Chapter 124: Request (2)
As soon as Oliver responded, his shadow shot forward, extending rapidly.
The shadow spike narrowly grazed Jo’s right cheek.
Blood and sticky sweat scattered across the floor.
Jo’s eyes widened in shock.
“This…!”
He quickly retreated, channeling dark magic into his legs.
Oliver’s shadow pursued him, moving even faster than before.
The shadow spikes surged like hunters cornering their prey, forcing Jo back.
Focused solely on evading, Jo failed to notice the shadow tendrils targeting his ankle, which soon wrapped tightly around him.
Thwack-!
“Damn it…!”
At that moment, Oliver cast two types of black magic simultaneously with one hand.
Creepy Scream, a spell that inflicted mental damage through a horrifying scream, and Thrust, which transformed negative emotions like hatred and anger into a shockwave.
Oliver combined these two black magic spells into one and fired it at Jo, whose ankle was still trapped.
[Outcry]
A wave of dark emotions coalesced before Jo, merging into numerous faces.
It resembled Creepy Scream, but instead of wailing expressions, the faces were filled with anger. A deep, overwhelming anger.
“Graaahhhhhh-!!!”
The enraged scream was as piercing as Creepy Scream, scraping at Jo’s ears and mind, but it also delivered a physical blow that struck him directly.
Unable to use his evasive skills with his foot bound, Jo took the full brunt of the attack.
“Guh...!”
Jo was sent flying by the shockwave.
Nearby windows shattered into pieces, and cracks spread across the walls, showcasing the sheer force of the impact.
It was quite an effective combination. Oliver thought he might use it again a few more times in the future.
“Hm… Are you alright?”
Oliver asked, watching Jo struggle to his feet.
Jo’s condition wasn’t looking good.
Instinctively, he had covered his ears to reduce auditory damage, but that hadn’t completely blocked the shock, and now blood trickled from his eyes and mouth.
Usually, at this point, most people would be completely incapacitated or surrender, but Jo, somehow, managed to stand up, ready to continue the fight.
His persistent fighting spirit shone brightly.
That light... It was quite beautiful.
“Oh, still...”
Thud-thud-thud-
Oliver charged forward, remembering Jo’s words to face him properly.
Mimicking Jo, he boosted the power to his legs, dramatically increasing his speed in an instant, and then jumped, driving his knee forward.
Despite his blurry vision and unsteady stance, Jo raised both arms to defend himself.
Smack—!
A loud sound echoed through the ruins.
It was similar to the metallic clang that had rung out earlier, but this time, one side was clearly breaking apart.
“Guh…! Urgh…”
Jo, having exhausted all his strength, couldn’t maintain his defense and collapsed.
Seizing the moment, Oliver spun his body and brought his quarterstaff down hard.
Boom—!
The quarterstaff landed just beside Jo’s face, embedding itself in the ground.
Jo gasped for breath as he stared at the staff that had pierced the ground right next to him.
A mix of shock, fear, and finally, acceptance shone in his eyes.
“...Want to keep going?”
“Hah… No, that’s enough. I’ve lost.”
Jo answered, closing his eyes.
Something felt off, but instead of asking questions, Oliver helped Jo up.
“Hm… That’s a relief. You’re not too badly injured. Your life force and body seem remarkably strong.”
Jo looked at Oliver, who was offering him comfort, with a bewildered and strange expression.
It was as if he were looking at some other kind of creature, not just an eccentric person.
Which was understandable, given that Oliver had attacked him with lethal force moments earlier and was now helping him up. His actions were far from normal.
The bigger issue was that such behavior was starting to feel natural.
“Phew… ugh…”
Jo forced his aching body to move and leaned against a nearby wall.
The suit he had worn so proudly was now torn and covered in dust from the fight, but he didn’t seem to care.
In fact, he even looked somewhat relieved, like a man who had just satisfied his curiosity.
“…You said you were curious about why I asked you to fight me, right?”
“Yes.”
“I wanted to check something… To see just how much of a difference there is between your skill and mine. It might sound strange, but do you remember when we first met?”
Oliver did.
The first time he met Jo was during the mission to retrieve Herbert, the former Joseph Family sub-professor who had violated his contract with Murphy.
It had been three against one, but even putting that aside, Jo’s close combat skills had been particularly tricky.
Unlike most black magicians Oliver had encountered, Jo didn’t overly enhance his body. He moved with agility, focusing his black magic at precise moments for maximum efficiency.
He even incorporated martial arts, making him more challenging to deal with than the typical disease-type black magicians Oliver had faced.
Thanks to that, Oliver had been able to improve his Black Suit as well.
“I remember.”
“At that time, I felt like I could give you a run for your money. So how did the gap between us grow so much?”
Oliver paused before answering.
“…You’ve gotten quite strong too, Jo.”
“Compared to you, I’m standing still. When we met in the contaminated zone, you had grown so much stronger than before, and now, even when you hold back, I can’t even scratch you… Damn it.”
The last word was filled with intense emotion.
Jealousy, anger, frustration, admiration, and longing.
But Oliver didn’t feel pleased. The emotions didn’t matter as much as Jo’s relentless desire to keep fighting. That was what Oliver found beautiful.
In fact… He was starting to lose interest rapidly.
“…Is that all?”
“Hah... No, I want to propose a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Yes. I want you to teach me that black magic. The one you call Black Suit.”
“......”
Oliver raised an eyebrow. Teach him black magic?
Since leaving the Joseph Family, this was the first time anyone had made such a request.
Moreover, Jo wasn’t just casually asking.
Despite the fear of rejection, the shame of having to beg, and the jealousy and anger swirling within him, Jo overcame those emotions and made his request.
His desire to improve and his determination to succeed, even if he had to endure rejection or ridicule, shone through.
It was interesting. Very interesting.
However, Jo seemed to interpret Oliver’s silence differently, and he spoke cautiously.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to teach me for free. I’ll—”
“I’ll teach you.”
“…What?”
“I said I’ll teach you.”
Oliver replied casually, taking a bite of his steak.
For some reason, Jo looked at him in silence, shocked.
His emotions were a whirlwind of confusion.
He clearly couldn’t grasp the situation.
“...Really?”
“Yes. Of course, I won’t be able to teach you continuously by your side, but I can meet you regularly, maybe two or three times a week.”
Oliver spoke as if it were nothing.
But it was a huge deal. Considering how people would grovel and pay fortunes just to learn a small piece of black magic, this was extraordinary.
“…I know it’s odd for me to ask, but why did you agree?”
Oliver finished his meal and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief before answering. The enormous steak had been cleaned from his plate.
He pointed at Jo.
“You want to learn.”
Then he pointed at himself.
“I can teach. Is there any need for more reason than that?”
“…….”
Jo remained silent, staring at Oliver.