Chapter 306: Mock Drill (1)

Time certainly flies.

Lennok thought as he looked down at the five pencils newly tucked inside his coat.

Enakphil’s five fingers.

As a single-use teleportation-type artifact, while it takes time to activate and has distance limitations, it doesn’t discriminate based on the user’s skill level, making it suitable for emergency evacuations of VIPs.

However, due to its popularity, it’s known as an artifact with high scarcity relative to its price, to the point where even Councilman Meyer didn’t possess one. He certainly hadn’t expected Pallard O’Con to offer this item as compensation for this drill.

It seemed highly likely to be a bribe for Lennok, not just to assist with this drill but also to ensure overall cooperation throughout the operation… but it didn’t really matter.

Still, there was nothing he could do about the subtle change in Lennok’s expression as he fiddled with the five pencils.

This very situation was proof that the environment surrounding Lennok was changing dramatically.

An item he could only obtain after annihilating a gang with the help of Dyke Corp., was now coming into his hands simply by assisting the Agents’ drill.

He held the same artifact, but the phrase ‘a world apart’ truly fit the situation.

Hiss! He had been sitting between lampposts, exhaling cigarette smoke, but he cut off his thoughts and slowly stood up.

He had waited a bit because the field operatives needed time to prepare, but it seemed the time had finally come.

As he slowly walked forward, crossing the crosswalk, Lennok quietly admired the scene.

‘The urban area recreation is quite impressive. Even if they used a spell, to create a stage of this magnitude in such a short time…’

The mock drill ground created beneath the Agents’ headquarters. The level of recreation was hard to believe, as if they had directly built the training street inside that hollow space.

Buildings with faintly peeling paint, slightly tilted and flickering traffic lights. Even the warm wind blowing from somewhere and the marks of scorched asphalt.

If not for the faint lighting from the hollow ceiling, it wouldn’t have been strange at all to think he’d been thrown into the middle of an actual street.

Lennok thought so and immediately stepped forward.

At the same time, a mechanical announcement echoed through the middle of the urban area.

[Response Target Tier 7. Danger Level 91. Drill Level Alpha.]

[Stage configuration complete. Coordinates set and numbers assigned. Mock drill begins now.]

[All personnel, please brace for impact.]

Ostensibly, it was to avoid deploying all Agents in this operation, but since video records needed to be kept, a certain degree of pretense was necessary.

Lennok, too, had received excessive compensation for his work, so he intended to give his best in assisting the drill.

“The Defense Force’s intelligence unit was quite well-organized, wasn’t it?”

Lennok whispered into the chill street and slowly began to advance.

“Let’s see how well-trained the Agents’ operatives are.”

The answer came from not far away.

Whoosh—!

A subtle tearing sound as something sped through the air. A chilling premonition flashed instantly between the narrow buildings, swiftly stabbing towards Lennok’s vital points.

Zing—!

A jet-black streak of light burst into his immediate vicinity in an instant. Lennok, who stopped it in mid-air with mana threads, chuckled.

“It seems they’ve certainly been influenced by Evelyn.”

The form of a single, sharp arrow, painted jet black.

In this city where superhumans run rampant, bows are relatively inefficient weapons.

Unlike firearms that unleash a significant amount of impact with no cost, and close-combat equipment that can directly strike superhuman bodies at risk, bows require considerable skill and are difficult to yield results on a rapidly changing battlefield.

If one can hone precise skills and senses to leverage their advantages exactly when needed, they could excel in various capacities, regardless of medium or long range. However, environments that provide the necessary training and time investment for such mastery are rare.

Especially not without an organization that can provide the guidance and training of the most skilled archers Lennok knew.

As if his monologue were a signal, dozens of arrows shot from all directions began to streak towards Lennok in quick succession.

Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!!

This wasn’t basic archery, simply shooting into the sky and waiting for the target to be hit.

They imbued them with abundant mana, adding spin, and flattened the trajectories to make them difficult to counter. Furthermore, as they flew towards Lennok, they twisted their movements to create confusion, attempting to blind him.

An impossible feat without accurately gauging the distance to the target and executing precise power control accordingly. Though he didn’t know how many archers were positioned here, it was clear that Evelyn had trained each of them to a considerable level.

But Lennok’s expression remained unchanged as he drew his finger across the air.

“Long-range suppression alone isn’t enough.”

Crackle—!

At that moment, the mana Lennok threw upward rapidly froze in mid-air, coating the surroundings with massive ice pillars and blocking all incoming arrows.

Crrk-crrrk! The arrows, imbued with immense spin, simultaneously dug into the thick ice walls, trying to tear at Lennok, but they were all stopped by the shield waiting inside, losing their momentum.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

Immediately after, dozens of arrowheads embedded in the pillars simultaneously exploded, sending up mushroom clouds that enveloped the street.

