Chapter 230: Fallen Monk (1)

The other executives also wore uncomfortable expressions at his words, but no one present was foolish enough to object.

They were not unaware of whom their lord desired.

A wizard who, alone, annihilated the Cartel’s execution squad and crushed its leader, Avid.

Even after fully deploying his Domain using his subordinates’ blood, his overwhelming power, which prevented him from even glimpsing Van’s Domain, was undoubtedly a level beyond a Commander Wizard.

This colossal organization. He lacked not an inch to ascend to a corner of The Triad.

Olivera Ron Maize had been waiting for this day ever since she became aware of Van’s existence.

“……”

However, instead of being overwhelmed by her imposing aura, Lennok calmly re-evaluated the situation.

Refusing all the proposals Olivera had made here was not particularly difficult.

But, the summoning of the general meeting, her words and actions there, and her conversation with Myeong… was it truly because she coveted Van?

On the contrary, didn’t Myeong seem to value Lennok even more highly?

Only when his doubts reached that point could Lennok draw a conclusion.

Perhaps what Olivera Ron Maize truly desired was not to hand over the executive position to Lennok—

A calm voice flowed from Lennok’s lips.

“It seems you wish to borrow someone else’s hand to deal with McQueen.”

The atmosphere among those present froze chillingly.

“Are you concerned about the Cartel’s power diminishing through the mutual destruction of its executives? After all, your actions so far suggest nothing else.”

“Wizard.”

Kansoa said with a faint smile.

“It would be in your best interest to watch your words.”

Lennok glanced at her but continued speaking, undeterred.

“Very well. Let’s do that. But the price will not be an executive position in the Cartel; I will choose it myself.”

[……]

“For a position received as a favor from someone else would hold little value.”

Olivera, who had been staring down at him, spoke.

[Truly, your impudence knows no bounds.]

“……”

[But you pinpoint the core issue with an irritating accuracy… Very well.]

Indeed. His opponent was a titan whose hierarchy was difficult to gauge.

However, Lennok was not continuing this negotiation as an equal without any basis.

The cooperation between Antares and the Agents. Myeong’s appearance and protection. And crucially, Olivera, who had never revealed her true form until now.

Combining all the events that had transpired, only one conclusion could be drawn.

Olivera Ron Maize was in a position where she could not act directly, and other monsters, including Myeong, were aware of this.

Therefore, rather than dealing with the traitor through her fellow executives, she sought to resolve the problem by borrowing the power of Lennok, who had tirelessly fought the Cartel until now.

Even if it meant granting a nominal executive position to an enemy.

Knowing full well that Lennok had seen through her intentions, she smiled nonchalantly.

[Indeed, a great deal of time has passed. To think I would have internal affairs exposed by such a young wizard.]

“Chairman…”

Merlida called out to her in a small voice, but nothing could be changed now.

In the end, after such a long and winding path, the Cartel’s traitor and its adversary had merely come to settle the events that had transpired until now.

And at the moment everything was decided, Parden McQueen, who had maintained silence without a single word until now, opened his mouth.

“May I ask one more thing?”

[Speak.]

“If, during the handover process… a problem arises, who will be held responsible?”

[The same.]

She stared intently at Parden McQueen’s inscrutable face before slowly nodding.

[In that case, we shall consider that Van did not accept the executive position, and the matter will be dropped.]

“…I understand, then.”

It didn’t take long for an irrepressible smile to spread across Parden McQueen’s lips.

It didn’t take long for rumors to spread throughout the streets that the Cartel and the wizard of District 49 had reached a dramatic agreement.

People remembered Van’s persistent actions, like a demon, relentlessly destroying businesses, and were curious about the process.

But upon hearing the rumor that the Cartel’s Chairman had, in turn, offered him a scouting proposal, everyone acquiesced.

A place where even mortal enemies could join hands if one was talented and capable.

On streets teeming with freelancers who cast aside blood and grudges to chase only profit and money, this was not incomprehensible.

Furthermore, there were talks that the wizard of District 49 had even ascended to a Level 6 Commander Wizard.

Considering the value of a fully-realized Commander Wizard, it wasn’t incomprehensible for the Cartel to overlook the organization’s losses.

Information rapidly spread that Van’s position would likely be decided at the next quarterly earnings announcement.

Simultaneously with the news spreading that the Cartel had compromised with Van, Jenny’s business soared.

It was a business that scavengers had dominated with the tacit consent of The Triad.

It didn’t take long for the business, built on Kaiser’s connections, his unique resourcefulness, and investments from merchants traversing the city, to swiftly seize its place.

The decisive factor was the potion dilution solution Lennok had personally created.

