Chapter 508: Excessive Equipment (2)
Magic has now branched into numerous categories: space, life, World Tree, pure mana, magical engineering, alchemy, and so on. Among these, the magic with the longest history and the greatest ongoing influence was none other than elemental magic. Elemental magic was established based on the elements that make up nature.
The major schools of elemental magic were the Agni School of Fire, the Gaia School of Earth, the Enlil School of Air, the Skadi School of Ice, and the Mjölnir School of Lightning. Each school had distinct and prominent characteristics.
The Gaia and Enlil Schools had high physical strength and geographical traits that allowed the use of natural forces anywhere. The Skadi School was advantageous for turning the caster's will into reality by using ice that converted mana into physical force, with cold as potent as poison. The Mjölnir School had the traits of lightning-fast speed and immense destructive power.
Naturally, the Agni School also had fitting characteristics: strong and sustained firepower, the enhancement of physical abilities through heat energy, and most notably, the high temperatures generated by flames and the unimaginable range of attacks made possible with them.
“But what are you? Just what are you, you monster?!”
Hog, who was covered in flames, shouted at Oliver.
After transforming the flames around his body into heat energy to drastically boost his physical abilities, he launched a frenzied assault. It was nearly impossible to follow his movements with ordinary eyesight.
In the blink of an eye, his attacks switched from knife thrusts to punches, and from punches to kicks, relentlessly pushing his opponent. Even the angles of his strikes constantly shifted, leaving no openings to exploit.
Each blow was a lethal strike, enough to take a life.
This explained why Hog accepted such a suspicious request, rejecting Dave’s offer in Landa, where Dave was on the rise.
The power behind his Infi Armor combined the strength of many mages and high-level mana users, reaching an extreme level. Not only could he reclaim lost ground, but he could also expand it.
Nevertheless, all of his attacks were being blocked.
By none other than Oliver, who was skinny and unable to properly use one hand.
“Grr...”
Hog kept attacking without giving any breathing room—knife thrusts, low kicks, elbow strikes, knife slashes—but Oliver deflected the knife with a magic shield, stepped back to evade the kick, blocked the elbow with the shield again, and calmly dodged every subsequent slash with minimal movement.
As mentioned earlier, his speed was beyond what normal vision could keep up with, but the keen eyes of a skilled black magician and the heightened dynamic vision from consuming flesh of a Flesh Chef made it possible.
Thanks to this, Hog, who was delivering a one-sided onslaught, began to feel increasingly anxious.
No, if this were all, it would not have been an issue.
It wasn’t impossible for a mage or a black magician to possess such close combat skills. With enough talent and effort, one could certainly reach this level; it was just considered inefficient.
The truly strange thing was this.
[Flame Spurt]
Hog activated a spell using the Infi Armor, unleashing a massive surge of flames contained within the armor all at once.
The flames were so dense they seemed almost like water, flooding outward in all directions like a torrent. Oliver spread a triangular magic shield imbued with flame-resistant properties to divert the flood of fire.
The best way to block fire magic was with fire magic itself.
Just as he blocked the attack with the minimum amount of mana, Hog charged forward, wielding his fist covered in pure mana like a hammer, trying to shatter Oliver’s shield.
Bang! Bang!! Bang! Bang!! Bang!!
Even in the dense flames, Hog maintained a perfect stance, a posture shaped by systematic training rather than random street fighting. His punches were precise, and cracks quickly formed across the shield.
As the shield neared its limit, Hog pulled back his fist and absorbed the surrounding flames and air, concentrating them into one arm.
Sizzle!!
The Infi Armor covering his fist glowed red-hot, swallowing the surrounding flames and air into a vortex.
Seeing this, Oliver infused his quarterstaff with mana, gripping it with his left hand and swinging it upward.
Boom━━!!
When Hog swung his fist, a massive explosion distorted the air around them.
The explosion shattered the already fractured shield and engulfed Oliver, but the intense blast was split in two by Oliver's upward swing of the quarterstaff, parting the explosion like the Red Sea.
“Argh... Impossible.”
Hog, who had his attack neutralized and an arm broken, cried out in disbelief. After all, Hog had the advantage in sheer energy.
Yet, the reason his attack was divided was simple: the mana Oliver had infused into the quarterstaff was more refined and concentrated.
It was a mimicry of Merlin’s teachings, akin to comparing an egg the size of a boulder to a fist-sized lump of iron.
“Gaaah...!”
Despite the pain of his broken arm, Hog quickly regained his composure and drew a knife with his other hand, lunging at Oliver with the ferocity of a berserker.
Bang━━!!
But even that indomitable will was thwarted when Oliver brought down his quarterstaff.
