they met in person, Oliver had seen their photos and personal information through Joe.

They were all superhumans who had solidified their positions in at least one district of Randa and were also under the scrutiny of the Randa Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The ministry’s concern came from their unknown sources of funds and their sudden increases in power, which was now evident as they had just targeted the prince.

It was a moment that reaffirmed the insight of Paul Carver, the director of Randa’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

‘Joe isn’t… here.’

Oliver glanced around, observing the situation.

During the communication earlier, Joe had gone out to confront the attackers outside the hotel. It seemed he hadn’t finished his task yet.

The sounds of gunshots, explosions, and dying screams coming from outside the hotel were proof.

Oliver and the new class of Randa stared at each other in silence.

It was likely that the Royal Family or the Puppet was backing them.

Without such backing, targeting the Second Prince would have been impossible.

Oliver personally hoped it was the Puppet. It would be unpleasant if it were the Royal Family ordering the Second Prince’s assassination.

So, he was conflicted about whether to capture or kill these people.

Objectively, capturing them and uncovering the mastermind behind them would be the right course, but it was hard to predict the problems that might arise during that process.

At the very least, he would get entangled with either the Royal Family or the Puppet—maybe even both.

Honestly, Oliver didn’t want to get involved with them, at least not right now.

Besides, he also had a deal with the Puppet through Unbent Knee of the White Swan Sect.

As Oliver’s dilemma grew deeper, a bullet infused with magical energy suddenly shot through the window, aiming for the back of his head.

There was a sniper.

Oliver blocked the bullet with a shield, then instinctively focused his Warlock’s Eye. He identified the person positioned across from the hotel.

That person also belonged to the New Gentlemen. Oliver used lightning to strike the identified enemy’s head, neutralizing him.

Judging by the fact that he was still alive, the man hadn’t died, but he seemed to have suffered severe burns across his entire body.

With such injuries, he would at least be unable to interfere further—

“—Be careful!”

Albert shouted from behind just as Oliver was deep in thought after subduing the sniper.

The new class, which had been standing still, surprised by Oliver’s sudden appearance, sprang into action as if the sniper’s shot was their cue.

The first to move was Koloff the Steel Arm, who charged straight at Oliver. He was typical of the new class, having accumulated wealth through brute force.

Proving his expertise, he rapidly closed the distance as if teleporting. He pulled his golem prosthetic arm, made of steel, behind his shoulder.

The heavy mass disturbed the surrounding air, and then a thruster emerged from his elbow, instantly igniting.

Boom—!!

Using the propulsion, Koloff unleashed a punch.

The shockwave tore through the air, and the golem prosthetic arm flashed like a bolt of lightning, flying toward Oliver’s face.

If it hit properly, it would not only shatter but pulverize his face.

However, Oliver expanded his Black Shield to effortlessly block it.

The loud blast rang out, but the steel fist was stopped in midair by the shield. Koloff’s eyebrows twitched.

It wasn’t hard to understand why. Having risen to the new class purely through physical power, Koloff took pride in his strength.

Yet, it had been blocked so easily? That had to be frustrating.

This was clear when Koloff made eye contact with Oliver through the shield and then roared.

“I’m going to smash that smirking poker face of yours!!”

Right after his shout, Koloff poured his magical power into his golem prosthetic arm.

The seams of the steel-made golem prosthetic arm began to glow blue with magical energy, and rather than dispersing into the air, it coiled around his arm like a drill, tearing through the shield instantly.

Whirrrr!!

A menacing sound echoed as the steel fist reached right in front of Oliver’s nose.

Tap—!

But just before it could touch Oliver’s face, it was deflected helplessly.

Oliver had wrapped his left hand in the Black Suit and parried the punch, which left Koloff astonished.

“…This is insane!”

Although he had heard of Oliver’s reputation, he hadn’t expected his attack to be thwarted so easily.

To be fair, warlocks who excelled in close combat usually used Disease-Strengthening Death Magic, but Oliver seldom used disease-related magic—not that he didn’t know how, just that he hadn’t had much opportunity.

Right after deflecting Koloff’s punch, Oliver was about to retaliate with a punch when a burst of magical light flashed before him, and dozens of grenades materialized in the air.

They had been translocated with spatial magic, and Oliver immediately identified Corrado the Trash Dealer as the one responsible.

According to the data Joe had provided, he was the only one capable of spatial magic.

Originally, Corrado had been incompetent enough to get expelled from the Tower of Magic, but recently, he had made astonishing progress in spatial magic, which he used to process trash at the lowest cost, earning him a spot in the new class.

His combat style involved summoning war weapons like bombs, machine guns, and golems—it was actually quite effective to see in action.

As the grenades were about to explode, Oliver halted his punch and instead summoned Black Cubes, equal in number to the grenades, to contain the explosions.

A low rumble echoed across the top floor of the hotel, and soon after, faint figures began moving in on Oliver from both sides.

They were Globe the Demolition Contractor and Rooney the Barber. As magic users, they each wielded a mallet and a razor blade, aiming to strike Oliver.

Oliver hindered their movement with minions and counterattacked with his Quarterstaff.

Swooosh!!

In an instant, dozens of lines were drawn in the air.

“Take a deep breath.”

