Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Pre-Coordination (1)
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Right after the provisional approval of the commission, Oliver requested leave from Kevin.
He couldn't go into details, but Kevin didn't pry and immediately granted Oliver's request.
He even told him not to bother with a formal leave application—just come in whenever he had time.
"Leave requests draw attention. The Magic Tower doesn't care if employees show up or not anyway. That's the hiring professor's job. So just come back when you're free. I've already cleared it with the Master regarding this matter."
As Kevin said, he had already coordinated with Merlin in advance on this. Even so, Oliver expressed his sincere gratitude.
He wasn't so oblivious as to miss how much of a favor this was.
Kevin brushed it off as no big deal, though he added that if Oliver was truly grateful, he could help with his research later.
Oliver gladly accepted and headed straight back to his lodging, washing away his worries to focus entirely on his work as the fixer Dave.
The first thing Oliver did was review the materials Forest had given him, and they were of impressive quality.
Not only were the dates and circumstances of the raid neatly organized, but photos were attached as well.
The photos showed the ruins of Crime Firm's secret warehouse and the corpses scattered around it.
For reference, the condition of the corpses in the photos was uniformly gruesome.
Some were chopped into pieces as if by a massive blade, others reduced to paste, and there were even ones shriveled up like dried fish.
It felt like they were flaunting it brazenly, and the most striking among them was a corpse rotted like a spoiled vegetable all over.
"Disease-type... and the weakening variety at that... This isn't ordinary skill."
Oliver judged based on the knowledge he had accumulated so far.
Disease-type black magic was broadly divided into two categories.
One eroded life force and flesh to temporarily boost strength—the enhancement type.
The other weakened the flesh or inflicted artificial illnesses—the debilitation type.
At first glance, the former seemed stronger, but the reality was the opposite.
He wasn't dismissing disease-enhancement black magic, but purely in terms of black magic prowess, true disease-type magic was the debilitation variety.
It was harder and more complex to master than the enhancement type, but its power grew incomparable with sufficient skill.
No, depending on the circumstances, it could be more dangerous than enhancement, manipulation, creation, or any other type.
Theoretically, one could create a massive plague to wipe out a village or even an entire city.
"Of course, reaching that level is incredibly difficult."
Oliver asserted. And rightly so—using disease-debilitation black magic was no easy feat.
Over a year as a fixer, Oliver had never encountered anyone wielding it, which was proof enough.
That's why he knew of it but hadn't prepared countermeasures—until now, when such an enemy appeared right before him.
Not bad at all. It was about time to expand his repertoire.
"But that's not the only thing to worry about."
Oliver muttered as he turned to the next page.
According to Forest's investigation, the thieves who stole the auction items weren't just Black Hand members—others were involved too.
They were gangs from Y District, the lawless zone, which was quite shocking.
From Y District onward, even the city had officially abandoned control. They had isolated it with the Sem River and barriers, and even the underworld big shots avoided dealing with them.
This was common knowledge among fixers.
A question arose: How had the external force of Black Hand allied with them? Their nature made it unlikely to easily join hands with outsiders.
"Is there some kind of go-between making the connection?"
Oliver pondered briefly before setting the thought aside.
No point dwelling on it—he wouldn't figure it out just by thinking.
What he needed to focus on now was the possibility of entering Y District to find the stolen auction items.
There was nowhere else safe enough to hide them.
"Hmm..."
After reviewing all of Forest's materials, Oliver had a bad premonition that this job might be more dangerous than expected.
Given the opponents, the vibes were off. Somehow, it felt like things would get messy.
One wrong move, and he could get caught between whales like Crime Firm, Y District, and Black Hand.
Abandoning it might be an option in some cases, but Oliver shook his head.
The potential gains were substantial. Besides, he'd already told Kevin he'd take time off—backing out now and clocking in normally would be awkward.
All he could do now was one thing: Assume the worst-case scenario and prepare accordingly.
Oliver stood up and headed to the reopened Gray Market and Black Market.
He couldn't predict exactly how events would unfold, but Oliver began preparations within his means to brace for contingencies.
He bought a black magic experiment set—something he'd planned to hold off on until he had a stable lab—and devised countermeasures for disease magic. Alongside that, he rushed production on a new corpse doll to back him up.
He made other preparations too, and in the midst of it all, he got a call from Forest.
[Dave?]
"Yes, Mr. Forest. It's me."
[How've you been?]
"Yes, doing well while preparing."
[That's reassuring.]
"Thank you. What can I do for you?"
