Chapter 31

Lennok was seen walking outside in a slightly agitated state, and people approached him hesitantly yet persistently. At this point, nobody could ignore Lennok, and the area was filled with individuals forcing themselves to move while concealing their faint fear, which lingered at the corners of their hearts.

"What's going on?"

"Um... What should we do?"

It was no surprise that they had no plans or strategies; these individuals were merely lured in by the tempting rewards offered by Amnac and came running with weapons just enough to protect themselves, lacking any knowledge or preparation.

Given their lack of strength, it was only natural for them to cling to Lennok, who appeared to be the strongest among them.

'Now I understand why Jenny said that.'

Lennok wondered if they had left him to guard the crucial item known as the New Covenant sample without any explanation.

Their internal affairs were desperately lacking, and their handling of the situation was equally shoddy, which Jenny had deduced with the mere stake offered to Lennok.

Working with a client like this more than once was essentially a loss, and Lennok couldn't help but sigh in frustration as he responded.

"How many people do we have?"

"Um, including the guy who just came to his senses, about fifteen."

"Block the entrance to the warehouse and patrol the area. We'll have to hold out longer than expected. Divide the people into three shifts, keep an eye on the outside of the warehouse, and report any abnormalities immediately."

"Understood. And you, Sir. Wizard...?"

"I have other things to do."

Upon Lennok's statement, the people obediently agreed and backed off, dividing themselves into groups to guard the entrance, patrol, and take breaks as they watched from behind.

At the very least, they didn't appear to lack tact, given their experience in this field.

Lennok passed them and made his way toward the outer area of the warehouse - a desolate industrial zone hidden by the traces of a worn-out construction site, stained with time.

The walls surrounding the warehouse were covered in low-quality graffiti, including spray paint, and occasional piles of trash were visible. It was no surprise that the sample had remained hidden in such a place until now.

Lennok conducted a thorough check of the warehouse, circling around it and keeping an eye out for any unusual activity.

While the walls themselves were quite high, making it difficult to jump over, he noticed several cracks and holes caused by the age of the facility.

Sitting down in front of the deteriorating wall, Lennok placed his hand on the ground and drew up his mana.

Whoosh!

'The principle is the same.'

Lennok decided to incorporate the ignition magic he had previously used to blow up a factory by reversing the magic formula.

Using this know-how, he developed a landmine magic called [Claymore] that would explode under specific conditions.

While hunters generally prefer to use trap-type common magic, which is not very powerful in terms of area but has considerable firepower, Lennok only knew one spell in the trap category.

While it may not have been the best magic for his current situation against a gang organization, he was confident that he could modify it entirely since he knew the spell.

'Change the conditions.'

Lennok projected mana onto the floor, erasing the original intention of [Claymore] and writing a new one. Instead of using proximity as a condition, he changed it to trigger when pressure was applied, reducing the single target firepower while widening the area to maximize damage across as many places as possible. Lennok relied solely on his intuition and talent, leaving theory, knowledge, and experience far behind as he worked. He then went around the warehouse area, installing and modifying Claymore magic in relatively poorly defended zones. In a way, he was 'granting' magic to places like the ground or walls.

However, Lennok knew that if such granting magic could be used not only in places but also on objects carried around, it would be incredibly efficient and powerful. If he could mass-produce magical tools beyond simply granting magic temporarily, it wouldn't be a dream to sit on a pile of money in the blink of an eye. Despite this, Lennok was aware of the difficulties of granting magic to objects. It wasn't just about granting magic to a constantly changing surface area; even granting magic to an object briefly when its position changes every time it moves was an incredibly challenging task.

To solve this, either a powerful intention close to madness and particle-level precision design ability were needed, or real-time calculation of changing position information at every moment to grant new magic. So far, no answer had been found.

"Sir. Wizard..."

".....What?"

By the time the work was almost finished, the sun had set.

As he straightened his back and took another puff of his cigarette, someone was waiting for him, shivering in fear.

It was the pyrokinetic who had picked a fight with Lennok earlier and ended up rolling on the floor engulfed in flames.

His clothes were almost gone, reduced to ashes and dust, but his body was surprisingly unharmed.

His innate fire resistance couldn't completely block the pain, but it seemed to offer strong resistance to the damage.

Seeing Lennok brought back memories of the incident, and he bowed his head slowly while sweating profusely.

"I'm really sorry about before. I lost my mind for a moment and..."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Then, what should I do to be forgiven?"

"Forgiveness?"

Lennok couldn't comprehend why he would need to forgive the man.

While it was frustrating that the man had misunderstood and attacked him first, Lennok knew that he wouldn't make the same mistake again after experiencing some pain.

He didn't have high expectations and simply hoped to buy some time against the gang. However, the man completely misunderstood Lennok's words and began begging on his knees.

"I'm sorry. I won't speak carelessly to wizards ever again. Please, if you spare my life..."

"......."

