Chapter 687: The Witch and the Magic Tower (1)
“I told you it was an accident, didn’t I?”
“An accident?”
Lansia shook her head, as if dumbfounded.
“How can someone accidentally blow up a studio building?”
“……”
After Lennok had blown up the studio building while practicing the Nine-Fold Dorye self-defense technique, Eight Reversals.
Even after the commotion had died down, the two were still trying to replicate the strange phenomenon.
“It’s a good thing we had disaster insurance; otherwise, we’d all have been arrested together.”
If it weren’t for the one-time restoration magic built into the studio building, the debris would have spilled out completely.
Lennok coughed lightly, subtly averting his gaze.
“I’ll pay for the insurance processing separately later. Or perhaps re-apply the restoration magic-”
“No, I don’t need money, let’s definitely recreate that again.”
Lansia’s eyes were already sparkling with an unexpected and rare interest.
“Just what part of Nine-Fold Dorye drew out your potential? Aren’t you incredibly curious?”
“Well…”
Lennok was also surprised, but it wasn’t as if he had no idea about the facts.
He could infer the cause by checking Touin, the Mind Imprint technique he learned from Purity, the residual black magic power after using Myeong’s black magic, or any artifacts or relics not under his control.
However, it was a fact Lennok would have to investigate by himself in his lab, not something to ponder with Lansia.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in Nine-Fold Dorye’s martial arts, but he simply thought it would be meaningless this way.
“Hmm…”
Lansia, observing Lennok’s creaking movements with a pensive expression, mumbled.
“Surprisingly, the accuracy of each movement is quite high. Considering your flexibility, that’s considerable willpower.”
“……”
“However, in contrast, the coordination between your various body parts is a mess. Even if it looks accurate at first glance, it lacks rhythm.”
“I don’t understand why rhythm is necessary for moving the body.”
“Because the human body isn’t a machine; it’s distinctly a living organism.”
Saying that, Lansia lightly adopted a stance.
Even though she moved seemingly casually, a stability on a different level than any stance Lennok had taken so far could be felt.
The moment Lansia exhaled lightly, her waist rotated as if bouncing, and she extended her arm.
Like a gentle wave surging, an intangible vibration rippled from her danjun, spreading through her fingers.
A distinct Palm Wind transformed into a gentle breeze, flowing along her forearm.
Slam!!
The wind was strong enough to flip several mats laid on the studio floor.
This much recoil, achieved without using any magic, simply by aligning the internal flow.
Lansia straightened her posture as if it were nothing, and said,
“Biological rhythm, breathing, and the flow of magic are closer to the realm of sensation. You train by designating specific movements to stabilize your mind and body, aiming for balanced results.”
“……”
“Coordination is also a part of that. To entrust your body to a grand flow, each of your bodily tissues must move organically in sync.”
It wasn’t wrong. He knew it wasn’t wrong, but…
“……Like this?”
“Using informal language like that, customer?”
“……”
Lennok’s movements, as he sweated profusely and held his stance, were merely awkward compared to Lansia’s.
“The direction of your limb movements and the timing of your weight shifts are accurate, but… they surprisingly don’t match up.”
Lansia tilted her head.
“Given that there’s almost no error, it’s clearly not that you don’t understand, or that you’re deliberately getting it wrong…”
Lansia, pondering, asked with a slightly surprised expression, as if realizing something.
“Are you perhaps calculating each and every movement individually as you move your body?”
“……”
The timing and direction of his limb movements were precisely accurate, as if measured with a ruler, yet their speed and endpoint didn’t align—a contradiction.
Because of this, his body didn’t move organically, and despite accurately executing the movements, it wasn’t natural.
Through this, Lansia realized that Lennok wasn’t entrusting his body to a grand flow, but rather performing each movement separately and in isolation.
“Wow…”
A rare expression of admiration appeared on Lansia’s usually composed face.
“I knew you were someone who spent money strangely, but I’ve never seen anyone with such a peculiar talent.”
“I am a bit unusual.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, though.”
“……”
She was a finicky person.
But even as Lennok thought so inwardly, he relaxed his stance and lightly exhaled.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Pardon?”
“Because I’ve figured out the root of the problem, and I’ve also learned that it can’t be easily fixed.”
“……”
The way she instantly identified the precise root cause from the apparent problem.
The conclusion she reached was a sharp intuition, touching upon Lennok’s very essence to some extent.
She wouldn’t have been an ordinary instructor. She, too, must have been an outstanding martial artist and warrior, more than she appeared.
But whether that could solve Lennok’s problem was an entirely different matter.
If coordination itself was the problem, making it difficult to learn more martial arts, then from Lennok’s perspective, there was no need to invest much time.
It would be better to further refine Touin, the Mind Imprint technique gifted by Purity, and train to use it perfectly.
But just as Lennok said that, wiping his sweat with a towel and turning to leave.
Lansia firmly grasped his shoulder.
“Instructor?”
“What are you talking about? We haven’t even started yet.”
Lansia naturally turned Lennok back towards the studio and said.
“I personally don’t want to give up the chance to teach such an interesting… no, a special student.”
