He Was Sent To Another World as Punishment, but he became The Strongest Lightning Mage

the tale commences at a battlefield of the game named world where the main character of that game finally arrives at the long awaited last location of the long fight which is the demon king castle as he steps into the castle the character discovers it is teaming with demonic minions serving The Demon King realizing this is the climax of the long conflict the player identifies the creature Seated on the throne as the formidable Demon King simultaneously The Demon King acknowledges his arrival acknowledging that this point is commendable for a human to reach yet warns that this is The Showdown and commands his followers to eliminate the Intruder thousands of the underlings rush to assault him but undaunted by the oncoming horde the character braces for the imminent Clash channeling unwavering determination to prepare for an epic counter assault with mystical energy coalescing around his outstretched hand he leaps forward to confront the encroaching horde imp deploying an arsenal of Arcane prowess and combat finesse he executes a series of Maneuvers weaving through the chaos precisely harnessing the power of aim compensation his attacks strike uniring pinpointing vulnerabilities with unparalleled accuracy utilizing strength penetration each strike carries an overwhelming Force sundering the defenses of numerous adversaries and subduing them amidst the chaos the battlefield becomes a canvas for his unparalleled skill as he systematically dismantles the demon lackes of Darkness with a display of unparalleled Mastery over the forces at his command the character then unleashes the Outburst acceleration contemplating that the Demon King has more subordinates than expected undeterred by the overwhelming numbers the character adeptly executes the bullet dance maneuver to neutralize the encroaching underlings meanwhile The Demon King is taken aback by the protagonist's unwavering determination and witnessing his formidable underlings fall at the hands of a mere human stuns the demon the realization that this lone Challenger poses a significant threat prompts The Demon King to intervene The Demon King raises his spear with a menacing flourish summoning a fierce gust of malevolent mana and the Eerie eyes shaped Stone embedded in his forehead begins to pulsate ominously channeling an Abrupt surge of devastating Mana aimed like a lightning bolt toward the protagonist the the attack unfolds with startling swiftness catching the character off guard as its speed surpasses his expectations however he luckily evades the attack contemplating that if that attack had hit him he would have died probably out of the blue The Demon King unleashes another deadly assault this time rather than solely focusing on evading the character decides to retaliate and launch a Counterattack against the demon king he shoots the demon with his gun but the monster moner remains unfazed and sarcastically remarks that it's laughable that a mere human dares use an attack of this level on him as the demon launches another assault the player realizes that the Demon King's barrier is absorbing his attacks and he wonders whether the rumors about the dark stone on the Demon's forehead being the only vulnerable spot hold any truth amid the chaos the character decides to do whatever it takes to pierce through the barrier however all his attempts prove feudal as the Demon King creates a protective layer around himself making it seemingly impossible to breach his defenses exuding confidence in his imminent Triumph the Demon King ridicules the character's efforts proclaiming his intention to demonstrate the vast difference in power between them with overwhelming magical prowess The Demon King conjures several vicious Mona balls and launches them simultaneously at the protagonist catching the character off guard despite his agility the character struggles to dodge the onslaught of attacks suddenly one of the vicious Mana balls directly hits the main character causing his weapon to fall to the ground meanwhile The Demon King taunts the protagonist asserting that his feeble attacks cannot reach him no matter how hard the character struggles the Demon King's arrogance stems from the belief that the mere player poses no threat to his overwhelming power in a sudden turn of events the player seizes control of the situ situation by summoning a new weapon through a magical Circle determined to test the Demon King's belief that nothing can breach his defenses and with resolve in their voice the player declares their intent to challenge this notion with unwavering determination the player unleashes the power of the Moonlight bullet aiming directly at the dark I like Stone barrier shielding The Demon King the bullet cracks the barrier and the unexpected breach of the impenetrable barrier enrages The Demon King with a menacing Proclamation the Demonic being asserts that the player's fate will be sealed by his hand unleashing a ferocious surge of malevolent Mana that envelops him realizing he's trapped in the Demon's Relentless assault the player acknowledges the looming threat contemplating the impending danger of being consumed by the overwhelming Force faced with the Grim Prospect of being overpowered the player understands it's time to go all out or face Inevitable Defeat in in a sudden surge of resolve and urgency he swiftly initiates the consecutive shot compensation technique a rapid fire barrage aimed to pierce through the Demon King's barrier in a pivotal move to defeat the demon king the player unleashes their ultimate and final attack Dawn's judgment the formidable power surges forth shattering the dark Mana enveloping the player and engulfing the battlefield in a radiant Brilliance that overwhelms the evil presence of the Demon King as the radiant energy engulfs the demon the player seizes the moment and delivers a decisive blow aiming directly at the Demon King's Head the shot Finds Its Mark with Precision bringing a definitive end to the tyrannical reign of the vicious ruler with the resounding defeat of the Demon King the game reaches its conclusion the player stands Victorious overcoming countless challenges and adversaries to emerge triumphant bringing closure to the epic battle the boy playing World virtue magic Marksman finds it amusing remarking that it is pretty fun as he didn't expect the magic skills to be that good he decides that this time round the character he will choose in the updated World 3 will be the Mage contemplating that a typical mage character would probably be boring he decides to make a special Mage through the world's Karma system this system offers the option to gain benefits at the cost of penalties involving risks that dissuade most people from utilizing it however intrigued by the idea of receiving additional stats despite the penalty traits the player sees this as an opportunity to create a character with distinctive abilities willing to take on risks for greater rewards the boy then starts choosing several penalty traits like puppet insomnia Mana addiction chronic headache and life draining talent for his new mage character he strategizes to maximize all magic related stats to create what perceives as the ultimate Mage even though all of this ultimately makes the character he created look like a sick person the boy doesn't care because according to him it is just a game character out of the blue a voice calls out jolting him to wake up as he opens his eyes he is shocked to find himself transformed into the mage character he had crafted in the game his astonishment deepens when he realizes he is now in an unfamiliar room completely bewildered by this sudden and inexplicable transformation and change in surroundings reflecting on his last memory the boy recalls the loading screen that appeared before the game commenced bearing an intriguing line first is a coincidence second is inevitable and third is fate as soon as the loading screen ended a black light followed out and he lost Consciousness in the powerful gravitation and it was as if he was being sucked inside suddenly a man forcibly pulls him out of bed yelling at him pondering when Leno will wake up the man ferociously smacks his face and tumbles him off the bed looking around the boy notices a crowd of people surrounding him at that moment he realizes that as pathetic as it may be he has become the weak character he had created the man ferociously commands him to run to the parts assembly room as the man leaves the boy's companions mock him wondering how he could keep sleeping until the supervisor comes one of them cynically remarks let him be as he is going to die anyways and when that happens the supervisor will take a beating too suddenly the supervisor fiercely commands them to hurry up and get moving which catches them off guard and they abruptly follow the supervisor's advice the supervisor then approaches one of the employees named Van asking if he has ordered the Viper the guy concurs stating that he will bring it when it arrives as they depart the boy contemplates that the supervisor called him Leno realizing that it was just a character he made to enjoy the game but he can't believe he has become stuck in this pathetic body after 3 days Leno contemplates that 3 days have passed since he woke up in this place which looks like some Factory he still doesn't know a lot but he gets used to the daily routine of this Factory shockingly quickly he gets up before the sun rises and works until he is about to collapse from exhaustion and before he sleeps he receives a bowl of rice porridge that looks more like food waste than food even if he tries to ask something the other workers refuse to exchange words with him part of it is because they are busy working under the boss's supervision but more than that the main reason is that they already view him as a dead man he somehow believes that they are not wrong because with a body this week he won't be able to last more than a few days in a place like this while while engrossed in his thoughts the carton he's carrying slips off his hands and the supervisor scolds him harshly referring to Leno as a worthless bastard and urges him to pick up the Fallen carton Leno abruptly apologizes however he is suddenly overcome by severe coughing fits causing alarm among the others the supervisor thinks he is going to die considering him an isore He commands van to put him off in a corner somewhere he then kicks Leno's face a asserting him to hurry up and piss off emphasizing that they are busy so he must not get in their way and urge him to die on the side or somewhere meanwhile Leno thinks that in this extreme situation he can retain his sanity because of the willpower he put into this character however so many illnesses and symptoms are killing him despite this body's overwhelming physical challenges and disadvantages Leno realizes its magical Talent remains unaffected he believes that if he can harness and unleash that innate magical ability it might offer him an opportunity to escape from his current predicament gazing at the door Leno contemplates the possibility of attempting to leave however he understands that to escape successfully he first needs to familiarize himself with the structure and layout of this unknown Place Lenox silently walks towards the door considering it's convenient that nobody pays any attention to him as he steps in it turns out to be a corridor with another slightly open door he wonders if it's a door that leads him to the outside intrigued he cautiously approaches the slightly open door and covertly peers outside hoping to catch a glimpse of what lies Beyond Leno discreetly Eaves drops on the conversation between the two Factory workers outside the room they discussed the newcomers remarking that those recently brought in are notably slow in their work one expresses dissatisfaction questioning what can be expected from individuals they regard as leftovers this worker suggests that these newcomers might eventually become more valuable or productive through enough punishment or beating the worker then states that it's concerning whether they can make the delivery to the union The Day After Tomorrow When the other worker Ponders what the union members will do with their products for them to rush to their Factory like this the fellow worker van responds that it's because the union takes their Shredder and sells it to the black Mage Leno is surprised to hear them talking about Black Mage and realizes that magic exists in this world if only he could use it as Leno processes this newfound information van shows his comrade a new body enhancer called Viper van highlights the product's origins mentioning it's from Calvin and Cubs and emphasizes the new filter incorporated into this strengthening liquid significantly reducing its toxicity to Leno's surprise he discovers that the tube contains Mana which catches his attention and suggests potential magical properties within this substance as he notices that substance suddenly his eyes turn blue and his entire body starts exuding Mana a shock Rings through him as if something had exploded inside his body that was the sixth sense which exceeds all the rest or the third eye soon he realized that it was his alter ego and he grasped a new insight that he hadn't been aware of until now it was constantly flowing in this world however he had only yet to recognize it the fundamental power that makes up this world the impetus that defines existence and the Mona swimming throughout the airf flow into his body with his breath he clenches his fist acknowledging that this power which is both familiar and unfamiliar is uncertainly the world's magic later that night while all the workers were sleeping Leno curled up in his blanket considered that he might be able to to escape with this amount of Mana recalling the workers's conversation about the union members arriving in 2 days Leno speculates that this event might cause a lapse in security measures on that day considering this potential vulnerability in security he begins to devise a plan hoping that this window of opportunity could Aid in his escape from the confines of his current situation he wonders if there is any way he can avoid attention and move alone suddenly he contemplates that if if he uses a similar method to light on the surface of his skin it will feel like he has a fever and with that he will be able to be left alone on the other hand van knocks on the supervisor's room door informing him that he has brought the Viper he discussed earlier the director acknowledges his efforts and offers him the Viper when van declines the supervisor insists citing Van's consistent diligence in carrying out his tasks as the reason for his generosity the supervisor is firm in his decision encouraging van to accept the Viper as a token of appreciation for his reliable performance in handling various assignments the man then asks him about Leno stating that the guy who was wobbling earlier looks like he will die soon and commands van to take care of him because if that guy stands out when a union member comes they will look bad for no reason and Van concurs to heed his command the following day as the alarm blares the workers wake up and abruptly hush to get ready considering that today is the day the union members are coming so the supervisors will be more pissed than usual suddenly their attention shifts to Leno who appears to be sweating excessively the concern arises among them as they believe his fever seems quite severe some workers even speculate that he might have already passed away pondering about the cleanup process if such an event were to occur meanwhile Leno pretending to be sick of observes the reaction around him and perceives that his plan seems to have succeeded noting the diversion of attention caused by his apparent illness soon van arrives there and the rest of the workers consider that Van's planning on sending Leno off clearly so one of them commands the rest of the workers that they should go to work reasoning that seeing something like that won't make them have good luck for the day in the interim Leno wonders what it means that van will send him off clearly and he becomes a astounded because this situation wasn't part of his plan van forcibly grasps his shoulder and gives him the Viper emphasizing that it's an active enhancer that temporarily improves his physical strength van adds that it's cheap but it will be enough for the road Leno has ahead of him Leno accepts the Viper and as Leno consumes the enhancer an astonishing transformation occurs within his body monor radiates from him a phenomenon he finds unbelievable considering this active enhancers significant Vitality he reflects that guy van ran an errand to the supervisor's room and after deliberating the situation he decides to change his escape plan on the other hand in the basement level of the Factory's loading dock the workers diligently load cargo into the containers meanwhile the union council member confronts the factory representative rebuking him over discrepancies in the number of products loaded he takes the credit for keeping this Factory in operation and asserts that they are cutting some slacks on the workers here because there's an ongoing indictment with the Human Rights Commission so they must show sincerity the factory supervisor abruptly bows down to apologize amid the commotion caused by the unm's behavior another supervisor appears visibly Disturbed and unexpectedly Leno arrives there with a container which startles him Leno informs him that he is on an errand to go to the director's office but it's locked so he requests the supervisor to unlock the room the supervisor yells at Leno asserting that he is already busy and inquires about the errand when Leno reveals that it's called Viper the supervisor reluctantly agrees to lead him to the director's room and urges him to follow on their way the supervisor continues reprimanding him claiming that he is busy and asks why someone asked a bastard like Leno to go on this errand wondering where they find a guy like him he then unlocks the door and urges him to put that container in the office quickly meanwhile Leno gathers his Mana in his fist and abruptly strangles the supervisor with a Mana bolt until he falls unconscious Leno swiftly seizes the keys near the supervisor's feet and embarks on a quest to uncover The elusive Viper concealed within the room his search leads him to discover a surprising Duo a gun and a jacket which he grabs without hesitation after a diligent exploration he uncovers the coveted Viper beneath the bed recognizing its extraordinary properties that can miraculously banish exhaustion and pain he eagerly Claims One marveling at its potent abilities since he came here only for this suddenly the other supervisor who used to scold Leno comes across the room and is taken back by the smell of Viper he abruptly enters the room yelling who dares to rest in here he is taken a to find his comrade Mark lying unconscious on the floor meanwhile unbeknownst to the supervisor Leno gathered his magic to attack him but the supervisor barely managed to evade it the supervisor is astonished to witness Leno wielding magic while Leno contemplates that he doesn't have enough magic to unleash another Bolt the supervisor gathers himself and lunges to assault that bastard however before he can proceed Leno brandishes the gun and points it at the super supervisor prompting the supervisor to halt his action the man raises his hands to surrender and requests Leno to calm down and handle the matter through dialogue furthermore he apologizes to the protagonist for everything he has done claiming he was under orders and had no choice he pledges that he won't tell anyone if Leno lets him Live While Leno knows that's a lie and isn't ready to believe a word he says however he wonders if he can even shoot a person suddenly an external voice inquires about supervisor ad's whereabouts from outside the room sensing the urgency lenoch prevents the supervisor from responding and remains silent in a covert plea the supervisor implores Leno to spare his life with no response from Leno the supervisor subtly points towards a nearby door indicating that it leads to the basement parking so Leno can use that route to exit the area before that guy comes however the protagonist seems hesitant to believe his words the supervisor's comrade who asks about ad D wonders if he is napping again considering he didn't respond earlier suspecting a d might be inside the colleague proceeds toward the director's room to check on him however upon opening the door he is wholly astonished or shocked by what he discovers on the other hand Leno swiftly drives the car into the basement while the worker there thinks it's Mark but he is taken back back when the car halts in front of him and Leno brandishes the gun at him urging him to open the door trembling in fear van concurs to open pleading with Leno not to shoot after a while he tremblingly informs the protagonist that the gate is opening so he can leave however the supervisor searching a day in the director's room finds the corpses inside and anxiously contacts van on the walkie-talkie commanding him to close the exit meanwhile Leno pointing the gun at Van hears all that so fearing for his life the worker abruptly turns off the walkie-talkie but Leno shoots him dead reasoning that if he leaves him behind he will become a problem Leno's High mental strength level-headedness and rationality surpass his guilt and fear and allow him to maintain his sanity during his Escape he encounters another gate but this time he doesn't halt instead he swiftly shatters the barrier by increasing the car's speed he realizes that level-headedness that grows even stronger in an extreme situation is unmistakably a mage's talent on the other hand in the H's building a man wearing a cloak is being chased by security they even fired bullets to Halt him but they missed the Target that suspicious man is taken aack to find a window ahead but he has no other choice so he jumps through it without a second thought his daring startles the security personnel as they can't believe jumped from this height and they assume he must be dead the security head retrieves a piece of the man's clothing struck the window and commands his underlings to go down and search asserting that they must have found his corpse conversely the protagonist arrives at the game's magic engineering City Balan and is utterly fascinated by the stark contrast it presents from world tuo and everything has a little Mana mixed into it Leno can feel the familiar power he felt in the factory on the streets of Balkan city which probably means that there's a considerable Mana contribution to this world's civilization however he feels exhausted because he put himself too hard while trying to escape he exhales a deep weary sigh and intends to use the Viper but after contemplation he decides not to use it too early because he only has a few of them so he should only use them for emergencies he heads towards a hostel to rest it takes him an hour to reach that place because he threw away his car and thankfully no one chased after him and now he can rest for the time being finally arriving at the hostel he longs to collapse onto the bed for much needed rest however utterly drained and Beyond the limits of his endurance he succumbs to unconsciousness only managing a few steps into the room before falling into Oblivion the following day he wakes up with a parched throat he groggy Rises and walks toward the refrigerator as he quenches his thirst with tin water he feels a little alive but suddenly a queasiness grips his stomach urging him to hasten toward the sink to vomit feeling extremely queasy he sits on the ground and he feels like his head is going to split open all the muscles in his body hurt like they are about to be ripped apart examining his Trembling Hands he contemplates whether this unsettling sensation might be attributed to the effects of Viper despite this Con concern he acknowledges the necessity of depending on stimulants if he intends to mobilize his body however a sudden rumbling in his stomach prompts him to consider that the nausea he's experiencing might stem from not having eaten anything for over 12 hours he hastily consumes a canned meal from the refrigerator only to find its taste unappealing simultaneously the room's telephone rings and the hotel management on the line informs him that he has 2 hours remaining until until the scheduled checkout time they ask if he would like to extend his stay when Leno agrees to extend his stay they notify him of the costs involved that the accommodations are 200,000 cell the canned food worth 20,000 cell so upon deducting his Advanced payment of 100,000 cell Leno's remaining balance is 120,000 cell requesting him to pay by today Leno can't believe the canned food is worth 10% of his stay he takes his money out of his pocket contemplating that he has 130,000 cell and after paying the hotel he would be left with 10,000 cell he realizes that at this rate he won't be able to stay for another day and he needs money to survive he notices his grown hair and decides to clean up before leaving he chops his hair as he doubts people will recognize him later after leaving the hotel he sits depressed in an alley assuming that it will be impossible to earn money legally because he thinks he is an illegal visitor in this world as he doesn't even have an identity however he deceives an alternate plan to beat up criminals and take their money which won't cause him many problems in the future either so he starts looking for them using his Mana manipulation ability Leno gathers Mana in his ears which helps him to Eaves drop on the conversations in the vicinity he hears that the new engineer at Palmer's the one that inspected the new AI for errors went missing and that they are searching for an agency uninterested in these particular conversations Leno filters out the irrelevant details eventually he intercepts a discussion relevant to his intentions in which a baddy asks someone to bring the stolen money to their destined area intrigued by the conversation about the stolen money Lenox sets off toward the designated location however amid his Pursuit he suddenly experiences dizziness causing him to stumble frustrated by the limitations of his physical condition he swiftly administers the Viper drug almost instantly he feels renewed strength and vigor revitalizing his demeanor with his resolve restored Leno is now prepared to pursue his goal of earning money with a reinvigorated spirit at that location two delinquents aggressively accost a frightened man forcing him to repeat something they had instructed him earlier trembling in fear the man retorts that if they wrap up this then there will be no problems the delinquent assaults him because he lost the money they stole but the poor guy desperately insists that he isn't lying as the money disappeared on the way since the delinquents find that he has no money they deceive a horrifying plan for the amount that's missing they plan to sell the man's body parts to recover their illegal money while the man cries out for help and his pleas Echo loudly in distress in a Swift and decisive move Leno intervenes as the delinquents are about to carry out their heinous plan utilizing his magical abilities he unleashes a bolt of energy that incapacitates and neutralizes the threatening asants effectively ending their nefarious intentions however the sudden Display of Power terrifies the man who frightened by Lenox actions pleads with him for salvation unsure of what to expect next in this unexpected turn of events shocked and intimidated by the unleash power the man's plea for safety reflects his fear and confusion amidst the chaos the protagonist pays no attention to that man's appeal instead he gathers the money from delinquent Pockets which is almost 700,000 cell and he considers that's much money with this he can get some clothes and medicine as Leno retrieves the gadget from the delinquent possession the frightened man anxiously implores him not to direct it toward him he hurriedly explains that it's a modified Dykes lays cutter initially intended for legal purposes but altered unlawfully to function as a weapon acknowledging the potential usefulness of the gadget for self-defense Leno stows it away in his jacket considering it an additional measure of protection attempting to assert Authority Leno commands the boy regarding the events witnessed that he must not tell anyone however before he can finish the trembling boy interrupts fervently assuring Leno that he will keep the incident a secret swearing never to disclose a word of what occurred today to anyone his anxiety and fear of repercussions are evident as he pleads for leniency and Promises to maintain absolute Silence about the incident Leno maintains a Stern gaze at the man expressing skepticism despite the man's assurances sensing the tension the man hastily offers assistance inquiring if Leno requires anything else acknowledging the man's nervousness Leno explains that since his recent arrival in the city he's seeking information about activities or occupations that someone can engage in without requiring identification emphasizing that it will be better if it uses magic later that night the protaganist arrives at the location the man tells him about which looks like a regular bar suspecting a potential facade or disguise he decides not to reveal his true identity drawing upon his magical abilities he adep manipulates his appearance and Alters his hairstyle understanding that he can't trust anyone but himself in this unfamiliar World Leno steps into the bar and when the bartender asks about his order he orders a light drink as the bartender serves his order Lano casually engages in conversation expressing his interest in seeking employment he inquires if there's any need for a mage or if there are any tasks that require magical expertise as lenon awaits the bartender's response to his inquiry about work suited for a mage a girl arrives and interrupts their conversation announcing that the working hours have concluded she asks what he is doing so the bartender informs him that the guy said he is a mage taken aback by Leno's appearance not fitting the conventional image of a mage the girl remarks that he doesn't look like one however acknowledging the scarcity of Mages she concedes that appearances may not necessarily defy one's abilities introducing herself as Jenny she appears to be more open-minded accepting Leno despite his unconventional appearance for a mage concealing his true identity Leno introduces himself as van because he can't say his real name Jenny asks him to share his abilities and asserts that she won't find it very amusing if he calls himself a mage when he has only learn some ordinary magic she emphasizes that he doesn't need to reveal what inherit Magic magic system he is with however he should tell her his attributes Leno gathers Mana in his fist and shows his magic bolt maneuver which startles Jenny she contemplates that it's rare because he activated it without a magic circle or a chant so she immediately offers him to write a contract she asks that since he came all the way here he must not be picky about the type of work and Leno concurs stating that anything would be fine except the stuff that involves messing with humans Jenny assigns him Bounty Hunter work assuring him that he will be paid immediately and that it's easy for him to determine the results she explains that the target Tyler Evans is a scavenger but 4 days ago he tried to steal Achilles security equipment Leno maintains his disguised identity as van and queries if the attempted theft implies that Tyler's Endeavor was unsuccessful noting that it would be highly improbable for a mere scavenger to breach a ailles Security in response Jenny discloses that all the other scavengers involved in the incident were murdered leaving Tyler as the sole survivor of the group that attempted the theft she continues to divulge more details explaining that Achilles took their hands off the case and passed them the cleanup since the scavenger Branch he's affiliated with also withdrew their involvement there won't be any problem when Leno inquires about the reward for capturing Tyler Jenny reveals it amounts to 3 million cell acknowledging that while it might not be exorbitant it's a decent sum for catching a rat observing the report she presented earlier Leno expressed interest in obtaining a blood sample collected during the investigation Jenny agrees to provide it but cautions Leno against using a blood Mage to track Tyler she dismisses the idea emphasizing that blood Mages are notorious for their exorbitant fees demanding 5 million cell or more per case portraying them as money hungry individuals whose Services would be too expensive for this Pursuit as Leno exits the bar he retrieves the target's blood sample from the envelope but instead of seeking a blood mageed assistance he opts for a different approach he places the sample on the ground considering alternative methods for tracking Tyler without relying on blood Mage reflecting on his knowledge of ordinary magic Leno recalls that the common magic he possessed es is something he devised while in world 2o he sifts through the mental list he compiled recollecting the variety of standard magical techniques he created during his time there intrigued by the possibilities he wonders if any of these techniques could be employed to assist him in tracking Tyler without the need for costly or specialized magical Aid soon he realizes that the most suitable magic to use now is TW Hunter type class magic bloody Chase he cast that maneuver on the cloth with the target's blood transforming the blood sample into a crimson snake the snake a manifestation of the spell swiftly guides Leno to an abandoned train station and comes to a halt beside a solitary man this catches the man off guard and he anxiously turns around bewildered by the unexpected presence as the man turned around Leno confronted him sternly and addressed him as Tyler Evans Tyler abruptly attempts to flee wondering how that young man found this place meanwhile lenot contemplates that he came here after making all the preparations to defend against any incoming attacks but never imagined he'd run away immediately the protagonist finds it more bothersome and contemplates the limitations of his current physical form recognizing the difficulty of chasing down someone in his present State lacking confidence in Long Range attacks he utilizes his magic to create a sound wave a maneuver intended to impede Tyler's flight and potentially hinder his Escape as the magical sound wave strikes Tyler he stumbles and collapses to the ground clutching his ears in excruciating pain as they begin to bleed meanwhile Leno advances toward the incapacitated man asserting that he shouldn't have just run away suddenly Leno is targeted by a sniper shot fortunately his magical protective layer acts swiftly intercepting and deflecting the incoming bullet surprised by the unexpected attack Leno is momentarily taken aback but swiftly realizes that his decision to create a defensive magical barrier as a precautionary measure was prudent he reinforces his defensive measures by activating another strengthen barrier considering that at this level he should be able to last for at least a while even if he gets hit by an anti-tank missile using his monom manipulation skills to search for the sniper Len KN extends his sensory reach within a 1 km radius however to his surprise he detects nothing in the immediate vicinity he wonders if that means either the sniper shot from more than 1 kilm away or used ways to camouflage so that simple Mana detection can't locate the sniper it's probably one of these two situations but contemplate the reason there could be to shoot him in his current appearance considering the broken barrier's location and the shots Direction Leno