Chapter 268: Oryun (1)
“Clack-clack-clack!!”
Pulling the hammer back, six bullets were loaded in an instant. Simultaneously drawing up mana, the barrel was aimed out the shattered window.
As if waiting for that exact moment, a figure sprinted between buildings and along walls in the alleyway, then sprang forward, closing in.
“Whoosh!!”
Twisting and turning even in mid-air, it precisely targeted the truck’s back seat.
A figure in jet-black attire, only two eyes visible. A faint sneer seemed to flicker in its gaze, as if challenging, ‘Do you even think you can hit me?’
Lennok ignored the gaze and immediately pulled the trigger.
What Lennok had commissioned Palmer to craft was a revolver made from a material with powerful mana conductivity, capable of fully containing Lennok’s concentrated mana.
And if that bearded craftsman had done his job properly, it meant Lennok could now freely use the shooting-assist magic that he’d previously refrained from using due to concerns about firearm damage.
In that fleeting moment of pulling the trigger, over six different shooting-assist spells rapidly stacked and revolved around the long barrel of the revolver.
[Aim Correction: 2 Stacks] [Attribute Imbue: Radiance] [Trajectory Adjustment] [Bullet Confluence] [Ricochet Shot] [Four-Round Burst]
“Tatata-bang!!!”
Lennok’s wrist rotated fluidly, instantly unleashing four flashes in all directions.
The first shot, fired at that very moment, far surpassed the speed of sound. It pierced the forehead of the sprinting figure at the very front before it could even react.
“Kagakak!!”
At that instant, the second bullet, flying close to the ground, collided mid-air after being deflected by an impact on an incline.
It shattered into dozens of metal fragments, transforming into sub-sonic lethal projectiles in mid-air that lodged themselves all over the pursuers’ bodies.
The third and fourth bullets gently curved with the wind, burrowing into the bodies of the pursuers who had stopped in their tracks.
“Ughh!!”
“My leg…!!”
It was impressive that instead of screaming in agony, they focused on their death throes and assessing the situation, as if they had undergone considerable training.
Lennok watched the pursuers and immediately pulled the trigger once more.
“Thwack!!”
The fifth bullet, imbued with lightning mana, spun and streaked through the air.
At that moment, the other two bullets lodged in the pursuers’ bodies resonated together, vibrating and momentarily forming a vast triangle.
Within the triangular area, a fierce lightning storm raged.
[Electrofield Resonance] [Harmonics]
“Pzzt-zzzzzzzt!!!”
“Arrrgghhh!!”
The passengers in the truck cheered at the magic that took down the pursuers, who had been trying to recover from their injuries while clinging to consciousness, in one fell swoop.
“Whoaaaaa!!”
“That was incredible!!”
“Wizard! Wizard!”
The ricochet shot made even those watching gape in astonishment. And then the flurry of lightning magic that completely broke the pursuers’ momentum.
Even without understanding the principles, it wasn’t hard to see how Lennok was breaking through this situation with such exquisite skill and ability.
Only then did Tucker and the other employees’ faces light up with smiles, seemingly realizing that the person with them was indeed the renowned freelance wizard from this field.
Tucker stammered, his words spilling out quickly.
“We’ll, we’ll be safe once we reach the client. Their friends will definitely help me…!!”
“Well…”
Considering the high probability that the Eight Families were behind this attack, it was uncertain whether the client would truly protect Tucker.
But instead of dampening the excited atmosphere with such words, Lennok placed his finger back on the trigger.
“This isn’t over yet.”
“Thwack!!”
He completely reversed the direction of the barrel, firing the last remaining shot towards the sky, in front of the truck.
The bullet that shot from the revolver’s long barrel now shattered into dozens of metal fragments in mid-air, and using these metal bodies as conduits, a net of lightning materialized in the sky.
“Pzzt-zzzt!!”
Immediately after, a black figure descending from the sky leaped directly into the center of the lightning net.
If this figure was from the same group as the pursuers, it should have been instantly neutralized by Lennok’s lightning and lost its combat ability.
But the last figure was different.
Twisting its body in mid-air and brandishing the blade in its hand, sharp slashes glided around it, instantly creating faint gaps.
Swordsmanship so exquisitely precise it made even Lennok admire it.
The figure quickly squeezed through the gaps, breaking Lennok’s encirclement, and landed directly on the truck’s hood.
“Swish!” As the figure’s hand blurred, the truck’s headlights were cleanly severed, and the vehicle lost its balance.
“Screeeech!!”