“……”
It felt like he’d just heard a thought that wasn’t meant to be heard.
Lennok sighed, but first checked the remaining time and turned back.
He had an appointment at Jenny’s bar in the evening. It wouldn’t be bad to fill the scheduled lesson time until then.
“Alright. Do you have any solutions in mind?”
“It’s simple.”
Lansia grinned.
“If you keep calculating your movements with your head, which lowers your coordination, then wouldn’t the solution be to make you unable to calculate?”
“……Excuse me?”
At that moment, Lennok felt Lansia’s hand tighten on his shoulder.
“First, let’s work your body hard enough until you can’t think, and then try again.”
Sector 49. Jenny’s Bar.
The usual bustling bar tables.
A room behind the counter, subtly hidden from the view of the bar’s customers.
Lennok sat there, sleeves rolled up, carefully applying a poultice.
It was an item made by Korsil Pharmaceutical Company, embedded with a vitality-bestowing spell formula, particularly effective against muscle pain and arthritis.
Now that the pharmaceutical company had gone bankrupt and disappeared, it was a rarity even in the underground, costing a fortune.
Lennok’s expression, as he concentrated intensely on applying the poultice, was like that of an artist meticulously carving a delicate sculpture.
Analyzing the precise areas where muscle pain was felt, and calculating how to maximize pain relief with a limited quantity.
Thwack!!
A sigh escaped Lennok’s lips as he adjusted the poultice millimeter by millimeter with magic thread and applied it all the way to his wrist.
“Hoo…”
“What on earth did you do to come back covered in bandages?”
Jenny, turned sideways on a stool at the counter, asked without looking at Lennok.
“It’s been a very long time since you’ve come rolling back like this.”
“…A lot happened.”
Ultimately, Lennok joined Lansia in physical training designed to prevent him from thinking, continuing until the lesson time ended.
He’d gone along with her suggestion, trusting that it could cultivate internal coordination, but perhaps he’d paid a harsh price for it.
Already, a dull muscle ache was gradually creeping over his entire body.
If he didn’t take a painkiller and go to sleep tonight, he might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
He’d have to take comfort in the fact that, at least, it wasn’t entirely ineffective, just as Lansia had said.
Lennok, massaging his finger joints and confirming the pain had lessened, finally turned his gaze towards Jenny.
“More importantly, you should concentrate a bit more.”
Jenny, even while talking with Lennok, had her hands clasped together and was furrowing her brow, seemingly trying to concentrate on something.
“It shouldn’t be easy enough to succeed while having a conversation, should it?”
“……Like this?”
“You don’t need to answer.”
“……”
Jenny stood with her lips tightly shut, eyes closed, and hands trembling.
A bright blue circle of magic power hovered between her thumb and forefinger, slowly rotating.
Kiiiiiing…!!
Lennok’s Ouroboros, a perpetual motion machine constructed with a tangible magical system.
Lennok was, through Jenny, restarting a lesson he had attempted and abandoned long ago.
Of course, it was impossible for Jenny, who wasn’t a proper wizard, to perfectly master the Ouroboros magic system.
In the first place, without transcendent intuition like Lennok’s, it was impossible to handle a magic system, no matter how brilliant a genius one might be.
But despite that, the reason Lennok was taking the time to teach Jenny this technique was simple.
If she could use it properly just once, it could become a shield that would save her life in a desperate moment.
Sizzle…!!
“Puh-haa…!!”
The moment the ring of light swirling at her fingertips vanished, Jenny’s eyes flew open, and she gasped for breath.
“T-this feels much harder than I thought. Is this really the right training method?”
“Not answering doesn’t mean you shouldn’t breathe, does it?”
Lennok replied with a laugh.
“It seems you’ll need to build up your physical stamina before your concentration.”
“……”
Jenny glared at Lennok, then scoffed and crossed her arms.
“Well, fine. Anyway, I’ve roughly got the hang of it. Even I can manage it on my own after practicing a few times.”
“Right. That’s what practice is for…”
Lennok said, turning his gaze to the side.
“But Jordan seems to hardly need any practice, no matter what he does.”
Next to Jenny, who was practicing magic between the counter and the room, Jordan carefully raised a scalpel.
Before him lay a gigantic tuna, as large as an adult man.
“……”
The moment Jordan, eyes closed, held the scalpel and lightly brought the blade to the tuna’s belly.
Riiip!!
The tuna’s belly meat neatly separated along the grain, instantly lining up on the cutting board.
Other customers watching the spectacle whistled loudly and applauded.
“Ooooh!!”
“That’s the best tuna carving show I’ve ever seen!!”
“Old man, when did you learn such a trick?!”
Jordan calmly wiped the scalpel and said,
“It’s 100,000 cells per piece. Everyone, form a line.”
“That’s expensive!!”
“Isn’t that a rip-off?!”
“Think of it as the price for watching the dismantling show.”
A jaw-dropping price, even considering the markup for goods sold in the underground.
Customers grumbled with voices tinged with shock but dutifully lined up to buy the tuna belly.
People who reluctantly put a piece of the fatty tuna belly into their mouths with skeptical expressions, grudgingly nodded.