realizes that he isn't the Target and that the sniper is after Tyler he guesses that the sniper was trying to silence Tyler and probably was a scavenger but he dismisses his assertion since he doesn't care about what happens to them however it's a different problem if they get involved in his matters the protagonist grasps the gun and brandishes it at that man contemplating that he has no intention of letting the sniper who dared to kill Tyler in front of him go and he can't let the image of Hunter van become a shito so he shoots Tyler considering that the mor van is known to be a cruel and coldblooded hum the fewer people will want to get in his way meanwhile the sniper who is aiming at Tyler is taken aback to see that his Target is being killed by someone else Leno abruptly turns around and finds the presence of the sniper on the top of a building because the moment he killed Tyler the sniper's monowave had been in unrest recognizing the sniper proximity within a kilometer Leno recalls possessing a specific magic tailored for this range amidst his recollection of common Magics he recalls Thunder calling a potent lightning magic that can be wielded with a singleand gesture with determination he raises his fist Skyward leaving the sniper perplexed about his intentions and contemplating whether Leno will retract his magic or what his next move might entail in an instant prompted by Lenox execution of Thunder calling the sky transforms into a brilliant blue hue crackling with lightning catching the sniper entirely off guard without warning a powerful bolt of lightning surges from the sky striking the very building where the sniper had been positioned reducing it to Rubble in a chaotic explosion of energy observing the wreckage of the building Leno Marvels at the Staggering might of the maneuver realizing it surpasses anything he had witnessed in the game now equipped with with thunder calling he feels assured in declaring himself a lightning Mage to others drawing nearer to the demolished structure to inspect the aftermath Leno finds no trace of the sniper leading him to conclude that the sniper undoubtedly an extraordinary individual must have managed to escape leaving behind no discernable Trail however instead of chasing the sniper he contemplates that was enough for a warning and the lightning Mage Van's name to be made known later he returns to the bar and puts the bag in there stating that this is Tyler Evans however since the bar is full of customers this time the bartender informs him that there's a back door behind the building so that he could come in through that door stepping in through the back entrance Leno arrives just as the bartender is about to inspect Tyler's body realizing his oversight the bartender quickly informs Leno that this particular entrance should be used exclusively for work rated purposes he then examines the corpse and finds out that the cause of death is a gunshot wound To The Head And besides the gunshot wound he finds traces of his ears being injured impressed by the meticulous examination Leno inquires of the bartender whether he has a background as a coroner due to his thoroughness and the bartender admits that he used to do some similar work the man inquires if Leno wishes to claim his reward immediately specifying that the amount will be2 70,000 after subtracting a 10% processing fee he mentions that choosing alternative methods for receiving the money will incur additional processing charges when Leno inquires about these other options the bartender elaborates explaining that alternate methods include utilizing borrowed name bank accounts investing in bonds or stocks and occasionally involving more intricate money laundering procedures at the request of some individuals meanwhile Leno wed if the financial regulations in buul and similar to Earth shortly after Jenny arrives and applauds Leno for his Swift work acknowledging the speed with which van presumably Leno completed the task commenting that it appears van required the money urgently while having a seat she adds that with this type of bounty hunting it takes more time to find the target than to kill them so she asks van what kind of talents he has for him to have been able to find and kill Taylor so quickly Leno responds casually attributing his success to sheer luck impressed by Leno's capabilities Jenny is willing to continue working with him due to his evident competence Leno remarks that he is okay if they arrange other work for him now however Jenny denies it urging him to go back for now because they need to hand this to Achilles and find out what the Scavengers are up to before she reveals their impending work Leno Ponders whether it's too early for her to trust him in response Jenny remarks that they both are on the same wavelength and she guesses that van could say they need more time to get to know each other more just like dating however Leno dismisses her assertion retorting that he doesn't think that's the reason and leaves the bar stating that he will visit again soon as he leaves the bartender informs her that he tried to bypass the Scavengers Network and found something interesting he hands her the tablet informing her her that Van's mission is recorded and Jenny is amazed to see that the next day the protagonist visits the Balkan City Library he comes here to find out about the magic system of the world and he must also find ways to increase the lifespan of Leno whose life is burning away like a candle melting because of the karma system recognizing that time related magic might hold the key he anticipates finding potential Solutions within the realm of the world's highest ranked unique Magic he delves into the Mona Theory Book within the library's extensive collection its contents Enlighten him about Mona patterns revealing that each Mage possesses a distinct and unique Mona pattern furthermore he discovers that Arch Mages at level 8 or higher can manipulate these patterns offering a glimpse into the possibilities of altering one's Mona pattern he decides to implement the mage's thumbprint maneuver described in the book reflecting on the text mentioning that Arch m ages of level eight and higher can alter these Mana patterns he contemplates the significance and strength associated with being at level 8 in the Mage hierarchy as he meditates on level 8 mag's potential power and influence he infuses Mana into the maneuver described in the book as he channels Mana into the technique he observes the pattern shifting and changing in response to the flowing Mana though uncertain of the actual strength associated with level 8 he acknowledged his Proficiency in this magical manipulation while he remains engrossed in reading the books he doesn't realize that the entire library is empty however he notices a stark contrast from his initial expectations and experiences a fundamental shift in his understanding the concept of common magic that he previously knew about seems to have entirely vanished leaving him in a realm of new and unfamiliar magical Concepts magic can be categorized into two more significant categories unique and common unique Magic is a single type of magic that each Mage can learn which is more specialized and Powerful on the other hand common magic isn't that powerful but it has an overwhelmingly wide variety of applications regardless of attributes or its Target that was the case for World 2 however in this current world the concept of common magic remains conspicuously absent from documented references this ization perplexes the protagonist raising questions about how Leno could have employed a concept that seemingly does not exist in this realm despite Leno's remarkable abilities it appears implausible for him to utilize an idea that needs more existence and recognition within this world as the protagonist grapples with these queries his quest for information yields little regarding time related unique Magic or any Revelations regarding common magic this lack of finding leaves him with more unanswered questions and minimal progress in his search for Solutions so with a deep sigh as the protagonist is engrossed in his studies at the library a girl named Aris richin approaches him offering unsolicited advice suggesting that aspiring to become a mage is feudal and advises him to abandon such aspirations according to her hope only leads to enduring pain she expresses pity for his situation and remarks on the prolonged hours he spends reading books indicating that merely dedicating time to studying won't Grant him the status of a mage she believes he's far too late to pursue that path instead she recommends focusing on subjects like theoretical magic engineering implying it might be a more practical and achievable Pursuit for him Aris emphasizes that he can only learn magic by going to a school or a university if he can't find a teacher however he can't enter a university without any foundations and even if he gets in by luck he won't gain anything from the lectures according to her he can do nothing by himself as it's a field of study where talent and Luck play such a role even if he has much passion she then apologizes to him stating that she doesn't know why she is telling this to a stranger and reminds him that it's past the closing time and she needs to arrange the book so she requests him to leave lenoch inquires if her advice stems from her personal experiences and suggests that if she is a student perhaps it's premature to contemplate giving up he proposes that rather than conceding defeat wouldn't it be more beneficial for her to exhaust every possible Avenue before reaching such a conclusion his unexpected response startles her prompting a moment of surprise or shock in response to his suggestion she places her business card on Leno's chest finding his reaction somewhat ridiculous as she doesn't expect him to heed her advice so readily she turns around asking him to forget it and states that she will show him some magic if he returns next time as she departs Leno refers to her as an odd woman when he gazes at her business card he is surprised to know that she is a chair professor of Elemental Magic faculty at labitan University he's Amazed by this Revelation finding it hard to believe that someone who appears so young could hold such a prestigious academic position he then departs from the library and on his way he plans to buy the groceries and head towards the market while contemplating that if he wants to eat something he should cook something nutritious however his thoughts are abruptly interrupted as he is startled to see a police officer investigating an individual nearby feeling anxious Leno quickly turns around attempting to remain composed and wonders if they might be looking for him as he continues walking someone calls him and Leno turns around and asks the girl if she is talking to him in response the girl asks if he has done something wrong remarking that he was glancing at the Mona pattern check as if he was guilty of a crime she emphasizes that the way he looks at the Mana pattern inspection makes him look guilty of something at that moment Leno realizes that the Mana pattern is like a fingerprint that's how they inspect things in world 3o she then asks why why he arrived and the protagonist responds that he wants to buy vegetables he asks about her identity and also inquires about the previous lady who used to work at the shop the girl informs him that the lady was an employee and now the one he is dealing with is the owner of this green grer she further tells him that she grows these vegetables as a hobby although somewhat surprised by her production scale Leno remarks that she must be wealthy if she grows such a large quantity as a hobby the girl unexpectedly agrees with his observation and prompts him again if he intends to make a purchase unable to discern if she's being truthful Leno maintains his uncertainty and responds that he's still contemplating his choices sensing his situation the shop owner hands him a particular type of onion mentioning its efficacy for insomnia because noting his looks it seems he needs it in addition to the recommended onion Leno buys a few green onions and six bell peppers while putting his vegetables in a bag the girl unexpectedly remarks that Lenox Mana is pretty unique suddenly her eyes take on a green Hue as she addresses Leno questioning what a mage like him is doing in that place furthermore she remarks that she would have remembered that precise pattern wondering if he had recently come to the Balon however Leno pretends that he doesn't know what she is talking about while deep down he wonders who this this woman is because she realizes he is a Mage and casually talks about his Mana pattern the girl hands lanak his grocery bag and informs him that the total amount is 32 K cell the protagonist takes the bag and pays her the required amount as he departs the girl casually bids him to come again reflecting on the encounter Leno turns back pondering whether the girl might have seen the leaked Mona pattern from his barrier magic puzzled by how she could discern the Mana pattern with her bare eyes considering that even the police rely on devices to read such patterns Leno speculates on the girl's abilities he considers the possibility that she possesses a particular skill or might be a mighty Mage both of which he perceives as potentially unfavorable circumstances for him this unexpected recognition by a stranger prompts Leno to reassess his use of magic and makes him resolve to be more cautious in controlling and concealing his magical abilities after that day he spent days in his hotel room researching magic to improve the common magic he already knew but he still couldn't find a clue regarding inherent magic and his body didn't get better as he had to depend on drugs for the time being he needed a proper identity and enough money to get better drugs after spending days in seclusion he visits the bar and expresses his desire to get an identity pondering if it is possible Jenny acknowledges that obtaining an identity is possible but comes with a hefty price tag roughly around 20 million cell however she reassures him not to fret over the cost because she intends to propose a new job for him regardless she informs him that there are plenty of jobs he can take on comfortably for lots of money when it comes to the magic he has when Leno P the work she elaborates that this one's a request from a business that will get him more money than bounty hunting she acknowledges that van prefers bounty hunting but emphasizes that taking those requests from companies will be good if he thinks about the earnings she sarcastically Pond if he enjoys chasing insane criminals to which Leno still in his van Persona affirms that he doesn't like that Pursuit Jenny commends his remark and then invites him to go somewhere else to talk after taking him to a separate room she informs him that the target of the requester is Charlotte corporation's new make up Factory in District 42 80% of the construction fee was Government funding so there's a bit of drama on that she elaborates that the moisturizer they were supposed to make underwent much human testing prompting Leno to wonder about human testing Jenny reveals that Charlotte Corporation is famous for anti-aging techniques that are supposed to regenerate even dead skin there's evidence that they even stripped an entire Face's skin off a person in the development process because they wanted to recreate a perfect environment or something it startles Leno and he anxiously Ponders if the truth is revealed as he doesn't see what more work needs to be done however Jenny dismisses his assertion asserting that there's no way Charlotte Corporation would give the factory up and adds that they even took money from the government so what would they care about some nasty rumors while Leno checks the details on the laptop she elaborates that the requester this time is vardis Corporation they recently got into the makeup business and want to win against the competition Charlotte she explains that ves's request only has two conditions first hacking after infiltration 350 million sell for Charlotte's makeup manufacturing data and if he doesn't want to do the first condition then the second one is 50 million cell for destroying the factory Beyond recovery when Leno remarks that the first condition sounds impossible Jenny concurs that 350 million cell is insufficient to hire someone skilled enough to infiltrate and hack according to her this offer might be more of a test to see if anyone naive enough would take the bait while the genuine intention lies in destroying the factory given the perceived Simplicity of the task Leno confidently agrees to undertake the assignment showcasing his Assurance Jenny commends his confidence and Readiness to accept the job despite its potential risks and implications she then mentions that she will introduce a partner working with him on this however it startles the protagonist because she hasn't said that earlier soon that person entirely covered in a costume barges into the room prompting Leno to wonder who he is Jenny introduces Dylan o Casey to Leno revealing that he is a mercenary affiliated with ANS furthermore she mentions that he is famous for being cheap to hire however Dylan Ponders what that mage will think of him if she introduces him like that and emphasizes the importance of making an excellent first impression but Jenny doesn't take it seriously and sarcastically calls him a crazy Mass dude Dylan then greets Leno who introduces himself as van specifying his expertise as a lightning Mage the protagonist wonders about the rationale behind having a partner prompting Jenny to explain that she was seeking an additional person as the job appeared too overwhelming for just one one individual in a sarcastic tone Dylan asserts his capability to handle the job alone claiming that Jenny had mentioned the possibility of hiring one more person so he was waiting accordingly however Jenny looked sternly indicating disagreement or disapproval toward Dylan's false assertion or Claim about being fine to handle the task solo noting Dylan's nonserious attitude Leno comments that he would prefer if Jenny let him know ahead of time about working with with a partner and Jenny concurs stating that she will keep that in mind the protagonist then Ponders if they will divide the 50 million cell in half while Dylan responds that Jenny probably takes a bit too however Jenny acknowledges that she has made a mistake this time so she won't take any which startles Dylan he starts mocking her about how that is possible and what's up with her today because she loves money while Leno is taken aack that she made up for the mistake on the spot Leno considers it an excellent way to make up for this mistake but he wonders if it is really a mistake or maybe she's just trying to cross the line with him inwardly contemplating the situation Leno resolves that if Jenny tries further manipulations he will handle it confidently as he already has the upper hand in this relationship anyway meanwhile irritated by Dylan's mockery Jenny smacks Dylan's head on the table accusing him of this fault and then asks Leno if they should look at the factory blueprint contrasting the underdeveloped 50s District the 40s districts especially those with lower numbers boast substantial facilities being entirely satisfactory even compared to the higher numbered districts the targeted Factory of Leno and Dylan is located in District 42 while walking towards the factory Dylan remarks that Jenny seems to hold Leno in pretty high regard reasoning that she is usually not the kind of woman who would easily give up on money usually she would take some processing fees but Dylan speculates that Jenny believes fostering a positive relationship with Leno is a more advantageous choice in this scenario meanwhile Leno contemplates if Dylan was listening to their entire conversation at the bar and wonders if he is the type to hide who he truly is with his flashy appearance Dylan hands him a business card prompting Leno to wonder what this is for the masked guy informs the protagonist that he doesn't need to stick to just one place for work Leno asks if he is trying to recruit him right now and Dylan responds that there is no harm in befriending as many Mages as possible in fact he believes it could benefit Leno he acknowledges that his office might be rough but he adds that his agency has many guys skilled at using their bodies like him however he asks Leno to keep what they are talking about a secret from Jenny while the protagonist sarcastically responds that Dylan is a smooth talker and wonders if that guy is as good at working after a while they reach the Charlotte Factory and Leno covertly Espionage the area by perching on Dylan's shoulder to get a better Vantage Point Leno notices that the security measures appear relatively LAX notably sloppy and inadequate however Dylan remarks who would be crazy enough to mess with a big corporation like Charlotte and asserts that he wouldn't even be looking in their Direction if vardis hadn't asked him to he reveals that those security Troopers are from Triple 8 they are all ex-criminals and thugs so they are the lowest Quality Security Troopers even amongst other security companies he concludes that just means they will feel less guilty even if they kill one or two of them by mistake Leno then turns around to start their mission but Dyan halts him pondering if he will work with his face exposed furthermore he adds that there security might be wrong however there's still no need for Leno to expose his identity so he offers a mask to Leno to cover his face but the protagonist doesn't accept it and walks away stating that it doesn't matter however Dylan insists that he can't do that because it's dangerous and asks what if Charlotte security chases after him because of Leno the protagonist reluctantly agrees improvising by covering his face with his turtle neck shirt and sets out to commence the Mission the strategy for this request is simple Dylan infiltrates the factory through the back door and attracts attention while Leno will enter through the warehouse head further inside and destroy the factory while the plan may seem uncomplicated it would be Dylan if Leno were to identify any potential variables the massed man abruptly barges into the factory and assaults the two guards in the yard in no time he suddenly spots another guard who appears to be alerting additional guards using a walkie-talkie Dylan hurriedly approaches the guard and swiftly subdues him before he can relay any warnings to the rest of the security team meanwhile Leno is Amazed by his performance realizing that his earlier worries were unfounded and acknowledging Jenny's knack for choosing competent individuals before taking any action the protagonist uses the Viper and heads towards the warehouse however he finds that the door is locked so in that case Leno gets the chance to use the Dy slays cutter which he got from the delinquents and opens the door upon entering Leno encounters an elderly security guard holding a gun visibly trembling As He commands Leno to raise his hands the protagonist recognizes that the person is an ordinary guard rather than a highly trained security operative so he uses the natural sleep maneuver this technique renders the guard unconscious causing him to collapse to the ground while Leno reflects on the importance of preventing innocent civilians from getting involved in the impending explosion the protagonist then employs an invisible string to control the unconscious guard by unleashing the marionette maneuver which causes the guard to walk out of the factory like a puppet controlled by strings descending the stairs Leno overhears the commotion and Chaos within the factory inferring that Dylan is effectively drawing attention as planned observing the situation Leno assumed assumes that everything will be smooth sailing until it's over amidst the chaos a security Trooper attempts to shoot Dylan however he swiftly incapacitates The Fighter by striking him with a bag he was towards the unconscious Warrior considering the number of lower level security Personnel was more significant than anticipated upon entering the Factory's working area Dylan is surprised to discover the absence of any troops inside assuming they might have pursued the Mage how however his astonishment is short-lived as he proceeds further Dylan is suddenly confronted by dozens of troops aiming their laser guns directly at him despite the alarming situation Dylan remains unperturbed even experiencing a sense of satisfaction at the turn of events meanwhile one of the Troopers warns him that they will open fire if he doesn't bow down in 5 seconds nevertheless despite the imminent danger and the Troopers threatening stance the massed man man acknowledges that the Assembly of so many fighters around him is a testament to his proficiency and skill in his line of work now he doesn't have to hunt each of them down anymore Dyan emanates an aura of mana and swiftly launches an aggressive attack against most Troopers using his dagger despite the remaining guards opening fire on him he skillfully evades their shots effortlessly overpowering them with his Superior skill standing firm and in control he sternly Ponders who will be the next one to face his prowess on the other hand Leno notices the presence of a temperature control gas system a common feature in large factories he forcefully rotates the gas valve to turn it on and asserts that this quantity of gas will be sufficient to cause a substantial explosion potentially engulfing the entire area as the gas starts leaking he employs the ignite maneuver to light a spark he considers that creating Flames isn't difficult because he uses Elementary ignition magic now all that is left for him is to set this spell to activate after both he and Dylan Escape he then contemplates that he should thank the vegetable stall lady because after meeting her he worked on changing and utilizing common magic which taught him that simple common magic could be combined he then creates a Magic Timer and sets it to 5 minutes he plans to evacuate the factory before the timer runs out ensuring that safe exit from the impending explosion suddenly he hears a commotion and wonders what that sound is at the same time Dylan who is dealing with the guards also notices the commotion someone is attempting to forcefully enter the factory by trying to breach the metal shutter causing a disturbance that grabs Lenox and Dylan's attention soon the shutter collapses and a crocodile like creature strides in addressing Dylan about the chaos he has caused Leno abruptly hushed uses out of the basement to know the reason for the commotion and is taken back to see that giant crocodile he hides behind the pillar to contemplate the situation upon the creature's arrival Dylan remarks that it's been a while and it seems they already know each other in response the crocodile comments that it's nice to see him again and asks Dylan about the well-being of his boss Andreas Dylan assures the creature that Andreas is indeed alive and in good health Mr col crocodile further asserts that he doubted him when he said he wanted to start a business and left by himself however it seems Dylan's boss has something up his sleeve undeterred the masked guy acknowledges that his boss is quite the Pioneer to which the creature laughs sarcastically and asserts that Dylan must understand the situation he is in Dylan asks Mr car crocodile how much they pay him and he is sad to hear that they have paid the creature 10 billion cell to kill him which startles Leno however Dylan tells the crocodile that killing him wouldn't be easy and asks if he could toss that bag Mr Kahan crocodile casually tosses that bag toward Dylan and refers to it as a toy as Dylan extracts the spear from the bag he firmly declares that despite Mr crocodile's trivialization the spear will inflict significant pain upon him the crocodile smacks him aside with a mere punch and remarks that the MK bastard is still as silly as ever Dylan realizes that the spear is not working well for him today but then swiftly retrieves an axe from his bag and rushes to assault that creature urging that it won't be easy this time however Dylan's confidence is shortlived as the crocodile consistently overpowers him regardless of the weapons Dylan attempts to wield meanwhile Leno is taken about to see that and wonders what he should do if that creature goes with that brute strength he cont contemplates that there are only 2 minutes and 17 seconds left until ignites activation realizing that they are cutting it close seeing how Dylan's acting like that without even considering running away when he was so enthusiastic earlier Leno acknowledges that crocodile bastard is definitely on another level with resolve Leno gathers his Mana in his fist determined to contribute what he can before exiting conversely unaware of Leno's presence Mr K crocod expresses disappointment in Dylan's show of power according to him Dylan isn't as good as before and asserts that he doesn't even have the bloodthirst from when he first met him acknowledging Mr Q crocodile's strength Dylan retorts that it feels like Mr Crocodile is getting stronger as time goes on he then covertly retrieves his concealed daggers from his back and emanates a crimson Aura wondering if the crocodile can feel some bloodthirst now Dylan abruptly rushed uses to assault that creature even though the crocodile deflects his attack with his bare fist however this time Dylan gives that creature a tough time but still his efforts prove feudal because the crocodile skillfully thwarts all his attempts suddenly Mr kooken Crocodile lands a surprise attack on Dylan which catches him off guard however just as the crocodile's attack is about to hit its Mark Leno intervenes he swiftly employs his lightning bind magical maneuver over causing lightning bolts to trap and immobilize the gigantic creature and render it unable to move meanwhile Dyan considers it as the first and last chance they have to defeat that old bastard and leaps to assault him surprisingly before Dylan executes his move the crocodile effortlessly shatters the effect of Leno's maneuver despite being struck by that maneuver initially the crocodile doesn't let his guard down and quickly deflects Dylan's assault by strangling him tightly the crocodile sternly asks Dylan why he didn't mention his association with a mage friend sarcastically expressing that the situation was nearly mundane but finds the sudden Revelation cute and amusing furthermore he asserts that he will send Dylan off first so he can play with his little Mage friend with Incredible strength the crocodile delivers a powerful strike to Dylan's face sending him hurdling through the wall with a forceful impact the sheer force behind behind the blow causes Dylan to crash outside the building afterward the crocodile looks around to find that Mage meanwhile unbeknownst to it Leno rushes outside the building contemplating that the creature is okay after being hit with lightning bind which is strong enough to melt steel and considers that the winner has already been decided as he steps outside he looks around for Dylan and soon finds him lying unconscious on the ground he moves closer unsure if Dylan is still conscious but to his relief he is alive Leno quickly considers how to safely transport him away from the factory to prevent any potential danger despite his concerns about Mana addiction he decides not to dwell on it at this moment instead he uses strength and speed reinforcement to enhance his capabilities he then provides his shoulder support to lift Dylan so they can get far from the factory because it will explode soon meanwhile Mr K crocodile diligently scourers the area tirelessly searching for any trace of Leno consumed by curiosity about his whereabouts and oblivious to the imminent danger that Leno is earnestly striving to avert unexpectedly detecting something a miss Mr covers a crocodile's instincts kick in however Lenox ignite maneuver triggers the gas particles before he can react causing the entire Factory to erupt into flames and be reduced to ashes in mere moment amidst the burning Factory Leno conjures a magical protective shield around them to safeguard against potential harm Dylan groans that he thinks all the bones in his body are crushed prompting Leno to wonder if he can walk by himself extremely exhausted by the intense ordeal Leno retrieves the Viper from his jacket and drinks it relying on its effects to ease his weariness noticing him Dylan Ponders if that's a physical strengthening stimulant and when Leno concurs Dylan anxiously remarks that he has heard those stimulants have pretty severe side effects but Leno is drinking them without any problem which surprises him the protagonist doesn't respond to his concerns and remarks that their task or the request is probably a success furthermore he shares his thoughts with Dylan that he thought it would be a battle between humans and a monster but considers that Dylan is a pretty tough monster himself and asks if this is what it's like for superhumans who use their bodies to fight however Dylan retorts that he doesn't know what he is talking about but will take it as a compliment Dylan then lifts him through his jacket's collar urging him to get up quickly if he doesn't want to die and emphasizes that they need to get out of there the protagonist anxiously Ponders if he thinks the monster is still alive in response Dylan asserts that he doesn't just assume that instead he is sure that the monster crocodile is all right he asks Leno if he isn't aware of who that older man is and surprised by his lack of knowledge about the creature Dillan expresses disbelief questioning if Leno has been secluded in the mountains or somewhere else to be unaware of the crocodile's identity Dylan reveals that the crocodile is kroen aillis from pandemonium on the other hand the crocodile emerges from the fiery wreckage of the factory which is still under Fire referring to Dylan and Leno as rats and vowing that he will kill them Dylan further informs that the guy was a mercenary after he retreated from being a mercenary he worked as an executive of pandemonium not only is pandemonium a notorious Global criminal organization that only invites hazardous criminals or Outlaws to join them but he became an executive there quickly however Leno finds it hard to believe that an organization would appoint such a monstrous individual to an executive role suddenly croen crocodile barges out of that blazing rubble and catches their attention sensing the imminent danger Dylan urges Leno to flee as kroen walks towards them however before they can make a considerable distance kroen swiftly charges effectively blocking their escape with a fierce attack Dylan suffers severe injuries from the crocodile's razor sharp claws and Falls unconscious while Leno is knocked aside struggling to regain balance Leno contemplates that although this is a world where one can strengthen their body as much as they want with Mana he considers that Ken's power is crossing the line kroen mocks the protagonist pondering if that skinny bone over there is a Mage and laughs sarcastically remarking that he looks young for a mage meanwhile the protagonist stares at Dylan considering that it would be impossible to run away with Dylan's current state he contemplates that if he needs to fight that monster he must try to end the fight as fast as possible because the longer the argument goes on the Lesser his chances of winning are he confidently approaches the crocodile to confront him kroen asks if he is the Mage kid who fired the lightning magic furthermore kroen sarcastically asks if no one has taught Leno that he shouldn't fire that at someone's legs when Leno asserts that a crocodile isn't a human though kroen bursts into laughter stating that Dylan has brought a pretty gutsy brat along and urges that if he hadn't messed with the