Chapter 243: Training (3)

“To be precise, you pursue an overly balanced give-and-take in your offense and defense.”

Silence fell.

“Of course, I’m not trying to criticize that itself. In fact, I highly commend your courage as a wizard, not hesitating to engage in close-quarters combat… But you must always be careful with the method of predetermining the outcome of a battle and fitting the process to it.”

“That’s…”

Predetermining the outcome of a battle. Lennok wanted to ask what that meant, but found himself unable to speak.

Perhaps it was because Lennok himself knew what she meant.

Evelyn nodded, as if she knew that.

“After taking a few hits these past few days, I pretty much figured it out. You always decide how you’re going to finish off your opponent in the end, don’t you?”

“……”

“To be precise, you determine the winning strategy based on your opponent’s compatibility and patterns, then meticulously design the process.”

As Lennok remained silent, she continued.

“I can’t really understand what it means to foresee a battle in such a way on a life-or-death battlefield… but it’s true that your combat style shows both tactical judgment and strategic insight simultaneously.”

Her green eyes shone with boundless clarity, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

“In other words, it means you’re willing to use your own life as a bargaining chip for victory. In moments where death is a hair’s breadth away, Van, can you be sure your judgment won’t lean towards victory over your life?”

Not equating victory with survival. Not having defeat and death on the same line.

For Lennok, who had always considered those two things together when facing combat, Evelyn was presenting a completely different perspective.

The fact that defeat in battle doesn’t necessarily lead to death, and victory might not necessarily lead to survival.

That was likely one of the conclusions Evelyn had drawn, having been through countless battlefields and fought against superhumans of a similar caliber.

Seeing Lennok’s stiff expression, Evelyn finally softened her expression slightly and patted his shoulder.

“Actually, this isn’t advice I’d give to most wizards. I’ve never seen anyone like you, born with both magical talent and a warrior’s instincts. But if you don’t recognize in advance the moment you push your capabilities to their limits, you might end up making a misjudgment in a fight against a formidable opponent beyond your current reach.”

“…Yes, I understand what you mean.”

“If the outcome can be decided by a hair’s breadth even now, when we can’t even go all out against each other, it shouldn’t be hard to imagine what would happen if we crossed this line. Shall we stop here for today?”

Saying that, Evelyn grinned, stretched languidly, then turned around.

Lennok remained silently, watching her walk towards their party, who were waiting in the distance.

He still didn’t think his method was wrong.

If he hadn’t thought and acted this way, Lennok wouldn’t be standing here intact now.

Wasn’t it Lennok’s near-obsessive perfectionism that allowed him to cross the line of death against countless formidable opponents and reach his current position?

If it weren’t for his abnormal obsession with victory and the belief that it led to his own survival, Lennok’s hierarchy would never have been completed.

But it was also true that he somewhat acknowledged and understood the perspective Evelyn offered.

Because at times when he might need to choose defeat to survive, Lennok wasn’t confident he could make the right judgment.

If he had equated victory with survival his entire life as Lennok, if he possessed a winning strategy that he had accepted and experienced with his head and body.

Against a formidable opponent surpassing his limits, which way would Lennok’s mana move?

It was not simply a problem to be thought about, which made it even more unknowable.

Since the inner world of a superhuman who had completed their hierarchy already far transcended the realm of simple will or change of heart.

To reach the end of Self-transformation meant that all human transformation was complete.

To go beyond that, there was no other way but to break the already completed framework.

Lennok instinctively knew that this was likely one of the countless crossroads that existed even among 7th-level individuals.

What Evelyn had done was merely show Lennok that choice a bit sooner and more clearly.

“This is more than enough compensation for this engagement…”

Even without her help, Lennok might have faced this dilemma someday.

However, the presence of a second mentor after Aris didn’t feel so bad to Lennok.

With a bitter smile, Lennok also moved his feet.

His companions, who had made a campfire and settled down, were waving at him.

After the training with Evelyn ended, Lennok mingled casually with the group and rummaged through his belongings.

The books he had picked up from the Cartel executive vault just before leaving for the journey.

