Fortunately, events had unfolded as Miguel had anticipated, yet an unsettling feeling continued to linger within him.
What troubled him was the fact that Lennok seemed almost prepared for their parting, as if he had been awaiting the opportunity.
Just as Miguel and his companions had possessed enough trust in their skills to separate without hesitation, perhaps Lennok, too, held a similar level of confidence that enabled him to choose separation without any burden.
And if that trust stemmed from Lennok's own magical abilities…
Miguel realized that he might have overlooked a tremendously valuable connection right before his eyes.
"Miguel?"
Of course, these two ignorant mercenaries who were with him seemed to have no thoughts at all.
"It's nothing. Let's get going."
"Right. We need to hurry if we don't want to be late for the appointment time."
Muttering a few words under his breath, Miguel briskly stepped forward.
He had allowed himself to get lost in unnecessary thoughts, but there was no point in voicing his speculations and burdening the group with needless regrets.
Whether Lennok truly possessed the competence as a wizard that Miguel suspected or not, the upcoming battle against the contaminants would be a challenging endeavor. However, what difference did it make?
In such circumstances, survival depended on one's own capabilities.
Miguel had no reason to concern himself with matters so far beyond his purview.
Forcefully shaking off his distracting thoughts, he adjusted his equipment, which had been trembling slightly, and continued moving forward.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Zzzap!!
Screech!!
"So this is what they look like. Seeing it in person, it seems a bit more disgusting…."
Stroking his chin, Lennok observed the writhing contaminant beneath the blue sparks emanating from his fingertips.
Through the information he had gathered from Dylan, he had acquired a rough understanding of how the contaminants appeared and behaved. However, this was his first time witnessing them with his own eyes.
Approximately three years ago, a large-scale biotoxic weapon test project known as ‘Black Consumer' had been conducted in the Undeveloped Zone. Externally, it was attributed to plague doctors conducting human experiments, but rumors swirled that high-ranking city officials were involved.
The experiment aimed to test the possibility of achieving ‘immortality' by rapidly increasing cell regeneration using a highly proliferative virus factor controlled through alchemy. However, it ended in a disastrous failure, giving rise to the calamity of the contaminants.
Since the experiment was halted at the initial planning stage, there were few recorded cases of infection in higher-level organisms like humans, and the risk of infection was relatively low for mammals such as rodents. However—
Once infected, cells throughout the body underwent explosive proliferation, grotesquely swelling until they burst. The mutilated corpse would then wander, seeking out living beings while emitting a haze of Sakaman, the remnants of alchemy.
The contaminant lying before Lennok had suffered such severe damage that its original form was unrecognizable, a creature tossed about by the black fog coursing through its body.
Could this truly be called a living creature?
Moreover, could humans truly attain immortality through such experiments?
Lennok remained skeptical, but it appeared that the high-ranking government officials held a different belief.
He carefully retrieved the eyes of the fallen contaminated creature, serving as proof of extermination, and placed them inside a plastic bag provided by the outpost.
The contaminated creatures spread through various means and manifested in diverse physical forms, making them markedly dissimilar. However, the jet-black eyes, a testament to contamination, were sufficient evidence of extermination.
The troublesome aspect was that they counted only one extermination per pair of eyes, necessitating the collection of two eyes for every slain creature.
Upon completing the collection, Lennok straightened himself and extended his mana outward.
Maintaining a sensing radius of 2 kilometers, it was inevitable that he would detect at least one or two contaminated creatures, even if they were scarce in number.
He ensured not to intersect paths with other mercenaries or collect the eyes of contaminated creatures discovered by them earlier.
While Lennok's movement speed was not particularly fast, no one in the vicinity possessed the ability to cover such a vast area.
Once he pinpointed a location, even slow steps were sufficient to catch up.
Kwaang!
With a nod, Lennok implanted a streak of electric current into the mouth of a contaminated creature, steadily gaining a sense of how to handle them after engaging in four battles.
While the speed and strength of the contaminants were formidable, their movements followed a predictable path. They didn't exhibit vigilance, solely relying on their instinctive drive for living beings. Occasionally, they changed direction and fled, likely due to detecting other nearby creatures.
By carefully noting this behavior and timing the reinforcement of his shield correctly, dealing with them proved relatively manageable.
Moreover, Lennok had full confidence in his proficiency with magic, ensuring he wouldn't make a momentary mistake.
Kwajijik!!
Another contaminated creature charged at him from behind.
Its sharp teeth tore through the shield, gnawing away at the flesh within. However, that flesh acted as yet another layer of defense.
Thump!
After casting a few auxiliary spells, Lennok pulled the trigger of his revolver, shattering the lower jaw of the contaminated creature, causing it to collapse.
He made sure to use a silencer to reduce noise.
Delivering a shock spell to the fallen creature, Lennok swiftly extracted its eyes.
That made five.
With an estimated million cells per creature, he had already secured five million cells in terms of pure profit. Considering that he had supplemented twice the amount he could earn from pursuing a fugitive within half a day, it was a commendable income.
However, simultaneously, Lennok realized that this extermination request would not be a sustainable source of income in the long run.
Dylan had mentioned the task with an air of casualness, yet Lennok understood there was a reason for this lagging behind.
‘Normally, finding these contaminated creatures would be an arduous task.'
With his exceptional mastery of magic, Lennok effortlessly scanned a vast radius, pinpointing the precise locations of contaminated creatures and swiftly eliminating them.
In contrast, other mercenaries had to exert considerable effort, relying on their limited magical abilities to locate the contaminants.
