Upon hearing Jenny's statement, Jordan emitted a disapproving sound with a click of his tongue and proceeded to pour himself a generous serving of whiskey.
"Do you think Van will see things our way after all he's been through?"
"Yeah, probably." Jenny acknowledged.
It would be a relief for Van to avoid encountering any more reptiles for a while.
"Let's not suggest any corporate or syndicate stuff after what just happened. They've got a lot of money, but things could go sideways real fast, like when they hired Croken. Maybe we should consider working with some gangs or mercenaries instead."
The District 50s housed gangsters, while freelancing mercenaries could be found in the District 40s. While their rates were somewhat lower compared to corporations, their services were more attuned to the unique physiology of this floor and can greatly benefit Lennok.
Where could one locate a lucrative yet relatively safe opportunity?
Gangs were a rough and unsavory choice, whereas mercenaries were more refined but brutal.
"Eh, gangs might not be the best idea. Mercenaries could work though, if we're careful. Let's try reaching out to the more reasonable ones."
The mercenary office always had a surplus of labor, but if the workforce included a wizard like Lennok, the story would be entirely different. Any organization would welcome the chance to hire such exceptional talent, as it would allow them to establish a valuable connection with a wizard. If the wizard possessed exceptional skills, they could even be hired exclusively, with top compensation as a perk.
Considering his prior experience working alongside individuals like Dylan, Lennok probably harbored fewer reservations about working with mercenaries.
As Jenny reached for the receiver, Jordan emitted a slight sigh.
"I'm here to help you out because Kaiser asked me to, but I can't always be your babysitter. You're smart and clever, but sometimes you let your temper get the best of you and miss other good options," he advised.
Jenny blinked, nodding her understanding, before answering the phone with a greeting, "Hey, it's me. Dray, you there?"
Jordan silently shook his head and grabbed a towel to clean the glassware. In no time, the bar would open, and he needed to prepare to welcome guests.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Lennok decided to try an unfamiliar franchise hamburger house and ordered a set of burgers. As he tore open the wrapper and took a bite, he was struck by the differences in flavor and the burger's name, despite the familiar shape of the meat patties sandwiched between buns.
Even in a world of magic, did fast food ultimately come down to bread and meat?
After pondering this thought for a moment, Lennok's attention quickly shifted to his newly purchased cell phone.
"Hmm."
He realized he had lived for nearly two months without much thought for a cell phone. While he had kept it by his side on Earth during his game obsessions, he had entirely forgotten it while immersing himself in magical research and survival preparations.
Upon opening the device, Lennok discovered that not only could he make calls, but he could also use network functions, allowing him to search for things with a familiar smartphone-like experience.
As he scrolled through the news, society, sports, economy, tech, and research sections, his fingers eventually paused at a particular article.
[Explosion at District 42 manufacturing plant hampers new product launches by Charlotte company…Evacuation orders for residents within a 2km radius, but no damage reported.]
“……..”
Lennok immediately clicked on the news article to learn more about the explosion, but the details were scarce, with the cause attributed to an unknown gas leak. There were no photos of Lennok or Croken, nor any mention of the unknown assailants.
Despite the lack of factual information in the article, Lennok could easily discern the tangled interests involved in the incident. He sensed an intention among those related to the factory to dismiss the explosion as a mere coincidence, covering up the truth to protect their investments.
‘Is this what happens when working with a company?’
The companies delegate reckless jobs to others, but ensure to pay and clean up when the job is done. Lennok didn't know if this was a common practice among companies or just a Baritz characteristic. However, he appreciated the thoroughness and neatness of the arrangement.
‘I like not having to pay too much attention.’
It was comforting to have additional incidents being handled in a place he didn't know. While working with Van's face, there would be no problems, but there was no guarantee it would continue that way in the future. What if he suddenly encountered a monster like Croken? If he had to work with a company again, he would need to approach it with more caution.
After discarding the remnants of his hamburger, Lennok exited the establishment, ignoring the part-timer's inquisitive gaze. As he strolled down the street, he pulled out a cigarette and savored it as he walked.
Yesterday, with Jenny's assistance, he had created a new identity, and now had some errands to run.
“Welcome, sir. What did you come for?”
“I came to see some rooms.”
Lennok yearned for a space of his own, away from the cramped hotel room he had been residing in. Previously, with no status or financial means, he had been content with a cheap hotel on a daily rate. However, now that he could afford to pay monthly rent, he was eager to move into a one-room apartment with basic amenities like hygiene, running water, and a kitchen.
Luckily, Lennok had researched Vulcan's real estate options beforehand, allowing him to inspect several apartments without interruption from the broker. He didn't require a large space; a modest one-room apartment would suffice for now.
As for public safety, it would be ideal if the building management could handle it, but Lennok was willing to overlook this aspect if necessary. With magic at his disposal, he could somewhat mitigate the potential risks.
Following a thorough inspection of various apartments recommended by the broker, Lennok selected a place adjacent to a street near his previous hotel and signed the lease.
At a rate of 350,000 cells per month, he submitted a deposit of 5 million cells, with monthly rent payments directed to the landlord and the deposit going straight to the city government.