Hog’s arms were shattered and torn by the quarterstaff, leaving him with critical injuries that rendered him unable to fight. When he was deemed subdued, the Infi Armor began to mend his broken arms, knitting them back together.
Although it was a dangerous process, as the armor burrowed into his body, consuming his life force...
‘As expected.’
Oliver perceived the dangers of the Infi Armor clearly.
It was only natural. The more powerful a black magic item was, the greater the risks it posed.
If an item could combine the power of multiple mages and mana users to amplify one’s combat strength, it was only fitting for it to come with significant risks.
The problem was that these risks affected not only the user's emotions but also caused direct harm to the body.
Hog's arms, which had been broken and torn, were now partially fused with the Infi Armor, bearing the evidence of these dangers.
Oliver attempted to explain this threat to Hog, a man who reminded him of Duncan, a former Tower of Magic member.
“Hog. That Infi Armor is dangerous—”
[Overheat]
Hog chanted as he restored his arms. A surge of heat, distorting the air, burst out from the Infi Armor, rushing toward Oliver.
Seizing the opportunity, Hog swiftly adjusted his stance and launched another punch at Oliver.
The adjustment and the attack occurred almost simultaneously, but Oliver managed to exploit the narrow gap between them, firing a mana-infused shockwave that crushed Hog's chest.
Crack!!
With the sensation of his ribs breaking, Hog was sent flying far into the flames.
The impact shattered his ribs and crushed the organs inside. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had lost consciousness, but Hog immediately recovered by sacrificing his life force and physical vitality, grabbing a mechanical hammer lying on the ground and charging once more.
“Did you think I wasn’t aware of the risks of this armor? There’s a limit to how much you can underestimate me!!”
Hog yelled as he jumped high into the air, using mana to alter his trajectory and increase his speed.
Hog lunged through the air, but Oliver responded by throwing his quarterstaff, which was compressed with an immense amount of mana, to intercept him mid-flight.
He still felt pain in his right arm if he swung directly...
━━━━!
The mechanical hammer wielded by Hog clashed mid-air with the quarterstaff thrown by Oliver.
An indescribable roar spread along with the shockwave, overturning the ground and even suppressing the momentum of the flames.
The force caused the quarterstaff to spin rapidly upward, while the mechanical hammer seemed to overheat and ceased functioning.
Hog, startled, threw the now-useless hammer at Oliver and launched another fierce assault, but Oliver dodged the hammer and blocked Hog’s attacks with magic shields.
Creating the shields instantly to match the attacks...
“It seems the rumors were true?! That you’re an experimental subject from the Tower of Magic!!”
Hog shouted as he broke through countless shields. It wasn’t just to distract; he was genuinely curious.
Oliver blocked and dodged his attacks without confirming or denying the statement, then replied.
“What are you talking about?”
“If not, then how could you move like that with such a scrawny body?! No, more importantly, how can you endure this heat and flame?!”
Hog asked in genuine bewilderment. Throughout the fight, the very air he breathed was hot enough to sear his lungs.
It was a combat style that fully utilized the characteristics of fire magic.
Fire magic wasn’t just about overwhelming opponents with intense flames; it also involved dazzling them with fiery displays and suffocating them with invisible heat.
Oliver responded.
“Well... I happened to meet someone much hotter not long ago.”
Oliver thought of the Burnt One, who could ignite people with mere breath.
Although he didn’t know the exact reason, after encountering that being, it seemed like Oliver had developed a slight resistance to heat and flames.
To what extent, he wasn’t sure, but at the very least, he could ignore the heat that Hog emitted right now.
It was an absurd and illogical explanation, yet having witnessed it firsthand, Hog had no choice but to accept it.
“So, you’re not using any black magic and are just relying on such feeble magic to fight me?”
“No, it’s not feeble magic but basic magic. And I’m not underestimating you, Hog. This is a form of training.”
Simultaneously with his words, Oliver deployed a magic shield to block Hog’s incoming punch, then transformed the shield into chains that wrapped around Hog’s arm.
Just as Merlin had advised after a sparring session, he suggested Oliver avoid mixing different powers such as mana, emotions, and natural forces together. Although combining multiple sources of power was indeed impressive, it could sometimes cause one to lose sight of the fundamentals.
Merlin's advice was spot on. Whenever things got difficult, Oliver would resort to blending various powers to overcome the situation, which in turn hindered him from reaching the depth that someone like Merlin had achieved.
As a result, Oliver resolved to use only one type of power whenever the situation permitted.
Oliver manipulated the surface of the chains to disrupt Hog's stance, then swiftly moved forward and jabbed a syringe into Hog's neck.
Thud!!
It was a sharp and ominous sensation, different from the sting of a blade.