With that impact, the truck pitched sharply forward, its front scraping along the alley floor before coming to a stop.
The end of a short yet intense chase.
“H-eek…!!”
As a terrified Tucker cowered, the figure, still wrapped in the net, let out a booming voice.
[Who dares to traverse these roads without the permission of the Yukryeong Family!]
“…”
[As the agent of the Yukryeong, who manages all passage and traffic within the fortress, I cannot overlook the tyranny of outsiders! Let the criminal alight from the vehicle and show their face immediately!!]
“Th-this is bad.”
Tucker said, trembling.
“We’ve never had trouble with the Yukryeong Family before, of all times for their agent to notice us…”
“Agent?”
“…Mad Manson, a freelancer infamous even outside for his eccentric personality. Oh my god, of all people…”
“…”
Lennok silently watched Tucker, who had started babbling, drenched in sweat, then leaned his head out the window.
A young man, perched on the car’s hood. On his head, mechanical parts sat proudly, rather than human ones.
The man with the robot head, who had been booming with a voice mixed with mechanical sounds, met Lennok’s gaze as Lennok leaned against the window frame.
[If you submit meekly, no harm shall come to you…]
“…”
“…”
The shouting man, multi-body adaptor Mad Manson, quietly closed his mouth.
Lennok asked.
“What are you doing here?”
“…”
“Ugh… Boss?”
“Oh, is he someone you know?”
Confused voices emerged from Manson’s subordinates, who had belatedly caught up and were dealing with the damage.
Manson subtly turned his head.
[…I’ve mistaken someone. This isn’t the place.]
“Huh?”
“But it was definitely them…”
[Quiet! Are you saying I’m wrong?!]
Threateningly, Manson discreetly dismounted from the truck’s hood and cleared his throat.
He desperately avoided Lennok’s gaze, then placed a hand on Tucker’s still-trembling shoulder.
[Well, my apologies. You may go now.]
“Th-thank you…?”
Manson, bypassing the bewildered Tucker, subtly spoke without looking at Lennok.
[And… uh… you too, Wizard, I think you’re free to go.]
“…”
“…”
“…Alright.”
Lennok sighed deeply and nodded.
He didn’t know why Manson, who had disappeared after the Cartel incident, was acting as an agent for the Eight Families here, but that was something he could ask about later.
It was certainly not a conversation to have in the middle of a place where everyone’s eyes were on them.
Tucker, still drenched in sweat, turned back to Lennok with trembling eyes.
“V-Van… What, what just happened?”
“I’m acquainted with Manson. It won’t be a big problem.”
“Oh, ohh… I see…!! Thank you so much, thank you!!”
As Lennok answered with a calm expression, Tucker, finally understanding the situation, lunged forward with his bulky body, trying to embrace Lennok with all his might.
Lennok naturally extended a shield, pushing away Tucker’s embrace, and calmly replied.
“I’d prefer to receive expressions of gratitude in kind, not through physical contact.”
“R-right. And as for the payment…”
“I’m not asking for much.”
Seeing Tucker flinch slightly, Lennok grinned.
“For now, how about we exchange contact information?”
From Lennok’s perspective, Tucker, who had established clients within Palgung Fortress and traded with local residents, was clearly a valuable hand to play.
Rather than demanding material compensation immediately, it would be wiser to observe the unfolding situation and then request the most suitable reward.
The two continued their conversation, and belatedly, the truck with its severed headlights began to pull out of the alley.
Manson quietly mumbled, watching the truck drive away.
[I’m screwed. Should I run?]
“You failed?”
“Yes. The agent of the Yukryeong let them go.”
“I thought the Yukryeong had already pledged cooperation.”
The man bowed his head at the cold voice coming from beyond the bamboo screen.
“It seems the agent and the target knew each other.”
“…Who was the agent? I haven’t paid much attention to that side, so I don’t know.”
“A freelancer named Manson. He’s quite a well-known skilled individual on the outside, they say.”
“Hmm…”
Van of District 49.
Though not one to heed outside information, it was absurd that the Voice wouldn’t know the very person who had recently stirred up the underworld with rumors.
Upon hearing that ‘Adamant Thunder,’ whom they had only known through rumors, had entered the fortress, they intended to ascertain his intentions, but things went awry from the start.
“Surely he didn’t really come just to escort a merchant named Tucker.”
“I believe the probability is low.”
“I want to praise his audacity for brazenly showing his face at this particular time… But never mind. In the end, the answer will come out once we exclude the four families who have pledged their obedience to me.”
A brilliant yellow light flashed with the Voice.
