A few days ago.
Chloe who was busy preparing for the auction called Jun over.
“I’ve got some useful information. We’ve managed to track down the people who’ve been collecting intel on our guild recently.”
“Have you identified who the enemy is?”
“It’s hard to be completely sure, but we have a pretty good idea.”
The name that came out of her mouth was a guild Jun had heard of before.
“Arobatty Merchant Guild? Isn’t that the one that regularly trades with the Magic Towers?”
“You know your stuff.”
Though it was not as influential as the Gillen Merchant Guild on the surface, Arobati was quite the major player within Blackout.
Back in his days as “Lee Jeong-jun”, he had investigated Arobati before. He was trying to acquire a spellbook from one of the Magic Towers through an auction they held.
“Is this the name of the Magic Tower they’re connected to?”
***
“Volkatornic Magic Tower?”
At Jun’s question, Adrian’s eyes momentarily flickered, but he quickly regained his composure before shrugging as if nothing had happened.
“For some random nobody, you seem to know a bit about Magic Towers. But who knows? I don’t.”
“Huh.”
Was he trying to hide his true identity now?
Still, it was a clever move.
At this point, they only had circumstantial evidence.
After all, it wasn’t like Volkatornic was the only Magic Tower in the world that dealt with fire magic.
And so, the conversation ended there.
“Well then, let’s have some fun!!”
A slaughter battle with no questions asked.
What had once been a routine occurrence in the game <Blackout> now came to Jun at this very moment.
Maybe this is actually a good thing.
Thanks to Chloe, he had figured out who his enemies were, but they had still been operating beneath the surface.
Because of this, Chloe hadn’t been able to make any decisive moves yet.
But now, the enemy had made the first move with good timing.
I don’t know why they made that choice…!
If he could capture that man here, this situation might unravel far more easily than he expected.
Whoooosh――
Boom――!
Once again, flames summoned from Adrian’s hands exploded with a roar as they collided with Jun’s [Shield].
The problem is whether I can capture him alive.
The opponent was a mage and a battle mage at that.
Of course, Jun had his own experience and could handle various battle spells, but…
The issue was the man’s circle level.
At least fifth-circle.
Being able to fire off a third-circle spell like [Fireball] in rapid succession was only possible from the fifth-circle onward.
Though with the help of certain artifacts, it might be achievable for someone in the mid-fourth circle as well.
But most mages need to be in the fifth-circle for that.
A fifth-circle mage skilled in combat.
On the other hand, Jun had just barely reached the beginning of the fourth-circle.
He was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of power.
Nevertheless, Jun had been holding his own against Adrian so far.
Typically, a battle between mages revolved around reading each other’s moves.
Reading the opponent’s magic patterns and responding with the appropriate spell.
But reading someone else’s magic patterns was no easy feat. It required observing, sensing, and interpreting the flow.
It’s no different from being asked to solve a math problem while your life is on the line.
The gap between their circle levels only made that challenge even greater.
However, Jun’s [Mana Body] allowed him to grasp the flow of all magical power in the world.
In other words, he felt no hindrance when reading the flow of magical power. The entire process came as naturally as breathing, so when it came to a battle of wits, there was no way he could lose.
But in a fight purely based on destructive power, Jun was clearly at a disadvantage.
“I thought I could subdue you easily, but it seems that’s not the case. Well, my master did say your limbs don’t necessarily need to stay attached, so I guess it’s fine.”
Master?
The irritating word rang alarm bells in Jun’s mind.
At the same time, a huge whirlpool of magical power began to swirl around Adrian.
“It’s unfortunate, but now that you’ve caught our attention, this is the end for your talent.”
The alarm Jun had once felt was now unmistakably warning him of a grim future.
[Volcanic Tornado]
Flames erupted around Adrian.
His intent was woven into the raging fire, and the blaze began to spread within the barrier.
Those flames wouldn’t die out until Jun was completely incapacitated.
The magic onslaught until now had merely been child’s play.
The moment the man revealed his true intentions, the battlefield became engulfed in an unextinguishable whirlpool of flames.
He reached out toward Jun once again.
[Multicasting]
[Fireball]
As expected of a fifth-circle mage, from the moment he prepared his ambush, he had meticulously placed the entire field under his control.
Even if Jun tried to block the attack with [Shield], there was no space to evade the following shockwave.
The [Volcanic Tornado] had already sealed off all escape routes.
The deadly flames that seemed unavoidable were slowly approaching.
***
“They say the unexpected can be deadly. And here you are.”
In the late hours of the night.
The Meteorite Sword, which absorbed the moonlight illuminating the night, coolly exuded its presence in the darkness.