Oliver skillfully drew out Hog’s blood with the syringe and then withdrew it.
A moment later, Hog shattered the mana chains and counterattacked, but Oliver had already dodged out of reach.
“What did you just do?!”
“It’s a precaution, just in case.”
Oliver replied as he tucked the blood-filled syringe into his inner pocket.
“Besides, your condition is deteriorating rapidly. Wouldn't it be best to stop here?”
Oliver suggested, assessing Hog’s state as he struggled for breath.
Hog merely snorted.
“Hmph! …You sure are considerate. Is this the luxury of a strong man?”
“No, it’s simply because fighting you isn’t my official task, nor is it my goal. What we want is to find out who orchestrated this attack and supplied you with this equipment.”
Indeed, the reason Oliver was holding back was for this purpose.
The goal was to uncover the organization that supported Big Wheel, a faction weakened in the gang conflicts, by providing magical weapons and equipment like Infi Armor.
The extent of their support was excessive, suggesting ulterior motives.
“The second reason is because you used to be affiliated with the Tower of Magic.”
Hog's expression shifted.
“…How did you figure that out?”
“Though you may try to disguise it, I could still sense traces of Pure Mana School techniques in the way you wield your mana.”
“That’s impossible… I’ve completely erased all traces.”
“Not entirely. Also, your familiarity with using Infi Armor is quite high. Even with the equipment, mastery still depends on the user's skills and understanding of magic.”
Oliver indirectly acknowledged Hog's abilities. Observing his proficiency with the Infi Armor, it was clear how much effort Hog had put in.
His solid theoretical knowledge had been accumulated from relentless hard work, even if age and his extreme combat style had taken a toll on his body.
This evoked a change in Hog's emotions.
To be praised by a young man who hadn’t lived half his lifetime made him feel genuinely proud. It reminded him of when he was a child, recognized for his talent and taken in by the Tower of Magic... only to later face the wall of talent and be cast out into the streets.
It was both a joyous and bitter feeling.
“…Don’t talk as if you understand. Someone like you, with talent, will never know what it feels like—this wretched feeling.”
“I do understand,” Oliver replied succinctly. He meant that he understood the despair and inner torment that came from being driven out of the Tower for lacking talent.
It might have sounded like an insincere claim, but Oliver was being genuine. He had a deeply held understanding of this, almost carved into his bones.
Because when he had used Duncan’s beautiful light to create a Filgaret, he had indirectly experienced Duncan's life.
This might be why Oliver had been lenient toward Hog—because he reminded him of Duncan... a man who, despite suffering from the barrier of talent, never gave up and continued to pursue new goals. It was truly admirable.
To the point of earning his respect.
“So, I sincerely hope you will cooperate. If you assist me, I will help you in return… Don’t you want to learn magic again?”
Oliver made the suggestion based on his experiences using Duncan’s Filgaret. Those expelled from the Tower of Magic often harbored both hatred and longing for the Tower and magic itself.
It was a contradictory but real emotion.
As if to validate this, the proposal stirred Hog’s heart, a heart that had once withered after his dreams were crushed at the Tower and eroded by reality.
The idea seemed absurd, but that made it all the more enticing, like an angel’s touch or the whisper of a devil.
“…An interesting offer.”
“Isn’t it?”
“But such an offer should be made after you’ve defeated me!”
“Understood.”
Oliver immediately responded and cast a spell.
[Aim Correct]
[Strengthen]
[Heavily]
[Acceleration]
The quarterstaff, which had been sent flying high into the air during its clash with the mechanical hammer, now descended toward Hog’s head, reinforced with multiple spells.
Its power was enough to tear through the air and even rip apart a person.
Hog, seeing the quarterstaff falling, pulled out a magical item resembling a pocket watch and activated it.
In a flash, Hog vanished from sight like a light being switched off and reappeared at Oliver’s flank.
It was a magical item imbued with spatial magic, allowing the user to teleport to a predetermined location, and it was of exceptionally high quality.
Hog used the item to avoid the attack and seize an opportunity to flank Oliver.
He then applied a magical coating to his knife, causing it to spin like a chainsaw and maximize its cutting power.
Although not on par with the mages from the Tower of Magic, it was still a lethal strike.
With his exceptional dynamic vision and reflexes, Oliver quickly deployed a mana shield to his side to block the attack.
“It’s useless!”
Hog shouted confidently. As he said, the knife’s spinning blade tore through the mana shield.
The blade, spinning furiously, sliced through the mana shield and continued toward Oliver. But just as it was about to strike, the shattered mana shield reformed and ensnared Hog’s arm.
Hog's eyes trembled as he found himself captured, despite having used a spatial magic item to gain an advantage. Oliver looked at him and said,
“I’ve got you.”