Chapter 509: Excessive Equipment (3)
‘This is impossible...’
Hog thought as his arm was held by the mana shield, which had been shattered and then reformed. Because it really was impossible.
The shock had caused the magic formula to collapse, making it extremely difficult to recombine the mana that had lost its cohesion.
Unless one had mana manipulation ability to control each individual mana particle, it was an unattainable realm.
However, what was even more shocking was not just the restoration of the collapsed formula, but also the transformation of its nature from a defensive to a binding function.
The current mana shield wasn’t just a regular shield; it also served as a binding tool capable of restraining a target. In short, it was a more advanced form than the existing shield.
The only thing Hog could say was that it was remarkable.
Though it didn’t appear particularly flashy on the surface, this kind of skill in handling magic formulas went beyond mere strength or weakness; it was a higher-dimensional technique.
It required a specialized understanding of mana and magic formulas, as well as the ability to utilize them effectively.
No ordinary master could even compare.
It was a level that warranted comparison with an Archmage or someone of equivalent caliber who oversaw a school's lineage.
This realization gave Hog a considerable shock, even more than hearing about Seamus, the living legend of the fixer world, being defeated, or the news of 82 druids being killed by a single person.
Perhaps it was because Hog was from the Tower of Magic.
“This is quite a fascinating item.”
While Hog was distracted by the mana shield, Oliver took the opportunity to briefly examine Hog’s magic item.
It was a spatial magic item shaped like a pocket watch, and Oliver compared it with his own image recording item.
“As expected, the design is similar. Is this from the Ilmarinen Workshop?”
Hog answered honestly.
“...Yes. You can tell by the emblem engraved on the surface of the pocket watch.”
Oliver belatedly noticed the old-fashioned hammer-shaped logo etched on the pocket watch’s exterior. He had been so captivated by the delicate mana within the watch that he overlooked its exterior.
“Impressive. I heard that items from this place are hard to come by.”
Oliver showed his image recording item, which he had managed to obtain under the condition of retrieving an auction item for the Crime Firm in the past.
“Of course. These items are made exclusively for the upper class. It’s not something you can get just by having money. Money is the bare minimum.”
It was genuine. As expected from someone associated with the Tower of Magic, Hog seemed well-versed in matters related to this field.
“Did you receive this item as support?”
“Before that, answer my question first.”
Hog didn’t answer Oliver’s question, instead bringing up his own matter. It was a statement that someone in captivity shouldn’t be able to make, but his hostility and fighting spirit had noticeably diminished compared to before.
“Go ahead.”
“That ability to control mana and magic formulas... How did you perform that? It’s not ordinary.”
Hog asked frankly despite his feelings of inferiority and jealousy. He wanted to hear the answer from this irrational being who could use such magic at a young age.
“I learned it.”
“Learned it?”
“Yes.”
Oliver recalled his training with Merlin and explained.
He had demonstrated extraordinary power simply by incorporating appropriate modifications to basic magic formulas, and Oliver had learned by observing and mimicking that.
The art of adjusting magic formulas according to the situation.
Though it was trickier than he had expected, after reviewing his image recording item several times, he was able to establish the theory and put it into practice.
“Moreover, your appearance was quite timely for my training.”
“Training against someone wearing Human Skin Armor... That’s just plain maddening.”
Hog spoke sincerely, not with anger or sarcasm. The overwhelming gap was so evident that he couldn’t even be angry; it was just maddening.
Oliver unexpectedly replied to this.
“Congratulations. If you’ve realized the difference, then you can now bridge the gap, can’t you?”
“Bridge... what?”
“I mentioned this earlier, didn’t I? If you wish, I can teach you magic... It may sound boastful, but I have a bit of talent for teaching. If you’re willing, I can teach you the techniques I just demonstrated, though it would begin with refining the basics again. What do you say?”
Oliver extended his hand politely. Hog, instead of swinging his knife, looked at the hand silently. There was an indescribable emotion in the air.
It was a feeling not found in the fiercely competitive era of magic and industry, which promised infinite freedom and wealth.
Though there was a possibility it was a lie, instinctively, he knew it wasn’t.