[As mentioned a few days ago, I told Jonathan you'd take the job. He accepted gladly, and the contract is official now. He wants to see you today to discuss the mission details. Got time?]
Time was plentiful. Not entirely done preparing, but close enough.
Oliver glanced at the new corpse doll he was crafting and replied.
"Yes, of course. Plenty of time... By the way, any word on the reward?"
[Naturally. It worked out better than expected. But he wants to discuss that separately too.]
It worked out well... He didn't know the details, but Oliver decided to trust Forest.
The man always delivered on his promises.
"Understood. Where should I go?"
The meeting spot was a safehouse owned by Pinkman Office in T District.
Forest had said Pinkman maintained multiple such safehouses across districts for mission execution.
Considering Landa's murderous real estate prices, that was impressive.
Knock-knock.
Oliver rapped on the door of the ordinary residential building.
It creaked open, and a woman who looked in her thirties peeked out.
She appeared to be an average housewife at first glance, but the eyes of a black magician who pierced emotions and his fixer instincts told him otherwise.
"Who might you be?"
The woman asked calmly. Oliver answered.
"I'm Dave. Forest sent me."
The housewife-like woman quickly sized him up and flashed a businesslike smile.
"Come in. The team leader's waiting."
She swung the door wide to welcome him.
The interior looked like a normal home, but only on the first floor.
Following her upstairs, a completely different scene unfolded.
Efficiently arranged chairs and tables, a massive Landa map, photos of people, charts linked by strings on the walls.
"Mr. Dave. You've arrived."
Jonathan, in the middle of a meeting, spotted Oliver coming up and spoke. His colleagues, who had been conferring with him, turned to look as well.
Oliver had assumed Pinkman consisted only of types like Jonathan and Duncan, but his teammates were each distinctly unique.
The only common thread was their pink suits.
In that brief moment, Oliver and Jonathan's colleagues sized each other up. Then, a late-teen youth with a tattoo over one eye spoke up.
"That's the famous black magician everyone's talking about these days? Doesn't look it."
Instead of replying, Oliver examined the tattooed youth. From the amount and flow of mana in his body, he seemed not just a mana user, but a proper magician.
"Space school?"
"What kinda talk is that on first meeting? Don't get cocky, newbie."
A burly veteran smacked the youth's back with a thick arm.
No malice in the swing, but his natural strength made a dull thud echo.
Thwack!
"Ow... This old-timer's got stupid strength..."
"Alright, enough skit. Everyone downstairs for a bit. You're embarrassing yourselves in front of company."
At Jonathan's words, the colleagues headed down, leaving Oliver and Jonathan alone.
"Thank you for accepting the mission."
"No need. I took it willingly."
"Yes, I heard roughly. You want the devil's tome?"
A black magician seeking a devil's tome was shady business in both underworld and surface world, but Jonathan shrugged it off like it was nothing.
A gesture saying he genuinely didn't care.
"First, to avoid misunderstandings: Pinkman and I don't care what you want. That's the rule of this trade."
Sincere.
"Fortunately, we don't want that tome either, and Crime Firm hasn't dealt it yet, so handing it over should be no issue."
"Good to hear."
"That said, rumors could spread and cause unexpected trouble. This world's tight-lipped, but gossip flies. Not scheming—just genuine concern."
Also sincere. Oliver nodded.
"So, what do we do? Forest said you had something to say about that."
"Yes. If you're okay with it, how about we take the tome on your behalf and hand it over later?"
"Pardon?"
"We receive it for you and deliver it later. No weird rumors hounding you then."
Oh... Not a bad proposal. They'd proxy the devil's tome and pass it to him.
"But wouldn't that put you in a bind, Mr. Jonathan?"
"No, not really. I'm no black magician, so I can pass it off as hot goods for a high price or a gift for rich clients."
"I see."
"Yes. Pinkman deals with all sorts, so we handle such items occasionally. No one bats an eye."
Sincere.
"Then... I just pick up your desired items and hand them over?"
"No need. Terms stay the same. You claim the two you want."
"Pardon? But then you're at a loss, no?"
Jonathan paused before answering. This was the main point.
"...That's why I have a separate request. Help us capture a Black Hand member alive during this commission."
"Capture a Black Hand member alive?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Please don't ask. Just as we respect your privacy beyond necessities."
Ah... That shut down even Oliver's curiosity. Jonathan was making a deal.
Oliver thought it over and nodded.
He was curious why Pinkman wanted a Black Hand captive, but securing the devil's tome safely took priority for now.
"Yes, understood."
"Thank you for cooperating. Now, we'll share the intel we've gathered. We'll need your help a lot, so looking forward to working with you."