Ziiiiing!!
With a sinister sound that cut through the air, the black-suited figure wielded the quarterstaff, mercilessly grinding it into the head of the elephant-man.
The elephant-human let out a horrific scream and thrashed about, but he couldn’t dislodge the relentless targeting affixed to his head or Oliver’s unyielding foot. Meanwhile, the quarterstaff continued to bore into his head.
Blood and flesh splattered in all directions.
Although Oliver’s attire became soiled, he did not waver in applying even greater force to his arm, driving the quarterstaff through the elephant’s head.
Woo-wooo-woong… Bang!
A gratifying sound, reminiscent of clearing a blocked toilet, reverberated as a substantial hole emerged in the elephant’s head.
Oliver disengaged the targeting mechanism from his foot, deftly twisted, and withdrew the quarterstaff, causing the elephant’s head to shatter into fragments.
Crack…! Thud, thud.
With a resounding burst, blood, flesh, bone splinters, brain matter, and fragments of the eye rained down to the ground.
Oliver couldn’t help but feel that it had been a bit excessive. The focus on killing had overshadowed any semblance of aesthetics.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t deny that it was necessary.
Even after such a thorough pulverization, the head refused to succumb and instead began regenerating.
In a flash, the elephant-human, despite his head being shredded and shattered, did not collapse; instead, he raised a massive sledgehammer, taking aim at Oliver.
But the ordeal was far from over.
“You let your guard down!”
“Did you think that would work on all of us?!”
Warlocks brandishing knives and hammers emerged from a concealed tunnel entrance, presumably a secret passage.
Their emotions and energy were as cumbersome as mud, undoubtedly the minions of Human-meat Chef.
They advanced upon Oliver, their innate physical prowess allowing them to swiftly encircle him from three sides.
Whoosh!
Swoosh!
Boom!
Oliver effortlessly evaded their attacks.
The warlocks were naturally taken aback, as they had confidence not only in black magic but also in close combat.
Yet, Oliver had deftly dodged their assaults, and it seemed almost effortless.
However, this wasn’t entirely surprising.
Since forming a cooperative bond with Milieu, Oliver had undergone rigorous close combat training with Kevin, Terence, and even Yareli, learning various techniques whenever the opportunity arose.
All three were skilled instructors, and thanks to their guidance, Oliver had noticeably improved his agility and combat skills.
‘It hurt to get hit every day, but it wasn’t bad.’
With this in mind, he swiftly thrust the quarterstaff, still enveloped in the Grind enchantment, twice.
“Damn it!”
The startled warlocks scrambled to defend themselves, but their panic led to imperfect responses, resulting in grievous wounds, causing one side of their bodies to be sent flying.
While these injuries wouldn’t be fatal to them, given their robust Life-force and regenerative capabilities, they did hamper their movements. One of the flustered warlocks shouted a command.
“Illiphon! Strike down!”
Despite his incomplete head recovery, the elephant grasped its hammer once more, even as it bore a high-density spear wound from Kevin.
Thunk!
The spear, condensed to the extreme with earth and stone, possessed enough force to lift a 4-meter giant off the ground.
Oliver seized this opportunity.
Tap.
Oliver disengaged the Grind enchantment. Supporting the falling elephant-human with his quarterstaff, he employed the targeting mechanism to gather the other two warlocks and hurled them into the hidden entrance, utilizing the momentum of the fall.
Two sturdy men and a 4-meter giant.
Their heads and torsos separated, rendering them powerless as they tumbled down. Oliver reached into his coat, retrieving a dark red twig, infusing it with black magic and power of nature, before flinging it in their direction.
Tap!
Deep within the tunnel, beyond direct sight, Oliver perceived the events through the eyes of the warlock, witnessing the twig piercing the opposing warlock.
The twig was also siphoning away the emotions, mana, and life force of the warlocks.
[De-Ice]
Oliver incanted the spell. A potent explosion of ice erupted from the twig, which had absorbed the emotions and mana of numerous individuals.
The explosion was so intense that it sent waves of cold and ice surging towards the entrance, bringing an unexpected chill. Oliver didn’t halt there; leveraging the warlock’s vision and energy detection abilities, he encased the warlocks in the secret basement in ice.
This task was not challenging. De-Ice harnessed the emotions and mana of the adversaries as its fuel, enabling the attack range to expand indefinitely as long as it continued to engulf them.