factory he might be spared the crocodile asserts that he needs to work for the money he receives so he attacks Leno assuring that he will give him a painless death however the protagonist remains unfazed and employs the gravity bind maneuver which binds Ken's hands and legs while the crocodile considers it a Nifty trick confident in his strategy Leno believes that the heavier the target the more the target's movements are restricted and it will be hard to get out of that however his assertion infuriates kroen and he challenges Leno to check it out however before he can free himself from that magical bind Leno employs more binding magic which Tangles the crocodile inside the crocodile ferociously urges if Leno thinks that a few strings like this could withstand his strength soon The Binding magic ins snares Ken's mouth while Leno smirks that it's finally quiet nevertheless he realizes that this much won't do it so he intends to use the remaining money and gather Mana in his hand however before he can execute any further tactics kroen fiercely shatters that binding magic and sternly warns the protagonist that soon he will be ripped apart like this despite Ken's Stern warning Leno remains composed and sarcastically apologizes to the crocodile stating that he doesn't intend to stay still and get ripped apart and refers to him as a Ric monster Leno gathers Mana asserting that he doesn't intend to reserve any energy in this dire situation where his life is on the line he draws Mana from his surroundings which catches kroken offg guard and he wonders what trick Leno is trying to pull now when Leno continues to activate his magic Koken ferociously lunges to assault his rivalry however before he can lay a hand on Leno the protagonist swiftly deploys Frost Soul Magic which traps the crocodile in an ice Crystal rendering him unable to move after that Leno realizes that he might have overexerted his mana and suddenly his attention is diverted to Dylan who is shrouded in ice due to Leno's magic groans that he is freezing to death Leno walks toward him pondering if he is still alive and Dylan concurs reasoning that his gorex suit is best for the cold Dylan gets up immediately and tells Leno they must get out before the older man escapes the Ice Crystal the protagonist concurs asserting that he thinks the crocodile will escape soon however before they can take any action kren's movements cause the crystal to tremble and crack which takes them aback as they realize they will be in a precarious situation Dylan emphasizes that they must do something before he breaks out to which the protagonist agrees but he contemplates that he barely has any Mana left and wonders what he has to do suddenly an idea hits his mind and with Newfound confidence he declares his intention to end the battle using a particular strategy this declaration piques Dylan's curiosity about his next move Lena considers using common magic which specializes in supporting long range weapons that he can use with little mana and shooting combo magic which he used a lot as a magic Marksman in world 2o he uses magic Maneuvers like trajectory guidance penetration reinforcement and projectile acceleration to shoot that giant crocodile despite his concerns that this old gun can't handle the Mana he considers that this will end this fight he employs aim assist magic and shoots Mr kuk Koken before he can free himself from that giant Ice Crystal the impact of the Mana infused bullet shatters the Crystal and hits Ken's eye Dylan remarks that he didn't think Leno would use a gun and P if it works this time the protagonist remarks that it must have because he doesn't have any strength left unexpectedly Mr Groen reappears commending it as an excellent move his sudden appearance catches Leno offu leaving him astonished by the giant creature's ability to capture the bullet with his eyelid Leno taken aback by this turn of events reflects on his meticulous use of four types of support magic to enhance the gun's power despite these enhancements kroen managed to counter the attack with the sheer muscle strength of his eyelid leaving Leno shocked by the Monstrous Display of Power kroen responds sarcastically acknowledging that he doesn't consider himself an average human unperturbed he casually removes the bullet from his eyelid mentioning that it still stings a bit and causes a small amount of bleeding but it doesn't affect him much Leno tries to induce Mana but he realizes that he has no Mana left so sensing the impending danger he grabs the dykes lays cutter as his only hope meanwhile Dylan retrieves his dagger preparing to confront the crocodile Mr Chuy kroen reminds them of his earlier promise to grant them a painless death but quickly reneges on that statement and lunges to assault which catches them off guard the forceful blow generates an immense explosion scattering their gadgets and shattering the protective barrier that Leno had conjured despite the devastation Leno is astounded to find himself still alive and suddenly his attention is drawn to a lady who appears to be single-handedly holding back Ken's attack kroen acknowledges that he has delayed too much realizing that the city's government hunting dog evelin has arrived the enigmatic woman emanating green Mana firmly declares to kroen that he has gone too far this time Evin then skillfully deflects Ken's assault and Ponders if he believes he would go unnoticed after blowing up an entire Factory which startles kroen furthermore she adds that she thought pandemonium would stay under the radar for quite a while urging his purpose for causing havoc in District 42 kroen interrupts proclaiming his innocence that he didn't do this to the factory and shifts blame pointing his finger towards Dylan and Leno insisting that the two of them are responsible for the explosion at the factory EVN gazes at them and Dylan abruptly nods his head that they haven't done anything so she urges kroen to cut the crap asking if the guys who were about to get their heads busted by him destroyed this whole building the crocodile contemplates that to be fair it makes more sense that he had destroyed the factory than to presumed that it blew up because he was incapable of stopping them so he changes his verdict stating Evelyn to believe what she will and asserts that he can't deal with anymore Evelyn anxiously Ponders if he is fleeing in respon response kroen turns his back claiming that fighting an agent of the government wasn't part of his contract so he has no reason to do anything that would put him at a disadvantage meanwhile Leno is taken aback by the sudden turn of events finding it hard to comprehend that the monster is evading confrontation which Sparks his curiosity about the lady's power compared to kroen as the crocodile departs Evelyn shifts her attention to Dylan and Leno inquiring about their well-being Dylan bows his head in gratitude thanking her for intervening while Leno assures her that they're all right and expresses gratitude for her timely intervention that saved them she takes off her mask responding that they don't have to thank her because as a government employe she has to protect them Leno is taken back to see her face as he realizes she is the lady he met at the green grosser stall meanwhile EVN offers assistance to help Leno stand but he hardly manages is to stand alone she expresses a feeling of familiarity mentioning that it seems like she's seen him before but Leno denies any prior acquaintance stating he doesn't recall such an encounter the protagonist contemplates that he didn't think she was ordinary but he didn't expect her to be a government Elite either and recalls that she wasn't lying when she said she makes much money on the other hand she expresses skepticism indicating that he can't be the same person she encountered before due to the distinct nature of his Mana pattern Leno reflected when she said that he has unique mana and what a mage like him is doing at this place he didn't anticipate starting to use what he learned from their first encounter in their second encounter he smirked contemplating that changing his Mana pattern every time he used magic helped out as she didn't find he was the same person she had met at the vegetable stall she puts her mask on and sternly advises him to avoid getting being involved with pandemonium if he wants to live a long life after that she lunges and leaves that place as she departs Dylan remarks that they have gone lucky and Leno coldly warns him that he will give up many of today's rewards the protagonist reflects that none of this would have happened if Dylan got out of the factory quicker he also takes the credit that he was the one who brought time against kroen so he wonders yet the dichotomy of Dylan attributing their success to luck rather than strategy and effort pisses him off Dylan then Pats his shoulder assuring that since Leno has saved his life he can have the entire reward except for 10 million cells which means he can have 40 million cells however despite that generous gesture Leno remains unimpressed and wonders that even though he got money from Dylan it still feels like he is at a loss Leno then uses the Viper to ease his weariness but it surprises Dylan and he abruptly halts him from drinking it emphasizing that it's not good for his health when the protagonist remarks that it's none of his business Dylan suggests he grow his muscles like him but Leno urges him to shut up asserting that he wasn't even helpful later Leno comes out of his washroom and he tremblingly approaches his bed due to severe diarrhea for a week after the Charlotte Factory task he remains uncertain whether his illness is because of the Mona addict trait or because he over do on viper his sickness is so severe that he ends up sleeping continuously for four entire days grappling with the aftermath of his ailment he gazes at his trembling hands and summoning some resolve concludes that he can't continue this way recognizing the necessity of strength and determination to face challenges and threats he decides to start consuming proper meals instead of relying on preserved Foods additionally he resolves to find better drugs how however before embarking on these changes he acknowledges the urgency of collecting his payment the next day he visits the bar and Jenny cheerfully greets him referring to him as their valued customer she then asks where he has been for the past 10 days to which Leno vaguely responds that he has some matters to attend to Jenny sarcastically remarks that it's a shame as if he had died she could have taken the reward for herself Leno contemplates that he felt like he was about to die because of the Mana addiction side effects despite this he resolves not to reveal his vulnerability to her he inquires about Dylan's whereabouts and she updates him that Dylan arrived that day expressing his intention to hand over 40 million to Leno she opens a briefcase full of money in front of Leno asserting that she has charged Dylan the transfer fees so he doesn't have to worry about that additionally she informs him that vardis has given him a bonus asking him to check it out 60 million cells consisting of 61 million cell bills as Leno expresses curiosity about the 1 million cell bills Jenny explains that these bills are utilized as a tool by the higher-ups to convey their sincerity in transactions easily she then compliments Leno on his performance during the job and casually mentions that she heard about his close encounter with the old crocodile in response Leno reveals that he actually would have died if someone hadn't intervened in the end he asks Jenny if she has heard the name evelin to which she responds that she doesn't know much except that evelin is a direct agent for the state government stating that he can consider her as an armed unit managed directly by the government with massive funding Leno then asks what pandemonium is informing her that the Croc was part of it Jenny reveals that among all the gangs murderers and criminals that group is treated like like royalty they only invite people that they like so not much information about them gets leaked according to her the only ones they know our members are those like kroen whose tracks have been well known since before she states that encounters with pandemonium are like encountering a natural disaster so if he is unlucky he will die or if he is lucky like before he will survive at that moment Leno realized why Dylan was so calm even on the brink of death Jenny then handed him a paper stating that he had asked her about making a fake ID back then and Leno concurred she informed him to visit the place mentioned on that page she asks him to get a bank account and a phone emphasizing that he has no idea how hard it is to prepare this much cash Leno acknowledges her concern and asks for one more favor later the protagonist with a new appearance arrives at the location mentioned by Jenny upon arrival a bald man swivels his head to acknowledge the protagonist who informs him that Jenny sent him to this location the man greets the protagonist mentioning that Jenny has spoken about him he assumes that Leno must have heard the details roughly so he asks him to settle the payment first the protagonist honing a new appearance hands him 1 million cell which excites the man who remarks that Leno has brought something precious here the man even takes a moment to sniff the money noting that these notes are typically reserved for high ranking individuals who prefer cash transactions he emphasizes that these notes aren't easily accessible not even by commercial Banks he concludes that Leno must be an essential customer to Jenny given the Rarity and significance of the transaction he asks Leno to wait for a little while as he has to bypass the Balkan resident registration Network first Leno Ponders if he is changing the Network's information but the Baldi denies his assertion the hacker reveals that he is just changing the basic identity details like name age picture and address not the live data he changes the outgoing signals automatically to forge Lenox identity emphasizing that it would work as a standard identification however he warns that if someone is determined to find flaws and monitors the network Leno will get caught immediately when the protagonist expresses his concern s that it doesn't sound safe to him the hacker mentions that there is a better method according to the hacker if he bribes the network administrator he can change the information directly but the price will be about 400 million cell the hacker informs him that he has logged into the network and mentions that he will now find a longtime missing person's ID reactivate it and change the outgoing value confirming that the preparation is complete he requests that Leno take a picture of his face and inquire if he desires any specific name for the new identity the protagonist contemplates for a while then instead of van he asks the hacker to write his name Evan while the surname can be anything Leno acknowledges that he needs at least one identity that he can use in public since he doesn't know when he will need to abandon the identity known as van that's also the reason why he changed to another face and he also needs to prepare for various situations to continue doing this line of work the hacker then assures him that he will make an identity for Evan in no time later as Leno exits the Hacker's office he transforms back into the appearance of van and examines his newly obtained ID card he contemplates that this is the first time he holds proof that he has settled in this unfamiliar realm after he came to this world a fake name fake address and even his age none of it is true although he had simply been trying trying to survive as he went from place to place he has still lived there today he feels like that has finally been acknowledged he dials Jenny from his new phone informing her she can contact him via this number Jenny responds that although she told him he can contact her only when he wants to work she sarcastically adds that he is the only person in this city who took a month to get a cell phone to get in contact with her Jenny refers to him as some Mage who isolates himself in some Backwoods while training there and emphasizes that if he wants to work in this line of work he ought to get some income that he earns in broad daylight Leno Ponders if she is asking him to work simple part-time jobs Jenny concurs that if an unemployed Citizen's Bank account keeps receiving unknown income it will look suspicious however if Leno accepts work in the area the money he earns will increase and not appear as unusual she emphasizes that he should should start thinking about that now Leno contemplates that while he hasn't decided to continue working with Jenny until he understands more of how the City Works he considers that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get work that Jenny recommends Jenny further reveals that the rumors about him must have spread pretty far because of this time's incident highlighting the possibility that someone might even ask for him specifically to do their task according to her in any case the reward will be way higher according to his competency so he must look forward to that and with that she ends the call conversely as Leno strolls along the roads he Muses that even if Jenny's demeanor becomes more amiable it's all right to collaborate with her however he's not entirely inclined to trust her he is sure that she has heard from Dylan about his ability to use ice magic but she still hasn't talked about it yet he reflects that they only talked about things that each of them needed he recalls s when he requested another favor asking her if she knew where he could buy a Viper Jenny grasps the Viper in his hand stating that she knows a little here and there but remarks that he has been using such cheap Goods this whole time which startled Leno she asserts that it's apparent that he will spoil his body with the side effects if he keeps using such things she retrieves a pen and paper affirming that she'll provide details about a Viper expert operating in the 30s District while jotting down the address she stressed that she didn't know if he had been to the 30s district and mentioned that the ambience and atmosphere there might contrast notably from their current location in the 40s District it's where facilities that need much space like amusement parks resorts ports or industrial complexes are gathered at Jenny handed him that paper referring him to that place in District 31 back in the present he examines the paper provided by Jenny reminising Miss ing that her responses were solely based on his inquiries as she didn't ask or talk about anything else he grapples with uncertainty about her intentions whether she's concealing her thoughts with a potential motive to betray him later or if she aims to maintain their collaboration by safeguarding his Secrets he asserts that he will only ascertain her true intentions if they disclose all their intentions and plans openly nonetheless he's determined to take the initiative rather than passively waiting for clarification Leno hails a taxi to head toward District 31 to meet the expert who sells vipers in a Botanical Garden as he arrives he contemplates that since Jenny has introduced this place to him he should go in as van utilizing his magical abilities he morphs his appearance into van and steps into the Botanical Garden which looks nothing less than a tourist spot Leno obverses that vast place which seems like a massive jungle and and takes a moment to enjoy the umbrella like flowers stranded in the atmosphere he is surprised that such a Heavenly Place exists in Balkan he spots an entryway and wonders if it leads to the location Jenny mentioned upon entering he observes various botanists passionately guiding curious individuals about the diverse plants in the garden amidst this he notices a small door that resonates with the description he's been given recognizing it as the door he's seeking he Ventures through it and discovers the staircase he descends the stairs and finds a door in a narrow alley although it appears slightly distinct the faint Aroma of the Viper solution confirms his suspicions convinced he's found the right place he pushes open the door which emits a distinct green Mana Leno discovers a solitary figure in the peculiar laboratory who Ponders his identity the protagonist informs him that Jenny has introduced this place to him and the older man man Ponders if he is talking about the brat who sells alcohol in District 49 the older man with a peculiar Hollow I emanating a green Mana finds it strange and remarks that he has never given her permission to introduce customers to him which startles Leno yet with a gentle smile the Viper expert assures Leno that he's not affluent enough to be picky about customers and affirms that as long as he receives payment from his customers he's content to serve them he then contemplates the purpose behind Leno's visit to his Orchard and before everything the protagonist asks why there is an orchard inside a Botanical Garden The Man shows him a red flower pondering if he knows what this is when Leno seems oblivious the Viper master elaborates that it's a plant called ionium renowned for its effects like increased energy physical strength and stamina increase he emphasizes numerous similar ingredients within the garden suggesting that he might not need to purchase such items or ingredients from elsewhere thus he contemplates establishing an orchard within this Botanical Garden to cultivate these resources Leno then grabs his viper out of his Blazer informing that older man that he is looking for something with similar effects and asks if he has any items available the older man notices that it's a Viper activated by a button then removes its filter and tastes the liquid inside after anal izing its taste he abruptly spits it out and remarks that this is super cheap pondering why van is looking for something shitty like this as it probably wasn't even good at strengthening his body Leno remarks that it seemed to help with Mana which Peaks the Viper expert's attention and he anxiously asks Leno if he uses Mana as he doesn't seem like a brute strength type when the protagonist informs him that he is a mage the Viper expert finds it weird and remarks that this kind of thing would help if he is a battle type that increases his stats using Mana to fight however he informs Leno that such a lowquality product wouldn't be effective for enhancing Mana specifically especially for magic purposes the Viper expert shares rumors suggesting that if a highclass mage were to use a Viper they might experience rapid effects however the expert expresses skepticism about the authenticity of these rumors indicating that he doesn't believe them to be true additionally He suggests that relatively young Leno might not be classified as a highclass mage emphasizing that mastering magic requires considerable time and effort Leno comprehends that this might explain why the Viper was adequate for him and contemplates the potential benefits of acquiring a higher quality Viper for his needs according to that man something as subpar as the Viper Leno has only possesses low potency and it's just harmful to his body So He suggests the protagonist buy something else since it has adverse side effects too Leno responds by expressing his preference for something with fewer side effects even if it comes at a higher cost the expert acknowledges the concern and inquires about the budget range to help identify a fitting product when the protagonist presents him with 2 million cell a bright smile appears on the older man's face and he asks Leno to wait a moment on the other hand with a lying head on the bar table Jenny seems lost in her thoughts prompting his bartender Grandpa to ponder if she is still thinking about the same thing about van abruptly lifting her head she questions whether van believes Dylan failed to discern the dissimilarity between his electricity and ice magic she assumes that van isn't merely a typical lightning Mage and questions why he concealed that aspect of himself prompting the bartender to speculate whether Jenny might be envious she Praises van acknowledging his skills and pleasing personality and asks her Grandpa if he has encountered a mage as understanding as van before the bartender offers her a drink acknowledging her thoughts but advises her not to rush things he explains that their current option is to offer van good work indicating they should focus on providing him with opportunities she concurs and asks if she should recommend him to work coming in from companies to which the bartender wed if van will consider it after this last incident meanwhile Jenny contemplates that she wouldn't be surprised if he were to go into shock whenever he sees a reptile after that the bartender suggests it would be better to recommend him work related to mercenaries or gangs however Jenny abruptly turns on her laptop expressing her disinterest in gangs and asserts that she'll look for mercenary jobs considering them preferable she assumes that van won't oppose it since he has worked with Dylan a mercenary she believes that the mercenary office would welcome a mage with open arms because it is a plus to them to have a mage since it's excellent for networking however the bartender seems unimpressed by her decision and reminds her twice that he is helping her business at Kaiser's request while acknowledging Jenny's intelligence and perceptiveness he advises her to remember that she tends to be too impatient sometimes nonetheless Jenny doesn't take his advice seriously and interrupts him with a hand gesture signaling him to stop blabbing on the contrary the orchard owner offers Leno a box of superior Viper cached c17 and explains its benefits stating that it grants 6 hours of physical reinforcement with Mana and stamina activation however he emphasizes that using it may lead to headaches spasms vomiting and a low possibility of vomiting blood listing bees as some of the side effects despite these potential side effects he regards it as a remarkable item and asks for Lenox opinion the protagonist Ponders if that's the only side effect to which the older man retorts that among the items worth 2 million sell cach a c17 has the most negligible side effects he further asserts that the side effects can be lessened which raises the cost tremendously he emphasizes that he doesn't sell less than 10 at once so he must keep that in mind Leno closely examines the new Viper and notices it has a different filter the Viper expert informs him that it's a recent model operated with Mana instead of a button this Revelation startles the protagonist and he anxiously remarks that it must be similar to The Calvin and cubs products which infuriates the older man he ferociously rebukes Leno for comparing his product to a lowly item like that he vehemently asserts that his products are all made from from premium natural herbs unlike Calvin and Cub's cheap and chemically loaded items his confidence persuades Leno and he purchases the pack of new model vipers as he turns around the orchard owner casually invites him to come again conversely the leader of ker mercenary group Dre krer seems frustrated to receive resignation letters from two Mages whom he barely managed to hire this quarter meanwhile the mercenary groups Wan casually REM Rems Dre that he had previously advised him to be more sociable which only enraged him further he erupts asserting that Wan is fully aware he didn't assign the Mages any complex tasks their sole responsibility was to maintain their position for the quarter while catering to every demand those individuals required keithl interjects implying that it was too challenging for those fragile intellectually inclined individuals meanwhile Ike another member of the same mer mercenary group agrees and advises them not to dwell on past events amidst the escalating tension Dre stresses the urgent need for a mage for his mission expressing concern about where they can find one he turns to keithl asking if she's willing to locate a mage but keithl turns her head around seemingly ignoring his request suddenly Dre's phone rings and he abruptly attends the call stating it's been a while Jenny on the other hand Jenny acknowledges that it's been a while and says she called him to ask if he needs a mage he abruptly concurs adding that he needs two but Jenny asserts that she can only introduce one Dre becomes a little worried to hear it but Jenny assures him that this Mage will be better than two Mages in all regards she guarantees this emphasizing that this one is exceptional compared to other Mages she's encountered in contrast Leno gets the Vipers and heads back home contemplating that he must prepare now the next day lenoch brings fresh food and vegetables to maintain his diet after that he sits in his cross-legged posture to start his meditation he employs the barrier technique which needs to draw a magic circle and progress with an elaborate ceremony however just concentrating hard enough can put the magic into space itself this enables him to draw a protective shape around his room and imbue it with security Magic on the shape's surface without physically delineating the magical structure Leno establishes a security measure within the barrier ensuring that if someone breaches it they will be struck by 14 consecutive lightning bolts additionally he implements a gravity bind maneuver at the entrance for added defense he contemplates that he can't do so much since he was staying in a hotel but he can prepare adequately now that he has got a house and with that he finished the first step of preparation suddenly he receives a call from Jenny who summons him to her office Leno concurs stating that he doesn't have any plans for the afternoon and after ending the call he plans to head over to her he considers it convenient to have a cell phone and then check the updates about current events in the Balon he comes across various highlights reporting that the explosion at the Charlotte Factory has caused problems with releasing a new product the incident occurred at Charlotte corporation's second production facility in District 42 disrupting the new product launch residents within a 2 km radius have been instructed to evacuate but no further damages aside from the factory have been reported he is surprised to discover that according to the highlights the cause of the explosion has been attributed to a gas leak this Revelation leads him to speculate that Charlotte Corporation intends to conceal the incident by Framing it as an accident he wonders if that is how it is when working with corporations and he finds it Immaculate and the reward is good too he appreciates that he doesn't have to put too much thought into it however he feels uneasy thinking that extra things are outside his control and sight as he gazes through the window he contemplates being more Vigilant and careful while dealing with businesses and navigating his interactions with kroen two months after he began working he met a criminal organization called pandemonium despite his considerable magical abilities he acknowledges that he isn't adequately equipped to confront a formidable entity like pandemonium recognizing the necessity for additional strategies Beyond magic Leno resolves that if he aims to survive in such a hazardous environment he must diversify his methods and skill set he then gazes at the package from gun barrel and retrieves the gun from it considering it as a second preparation for his secret solo Mission and he is rather rather excited about it later when Leno arrives at the bar Jenny notifies him about a request from the ker mercenary office they seek assistance in reclaiming a building specifically requiring the support of a mage for Firepower Leno wonders if the substantial reward is the reason for the request to which Jenny explains that hiring Mages is generally expensive due to the high demand for their services outweighing the available Supply Leno expresses his surprise mentioning that he had expected anter to be next and asks Jenny to provide more details about the mission she elaborates that a messy gang called scavenger has taken over an office building used for financial consulting and now they are using the place's power the company was kicked out without being able to turn off the circuit because they were worried the trade information might all be erased the consulting company requested the krer mercenary group for help and they have accepted it the protagonist then Ponders if the mercenaries that that consulting company hired want to hire him and he seeks clarification on what fire support entails Jenny assures that it's nothing complicated and explains that an awesome Mage like van cast Magic from behind the mercenaries while Leno contemplates the situation Jenny mentions that alternative job options are available if he's not interested in this particular one she emphasizes that his story of surviving the ENC C with the old crocodile has gained considerable Fame in the area highlighting his reputation as a mage who survived against formidable auns Jenny expresses her perspective stating that if she were in his position she would opt for the kringer job reasoning that mercenaries are typically sensitive about money matters and are less likely to deceive or cheat someone out of their rightful payment or anything similar the protagonist anxiously wonders if things like that often happen to which Jenny explains that there are more than just a few shitty humans around here mentioning instances where people resort to extreme violence like chopping off others hands and feet after a job is completed however Jenny assures him that she can prevent that from happening that's why someone is competent as her lives off of guaranteeing safety and trust with a bit of a fee from both the client and freelancer with a sarcastic grin the protagonist agrees to take on the mission and asks Jenny for the details regarding the date and location Jenny informs him that it will be in District 53 and scheduled for tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. mentioning that she will send the specific location details to his phone the following day the entire mercenary group eagerly anticipates the arrival of Mage van wyan asks the leader what he thinks about the new Mage Dre responds that apparently it's a skilled lightning Mage adding that Jenny was adamant it had to be 20 million cell even if she dies so he guesses that he will have to trust her kefl expresses amazement upon learning that the Mage specializes in lightning magic and anxiously suggests that the leader van must have dedicated much time to magical research Dre responds mentioning that he doesn't possess extensive knowledge about the Mage but assumes that the Mage must be skilled given the circumstances shortly after the protagonist arrives at the location calmly casually eating a burger his relaxed attitude surprises the others leaving them wondering if this seemingly casual individual is a mage maintaining his guys as van Leno comments that he presumes he's in the correct location Dre informs him that they've paid 20 million cell to enlist his Services expressing hope that there won't be any conflict or harm between them during the operation since the Mage is here Dre then him inside for a final briefing he initiates a holograph graphic presentation displaying the layout and details of their target building stating that he will go over it quickly since they have already done this before Dre briefs that their final goal is normalizing the third floor's power server according to him there are two routes to the third floor Armed Forces guard the elevator and stairs from three branches of scavenger Dre assures his team that scavengers are not tricky opponents but they consist of Mana users so they cannot let their guard down he declares that unit 2 will get into the third floor with wyan as the leader