“She exudes an aura of unwavering professional integrity.”
A deep voice murmured from the young man’s lips.
“So, am I supposed to go down to that rooftop on time and incinerate the dark wizard’s allies? It’s the only thing I know how to do.”
Whoosh…!!
As he spoke, a vibrant flame erupted from the young man’s fingertips, transforming into the shape of a wolf.
It was a remarkably precise manifestation of Psychic power, an extraordinary level that would be impolite to compare to the pyrokinesis user Lennok had encountered on a previous assignment with the pharmaceutical company.
Hina shifted her gaze toward the young man and shook her head in response.
“No, but you’re not entirely wrong either.”
“I don’t appreciate evasive answers.”
The first words to escape the towering figure with a heavy presence were uttered with a hint of disdain.
“Proceed swiftly.”
“The Trade Center is a diversion. The real target is right there.”
Hina pointed to a building directly across from them.
It was a slightly shorter building, approximately twenty floors tall.
“It’s a shared office space for a medium-sized company engaged in cloud computing business. Their plan is to retrieve an encrypted and concealed key from there.”
“You seem to be well-informed. Is the information reliable?”
“We’ve verified it through our undercover operative in the terrorist organization. The information is trustworthy.”
“It appears that this key holds highly significant information.”
“I don’t have the specifics.”
Hina replied calmly, but everyone present knew she was concealing something.
Based on what Jenny had revealed to Lennok, it likely had something to do with a closely guarded secret involving Senator Reisen.
“We’ll split into two teams for the operation. Three will descend to the Trade Center immediately and neutralize the terrorists, while one will cross over and secure the encrypted key.”
It was an unconventional allocation of personnel, conducting operations at two different locations simultaneously.
The plan seemed feasible only on the assumption that the lone individual possessed strength comparable to the other three.
Naturally, there were objections.
“So, who will be the one?”
“Van will assume that role.”
The four individuals present turned their gaze toward Lennok simultaneously.
Instead of responding, Lennok silently raised his head and looked up at the night sky.
Even the stars obscured by the city’s dust seemed remarkably visible from this height.
Lennok found it surprisingly serene.
“It’s difficult to accept.”
The woman with an impassive face spoke for the first time.
“I know this wizard named Van has been performing admirably recently, but it’s hard to believe he possesses the power to accomplish the task alone. Isn’t he more suited to a support role?”
“I share the same concern.”
The towering figure crossed his arms in agreement.
“I’m not convinced that this is the best choice for ensuring the success of the operation. I’m here for the success fee, not for mere advance payment. It’s challenging to follow an order I cannot fully accept.”
Apart from Lennok’s rapidly growing reputation, doubting his abilities was not unwarranted in this line of work.
Lennok was well aware of the multitude of genuine and deceptive elements intertwined in this field.
Was it time for the tiresome yet familiar demonstration? Lennok was always prepared in that regard.
‘Should I start by suspending that giant from the rooftop…’
Just as Lennok was about to rise with that thought, Hina interjected.
“If the success fee is an issue, you need not worry. I will only assess the success or failure of the operation based on the performance of both teams on-site.”
Did this mean that if Lennok failed to retrieve the encryption key while the other team eliminated the terrorists, they would receive the fee?
Finally, the impassive woman seemed to accept this and fell silent, muttering discontentedly.
“I don’t understand why they treat that wizard so specially.”
“That’s something we’ll have to deal with.”
Hina, who quashed the complaints, retrieved her phone, checked the time, and nodded.
“It’s time. Let’s commence right away.”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
In this operation, the four individuals, with Hina taking charge of directing the team members, promptly divided into two groups and entered different buildings.
Lennok effortlessly made his way to the lower building by enchanting his shoes with a levitation spell. Hina’s voice echoed in his ears.
[Van.]
“I’m here.”
[There’s one thing I didn’t tell the others earlier.]
“What is it?”
[Don’t hold onto the encryption key until the end. Put up a fight and then retreat.]
“……”
[We need them to escape with the encryption key.]
Lennok didn’t respond immediately to Hina’s instructions. He took a moment to consider it carefully.
If they were going to entrust such an appropriate task, they could have used other freelancers instead of him.
But still, the reason for adding this at this point must be that what she is saying now has an important meaning in the operation.
“So, you’ve already rigged the encryption key?”
[That’s correct. Since we couldn’t determine which data was the encryption key, we overhauled the entire database in this building. You catch on quickly.]
“The plan is to trace the enemy’s base using the dummy key as a clue and eliminate them.”
[With a powerful wizard like you guarding it, the enemies won’t doubt the authenticity of the encryption key.]
‘All the plans were set from the moment they received the information. Is this how agents operate?’
The ability to infiltrate the enemy organization and obtain information directly, the remarkable execution of replacing the databases of all the servers in a 20-story building. It was so efficient and impressive that it was hard to believe they were relying on external freelancers to carry out the operation. These agents seemed to be experts in their field, far more thorough and different from Dyke.
However, Lennok’s caution began to grow in parallel with their proficiency.
‘I mustn’t get carried away.’
Agents were never allies, and they could never become allies. They were only collaborating due to his unique relationship with Evelyn. The city government’s hounds were not Lennok’s close friends.