At the very least, the man standing before him didn’t seem like the type to tell such lies.
Even though they had just met, that kind of trust arose.
Hog felt an overwhelming presence that was different from fear.
It was a sense of being overpowered that couldn’t be felt just from a wealthy or powerful opponent, but rather, from the nature of the person himself—like facing another creature entirely.
“...Request—”
Thwack!
Just as Hog opened his mouth after much deliberation, a flash of light burst forth from thin air, and an ice bullet flew in, piercing Hog’s back.
Spatial sniping with ice magic.
The ice bullet that penetrated Hog’s back exploded with intense cold, rapidly freezing his body.
Blood, muscles, and flesh instantly turned to ice and shattered like stone.
Before he could even react, Hog had become an ice block and crumbled apart.
“...”
Oliver silently watched the scene. It was truly strange.
Though dozens of gang members lost their lives in the underworld every day, and Oliver accepted this as a matter of course, he felt a slight sense of regret.
He wondered if it was because he hadn’t obtained any information, but it seemed more like a personal sentiment.
The kind of feeling one got while smoking Duncan’s Filgaret.
“Hmmm...”
But what was done was done. Putting aside his personal regrets, Oliver turned his gaze to the green spatial magic circle that had appeared in the air, the same spot from which the attack had come.
It was still there, and two questions arose in Oliver’s mind.
The first was how the magic circle had been formed here.
Spatial magic circles, as the name suggests, allowed one to transcend space, but the caster had to be nearby or have a magic item capable of securing the area’s view.
Yet there were no spatial magic users or surveillance items in sight.
The only things around were the dense forest and, far away, Derek, Yareli, and Ünner.
The second question was why, despite killing Hog instantly, no attack had been directed at him.
The green magic circle floating in the air remained silent, showing no signs of aggression toward Oliver.
He continued to stare at the magic circle without saying a word.
After a long moment, a voice was heard from afar.
“Are you finished?”
It was none other than Ünner. She flew swiftly with wings made of blood.
Upon reaching Oliver, she dismissed the blood wings and landed.
“Hm... Well, yes, it’s over. It seems you’ve finished on your end as well, Ünner.”
“Yes, but I have a report.”
“Did an ice bullet suddenly fly in and kill the captured gang members?”
Ünner paused for a moment at the accuracy of his guess.
“Perhaps Zenon too?”
“Yes... Please drop the honorific and just call him Zenon.”
“Understood... In any case, as you said, all the captured gang members were killed. One bullet per person. Considering the shooting skills, spatial magic deployment, and level of ice magic, it suggests a highly skilled individual. And the threat level is beyond that.”
Oliver agreed. As the saying goes, you can tell a lot from one example, and the same applied to magic. Judging by that single attack, it was clear just how exceptional the mysterious attacker was.
The threat level, as Ünner mentioned, was even higher. If an opponent could fire lethal shots using spatial magic from an unknown location, it posed a serious danger, regardless of their skill.
To put it bluntly, it was questionable whether they could proceed with the operation. They could be taken out by spatial sniping along the way.
“However, there shouldn’t be any immediate issues.”
“...? Why do you think that?”
Oliver looked at the space where the magic circle had been. Although it had disappeared, traces of mana remained.
“It’s just a feeling.”
An answer without much basis. Yet Ünner didn’t dare question it. She had already pledged her loyalty. Following whatever orders were given was the way of this world.
While Ünner was persuading herself, Oliver scanned the surroundings again before turning his attention to the shattered remains of Hog. Due to the excessive freezing, his body had disintegrated, and he no longer resembled a person; instead, he had become a heap of broken stone. The only thing that remained intact was the Human Skin Armor he had been wearing.
When Oliver picked up the armor, Ünner acknowledged it.
"That's Human Skin Armor... and a high-grade one at that."
"You know about this?"
"Yes. It’s not something to be proud of, but our family did have considerable influence in the black magic market."
Oliver quickly understood. Given the Bathory family's long history, power, and their famous Blood Elixir, it made sense that they would be knowledgeable about this kind of market.