As the room was vacant, Lennok could move in without much hassle. With only a few articles of clothing, food supplies, a notebook, and various medicine bags that he had accumulated during his stay at the hotel, he could settle into his new abode.
“Whoa…”
The room was small and situated on the third floor of a run-down apartment building, with a dimly lit ceiling and creaky wooden floors. Nevertheless, it was Lennok's first time creating a home for himself in this world, and he was content with just having a place to call his own. Although the room itself wasn't much different from the hotel he had stayed at previously, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
After ensuring that the electricity was working, Lennok stocked the refrigerator with leftover ingredients before tidying up the dusty space. He then sat down in the center of the room, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
He channeled his mana and heightened his senses, feeling the space around him. Drawing on his magic, he created a sphere of energy to surround and protect the room. While traditionally, such a barrier spell required a magic circle and elaborate rituals, Lennok was able to imbue the space with magic effortlessly, solely through intense concentration.
Upon realizing the success of the common barrier spell, Lennok wasted no time in adding several other defensive techniques to strengthen the barrier's effectiveness. He devised a plan to install a trap that would activate bolt magic 14 times in a row or activate the gravity bind to restrain an intruder's limbs, in case someone other than him attempted to enter the room.
While staying at the hotel, Lennok hadn't known when he would check out and thus lived with minimal preparation. However, now that he had a place to call his own, even if only for monthly rent, he was determined to protect it.
SHEIK!
Lennok tore a few pages from his notebook, which he had purchased at a nearby stationery store, and pasted them on the wall. He then grabbed a pen and began jotting down notes.
"I gotta review the jobs assigned by Jenny, cook my own food, and get some vitamins and supplements. Oh, and I still gotta figure out more about the unique magic system. Wait, what else was on my to-do list?"
Although Lennok murmured these words aloud, his hands moved quickly and steadily across the paper. His exceptional memory did not miss a single idea or inspiration, retrieving them from the recesses of his consciousness and organizing them into plausible objectives.
Even without writing them down, Lennok had all of his future tasks and goals sorted in his head. However, recording them on paper and reviewing them with his own eyes, gave him a sense of clarity and purpose. It was a ritual that allowed Lennok to surpass mere memorization and actively engage in the process of setting his own goals and determination.
"That's right. Unique magic… It's not enough just to study common magic.”
Lennok furrowed his brow as he rolled the pen in his fingers, becoming deeply absorbed in thought with a serious expression. Although he didn't doubt the talent he had, Lennok was somewhat dissatisfied with the common magic he used.
While common magic had impressive versatility that covered all attributes and classes, it was inferior in terms of profound expertise and power when compared to unique magic. For instance, lightning magic used as a common spell was limited to simply calling down lightning, whereas, with unique magic, one could reach the end of the lightning series and change the weather or summon a lightning dragon.
Recognizing the versatility of common magic as sufficient for his needs as a wizard, Lennok had planned to delay learning unique magic as much as possible. However, after encountering Croken, his thoughts on the matter shifted.
‘There's no guarantee that I won't encounter such a monster again.'
Lennok knew that waiting until he acquired time-based magic was not an option as his current abilities were too weak. Even if he couldn't defeat a monster like Croken head-on, he had to develop his magic ability to the point where he could at least escape with his life. The most rapid way to achieve this was to learn the unique magic system and carve out a new path for himself.
‘Just because you learn other unique magic doesn't mean you can't learn time series unique magic. but….'
To learn a new unique magic, it is necessary to first master the entire unique magic system one is currently studying. If he were to acquire a time series unique magic later, learning it may be delayed due to the need to first complete the initial unique magic system.
‘It can't be helped.'
There is still a way for Lennok to improve his magical abilities even if he doesn't learn unique magic.
By devoting time to increasing his mana and developing his magic control and casting skills, he can eventually become powerful enough to fight with only common magic.
With his exceptional talent, he could use his common magic to deliver a relentless barrage of attacks, such as repeatedly casting [Thunder Calling] four times in a row with quadruple casting, using two [Gravity Bind] spells to immobilize the opponent, and alternating between freezing and thawing them with ice and fire magic while hitting them with impact magic.
Lennok's magical prowess was impressive, and he believed that with a few years of practice, he could perform such a one-sided bombardment.
In fact, he saw his talent as a seed with the potential to transcend the limits of this world.
However, the issue was that even a few years seemed like an excessively long time for Lennok at present.
What are the chances that Lennok, who worked hard to maintain his health and ventured into Vulcan's underworld to earn money, will not come across a monster like Croken during those few years? Unfortunately, it was an overly optimistic assumption given that Lennok had already encountered the criminal organization Pandemonium just two months into his new job.
“…….”
To improve his chances of survival, Lennok knew he had to come up with more than just magical abilities. With that in mind, he set down his pen, got dressed, and left the room with a determined expression on his face.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Located at the end of a bustling downtown area teeming with various shopping districts lies District 29. The lively street boasts a harmonious atmosphere, distinctly contrasting with the area where Lennok toils, District 40s.
As night descends, the district is illuminated by a radiant light that enlivens the evening sunset. The air is filled with loud rock music emanating from the numerous huge outlets. Among these outlets stands a particularly notable establishment – the Gun and Barrel.
This renowned gunsmith is considered to be the district's most prominent and high-quality establishment of its kind.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
