"So, did they fail in the end?"
"No way those scumbags from the slums could break through Achilles' security. The other guys who planned the crime got killed, and this guy is the only one who got away. Achilles didn't bother pursuing him and left us to dispose of the trash."
From her words, it seemed like there was an immense power gap between the company called Achilles and the organization called scavengers.
"The branch this guy was with is long gone, so even if things get a bit messy, it shouldn't be a big issue."
"Hmm…."
"The reward is 3 million cells, not bad for catching a little rat. What do you reckon?"
3 million.
To Lennok, who had been grappling with producing mere dozens of cells just a week prior, the sum was staggering. Nonetheless, he paused, hesitant to accept the offer hastily.
‘It's too vague.'
After having spent a week in this bustling metropolis, Lennok had gained a rudimentary understanding of its colossal scale and the myriad of individuals that inhabited it. The entertainment district in District 49, for example, was an entirely different realm compared to the bustling commercial area where the library was.
Given the enormity of the city and its diverse populace, it seemed a herculean task to locate a person solely based on a single photograph. As Lennok perused the file cabinet in search of valuable intel, he stumbled upon something of interest and gestured toward it.
"It says they collected a blood sample here."
"Hmm, yeah… we got it at the moment."
"Can I have it?"
"I mean, we can hand it over, but honestly, it's not gonna do you much good." Jenny's countenance betrayed her concern as she instructed the elderly bartender to fetch the sample from its storage behind the bar.
What the bartender presented was a fragment of cloth, mangled and sullied with blood.
Once Lennok had tucked the specimen into his pocket and stood up, Jenny inquired, "What do you intend to do with that?"
"It could be useful."
"You should give up on finding a blood mage. Those dudes are money-grubbing devils who charge over 5 mil per job and still won't turn a profit. Unless you just wanna check the identity of someone, that sample ain't worth squat."
"Trust me, Achilles didn't give this to us for nothing," she stated, but Lennok paid no heed to Jenny's shrugged shoulders and exited the bar.
Though Jenny had mentioned a blood mage, Lennok had no intention of enlisting the assistance of such people.
He knew a little about blood magic, a type of magic that involves sacrificing one's own life force for its use.
He possessed a scant understanding of blood magic, a potent form of magic that necessitated sacrificing one's own life force for its use. It required minimal preparation, yet possessed a significant recoil, and those who wielded it were forced to confront the prospect of a shortened lifespan.
In the game, this presented no issue, but the stakes were infinitely higher in reality. Given the payment of life force exacted by blood mages, their services were understandably expensive. Nevertheless, Lennok perceived no rationale to involve himself with such individuals merely to apprehend a thief.
He seated himself in a somewhat secluded location, shielded from prying eyes, and positioned the tattered cloth fragment onto the ground.
[Bloody Chase]
He infused the cloth with his mana, and a magic circle measuring approximately one meter in diameter manifested on the ground's surface.
Wooooong!!
As the circle glowed with a vivid scarlet hue, it began to tremble subtly once it had absorbed the bloodstains on the cloth. Then, a serpentine line of crimson hue materialized and writhed along the ground.
Lennok ascended to his feet and pursued the trail. This utility magic was predominantly favored by hunters who employed magic and facilitated locating or tracking down elusive prey.
In the event that the duration was brief, or if the bloodstains were contaminated, accurate tracking was unfeasible. It merely revealed the direction rather than the distance, thereby rendering it susceptible to basic interference magic. However, it appeared that the opposing party lacked such means.
After traversing in the direction indicated by the trail for some time, the populace thinned out, and the atmosphere turned bleak.
His attention was drawn to a disused section of the railway beside an unfamiliar construction site, where the scent of humanity dissipated.
On the corroded rails, worn mats supported individuals who bore no resemblance to a healthy complexion, emanating a peculiar odor that penetrated even his mask, reeking of urine and feces.
This was the city's yin and yang, a haven for drifters and outcasts unwelcome elsewhere.
Out of the group, Lennok ascertained that the thread was fixed onto a man who was slumped against a corner wall of the railway track. He approached the man at a leisurely pace and stood before him.
“Taylor Evans?”
“……”
Lennok let out a disappointed sigh as he gazed down at the lifeless body of the man lying in front of him.
He maintained a safe distance as he retrieved a cutting machine that he had obtained from the bullies.
‘Did he say that illegally modified Dyke’s product?’
Upon pressing the buttons on the handle, a blue light shone from the cutter, resembling a miniature lightsaber.
“Oh, this is…”
Lennok marveled at it for a moment before aiming it at the man's thigh.
However, the supposedly motionless man suddenly sprang to life and bolted away from Lennok, contorting his body to avoid the beam.
“……..”
Lennok watched in surprise as the man made a run for it without looking back.
Although Lennok was fully prepared to defend himself against an attack, he hadn't expected Taylor to flee without putting up a fight.
Despite his slender build, Taylor ran remarkably fast and soon disappeared from sight.
As Lennok's mind raced with possibilities, he weighed his options carefully. He knew he had the upper hand, but choosing the right course of action was critical.
He could pursue him directly, or he could cast Silence magic on the gun and shoot him as he did before.
However, his current physical state required drug assistance to run properly, and he wasn't confident in his ability to hit the target from such a distance.
