Chapter 237: Aftermath (4)

‘The easiest way would be to extract the essence from another magic tower. But it’s hard to seize the right opportunity.’

Interaction with the Thorben Magic Tower was virtually nonexistent, save for Eden, the leader of the Cigar Bang Gang. Nevertheless, Lennok’s independently achieved success in lightning-type unique magic was sufficient to manifest within his Domain.

Although Lennok was currently mastering the fire-type unique magic of the Blaiver Tower, this particular achievement was merely what he had learned from the young wizard who assisted Byzen and the Drug King.

It was difficult to say that it was accompanied by as deep an understanding as his lightning-type magic.

Despite acquiring his Domain through a truly ingenious and absurd method, his worries only grew instead of diminishing.

Ultimately, to utilize this personally created Domain to its fullest, it meant he had to become more proactive than before, when he moved with minimal risk.

Reaching the pinnacle of magic was one of the most certain ways for Lennok to shed the constraints he bore.

However, to sprint towards that end, he needed to much more actively collect diverse experiences and branching points, and open up new possibilities.

‘I wonder if changing my course of action will yield proportionate results. I always thought it was something I’d have to do someday, but…’

Sticking to a passive position would only result in Lennok receiving rewards that others had already seized.

He had to go out and seek what he desired himself.

Lennok also knew well what the most certain method was.

He simply needed to mentally accept that he now had to prioritize his aspirations over safety.

He had succeeded in grasping the necessary possibilities. Now, it was time to move a little further forward.

There was no need for long deliberation. As long as Lennok didn’t forget the path he had trodden, no matter where he stood, that would be enough.

Having finished his contemplation, Lennok immediately rose from his seat.

While he was here, there was one more matter he wanted to resolve.

Naturally, he arrived at a rather neat workshop, his long cardigan buttoned up.

It was an unpretentious space without even a proper signboard, but Lennok walked in without hesitation.

Hearing the loud whirring of a drill from inside, he tapped on the wall, and a stocky middle-aged man walked out.

It was Palmer, the blacksmith he had met when dealing with Dyke Corp.’s business.

“It’s been a while.”

Lennok asked with a smile, and he yawned, scratching his belly vigorously.

His eyes were swollen, as if he had just been in a deep sleep.

“What brings you here?”

“I heard you moved your workshop, so I dropped by to handle some business.”

It certainly felt different from the cramped cubbyhole that looked like it would collapse any moment.

Though not very large, it was clearly more like a proper workshop than before.

Palmer’s income probably hadn’t changed significantly, so it was reasonable to assume Dyke Corp. had provided him with considerable support.

Lennok naturally pulled out a chair and sat down. Palmer grumbled but took off his gloves and sat opposite him.

“You just show up without a word, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Aren’t we closely tied by business? Panua would be disappointed if she heard you say that.”

“…”

Seeing Palmer shut his mouth, it seemed clear that he had received her help in setting up his new workshop.

Palmer subtly changed the subject.

“I’ve heard the rumors. You had a grand showdown with those Cartel bastards, didn’t you?”

“Did such rumors spread?”

“Good for you. Old stagnant water like that needs a good stirring once in a while. My hometown stagnated because it couldn’t do that properly.”

If he kept listening to Palmer, he might end up wasting endless time.

Feeling an ominous premonition, Lennok immediately brought up the main topic.

“You know I use firearms, right?”

“Ah, I vaguely remember. I thought you had a strange taste, liking gunpowder weapons despite your skill.”

“…”

“Now that I think about it, I might have taken a look at your revolver once before… was that right? I don’t remember much when I’ve been drinking.”

“I came for a similar reason this time.”

Saying that, Lennok reached towards his left wrist.

Thump!!

Instantly, a revolver and a shotgun expanded in form and appeared on the table.

Palmer, who naturally reached out and handled the two firearms, his eyes turned serious.

“Hmm… these are trash.”

“…”

“The revolver barrel is cracked, and the oil’s all dried up from how constantly you’ve been spinning the cylinder. What’s with the shotgun? The muzzle’s completely rusted shut. Did you just spray wildly at a target right in front of you?”

