13 – Gang.(1)
“…What is this?”
Lian narrowed her eyes. Since when had a faint blue light been circulating around the gun barrel?
“It’s an item with a special metal added to the frame, providing excellent magical conductivity. Although it’s a tiny amount, it should easily handle up to the fourth-rank level of magic.”
“…”
“And one more thing. If you imbue magic in a specific pattern—”
Shrrrk!
In an instant, the shape of the pistol transformed.
“Like this, I can also use a knife.”
“…Impressive.”
This time, it was sincere. It wasn’t that I had never used weapons of various forms before, but I had never seen them change so quickly.
Truly a fleeting moment. With this kind of speed, it could be useful even in the midst of battle.
“I should test it out in a quiet place later.”
Lian smiled faintly and received the handgun.
“I’ll take this.”
Lian said so and paid the price.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Tsk. Cash is good, but.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
The old man opened the iron gate with a stern face. Lian nodded and headed outside the store. The tension eased, and exhaustion flooded in.
“Now I should rest a bit.”
Even though it was a body beyond the standard, it still belonged to a young child who had never been trained.
“Well, I did push myself too hard.”
After all, I hadn’t properly rested for two whole days.
Lian struggled to lift his heavy eyelids and made his way to the hotel.
*****
A soft bed.
“…”
Lian slowly lifted his head to check the time. 6 a.m. It was an early hour, but the date was different from what he had expected.
It had been a good two days.
‘She must have completely exhausted herself.’
The rough memory lingered. She had paid an exorbitant price of 100,000 cells per day. Even that was a discounted rate, paid in advance for a week’s worth.
‘Did I spend too much?’
The remaining money underwater was a mere 300,000 cells. In just two days, she had melted away a sum close to 5 million cells.
Reflecting momentarily on herself, Lianne soon raised her head. It was an undeniable fact that taking proper breaks significantly improved work efficiency. Depleting mental strength just to save a few pennies wasn’t a wise choice.
Lianne stood up and gripped the gun. Shwoop! The appearance swiftly changed into a knife.
Drawing magic from her heart and applying it according to a predetermined pattern took only a moment.
Shwoop! Shwoop!
Repeating a series of movements, she raised her magical sensitivity. Suddenly, she recalled something she heard in firearms training.
“They said you could hold up to fourth-tier level of magic, right?”
Closing her eyes, Lianne observed the flow of magic within her body. A stream of energy circulating like a rapid current, centered around her heart. Lianne didn’t stop there; she began adjusting the magic as she desired.
Changing forms, reversing the flow, accelerating.
“…”
Talents that made seemingly impossible things effortlessly achievable.
Of course, Lianne knew better than to be arrogant about her talents. Having witnessed countless deaths of people who overestimated similar talents in her past life, she was well aware.
Even if she possessed the talent to reach the pinnacle of the eighth tier, or even higher, dominating each city, it would be of no use if she died before fully unleashing that potential.
Hence, it was crucial to know her current level clearly.
‘Breathe it in.’
The magic that flowed vigorously through his entire body, he pushed it all into the gun.
Boom!
The faint blue light emanating from the gun became even more intense.
The more magic he poured into it, the stronger and larger the light became.
How much time had passed?
‘It’s not changing anymore.’
Lian looked at the gun, its color no longer changing. He had expected at least some cracks.
‘Is it at the 4th level?’
He thought there was enough magic. He had forcefully injected an excessive amount of magic into a simple gun.
However, the fact that there was no further change meant that simply having a sufficient amount wouldn’t reach the power of the 5th level.
‘If reaching the 4th level involves standardizing the sword…’
Lian recalled the first time he met Jason.
[…Hallucination? No, it’s real.]
Judging by how surprised he was to utter the word hallucination, it definitely wasn’t a low level.
In the mercenary industry and even in society, it would be enough to receive ample recognition.
‘Just by looking at the sword, he was eager to make a contract.’
But Lian wasn’t satisfied with just that.
With only this level, surviving in this harsh city wouldn’t be possible.
Lian consolidated his magic and put down the gun. The original color quickly returned as the magic supply ceased. However, the bullets still retained a blue glow.
“Mana Bullet?”
Did it mean that the mana conductivity was good? Well, enhancing one’s physique would be useless if the bullets remained ordinary.
Lian, who was toying with the bullets, promptly lay down on the floor.
Now that the weapons were ready, it was time to bring the body up to par,
Supporting his weight with both hands, he lifted his upper body, repeating the motion. The sensation of muscles stretching.
“Good.”
Continuing with push-ups, Lian recalled memories from his past life.
For mercenaries, the body was equivalent to their value. Due to the nature of their profession, with limited personal time, most mercenaries opted for easy and fast drugs instead of exercise. Not just any drugs, but illegal ones traded in the underworld.
However, Lian was different. He never touched drugs. He reached his position solely with his own skills.
Though not comparable to his current physique, his previous life’s body was considered unconventional by others.
“The moment you start relying on drugs, it won’t last long.”
At most, five years. Mercenaries who maintained their physique with drugs retired around that time, died on the battlefield, or succumbed to side effects.
To survive long in this world, one had to discipline oneself.
“……Hoo!”
After three long hours, his entire body was soaked in sweat, perhaps pushed to its limits.
Despite catching his breath, Lian didn’t stop flashing a faint smile.
The pain felt in the muscles. The electrifying sensation that surpassed the limits of the body. No man could endure such a thrilling feeling.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lian headed straight to the shower room. The next moment, he furrowed his eyebrows.
[Shower fee to be paid separately.]
“…Damn it.”
Weekday morning, temporary branch of the Raphlas Mercenary Corps.
The employees seated at the counter looked around with relaxed expressions, sipping their mixed coffees. Despite the abundance of chairs, there wasn’t a single mercenary in sight.
“Looks like everyone is taking a break today.”
If it were any other mercenary corps, the current situation might seem strange, but for the Raphlas Mercenary Corps, which values individual freedom, this was not an unusual occurrence.
Performing a commission at least once a week and participating in regular mobilizations—that was their motto. As long as these two were followed, they didn’t care about anything else.
Moreover, considering the large-scale project scheduled for next month…
“If we don’t rest now, we won’t get a chance.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
The employees nodded in agreement.
Even the highly regarded mercenaries in Turras had been stuck outside the walls for several months because of that.
And then, at that moment…
Thud.
With a distinctive sound, a boy with a striking face appeared in the dim corridor.
“….”
His appearance didn’t match the mundane mercenary corps. However, the employees at the counter already knew who the boy in front of them was.
A talent who earned the disapproval of two officers on his first day.
No one, in their right mind, dared to ignore such a talent just because he looked young.
“Lord Rian. May I inquire as to the reason for your visit?”
“I need urgent funds. Do you have any suitable commissions?”
“Currently, Lord Harang is away on personal business. Will it be alright?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Lian responded in an indifferent tone.
It was merely a request for a small sum of money. Summoning Harang for such a task was not just a waste of manpower but also a foolish act, tearing apart the payment for the request.
‘There’s no need for Sa-soo to accompany me.’
“If it’s about the money, there happens to be a suitable request.”
The employee, who had been contemplating for a moment, spoke and took out a file from the drawer.
“It’s a request to retrieve an item from a casino operated by the Blood Dagger Gang. The item to be retrieved is the CCTV data from the casino. Detailed instructions are attached on the next page.”
Lian carefully examined the documents.
Packaged with eloquent words, but the reality was a theft request.
At this point, there was no pricking of conscience.
Having chosen the profession of a mercenary, one couldn’t solely engage in lawful tasks.
However…
The fact that the requester was from the Regulatory Government was a concern.