After a moment of contemplation, Lennok settled on a third strategy. He summoned his mana and channeled it with fierce intensity, unleashing a shockwave into the air with a resounding boom.
[Sound wave]
Paang!!
The resulting sound wave rippled outward, traveling through the medium of air at the speed of sound. As the invisible force barreled forward, it rapidly closed in on the fleeing Taylor, quickly overtaking him.
Tuong!
With a deafening crash, the shockwave struck the man, causing him to stumble and lose his footing.
Lennok walked towards the spot where Taylor lay writhing in agony.
His previous exertions, coupled with the extended walk from Jenny's bar, had begun to take a toll on his stamina. If he did not regulate his breathing carefully, he would be compelled to rely on the drug once more.
He had smoked through the last of his cigarettes while researching magic, and now he had only five left.
After work, he felt he should ask Jenny about how to get those cigarettes.
Taylor Evans was in a sorry state, his hands clamped over his ears as he writhed on the ground. Crimson blood trickled from between his fingers.
Lennok had used a common magic spell, [Soundwave], to search for objects by means of sonic vibrations, but he had amplified its power far beyond what was usual.
In his days as a Magic musketeer, he could not have used beyond the prescribed methods. But Lennok's inherent talent was enough to manifest his intended image through his magic.
Perhaps not only his eardrums, but also his cochleae had been completely destroyed.
Taylor was now completely deafened and would likely be unable to walk properly.
"Hmm."
Lennok stood over the trembling Taylor, his mind deep in contemplation.
The first thing Lennok thought about after completing the study of common magic was to protect himself.
As a practitioner of magic, Lennok understood the importance of safeguarding oneself against all forms of danger, be it physical or otherwise.
He knew that neglecting his defenses could result in a fate similar to that of Taylor's, who was now subdued and quivering before him.
Lennok recognized the fragility of his own body and understood that even a single attack on his senses could have devastating consequences.
The moment he grabbed the fallen Taylor's ankle and turned around while thinking about that.
Bang!!
CLUTTER
Suddenly, a deafening sound echoed through the area as a bullet was fired, shattering the barrier of mana that got activated around Lennok.
The barrier had been constructed with the anticipation of such an attack, and it responded instantaneously. Though it was a thin, fragile shield that could be destroyed by a single bullet, it gave Lennok enough time to react and create a new, much stronger barrier.
Within a fraction of a second, Lennok's thoughts and mana converged, and he summoned a new force field, dozens of times more robust than its predecessor.
The new barrier would sustain Lennok for some time, even if he was hit by an anti-tank rocket.
Once Lennok felt secure, he lit a cigarette and dispersed his mana in all directions, searching for any sign of people. The fatigue that had accumulated in his body dissipated as he focused on the task at hand, and he felt much lighter. Despite being shot just moments before, Lennok remained calm and collected.
His mind, which had been consumed with worries about the future and his life, cooled in the face of the life-threatening situation. Emotions and fears were pushed aside as reason and his strong mental power as a wizard came to the forefront, filling Lennok with confidence.
‘No trace.'
But despite releasing an increased amount of mana and sweeping a 1km radius, he couldn't feel anything except for the tramps.
Whoever shot at him was either sniping from beyond that distance or using a method to conceal their presence that was too advanced for simple magic detection. Both scenarios presented equal difficulty.
However, Lennok couldn't help but wonder if it was worth it for this trembling man with his ears covered. His eyes, which had been scanning the fallen Taylor, suddenly fixed on his head.
As he thought about where the gunshot was fired, Lennok realized that it was aimed at the lower part of the barrier. At first, he had assumed it was just to subdue him, but now he considered the possibility that it could be aimed at Taylor crouching on the ground.
Lennok made a reasonable assumption and followed it with his reasoning. He concluded that whoever shot the gun must have used their hand to cover Taylor Evans' mouth. Perhaps it was the organization called Scavenger, and they were trying to silence Taylor because he knew something that should not have reached Achilles' ears.
If that was the case, it made perfect sense that the sniper took the shot as soon as Lennok found Taylor. After all, most bounty hunters would consider it a personal triumph if their target were eliminated while being tracked. As a result, the case would likely disappear, along with any evidence that Scavenger tried to silence Taylor.
However, Lennok had no intention of letting the sniper, who openly tried to shoot his prey right in front of him, get away with it. From the moment he became involved in this field of work, he knew he had to handle things decisively and maintain a brutal attitude. He intended to become known as "Van," someone who was ruthless and cold, so that fewer people would interfere with his money-making.
With this resolve, Lennok pulled out his gun and shot Taylor in the head.
Bang!!
The rough sound of the gunshot echoed through the air as Taylor, who had been wriggling in agony, was instantly killed.
Although Jenny had previously expressed a preference for capturing the target alive, it ultimately meant that there was nothing wrong if the target was dead.
While this would result in the "secret" in Taylor's head being forever lost, Lennok had no interest in such information. His sole focus was on locating and seeking vengeance against the sniper who had taken aim at him.
To Lennok, all of this was merely a process – a means to an end.
‘Found it.'
As soon as Lennok ended Taylor's life, he sensed a faint disturbance in the air. The accompanying wave of mana did not go unnoticed by his heightened senses.