remove the ones occupying the power production facility and check if the server is fine unit 3 will come with him and Ike to clear the first floor and unit one will have kle as the leader to enter through the second floor window and her the scavenger bastards to the stairs after presenting this detailed plan everyone confirms their understanding and Readiness to execute the strategy meanwhile the protagonist contemplates that Dre talks fast but is very coherent and calm considering him a born leader the team leader informs van that he has to pour in the most attacks initially and then follow unit 3 as support from behind with that Dre concluded the briefing and urged everyone to take their positions and get ready the mercenary team becomes determined and picks suitable weapons gearing up for the mission ahead Leno contemplates the that in a world where one can use Mana to reinforce the body the fact that long and short weapons exist together is not that weird according to him everyone in this field knows that there are moments where a miracle like magic is necessary even with those kinds of methods and that's why everyone is desperate for a mage later as they besiege the heavily guarded Target building Dre discretely observes the situation and approaches the protagonist he expresses his concern that it's improbable but their Rivals might have hired a mage Dre requests Leno to inform him if he notices anything unusual or suspicious related to this matter Leno concurs and suddenly his attention is diverted to a wire that is invisible to others he notices that wire type material is connected to the security guards stationed at their target building and wonders if it's a visual substitute material made of Mana he discerns that someone is trying to find out how many of them are but he is confident that he can locate the opponent's Mage by following this Vision strand with calculated Precision Leno seizes The elusive strand discreetly channeling his Mana through this conduit evading detection by the Vigilant enemy security simultaneously the opposing Mage attuned to the nuances of the situation begins to sense a disturbance with a sardonic grin Leno realizes he has pinpointed the elusive Mage swiftly deploying Ying his formidable Mona prowess he initiates a devastating assault disrupting the opponent mage's magical activation Lenox monom manipulation triggers a potent rebound effect seizing the enemy Mage by the neck with an overwhelming Force as this Force tightens its grip a torrent of blood gushes forth from the Mage the sheer intensity causing them to lose Consciousness and collapse the unexpected and abrupt outcome leaves the adversaries in a state of confusion bewi Ed by the sudden incapacitation of their Mage sensing the opportune moment Leno swiftly communicates with the team leader relaying critical information about the enemy mage's utilization of detection magic with a strategic assessment of the situation Leno discloses that he detected this magic and launched a successful preemptive strike rendering the enemy Mage incapacitated he advises the team leader that the present moment offers the best chance to advance and exec execute their planned action the team leader Dre covertly analyzes the situation and realizes that Leno is correct as the security guard's attention is diverted to their Mage he abruptly commands his team to barge in before initiating their Assault The kringer Mercenaries execute a strategic maneuver by deploying tier gas shells aimed at their rival faction the Scavengers this sudden and unexpected move catches the Scavengers off guard creating a momentary disarray among their adversaries leveraging this moment of surprise and confusion the ker mercenaries swiftly launched their Ambush on the targeted building capitalizing on the chaos caused by the tear gas to gain a tactical advantage in their attack amid the tumultuous situation Leno seizes the opportunity to wield his new Viper cach a c17 eager to assess its potential effects as he ingests the substance he is immediately struck by by its remarkable impact a sense of Amazement washes over him as he experiences the astonishing results firsthand almost instantly his body responds with Newfound Vigor emanating an aura teeming with raw Mana energy he recalls the initial directive from the team leader urging him to fire support in the beginning so with a newfound energy he unleashes chain lightning magic the crackling bolts of light streak through the Battleground swiftly and efficiently dispatching most of their adversaries with their searing effects witnessing this extraordinary display of magical prowess the crier mercenaries stand in awe thoroughly impressed by Leno's remarkable and devastating capabilities in wielding such potent magic his prowess empowers his mercenary team and they manage to get the upper hand on the Scavengers by breaking their formation working together as a cohesive unit they ruthlessly eliminate any obstacle the team leader takes Swift action using a firearm to eliminate a threatening adversary simultaneously wyan expertly evades an incoming attack and retaliates by striking his asalan head with Precision using his sharp baton amidst the chaos a delinquent aims at wyan from a vantage point on the roof however kefl the Sharpshooter nullifies his attempt with her sniper shot sternly questioning the audacity of targeting their youngest member her astonishment mounts as a substantial contingent of delinquents spills out from the building intent on launching a ferocious assault against the team leader reacting swiftly she issues an urgent directive to her fellow mercenaries rallying them to shield and protect their leader from the impending Onslaught in a synchronized response to her command The Mercenaries abruptly halt their Advance forming a protective barrier around the leader just in the nick of time the team leader then commands them to employ the good all shell method and they abruptly heed his command by hurling their Shields at their adversaries this sudden and unexpected maneuver takes the opponents back the shields collide with and disorient the assailants however another batch of opponents mercenaries soon teams out of the building and Dre commands his underlings to overpower them as the ker mercenaries get into action Dre spots a commanding figure among the opponents and senses something peculiar about him amid this chaos that man abruptly goes missing from his sight and swiftly lunges to harm the ker group Mage van aiming to kill him to turn the tables on this fight however the protagonist remains unfazed swiftly retrieves his gun and shoots the Assassin despite the as salant wearing a bulletproof jacket a single shot renders the attacker unconscious Leno commends that it withstood the three shooting assist magic aim assist Outburst acceleration and shock reinforcement that he imbued in a Flash which is a feat the team leader rushes toward Leno wondering about his well-being Leno assures him that he is all right and asserts that he can protect himself so there is no need to worry about him Dre concurs and contemplates that the shooting itself was expected but the talent and speed with which Mage van drew the revolver and pulled the trigger was something even he couldn't emulate Ike informs the team leader that the entrance is clear so Dake promptly commands them to head inside under the supervision of KL unit one swiftly gets into action barges into the first floor through the window and starts the cover fire so that unit 2 can come up they effectively prevent their adversaries from mounting a counter offensive with a barrage of sustained gunfire meanwhile KL directs unit 2 to establish its position ensuring strategic coordination and synchronization between the units for a cohesive and tactical approach to the operation wyan leading unit 2 steps on kl's shoulder and swiftly lunges with his team to clear the rooftop simultaneously unit 3 efficiently enters and rapidly secures the first floor successfully implementing its strategy precisely Dre communicates with keithl via walkie-talkie conveying the cleared status of the first floor and asks her to report on the second floor situation responding from their concealed position behind a cabinet kth discreetly informs the team leader that they are still at a standoff asserting that it's a bit difficult right now to talk Dre is bewildered by her response and suddenly the sound of a bang intensifies his worries he anxiously asks her what happened a prolonged silence heightens the team's apprehension and worries regarding the safety of unit 2 after a while she apologized to the team leader stating that the last guy was hiding like an eel which took a while following this update Dre takes decisive action by directing units 1 and three to focus on securing the third floor leveraging Lenox magical abilities and the combined efforts of the team members they engage in a dynamic and action-packed operation to clear the third floor employing various strategies and skills to accomplish their objective after taking control over the third floor the team leader contemplates that Mage van has helped them tremendously considering that even before entering the building he took care of 10% of the scavenger forces KL approaches the team leader pondering whether they can hire that Mage but Dre informs her that they can't recruit him due to financial constraints keithl suggests an alternative approach urging the team leader to invest the money he has invested into some useless noobs into him instead emphasizing that Mage van does the job of four people she stresses the potential ease and speed at which the their tasks could be accomplished with someone of Leno's abilities envisioning their office gaining widespread recognition and generating significant Revenue however Dre doesn't pay much attention to her as he is sure other team members have thought the same to continue with the rest of the plan Dre then contacts wyan informing him that the third floor is cleared and the rest of the forces are all taken care of he mentions they are heading for the rooftop now and asks him how the situation is is the leader hears an unusual commotion and a trembling voice of wyan calling him Captain Dre anxiously calls wyan out but no response mounts his tension and he informs the rest of the team that unit 2 seems to be in trouble prompting them to rush immediately toward the rooftop while everyone swiftly lunges toward the rooftop the protagonist finds it hard to ascend the stairs experiencing difficulty in keeping Pace with the rest of the team upon finally reaching ing the rooftop a shocking sight unfolds before them the entire members of unit 2 are severely injured and incapacitated lying Motionless in a state of distress this unexpected and distressing scene leaves the team stunned and deeply concerned for the well-being of their comrades Dre urges his active members to feed regeneration potions to all the injured as he pours the tonic on the wounds he contemplates that it's expensive but considers it nothing compared to his team's lives amid this Urgent Care wyan apologizes to the team leader for his perceived failure in clearing the rooftop however Dre swiftly dismisses Wan's self-doubt reassuring him that he performed admirably meanwhile Leno carefully analyzes the situation pondering the circumstances surrounding the serious injuries sustained by everyone in unit 2 including Wan yet miraculously avoiding immediate fatalities he recognizes the probability of such survival unless they had undergone rigorous and thorough training so he wonders why an individual with such exceptional skills would perpetrate this act and then hastily flee the scene after contemplating for a while he steps ahead claiming that the perpetrator is still in their vicinity which catches everyone's attention taken aback by his Revelation Dre requests Mage van to take care of wyan then commands his underlings to move the injured while the rest on guard soon they act upon his command and Dre vehemently demands the perpetrator's whereabouts the perpetrator sitting on a pole of another building sarcastically remarks that he did expect some guests but not this early Dre abruptly brandishes his gun at that delinquent expressing outrage at The Audacity Of injuring his team members and callously watching them suffer the perpetrator pers if they know how much money went into this plan revealing that all the three three branches of scavenger got together to scrape up cash they don't have this they had to take over a server that could connect to a network that took care of District 53's taxes and had to pay tens of people involved to get here Dre assets that they all are out of mind and P if the plan to pocket the reserve money of the Balkan city government the perpetrators sarcastically reveals that they don't need to go to the city government building because the district office manages hundreds of Millions of cell according to him if they pick an excellent power production facility to destabilize the power in District 53 then Network Security will indeed be lost Dre asserts that he doesn't care what scavengers have done or how however it somehow infuriates Jansen and he urges that he didn't start this to stop here he then grasps a crimson pill out of his cloak catching the team leader offg guard and wonders if it's something explosive in a shocking turn of events he consumes that suspicious pill and with a sarcastic grin filled with an unsettling sense of blood lust he leaps off the tower this sudden act leaves everyone stunned and bewildered by the perpetrator's enigmatic behavior and they react swiftly by unleashing a barrage of gunfire to prevent his movement however to their astonishment these efforts seem feudal as the seemingly malevolent individual remains unfazed and unaffected by the gunfire a shocking transformation unfolds before their eyes as jansen's countenance undergo a dreadful change morphing into a monstrous Visage vicious black Mana emanates from him signaling an ominous and formidable shift in his demeanor the sudden transformation into this monstrous form instills fear and disbelief among the team confronting them with an unexpected and threatening adversary they had not anticipated the squad attacks him with thousands of gunshots but each proves Feud and the Monstrous individual swiftly unleashes an attack on ker team member Jansen amid the chaos the Monstrous being lifts The Gravely wounded mercenary and asks the onlookers if they are curious about why he spared the guys who came here first he then takes out the heart of that mercenary revealing it because his power necessitates a living being as a fuel source which sends shivers down their spine meanwhile Leno remains composed recognizing the of the power being wielded as black magic reminiscent of specific skills observed in World 2 witnessing the Monstrous being consumed human flesh the protagonist assumes that he's probably either something like a vampire or a blooda assuming that similar magic systems exist in world 3o that is acknowledging the inherent dangers and serious consequences associated with such practices Leno contemplates the potential serious side effects of utilizing such dark Powers he Ponders whether the perpetrator has deliberately chosen to end everything at this moment conversely the Monstrous being considers it insufficient so he swirls his dagger and lunges to attack delin however in a Swift and selfless act a mercenary intervenes attempting to Shield her from the attack regrettably this intervention proves feudal as The Shield is abruptly Shattered by the perpetrator's powerful assault resulting in the mercenaries demise with brutal and terrifying ferocity the Monstrous being seizes delin and begins consuming her flesh however displaying a disdainful reaction he abruptly throws her aside expressing disappointment in her taste this horrifying sequence of events leaves the rest of the team horrified and overwhelmed by the sheer brutality of the perpetrator's actions the team leader displaying a Resolute demeanor issues a Stern command to his subordinates urging them to act swiftly and Fight The Mercenaries act upon his command demonstrating a unified effort to confront the menacing opponent headon however the Demonic being remains unperturbed and soon knocks them out with a decisive move the perpetrator then attacks the team leader but miraculously he manages to evade however that powerful blow propels and hurls him aside amid the chaos KL takes a shot at the demon the bullet passing through his head yet the evil entity remains unharmed sternly asserting that such attacks won't kill him the monster ferociously leaps towards kl to assassinate her which catches KL offg guard however before he can lay a hand on her the protagonist intervenes by unleashing the Thunder calling maneuver Leno assesses that he succeeded in controlling the area of damage and Mana usage so that the mercenary and the power production facility won't be harmed however he comprehends that if the demon can sense the signs before the lightning strikes then he can dodge it and if he does the next Target would be him as Leno Ponders the potential outcomes and strategies the perpetrator suddenly shatters the maneuver effect and leaps to attack him as he already assessed despite the abruptness of the Demon's attack Leno's preparedness becomes evident as his protective shield successfully deflects the assault anticipating the move the protagonist had already augmented the barrier's strength fortifying it to absorb the attack's impact as it breaks as the team's barrage of gunfire is directed at the menacing figure he contemplates that he needs to kill this guy now even if he receives attacks from The Mercenaries considering that someone who can shoot like that is too dangerous Leno swiftly retrieves his Mana gun utilizing the aim assist maneuver he fires a Mana imbued bullet aimed at the perpetrator which causes significant impact and he starts gushing blood the protagonist contemplates that he had been preparing that ever since he used Thunder calling but he is bewildered that the perpetrator isn't dead yet so he resolves to finish the job Leno concentrates Mana in his hand realizing that his body is so fragile that just one mistake might end in his death despite this realization he acknowledges that he has understood from recent experience that sometimes he must not be afraid of close combat with resolve he steps forward and decisively seizes that Monsters Face demonstrating his courage to confront him in close quarters Leno swiftly executes the bolt maneuver unleashing a powerful surge of lightning that creates a severe and shocking effect which catches him off guard however the demon attempts to bite his hand and remarks that Mage van can't kill him with this while the protagonist maintains his Stern grip and challenges to prove him wrong the protagonist contemplates that if he were were an average person his head would have been ashes by now he acknowledges that there are monsters that can even catch bullets with their eyelids hence he guesses this isn't too unreasonable he shoots Mana imbued bullets at the malicious person's eye and head to knock him down as that demonic being bows in agony from The Assault The Mercenaries swiftly intervene and overpower him preventing any potential threat to the Mage however despite their efforts the team finds the Monster's resilience challenging to handle as he continues to display considerable strength concerned about their ability to eliminate this formidable adversary they asked the team leader for guidance inquiring about the certainty of defeating the monster and contemplating their next course of action Dre acknowledges the limitations of his magical expertise in accurately assessing the individual's current condition recognizing the complexity of the circumstances he surmises that only one one person might be capable of providing insight into the nature of the medicine or method the adversary uses seeking guidance he turns to the Mage inquiring whether there are any possible actions or remedies they can employ to address the situation and possibly counteract the effects of the mysterious medicine used by their opponent maintaining his Persona as Mage van Leno explains that the phenomenon they're dealing with is related to Black Magic he clarifies that the principle behind this particular type of magic isn't inherently complex however the individual in question requires significant sacrifices to enhance their stamina and accelerate their recovery rate Leno indicates that many practitioners utilize human flesh or blood as energy sources for their spells however when these resources prove insufficient they lose rationality and control over their actions Leno reflects on the unstable mental state of the monster he confronted noting that the adversary wasn't coherent during their fight he surmises that if the perpetrator doesn't consistently consume human flesh and blood his capacity for rational thinking and decision making significantly deteriorates this realization leads Leno to understand why the adversary left numerous individuals alive as it was likely a deliberate action to ensure a continuous source of sustenance black magic is Infamous for having more disadvantages than advantages only a few Mages specialize in it naturally only a few people have detailed information about black magic that is valid for ker members Leno discerns that there was no weak point to be seen right after the adversary took the pill but it's different now that he has taken many hits he then grasps the monster's shoulder and sternly urges that he will pull all of the black magic power out of his body Leno unleashes his Mana to scratch the dark Forces and as a result the monster reverts to its former self as an older adversary after successfully purging the dark Forces from his body Leno commands The Mercenaries to execute the now reverted older adversary which bewilders them later that evening as the clearance operation initiates Leno standing aside with that dark Mana in his hand wonders what he should do with it usually it's impossible to hold on to Mana for a long time so there are special containers for them the protagonist contemplates that he can't make one immediately or obtain it somehow so he releases that dark Mana into the air meanwhile unbeknownst to him wyan the injured mercenary sitting there commends his work and asks the Mage if he is a genius or something wyan acknowledges the protagonist's remarkable manipulation of Mana mentioning that from his vantage point he could observe the Precision and control exhibited by the Mage unlike anything he's ever witnessed he admits that seeing the mage's Mastery over Mana has made him aware of the limitations of his own Mana abilities feeling inadequate in comparison conversely Leno is surprised by Wan's observation pondering how wyan could witness his manipulation of Mana from such a distance when no one else in their vicinity seemed to notice or comprehend what he was doing he contemplates that if wyan is telling the truth he was born with high monos sensitivity and instead of combat his Talent May lie in controlling Mana wyan then remarks that he has seen many Mages but he has never seen one control Mana as well as Mage van with a newfound determination he asks the protagonist if he mimicked that technique would he be that stronger Leno then Ponders if he wants to become a mage to which wyan responds that he isn't sure as he used to think being a mercenary was enough but he doesn't know anymore Leno realizes what he wants as he is also struggling to survive each day however he tries to adjust because he is an outsider so he deliberates not to give any false hope to wyan Leno places a reassuring hand on the mercenary shoulder acknowledging Dre Ker's qualities as a commendable leader he steps aside expressing his belief that Dre can give better advice than he can and asserts that building his own business isn't easy furthermore Leno Leno advises the mercenary that if he determines what path to pursue for himself he should consider seeking advice from Jenny after a while team leader Dre approaches him and slights Bose to thank him for his assistance the protagonist expresses regret regarding the loss of lives during the operation to which Dre acknowledges the unfortunate outcome stating that such casualties are unavoidable in their line of work Leno then requests the team leader to take blood from that Monster's corpse and send it to Jenny Dre concurs and hands M van his business card expressing how impressed he was by Leno's performance and hoping for future collaborations Leno takes the card stating that he will get going if possible he then turned around to leave contemplating that Dre ker was a talented mercenary and businessman so staying in touch with him wouldn't be a bad idea as he leaves KL anxiously asserts to the team leader that he should have asked to recruit that mate prompting the leader to burst into laughter in response Dre wonders if she is still thinking about that ever after seeing his lightning and adds that Mage van is good enough for the lightning type magic Tower to want him he wonders who can hire him remarking that he's too talented for anyone to monopolize KL then asks if he thinks it's a shame wondering where they will ever see another Mage like him and where's the guarantee that the next time they meet him they won't be enemies instead in response to kl's concerns Dre suggests that their only option is to hope for luck indicating the unpredictability of future circumstances and relying on fortunate outcomes in their dealings with Leno the next day the protagonist arrives at the bar as Mage van and as he steps in Dylan greets him referring to him as his partner nevertheless Leno remains somewhat distant and coldly Ponders who says they are partner while the masked guy tries to be friendly asserting him not to be like that as he wants to befriend a famous person when the protagonist asks him about famous Dylan begins explaining about Jenny's excitement regarding Van's performance however before he can finish Jenny swiftly interrupts by smacking his head with the menu card causing him to stumble and fall to the ground she then addresses van reassuring him not to pay attention to Dylan's foolishness and asks about his experience working with krer he responds responds that it was easy compared to that monster kroen and it wasn't hard fighting the scavenger higher ups either Jenny then asks whether that perpetrator was a retired Soldier and if he was from district 51 then his skill levels pretty predictable Dylan intervenes asserting that not all scavenger guys are weak many underestimated them and died Leno then asks if he means the chief executives are strong Jenny concurs stating that there are many deviations between the higher-ups especially District 20 scavenger higher ups she emphasizes that van should avoid getting involved with them and he concurs assuring that he will keep that in mind Jenny then reveals that he has become famous for this recent job mentioning an increased influx of customer requests for the lightning Mage she handed him a diary informing him that she had jolted the requests that recently came in so he could pick one he liked with a disgusted face face she hands him the blood sample of that monstrous being the protagonist is taken AB to see the diary full of requests for assistance and Jenny remarks that it means many people need a skilled Mage she then expresses her desire to work together for a long time and assures that she'll give him discounts on the fees she charges Dylan anxiously intervenes voicing his concern about favoritism nonetheless Jenny swiftly stops him with a shushing gesture placing a finger gently on his lips and doesn't pay much attention to him meanwhile the bartender presents an expensive drink to the protagonist as a compliment and Leno appreciates that gesture of Goodwill however when Dylan orders the same for him Jenny sarcastically demands an exorbitant sum of a 100,000 cell to have that drink later back at his home he finds himself vomiting in the bathroom he wipes his face considering that his insides are a mess and he seems exhausted he contemplates that he's left with no alternative but to rid himself of the alcohol believing it's the best course of action to reduce the potential side effects caused by Viper after a while he sits beside his bed and acknowledges that his body is fragile and he wants to rest but is reminded of the Diary given by Jenny he reflects on Jenny's words that the quest's dates overlap so if he chooses one she must reject all the others suggesting he choose quickly consequently he initiates evaluating the requests and discovers a diverse array among the entries he notices several from mercenary offices experimental subject testing at laboratories and intriguingly even a request from the scavenger group Leno finds it crazy and wonders if they don't care that he worked for their opponents however he deliberates that Jenny couldn't have been aware of his past affiliations she must have kept it here on purpose after assessing the requests he excludes the recommendations from individuals mercenary offices and gangs he also excludes ones with near deadlines and wonders what's left a request from a pharmaceutical company AMAC catches his attention he accesses a site on his phone which he visits often lately an online auction site run by the city government out of all the items listed he has been watching Serina pharma's first class miracle drug simonia worth 100 million cell it's close to an industrial product and only perks one up a bit however he is in no condition to be picky he is desperate for a ray of hope that can heal this penalty ridden body he takes a deep sigh and decides to take amn's Quest acknowledging that he might not get the miracle drug still he might get a hint that would help him solve the sleeping pill problem he turns off the light and lays on his bed with all his attention on the phone reading an article head headline detailing the forthcoming visit of sovereign Dominion filan's delegation to Balan a week later as a result of promptly accepting amac's request Leno finds himself engaged in pursuing wanted criminals a task designed to assess the magical prowess of the supporting sniper with a Resolute demeanor Leno strides forward his revolver in hand tailing a silenced fugitive before long he employs the aim assist technique channeling Mana into his bullet and skillfully striking the criminal's leg the criminal fumbles on the road and the protagonist sternly approaches him considering that it works well approaching the subdued figure he holds his firearm with confidence considering it a helpful instrument until he achieves the desired Pinnacle of magical prowess and then shoots that criminal he then walks ahead reflecting that there are limits even if he uses these spells it helps him hit faster with more Force however he considers that if he can learn magic spells that are inherently for support he can do better in battle later he arrives at the bar to inform what quest he has finalized to assist but before he can utter a word Jenny astutely senses his choice for amnach and urges him to swiftly hand it over emphasizing that there is no time perplexed by her awareness lanak hands her the file and wonders how she knew about it to which Jenny calmly reminds him that it's the full available Quest that hasn't expired as of that day and also that he seemed interested in medicine she urges him to wait a minute revealing that someone from amnch will be here and turns around to contact that pharmaceutical company meanwhile a man approaches the protagonist pondering if he is Jenny's new customer when Leno wonders how that person knows him the man remarks that van is gaining attention as a renowned lightning Mage and there's talk circulating about him being a bounty hunter fixated on cash rewards reflecting that he has captured numerous wanted criminals for monetary gain the protagonist acknowledges that it makes sense for them to say that the man clarifies that he doesn't mean it negatively and highlights that within the city individuals typically end up with a bounty on their heads for two reasons either they're inconsequential individuals whom no one would bother about if they disappeared or they're powerful enough not to worry about having a reward placed on them Leno considers these contrasting ends of a spectrum and becomes curious about the man's identity the man unexpectedly hurls his business card towards him it catches the protagonist off guard for a while but he manages to catch it observing Leno's Swift reaction the man expresses amazement at his agility and remarks that he hadn't anticipated encountering someone with extraordinary abilities he introduces himself as Sebastian and reveals he undertakes similar work to Jenny's Leno studies Sebastian's card and pond that he doesn't sense any aura or Mana speculating if Sebastian specializes in psychological abilities Leno asks if Sebastian is a telekinesis user to which Sebastian agrees asserting that it should be apparent suggesting he has already demonstrated this ability to Leno he smiles adding that it must be confirmed as he claims to have shown it already Sebastian grabs a malt bottle stating that it must be true that he went somewhere foreign to train before coming here he gently tosses that bottle towards Jenny who remarks that she initially thought Sebastian was here for a drink and asks why he is approaching her client asserting that it will not be fun for long if he keeps this up Sebastian sarcastically tells Jenny not to be overly upset acknowledging that he did give Leno his business card but he is here to provide her with something as as he places his hand on a bag Jenny anxiously wonders what it is she is taken aack to find its conscription as she thought there were over 2 months left until the fileman delegation visits and sternly wonders how she is getting this already Sebastian acknowledges that it sure is rare that it's this early and mentions the rumors that a city council member is pushing this agenda hard meanwhile Leno reflects that he heard about this on the news yesterday when the city government issued a call up order to all independent businesses he wonders if it was because the fum delegation was expected to visit and considering the looks on their faces he realizes it must be a big deal while leaving sabesan greets the protagonist telling him to give him a call whenever he feels like talking about different types of jobs as they shake hands he assures the protagonist that he will provide him with Awards different from those that Jenny gives him later as he departs Jenny acknowledges that saeran is good with his words when dealing with rich people and business owners suggesting his visit if he wants to take on individual requests Leno wonders if she won't stop him to which Jenny retorts whether the customer listens to a business owner please not to leave them soon a man arrives there pondering if it's Jenny's bar which catches their attention and Jenny tells that man to follow them she takes them to a separate room for discussion and introduces herself and to that person the man reciprocates the introduction expressing pleasure in meeting them and reveals that he is amnox sales manager Luen Sage Luen hands him the mission details asking if he can assume that Mage van knows the context of the requests since he accepted it and the protagonist responds that he did read the description the man informs them that amnach is developing a tranquilizer with smallscale crowdfunding with the idea that once the development is complete it will sell enough to bring in profit however the problem is that a District representative from the headquarters used their connections with a gang to try and steal omnac patent rights Leno then Ponders what he is supposed to do precisely to which Luen asserts that he will tell him something first he tells him a secret that the public