As soon as countless lines were drawn in the air by the mallet, razor, and quarterstaff, Judy the Restaurateur Mage squeezed through the gaps and blew some herb powder toward Oliver.

At first glance, it seemed like a seasoning made of mixed herbs, but from the smell, he knew it was something far more sinister.

The herb powder, though each component was harmless on its own, when mixed in a certain ratio and processed with magic, became a deadly poison—a complex and terrible substance.

It was an attack befitting someone who had amassed wealth by addicting people to food laced with herbs.

Seeing Oliver inhale the herb powder, Judy drew a dagger hidden in her thigh and rushed at him without hesitation.

The daggers in both her hands emitted a flash of magical light as they attacked from no fewer than 12 directions. Oliver exhaled a breath imbued with Disease-Weakness Death Magic toward her.

“Ugh?!… How can this be?!”

Judy, who had been confidently charging with her daggers, recoiled in shock as she inhaled Oliver’s breath.

Her throat immediately began to swell and heat up.

As she struggled with extreme pain and difficulty breathing, her eyes filled with fear.

But it wasn’t just because of the severe symptoms. What shocked her the most was that her poison had no effect on Oliver.

It was understandable—her poison was quite potent. Perhaps if this had happened before Oliver had consumed the Flesh Cook’s flesh, it might have worked.

However, the current Oliver had developed immunity to poison after consuming the Flesh Cook’s flesh.

Although Oliver considered explaining this to her, before he could get a word out, Judy’s mouth swelled grotesquely, and she soon died.

A pathetic end for someone considered one of the superhumans representing Randa’s new class… Or so her comrades thought.

Her herb combination had been proven as a formidable weapon through multiple combat tests. It could almost be treated as a commercial product. Additionally, Judy’s dagger skills were enough to make her a competent fighter.

Yet she fell so easily because her opponent was simply too strong.

Power is relative; it can seem great or insignificant depending on the opponent.

Because of this, the new class members present couldn’t help but feel tense.

They had heard rumors that Dave the Fixer had fought the Finger Puppet on equal terms across the sea, but this… was far more terrifying.

Though they had prepared as best as they could, this exceeded their expectations.

Not only was he capable of spatial magic, but he was also immune to poison and proficient in disease-based black magic.

However, Corrado the Trash Dealer, Big Bad the Loan Shark, Globe the Demolition Contractor, Koloff the Steel Arm, and Rooney the Barber couldn’t back down now.

They had already tried to assassinate the prince. Even if they escaped now, they would be hunted for the rest of their lives.

To secure some form of protection, they had to at least wound the prince.

To incite a war between Randa and the Royal Family.

Sharing this goal, they suppressed their fear and charged at Oliver.

Corrado started by using his spatial magic to summon numerous automated machine gun turrets and small bazooka turrets around him.

These were state-of-the-art weapons that could be remotely controlled with magic. Corrado aimed them not only at the prince but also at the nearby businessmen and capitalists.

It was a ploy to distract Dave the Fixer, and it seemed to work as Oliver’s eyes shifted.

Big Bad the Loan Shark didn’t miss this opportunity. He poured Disease-Strengthening Death Magic into his body, transforming into a twisted giant, while Globe the Demolition Contractor, Koloff the Steel Arm, and Rooney the Barber waited for the right moment to strike.

If they unleashed powerful firepower in all directions while the colossal Big Bad charged head-on and the strong magic users attacked simultaneously, no matter how strong Dave was, he wouldn’t be able to protect the prince completely.

If they could harm the prince, it would mean victory.

But just as Corrado and the other new class members were about to execute their plan, they suddenly felt a chilling sensation spread through their bodies.

It was as if they were prey cornered by a predator.

All of them turned toward the source of the feeling and locked eyes with Oliver.

Or more accurately, with Oliver’s shadow.

In that brief moment, Oliver’s shadow seemed to grow larger, glaring at them with countless eyes.

It was an indescribable terror!

Due to this shock, the new class members missed their timing to attack, and Oliver channeled magical energy through his legs into the ground.

Manipulating the earth like mud, he enveloped the new class members in a giant flower bud.

Corrado, regaining his senses too late, tried to use his magic to control the automated turrets and bazookas he had summoned, but they didn’t obey.

Oliver had infused his magical energy into them first, taking control of the turrets.

He mimicked the flow of magic used by Corrado and matched it to take control of the machine gun turrets and bazookas.

Corrado was astonished by this seemingly impossible technique, but Oliver paid him no mind as he poured more magical energy into the turrets to push their output to the limit.

Zzzt—zzzt!!

A small electric current surged around the machine gun turrets and bazookas, intertwining to create a giant web of electricity, which also affected the steel prosthetic arm of Koloff.

As more devices were linked together, the levels of overheating in the equipment increased. When they finally reached their limit and were on the verge of a chain explosion, Oliver manipulated the ground to seal the flower bud completely.

Rumble…!

Though the flower bud wasn’t shattered, the explosion was powerful enough to shake the entire building.

Only the sound of heavy breathing followed.

Oliver scanned the surroundings to assess the situation.

Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any substantial damage. Oliver turned to look at the prince.

The prince, now relieved, seemed about to say something when a familiar yet eerie sound reached Oliver’s ears.

It was sad yet lively, irregular yet harmonious… the sound of a flute.