Its wielder Aiden looked down coldly at the bandaged men collapsed at his feet.
“Maya, are you finished over there?”
“Mhmm.”
Chloe’s merchant guild had been attacked in the middle of the night.
And not just anywhere. This had happened within the Black Forest Fortress itself.
Though Aiden wondered how he would explain this incident to the fortress’s commander, Baron Dortagon, now was not the time to dwell on such concerns.
“What’s this? All my lovely followers are dead?”
A woman stepped out of the shadows.
Unlike the other Heavenly Church members, she was wrapped in black bandages instead of a robe and there was a whip in her hand as she stood before Aiden and Maya.
“Hmph. I thought it would be easy, but it seems you had a hidden blade?”
“…Heavenly Church, I presume?”
“Oh, you recognize us? Fufu. You’ve got a cute face. If you beg me to spare you, I might even let you join our church. I do love beautiful people.”
The way she licked her red lips, which were visible through the bandages, was undeniably seductive.
But Aiden and Maya only watched her with hardened expressions.
I can’t read her magical power…
Even Aiden and Maya were clearly tense.
“Level five.”
Maya briefly assessed the opponent’s level.
It was an enemy who had reached level five in skill.
“I have quite the knack for reading people’s expressions. Unfortunately, it seems neither of you are interested in joining our church, is that right?”
In the end, the bandaged woman seemed to decide to take action.
A dark red magical power began to seep from her whip.
She was different from the Heavenly Church followers they had encountered before.
It wasn’t an unstable aura, but one that had taken on a clear, defined form.
Perhaps it was to be expected.
Unlike solid weapons that always maintain a fixed shape, a whip can freely change its form.
It was impossible for such a weapon to have an unstable aura.
If they let their guard down, their bodies could be torn to shreds by the whip in an instant, along with their swords.
“…Maya.”
“What?”
“I’ll try to buy us some time. Please finish her off.”
“…Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
His voice was resolute.
Since the attack began, many of the guild’s employees had lost their lives.
At this moment, Aiden focused on the hidden anger deep within him.
He closed his eyes and drew out his magical power.
Slowly, red energy began to flow from Aiden’s body.
“…Oh my.”
Seeing this, a hint of wariness appeared in Illora’s eyes.
That bright red light.
She knew all too well what that magical power signified.
“Are you of the Emperor’s bloodline?”
Illora lashed out with her whip.
The whip, filled with a murky aura of light, tore through the air and flew at Aiden like a poisonous snake.
I can’t see the path of the attack.
It was far too fast, erratic, and impossible to predict.
However, Aiden was no stranger to killing intent.
He had faced it from the beastkin knight Pride during the conquest battle.
Since then, he had encountered such killing intent through various encounters.
And above all…
I can read it.
The countless sparring sessions with Maya and the [Beast Body] responded, moving Aiden’s arm on its own.
Pang!
The whip bounced off with a sound of tearing air.
Though Aiden had intended to slice the whip in two, it didn’t cut as easily as expected.
“Haha… That magical power of yours. Isn’t it unfair?”
To block aura with mere magical power….such a thing shouldn’t be possible.
Yet, despite this, Aiden’s expression remained grim.
I can’t get close.
Deflecting her attacks was the best he could manage.
Unlike a sword, the whip had superior range.
He couldn’t use [Charge] or [Bash] either.
That woman was a Level 5 expert, and she would be able to read Aiden’s movements. Her eyes were that sharp.
“Hiding so cutely, aren’t you? But big sis can see everything.”
Once again, Illora’s whip tore through the air. The moment the killing intent shot off in a completely different direction, someone sprang out from the spot.
It was Maya who had been camouflaging herself nearby.
It would be impossible to deceive those eyes and approach quickly; even Maya couldn’t escape her detection.
However, there wasn’t no opening at all.
The place she just attacked was quite a distance from Maya.
Which meant she hadn’t completely seen through Maya’s camouflage.
Quick and decisive.
Aiden briefly glanced in the direction where Maya had been, then immediately made his move.
Since he couldn’t knock her whip aside while using [Charge] or [Bash], he directly propelled himself forward by releasing magical power from his feet.
That alone gave him significant speed, and Illora quickly raised her whip again to attack Aiden.
He blocked it once more.
He moved a step closer.
Another strike came.
He blocked it again.
Unlike a sword, a whip needed time to be retracted, so Aiden exploited those gaps and gradually closed the distance.
But the closer he got, the more his magical power drained in chunks.
It’s heavy!
Aura grew stronger the closer one got to the caster.
The hand gripping his sword began to tremble, and eventually, Aiden’s footsteps came to a halt.
“Haha… You really know how to thrill your big sister, don’t you?”