“Precisely.”

This time, Palmer fell silent.

Lennok also subtly averted his gaze.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t cared for his firearms, but it was also true that he had put his equipment through severe abuse.

It wasn’t wrong to say that he had relied on his shooting-assist magic and somewhat neglected the durability of his equipment.

Until now, he had endured by simply pouring mana into the cracked barrel and cylinder, but he couldn’t keep doing that indefinitely.

He had relied on shooting-assist magic to avoid replacing equipment, but now, just as his magical realm had changed, his equipment also needed to be replaced.

“I’d like to know if these pieces of equipment have any more room for modification. If not, I’d like to commission new equipment.”

“Forget modifications.”

Palmer answered sharply.

“How much more do you plan to run these old junk pieces into the ground? Just let them rest now. Let them finally rest.”

“…”

Seeing Palmer, who seemed excessively empathetic towards the firearms, Lennok sighed.

“I’d like to, but… I can’t exactly spend money on new products that are no different, can I?”

“It looks like something from Gun & Barrel. There’s a truckload of firearms with better performance and efficiency than these. What nonsense are you talking about?”

“If it’s already a complete, mass-produced item, it makes little difference to me.”

“What?”

“If powerful firepower is what’s needed, I have plenty of other means.”

Saying that, Lennok stirred his mana and pressed his finger onto the table.

Shhhhhh…

The cold air flowing from between his five fingers instantly took on a distinct form and transformed into a small sculpture.

The old man, who recognized his own familiar face in the newly created sculpture, wore a blank expression.

“The important thing isn’t about filling it with firepower, but how well it can harmonize with the magic I use.”

As Lennok’s magical level increased, the difference in firepower between spells created through pure spellcraft and firepower using firearms became extreme.

Because if one were to deliberately compare firepower, there aren’t many techniques comparable to pure elemental spellcraft.

However, even without such a direct comparison, there are plenty of merits to using firearms.

In fact, considering that offensive magic is comparable to tactical weapons like artillery or missiles, they aren’t even comparable in the first place.

Significantly less mana consumption compared to pure spellcraft. An abnormally fast attack speed and a structure that allows for continuous firing.

And the relatively low difficulty of customizing them to the user’s preference.

Furthermore, by properly combining them with the shooting-assist magic Lennok uses, it’s possible to create an attack pattern that surpasses the spellcraft of most wizards.

The problem was that Lennok had never once possessed equipment commensurate with his level until now.

Essentially, the magic gunners in World 2.0, where Lennok played, went beyond using shooting magic; both their guns and bullets underwent thorough magical modifications.

Until now, due to circumstances, he had simply forced shooting-assist magic into ordinary guns and bullets, but now, he would be able to acquire proper equipment through more thorough adjustments.

“Modifying magic to shoot directly from the muzzle, or imbuing spells directly into bullets… I’ve tried both before, but never achieved significant results.”

“Of course. There wouldn’t be a wizard of your caliber who would even consider focusing on firearms, let alone other artifacts… That’s proof of how reckless it is.”

Palmer said.

“Basically, all materials that make up a firearm would need to have a certain degree of mana conductivity, and also possess resistance to continuous impact and heat. Just that alone would skyrocket the manufacturing difficulty and cost, but if you start customizing with the spells you intend to imbue into the firearm already decided…”

“It would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”

“It might even be better to simply look for firearm-shaped artifacts or relics.”

“But doesn’t it sound interesting?”

Palmer closed his mouth and silently looked up at Lennok.

Seeing Lennok smiling faintly, he tilted his head slightly and said.

“You… you’ve changed a bit. ‘Interesting,’ I never thought I’d hear such a word from you.”

“For artisans like you, it’s the strongest motivation, isn’t it?”

“…”

Now, Lennok too seemed to understand a little.

A motivation not driven solely by efficiency and reason.

He understood, not just with his mind but accepted with his heart, that such things played a rather important role in human life.

Had Palmer perhaps glimpsed that aspect in Lennok, who spoke such words without hesitation?

Scratching his beard, he grinned.

