33 – Hostage(2)
10 minutes earlier.
Eventually, Kael arrived in front of his destination.
‘I didn’t expect it to be bluntly on the highway.’
Well, precisely it’s located in a desolate part of the poverty floor, but it’s surprising that it’s on the highway regardless.
Kael kicked the door in front of him.
-Bang!
As the door shattered, a signboard-like object appeared in front of him.
Kael narrowed his eyes as he looked at it.
-‘If you don’t want to watch your student die, follow the directions.’
Normally, he would not fall into the intended trap.
However, the problem is Elaine’s life is at stake.
In the end, he needs to move as Hail intended.
‘It’s annoying, but it can’t be helped.’
With that in mind, Kael moved as marked on the sign.
Thus, he descended down the stairs, on and on.
At that moment.
-Hmmm.
Suddenly a simple magic pattern appeared from the ground.
Kael leisurely looked at the magic pattern that formed on the floor.
-Whoosh.
Instantly, purple smoke gushed out from the magic pattern.
At first glance, it seemed like poisonous smoke.
Typically, it would be quite painful.
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However.
‘Hmm.’
From Kael’s point of view, it was no different from normal air.
Ignoring the poison smoke, Kael continued his stride.
Next moment.
-Hmmm.
This time, the magic pattern appeared from the ceiling.
Soon, the magic circuit began to spin round and round.
‘A magic burst, huh.’
Kael leisurely looked at it and swiftly injected his power into the circuit.
-Whoosh.
In that moment, the circuit that was spinning round and round stopped midway.
Kael, watching it all, narrowed his eyes.
‘It’s full of traps.’
Actually, this was somewhat expected.
The reason the villain kidnapped Elaine must have been to draw him in.
There would be no reason for him to stand idly by without a plan.
Therefore, he figured there would definitely be traps.
From the look of it, it seemed carefully prepared.
‘Well, frankly, it doesn’t matter at all.’
If his life was in such peril over so little, then it should have ended on the battlefield already.
– Throb. Throb.
Kael, as if on a leisurely stroll, nonchalantly steps on the traps, moving forward.
***
At the same time,
Hael, who had been observing the situation, wore an expression of disbelief.
‘Can this really be?’
The traps set up in the building are not ordinary magic.
They are spells directly entrusted by the headquarters.
For that reason, any common mage would be fatally injured from them alone.
‘I thought since he was an academy professor, he must be quite skilled…’
But who would have guessed that he could be so calm in the midst of it all.
‘If it continues like this…’
In all likelihood, Kael may reach here.
‘I can’t help it.’
Hael quickly raised his sword.
Then, after aiming at Elaine, he put magic into the magic circle.
The next moment, a mana screen appeared in front of Kael.
“Ah. Ah. Can you hear me?”
He immediately spoke to Kael, who was breaking through the traps.
At that, Kael looked at the mana screen that appeared in front of him.
“From now on, you should take on all the traps that are activated without blocking them. If not, I will kill your apprentice here.”
He wore a self-satisfied smirk.
Elaine bit her lower lip, as if annoyed.
But then suddenly,
-You’ve made a mistake. Right now.
“?”
Kael suddenly murmurs something nonsensical, the corner of his mouth lifting.
– You shouldn’t have shown your magic in front of me.
“What?”
Was I not supposed to reveal my magic?
What in the world is Jo talking about?
Just hearing that makes it sound as if he could appear here right at this moment.
– Creepy!
A sudden chill ran down my spine for no reason.
‘It must be an exaggeration.’
The distance between where Karel is and where I am now is about 10 floors.
There’s no way a human can ascend to the 10th floor underground in one go.
‘Yes, it doesn’t make sense, logically’
However, there’s one thing Hail doesn’t know.
The existence that completely overturns this logic is none other than Karel.
The next moment.
– Whoosh.
Suddenly, a portal appeared before his eyes.
At an unexpected event, Hail’s eyes widened in shock.
‘A portal? Surely not…?’
And just as he suspected.
“I’ve finally found you.”
Karel appeared from the portal with an impassive expression.
At his appearance, Elaine and Hail gaped in disbelief.
“Are you insane?!”
“Professor?!”
Karel quietly surveyed his surroundings.
Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing Elaine bound in chains.
‘He seems to have prepared well.’