"It’s made by processing human skin into fabric and crafting it into armor. As expected of a black magic item, its performance depends on the quality of the materials used. It’s quite significant, like the Head Wand acquired from the warehouse."
"What’s a Head Wand?"
“It’s an item made by mounting a wizard or black magician’s head onto a staff. It allows the user to cast magic or black magic through the item.”
“Oh…”
Oliver could roughly understand. It was probably the item one of the gang members whom Derek had dealt with earlier was holding—a staff with a wizard’s head attached.
“The Big Wheel’s warehouse is similar. It contains various types of magical engineering weapons, black magic items, and even illegal weapons from Y District. There is no consistent theme among the rare weapons and items stored there, making it difficult to pinpoint who supplied them. But…”
Ünner trailed off, glancing at what was once Hog.
Initially, they had planned to use Hog to find out who had provided the support, but now that was no longer possible.
Even if there had been some blood left, they could have used the Bathory family's blood reading technique to gather information, but with Hog’s body frozen solid, it was hopeless.
Just as Ünner was regretting the situation, Oliver took a syringe filled with blood from his coat pocket and handed it to her.
“Will this work? I drew some of his blood just in case.”
Ünner checked the syringe to assess the amount of blood.
“Hmm… It’s a small amount, so we might not get everything, but we should be able to learn something.”
...
Ünner consumed the blood, and Oliver accompanied her to the Big Wheel’s warehouse where Derek and Yareli were located.
The warehouse, situated near the parking area, displayed signs of a fierce battle, with scorched ground and sheets of ice scattered across the area. Derek and Yareli were in a defensive stance, taking cover and using their mana detection skills to stay on guard.
They were preparing for the possibility of another sudden bullet attack from nowhere, a wise precaution.
“Are you both all right?”
Oliver asked as he approached with Ünner. Derek was the first to respond.
“Of course. It was just a bunch of gangsters.”
Although Derek referred to them as "just gangsters," the shattered trees, overturned earth, and broken icebergs around them made it clear how intense the fight had been.
These gangsters were armed with magical engineering weapons, which were advanced military-grade equipment.
Despite this, Derek showed no signs of exhaustion or injury, evidence of his skillful handling of the situation.
“Yareli, are you okay?”
Yareli seemed a little surprised by Oliver’s direct question but quickly regained her composure.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. In that case, can we check the equipment you’ve secured?”
Without hesitation, Oliver got straight to the point, and Derek and Yareli guided him to the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, which had been damaged by the battle and covered in ice, was a wide variety of items as Ünner had described—military-grade exoskeleton suits, magical engineering weapons, small golems, harpoon guns from Y District, toxic gas grenades, waste launchers, and even black magic items Oliver had never seen before.
Together, the quantity was substantial. As he surveyed the items, Oliver picked up the Head Wand—a black magic item combining a human head and a staff.
He wasn’t entirely sure why he picked it up, other than that it stood out as the most peculiar and eye-catching object.
“This… The head is one thing, but the staff itself is also made from human body parts, including the spine, flesh, and blood vessels.”
Oliver observed as he examined the staff closely. Though it was neatly finished on the outside, upon closer inspection, its true nature became apparent.
The blood and mana contained within the staff provided nutrients to the head attached at the top, allowing it to maintain a semblance of life, much like a clam.
It was truly fascinating—was it alive or dead?
One thing was certain: despite its ordinary appearance, it was an object with a high level of craftsmanship.
“It’s likely from Bin City.”
“What’s Bin City?”
“It’s a small coastal city inhabited by pirates, smugglers, and black magicians.”
Oliver tilted his head in confusion. While it was known that black magicians resided in cities due to the nature of their craft, the existence of an entire city referred to as a "black magicians' city" was unexpected.
“It’s not surprising if you haven’t heard of it. It’s located very far from Celland.”
“You’re saying that items from such a distant city have made their way here in such quantity?”
“Yes. I don’t know who this woman is, but she seems to have extensive connections.”
“A woman? What do you mean?”
Derek, who had been listening quietly, questioned Ünner, who responded.
“I read Hog’s memories through his blood. Although the amount of blood was insufficient for a full read, I did see a woman with gaudily colored hair delivering these weapons.”