doesn't know but the tranquilizer development is already complete he said they would send a sample to the patent office before the District representative found out but the information was leaked van anxiously wonders if there's a spy to which the man concurs confirming suspicions of Espionage and hands him the address of the location where they were located the samples Luen then tells Mage van that he needs to retrieve the samples they hid in the storage and deliver them to the patent office without anyone finding out Luen feigns a fake laugh emphasizing that he will leave it to Mage van then M van then asks the man and if he wants to give him a job he should be honest this directness causes Luen to become visibly nervous and tremble as he hesitantly asks for clarification about what van means by his statement the protagonist suspects that Luen might be pretending to be unaware realizing that simply submitting the sample won't solve the underlying issue meanwhile Jenny questions Luan about the assurance that van won't encounter the gang during the mission van reinforces this by asking if omnac expects him to hide and take no further action Beyond delivering the sample expressing skepticism about this approach it becomes evident that Luen appears to be intentionally withholding information the situation becomes more straightforward to Leno indicating that it's apparent that AMAC isn't seeking someone to run errands merely instead they require a more militaristic approach confused by the expectation that he should solely deal with the gang while retrieving the samples Leno wonders if amnach truly believes he'd comply with such a directive he realizes that the mission demands more than retrieving samples and suggests a deeper involvement with potential confrontations Jenny discusses with Mage van that they should renegotiate the reward and prompts Luen to contact amac's superiors about how much they can give Mr May Mage over here to motivate him to fight the gang if he encounters one she gives him time to contact his higher-ups and takes van back to the bar informing Luen that they will be downstairs in the bar Jenny tells van that the company lied but she thinks it was pretty cute as she discerns they were trying to save money van anxiously wonders how difficult she believes it would be Jenny retorts that it is probably not hard as the gang is perhaps not that big if they work with a district manager she estimates they might be a hundred and are probably all on the same level as the Scavengers except for the weird mixed blood leader the protagonist then asserts that he will need more reward money while Jenny urges him to leave it to her assuring him that she can raise it by at least 10 million soon Luen approaches them in the bar and nods in agreement signaling his acceptance of all their conditions later Luen drives the Mage to the targeted destination emphasizing that it's a bit late as the others are probably already there prompting van to ponder about others Luan reveals that an NE has hired people to protect the storage claiming there won't be as many as the gang but they should still be helpful in his guys as Mage van Leno speculates that perhaps they hadn't intended to leave him to confront the gang alone however he remains uncertain about how much Aid these hired protectors will offer Leno considers the importance of gathering information about medicine so to obtain this he questions Luen about Jenny's assertion that they tried to take advantage of him to despite understanding the value of his work with Trembling Hands Luen responds attempting to clarify that it's a misunderstanding Leno notices luan's sweaty face and in an attempt to gather more information asks if there are other samples in storage perhaps something commonplace like melatonin Luen quickly agrees revealing the presence of samples of other medicines and mentions that their boss previously utilized these after a while they arrived at their targeted location District 54 AMAC storage where some people were standing outside Luen informs the protagonist that they have reached their destination noting the presence of most of the anticipated parties before that man exits the car Leno halts him asserting that he should not leave yet suddenly a person firmly knocks on the window asking Luen if he is from AMAC upon luan's nervous affirmation the person emphatically pounds on the window urging him to open the door and come out which catches him off guard the big guy vocally expresses dissatisfaction stating that this differs from what they agreed on urging what they should do with just 10 people Leno grasps his Viper and accuses Luan that he skimped out on them in response Luen abruptly apologizes Leno inhales his Viper signaling for Luen to exit the vehicle with a Resolute demeanor the protagonist steps out of the car contemplating that he will perform his worth of the pay Leno catches the attention of the people hired by amnach and they frustratedly yell at him pondering who he is and urge him to screw off as they have to discuss with Luen finding their noise bothersome Leno calmly asks them to lower their voices further infuriating them the big guy asserts that van is trapped too as he can't even run away from the gang once they set their eyes on him Leno reflects that he comprehends Their Fear and frust FR rtion understanding their predicament however he has no intention of engaging in conversation or resolving the issue amicably the big guy abruptly lunges to assault the protagonist but he easily sidest steps it and counterattacks by unleashing the bolt maneuver this unexpected display shocks everyone as they realize that AMAC has hired a mage for the task while Leno tells them to quiet down he adds that it seems they know a bit about the gang but it's a waste of time to cry about it here suddenly another guy yells at him to get out of the way before he beats him up the red-haired guy asserts that being a mage doesn't make van better than them the guy retaliates by employing a fire-based maneuver claiming that while everyone might be perplexed not all Mages possess remarkable abilities he insinuates that if van has been recruited for this task it's likely because he was expelled from a magic tower for having insufficient Mana this assertion resonates with the others as they find the explanation plausible meanwhile the protagonist contemplates meeting two people with Supernatural skills in one day he realizes that the guy is a flame user pyrokinetic noting that such abilities very widely in their manifestations and strengths known for their potent and straightforward nature despite recognizing the potency of this ability Leno deduces that since the individual is a part of this particular group he might not be decisive Leno provokes the red-haired guy to beat him and turn this car into Ash which catches Luen offg guard as he is the sole person in the vehicle the guy denies it asserting that a low-level Mage is a burden in the first place so that he will turn him into ashes he then unleashes his flame maneuver and ferociously lunges to assault him meanwhile Leno contemplates that nothing is resolved with words in this field of work acknowledging that power is worth more than a thousand words the protagonist then deflects the fire punch maneuver of the red-haired guy with his bare hands which takes that guy back absorbing the Flames he redirects the energy and launches it back at the attacker causing him to be engulfed in the fiery blast and this turn of effect startles everyone around the guy Burns in flame while Leno seems calm despite being consumed by the Flames he knows that not all prokinetics resist fire so the red-haired guy tearfully apologizes and begs for Leno's Aid pleading to be saved Leno hurls him aside and contemplates that his grip lacks as he can't hold on for longer and his comrades rush to turn off the fire to rescue him meanwhile the protagonist turns to Luen emphasizing that the situation won't improve if he stays here so he suggests that Luen should leave and the man abruptly heeds his suggestion after that he entered the warehouse and reflected that the pharmaceutical company had just one requirement to bring the new sample to the patent office Leno resolves that he must complete the task by the morning 2 days from now and anticipates enduring another day and a half until that deadline retrieving the sample he examines it and realizes he could easily abscond with it although he acknowledges that this action contradicts amac's intentions tucking the samples into his Blazer he contemplates the possibility of a confrontation with the gang understanding that if it comes to that he'll need to decisively eliminate them all immediately later as he steps out of the warehouse the team members ask him about their next move with a sigh Leno realizes they are unaware of the plan and asks how many of them are the big guy responds that if he counts that redhead that just woke up they are a total of 15 in number Leno commands them to split into three groups and patrol around the storage instructing ing them to monitor the entrance closely and report to him if anything seems off moving around the area he observes the chaotic state of the place and presumes that the gang never found it because of how much of a mess this place is he notices that the walls are pretty tall and it would be hard for them to get over it but it's pretty beaten up he employs the Claymore maneuver a trap magic that explodes when certain conditions are met and significantly damages those in Rage however it range is small so it's not good for large groups considering that Leno changes the conditions instead of exploding when people are nearby he decides to blast it when pressure is added to the wall and in exchange for lessening the damage he increases the range after successfully employing the maneuver around the wall he proceeds to secure other vulnerable areas similarly out of the blue the redhead guy approaches him and humbly kneels expressing regret for what happened happened earlier claiming that he was out of his mind and assuring him that he will never speak out of line again when Leno remarks that there is no need to apologize the guy anxiously Ponders what he should do to earn the mage's Forgiveness to let him live Leno realizes that the guy assumes he will kill him after this job however he never intended to do that but he decides not to tell him that in reply the protagonist questions if the red-haired individual approached him priv privately because he didn't want the others to witness him seeking forgiveness when the red-haired guy persistently continues to apologize the protagonist eventually agrees to Grant him a chance to make amends Leno then reveals that they will be having some guests here tonight so the redhead needs to set fire to their shoulders like he tried to do with the Mage earlier he assures him that after completing this task he will be excused from any further obligations and the red-haired guy concurs later inside the warehouse while inhaling the Viper the protagonist realizes that he doesn't have many of these left and contemplates that if the gang splits up into a bunch of groups it might be a bit too much for him to deal with he will need to stall time with his gun if things get a bit difficult suddenly he hears a commotion which catches his attention before heading outside he unleashes a monom manipulation maneuver with which he can feel within a 2 km radius he detects that among the adversaries two of them have high heat and they are about 150 in total maintaining a composed demeanor Leno steps outside and when a man anxiously informs him about their imminent arrival he calmly acknowledges that he's aware he contemplates that they can't all be Mana users and speculates whether they might be arriving in cars considering the speed of their approach his speculation proves accurate and soon they come to the storage an amn act team member urges everyone to get ready to confront them the lights of the car's lights overwhelm their vision and the team members nervously turn to the protagonist for guidance Leno notices that they are hesitating and realizes that he needs to give them some Inner Peace So He commands his comrades to guard the entrance and assures them that he will take care of the rest observing the red-haired guy positioned at the Forefront Leno assumes that the earlier threat has had an effect but he w ERS why the adversaries aren't doing anything suddenly the rest of the adversaries attempt to barge in from the backside catching the mercenaries off guard however their vehicle hits the wall back to back prompting the protagonist to wonder if they plan to break down all the walls he grins sarcastically remarking that it confirms who will be making it back alive as the monster truck hits the wall again an explosion erupts engulfing the vehicle in Flames it hurdles above the Merc mercenaries and crashes onto the ground amid the chaos Leno becomes bewildered contemplating that he did reinforce the Claymore maneuver but it shouldn't have been powerful enough for the explosion to extend so far however as he observes the burning truck he notices the fuel spilling from the vehicle and realizes that it isn't ordinary and is different he grins sarcastically realizing that the distinct fuel strengthened the explosion soon The Mercenaries noticed the rest of of the monster trucks who attempt to barge in through the wall hurdles by engulfing in Flames meanwhile Leno remarks that they're paying the price for rashly attacking before figuring out their enemies he notices two guys standing firmly and wonders if they are the ones with the high heat he detected earlier he realizes that the long-haired guy is a Mage and contemplates this is the third time he has come across a fellow Mage the first was Professor Aris richin and the second was scavenger's detection type Mage considering that he was rather disappointing for someone hired by a scavenger however he speculates that this Mage is different and wonders if he is leading the gang to get a hold of the situation Leno employs his elusive Mona strands and finds out that 10 cars are destroyed and the number of remaining people is about a 100 he then uses resonance voice magic and urges the adversaries how long they will stand there and wait provoking them to come in stating that he is sure they have something to discuss while the adversaries underlings wonder where that voice is coming from Gile the vice leader of the opponent's group commands his underlings to head in meanwhile the protagonist urgently instructs an amnch mercenary to relay a message to his comrades to close their eyes and shoot once the opponents are in in response when the guy anxiously Ponders the reason behind his directive Leno asserts there is no no time to explain the guy abruptly heeds his command and relays Mage Van's message that they must close their eyes while shooting the opponents as they enter the storage the protagonist activates the flux light magic maneuver which emanates radiant light leaving the adversaries unable to see because of the brightness Lenox strategic move Shields his fellow mercenaries allowing them to unleash fire on the adversaries simultaneously the redhead guy lunges and assaults most enemies with his flame maneuver declaring that he will try to run away and catch them off guard Leno contemplates that using another spell might reveal that he is a mage but he resolves to continue attacking anyway he wields chain lightning to knock them down and leverages his allies Relentless barrage of bullets to gain the upper hand in The Clash his attention is then diverted to the opponent's leaders who are standing calmly in the chaotic situation and he realizes that he needs to deal with them conversely the opponent's leader Gile gazes at Leno and asks Mage Grime why he never mentioned someone like him Grime responds that he didn't know either and assumes that AMAC can't afford that kind of Mage while they are engrossed in wondering about amac's mage's true identity they are taken back to see that amid the chaos that guy is still smiling Gile laughs in Surprise and asks the protagonist if he has gone insane to which l KN pers why they aren't worried about their dying subordinates instead Gile laughs and retorts that he doesn't care as they are just disposable trash stating that they can die here for all he cares and adds that it's about time he let go of the burdens like that and flew away the protagonist steps backward into the warehouse while the two adversary leaders trailing behind the purple-haired Mage urges His companion to stop with the nonsense however Gile smirks dismissing it and asks what's wrong with a little conversation stating confidently that the protagonist will die anyway his irresponsible response irritates Grime and he asserts they must reconsider his employment if he acts like that meanwhile with their conversation Leno realizes that the Mage isn't from the gang and assumes that a leader who doesn't care about his team is on the Mage side for money Gile becomes enraged by Leno's calm demeanor and deems him an Arrogant Bastard as he keep keeps snickering to himself like he is insane he abruptly decides to get rid of the protagonist to find the sample to which Grime concurs stating there's no need to stall for time the purple-haired Mage then conjures barrier magic with his staff however Leno discerns he plans to block off the Escape Routes as he can't let that happen he swiftly retrieves his gun and shatters that magic with his Mana imbued bullet this unexpected turn of events catches that made off guard while Gile mocks Grime remarking that despite Leno appearing weak he managed to catch the Mage off guard signaling a lapse in his defenses the purple-haired Mage yells in frustration pondering how he dares to block his magic he scolds his fellow and asks if he doesn't know the basics of battling with a mage because he is supposed to defend him however Gile continues to mock him and asks if he is scared of a simple gun sarcastically emphasizing that the protagonist hasn't even used magic yet Gile tells the grime that the protagonist is a lightning and light Mage so he should know their magic is super conspicuous at that moment Leno realizes why they are so relaxed despite being in front of him according to him magic that deals with light is powerful it's very noticeable whenever one casts a spell most skills are very conspicuous to cast so anyone skilled enough can prepare for it when Leno remains composed Gile assumes it looks like he's going to do something but remains unfazed and threatens to rip him apart the protagonist reflected on his conversation with Jenny when she informed him about Gile who possesses a distinctive mixed Heritage and names him unique mixed blood Leno ridicules Gile noting that he hadn't recognized him in the darkness and derisively labeling him as a worthless Mongrel he then pinches his nose claiming to detect the foul odor emanating from Gil's fur and cynically questions whether he ever bothers to bathe these comments deeply provoke Gile and he instantly morphs himself into a monstrous werewolf menacing and declaring that he will tear him apart Leno acknowledges that werewolves are born with wild instincts and the bodies of beasts their ferocity and strength are unmatched but this werewolf is different he notices that it can't even control the saliva dropping out of its mouth its claws grow curved into his flesh and he can see knits of his skin where the hair is gone Leno deduces that this aberration stems from the creature being a mixed Blood werewolf Gile issues a warning cautioning that the protagonist should not assume a peaceful death however the protagonist remains unfazed and confidently remarks that it must be challenging for Gile to maintain control noting the stutter in his speech He commands the Gile the werewolf to come at him instantly as he won't be able to think for long in that kind of state as the wolf lunges at him it is entrapped in the Claymore maneuver which Leno implanted earlier as the wolf manages to shatter a layer of that maneuver it is instantly trapped in another layer catching the Mage offg guard at the same time Leno grins knowingly a reaction anticipated since he had deployed five Shields capable of temporarily deflecting heavy Weaponry he presumes that the adversaries had not expected his his ability to block all their attacks simultaneously subsequently he initiates the aim assistance maneuver and fires a Mana imbued bullet causing injury to the wolf and forcefully propelling it aside having transformed into a werewolf Gile begins trembling with fear prompting Leno to ponder whether he is panicking after only a single attack he contemplates that once he starts something he has to finish it considering that he can't lose the upper hand he un leashes the Thunder calling maneuver to overpower that wolf meanwhile Mage Grime seems flustered and Leno contemplates that he thought the Mage would intervene while fighting with the werewolf he wonders if Grime has been casting a spell all this time and assumes that he must have prepared a good one since he has given much time the Mage raises his staff which emanates bright light however Leno discerns that it might look like a ray of light but it's a spell that casts a strong shock wave wave he realizes it's a shock type magic that's pretty popular in World 2 and considers that it's not complicated at all and easy to learn but it's intense and visibly intimidating as it seems Grime is set to attack everything around Leno swiftly employs his magic dominates Grimes monoflow and confiscates the control he redirects the shock wave toward the ceiling and surprises the Mage by diverting the attack's direction the Mage then bursts into laughter and confidently declares that Leno utilizes an artifact claiming that he had known this fact from the moment he laid eyes on him he accuses Leno of being aligned with a pharmaceutical company and insinuates that there's no feasible way the protagonist could possess such immense power without external Aid he laughs loudly asserting that Leno must have obtained a powerful artifact and declares that he won't be fooled by it he insists that Leno must have depleted his his inferior Mana at this stage and asserts that it's now his turn to take charge amidst this the protagonist discerns that the Mage attempts to catch him off guard he Ponders whether the Mage is merely duding himself into believing that Leno is relying on an artifact despite witnessing the protagonist's actions against Gile noticing telltale signs in the mage's demeanor such as trembling pupils and Beads of cold sweat on his forehead it becomes evident that the Mage is anxious Leno grasps that Grime is starting to doubt his initial assumption due to witnessing Leno's capabilities firsthand causing those doubts to linger in the back of the mage's Mind however Grime is still uncertain and that's why he's in a state of fear the protagonist concludes that the person before him is an idiot who can't trust his senses and judgments he firmly states that he no longer needs to listen to Grime and promptly unleashes the shadow raid maneuver the maneuver leaves the Mage bewildered as dark Mana envelops him binding his arms and legs in its powerful grip the intense force of the dark Mana is so overwhelming that it severs Grim's hand which falls to the ground along with the staff he is holding overwhelmed with excruciating pain Grime Cries Out loudly and collapses to his knees in agony the Mage anxiously gazes at the protagonist and Leno realizes that Grime is probably wondering how he can do this he reveals that he had been preparing this skill from the moment they entered the storage the common shadow type magic Shadow raid is the most discreet skill and works in the darkest depths but it can only control the user's Shadow and takes a very long time to cast however inside this dark storage unit such hindrances are nullified and it helped that Grime was so sure that Leno was a lightning Mage Leno contemplates that because of this Grime didn't suspect anything the pro protagonist anticipated a fierce battle which was rather Bland he then brandishes his gun at the Mage who bursts into tears and pleads with Leno to let him live the protagonist covers Grim's eyes urging him to calm down and states that he might let him live if the Mage answers his questions Leno questions the Mage about the group accompanying him observing that it seems Grime has brought his entire crew and he seeks any potential connections the mage interjects abruptly indicating there likely aren't any more armed allies the protagonist finds it suitable as no one will be tailing him on the way to the patent office Grime then requests that he could be helpful in many ways if the protagonist lets him live claiming that he is a level three magic user and at that level many people acknowledge one as a proper Mage Leno contemplates that he isn't what Grime means but considers that levels don't determine battles between Mages he removes his hand from that mage's eyes prompting him to wonder if he is letting him live nevertheless Leno puts his gun on his head while the mage's eyes well up with tears and pleads for Mercy the protagonist acknowledges that he can't leave anything that could cause trouble later on so he apologizes and shoots the Mage dead as he turns around with a heavy sigh his attention is diverted to the werewolf who regains Consciousness and remarks that he thought he was done with him he contemplates the potency of Thunder calling and acknowledges it as the most significant Force among all lightning magic he assumes that if the werewolf were strong enough to withstand it then it wouldn't be in this gang Leno discerns that the werewolf is a beast Enchanted by the power of Madness beneath the night sky and the desire for that power drives that dying body the Beast regains his powers and lunges to attack the protagonist who skillfully evades it prompting it to stumble on the ground ground lenoch Marvels at the regenerative capabilities of the Beast and wonders if a mixed blooded werewolf can exercise regenerative power of this degree just because of the Moonlight then how strong would a pure blood werewolf be the protagonist then grasps the wolf's face barehanded and employs the bolt maneuver to assassinate it after that he reflects that he just took 5 minutes to dispatch both adversaries as it's still loud outside he considers that he doesn't need to step up and help but leaving them to fight doesn't feel right when they are on his side before heading outside he takes grime's staff contemplating that Grime wasn't a strong Mage but he carried this around despite the inconvenience therefore it must have some benefits Leno acknowledges that he hasn't disregarded the idea of utilizing magical accessories or supportive items he didn't have the money as he already spent enough on vipers he then steps out of the storage room room with that staff in his hand and notices that the battle between the adversaries gangsters and amac's mercenaries is still on he sees his comrades struggling to get the upper hand in that battle so he raises the staff and harnesses lightning bound magic to Aid them the lightning bound maneuver conjures a radiant crystal ball emitting bolts of light that strike the adversaries and catch them off guard amid the chaos one of the adversaries notices Grim's staff in Leno's hand and concerns that their leader and Mage have been defeated he abruptly informs his comrades and urges them to run prompting them to retreat without a second thought relieved to be alive and sensing an end to the confrontation The Mercenaries become super excited that the ordeal has concluded meanwhile Leno acknowledges that they must have fought hard even if he had been the one to fight off the leader and the Mage they were probably outnumbered suddenly his attention is diverted to the redhead guy who seems barely conscious and exhausted Leno contemplates that he must have pushed himself to the brink of death and he guesses that guy wants him to see how hard he fought nonetheless the protagonist finds it intriguing that the guy wouldn't have survived the battle with only the power to emit Flames from his arms moreover he was fighting at the front risking like that and surviving the fight to bathe in the joy of victory means that guy deserved it the protagonist discerns that the red head guy was cornered into a dangerous situation therefore he must have pushed his flame abilities past their limits he steps towards him considering that guy did his job so he doesn't need to threaten him more than he already has he approaches that guy and commends his efforts during that brawl this unexpected Commendation from Leno relieves the red-headed individual who visibly relaxes upon receiving recognition for his work after that the protagonist gazes at Grim staff contemplating that it doesn't increase casting speed or monor rotation rate and the force of the magic is identical too so he deems it trash and hurls it down the ground observing the lack of practicality in holding on to an item that would inadvertently reveal his identity as a mage the protagonist opts against selecting any equipment that might draw unwarranted attention to his magical abilities choosing discretion over potential exposure he decides not to pick a equipment that would expose him as a mage the protagonist then commends the mercenaries performance during the intense confrontation in response The Mercenaries reciprocate the Gratitude acknowledging the protagonist's role and expressing their exhilaration at emerging Victorious against a formidable gang he then directs that the uninjured should take the injured people to the hospital and those left with only minor injuries will stay with him to guard this place for the remaining time later the protagonist sits alone in the warehouse and notices his Trembling Hands wondering if it's because he isn't nervous anymore recognizing his exhaustion he briefly considers using a Viper for an energy boost however due to the scarcity of vipers in his possession he dismisses the idea opting to preserve them just in case after that another day went by without any problems and there were no additional attacks from the gang everyone left excited for their pay as the protagonist contemplates now that they are gone the storage is organized and the situation report is done all he needs to do is drop the sample off at the patent office however before leaving he takes permission from AMAC higher ups to take some medicines along considering his success in the mission the authorities permit him stating that he can take as many as he wants he takes melatonin and tonic medicines for exhaustion and some vitamin supplements and takes them along long for his personal use as he steps outside to depart he notices the staff he abandoned earlier he grasps it and decides to take it along contemplating that if he gives it to Jenny he can buy one or two vipers he slings the staff over his shoulder and embarks on the journey to the patent office despite a persistent headache he remains focused on completing his task recognizing that his job isn't finished until he submits the sample he grumbles internally about disliking errands finding them somewhat tedious reflecting on his limited travels he acknowledges that he has never ventured Beyond district 10 and soon arrives at his location the patent office as he strolls around the building he observes the Serene and well-maintained surroundings attributing the quietness to the fact that it's located in a district where the leaders of Balan reside the administrative agency of the city government lives in the one-digit districts and according to Len KN this area is frequented by public service employees and the city government's administrative management employees he then remarks that the patent office looks like a temple out of a myth and decides to get this over with before he can head inside the office an older man calls him out pondering what brings a young man like him out here so early in the morning Leno responds that this is a patent office countering what the man thinks he would be doing the man replies that he must have developed some new technology and finds it impressive meanwhile the protagonist contemplates if that man is exercising in a place like this he isn't an ordinary older man he wonders if getting involved with people in power is too early so he decides to escape this situation without leaving an impression Leno realizes that the man isn't looking at him instead he is looking at the staff he smirks approaches the man and asks if he enjoyed the show he gave yesterday while the man wonders what he means with a gentle grin Leno informs that he has shot off some fireworks for the people afar to watch he then asks the man if he is waiting for him because he enjoyed it Leno then lifts the staff and firmly places It On The Ground causing a slight pothole due to the impact and tells the man he will give it back to him he adds that Grime must have been a valuable Mage to him and apologizes for the earlier events and the man anxiously wers whether he knew reflecting on the situation Leno contemplates how he could not because that man recognized Grim's staff and already anticipated his arrival moreover considering the man's freedom of movement in the area Leno concludes that he must be a District representative he never would have expected The District representative to show up instead of hiring someone else the man acknowledged that Grime was unskilled but he was a nice person and informed lenoch that the moment he decided to go into politics Grime put much effort into supporting him as best as possible The District representative inquires if Leno knows the purpose behind his visit after Grim's death prompting Leno to remark if he desires Revenge meanwhile Leno thinks that he said that but it doesn't seem to be the correct answer because that person's eyes don't seem to hold any hatred disappointment or rage instead he sees intense greed The District representative extends an offer to the protagonist proposing that it would be a loss for the entire city if someone as skilled as Leno were to operate independently as a freelancer expressing certainty in Leno's Talent the representative recalls the sight of lightning in a cloudless sky hence he proposes that he continue to climb up the social ladder and assures that he will be facilitated to become one of the tall skyscrapers the protagonist takes a deep sigh considering that the man's every sentence reveals Reveals His self-serving ambition and realizes that this person is unusual because he lays claim to money that isn't rightfully his seeks Fame and Authority he hasn't yet earned and desires the talents of an employee who isn't under his jurisdiction the protagonist assessing the district Representatives extreme greed concludes that few match his level of avarice firm in his stance he believes he doesn't require a figurative leash around his neck and rejects the offer outright he ackn anes the man's desire to have him on board but asserts that he has no compelling reason to align himself with the District representative which takes the man aback deep down Leno contemplates that if he needs the support of someone in power there are many more influential people than this District representative however turning someone as ambitious as him into an enemy would be a pain so Leno recognizes the necessity of managing the situation even if he doesn't want to collaborate with the the representative he then tells the man that if he helped him he could repay that debt one day prompting him to wonder what he means in response the protagonist clarifies that they are not close but there's no reason for them to be enemies later he informs Jenny about that District representative in response She Bangs on the table stating that she heard about many weird and obsessive people in politics but considers him worse than she imagined when Leno asks if she