“Combining with magic engineering isn’t bad. Were they aiming for this from the start?”

Whoosh!

As Lennok emerged from the acrid smoke, dozens of laser pointers flashed across his coat.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!

Firepower weapons that had appeared from various parts of the street simultaneously spat fire.

Assault rifles. Furthermore, they were firepower-focused firearms custom-made for Agents to combat underground superhumans. The sheer pressure unleashed by dozens of such weapons firing simultaneously heavily pressed down on the urban street, then burst forth.

Thud-thud-thud!

A ferocious momentum, as if to crush him with sheer firepower. But no one hesitated in their actions.

Their opponent was a monster who had survived alone in the megacity’s demon realm to reach his current position. Though his appearance might suggest he’d be awkward at even throwing a punch, everyone was aware of the extent of the martial power etched within him.

He was the external consultant whom the Divine Bow Evelyn Marcia, regarded as an absolute ace and an object of envy within the Agents, treated with the most ease. The fact that his high-firepower, unique to wizards, as well as his combat ability against vanguards, had been acknowledged, was well-known through the accounts of the operatives who had accompanied him to the Volcanic Zone.

If they were to hold back even a little, the mock drill might end in an instant.

All Agents participating in this drill had made the same judgment and began the operation.

Moreover, their opponent wasn’t Evelyn, with whom they had long trained and become familiar, but a former outlaw who had been active in Vulcan’s underground for a long time. If they could ascertain here how effective the operatives’ use of force would be against such a person.

[Vanguard advance.]

Along with the voice echoing through the shared communication network among the operatives, field operatives began to sprint from various parts of the street, breaking through the suppressive fire pouring from behind them.

Dozens of operatives specialized in close combat, wielding sharp blades, short spears, and shotguns indiscriminately, instantly ran between the building exteriors, taking positions from all sides and surrounding Lennok.

Centered around Lennok, who stood in the middle of the wide street intersection, dozens of sharp mana ripples rotated and swirled.

Whoooosh…!!

The sharp air intensified endlessly. Lennok calmly surveyed the faces of the Agent vanguard operatives who had surrounded him.

Through the visors covering their heads, the operatives’ communications rapidly interchanged.

[He hasn’t moved five steps from his spot since the drill began.]

[He must be quite confident. He truly lives up to the name Adamant Thunder.]

[I heard he’s the type who dislikes moving in the first place.]

[Lazy, or eccentric? Not uncommon for skilled wizards.]

Clack!

[I’m going first.]

[Are you confident?]

[Hmm.]

The operative who declared the first strike muttered, loosely gripping the sword attached to his waist.

[I’m curious what it means for that wizard to be acknowledged by our team leader.]

Whoosh!

Before he finished speaking, the figure of the man who had vanished between the building exteriors appeared above a lamppost. A flash, descending diagonally along the lamppost’s thick iron pillar, instantly plunged to the ground, rushing towards Lennok. Immediately afterward, the lamppost shattered into dozens of iron fragments, and a swift sword, thrusting with invisible speed, pierced through the shattered ice pillar and shield.

Crunch!

Amidst the relentless suppressive fire and the occasional sharp arrows, the sound of impact clearly reverberated. However, it wasn’t Lennok who was sent flying, scattering blood, but the operative whose initial attack wasn’t even visible.

“G-guh…!!”

A horrified expression visible through the half-shattered visor. Thick nosebleed streamed down the face of the man who stumbled and fell. His life didn’t seem to be in danger, but the blade he had firmly gripped was shattered like glass and gone.

Lennok looked down at the man’s face and asked.

“Were you planning to reduce your speed at the end and play a mind game?”

“H-how did you…?”

“If you wanted to set up a binary choice, you should have narrowed down the options from the start. Trying a trick just before swinging your sword is a losing move.”

Lennok’s eyes blinked calmly at the man.

“To an opponent who can see through it, it’s too obvious.”

Shwiiing—!

Simultaneously with his words, mana threads wrapped around the man’s body and hung him upside down from the tip of a traffic light.

“Aargh!!”

“Since I received good compensation from Pallard, I should at least uphold the pretense of a drill.”

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

Intense electric light flashed from Lennok’s fingertips, and from within it, a dozen wolf-like figures burst out, beginning to sprint through the street.

Whirrr—!

As a dozen electric wolves raced back and forth across the wide urban area, the electricity emanating from their bodies resonated, creating a massive net of lightning. This enormous lightning net swayed like a wave, frantically sweeping through the mock urban area created for the drill.

Thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum!!!