Oliver stared at Ünner intently. His hair was a mix of black and white, giving him a striking resemblance to a chessboard.
“...Am I gaudy?”
“Black and white exude the elegance of a chessboard; it’s not gaudy at all.”
Ünner, using the silver tongue she had honed while serving the Bathory family, swiftly corrected her misstep.
Even so, it was still an awkward moment, which Yareli took advantage of by changing the subject at just the right time.
“Are there any other clues? Someone who could supply this many weapons and items simultaneously wouldn’t be ordinary.”
It was a reasonable question from Yareli. The magical engineering weapons and black magic items from Bin City had no apparent connection.
For someone to supply both types of items simultaneously, they wouldn’t be an ordinary figure.
Ordinarily, securing even one such trade route would be challenging, and maintaining it would require considerable time and effort.
If this person possessed two such routes, it suggested the possibility of an organization rather than an individual.
The woman was most likely an agent of that organization.
Yareli asked if Ünner had any further descriptions of the woman’s appearance, but Ünner replied that the limited amount of blood had not allowed her to see the woman's face.
While the group exchanged their views, Oliver retrieved a folded-up Big Mouth from his leather case on his belt.
“Grr...?”
The oversized Big Mouth let out a cry upon entering the unfamiliar environment, causing Derek to flinch at the sight.
Though Yareli and Ünner, who had seen Big Mouth before, remained unphased.
Big Mouth waved at Yareli, seemingly recognizing her.
“Grr… Grr.”
“What is it saying?”
Yareli instinctively responded to Big Mouth’s greeting and asked.
“It says you look prettier without your glasses.”
Oliver answered as he inspected a magical engineering weapon—a hammer-shaped device Hog had used earlier. He activated it, carefully observing the internal configuration, its operation, the flow of mana, and the magic formula.
“Really?”
Derek expressed disbelief. The idea of a massive, sentient black magic item complimenting a person seemed absurd.
“It’s true. The staff at the House of Angels taught it good manners during my time there.”
Oliver recalled the workers at the House of Angels, who, though initially bewildered, had taken the task seriously and taught Big Mouth manners alongside the children.
“Besides, Big Mouth seems smarter now after devouring other Greedy Pouches.”
“...Why did it eat its kind?”
“Because I told it to?”
Everyone silently stared at Oliver, who had encouraged cannibalism. Their gazes carried shock and disapproval.
Oliver tried to defend himself.
“It was a mutual agreement.”
“Grr…”
Big Mouth shook its head, letting out a cry that roughly translated to “No, damn it.”
As the situation grew unfavorable for Oliver, he redirected the conversation back on track.
“Big Mouth, please swallow all these items here. Leave nothing behind.”
Despite grumbling and casting a reproachful look at Oliver with its many eyes, Big Mouth obediently began devouring the items in the warehouse, including the smaller pieces like the Head Wand and larger ones like the exoskeleton suit.
Normally, swallowing items larger than its mouth would have been impossible, but after consuming multiple of its own kind, its mouth could now stretch like a snake’s to accommodate larger objects.
The original intention was to increase its capacity, but it had gained an unintended function.
Feeling proud of his foresight in having Big Mouth consume its kind, Oliver turned to Derek, Yareli, and Ünner.
“Let’s decide what to do next.”
“Decide what?”
“Whether or not to continue with this mission.”
It was a reasonable proposal. Despite their caution, the enemy had foreseen their movements and even bribed the gang members in anticipation. The plan had been flawed from the start.
Furthermore, the cost and skill displayed in hiring and silencing the gang members indicated that their opponent was formidable.
Given the circumstances, it wasn’t strange to reconsider the mission. Although, the way Oliver suggested it did sound unusual.
Derek looked at him with suspicion.
“Are you thinking of quitting?”
“No, I plan to continue.”
“But are you saying we should withdraw?”
This time, it was Yareli who questioned him, sounding a bit offended.
“If that made you feel disregarded, I apologize. It’s just that I’ve come up with a rather risky plan.”
“...What kind of risky plan?”
“If it goes well, we’ll be able to make contact with our target as soon as we reach the city. Would you like to hear it?”