Although he had quickly stopped by to grab them, since he had been granted access, he could always return, so there was no issue.

The important thing was the content of the books themselves. On the cover of the old tome, [Liberation Sorcery] and [Main Control Diagram] were written in an archaic script.

During the time when the Cartel was just laying its organizational foundations, Parden McQueen had compiled his techniques into books, personally storing them in the vault for the benefit of his successors.

However, since these were techniques used by mountain monks, they were too esoteric and impractical, filled with too much vague talk, and thus were abandoned, with no one easily mastering them.

Furthermore, it was natural that there were no results, as anyone skilled enough to access the executive vault would have already established their own style.

‘But for me, it’s a completely different story…’

Regardless of Parden McQueen’s exact skill, the summoning spell Arjumarta and techniques like Taeokrak he used remained strongly in Lennok’s mind.

In particular, the warding arts utilizing Jukye Domun belonged to a considerably high level even in Lennok’s estimation.

Studying these might allow him to add another path to Lennok’s magical system.

‘Warding arts, while heavily reliant on specific conditions, have many practical applications. They could help stabilize and increase the efficiency of my Domain.’

He fell into thought, leafing through the book.

‘But they use a completely different power source than mana, so it seems difficult to convert these techniques into magic…’

It wasn’t for nothing that other Cartel executives hadn’t touched his techniques.

Because the system of techniques, which used a power source called Do-ryeok, different from mana, operated on a completely different principle from the magic Lennok knew.

It was similar to how Lennok hadn’t gained any particular inspiration even after observing Grisha’s sorcery.

After all, even in the Autonomous Region, hadn’t he merely picked up bits and pieces from her techniques, learning about triggers that impose conditions to increase power, and a deeper understanding of domains?

It was logically sound to assume that what Lennok could extract from McQueen’s techniques would also be within that scope.

As he was lost in thought, he heard voices from nearby.

“So if I deploy mana like this…”

“No, that direction is just not good, no matter how I think about it. What are the chances the opponent would dodge that way?”

“Just corner them like Van did…”

“That’s exactly it – thinking anyone can do that is just…”

The agents were engaged in a heated debate in front of the campfire.

When they first began their journey, they had simply carried out their duties in silence, assisting Lennok and Evelyn without much conversation.

However, after witnessing the daily sparring matches between the two, they seemed to have gained some inspiration themselves, continuously discussing training and combat methods.

It was quite an unfamiliar sight for Lennok, but he could generally understand why it was happening.

Because it was quite common for people to gain inspiration or find breakthroughs in specific areas just by observing battles of those more skilled than themselves.

Especially since one of the agents who came along this time was said to be a manipulation-type wizard, he must have learned a lot watching Lennok’s combat style.

While resting after dinner.

Lennok gave a faint smile as he watched the agents, who, after chatting among themselves, stood up and began mock training.

Beside him, Evelyn, who was busy cutting and eating roasted onions, spoke up.

“They don’t say it, but they all respect you.”

“……”

“They really like the way you fight. They realize it’s not for nothing that a single freelancer can sit at the negotiation table with the Cartel.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. For those guys, this very moment is nothing short of a fortuitous encounter.”

With a slightly sleepy expression, she finished off even the green onions left on the grill, then lightly rinsed her mouth with beer.

“It’s hard for powerhouses of Level 7 and above to move easily within the megacity, and it’s also difficult to witness such skilled individuals fighting directly. You’ve unexpectedly given them a valuable experience.”

“Still, there must be quite a few skilled individuals directly affiliated with the city government.”

“Don’t even get me started. Do you know how intricately factionalized it is in there? They’re too busy checking each other to even make a move. They’re bound by all sorts of regulations and mandates, unable to do anything. The Agent organization, at least, has some breathing room under the pretext of managing the underworld, but in return, it has to bear many more risks compared to other departments.”

Instead of answering, Lennok shook his head.

Evelyn spoke casually about how hard it was to be an Agent, but that was because he knew she carried a significant sense of responsibility and justice.