believes the man might attempt something Jenny dismisses the concern asserting that despite the man's Oddity his handling of the situation appears clean and professional Jenny speculates that if the representative does intend to approach Leno in the future it would likely be after the man has achieved a higher position if he's genuinely interested in collaborating Leno mentions the representative's apparent desperation for a Mage and Jenny notes that having connections with influential individuals like like him could offer various benefits if handled adeptly she implies that dealing with such links well could provide numerous conveniences the protagonist reflects on Jenny's experiences and presumes that her life hasn't been ordinary considering her establishment of a human resources agency and her work as a broker at a young age suddenly Jenny's phone beeps and she excitedly informs Leno that AMAC has confirmed the samples registration and sent the money she offers to transfer the funds to his account to which Leno agrees and informs her that he needs to leave for somewhere as he prepares to depart Jenny halts him and confirms he doesn't have any other sources of income besides this right when Leno remains silent she stresses establishing a credible income source to evade scrutiny she asserts that pretense is essential because tax investigators go after jobless people with much money entering their accounts when Leno remarks that he will look into it Jenny clarifies that she isn't rushing him but he should at least look into other jobs as he steps out of the bar he feels fatigued and yearns to return home for some much needed rest but he realizes that he needs vipers to forget his exhaustion and function like an ordinary person he hails a taxi and arrives at plumber's Botanical Garden to acquire the Vipers the Viper expert refers to him as a precious customer apologizes that he didn't recogn I an important customer like van and commends him for being a very talented Mage Leno maintaining his guys as van asks if the Viper expert dislikes him to which the man dismisses his assertion stating that he was just surprised he adds that if even he has heard the rumors that means van has successfully adjusted to this field he couldn't picture it in his head the Viper expert adds that he didn't think a fool like the protagonist who doesn't even know what he is smoking smoking would still be alive Leno wonders if that is what the man was thinking to himself while smiling on the outside and now he guesses it's better to find out he then places the money on the table and tells the man that he wants a hundred of what he got last time a bright smile spreads over Viper expert's face to see that much money and he admits that he didn't recognize van as a young man with such a bright future he then starts searching for the product asserting that if van is so rich he should have told him earlier and tells him that there's something he would like to recommend to him as he steps out of the Botanical Garden he is overcome by exhaustion barely keeping himself steady and starts sweating profusely Seated on the ground he resorts to using his Viper and experiences a surge of Vitality making him feel truly alive he acknowledges that he shouldn't rely on this solution yet feels compelled as if there's no other choice reflecting on his situation he sees himself traversing a constant tightrope to survive in this harsh and unforgiving City he had thought he was managing adequately until now but now he wonders if he will be okay in the future for a week after that he rested long enough that could be considered too much he stretched enough so that he wouldn't become inflexible and ate meals he made himself he counted how many hours of sleep he was getting to bring his biorhythm back to normal he acknowled knowes that the character Lenox body is uselessly sensitive and as fragile as glass and he is tired of it but he thinks he has somehow adjusted to this weak body despite this he gets up considering he has to use this much effort to pick a part-time job he contemplates that he can't do something as consistent as working 3 days a week and that he can't do night shifts upon reviewing his abilities he concludes that he needs more time to find suitable employment especially since physical labor is beyond his capabilities amid this he receives a message from Jenny asking about his plan to take another Quest he contemplates that he has some things to research and decides to rest a bit more later he arrives at the Balkan City Library in his true appearance considering that he only goes to a few places while resting however he came here today with a clear purpose scanning the shelves he searches for books related to summoning magic spirit arts and homunculus and wonders if he should explore necromancy he hardly lifts the related books and places them on the table to analyze their mechanics he wondered a few things while fighting the werewolf and Mage Grimes simultaneously their tactic was simple the werewolf opposed in the front meanwhile the Mage supported him from behind with magic he considers that possible methods to approach the battle against them are to either be much more skilled than them and crush them in a face-to-face fight or use the same tactic as theirs to win the war slowly he reflects that he could also kill the Mage first that way he would get rid of the support and if he can learn summoning magic or Spirit Arts magic and have some support the fights will be much more stable however he also wonders whether finding a teammate for help might be a quicker solution compared to dedicating time solely to studying these subjects yet he realizes the importance of assessing his capabilities before deciding he delves into the study of summoning magic and observes that it involves numerous intricate conditions resembling a complex process akin to a gacha system rather than a straightforward skill reflecting on its complexity he Compares it to his experiences in the world finding the process of specifying and executing summoning overly convoluted additionally he notes that the high cost of about 200 million cell for a summoning ritual could result in an unfavorable outcome leading to wasted time and money disappointed by the complexities and uncertainties in summoning he closes the book contemplating another potential Avenue Spirit art he considers that if using summoning magic is like playing a gacha that depends entirely on luck Spirit Arts can't even be called Magic it doesn't use mana and its principles are closer to Shamanism or necromancy delving into that book he remarks that nothing looks helpful and considers this might work if he could naturally learn one while researching common magic however he deems it risky to invest significant time in learning this new skill yet he recognizes its potential significantly if he could briefly distract enemies suddenly Aris richin the labitan University's Elemental Magic faculty chair Professor approaches him and asks if he has been rotting here all month long she gently reminds him that she had asked asked him to meet with her expressing her concern that he hasn't shown up despite her request she questions whether his situation would improved just by burying himself in books holding each of the books he was engrossed in she sighed deeply perhaps feeling disappointment and worry meanwhile looking at her serious face Leno wonders if she is imagining scenarios and making wrong assumptions about him AIS adds that she knows he isn't talented in Magic but turning to this Stu isn't a good idea especially summoning magic and spirit arts and asserts that stuff depends on luck when Leno responds that he is aware ays anxiously wonders why he would continue reading about these topics if he's aware of their Reliance on luck expressing concern she humorously suggests that if Leno is inclined to test his luck buying a lottery ticket would be better than pursuing these magical Arts she discloses her position at the University stressing that she has encountered only three Spirit Mages implying that it's a feudal aspiration Leno concedes that her perspective isn't entirely off base if she had been an average person her advice would have been correct he contemplates that he wouldn't have to listen to her lectures if he told her about himself she sits next to him stating that she will give him a simple explanation to help him understand and assumes that he will give up once he explains how difficult and luck dependent summoning matter magic is when she explains that magic is based on his ideologies and a concentration of his Mana Lenox attention wains he contemplates that he already knows arys is a professor but her tone is very calm and familiar and he acknowledges that she is a good person a profound sense of gratitude washes over him as he recognizes ais's respectful approach upon realizing his fervor for the subject prompting him to contemplate the solace in conversing with someone amidst this desolate environment he finds immense comfort and reassurance in having someone willing to engage with him in this solitary Place amid this ays suspiciously asks if he is listening to which he assures that he is listening very closely she then asks about his name asserting that if someone gives him a free lecture he should at least introduce himself to them the protagonist contemplates that she is one of the few who know his real face and realizes he must be careful about telling her name in response he politely questions the need to share personal details and stresses that he's merely a student engrossed in magical research in this Library he emphasizes that exchanging knowledge and having discussions solely based on their shared interest in Magic is adequate understanding his stance Aris assumes he's willing to learn magic from her and suggests meeting every other week assuring that she will tutor him leaving Leno somewhat bewildered by by her unexpected proposal she asserts her intention to initiate instruction from the foundational levels rather than plunging straight into the complexities of summoning magic so he must be prepared Leno explains that he's short on time but she disregards his concern casually stating she'll catch up with him later as she departs the protagonist Muses over her apparent disregard for his preferences observing her tendency to follow her own inclinations without much heed to others he Pond her peculiarity acknowledging her inherent kindness despite her unorthodox approach exiting the library Leno reflects on AIS richlin's inclination toward individuals lacking innate Talent yet brimming with an intense passion for magic recollecting their initial meeting he acknowledges his lack of knowledge about her background recognizing that engaging with her might pose a different challenge altogether he considers that listening to her twice a week shouldn't be bad because being on good terms with a professor at a university would help him get a good job Leno inhales the Viper contemplating that with that kind of benefit it might be worth it to start having regularly scheduled meetings with someone since he has no one to depend on in this city however having to put so much thought into just meeting someone makes him a little sad later arriving at the bar in his van Persona Leno encounters Jenny who informs him that his name will be registered in the Deep Web this announcement leaves him wondering about the implications Jenny clarifies that specific tedious processes have become remarkably efficient due to his exceptional job performance as a result registering his name on The Deep Web occasionally occurs when clients are delighted with his work lenoch then asks about bartender Jordan to which she informs him that he leaves every other week and she thinks he's helping out at his old job she presents van with a cocktail but Dylan appears out of the blue and swiftly consumes it asking what kind of cocktail this is Jenny smacks his head stating that it's adios prompting him to wonder why she did that she yells how Dylan can sit there drinking casually after screwing up that badly on a job to which Dylan reasons that it's their fault for slapping those ridiculous conditions on it and that he couldn't do anything alone meanwhile Leno contemplates the implications of his ident idty being registered on the Deep Web Jenny reassures him explaining that there's no immediate risk emphasizing that his reputation as a successful contractor will be recognized across the network and he can name the rewards he wants for a quest she explains that it usually takes at least 10 months to get his name on The Deep Web but it seems like his clients request it first Jenny mentions that customers who don't have a connection to her don't have a means of contacting him so she is assumes they are getting anxious Leno expresses his concerns that having an identity on the Deep Web doesn't sound all that great in response Jenny assures him not to fret about leaking his information because they use a back door connected to the city government's main Integrated Network window hence the security is perfect and Dylan concurs that she is right Leno anxiously wonders what that means and she responds that it wouldn't be possible without the city government's cooperation Leno concurs contemplating that's the reason this street which is full of violence day in and day out goes unchecked by the police and the city government's agents he surmises it would be more surprising if he learned that the hups weren't involved Jenny then asks if there is some request he would like to make when he receives quests Leno discloses his preference for rare forms of inherent magic such as abilities related to time space or potent regenerative capab cap abilities he also expresses interest in acquiring a relic or a precious miracle drug with a similar Rarity and worth as magic of that caliber Jenny questions Leno's certainty about his preferences highlighting the difficulty of quests that offer such rare and challenging rewards even for someone as capable as him Dylan interrupts stating that it's none of Jenny's business emphasizing that she asked him what van wanted and he responded accordingly he asserts that van would have already considered any considerations regarding the difficulty of the requests Jenny concedes to Dylan's Point acknowledging that she has crossed the line and apologizes to the protagonist Leno clarifies that he doesn't mean he will take only those quests and emphasizes that he wants to explain that that's what he wants Jenny gets his stance and assures him that she will put in a request to edit his information she mentions that edit requests are a slow process so it'll take about a week she recommends that he refrain from taking on any quests until the editing process is completed when the protaganist anxiously Pond the reason she informs him that there's a substantial difference in his perceived value before and after officially registering once his registration is complete there will be a significant devaluation causing him to suffer a loss of at least 10 million in worth Leno lets out a heavy sigh realizing he needs approximately 20 million more to afford stonia Dylan notices his concern and asks if he needs money upon Leno's affirmation Dylan informs him that these days there is a job that mercenaries take on to earn some cash on the side and Leno can bag more than a million a day if he's good enough intrigued Leno expresses interest and asks Dylan to provide more details about this opportunity the next day Leno arrives at 50th District the city government environment agent ay's District management headquarters fifth observation post the place is bustling with numerous mercenaries the registar at the location assigns him the number 484 and instructs him to focus on the screen informing him that they're sending people inside in groups of four Leno observes that the registar avoids eye contact and wonders why he is grouped in fours despite this he contemplates his inclination towards working independently rather than being part of a group he reminisces that Dylan informed him there are undeveloped districts outside the 50th district and apparently many vagrants are dying out there because of the contamination then beasts gather around the dead bodies and also get contaminated that's why the city government decided something needed to be done so the city authorities have offered rewards amounting to 1 billion for each of these contaminated beasts slain which implies that by eliminating 10 of these creatures Leno could potentially earn 10 million Leno reflects on his need to accumulate more than 20 million cell and amid this three mercenaries approach him one of them greets the protagonist asking if he is 484 and introduces himself as number 482 named Miguel Leno realizes he is on a team with them so he agrees that he is 484 and introduces himself as van Miguel then introduces the rest of the two as Ericson and claria and asks if they should get going and they agree to proceed as they move Leno contemplates that these three people already know each other and assess their magical abilities he discerns that they only possess sufficient Mana to enhance the strength of their bodies and hopes they won't get in his way as all the mercenaries make their way toward the undeveloped District Miguel casually asks Leno if he finds it fortunate that they aren't far from their destination Leno display playing a lack of enthusiasm reluctantly agrees undeveloped District includes the district in the upper 50s and the districts whose numbers haven't even been decided yet it's a large area composed of ruins and in the past because of the fast expansion of the Balkan the city government made an ambitious plan to expand the residential area however after failing to manage the districts in the' 40s the districts in the 50s were essentially abandoned claria remarks that it must be hard for anyone who works outside of Balkan mentioning that they do say that the contamination trouble only worsened recently however now they have to go back and forth to the city with those dangers nearby Erikson chimes in considering they feel sketchy when looking at the factories and buildings built outside the city meanwhile deep down Leno agrees and reflects on his experience working in the factory contemplating that the factory made the corpse pulverizer of the Mages to sell conversely Miguel considers that to mercenaries like them it's not necessarily just a lousy thing that undeveloped districts exist according to him it's not easy to come by quests where one can earn a million cell just for hunting one of the contaminated Ericson mentions the usefulness of his shotgun particularly against larger adversaries meanwhile claria turns toward Leno noticing his sole possession a revolver and remarks that it seems to be his only equipment she asks him if he utilizes other gear or Weaponry during their missions Leno realizes that's what they have been wondering and considers that he has no reason to hide so he informs them that he studies lightning type magic Miguel anxiously asks if he means pure Elemental stuff and when the protagonist concurs stating that they could say that it takes them AB back with a s Miguel remarks that they are mistaken prompting Leno to wonder in what sense Miguel explains that they assumed he was a mage who learned a more common type of magic mentioning that Mages who work alone usually work on skills compatible with all kinds of teammates meanwhile Leno deeps down considers it a stupid excuse and contemplates that he did hear that pure Elemental Mages are unwelcomed when they are beginners because they could harm the team's efficiency however he finds it strange for them to exclude him so obviously and wonders if they were planning this from the art with that in mind Miguel asserts that they need to rethink working together as they would prefer to work with someone who can support them Leno then counter questioned if Miguel was required to be in a four-person group to get a reward for this raid to which Miguel remarked that he didn't think so stating that some people might still get injured or die because of this exchange Leno concludes their partnership knowing that trying to collaborate when their objectives differ will only result in stress he firmly asserts that they should separate at this point as working together doesn't seem feasible when their goals are not aligned as the protagonist turns around to leave Miguel asks if he is sure that will be okay Leno gazes at their relieved Expressions So he responds to his query that it would have been much nicer if Miguel had asked him earlier and acknowledges that he may have made things complicated when Miguel dismisses his assertion stating that he couldn't be so BL lenoch retorts that they will separate here and suggests they must put some distance between them to pursue their hunting Endeavors claria sarcastically appreciates his decision while Miguel mockingly believes that van must have a plan as the protagonist departs he feels annoyed by the situation realizing that it would have been foolish to fight to prove his strength and in the end he would be the one losing out if he worked with a team on the other hand claria Ponders why Miguel is staring at Van emphasizing that they got rid of a hindrance as having a parasite like that in the group is annoying Erikson concurs emphasizing that it's already irritating just thinking about joining the mercenary Community raiding team they don't have the time to worry about a weakling like van furthermore he assumes that van will probably crawl back to the city once he figures out how hard this job is meanwhile Miguel contemplates that this is what they wanted but wonders why he feels unsettled as if van chose to get away from them so quickly because his magic skills are superior they might have lost a precious connection conversely Leno assassinates a beast with his lightning bolt magic and remarks that it looks more disgusting in real life according to Dylan the contamination first appeared about 3 years ago as a large scale poisonous Living Weapons project carried out in the undeveloped districts called black consumer which is said to be the cause this project aimed to control viruses with strong proliferative power to increase cell regeneration explosively it was meant to test the possibility of immortality but ended up birthing contamination instead furthermore it said that if one is infected all the cells in his body will replicate exponentially and that individual will explode however the biggest problem is that the corpse leaks a black fog a remnant of the experiment's failed technique and this black fog floats around looking for living beings to inhabit Leno exhales a sigh and grasps his knife considering that he doesn't want to but they said to bring its eyes as proof of having killed it as he prepares to take them out his attention is diverted to the hord of beasts but he remains unfazed to confront them and refers to them as dogs he was already tracking the contaminated through Mana detection so he was prepared to greet them he swiftly unleashes the gravity bind maneuver which binds one of the beasts while the other attempts to attack Leno but it proves feudal as he has already prepared a magic shield around himself to prevent himself from any precarious situation he then uses his Mana imbued bullet and with the help of other magical Maneuvers he overpowers five beasts through his Adept use of magic Leno successfully neutralizes the threats posed by these creatures however he finds collecting their eyes annoying he gathers them in an uise and contemplates that they said it's a million cell each so he has gotten 5 million now he considers it not a wrong way to earn money however it's not something he wants to do long term without this detection magic and a two colomet radius seeking out the contamination would have been annoying according to him contaminated are not as weak as he thought and their movements appeared straightforward these creatures possessed an unexpected combination of swiftness and and formidable strength he realizes that the reason mercenaries were grouped in four might be due to the overwhelming nature of the task Leno assumes that facing these creatures alone would have been too challenging for individuals like Miguel or Ericson pondering this he takes a deep breath contemplating the situation while holding his Viper close reflecting further Leno questions whether his companions were cognizant of this fact if they were it would imply they intentionally abandoned him to face potential danger alone possibly assuming he was a feeble Mage he entertains the possibility that their departure wasn't entirely improbable leaving him to confront perilous situations despite their beliefs about his strength as a mage after a small break he resumes his quest searching for the next Target his goal for this job was to earn at least 20 million cell the amount he needed to buy the simonia from staria pharmaco as he roams around around in search of more contaminated beasts Leno realizes the necessity to eliminate more of them to reach his financial goal he estimates the current pace and speculates that achieving this target might take approximately 2 days reflecting on his choices he realizes it would have been wiser to take on a quest that offered an upfront payment however he sigh deeply acknowledging that dwelling on such regrets serves no purpose at this stage sensing the looming presence of contaminated creatures nearby Lano swiftly pivots activating his Mana manipulation abilities using his magical prowess he detects the presence of three contaminated entities confined within cage like metal boxes Discerning their locations through his Supernatural senses recognizing the situation Leno concentrates his Mana realizing he possesses the ideal magical spell for dealing with this abandoned building drawing upon his knowledge of summoning type magic theory he employs a maneuver known as Lightning tracker magic although he can't Grant the magical foxes their own will this spell boasts a remarkable duration and proves suitable for the current scenario while the magical foxes lunge toward their target Leno senses someone's presence which bewilders him because until now he hasn't felt any presence just like his first encounter he notices a person hastily running and wonders if this individual is the same sniper from that previous encounter he plans to Halt that person with a soundwave maneuver but to his surprise his magic doesn't affect that blue-haired girl and she keeps running Leno remarks that she is good enough that sound waves won't work on her so he unleashes an ice burn maneuver to Halt her the girl barely manages to evade it and the ice Arrow causes a fiery explosion as it hits the ground she can't believe that she is alive however her sense of relief is shortlived because suddenly the ice bursts again and grapples her legs rendering her unable to move Leno steps towards her acknowledging that she's pretty skilled so he decides he won't let her have any rest when the girl discreetly tries to grasp her gun Leno swiftly employs gravity bind which shackles her hand prompting her to yell in frustration he wonders if she is screaming and cussing from the first meeting and then tosses her gun aside by by utilizing his magic she pleads for leniency but Leno inhaling Viber questions why he should relent perplexed the girl questions what she did to deserve this treatment and the protagonist counters citing her attempt to flee when he discovers her hiding in defense she explains that she nearly aimed not to disturb and emphasizes her intent not to interfere with his hunting Pursuits when the main character sarcastically dismisses her statement as convincing she asserts her belief that he doesn't trust her however she appeals to him asking if he could at least remove the ice underneath her as she's feeling like her toes are on the verge of freezing off Leno doesn't think that she will resist but can't comprehend what she is thinking so he brandishes his gun at her in a state of panic she abruptly calls out Dylan which startles Leno she reveals that she works with Dylan and states that she is just a regular mercenary so surprised by her Revelation the protagonist surmises that she must have connections to ANS if she's associated with Dylan he inquires how she knew about his acquaintance with Dylan wondering if Dylan mentioned him as she confirms his suspicions Leno becomes curious about her motives for following him and asks how she escaped his Mana detection skill she assures him that she had no intentions of causing harm she had been in close proximity and wanted to avoid getting entangled in anything her decision to hide stemmed from that desire to remain uninvolved emphasizing her Point she notes that she would have attacked him if she wanted to regarding her evasion of his Mana detection she cryptically remarks that attributing it to the power of money might be the most straightforward explanation she can offer when the protagonist wonders what she means she shows him the charm on her waist she explains that it's an assimilation charm made by an advanced Druid and it's expensive but it's worth it Leno abruptly snatches that charm while she yells at him to return it Druid nature type techniques don't have an energy form that can be called their power their power comes from the firm Faith Nature's creatures have in them therefore their powers leave no trace or sign of their presence Leno acknowledges the logic behind this understanding that such power would be imperceptible to him he notices The Fading pattern and realizes that his own presence is becoming fainter too he speculates that this ability functions only when someone remains in one spot considering how the symbol grew fainter it must have limited uses and he doesn't think she would have attacked him with a crude item like this amidst it all the girl nervously smiles and asks Leno if he plans on returning the charm to her highlighting its exorbitant value Leno gazes at the charm and admits he can't promise its return however he consoles her saying not to fret affirming his intention to make good use of it and eventually return it to Dylan in frustration she exclaims that Dylan despite having it doesn't even know what's within his wallet finally after some reluctance she reluctantly agrees acknowledging that it might be simpler to Let It Go however despite this she becomes excited to see that the ice melted and now she can move her feet yet she expresses displeasure at the water seeping into her boots and questions what Leno intends to do about it in response Leno asks if that's what is essential right now with her hands restrained by the gravity bind she pressed asking what came next reiterating that she had already assured him she had no hostile intentions toward him meanwhile Leno contacts Jenny asking if there is a blue-haired mercenary woman in ANS and Jenny concurs however their conversation is abruptly cut short due to the terrible signal likely because Leno is on the outskirts despite the interrupted call he reflects that he checked what needed to be checked and diminishes his gravity bind maneuver rendering her hands free from the effect he then inquires about her name she introduces herself as Camila adding that he can call her Milla she then asks if he is Van asserting she has heard plenty about him retrieving her gun from the Mud She questions if he came to eliminate the contamination Leno counters by asking if she isn't here to do the same thing and Millet agrees revealing that she has needed some quick cash lately she adds that the boss was saying something about the Deep Web and how they can't take Quests for a bit so she came here instead when the protagonist doesn't respond she anxiously asks what's up and if something is wrong but Leno denies her assertion she tells him there is a way to kill a bunch of the contaminated at once seeking his help and asks whether he is interested she proposes splitting the money 50/50 and asks what he thinks instead of agreeing to an equal split Leno offers her a 7 to3 division which infuriates her and she anxiously asks what she should live off Leno responds that it sounds like he would be killing the contaminated in the end adding that he has more things to do so it's a given that he would take a larger share this response intensifies her frustration and she sternly questions the fairness of the situation highlighting that the idea was hers and urges the importance of upholding business ethics she suggests a 6 to4 split by proposing a compromise expressing her inability to compromise further deeming it a fair Arrangement Leno comments that he's uncertain about the idea's Brilliance nonetheless he agrees to the 6 to4 split which startles millah and she anxiously urges that he can't change his mind later on in enthusiastically she turns around urging him to get moving when Leno questions if they'll have to walk she dismisses the notion excitedly she reveals that she had retrieved something earlier claiming that she will give him a nice ride later they ride on the forklift truck and as she drives Leno sarcastically remarks that it goes better than it looks she revealed that she had just retouched some of the wires and it started working again suddenly Leno's attention is the converted to a contaminant and he abruptly attacks it with his magical Fox which pursues the contaminated creature and overpowers it the protagonist then collects that creature's eyes and as he rides the vehicle he inquires where to go next Miller responds that he wouldn't know but the contaminated usually search for signs of life to chase after to her surprise Leno already knows that it's the place where vagrants live when Milla Ponders if he already knows Leno clarifies that he just assumed and then contemplates that it's not like he hasn't thought of the possibility of vagrants living out here except looking for them is almost a waste of time he asks if she hasn't considered that other mercenaries might have the same plan as every ones probably around that area he then moves to disembark from the vehicle stating that if Miller doesn't have an alternative plan she should drop him there she anxiously halts him assuring him that she is aware of that and reveal reveals that she kept a secret that no one knows about she says that her boss anter has much interest in the vagrant so she has to volunteer sometimes because of her boss according to her they helped the vagrants move and are the only ones who know their current location Leno considers the possibility that if her words are valid they won't encounter any other mercenaries which he deems as not necessarily a bad outcome upon reaching the location Milla adds that the contaminated creatures likely haven't found this place yet as the vagrants must be caring for the ones that come near when the protagonist asks if she hasn't gone inside the building she remarks that if it weren't for his boss she wouldn't even go near them and instead go around with scavengers she halts the vehicle there stating that they should wait here for a bit adding that they don't see any contaminated right now but she is sure they will come here drooling however her attention is diverted to a bunch of people arriving arriving at their location she remarks that there seem to be more than 10 but they are too far Leno informs her that they are 18 in total and they are all mercenaries Milla then expresses her disdain that she came here because she didn't want to come across any of them while the protagonist responds that if they know how to handle Mana they probably had an easy time finding this place as he consumes his Viper and exudes Mana she asks if he is going to fight them and asserts that came here first so they can probably tell those mercenaries to screw off Leno responds that it would be nice if they just listened revealing that he knows some of them she finds it nice as they can tell them to go away nicely but the