While having a wizard within their group might provide some advantage, unless they recruited a skilled detection mage, it would be challenging for them to match Lennok's efficiency in locating and disposing of the contaminated creatures.
‘And these contaminated creatures are not as weak as I thought.'
The decision to deploy mercenaries in groups of four when venturing into the Undeveloped Zone from the outpost held a specific reason.
In Lennok's perspective, the combat capabilities of the contaminated creatures might exceed what mercenaries like Miguel or Erikson could handle alone.
Did Miguel's group possess this knowledge when they allowed Lennok to venture alone?
If that was the case, they essentially abandoned Lennok, whom they perceived as a weak wizard, to face certain death.
“……..”
The thought sent a chill down Lennok's spine, though it was not an impossibility.
While there was no obligation to show excessive concern for a stranger, neglecting to warn him would be more than indifference—it would be negligence.
It was not a matter to dwell on for an extended period, yet it was not something to entirely forget either.
Lennok ignited a flame in his hand, reducing the contaminated creature's body to ashes, ensuring thorough disposal.
Considering the contamination originated from a virus-based plague spell, it was crucial to eliminate all remnants.
Lost in contemplation, Lennok continued to tread among the ruins of the construction site.
‘My target for this job is at least 20 million.'
The amount needed for a stable bid for Stania Pharmaceutical Group's miracle drug, Stemmonia.
Considering Lennok currently has just under 100 million in his hands, he could easily meet the market price and still have plenty left over by adding 20 million.
To pull in a satisfactory amount, he would need to catch at least twenty of these creatures and collect forty eyeballs….
It's a large number if you think it's large, and a small number if you think it's small.
At this pace, he should be able to achieve his goal in two days, but considering Lennok's impatience, he wondered if he wouldn't have been better off taking a job with an advance payment.
‘I also spent two days when I took Amnac's request…. It's useless to regret it now.'
If it weren't for Jenny's words, assuring him that enduring the hardships at a time like this would benefit him in the long run, Lennok wouldn't have willingly subjected himself to the dust and grime.
But now, there was no turning back.
As Lennok maneuvered through the wreckage of collapsed cranes, three new contaminated creatures entered his range of sensory perception.
Occasionally, they roamed in small groups like this, but thus far, earlier-arriving mercenaries had always beaten him to the chase.
He couldn't afford to miss out again this time.
Lennok's eyes glowed with determination as he gathered his mana and unleashed a surge of electricity from both hands.
Zap!!
The electrical currents swiftly converged, taking the form of three foxes in an instant.
Following the transferred intention, the foxes darted through the ruins, their electricity intertwining and resonating with each other, creating a web of electrical energy.
It was a technique Lennok had developed by roughly following the principles of summoning magic he had studied in the library.
While he couldn't grant independent free will to each fox, he had achieved a level of persistence in the summoned creatures.
Although its range and power were feeble compared to his ability to cast [Chain Lightning], it excelled in terms of duration.
Roar!!
As Lennok witnessed the bright blue electrical net swaying through the ruins, his gaze suddenly turned fierce.
Whoosh!
Something had unexpectedly materialized, piercing through Lennok's detection abilities, appearing at a point 300 meters diagonally in front of him, where he had sensed nothing just moments ago.
It seemed to have evaded the fox magic Lennok had employed, revealing itself in the process.
In an instant, a chill ran through his mind, and in pursuit of that fleeting image, he discovered the answer.
He had encountered something similar before.
It was the day he received his first commission from Jenny.
The moment he captured Taylor Evans and was struck by a sniper's bullet.
The uncanny sensation of eluding Lennok's detection was precisely the same as he had felt back then.
At the time, he had attributed it to his own lack of ability, but now things were different.
He swiftly summoned his mana, capturing the movement and crystallizing his intent.
Lennok decided to utilize the sound magic [Soundwave], the same spell he had employed to apprehend Taylor Evans that day.
If the opponent happened to be the sniper he remembered, it would serve as a fitting reunion greeting.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, sound waves formed in Lennok's hand rushed forward.
The shockwave, traveling at the speed of sound, surged directly toward the fleeing adversary.
The trajectory and path were flawless. Considering the speed, evading it was impossible.
Bang!
A direct hit.
However, unlike Taylor Evans, who had clutched his ears and collapsed, the opponent stumbled briefly before resuming their escape.
Lennok clicked his tongue lightly and prepared his next spell.
This was the drawback of sound magic, which was why Lennok didn't particularly favor spells like [Soundwave].
Although it was difficult to dodge due to its sonic speed, the actual power behind it was not particularly strong, often proving ineffective against high-level mana users.
If Lennok delved into more unique magic, he could possess not only raw power but also manipulate the opponent's mental state with advanced applications. However, being unfamiliar with sound magic, such notions remained distant for him.
"Huh…"
He let out a deep sigh as he gathered his mana once more.
The brilliance of common magic.
Its unmatched versatility allowed for above-average adaptability in any situation.
Though he refrained from displaying it, fearing unnecessary misunderstanding and prejudice, hiding his prowess as a Lightning wizard, there was no need to go out of his way to conceal its uniqueness.
Vivid mental imagery seamlessly blended with the flow of mana, causing a chilling sensation to course through his arm.
He solidified the magic mass, emanating an intense cold capable of altering the surrounding air, into the form of a spear and propelled it toward the sky.
[Icicle Burst]
Boom!!
The frigid spear, propelled at high velocity, traced an elegant trajectory as it surged toward the figure attempting to vanish beyond Lennok's line of sight.
Sensing Lennok's second attempt, the opponent strained their body, twisting with all their might.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