“…It’s worth the price.”
“Yeah. Sometimes, an appetizer like this is worth trying.”
Lennok, watching the scene from beside them, said incredulously,
“Doesn’t it seem like the bar’s concept has suddenly changed a bit?”
“At the last party, I saw a new possibility for this business.”
Jenny nodded with a confident expression.
“Cheap labor, absurd profit margins, a market outside the law, and immature specialists… The future is in the sea. We’ll become the rulers of Vulcan’s fisheries!!”
“……”
Someone who fell under that “cheap labor” category probably was still suffering on a tuna fishing boat, but Lennok nodded without thinking too deeply.
Jenny, unfazed by Lennok’s reaction, laughed greedily.
“Once we fully control the underground distribution network, we’ll officially create a maritime distribution network and supply fish… All preparations are complete. It’ll be perfect if we just lobby the Central Council in advance through Agents.”
“Just listening to that, it’s full of words that sound shady.”
“We’re getting reactions from VIPs too. Once we capture the interest of the wealthy, securing a premium is no trouble at all. We’ll completely rebrand-”
Leaving Jenny, who had started excitedly rambling to herself whether he listened or not, Lennok fell into thought.
‘A premium, huh…’
He had contacted Hylaea through a private line, but no reply had arrived yet.
In the meantime, he would need to organize the gains he’d acquired from the Machine City and the Senate.
He had received approval for establishing a Magic Tower, but he still needed to find out what conditions and assets it actually required.
‘I’ll also have to restart the work of tracking Kaiser’s traces…’
Although acquiring the Ascension Gate information brought it to a temporary close, he still hadn’t found Kaiser’s tomb.
He hadn’t yet pinpointed which of Outer Tribulation City or Military Spirit City it was.
For Lennok, having witnessed Armand’s clone ability, it was true that he wanted to further refine his avatar manifestation ability in Military Spirit City.
However, at a point where he hadn’t even properly finished his research on Hermes Orokhnier’s mass magic formula, which he had just acquired, he couldn’t afford to take on more work.
Furthermore, there were a few more tasks to do according to the message left by Myeong.
Since Lennok was somewhat aware of Pandemonium’s objective, he wanted to collect information about the Central Front in advance.
But all the information Lennok had seen and heard about the Central Front so far had only been acquired with the help of the Eyes of Blue.
‘It would be good if there was someone who knew more about the Central Front…’
“Van?”
“…Hold on.”
Lennok’s expression, which had been smiling while listening to Jenny’s ambitious plans, slightly stiffened.
The moment Lennok set down his drink, his gaze shifted towards the closed bar door.
Creak!!
The door opened, and the sound of someone walking in from beyond was heard.
Click, clack.
Unlike her weary-from-a-long-journey movements, her footsteps were sharp.
In contrast to her dust-laden coat and somewhat languid demeanor, her red hair shone brightly.
Her seemingly expressionless face gave a subtly chilling impression at first glance.
Even without trying to show it, a dense killing intent naturally emanated from her.
It was close to the sense of déjà vu occasionally felt from soldiers who had served for a very long time on the battlefield.
“……”
Even as she found an empty spot and settled down, the bar remained boisterous, but Lennok could feel it.
All the freelancers and mercenaries in the room, pretending to be unconcerned, drinking their drinks and babbling on, were quietly watching her.
Jenny, too, seemed to notice, quietly tilting her head and whispering.
“Van, that woman…”
“Yes.”
The hot magic power itself flowed from her entire body as if ablaze.
The aura of a Completer, who had surpassed Level 7 and honed herself through countless battlefields.
Lennok had known the owner of that presence the moment she entered the bar.
One of the Five Flame Pillars of Blaiver Magic Tower, and a veteran who had fought and survived for a long time on the Central Front.
A highly skilled Pyrokinesis Saint Wizard, and a Firepower Wizard specializing in Artillery Formulas on the battlefield.
The Witch of Conflagration. Tatiana Chiglet had come to Jenny’s bar.
“I’ll go talk to her myself.”
The moment Lennok nodded and was about to stand up.
[Master.]
Davi quietly signaled Lennok from within his clothes. It meant Hylaea’s reply had arrived.
Lennok pondered for a moment, then quietly pulled out his phone from his pocket right there.
A private line, with the phone’s communication network itself encrypted with Davi’s help. Hylaea only knew this line belonged to Victor.
[I heard. But not right now. They haven’t finished preparations on their end yet.]
The reply was surprisingly not long.
[Instead, I have something I’d like to entrust to you in the meantime. Care to hear it? Something interesting just came up from the Central Front.]
The moment Lennok scrolled past the message, his fingers paused for a moment.
[The Witch of Conflagration has fled with the Phoenix Hall of the former Magic Tower Lord. We’ve received intelligence that she was sighted near Vulcan recently.]
“……”
[Currently, the Warmages and mercenaries from the Central Front are tracking her. Kill or capture. If you’re interested, contact me.]
The moment Lennok read that line and raised his gaze across the bar.
Almost simultaneously, other mercenaries who had stood up were seen approaching Tatiana.