As a result, Oliver froze the underground while the surface above continued to burn.
***
Click! Click!
In the frozen basement, Oliver and Kevin descended and began documenting their surroundings.
As evidence to be presented to Rokuri University and the Galos Central Police, their primary focus was on photographing hundreds of packaged wine bottles, dozens of oak barrels, and numerous tanks brimming with a substantial quantity of blood.
‘How do they supply so much blood?’
Oliver contemplated as he snapped pictures.
Even for an adult male, the maximum amount of blood that could be safely collected was around 5 liters. Thus, managing and supplying blood was a complex and delicate matter.
Regardless of the prevalence of mana users, the quantity of blood in this basement was extraordinary.
However, pondering alone wouldn’t unveil the answer. Before long, Oliver shook his head and addressed Kevin.
“Professor, I’ve finished taking the photos.”
“Good work.” Kevin replied.
Oliver nodded and then handed the camera to Bigmouth, who was systematically cataloging the evidence, including wine bottles, oak barrels, blood containers, and various tools, in one corner of the basement.
“Gurgle…”
Bigmouth, in the midst of consuming crates of Bloody Wine, frozen minions of Human-meat Chef, blood containers, oak barrels, and various tools, eagerly swallowed the camera given to it by Oliver.
Their task here was now finished. Just as they were preparing to depart, a figure approached from the entrance.
It was Terence and Yareli, who had been on a mission to target the human trafficking organization affiliated with Human-meat Chef.
“Finished so soon?” Terence, dressed in thick, armor-like attire with a hefty revolver and shotgun holstered, inquired. His magically-enhanced gear exuded a formidable presence.
Upon noticing Terence, Kevin responded to his query.
“Looks like you finished quickly too?”
“It was relatively easy since it was their trading post. The magic Oliver taught us was a great help. Right?”
“Yes.” Yareli affirmed.
The magic Oliver had imparted was a form of cold magic where the magic itself, rather than the spellcaster, served as the primary component. It followed a similar principle to the fire magic employed by Willes.
Instead of the spellcaster infusing mana to sustain the spell, the spell autonomously absorbed ambient mana from the surroundings.
Though it carried certain risks, it proved to be an effective countermeasure against the faction of Human-meat Chef, known for their abundant mana.
Following their close combat training, Oliver had shared this magical formula and techniques with Yareli and Terence.
“You were a great help. Thank you.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
Oliver genuinely responded to Yareli’s gratitude. Achievements, whether his own or others’, brought him joy.
“We took down Human-meat Chef’s minions guarding the human trafficking organization. We tried to capture them alive, but that proved difficult.”
“That’s alright. We’re all in this together.” Kevin, who had conducted numerous raids before, reassured. Human-meat Chef’s minions were known for their fierce resistance, especially under attack, resembling fanatics. It was understandable why some at Rokuri University hesitated to engage in the conflict.
“We handed over the traffickers who surrendered, along with the kidnapped people, to the police.”
“That’s good. Then, let’s move on to the next business. According to Lucian, we’re starting to see some effects.”
Lucian, their informant and the head of the Mura family, had advised that the only way to resolve the current situation and for the Magic Tower to lead in the war was through relentless offensives. He believed that the influential figures at Rokuri University, who were wealthy and afraid, might be inclined to end the war and seek safety if they saw some progress.
To prevent this, they had no choice but to keep the pressure on Human-meat Chef, forcing the conflict to escalate. It was a radical proposal, but not an unreasonable one.
At Rokuri University, there were many who advocated caution, which undermined the war effort. Therefore, Kevin had accepted Lucian’s information and advice and negotiated with the hardliners at the university. They had officially authorized commando-style raids on Human-meat Chef’s operations to exert pressure.
This was aimed at strengthening the position of the hardliners at Rokuri University and firmly establishing the Magic Tower’s presence, and they were starting to see the desired results.
“But now, it seems we must return.” Terence stated, producing a communication device.
It was a direct communication device provided by Rokuri University before they embarked on their commando-style operations.
“What do you mean?” Kevin inquired.
“While we were roaming outside, something happened in Ravel. Giants appeared in the forest, and dragons too.”
“They’re not from this world, so it’s nothing.”
“Werewolves are also appearing in the city.”
“The extinct werewolves?”