“It must be one of Paldun, Oryun, or Samyeong. Put a tail on Tucker and monitor his movements. Do not lose the wizard, Van.”
“…”
“Are you not listening to me?”
At the annoyed voice, the man hesitated before continuing.
“Well… it seems Adamant Thunder disappeared immediately after the merchant Tucker’s business was concluded.”
“…”
“We are doing our best to track him, but…”
It wasn’t hard to guess what would come next.
Only the sound of something shattering echoed in the room.
Late at night. An alleyway on a street where everyone slept.
In a precise corner, where unusually tall, overlapping walls formed a deep shadow, a small flame flickered.
“Flick!” “So, what you’re saying is…”
Lennok, lighting a cigarette and putting it in his mouth, began.
“You were on a temporary assignment because a lucrative job came up, is that it?”
[…That’s about right.]
“Even though you explicitly promised to join the company once the Cartel business was over.”
[My apologies.]
Manson, without a word, meekly pressed his head to the ground.
Lennok quietly looked down at him, then, with a thoughtful expression, asked.
“Why didn’t you recognize my presence? You seemed completely unaware until you saw my face.”
[This body hasn’t finished adjusting yet, so my senses are quite dulled, sir.]
“…”
[It’s, it’s quite a good body. It might even be useful for the boss. Heh heh.]
Lennok sighed at Manson’s disgusting chuckle.
As a multi-body adaptor who operates multiple bodies with a single consciousness, Manson possesses the strange characteristic of having his combat power and specialized abilities change depending on the body he uses.
Seeing his current muscular, well-built young man’s body, it was almost certainly a body Manson chose with combat in mind.
Lennok leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and nodded.
“Alright, explain the internal affairs of the fortress. I heard there’s a struggle for the Fortress Head position among the Eight Families. How far has it progressed?”
He had originally planned to gather information himself by walking around, but with Manson serving as the agent for the Yukryeong Family, there was no need to go to that trouble.
But Manson, looking at Lennok, tilted his head in confusion instead.
[I’m actually a bit curious. Didn’t you already know everything when you entered the fortress? I was being cautious because I thought I’d be killed by you right away.]
“What do you mean?”
[The struggle itself inside the fortress is almost over now. Four families, centered around the Ilwon Family, have pledged their obedience.]
“…”
[I thought one of the three cornered families had hired you as a mercenary… Were you really unaware of everything when you entered the fortress?]
“It’s true I intend to participate as an agent. I have something personal I need to look into.”
Saying so, Lennok pulled out a ticket from his pocket.
“The problem is which side the Oryun Family has joined.”
[Oh dear…]
As soon as Manson saw the emblem engraved on the ticket, he clicked his tongue.
[You’ve chosen a difficult path. Paldun, Oryun, and Samyeong are not on Ilwon’s side. And among them, Oryun…]
“Oryun?”
Instead of answering Lennok’s question, Manson stood up and turned his head.
[It’s right nearby. Let’s go see for ourselves.]
After walking four blocks down a wide boulevard, a palatial mansion appeared.
A house like a palace, easily over five stories tall, with a spacious courtyard.
The mansion, with “Oryun” written in large characters in the center of its gate, looked as if it had already half-lost its function as a home.
The Oryun Family’s mansion, as if hit by a bomb, had holes in its walls here and there, and its courtyard was a shambles.
Bloodstains and soot scattered everywhere clearly demonstrated that this mansion was not being properly maintained.
Manson walked into the mansion without hesitation, but Lennok stopped, sensing an eerie presence from within.
Seeing Lennok staring intently at the mansion, Manson turned his head.
[What’s wrong? You came as the Oryun Family’s agent, didn’t you? Even if it were me, you wouldn’t be chased out of here.]
“Aren’t you the agent of the Yukryeong Family right now?”
[Nah, even so, they wouldn’t just attack a guest outright…]
As he said that and was about to reach for the wooden door leading to the mansion’s main building, Manson suddenly ducked his head.
“Clang!!”
With a metallic clanging sound, like kicking a can, a metal head dropped straight to the ground.
Rolling towards the wooden door, Manson’s gaze, now at someone’s feet, met Lennok’s.
[Huh?]
“Crunch!”
Someone appeared in front of the door and, as if waiting, stomped on the head, stopping it.
“I don’t know what kind of chaff rolled in from where.”
A young woman in a pristine white martial arts uniform. Her dark indigo hair tied back in a single ponytail, exuded an air of refined composure.
Holding a long guandao, she glared sharply at Lennok.
“What business do you have with the Oryun Family?”