protagonist denies it stating that he doesn't know them well the mercenaries approach them and the protagonists former team members are shocked to see him there Miguel comments that they've re-encountered each other noting that this place seems smaller than he had imagined imagined and in response Leno concurs Miguel then asks Leno if the person next to him is someone he has been with all this time and Leno responds that he met her on the way Miguel sarcastically remarks that it's good as it's dangerous to go around alone when the protagonist asks what he is trying to say Miguel explains that they had their eyes on this place first and Fs to be friendly suggesting they could relocate elsewhere if it's okay with Leno however intervenes and firmly questions if Miguel is out of his mind she asks what kind of he is spouting urging how can this place be his to take when no one owns this land Miguel starts to explain that when a mercenary claims a spot first but before he finishes millah angrily interrupts shouting at Miguel whether this is his place emphasizing that she was the one who assisted the vagrants in relocating here initially when Leno attempts to calm her down she UR urges him not to stop her and brandishes her gun at Miguel she frustratedly urges Leno how she cannot be pissed when the bastards that got here after them are telling them to leave Miguel sternly remarks that she should calm down as they can choose the violent route too he calculates that there are only two of them while nearly 20 mercenaries are on his side so if a fight begins they have the advantage meanwhile Leno wonders if that guy believes in the strength of numbers he uses his magic to assess the mercenaries Mana thinking if they fight the first one he would need to take down would be that blonde hair guy as he doesn't feel a presence or any Mana from him and wonders if he is so skilled that he can hide them all conversely that blond-haired guy named mayin steps ahead and suggests Miguel should stop right there may Orin realizes that Milan is from antus and remarks that he never expected to see an antara mercenary here expressing her pleasure to meet her he introduces himself revealing that he is mayin from plon and is guiding these mercenaries today Miller realizes plon is another mercenary office as it works alongside anteras in this field they are said to scout talented mercenaries using their incredible wealth although she doesn't know where they get their money from mayin then states that everyone knows anter is interested in the undeveloped districts and he assumes the residential area here is also anter is doing he adds that it would be rude to ask her to leave this place when she is from anteras he humbly asks whether she at least permits them to rest a bit when she anxiously asks for rest mayin concurs adding that if they come across some of the contaminated creatures they can get rid of them Leno realizes he is telling them he won't leave and contemplates that if they react aggressively to this it will lead to a fight sensing milla's reluctance to confront Clayton mercenaries he ends their deal prompting her to wonder why this sudden turn of events occurred she halts him from taking such a step emphasizing that he should keep to his words to which he Ponders if she wants him to compete with those guys and says that going around alone would be much easier than that Milla offers him the charm she purchased for 10 million cells to persuade him to stay proposing it as an incentive if he cooperates with her amidst the conversation everyone's attention is diverted to the horde of contaminated creatures rushing towards them and catching Miguel and his comrades off guard Millet turns to Leno anxiously asking if he is still leaving after watching all that she implores him to try this out together as he doesn't have anything to lose and ensures him that they can outmaneuver those adversaries while they are at it too as Lano observes the situation he senses something am Miss and contemplates that if there are a bunch of living beings here for so so many contaminated to appear all at once as he gazes at mayor's malicious grin Leno realizes his decisive plan suspecting that they are somehow involved as the situation doesn't seem like a coincidence as it seems more intentional realizing the imminent danger Leno then advises Miller to take her shotgun and run to the front immediately assuring her that he will take care of the rest Miller gets his plan and abruptly Sprints to heed Van's advice she catch is the attention of other mercenaries prompting them to wonder about her motive and Miguel and claria command the rest of the mercenaries to chase her before they can proceed Leno swiftly unleashes his sinkhole maneuver a magic spell used to create a small hole and expands it by channeling more Mana as a result a hole emerges Beneath The Mercenaries causing them to fall into it the protagonist wishes they would stay down there but he acknowledges that won't happen suddenly he becomes surprised to see May orin's body exuding mana and realizes he is hiding it he then Grins and unleashes a maneuver that interferes with the opponent's Mana flow that instant they use mana and break it meanwhile mayor kneels in excruciating pain as his Mana won't move his body starts trembling realizing it's like someone's forcibly controlling it and he soon realizes it's Mage Van's doing feeling more confident in the success of his maneuver the protagonist notes May orin's considerable power and assumes that if it works on him it might affect others too consequently he employs the maneuver on the other mercenaries leaving them bewildered and unable to move their Mana Miguel can't fathom how it happens and tells Leno they can't get up there requesting him to help them as they can't move their Mana when the protagonist doesn't respond Moren sternly calls out Miguel asking if he still doesn't get it and he becomes startled upon realizing that Leno is responsible for their predicament the protagonist then unleashes his magic Fox maneuver which startles everyone and prompts them to wonder what this is the magical foxes summoned by this maneuver assist Milla by impeding the progress of the contaminated creatures and she realizes these foxes are Vans she attempts to shoot one of the creatures but unfortunately hits its eyes which were crucial for their payment however In the Heat of the Moment and excitement she fails to realize the significance of her shot and finds it impressive meanwhile feeling frustrated Leno Pats his head in dismay knowing she wasn't supposed to shoot out their eyes at that moment she sadly acknowledges her blunder however instead of letting her blunder overwhelm her she resolves to stay determined refocusing her aim she confidently sets her sights on the creatures bodies this time determined to shoot accurately on the other hand and Moren manages to get out of the pit he briefly gazes at Leno and without uttering a word he Sprints to confront the contaminated creature moren's nonchalant response prompts the protagonist to wonder if he is leaving without confronting him he speculates that mayin might have recognized who was disrupting his Mana earlier as he seems intelligent enough to avoid fighting against him amidst the chaos the other mercenaries somehow climb out of the bottomless pit Ericson confronts the protagonist angrily questioning why he stood by and watched stressing that he could have offered help Leno pretends to be unaware of Ericson's accusations and implies he doesn't understand what Ericson means he then reveals that his priority is assisting the woman with a shotgun indicating he doesn't feel obliged to help anyone else Leno asserts that he doesn't consider himself friends with The Mercenaries finding it strange that they suddenly expect teamwork however his statement infuriates Erikson who impulsively lunges to attack the protagonist physically Leno remains unfazed and unleashes The Elemental Magic he tested after seeing Grimes shock magic prompting Erikson to Tumble aside and spew up the protagonist then employs bolt magic rendering Ericson unconscious and catching his comrades off guard after a while as Leno walks aside Miguel inquires why he hadn't revealed his skill earlier suggesting they would have treated him differently had they known Leno sternly responds that he didn't come to the undeveloped districts seeking special treatment and praise meanwhile millah and Moren individually continue to overpower those creatures conversely when Leno reminds them of their earlier agreement to tally their kills clarier requests him to wait she remarks that she doesn't know about Miguel but doesn't consent to that agreement and intends to explain further however before she can complete it millah thoroughly drenched with the creature's blood intervenes millah sarcastically remarks that she understands that claria intends that she needs money however she criticizes the notion of abandoning their teammates to prioritize personal gain claria attempts to deny Miller's accusation asserting she wasn't thinking that way in response Miller sternly questions Clara's intentions and suggests that it would be more profitable for claria to align herself with the mid rather than her friends feeling ashamed claria reluctantly admits that Mill's observation is correct Milla mockingly Pats clar's shoulder meanwhile mayin arrives and acknowledges his defeat he expresses that he cannot even be angry because Mage van is mighty and commends that what happened today was very impressive mayin extends his business card to Leno mentioning that it's the only thing he has to offer and asks if Leno would accept it Leno understands that mayin doesn't wish to continue arguing about the contaminated creatures and agrees to take his card in response mayin expresses his gratitude to Leno hoping for the chance to meet him again later as they calculate their kill count Miller becomes frustrated having taken down only seven creatures while Leno managed to eliminate 12 Leno remarks that it would be higher if they counted the one where she accidentally blew its eyes off so it's her own doing despite this he still Praises her efforts acknowledging her work in return Milla compliments his magical abilities and extends her hand for a handshake she suggests he visit her sometime prompting Leno to wonder why to which she explains that Dylan always talks about him so their boss is curious and must come by if he ever needs work with fat rewards after Leno mentions that he'll consider her suggestion Milow walks away with a cheerful smile reminding him that he promised and confidently states that she'll see him next time as she departs Leno contemplates that he got 19 million cell from the contaminated hunt although it's a bit short of his 20 million goal he considers this enough to buy his much needed stonia miracle drug and hopes it will be compelling Upon returning home Leno meticulously reinforces the protective barriers encircling his apartment through a focused meditation session completing his preparations he eyes the stonia encased within the Crimson cover a tangible reminder of the entire amount he invested in winning the bid contemplating its potential he admits the possibility that the stonia might not yield the desired results cautious of the potential adverse effects that excessive energy infusion might bring upon his body despite harboring reservations he Ponders the slim chance of mitigating his current penalties through its consumption cradling the stonan in his palm he deliberates on balancing the medicine's benefits and possible drawbacks determined to explore its effects he swallows the pill however soon a surge of anxiety grips him leaving him in a state of unease and he anxiously wonders if his body is too weak when compared to the effects of the miracle medicine he aimed to steer clear of forcibly infusing Mana into his body recognizing the impracticality and riskiness of that approach despite this awareness he realized that dwelling on the consequences of a Mana overdose was feudal at that moment the looming danger of losing Consciousness or facing lifethreatening rises in body temperature pushed him to make a crucial decision to fortify his body by gradually introducing mana and building up his tolerance to prevent such dire outcomes amidst heavy sweating and discomfort he determined to continue drinking the fluid until his fever subsided primarily to stay alert the following morning upon Awakening he realized he had unexpectedly stayed awake through the night yet he did not experience any discernable improvements due to the medicine observing stains resembling toxins on his blanket with an odor reminiscent of Viper Venom he speculated whether these marks were remnants of toxic materials discharged by the Viper mingled with other harmful substances expelled from his body he considers it was worth the money plus despite reinforcing his body with Mana throughout the night he is not sore or anything initially he would have felt like he was being painfully stabbed by needles as soon as he stopped reinforcing his body with Mana since he had no symptoms the Mana overdose must have eased up a bit although it doesn't seem like any other effects just being able to offset the penalties effects temporarily is enough for now at least he checked that there is a way to mitigate the penalties for a week after that he could experience erien the miraculous effects of the medicine as he could sleep without taking any sleeping pills so he felt like he was getting some proper rest now that he has sufficiently rested he intends to pursue another job request since he spent all his money on the Miracle medicine he tries to contact Jenny but becomes bewildered when the system notifies him that this number is currently unreachable so he plans to see her then later he takes on Van's Persona and heads towards the bar to meet her on his way he notices the city is oddly quiet he realizes something's off as the internet hasn't worked and wonders if something serious is happening as he enters he asks bartender Jordan about Jenny as she isn't in the bar the bartender informs him that she was summoned and is probably at some random office Leno then asks if something is going on in balkin right now the bartender becomes startled at his lack of information asking if he was sleeping for for a week or something as it's bizarre for him to ask this Jordan explains that the envoy group that was supposed to arrive at the end of this month suddenly sent a visit notification last night and thanks to that balan's a mess right now Leno wonders if the city is so silent because of an early visit by some Envoy team and responds that it can't be the only reason the bartender concurs stating that the envoy team is someone van would never have imagined and they have expressed their intent to participate the protagonist contemplates for someone like Jordan to describe the person like that and wonders how great they are the bartender informs him that the transcendental being Heaven's rebuke who lived in seclusion for decades in the Lighthouse of fileman is coming to Balkan later that night Leno roams around the Balkan City and pauses beside a towering building deeming it a suitable location he rarely employs floating magic due to its high Mana consumption ion but he decides to use it this time to propel himself upwards because he wants to see Heaven rebuke for a 100 years Heaven's rebuke madria falser has watched out for dangers in the open sea as the Lighthouse Keeper she is a level 9 ascendant of which less than 10 remain today if a great Mage is treated like a strategic arm an ascendant is superior to a great Mage she is a transcendental being who truly challenges the limits and because of the intense constraint they put on themselves to surpass the limit of what's possible it's hard to come by them it's impossible to describe in words how powerful they are Heaven's rebuke possesses the extraordinary ability to cast her gaze across thousands of kilometers peering effortlessly into both the future and the past her life's dedication to observing the unfolding disasters across the vast expanse of time has elevated her to an unparalleled level of uniqueness and reverence among her peers years Leno lands on the rooftop of that building considering if not now he doesn't think he will ever have another chance to see her suddenly his attention is diverted to soldiers including a sniper and a signalman who seem to be part of the specialized forces affiliated with the city government he questions their presence in such a remote location where the city square is barely visible realizing that it underscores the significance of Heaven's rebuke as a highly esteemed guest he realizes that he can't knock them out or show himself and he can't use invisibility Magic on himself because of the penalties of Mona addiction nonetheless he unleashes nosy magic to erase his presence and employs illusion magic to distract the soldiers from their surroundings rendering them unable to notice him Leno proceeds without hindrance moving forward to perch on a parit wall with the aid of the scope provided by Jordan he gazes downward to catch sight of Heaven rebuke he observes a substantial crowd gathered to welcome Heaven's rebuke noticing the extensive involvement of government agents and the military emphasizing the immense importance of an ascendant while perched on the rooftop Leno overhears the signalman communicating with his fellow soldiers via a walkie-talkie informing them that heaven's rebuke will arrive within the next 30 seconds urging them to remain Vigilant as madria falser arrives at the event surrounded by tight security the crowd erupts into cheers some even shedding tears of joy at the sight of the ascendant at that moment the protagonist notices her and senses something unusual he becomes bewildered as the vicinity magic of Heaven's rebuke detects his presence Leno realizes her Mana is immensely powerful capable of potentially obliterating an entire city however he struggles to maintain his composure wondering if she noticed him observing her he abruptly rushes realizing that he needs to get away for now wondering how there can be consequences without a cause he can feel like she has answered that in a world where order is destroyed yet balanced they have been trying to answer that question for a long time and his existence is the answer unbeknownst to others she finds it exciting and remarks that if the others could see what she is seeing right now they would have tried to hire him no matter what however she acknowledges that now that all the struggle is pointless he must beware of alcade meanwhile Leno tumbles on the ground unable to Fathom all that has happened madria FS Year's appearance changed many things and Leno obtained a new goal it was to reach the peak of ascensions through that he could find out why he woke up in this world that's what he should do as he was immensely confident about that the protagonist finds on his phone that Society wise the meeting with filum ended very quickly and and the city government accepted all of the conditions the filam envoy group put out this was decided as soon as the ascendant decided to help filum and 4 days later he discovered that madria falser heaven's rebuke failed to ascend and died he contemplates that she sees into the future and the past so he wonders why she returned to Balan in her last moments later seeking Insight he discusses this with Jenny who suggests that madria fals here's alignment with filum might hold the key to her return according to her the top secret project black consumer was carried out in the undeveloped District evidence surfaced revealing that this project involved utilizing captives from fum as subjects for experimentation or testing purposes the bartender Jordan intervenes stating that the problem started because the person leading the agreement is now gone the protagonist wonders if Jordan is saying that the Balkans will return to their word Jordan responds indicating that it might not happen immediately however the city government is unlikely to uphold this unfair agreement for an extended period he anticipates that they could become increasingly desperate and Jenny adds that this could escalate into a war Leno informs them that he doesn't think he will take any jobs today and decides to leave as he walks around the street he assumes that the great descendant created a momentary Peace by sacrif icing her own life he wonders if she did this knowing this would turn out this way or if she came to Balkan because she knew about his existence to check for herself that he a consequence Without a Cause existed however he concludes there is no point in thinking about it as his head hurts while reaching for his Viper in his Blazer Dyk slays cutter which he previously took from some holigans accidentally Falls onto the road as he bends to retrieve it an older man steps on it and refers to Leno as a skinny bastard the man Endeavors to claim ownership of the gadget and angrily questions Leno's right to pick up his belongings that carelessly fell to the ground he raises his voice demanding to know if Leno heard him however Leno finds the man's words a flimsy excuse and considers the situation somewhat ridiculous pondering whether the man believes this tactic will be successful he then gathers his magic and sternly walks forth for Ward catching the man off guard who abruptly kneels to apologize and begs not to kill him after retrieving his belongings Leno questions the man's claim that the item belongs to him the man agrees stating that he crafted it in his shop therefore it's his possession and he inquires if that means something different to Leno he adds that it would have become his thing if he had adjusted it the protagonist gazes at the gadget reflecting how the hooligan requested him not to point point this at them and the person he rescued had mentioned it was a Dykes laser cutting machine that had been illegally modified into a weapon Leno then points out that if the man sells these things for money they become the private property of the person who bought them so he questions why the man is claiming ownership with a deep sigh the man remarks that he can't talk to fools who don't understand literalism then he adds that since Leno has it now he is his client and requests that he visit his Shore if he needs anything when he turns around to depart and again apologizes to the protagonist for what happened lenok realizes the man has left without providing any details he acknowledges that he doesn't know the man's name or the name of his store after 2 days he heard that a request had reached Jenny through the dark web so he visited their office seeking further details as Leno has a seat he notices a green-haired client who looks very Stark and asks the client if he has ever seen a magician in unsophisticated Behavior the guy remarks that it's the first time he has seen a worthy among those who worked alone he sarcastically adds that encountering someone who is not an idiot and has a decent character isn't unusual Leno then asks the client if he has prior knowledge about him and he sternly urges why that guy acts like this with people he sees for the first time Lenox Mana strangles the guy and he menacingly brandishes the Dyke's cutter at him stating that if the client wants him to take the job he must learn tact in speaking Leno warns him not to get on his nerves and test his patience and his Stern demeanor catches the guy offg guard the guy understands that he is the type who wants to know if the opponent or person in front of him is weaker or stronger than him once this is known the priority in dealing is determined and he should pressure him at first so he doesn't even think about manipulation as the protagonist moves his Gadget aside the guy takes a sigh of relief and attempts to maintain his composure stating that he didn't expect his style to be heavy on anyone Leno becomes bewildered to see that guy laughing despite nearly choking and finds it suspicious he wonders if that guy really comes to deliver a mission and considers it evidence that the boundaries between enemies and allies are Bleak Leno gazes at the guy thinking he looks more like like a beast than a human from the outside the guy notices the cutter in Leno's hand pondering if that older man adjusted it and remarks that he thought the man died long ago but is still alive and doing it he then hands his business card to Leno and introduces himself as Killian revealing that he works as part of the support company that made this cutter Killian informs Leno that their headquarters wants to hire him directly prompting Leno to ponder if Dyke is looking for him the guy takes him to the dyk's headquarters to inform him further about the mission and then asks if the protagonist knows the nature of their company's work and Leno responds that he slightly knows according to the information he heard from Jenny Dyke initially started as a factory manufacturing industrial tools over time the company expanded and ventured into the arms trade due to its substantial capital and because of this it is said to be at war with the current arms manufact furer arill meanwhile as they step out of the elevator the guy informs him that if all goes well he will be given a temporary position as part of the support team however Leno responds that he hasn't heard a word about what he is supposed to do in this Mission and Killian says that he brought him here for that the guy takes him into an office informing panoa that he has got the Mage here but the girl there asserts that she has instructed him to call her before the arrival pan greets Leno expressing her gratitude for coming here and requests him to have a seat she remarks that it's a pleasure to meet him and introduces herself as panoa baluchi the planning team leader at Dyke Leno introduces himself as van and asks if she is the planning team leader suspiciously inquiring about her position in this company the lady anxiously asks why he is inquiring about this and Leno responds that he wants to know who the Mastermind is and what he is capable of because he hasn't heard anything from this werewolf Pano asks if he knows Killian is a werewolf wondering if Killian tells him Leno clarifies that it's just his Instinct urging that he could sense it after killing one panoa assures Leno that their company strictly prohibits internal power struggles emphasizing their commitment to a conflict-free environment maintaining a reserved stance Leno intends to decide on his involvement based on Pano's information apologizing on Killian's behalf for any perceived rudeness Pono acknowledges Leno's query and emphasizes that her position grants her direct authority over the company's strategic Direction additionally she discloses that the project was her initiative implying a significant personal investment and commitment according to panoa following their Venture into the weapons industry their company has been seeking opportunities to broaden its customer base aiming to reach citizens in their 40s and 50s and those in the outer districts Leno expresses his lack of confidence in marketing to which Pon clarifies that marketing isn't what they require from him she explains their intention to expand their business into the 40's District but outlines a need to address a few obstacles before product sales commence she hopes Leno could assist with overcoming these hurdles although Lenox suspects they aim to eliminate the weapons Market Monopoly ists in the area he Harbors reservations and tells panoa that he doesn't understand what she means by her request he asserts that a company like Dyke should have more than enough of a Workforce he wonders why she would put in a request like this she reveals that there are two reasons the first is that Leno is a freelancer who has gained popularity in the field faster than anyone else mainly due to his proficiency as a mage the second reason is that hiring an outsider to do this permits them justification which she deems the primary reason for seeking his assistance when the protagonist asks for an explanation she urges that if they put their forces out there they would come across all kinds of problems and restrictions however if they use Mage van to take care of the obstacles indirectly the Rival companies won't be able to complain at least not officially Leno contemplates that the 40s districts are basically in Anarchy and wonders if the large business businesses begin getting their hands on those districts the order will collapse that's not something the people of the city government would want he grins realizing they want him to use as a proxy to get rid of their rivals in the 40s districts and asks panoa what they will give him in return pan remarks that she is aware of his request for something rare so she presents a aills five fingers which the central Council put in a VIP auction she emphasizes that it's a single-use artif fact that's not on the market and reveals that there are five evasion flight magic spells on the item which the meat school did as it's not something he can buy with money Pano hands him the contact paper and proposes a deal if Leno fulfills five of their requests she promises to give him this artifact additionally they will provide extra compensation for each completed task based on his value on the Deep Web meanwhile Leno reflects on the situation recog recognizing his limited mobility and acknowledging that the artifact would compensate for this weakness therefore he requests some time to consider the offer before making a decision later the protagonist discusses the deal with Jenny who considers it a big deal with equally significant risks and benefits she acknowledges having some knowledge about the value of an ail's five fingers and speculates that if that's the reward then the associated risks are likely considerable Jenny concludes that dyk's underlying aim is to undermine their competitors and seize control of the profits warning Leno that he'll inevitably make enemies if he agrees to this deal the protagonist concurs with Jenny's assessment reflecting that his previous requests usually involve straightforward objectives or minimal repercussions however this particular task stands apart the potential for retaliation from the weapons companies in the 40s district is considerable despite the risks he realizes that achieving his desires cannot solely prioritize safety he acknowledges that rare medicines and precious relics Beyond monetary purchase represent a higher Ascent he must pursue understanding that he must Ascend further in his Pursuits he instructs Jenny to inform them that he will accept the request the next day Jenny briefs that the first Target Dyke chose is Paul Akerman who is based in the 48th District and he has also invested a lot in legal weapons Paul started 2 years ago and quickly obtained a Commerce route and as the business boomed they planned to cut off the investor first Jenny emphasizes there were a lot of people talking because no one knew where Paul was getting his money from however there are rumors that he's the hands and feet of the Jews Master she then explains about the leader of the giant cartel Dominic kabaro who has become famous on pandemonium recently she considers it likely because of that but even Paul akerman's bodyguard Jude Russell is powerful used to be a war mercenary and is pretty well known amongst mercenaries Jenny reiterates that Paul is Leno's primary target but Dyke has said there will also be an extra reward if he kills Jude Russell she reveals that according to Intel Paul akman will hold a meeting with his distributors near the port in the 48th District when the protagonist Ponders if it is trustworthy information Jenny reassures that she has double checked revealing that she has heard that there are restrictions set on who can enter the port area Leno then asks about the other people on the request to which she informs him that there will be five people on this side she assumes they chose people similar to the protagonist in value and tells him that they are all scheduled to assemble in 3 days wrapping up her briefing Jenny took a deep breath and informed him that was all the information Dyke had provided her Len KN then gets up to leave telling her that he has to start preparing since the mission is in 3 days he thanks her for everything she has done for him in response Jenny Smiles gently hoping to see him again 3 days later the dykes appointed team consisting of five members including the protagonist gathered around the port to Target Paul aurman one of the individuals Dawning a steel mask expresses certainty that they all heard the gist of the plan and asserts that she will tell them the details quickly and start their mission the MK person explains that Paul akerman's soldiers have locked down the harbor and mentions there are precisely five entrances coincidentally aligning with the number of members in their team each person will take an entry and bring down the soldiers before them and then they will stand by the storage containers the mask guy asserts that once the meeting place for Paul acrian and his distributors is decided some will proceed with a plan first and the rest will join in the masked guy then distributes communication devices cautioning that the targets and their subordinates will disperse after tonight so they must not hesitate to act swiftly the masked lady asks why they didn't even think of covering their faces for this Mission asserting that dyke may have much money but won't ensure their safety the short-haired girl sarcastically asks if both the steel MK individuals don't work in this field she emphasizes that they need to reveal their face and name in this field whether they like it or not to increase their value the masked individuals walk away urging her not to get in their way as they depart the big guy of the team asks the short-haired girl which way she will go to which she sternly responds that it's none of his business and emphasizes that she will take care of his job alone that guy then turns his Focus to the protagonist remarking that he doesn't seem to be the physical combat type commanding him to follow them to the harbor he sternly urges that if the protagonist makes it hard for them by being slow he will rip out his appendages Leno doesn't respond and turns around contemplating that he is tired of threats like this considering it won't be too late to show that guy who is more robust later with a count of three they all get into action through a different entrance and knock down Paul's guards as much as possible through their preferred means Leno refrained from physically engaging the soldiers instead of unleashing his magic against them he reasons that since they are merely soldiers they would likely be vulnerable to illusion magic leaving them susceptible to his magical manipulation when he notices that Paul acrian isn't here yet he decides to lessen the number of soldier heads before Paul arrives employing his illusion spell Leno manipulates the solders perceptions creating auditory Illusions and visual distortions directing them toward a specific location using his Mana infused bullets he overwhelms and incapacitates the disoriented soldiers moving on Leno continues to employ similar tactics against others present Leno continued to move around the area while the other team member issued instructions over the communication device emphasizing that anyone who spotted the target should report it immediately Leno considers that since he is here he will begin as he navigates among the cargo he retrieves the charm acquired from Milla while holding the charm he reflects that using it would consume one of its limited uses however acknowledging Jude Russell's past as a Warfare mercenary Leno speculates that Russell probably possesses exceptionally sharp senses prompting him to prepare for potential encounters by considering the charm's use he uses this to stay hidden from that Warfare mercenary