It was at that moment that Lennok realized the man's true concerns and why he had come to see him. The man was afraid that Lennok would kill him once the ordeal was over. Looking at it from his perspective, it wasn't entirely an incorrect assumption. In a society that operates on a strict power dynamic, underestimating someone's capabilities can lead to life-threatening situations. The man had openly insulted Lennok and several other wizards, so he must have thought it was only natural to pay the price.

However, Lennok wasn't interested in seeking revenge or violence. There was no benefit to crushing the man's head and beating him to death on the spot. Instead, Lennok would use his skills and prideful flames against the gang that would come in the future. There was no need to tell the man this directly, nor was there any reason to be kind about it.

Lennok approached him as he knelt with his head bowed and said,

"You came quite quickly, didn't you?"

"......."

"Yet you still have some pride left. You didn't want to show this side of yourself in front of others? It's quite pathetic."

"I'm sorry...!! I'm sorry!!"

As Lennok gently pressed on the man's shoulder, he could clearly feel him shaking.

He must be recalling memories of the previous incident.

Lennok whispered into his ear, "I'll give you a chance."

"A, a chance...?"

"Maybe tonight. We'll have guests coming here."

If things went as Lennok thought, the gang would show movement either by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.

Considering the pharmaceutical company's explanation that information was leaking, the information about the patent application would have reached the councilman's ears as well.

They would want to prevent the potentially lucrative patent from becoming the pharmaceutical company's property.

"What you have to do is simple. Just set fire to the guests' shoulders."

With a smirk, Lennok bit into his cigarette.

"Just like you were trying to do to me earlier. Do you understand?"

"I understand!!"

After sending the man away, who was apologizing profusely with a pale face, Lennok leaned against a wall and finished the rest of his cigarette.

"I should visit the orchard again soon..."

He had bought thirty cashburn cigarettes from Plumbur's Orchard.

He had tried hard to conserve them, but with a big request like this, consumption was inevitably fast.

When he checked, he only had four cigarettes left.

He should have stocked up earlier, but the price was so high that he kept putting it off, which was the problem.

Would it affect the battle?

Lennok pondered for a moment, but it was true that it was hard to guess without directly confronting and assessing the opponent's level.

'Based on the duration of the drug's effect, I should be able to hold out for a full day, but...'

If the gang divides their forces and attacks in a staggered manner, then Lennok could be in a bit of trouble.

Though the chances of it being an unnecessary worry were high, Lennok didn't stop thinking.

Even if he considered all scenarios and entered a strategy, variables could still arise.

Lennok had learned this the hard way from his encounter with Croken Asilas.

'I have plenty of mana and bullets. If necessary, I should consider using my gun to buy time.'

Of course, he had already figured out an escape route in case something happened.

He had memorized the underground passages within the warehouse building, so there shouldn't be any issues coming from that direction.

He decided to stop thinking and stood up.

It was time to show his face to the others since he had been away for too long.

They might feel anxious about facing the gang, and if Lennok was away too long, they might try to run away secretly.

Lennok didn't think he had any leadership or commanding abilities, but at least he could easily guess how people might think in certain situations.

As expected, when Lennok returned to the warehouse, a few people flinched and turned their heads.

"........"

He didn't think they were wrong. Everyone values their lives.

However, the choice was also up to them. Lennok had no intention of helping them make that choice.

Lennok entered the warehouse without saying anything, found a random box, and sat down.

There was still plenty of time until the Patent Office opened.

If the gang didn't make a move, they might have to spend quite a lot of time waiting.

'...It reminds me of my time in the military.'

Compared to the time when he spent two years aimlessly passing time, it wasn't difficult.

Fortunately, a wizard's strong mental strength could keep his cognitive abilities from deteriorating even if he stayed up all night.

Time passed.

Lennok, who was taking care of his revolver, sensed the outside becoming a bit noisy.

Immediately, he released his mana in all directions to sense any presence.

A radius of 2km. His perception, which was much wider and stronger than before, sharply scanned the surroundings.

As expected, he discovered various unknown heat sources surrounding the area.

Lennok focused even more and quickly assessed the intensity of the presences gathering in this place.

'Two strong presences, then ten. The rest are about 150...'

Two leaders, ten officers, and 150 members.

It was a smaller number than what Jenny had mentioned, but it wasn't an amount that could be taken lightly.

As soon as he stepped outside with his now cold head, the waiting people rushed to Lennok.

"Wi, Mr. Wizard...!! Outside, right now..."

"I know."

Cutting off the man's words, Lennok continued to focus his mind and observed the situation outside.

The speed... was quite fast.

If only one or two people were like this, they could be considered mana users, but if over a hundred people were rushing at once, it was more likely they were using vehicles.

At that moment, a man, who had finished patrolling and returned, burst into the warehouse and shouted.

"They're here!! Everyone get ready!"

Vroooom!!

Along with his words, the faint sound of engines could be heard from afar.

Headlights piercing the faint darkness, illuminating the surroundings, and the pungent smell of gasoline echoed and stung their noses.

In no time, the darkness in the area was completely gone, and the surroundings were brightly transformed by car lights.

(TO BE CONTINUED on May 8 {Mon}]