Aiden wasn’t as easy to take down as she had expected.
And just as Aiden had planned, Illora lost track of Maya’s movements.
But it didn’t seem to matter to her, as she extended her whip once again.
[Viper’s Fang]
As a Level 5 user, she had her own set of skills.
Aura wrapped around her whip, swiftly taking the shape of a snake with its jaws wide open.
A far more powerful strike than before.
If that had been the extent of it, Aiden might have somehow managed to block it.
“Kugh…!”
When droplets of magical power burst from the tip of the whip and splattered onto Aiden’s face, his expression twisted with dismay.
Poison?!
It must have been the effect of her skill.
A few drops of magical power from Viper’s Fang instantly seeped into Aiden’s skin through his face.
A lethal blow.
His instinct screamed to close his eyes, but if he did now, death was certain.
Just as the sound of the air tearing passed his ears again—
[Charge]
He used his skill to escape the spot.
But just as Aiden had predicted, Illora’s whip was already chasing him. She read even that movement.
The wind which had never once been caught before was now being pursued by a whip infused with aura.
Fast!
The [Beast Body] reacted instinctively, raising his arm in the direction the whip was flying.
The imperial family’s magical power flared in a dark crimson to protect his arm.
Fortunately, he managed to shield his head from the blow, but the arm that blocked the whip couldn’t fully withstand the aura.
“……!!”
Chunks of flesh were ripped off down to the muscle.
The nerves underneath were destroyed, and white bone was exposed.
He felt a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced, but he couldn’t afford to let it distract him.
[Charge]
With his now-useless arm dangling, he activated his skill and charged toward Illora.
He became one with the wind as he rushed forward.
Though he could no longer use his sword or his arm, his legs remained.
Just as Illora recovered her whip and prepared to strike again—
Whoosh――!
A sound tore through the air.
It wasn’t the sound of Illora’s whip.
Two daggers came flying out of the empty air.
Immediately after, Maya dropped her camouflage and drew her twin swords while crouching low.
An attack coming from three directions at once.
“Hmph…!”
The daggers were faster than the injured Aiden. And Maya was faster than the daggers.
The moment she read all the attack paths, the whip tore through the air again and moved with dazzling precision.
***
Adrian couldn’t help but smile as he gazed at the flames blazing around him.
[Mana Body].
A constitution that remained a legend among mages.
Of course, not many mages truly believed that story.
But Adrian knew better.
It wasn’t just some baseless rumor.
Roughly a year ago.
The Damian Magic Tower which was once allied with the Volcatronic Magic Tower had fallen.
At that time, under his master’s orders, Adrian visited the place where the Damian Magic Tower once stood.
And there he discovered something unbelievable.
A trace of magical power so immense it was hard to believe a human could have caused it.
Yet the remnants left behind were undeniably of human origin.
“Damian… that pathetic bastard. In the end, he missed a great opportunity because of his own greed.”
As if he had realized something, his master took heavy steps and headed directly to the Damian Magic Tower.
There, he focused on researching the remnants of magical power.
And that day, his master reached the level of the seventh-circle.
He had gained enlightenment just by studying the traces there.
At that time, Adrian who had spent nearly a decade on the battlefield couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked his master.
“Old man, what exactly did you do to gain enlightenment there? Huh? Don’t hog all the good stuff; share some with me.”
“You foolish brat. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand with your level of skill. How could someone barely at the fifth-circle comprehend the traces left by the [Mana Body]?”
In the end, his master didn’t explain, but he left behind a significant clue.
The Mana Body.
Could that legendary ability, believed to be nothing more than a myth, truly exist in reality?
It was hard to believe, but his master who had reached the seventh-circle said it so confidently.
There was no reason to doubt him.
“And yet, that was found on that young brat?”
He thought he had completely missed the traces, but upon seeing the necklace hanging around Jun’s neck, Adrian realized.
[The Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim].
Damian who had shared a long-standing friendship with his master had once demonstrated that incantation before.
Recalling the moment he witnessed Damian use that very power, he realized that Jun was the true owner of the legendary talent Damian had let slip through his fingers.
Soon, he would incapacitate the boy and extract his heart for study.
By doing so, he could unravel the secrets of that mythical constitution that was long thought to be just a legend.
Just imagining that future made his whole body tingle with excitement.
That kind of talent is far too excessive for such an immature halfwit.
Therefore, that power had to become his.
The swirling whirlpool of flames all around would make it so.
—At least, it should have.
“Damn fire attribute. This guy and I just aren’t meant to get along.”
From within the suffocating inferno, he heard the halfwit’s voice.
And then—
Kabooooooooom――!
An explosion erupted and it consumed even the whirlpool of flames.
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