and while hiding behind a cargo he notices some guys there wondering if they are the Distributors soon a car halts near the Distributors and Paul acrian and Russell come out of it while Leno immediately reports that Paul is in his area in area F3 Paul greets his distributors with a broad smile noting the perfect weather for discussing business although the men around him appear visibly apprehensive he places a hand on one of the men's shoulders expressing gratitude for facilitating the meeting emphasizing the import of their discussion and the difficulty he faced in arranging this opportunity as the fearful man anxiously asks what Paul means as he doesn't understand his implications Paul's tone shifts he Reveals His frustration highlighting his extensive investments in money gifts and efforts to maintain favorable relationships with public servants to ensure smooth operations disappointed by the lack of reciprocation Paul's frustration escalates leading him to forcefully tighten his his grip on the distributor's shoulder in a rage as the man attempts to apologize Paul reacts harshly by striking him and pushing him aside subjecting him to a physical thrashing he expresses his frustration angrily berating the man for what he perceives as wasting his time and resources the violent Outburst send shivers down the spines of the remaining Distributors instilling fear and apprehension among them while observing the escalating situation Leno realizes he is called for his teammates but cannot stand idly by swiftly he retrieves his gun intending to initiate the first strike employing tactical Maneuvers such as aim assist along with coverup techniques like spinup acceleration and trajectory cover up he incorporates silence magic to conceal the sound of the shot Leno aims at Paul intending to fire without alerting others and directing the aim towards him however before the bullet reaches its intended target Paul's Vigilant bodyguard reacts swiftly using his sword to deflect it averting the danger the sudden turn of events Sparks tension and panic among the Distributors meanwhile as the head of the Distributors rushes to save himself Russell persuades him and assassinates him for being a coward In the Heat of the Moment Paul ferociously commands the rest of them to take action against the Intruder suddenly everyone's attention is diverted to a surge of light which catches Paul and his distributors off guard Leno realizes it is a laser attack that the steel MK lady employed at the Target the lady standing at top a cargo remarked that getting rid of all the garbage at once was lucky and wondered if that concluded the mission the short-haired girl approaches that lady queries if she's making assumptions without even checking the corpses and informs her that the attack didn't affect Jude Russell the masked lady suggests moving on reminding ing the group that their initial plan was to eliminate Paul aurman and then depart this prompts the short-haired girl to question whether the decision is being made unilaterally by the Mast lady meanwhile Leno eavesdropping on their heated argument amidst the precarious situation realizes the need to prepare for an additional attack regardless of their dispute conversely the shorthaired girl anxiously warns the massed lady that if she continues to act like this she will complain to Dyke as she must not think she is the only one getting special treatment for this case out of the blue Russell intervenes by stabbing the short-haired girl which catches them off guard and urges that ladies shouldn't be chatting so loudly this late emphasizing that his client doesn't like it curious about Russell's infiltration the MK lady wonders how he got through her detection radar Russell casually wiping the blood from his sword with his tongue mocks the MK lady's lackluster her skills highlighting that she failed to notice his presence until he attacked the girl sampling the taste of the blood he comments on its irritating flavor but admits that for his first kill of the night it's not too bad hiding behind the cargo Leno notices the sudden turn of events and contemplates Russell's demeanor particularly noting his blood tasting he speculates that Russell might be of the same kind as that retired scavenger Soldier based on his actions and behavior as that lady attempts to attack Russell remains unfazed he casually remarks that she has an accurate modern arm there and sarcastically asks if she is a part of the CED Echo the protagonist is taken aback to hear Russell's Claim about CED Echo as it's a term that refers to types or organizations that push the limits of humankind by combining the human body and Magic engineering Leno reflects on his past knowledge that they are not easy to encounter in real life life but now he guesses that wasn't true on the other hand Russell expresses disappointment commenting that blood mixed with oil is messy and firmly states that the masked lady is destined to Die undeterred the masked lady upholds her composure and readies herself to confront Russell she remarks that she doesn't think Russell is really backed into a corner here emphasizing that Paul acman is already dead and this will all be over as soon as he dies Russell sarcastically remarks that he doesn't think about that and tilts his head toward Paul acrian standing down inside his magical Shield unruffled by her prior laser attack Paul asks if she thinks he wouldn't have known about the unwelcome guests coming today catching the masked lady off guard he adds that he even invited another guest and with a snap of his fingers he calls out the big guy who has deceived dyk's group and comes up with a CED ekko's head in his hand this re ation unsettles the massed lady as the big guy had initially pretended to be affiliated with Dykes group at the beginning causing a chill down her spine Paul adds that she didn't think he could pay off the ones on her side and get them to act as traitors he refers to them as idiots asserting that dyke should have known that nothing is impossible with money Paul mocks her stating that the dykes mercenaries are so worse with their work considering it's hilarious and brandishes his gun at her Paul reveals that he will open that mechanical head of her and get all the information out before getting to her client however before he can take any action Leno intervenes and shoots Paul's head with his long range Barrel gun rendering him dead the unexpected presence of the protagonist enrages the big guy who abruptly lunges to assault him meanwhile as Russell attempts to kill that lady Leno realizes that Russell is planning to kill the woman first so he plans to to get rid of that big guy first the guy abruptly leaps yelling if he is hiding all this time and refers to Leno as a little rat urging he must not be thinking about running away meanwhile the protagonist acknowledges that it is impossible to run away as soon as he reveals himself so he prepares to defend himself by using a Magic Shield to block the impending attack as much as possible the guy forcibly hits the shield and easily shatters most of the layers of Len Shield which bewilders him Leno realizes four of his Shields have been broken acknowledging the formidable strength behind the guy's punch comparable to a heavy weapons recognizing the danger Leno swiftly aims his gun at the as salant deeming it a more effective solution in this challenging situation he unleashes his aim assistance and shock reinforcement maneuver sending the as salent tumbling aside wondering if it works however to his surprise the as salent remains unfazed and comes back with a malicious grin and Stern demeanor he forcefully lunges at the protagonist asking if he thinks that a child's toy like that works on him which catches Leno offu the imposing figure radiates an overwhelming Aura boldly declaring his intent to obliterate Leno with that toy amid this Leno becomes acutely aware of the impending Peril realizing that if this as salent manages to breach the Magic Shield his situation will become dire the protagonist swiftly employs shock magic to evade that attack however the powerful shock wave tumbles him off balance the as salent sarcastically remarks that he thought Leno was an idiot but it looks like he has courage and adds that his ancestors love courage like that in this precarious situation Leno uses the Viper to regain his strength and soon he discerns that the as salent ancestor is helping him through necromancy he realizes that the as salant is already formidable on his own but with the additional Boost from necromancy he becomes even more powerful while inhaling the Viper the protagonist assumes that if Jude Russell joined that big guy it would be disadvantageous for him he creates another magical Shield contemplating that he needs to figure out what happened with the masked woman and Jude Russell first conversely the big guy reveals that honestly he would spare the protagonist's life as Leno's actions inadvertently made his work much more accessible by sending Paul arrian's head flying he mentions being already well compensated by both parties involved and believes that Leno's actions have resolved the situation eliminating the need for him to stir up more trouble with Dyke it prompts the protagonist to ponder whether the as salent implication suggests that things will be fine if there are no Witnesses the guy bursts into laughter and sternly concurs with Leno assertion Leno realizes that the guy's true intentions are to get rid of all the witnesses and affiliate with Dyke again suddenly his attention is diverted to Russell and he is taken aback to see that the massed lady has managed to run away he becomes bewildered that Jude Russell is coming this way to confront him he considers that to fight both of them he has no choice but to use that method and abruptly starts hushing the as salent bareh handedly hoists the cargo a asserting where the protagonist thinks he is going and refers to him as a bastard subsequently he forcefully launches the Colossal object toward him but despite the immense threat Leno somehow manages to evade the incoming assault deafly as the as salent persistently hurls cargo to impede Leno's Escape Leno finds it increasingly challenging to fend off the Relentless attacks and realizes that he can't run far with a cargo container hurdling dangerously towards him he swiftly deploys a magic bind catching and diverting the cargo just in time he runs swiftly and stops near an ocean while the as salant finds it funny and sarcastically remarks that he must be confident in his swimming skills but it is not that easy to swim in an ocean at night with the Viper still in his mouth the protagonist inquires about the as salent insinuation to which the guy asks if his frantic rush to the Ocean's Edge implies an intent to escape via the C questioning the reason for his high-speed arrival at that location Leno turns around and asks whether the as salent believes anyone could survive in such weather conditions in the ocean the big guy responds sarcastically suggesting that Leno with a supposedly fragile body wouldn't endure in such an environment he tauntingly inquires if Leno chose this place to meet his end melodramatically suddenly Russell arrives and impressively cuts the cargo with his sword catching their attention upon his arrival the big guy mockingly asks if he chase that masked girl all the way here just to fail to kill her and that's why he can't even protect his own client Russell swiftly retorts his voice firm instructing the man to hold his tongue he explains that CED Ekko was trying to set up a biotrans mission to Aid her Escape leaving him in a challenging predicament they then redirect their focus toward the protagonist Russell asserts that it looks like Leno tried to run but failed yet he looks relatively calm and asks if he has already accepted his death Leno claims that there is one thing he wants to know and ponder that they have no reason to kill him as he assumes Russell's job is already over since his client is dead Russell responds with a smirk deeming Leno's question irrelevant at this moment before his imminent demise he adds that even though his client is no longer alive he still seeks Revenge as Jew's Master assigned him the task while Jew's Master might not directly punish him for losing one subordinate he wouldn't simply let it slide at that moment Leno comprehends the truth of Paul aran's association with Jews Master he Muses that if Jew's Master recruited both Russell and that guy to safeguard his close subordinate Paul acman their prow must be considerable sensing the urgency to neutralize the situation to prevent any addition chaos the protagonist takes a brief moment when he opens his eyes now with a purple Hue he stealthily activates reverse gravity catching them off guard the reverse gravity maneuver hoists Russell and the as salant slightly throwing off their balance and causing them to remain stuck in the same position Russell reacts swiftly by pressing his sword against the ground for stability while the as salent attempts to regain balance using his fists Leno grins acknowledging that he wouldn't have readied his next move if he believed they were weak enough for this to work suddenly a powerful dust of wind sweeps everything aside but both opponents remain fixed due to Leno's maneuver a chilling sensation runs down their Spin and Russell sensing the nearby hurling cargo and the direction of the wind suddenly realizes the imminent threat simultaneously with sarcasm Leno acknowledges Russell's quick perception the protagonist conjures is a colossal wave of seawater prompting them to grasp the urgency of escaping its reach however Leno is determined not to let them flee with swift Precision he seizes control of their Mana leaving them bewildered and unable to manipulate their Mana energies Leno reflects that he had multiple opportunities to kill that guy on his way here however the reason he deliberately held off until he came here was for this precise moment suddenly that enormous wave splatters all around forceful enough to hurl everything catching them off guard however due to the protagonist manipulating their Mana they cannot take protective measures or defend against the impact meanwhile Leno strategically erects a magical shield for self- protection and calmly assesses that he needs to aim for the perfect timing to defeat two people as skilled as them at the same time before the wave goes out completely he swiftly unleashes the ice round maneuver which Frees es the water around them and creates sharp ice bristles around them simultaneously the protagonist readies his firearm leveraging the aim assistant and Outburst reinforcement to take a precise shot at the assailant head despite being shot the guy tremblingly remarks that just because he could not move for that short period of time he Ponders how he managed to hit him even after half his head is blown away the protagonist notices him talking so he considers that guy a monster he contemplates that he must not create any possibility for further trouble and completely bursts that guy's head off Leno acknowledges that even if it's him he will not handle the kind of power that's been reinforced through the spirit of an ancestor suddenly something unexpected happens as Russell shatters the ice around him and swiftly vanishes from Leno's sight unexpectedly from nowhere Russell suddenly leaps from Leno's blind spot aiming to Ambush the protagonist however Leno anticipating the move had already fortified himself with a protective Magic Shield however to his surprise Leno's Magic Shield deflects his attempt bewildered and taken aback Russell couldn't help but Express his astonishment questioning how he managed to counter his attack with such ease the protagonist acknowledges the Tactical wisdom behind launching a physical assault immediately after a mage casts the spell however he had already prepared leaving a few slight gaps between his Shields so that he could change the direction of The Shield's rotation when an attack was coming he acknowledges the need for precise Mona control and its necessity for such Maneuvers however he downplays the difficulty implying its a manageable feat with proper focus and skill yet he cryptically asserts that the following attack will present a more significant challenge despite this preparation suddenly Russell adopts a Swift and evasive movement pattern around the protagonist rendering his intentions challenging to predict after his initial attack failed Leno quickly recognized that Russell's change in tactics signifies an intent to avoid direct confrontation remaining Vigilant Leno keenly observes Russell's agile Maneuvers hopping and darting between cargo containers with a knowing grin Leno anticipates Russell's accelerated approach to an attack swiftly and decisively just as Russell closes the distance Leno executes a maneuver that forcefully knocks him down onto the icy ground causing Russell to bleed profusely in that crucial moment Leno swiftly employs a gravity bind in snaring Russell's body from various angles rendering him immobile dark tendrils of Mana coil around Russell's neck constricting and intensifying his incapacitation in his distress Russell wonders allowed how Leno can precisely anticipate and counter his movements the protagonist calmly discloses that he was aware of Russell's presence from the very outset affirming that it was impossible for him not to detect his Mana he further explains that he had extended his own Mana in the vicinity where Russell was positioned prompting the adversary to wonder what he meant Leno swiftly executes the shadow raid maneuver seizing Russell's legs and detaching them from lower limbs while the guy shouts out loud in excr cruciating pain the protagonist reminds Russell that he licked blood in front of him yet he wants him to be deceived in a desperate bid to escape Russell unexpectedly transfigures into a mist of blood suspending himself in the air unperturbed by this sudden transformation the protagonist calmly remarks that he has already discerned Russell's true nature as a vampire reflecting on Russell's distinct traits such as his robust physique arrogant strategic intellect in battle an inherent thirst for blood and the ability to manipulate a shroud of blood fog Leno affirms his certainty about Russell's vampire identity Leno acknowledges that it's a beneficial skill but it makes him very weak to attack and considering that he took on that form during an escape means that this is Russell's final struggle anticipating this crucial moment Leno executes the Thunder calling maneuver a strategic move that obliterates and destabilizes Russell's blood fog the protagonist sigh acknowledging that he overworked his body and inhales his Viper realizing it wasn't easy meanwhile unbeknownst to him a round flying robot like device approaches him later at dyk's office Killian sees the exclusive video of Lenox last encounters video on his iPad and expresses his certainty that he has foreseen this outcome he tells panoa that this is why he already told her things would get annoying if she picked someone solely based on performance in response panoa acknowledges this prediction and remarks it's something she had expected to happen prompting Killian to ask if she anticipated a traitor in the group he stresses his belief that they should have assessed the candidates asserting the necessity of establishing a method to select the correct individuals if they admit people whose identities are uncertain panwa questions whether implementing a selection test would have resulted in assembling a team as proficient ient as the previous one she also emphasizes the probable necessity of offering higher remuneration for their efforts and wonders how Killian can propose such an idea given their current predicament Killian asserts that this very issue might have influenced their current situation panwa deeply acknowledging their estimation of the 40th District's capabilities fell short she thought it would be okay if they brought together guys who hadn't caused any trouble and she never expected them to to turn their back on them so quickly in response Killian reminds her that she is working with criminals without records so she needs to take a bit of a risk he then presents Leno's picture via holography highlighting his exceptional skills and underlining the necessity of retaining him for the success of their plan panoa discloses her decision to allocate a portion of the promised reward meant for the other four to Leno hoping it would satisfy the protagonist's needs and ensure his cooperation she informs him that she also asked Mana to look for more Freelancers and that it's probably a good idea to test Freelancers beforehand like Killian said even if it takes more money he shouldn't have tried to save money on this kind of stuff meanwhile in that exclusive video Leno's body seems to be bleeding profusely and the footage ends there the next day standing in his bathroom Leno applies an ointment of AMAC on his injury considering that the re action is pretty dramatic meanwhile on the call Jenny relayed information that it looks like Paul acrian was investing in quite a few places for the guys he was investing into as they got their financial Lifeline cut overnight she considers it a big deal that Leno has killed ju's Master's subordinate when the protagonist asks if Dyke said anything else Jenny reveals they have sent a long message apologizing to him as they are probably anxious about this whole thing according to Jenny they requested him to revisit the headquarters Leno then Ponders whether he should visit them in response Jenny suggests ignoring them and expresses her uncertainty stating that she doesn't know what Dyke is thinking when stepping into this field according to her it's strange for them to want him to continue working with them after forming such a poorly planned Endeavor she proposes that it's not too late for Leno to respond especially after seeing what additional rewards they might offer assuming it could be quite a sum of money Leno hopes her assumption is accurate to which Jenny comments on the difficulty of the recent job she suggests that if he's injured anywhere he could seek assistance from Jordan the bartender who previously worked as a medic the protagonist is surprised and questions if Jordan is a doctor Jenny clarified that Jordan didn't possess a license but he likely had some skill if he was confident enough to disclose that information to to her Leno acknowledges this and will inquire about it the next time they meet after the call with Jenny Leno ignored all the calls from Dyke and just focused on recovering thanks to his rash efforts at escaping his condition was so bad that it was even hard to eat later after getting a bit better he focused on Magic research during breaks and has improved his magic through meditation until now he experimented with the magic bound maneuver during his meditation but changed it and tried analyzing the spell patterns the protagonist decided he would collect data to create spells in case he didn't have an inherent magic system that would satisfy him in the future Leno gazes at the scattered pages with different Mana patterns like three big bursts of Mana seven spins and two compressions wondering whether he should draw the Mana patterns a few days later he visited a supermarket acknowledging that he couldn't give up on a diet even if he were busy he considers it more admirable if he could go to a market closer to home but he can't go to that place because of the city government agent evelin as he browses the vegetables he's taken a to find evelin casually eating an apple remarking it's been a while Leno can't believe it wondering how unlucky he can be and if she has moved her shop he recalls his last encounter with evelin in which she asked what a mage like him was doing there in a place like this Leno abruptly realizes the urgency to change his Mana first although he isn't sure if she memorized his Mana pattern there is nothing terrible about being careful he greets her with a casual long time no see discreetly tweaking his Mana pattern however it seems Evelyn astutely senses it and thinks his Mana pattern has changed slightly nonetheless Evelyn dismisses her assertion stating that she must have imagined it and the protagonist remarks probably de deep down he contemplates how sharp evins I must be to catch the subtle shift in his Mana pattern within that short span he recalled evelin's daring encounter with kroken he acknowledged her impressive skill set and recognized the need for greater caution in his interactions with her after handing her 10,000 cell he wishes her well with her sales and as he turns around Evelyn halts him she asks him about his name prompting the protagonist to ponder why she wants to know that EVN reasons that because his Mana pattern is elegant for someone who's a level four Mage and someone like him could make their way up the social ladder quickly she then Smiles stating that they might meet another time so it would be nice to know each other's names just in case Leno wearily wonders if that means she wants to see him again later as a colleague or as an agent's prey Evelyn acknowledges that she is not supposed to tell him this information but reveals that there will be a large large scale inspection of the Lawless areas in the outer districts soon and the plan is mainly targeted at the people who are avoiding taxes in the 40th District she casually suggests that if he is involved with them he better disappear for a while as it won't matter if his name is on the Deep Web she assumes that the protagonist doesn't do that kind of work and Ponders does he while Leno maintains his calm demeanor and asks what's a deep web she smiles remarking that she is just telling him because she likes him and it would be awkward if they saw each other again in that kind of situation the protagonist contemplates the possibility that it wouldn't end up being awkward if he got caught in such an inspection she then introduces herself as Evelyn Marsha and Leno introduces himself as Ed James Evelyn then suspiciously asserts that he better be prepared if they meet again and he can't give her the same name later as the protagonist departs the market he wonders if he should find another Market again to prevent another encounter with evelin on his way he receives a call from Jenny who updates him on Dyke's urgent attempts to contact him she mentions that dyke has called her and as she expected they are desperate because they can't reach him Jenny further reveals that they doubled the promised reward multiple times and are also thinking about what else they could give him according to her they have urged Leno to visit their headquarters the following week as the protagonist is surprised that it's longer than he expected Jenny counters that they must decide on the least that they are willing to dy's request and suggests he should come over when he has time Leno agrees with her perspective and informs Jenny that he'll head over immediately the protagonist takes on his Van's Persona and arrives at the bar to meet Jenny he senses the environment is a little different than usual and weirdly quiet and wonders if everyone is wary of that man while all the customers gaze at him thoroughly that suspicious man sitting near the bar table turns around his head on Lenox arrival states that he is finally here as he was waiting for him and asks if the protagonist knows who he is when Leno denies it that man asserts that he better remember him from now on the man emanates a malevolent Aura and claims he suffered significant losses due to Lenox actions as he releases a vicious surge of Mana aiming it at Leno the protagonist remains composed with ad depth skill Leno quickly erects a protective Magic Shield deflecting the man's aggressive attack inquisitive Leno questions whether the man collaborated with Paul Akerman to which the Man reveals that Paul used to invest in his business the protagonist sarcastically deduces that the man might deal in arms and question if he seeks revenge rising from his seat the man looms tall and authoritative implying that today isn't the day for such actions he clarifies that he's there to issue a warning addressing Leno as a kid he sternly cautions that their group doesn't show Mercy to adversaries regardless of age he emphasizes that considering Leno actions as a mistake is a one-time exception which he won't extend again the man's fist slams onto the bar table expressing his anger as he warns Leno that if he dares to interfere with their business again he should be ready for the consequences meanwhile Leno remains unfazed and continues to evade Beck's malicious attempts to attack him the protagonist realizes that the man is trying to intimidate him but he stands firm refusing to make it easy for him he counteracts the man's Mana attack with one of his own but the man appears unaffected leaving Leno hopeful that he won't misinterpret his actions Leno warns that if the man continues to resolve issues in a chaotic manner his client won't simply Stand By and Watch it unfold he further inquires Beck whether he believed the absence of bodies was because of Paul arrian's stupidity that no bodies were left behind the man pauses for a while then remarks Let's Pretend This Never Happened and turns his attention to Jenny she too keeps in mind that the only reason he leaves her bar alone is because of Kaiser when Beck asserts that if she tries to defend this guy but before he can complete Jenny intervenes firmly urging that's enough babbling he must get out of here her Stern tone left that man back speechless he gazed at Leno and left the bar the protagonist takes a deep sigh and asks who that person is Jenny informs him that Beck Clinton was a higher up from cigar bang she explains that cigar bang is a gang that has been most active in the 48th District as of late Leno assumes that gubeck is pissed since Paul acri died in his territory and Jenny agrees with his assertion however she warns him that they won't be easy to deal with if he gets into trouble with them and explains that they have almost a thousand gang members and are among the wealthiest gangs she suggests that if Leno wants to handle them it might be better to collaborate with Dyke to eliminate the threat meanwhile the protagonist wonders how much work it would be to eliminate a whole gang and how much assistance dyk's support would truly provide he assumes that it would be best to prepare for the worst case scenario Jenny informs him that she has put together about five requests that wanted him specifically and presents him with her laptop urging him to have a look at this real quick Leno contemplates that he doesn't think she would do this for no reason and notices the request from Sebastian who works in a similar line of work as Jenny the protagonist is intrigued and inquires whether this method is typical for brokers in their line of business Jenny admits she doesn't have a clear answer pointing out that the significant Advanced deposit of 22 million suggests Sebastian is genuinely interested in offering work to Leno she believes Sebastian's intentions are genuine and Views this opportunity as beneficial noting that Sebastian's clients are highly skilled in their respective Fields meanwhile the protagonist considers it would be impressive if he could hear about dyk's internal situation through Sebastian Leno inquires if Jenny has any objections to him taking on this task alongside Sebastian Jenny replies with an indifferent tone mentioning that it's inconsequential to her assuming that if Leno had a preference for working with Sebastian he would have already made that decision she then asserts confidently that her name holds a prominent position on the Deep Web as Van's primary broker the next day Leno arrives at the 45th district and stands before Sebastian's office he thoughts about the common perception that districts in the 40s outclass those in the 50s linger in his mind but the reality before him defies those Notions the distinct architectural flare of Sebastian's office catches Leno's attention prompting contemplation on whether such a building style would typically belong in districts with lower numerical rankings perhaps more akin to the tens as he observes the building Sebastian emerges to greet Leno and asks whether this encounter marks their initial meeting since their previous interaction at the bar Sebastian escorts Leno into his building to delve into the mission at hand leading him into an office room Leno finds another individual already present Sebastian introduces the newcomer as Madison indicating that Madison is here for personal matters Sebastian introduces Leno as Mage van praising his remarkable freelancing abilities observing Madison Leno notes that he appears like an average office worker and spots some injuries on Madison's face raising his curiosity Madison informs the protagonist that he is the team manager overseeing the development branch of an automobile company called ordable he explains that his current responsibility involves managing a critical project for a new car model that will decide the fate of the company however recently while he was transporting the blueprint of the model an unidentified group of Freelancers stole it Madison expresses his urgency and desire to retrieve the blueprint in one piece if possible however if retrieval isn't possible he requests Leno to ensure the complete destruction of the blueprint to prevent its misuse or replication by unauthorized individuals Sebastian reassures Madison about Van's competence affirming that van is an Adept individual with a Flawless track record despite Sebastian's confidence in Leno's abilities Leno finds Sebastian's certainty quite unwarranted considering he hasn't previously collaborated with him on the other hand Madison feels relieved by Sebastian's Assurance finds his confidence reassuring and expresses his anticipation of working alongside M van as he departs from the office Sebastian Ponders what the protagonist thinks of it to which Leno responds that he doesn't know what Sebastian means while sipping the tea Leno further adds that what else can he know other than the fact that Madison was being dishonest Sebastian remarks that if Leno already knows that then he won't need to make this long the protagonist elaborates mentioning that Madison's supposed injuries a mere bruise on the lip and a few Cuts seem inconsistent with someone who just had a fight with robbers and based on these observations concludes that Madison is a poor liar Sebastian states that there are two possibilities either Madison is working with the robbers and lied to them or there is another possibility however before he can reveal the second possibility Leno remarks that if Madison tried to betray his company and got betrayed instead acknowledging Leno's observation Sebastian agrees asserting that it's a shame for Madison and informs the protagonist that he himself has a pretty good relationship with ordable CEO he reveals that he is going to send the conversation they had straight to the CO's email Sebastian believes that as a consequence Madison might face arrest the following day instead of going to work meanwhile the protagonist contemplates that Sebastian seems all happy go-lucky on the outside but he is actually pretty brutal Leno emphasizes that in orderable case they really need not Madison's confession but the robber's location Sebastian concurs stating that's where the protagonist skills come in and commends that van is great at catching wanted criminals with a grin Ponder if Mage van will accept the request

Channel: Manga In Action

Views: 364,870

Keywords: mancap, manga reap, recap, manga recao martial arts, best manga recap, manga recap anime, martial arts manga recaps, action manga recap, anime, manhwa recap, anime recap, manga otaku, manga room

Id: cNy2RYyj5Ss

Length: 306min 40sec (18400 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 02 2024