“Yes. And in the slums, there’s a huge rat the size of a dog and a bogeyman kidnapping children. Zombies are appearing in the cemeteries, and crocodiles in the sewers.”
“Did they all drink together or what?”
“It sounds crazy, but it’s true.” Terence affirmed, shaking the communication device as if to emphasize that it wasn’t his fault.
Kevin understood that it wasn’t Terence’s fault but pressed for clarification. “It’s a sad story, but what does that have to do with us returning? You know that stopping this kind of attack midway makes it meaningless, right?”
“Of course, I know. That’s why I asked… The commoner faction is stirring up the people. They’re saying that Rokuri University and the police have brought in mercenaries from across the sea to attack them.”
“Mercenaries?” Oliver, who had been listening attentively, couldn’t help but react spontaneously.
Terence, familiar with Oliver’s reactions, began to explain using hand gestures. “This is a sheep, and this is-”
“-How about we finish the story at hand?” Yareli interjected, her gaze filled with cold disdain.
“My mistake! I shouldn’t have in front of a lady. Sorry… Anyway, the commoner faction is openly slandering us, calling us raiders who came to harm them.”
Upon hearing Terence’s words, Kevin displayed a mixture of realization and self-reproach. The situation appeared to be more complex than they had anticipated.
Still puzzled, Oliver raised his hand once more.
“I’ll explain ‘mercenary’ later.”
“I am curious about that, but I have another question.” Oliver continued.
“What is it?” Terence inquired.
“We came here not to harm the commoner faction, but to fight against Mr. Human-meat Chef, so isn’t that okay?”
Kevin acknowledged, “Yes, that’s true.”
“But the problem is who’s going to believe that,” Terence chimed in, echoing Kevin’s cynical response.
“When you deny it, people become even more suspicious. Especially when strange rumors are spreading and people are unsettled, suspicion and aggression multiply. And besides…”
“Besides?” Oliver prompted.
“People from Galos don’t like those from England. And vice versa. In such situations, it’s not easy to persuade them. Unless you save their lives from a monster or something.”
Terence elaborated with dramatic flair, and both Kevin and Yareli nodded in agreement.
Oliver also nodded, grasping the essence of the situation, although he didn’t understand why people from Galos and England harbored such animosity.
“To be honest, I hadn’t thought of this.”
“Indeed… Could this be the work of Human-meat Chef?” Kevin pondered aloud, his uncertainty apparent.
“Hard to say, there’s no data on that. But the timing is perfect. If we’re not careful, the Magic Tower might even lose its chance to intervene.”
“Is that so?” Oliver inquired.
“Yes. The atrocities committed by Human-meat Chef are no small matter, but Galos has more serious issues with class conflicts. If this escalates, it will overshadow our current problem.”
Oliver gained a deeper understanding of why Human-meat Chef had chosen Galos as his base.
If this was intentional, his tactics were remarkably astute—drawing attention to other issues to divert focus from the current problem.
Terence turned to Kevin, seeking guidance on their course of action. After careful consideration, Kevin made a decision.
“…For now, we return.”
“Return?”
“Yes. Regrettably, but if we’re not careful, we could be embroiled in a bigger problem.”
It wasn’t an empty statement. Kevin genuinely felt regret. He had led a relentless assault for several days, pushing not only himself but also his team to their limits.
Given his strong sense of responsibility, he was genuinely reluctant to step back now.
“Um… Professor, how about I visit this place alone for now?” Oliver suggested, pulling out a map from his coat. It was a map of the outskirts of Ravel, covered in numerous markings and notations.
He pointed to the sole location on the map that wasn’t marked with an X—an unidentified distribution center. According to Lucian, it might be related to Human-meat Chef.
“It’s not certain, which means it might not be related, or its security could be exceptionally high. How about I go check it out alone? It’s the only business left in this area, and I might find something useful.”
Terence contemplated this proposal for a moment before responding, “That might not be a bad idea. Leaving this place unchecked does feel unsatisfying. We can go back with a suitable excuse for now.”
Kevin seemed to concur, nodding in agreement.
Just as they were about to make a decision, Yareli interjected, “Then, I will go as well.”
“You too, Yareli?” Terence inquired.
“Yes, it’s better to have two people than one… And I have some questions about the magic formula you taught.”
Yareli demonstrated the formula for the magic in which the spell itself served as the primary component, as instructed by Oliver, using her hands.