This was the lightning magic he had created previously when dealing with contaminants in the undeveloped zone. Back then, his understanding of spirits and lightning magic was rudimentary, but now it was different. The massive lightning net, stirred by the electric wolves almost the size of humans dashing about, continued to race through various parts of the street even after leaving Lennok’s hands, tirelessly flushing out other hidden operatives.

Centered around the intersection where Lennok stood, the spreading lightning net rotated, drawing a vast, sapphire hemisphere. In its wake, the dark underground mock drill ground flashed incessantly, hammering intense light into the eyes of all who watched.

KABOOM—!!!

A blinding intensity that was hard to believe could be unleashed by a single human.

[Damn it!! All marksmen, evacuate!]

[One hit and you’re out of action…!! Evade on your own!]

The firearms marksmen positioned relatively close to Lennok at the intersection, and the archers stationed on the opposite side of the mock drill ground, were no exception. Rather, following the wolf-like figures that roamed through various parts of the street like living beings instead of staying in one spot, the lightning net covering the urban area swayed, beginning to indiscriminately sweep through everything.

Without destroying the urban model created in the mock drill ground, yet with exquisite power control sufficient to pinpoint the locations of the operatives hiding within it. This level of precise power adjustment would have been impossible if he hadn’t intended this from the start when casting the magic.

The operatives, realizing his intent, rapidly sent communications through their network and began to move.

[Adamant Thunder is an excellent designated marksman, as skilled in that as in magic! Everyone, be careful!]

[Is he planning to counter-intercept as soon as he grasps the position of our rear-line forces!]

[To think he’s this proficient in mid and long-range engagement…!!]

Pew!

Archers, who had quickly dashed between the city buildings, exchanged glances and reached for their quivers.

[Take aggressive positions and narrow the projection range.]

[If we form an encirclement centered on the intersection, we can overwhelm him with the sheer volume of our offensive.]

[Even an Archmage doesn’t have infinite mana. If we can buy time until he shows his limits…!]

Strictly speaking, this drill was solely to prevent all Agent forces from falling under the City Council’s control and surveillance.

However, despite clearly understanding that fact, the operatives were giving their all to face Lennok.

It wasn’t for a passionate reason like their competitive spirit burning as superhumans who wield mana.

It was simply because each offensive Lennok launched in all directions was so intense and dynamic that it was hard for them to gauge and react to.

With just a single spell, he resonated all the electricity in the area, sweeping through the street, and forced all the hidden marksmen and archers to come out.

[Charge!!]

Clang!!

After their initial attack was blocked, the other operatives also didn’t hesitate.

Each held their equipment, sharply roaming the vicinity, waiting for their own angles of approach. To buy them time, the rear-line marksmen also desperately provided suppressing fire.

But Lennok merely chuckled at the sight of those marksmen.

“Something similar happened recently. It won’t make much difference.”

The Ibon Family of Palgung Fortress. Lennok was the one who had reversed and swept away the barrage of pure killing intent poured out by their warriors.

He could respond to barrages of concentrated gunfire by merely manipulating the lightning-enhanced shields and fragments of shattered ice pillars. And the arrows flying through them were either caught with mana threads or deflected by twisting their trajectories.

Amidst the front and rear bombardment pouring from all sides, Lennok drew up his mana.

Simultaneously, he began to directly strike down the Agent vanguard operatives who charged him, each with their own unique rhythm.

“Your lower half is open. If you intended to expose a weakness and aim for a counterattack, it’s a poor choice.”

Crunch!

“C-cough!!”

“Your mana flow is heavy. It seems you’ve put in too much power.”

Slam!!!

“Ugh!!”

“A bit too hasty. Quite emotional, aren’t you? Not much field experience, perhaps?”

Snap!

“Aaaargh!!”

[This can’t be…. ]

That single word, muttered inadvertently by an archer who had been continuously drawing his bowstring. That one word represented the feelings of all the Agents gathered there.

Dozens of vanguard operatives who clashed with Lennok, without a single exception, couldn’t withstand two exchanges and were thrown back. The sight of them, having lost all their energy and bound by mana threads, strung up in a line on the traffic lights, became a strange pressure crushing those who remained.

“Is it over?”

Lennok, who had hung dozens of operatives upside down on the traffic lights, exhaled a long plume of smoke and spoke.

“Then it’s my turn.”

Click!

At that moment, a sniper rifle slid out from between his coat sleeves. The HUD that appeared above the rifle’s barrel glowed bright blue.

[Firing Assist Algorithm ver2.0 Activated]

[Center coordinates set. Firing path optimized. 3D recognition configured.]

[Spatial Transposition Synchronization 17%. Leap Shot ready.]