The fact that someone of her skill, and a possessor of rare archery skills at that, still remained with the Agents, striving to maintain the city government’s public order, when people and organizations desiring her would be abundant, proved as much.

That she, possessing sufficient power and qualifications, would choose to uphold her duties herself, was proof that her true nature transcended good and evil.

Is it because she’s someone who could live without laws, that she instead strives to understand and uphold the value of order?

If that were truly the case, was Evelyn Marcia truly affiliated with the Eyes of Blue?

“……”

Lennok hadn’t requested combat training with Evelyn merely to improve his own skills and identify weaknesses.

His judgment was that he wouldn’t get many opportunities to hear her true thoughts while spending a considerable amount of time with someone of her caliber.

Adding to that, he had planned to subtly probe whether she had truly joined the Eyes of Blue, while listening to her talk about the Archer of the Emerald Gem, who Grisha had mentioned.

It turned out to be harder than he thought.

First of all, to ask directly, he would have to reveal that Van and Evan Vylon were the same person.

Otherwise, he would have to provoke her into speaking about the Blue Eye, but would someone as responsible as her let information slip so easily?

As Lennok himself had to bear a certain amount of risk, he couldn’t be sure she would keep his secret.

Ultimately, Lennok and Evelyn stood on fundamentally different ground.

If she were to hear Lennok’s confession and judge him to be a dangerous element to Vulcan, could she truly keep his secret?

Even though he felt he had interacted sufficiently with Evelyn Marcia, Lennok couldn’t be confident.

After all, what a person prioritizes remained unknown until the very last moment.

Just like the apostate monk McQueen, who yearned for the temple he had left his entire life, even while believing he didn’t.

“Hoo…”

As he was lost in thought, Lennok turned his head at a gaze staring intently at him from his side.

How many glasses of beer had she drunk by then? Evelyn’s cheeks were flushed.

Or perhaps it was just the campfire’s flames illuminating her face in red.

With her head tilted slightly, she stared up at Lennok, then mumbled blankly.

“It’d be really great if you joined the Agents…”

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“I’m not just saying that.”

“……”

As Lennok fell silent, Evelyn also subtly turned her head.

“…I just said it. The city government’s directives have been unusual lately.”

“You mean their scope of work is rapidly expanding?”

“That too, but… lately, it feels less like our work is expanding, and more like it’s simply being pushed to the outer districts.”

She said with a slightly intoxicated expression.

Lennok naturally surveyed their surroundings.

The other agents were busy with their individual training late at night, and only the two of them were around the large campfire.

Lennok was the only one around to hear her monologue.

“I don’t have much interest in factional infighting, but it means someone else is taking over the central district tasks we used to handle.”

“……”

“It could mean that other departments, which have been bound by regulations until now, might start moving… Is the city really about to change?”

“You mean the skilled individuals directly affiliated with the city government will have their freedom of movement broadened?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Evelyn quietly lowered her head.

“But not all of those directly affiliated with the city government are good guys… Plus, if regulations are loosened, skilled individuals bound to corporate giants, noble families, or clans will start moving freely, so things won’t be the same as now.”

“That’s…”

“I don’t know what those old geezers on the City Council are thinking. They still ramble annoying nonsense in hearings, but behind the scenes, they seem to be plotting cunning schemes.”

“……”

Instead of saying anything, Lennok simply decided to listen to her.

She probably wasn’t looking for a clear solution either.

She was merely casting idle complaints she had kept to herself into the campfire, out of sight of her subordinates.

Lennok being her audience was nothing more than a coincidence.

Perhaps their repeated high-level training over the past few days had built up an inner intimacy.

If he leveraged this atmosphere, he might get the answers he wanted… but Lennok decided against it for today.

In this wilderness where their true intentions remained unknown, at least the advice Evelyn gave Lennok contained sincerity and concern.

Lennok, at least, wanted to be sincere with Evelyn to that extent.

The day grew dark.

Unreachable efforts and sincerities echoed, fading into the warm night sky.

The climate grew increasingly hotter the further they moved from Vulcan.

It was a sign that the volcanic region was drawing near.