‘For now, let’s focus on the job.’
He opened the door to the rooftop, descended, and swiftly made his way through the narrow corridor. The public office Hina had mentioned was located on the 17th floor.
Walking through the cold, empty spaces devoid of people, Lennok gradually gathered his mana.
Wooong…!
A faint sound of rotation emanated from within him. It was as if he were slowly warming up an engine, pumping mana and enveloping the entire building, scanning for any signs of activity.
Huung!
Lennok briefly closed his eyes, receiving the incoming information, and nodded.
‘Approximately 14 individuals are coming up through the emergency exit on the 3rd floor.’
[It’s starting.]
‘Seven are taking the stairs, four are taking the elevator, and the remaining three… They’re climbing the exterior of the building. Is that really necessary?’
Even from the enemy’s perspective, dividing their forces and stealthily targeting this side while scaling the building was not a wise move. There was no benefit in clinging to the glass wall like a gecko. Climbing the exterior to the 17th floor would be an arduous task unless the advantages outweighed the risks.
‘Ah, I see.’
Before Hina could respond, Lennok quickly found an answer.
[They’re using camouflage. They must be blending into their surroundings somehow.]
‘Their mana flow is too smooth to be spell-based… It must be magic engineering.’
Having answered his own question, Lennok opened the window of the corridor and muttered.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Clang!
Simultaneously, a slender metallic object sprang forth from his waist. While it resembled a revolver, its barrel was longer and thicker than the one Lennok had used before. The modifications to the revolver, entrusted to Palmer, were finally complete, and Lennok now had a new auxiliary weapon.
Though the shotgun modification was not yet finished, he had obtained the revolver first. It would suffice to test the new equipment.
Zzzing!
Embracing the chilly wind blowing in through the window, Lennok loaded bullets into the cylinder and concentrated his mana.
[Aiming adjustment]
[Heat tracking]
[Triple shot]
Vrooom!!!!
Upon finishing the incantation, three vibrant red lines extended from the muzzle and swept across the exterior of the building.
As the red lines locked onto their targets, Lennok squeezed the trigger.
Bang!!
One shot. Yet, three flames erupted from the barrel.
The three shots, each following a distinct trajectory, trailed the red lines and pierced through the empty air.
Crack!
The sound of flesh and muscle being shattered.
Blood sprayed into the air, and simultaneously, Lennok witnessed three bodies tumbling from the previously invisible exterior of the building. He swiftly pivoted his gaze.
“Three down for now.”
[Smooth. The other side also managed to initially block the intruders.]
There was no need to mention which obstacle to tackle next.
Lennok positioned himself in front of the elevator, the numbers rapidly ascending, and placed his hand on the button.
Though it would have been challenging without knowledge and experience, manipulating the elevator was effortless for Lennok with his understanding of magic engineering acquired from cracking Cigar Bang’s safe.
The mana he channeled from the button traced the electric current and instantaneously cut off the power supply.
Even the reserve power of the safety system, which should have activated automatically, was shattered by his force. Consequently, the elevator, halted at the 15th floor, began to plunge.
As three life signs inside the elevator panicked and desperately knocked on the doors, Lennok nodded in affirmation.
If they were physical combatants, they might break through the elevator doors and escape midway, but for wizards, escape routes were limited.
Now, seven more individuals were ascending the stairs.
Having realized that their comrades were in jeopardy, they hastened their pace significantly.
At this rate, they would open the emergency exit door and burst into the hallway within the next 30 seconds.
Lennok fixed his gaze upon the tightly shut iron door and fell deep into contemplation.
To avoid arousing suspicion that the encryption key had been replaced with dummy data, as Hina had suggested, he needed to engage in a brief skirmish and eventually relinquish the key.
‘It’s a challenging task.’
Instead of forcefully confronting and subduing them, Lennok struggled to determine how to create the illusion of accidentally losing the encryption key while skillfully managing his powers during combat.
To what extent should he feign incompetence to deceive the opposing party?
Hina likely entrusted this task to Lennok, a wizard, over other freelancers for precisely this reason…
Perhaps he could glean something from observing his adversaries’ expressions.
Kaang!!
The iron door shattered and swung open, coinciding with the conclusion of his contemplation.
Simultaneously, seven individuals flooded into the hallway.
The two at the forefront were robust figures—one wielding a shield and the other brandishing a large energy gun. They were followed by three riflemen providing support for the breach.
Lastly, at the very rear, stood a wizard and a swordsman.
Although their faces were concealed behind masks, their leaking mana made it impossible to conceal their presence.
Apart from the two superhumans at the back, the others did not pose significant concern.
In fact, upon catching sight of Lennok, the rest heightened their vigilance and cautiously formed a formation.
The wizard positioned at the very rear spoke softly.
“Everyone, focus.”
“……”
“This one is exceptionally skilled. Considering the fact that they hacked the elevator and caused it to crash, it’s likely they’re receiving assistance from a hacker. We must swiftly neutralize them and retrieve the key before they can tamper with it.”
Unintentionally, a chuckle escaped Lennok’s lips at the unexpected proclamation as he readied himself for combat.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