As Lennok’s potion, which even remedied the side effect of rapid limb growth, was integrated into the distribution business and sold independently, the two ventures synergized and began to rapidly expand in scale.

Rumors of the potion’s cost-effectiveness spread so quickly that inquiries from the legitimate sector came in faster than rumors spread in the underworld.

Conversely, capitalists who had started investing in the business were also showing interest in potion sales, which was nothing short of a boon.

Many things had changed in the past week.

The graph on the monitor continuously soared, hitting the ceiling.

But the true story of the general meeting had not yet concluded.

Jenny, too, had an inkling of what Lennok had left to do last.

“……”

Lennok let out a chuckle upon seeing Jenny’s expression.

“It doesn’t change the fact that this is the cleanest way.”

He had never thought things would end easily.

Although he had been running breathlessly since the day he returned from the Autonomous Region, wasn’t it ultimately Lennok’s hand that had to bring things to a conclusion?

Even without the fortuitous encounter enabled by Yakson, Lennok had anticipated and prepared for such a moment to come eventually.

Considering the difference in status between McQueen and Lennok in this city, it was a matter that could only end with some kind of resolution.

All Lennok had done was greatly shorten the myriad hardships that would have had to be endured until that moment.

Saving Jordan and drawing out Virgil, destroying the Cartel’s affiliated businesses and capturing Girard Ozette.

Capturing and killing the execution squad and Avid, thoroughly retaliating against all restraints and revenge that came his way—only after all this.

Only then could he directly pull down a titan sitting atop the skyscraper of the executive board.

He had no intention of making a mistake, not even at the very end.

“Oh, right. I forgot to give you this.”

Jenny frowned as she examined the item Lennok pulled from his pocket.

“…What is this? It looks strange for a gift.”

“I originally intended to hang it up before heading to the general meeting… Well, it looks quite impressive now.”

Lennok grinned as he hung it on the counter next to the bar, in a prominent spot, and Jenny sighed, shaking her head.

“Well, since it’s from you, I won’t stop you… but if our sales drop because of that, you’ll have to take responsibility.”

“Let’s think about that after we reopen the bar. We’ll probably be able to reopen after today.”

Lennok smiled like that and turned away.

Jenny silently watched his back as he buttoned his coat and walked up the stairs.

Ultimately, this entire affair had been fraught with insurmountable difficulties that could only be overcome by Lennok’s power.

She believed she had done her best by focusing on business management and expansion within the framework Lennok had created, but what if, someday, her presence no longer served him?

Since choosing him as a partner, she had never once regretted it… but Jenny herself hadn’t changed much since then.

If she were to grasp the wealth and prosperity she had built in this city, would she then be able to stand as Lennok’s equal?

Jenny gazed idly at the item Lennok had left behind, then let out a small laugh.

“Well… there’s still plenty of time.”

No need to think too quickly.

Doing what needs to be done at the necessary moment.

Just as Van always did, wasn’t Jenny also running so diligently for that very purpose?

Hearing the loud vibration of her cellphone, she began to focus on work again.

A meeting with investors was scheduled for today.

With the unexpected boon from the potion Lennok had created, the atmosphere seemed unlikely to be bad.

WHIIIIIISH!!!

A skyscraper soaring so high it seemed to pierce the sky.

This place, where a sharp, dry wind blew, was a vacant zone located between Vulcan’s outskirts and its undeveloped regions.

Buildings completed in an era when the megacity was intoxicated by endless expansion, spreading in all directions, but ultimately abandoned, having lost all geographical advantages due to a massive reduction in development plans.

Most abandoned buildings typically served as hideouts for vagrants or gangs, but this particular building remained impeccably maintained.

He passed through the frigid lobby, devoid of any human warmth, and took the elevator.

He entered the pre-given floor number and pressed the button for the rooftop, and the elevator swiftly shot upwards.

Beyond the glass wall.

The landscape of the undeveloped regions was clearly visible.

A desolate desert landscape. The magnetic storms, still vividly present in Lennok’s memories, caught his eye.

A height exceeding a certain standard was in itself a formidable power.

That was why the Cartel had consistently invested in maintaining this single building.

In a pinch, this place could become a massive observation post encompassing the heart of the undeveloped regions.

But even setting aside such utility, the scenery before him held value in itself.

This landscape, which starkly captured every moment where the megacity Vulcan’s successes and failures intersected, was no different from the true face of the Vulcan Lennok had lived in all this time.

“……”

With the appointment approaching, his mind was filled with miscellaneous thoughts.

Lennok leaned his back against the elevator wall, chuckled faintly, and closed his eyes.

Instantly, his chaotic mind cleared, and his thoughts settled.