If Hail hadn’t blatantly revealed his magic just now, it would have been quite a struggle to get here.
Was the distance not quite far?
“I wouldn’t have suspected there would be a being who mastered teleportation magic.”
At that moment, Hail stuck his tongue out at the sight of Karel before his eyes.
Soon after, his eyes narrowed.
“What in the world are you? How can a mere professor possess such power?”
I know that professors at the Lionel Academy are strong.
That’s why it made sense that Hain died.
However, the man in front of me now is demonstrating a strength that far surpasses that of an Academy professor.
At this point, I started to doubt if he really was a professor at the Academy.
“I apologize, but I am an Academy professor.”
“Huh!”
I smirked at his ridiculous answer.
I didn’t expect him to spew such nonsense.
He’s treating me as a complete fool.
Although it fires me up, this isn’t the time for that.
‘His identity isn’t important.’
No matter who he is, it’s clear that he needs to be killed.
I can’t believe that he came here in an instant, yet it’s obvious that I have the upper hand.
After all, I currently have one of his students hostage.
But is this just my own thinking?
‘What’s with the relaxed face?’
Despite holding his student hostage, he maintains an unnervingly calm expression.
And then he spoke.
“You’ve made one more mistake here.”
“What?”
“Once you’re in my field of vision, a hostage becomes useless.”
“What the hell…?”
Suddenly, Karel, who had somehow moved up right in front of me.
Caught off guard by this sudden movement, I was startled.
In response, I swung my sword, but…
-Thud!
“Urgh!”
Karel’s elbow struck first, hitting me in the stomach.
Due to the impact, I was sent flying towards the opposite wall.
Without hesitation, Cael broke the chains binding Elaine.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m not seriously injured.”
“Good to hear. Stay behind me.”
“Okay.”
Swiftly rescued, Elaine nodded and hid behind Cael.
The next moment, Cael struck Hail, who grimaced from the blow.
‘He’s not only magical but also a martial artist?’
Yet, for some reason, his movements were eerily familiar.
As if he had faced him before.
Hail shook his head in denial.
‘No, that can’t be.’
When would he have fought with a professor from the academy?
First and foremost, he needed to deal with the man before him.
-Haaah!!
The next moment, Hail infused his sword with blue energy.
The sword erupted with an enormous aura of magic.
Far from being done, Hail adjusted the magic that had burst forth.
-Ugh.
His blade was overlaid with magic.
Perfect sword energy.
With this, he should be able to inflict damage on the man in front of him.
But first, he had to get in a preemptive strike.
“If you dodge, the woman behind you will get hit!”
He had to make him care for the student hiding behind him.
At once, Hail planted his foot on the ground.
-Paah!
With a swift kick, Hail charged toward Cael.
Clearly, Cael showed no intention of dodging.
Seeing this, a triumphant grin spread across Hail’s face.
“Die as you are.”
With that thought, Hail swung his sword with all his might.
Kael, seeing the incoming sword, slowly reached out his hand.
At the same time.
-Swoosh!
Kael effortlessly caught Hail’s sword.
Hail’s eyes widened in response to the unexpected situation.
Then, a certain scene flashed across his mind.
‘Come to think of it…’
He remembered a man named Kael from the arena.
He had effortlessly caught his sword as well.
And the movements of the Kael in front of him seemed similar to that man.
In other words, the man in front of him was…
“You! You’re the man I met in the arena!”
“So you finally noticed. Are you indeed a twin?”
Kael said quietly, only audible to his opponent.
Upon hearing those words, Hail trembled.
He poured all his energy to unleash his magic power, but still couldn’t budge an inch.
At the same time.
“Ugh!”
He drove his knee into the man’s abdomen once again.
“Gah!”
He knelt down, clutching his own abdomen.
Hail quickly thought with his eyes rolling.
‘I can’t win like this.’
The man’s strength was overwhelming, as he experienced in the arena.
Therefore, there was only one way he could win now.
“I will kill you by any means necessary.”
With that final assertion, Hail unleashed his magic power to its fullest extent.
A thick darkness burst out from his body.
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Kael wore a somewhat surprised expression as he watched, but quickly a smile crept up at the corners of his mouth.
‘So, this stuff comes out when properly pressured.’
It was confirmed.
There was a traitor within the group called Kalli.