“Alright, fine. If anyone else made a request like this, I’d kick their ass… but making a firearm for a wizard of your caliber, now that I think about it, sounds pretty interesting.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But I’m only making one new thing.”

Saying that, he picked up the battered revolver.

“The shotgun has too many parts to tinker with, and too few points to modify besides just pumping up its power, so it’s not interesting. I’m accepting this request because you insist on an inefficient weapon like a revolver. Understand?”

“Agreed.”

Lennok hadn’t just idly used a revolver as a secondary weapon until now.

He believed it was optimized for imbuing each individual bullet with different magic, while also significantly offsetting the revolver’s drawbacks by using reload acceleration or rapid-fire assist magic.

Until now, he hadn’t seen much merit in that aspect, but now that he possessed alchemy, it was different.

There was still much to do, and countless ways for Lennok to grow stronger.

He had no intention of picking just one of them.

To seize the opportunity to choose itself.

That was precisely the meaning of the way of life Lennok had decided upon.

“-A few direct commissions have come in. What do you want to do?”

“What do you mean?”

After finishing his business, Lennok spent some time at a bar and then left District 49.

It wasn’t common for Jenny to call him later, realizing he had left, to ask his intentions, but it likely meant she had become even busier recently.

Even while focusing on managing her business, she was asking Lennok about freelance work; it truly seemed she had no intention of giving up her broker work.

“-I forgot to mention it earlier when you took the bounty photos, but there are a few clients looking for you.”

“Clients…”

“-It seems the rumors have really spread over the past month.”

A faint chuckle spread through her voice coming from the phone.

“-The number of miscellaneous requests has significantly decreased, but the caliber of the clients has clearly risen.”

Did that mean that as Lennok’s reputation and standing rose, only clients commensurate with that began submitting requests?

He pondered for a moment but soon shook his head.

“Please refuse all simple direct commissions. As I said before, I only want requests related to spatiotemporal artifacts or spellcraft.”

“-Are you sure? Other clients aside, Balitz Corp. even contacted us directly.”

“…”

Balitz Corp.

It had been quite a while since he heard that name.

Though he’d had little to do with them recently, weren’t they undoubtedly the largest chaebol management group in this colossal city, involved in and successful in the most businesses?

If an entity he hadn’t encountered despite handling so many requests was now contacting him, there would surely be a commensurate incident and reward prepared.

Lennok hesitated for a moment, but at that instant, he felt the street scenery subtly distorting and stopped walking.

A somewhat unnatural perception.

In addition, the surrounding sense of speed rapidly diminished, and his perception of time blurred.

Lennok knew this sensation. An uncanny scene, as if his consciousness alone was accelerating wildly, leaving his surroundings behind.

A premonition of a monster sprinting through another timeline.

Snap!

Lennok, who had forcibly twisted his neck to escape the interference, held the phone and spoke.

“Balitz Corp. certainly makes me hesitate, but… I can’t. I still have something I need to do.”

“-…What do you mean?”

“Even though it might seem like the Cartel business is over, there was someone who intervened and played a decisive role.”

“…”

“I didn’t expect to meet them again so soon, but I need to definitely hear what they’re thinking.”

Only then did Jenny, who had caught onto something in Lennok’s words, say in a trembling voice.

“-Wait, Van… who exactly are you… “

Click!!

“You’re a bit more loose-lipped than I thought.”

A voice from directly behind Lennok.

It was a dull, somewhat unenthusiastic tone with no particular distinguishing features, but Lennok had never once forgotten that timbre.

“Should you really be spilling our conversations just anywhere?”

“Our?”

Lennok turned around fully to face the opponent, letting out a small laugh.

“That’s a word that hardly suits you and me.”

An appearance whose age couldn’t be discerned. A somewhat delinquent attitude.

An ordinary countenance, so much so that despite standing nonchalantly in the middle of the street, one couldn’t possibly guess his true nature.

Who, looking at this man’s ordinary attire of a black shirt and pants, could possibly imagine the formidable reputation of Pandemonium emanating from him?

Myeong looked at Lennok and grinned.

“Last time, it wasn’t really a situation for talking.”

“…”

“Shall we move somewhere first?”