Within his infinitely serene inner world, memories of the past swiftly flashed by.

The moment he first awakened his magic. When he gained control over lightning strikes, the battle with Eden. The point he realized attribute transformation.

The battle with Craig where he realized and manifested the existence of his Domain. The scenery he finally reached after crossing countless immeasurable fronts.

Others might call his speed absurdly abnormal, but the trajectory of Lennok’s life until now had been one of such intensity and high density.

How much effort and investment had been required to ascend to this point, bearing the penalty that a single mistake would lead directly to death.

Nothing changes.

Still, not even a single failure was permitted for Lennok, and he would hover as close to death as the deaths he had dealt to others.

He was searching for answers amidst the endlessly posed questions.

The opponent who would provide Lennok with his seventh answer was waiting for him at the summit of that skyscraper.

CLANG!!

The elevator doors opened, revealing a cramped corridor.

At the end of the corridor, a faint, pure white glow was visible.

Lennok walked towards the light beyond, reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out a finger-thick roll of tobacco, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

His sixth prototype. Recently, he hadn’t put much effort into it due to the time invested in making potion dilution solution, but this was a special concoction prepared for this very day.

As he lit it and took a deep drag, the back of his head throbbed dully, and his heart began to pound.

The sensation of every hair on his body standing on end. Slowly, he massaged his fingers, then successively pulled other items from his pocket.

After swallowing a Stemonia elixir, effective in reducing the harmful effects of drugs, he gulped down a mana enhancer and a healing potion.

He unwrapped an ampule from his coat’s inner pocket, immediately replaced the bottle, and injected it into his shoulder.

Fwoosh!

“Ugh…”

Behind the corridor Lennok had passed, various medicine bottles and syringes clattered to the ground.

Along with a sensation of blood surging backward through his entire body, he felt his fingertips become acutely sensitive.

A sensation like flames surging from within drenched his entire body, intensely flaring up.

Mana furiously rotated throughout his body, burning as if it would burst forth at any moment.

Finally, Lennok gulped down the undiluted potion essence he had personally created, threw the empty bottle behind his shoulder, and immediately stepped out beyond the corridor.

The moment he stepped through, the surroundings opened up wide, revealing a vast, blue sky.

An ultra-tall building, over 800 meters high.

The view from its summit allowed him to hold the entire landscape of the undeveloped regions in his hand.

At the very edge of the rooftop, where no special safety measures were in place.

A giant with bronze skin stood, gazing indifferently at the landscape below.

His entire body was covered in tattoos and ornate accessories. In his hand, a long ritual staff and a worn robe.

The Cartel’s First Executive, Parden McQueen.

The two individuals required for the ‘handover’ of the executive position had finally come face to face in one place.

As Lennok lightly roused his mana and instantly swept a radius of several kilometers, he let out a chuckle.

“This is a bit unexpected.”

Smoke streamed from his mouth, holding the thick roll of tobacco.

“I naturally thought you’d bring your subordinates, but it seems you came all this way alone.”

Considering Parden McQueen’s movements until now, the possibility of him moving alone was low.

He was fundamentally the type who preferred not to act personally.

As a formidable individual who had reigned as a Cartel executive for decades, he was adept at wielding his influence by employing countless unnamed subordinates beneath him.

He had expected that this time too, under the guise of a handover, Parden McQueen would deliberately try to surround Lennok by summoning him to such an isolated place.

Surprisingly, not even a trace of life could be felt in the vicinity.

As if someone had deliberately cleared the area.

Thinking that far, Lennok figured out the answer.

“…Was there restraint from the other executives? It wouldn’t be strange even if Virgil drastically cut your authority. After all, he’s just a defector who betrayed the organization.”

“It’s not surprising. Knowing his personality, I expected it would come to this from the start. He must have wanted to prevent me from playing any tricks.”

Only then did Parden McQueen turn his gaze towards Lennok, staring at him with a heavy gaze.

“It’s enough just to be grateful for this last chance given to me. I’ve always failed to repay the Chairman’s grace. It is my lack of virtue.”

“Are those words coming from someone who betrayed the Chairman and tried to embezzle corporate slush funds?”

Lennok admired Parden McQueen’s brazenness, but even at his biting provocation, McQueen didn’t bat an eyelid.

Slowly, he rose to his feet and gazed idly down at Lennok.

The oppressive presence emanating from the nearly two-meter-tall giant with bronze skin was truly on another level.

It wasn’t merely a body trained and grown massive, but the body of an ascetic who had endured hardship for his own beliefs.

Even if it was now a fallen body, rusted, wrinkled, and creaking, his skill remained as formidable as ever.

The two mages simultaneously, and with extreme subtlety, began to draw out their own internal power.