Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Crunch. Emul, having chewed up a painkiller, looked down.
Vividly glowing purple irises and an upper body covered in alloy. Even the sharp, blade-like legs bent grotesquely below the knees.
The bio-machine, which seemed to have no intention of answering any questions, was looking up.
'Guys who've replaced more than half their bodies with machines.'
Marvin, who had explained the target, called such people bio-machines.
Does it mean they're no longer human?
Thump-!
The abnormally thick mechanical legs kicked off the ground. The figure disappeared in a single leap.
Emul, having focused his mana into the Calculation Auxiliary Device, instinctively twisted his body.
Whoosh!
The torso-sized steel he was using as a foothold was sliced through like paper.
Emul's head turned cold as he plummeted to the floor.
It's not that he underestimated future technology, but this guy is faster than any mage he's ever seen.
Does this mean science surpasses magic?
'That's entirely possible.'
Emul, having used the breakfall techniques honed in the back alleys, extended a finger.
Pew——!
The air bullet, which had drawn a semicircle over his shoulder, did not—impact. It vanished without a sound, as if swallowed by something.
Without panicking, he channeled mana throughout his entire body.
Crackle——.
His body, accelerated in an instant, lunged forward as if falling.
At the same time, a cold sensation brushed past his back.
Slash-.
Only after rolling once because he couldn't control his speed did Emul's thoughts begin to slow down.
A pitch-black piece of cloth lay on the path he had run. As soon as he realized it was his severed hood, his senses rang the alarm again.
The Dregs Collector lunged at him without even giving him time to catch his breath.
Emul, without taking his eyes off the half-human, placed his hand on the ground.
Zzzzt-.
Sparks rose from his wrist.
Rumble-!
A shockwave shaking the ground was fired straight ahead. The instant the flying dust and concrete debris obscured his vision.
Once again, the magic disappeared like a lie.
The cracks that had branched out stopped exactly where the Dregs Collector was standing.
A mechanical sound reached Emul, who was furrowing his brow.
[ It's understandable to be flustered. The moment they realize the magic they were overconfident in is nothing special, they get disappointed just like you. ]
He continued, lightly bouncing his mechanical leg as if in a good mood.
[ Where did you get the request? Rahul? Judging by your movements, it could be Yoon's office. Or... hey. Did you go crazy because death is right in front of you? ]
The Dregs Collector showed emotion for the first time in a while.
To think that instead of despairing, his opponent was deep in thought like a scholar in a lab.
Emul, who had been deep in thought, slowly stood up and pointed his finger.
[ Just like a Dreg, you have zero learning ability. With magic like that.... ]
Pew——!
Skin torn off before he could even react. The accuracy targeting the barely exposed skin was chilling, but the core issue was something else.
[ ...A mage acting like a Dreg on purpose. You crazy psycho bastard. ]
"Psycho? I was just curious."
Having said that, Emul looked at his wrist.
The Aero Bolt he had just cast did not use the help of the Calculation Auxiliary Device.
In other words, 'proper magic' cannot be nullified by the Dregs Collector.
This was a hypothesis he had set up since selecting the target, and now it was a verified truth.
It was a simple conclusion, but there was a part of it that wasn't easy to accept.
'That Real Mage from before... if they didn't have anything, they should've at least worn a nullification device like that. How dim-witted.'
If they were helplessly pushed back even by guys who failed to become mages, shouldn't they have at least brought a self-defense weapon?
Leaving the momentary doubt behind, Emul watched the prey in front of him.
While he was lost in thought, the Dregs Collector was slowly circling him.
Is he just repeating meaningless scouting due to heightened vigilance?
'A 15 million chip bio-machine.'
He tries not to pay attention to the amount as much as possible, but he can't help the corners of his mouth rising.
Emul, smiling intently, raised his mana.
"I'm going to have to eat something expensive today."
[ You fucking psycho mage...! ]
Thwong-!
The Dregs Collector sprang up with a heavier sound than before.
His footwork getting faster as he stepped on the steel pillars scattered everywhere. Even with eyes enhanced by mana, he couldn't track all his movements.
As he accelerated infinitely to the point where his form became blurry, only the trajectory of purple light remained like an afterimage, drifting through the abandoned building like a ghost.
He must have been collecting mages who were at a disadvantage in close combat in this way.
Clang, clang, clang.
The moment the Dregs Collector's speed, which had reached its limit, reached a certain zone.
Swish——.
A special alloy blade thrusting in from the darkness as if to slice through his body.
'Shift the center of gravity.'
He accurately reproduces the movement the metal hood had shown.
Spin-.
Emul rotating in mid-air with his hood fluttering. Relying entirely on his own senses, he extended both hands downward.
In the stickily dragging time, just before the cold bio-machine brushed past, he released the spell he had prepared in advance.
'Earth Shock.'
Rumble-.
The moment the sharp metallic friction sound tore through his ears.
Boom——!
The Dregs Collector, who had disappeared through the wall with fierce momentum.
"Cough."
Emul waved his hand through the stone dust that had spread like powder and approached the collapsed wall.
Mechanical fragments were scattered messily on the ground. He briefly cast his gaze at the purple prosthetic eye whose light was fading beside them.
A broken mechanical sound came from what used to be human skin.
[ ——die bas——tard——hate ]
The repeated words lowered in pitch like a dying machine, and finally faded into silence.
A futile end, unlike his ferocious appearance. Emul, who had slumped down and was looking at the corpse, glanced at his own hands.
Skin peeled off from failing to withstand the friction, and fingers bent in strange directions.
He had wrapped himself in body-strengthening magic, but he couldn't avoid the damage itself.
If he had blocked the magic the Dregs Collector cast without an auxiliary device, he wouldn't have been able to guarantee his own life.
He had prepared and executed even that, but there's no such thing as a perfect plan.
The flesh scattered on the shabby dirt floor could have been his own.
'Preparing double or triple layers is best, but....'
There's no guarantee that he will always enter battle in perfect condition.
Only by flexibly dealing with the ever-changing situation will he be able to hold onto his life for a long time.
'I need to establish a proper combat method.'
He is overcoming crises thanks to the characteristics of the 'Mimic' character he possessed, but he doesn't know how long it will work.
"Ugh."
Emul, his stray thoughts cut off by the tingling spreading through his entire arm, looked around.
Since he hunted the target, he has to hand over the evidence to the bounty issuing agency.
Marvin will handle the annoying stuff, but he doesn't know yet what kind of evidence they will require.
It's fine in the Dead Zone, but he can't drag the corpse all the way to the Undeveloped Area.
While looking for a way, Emul discovered a blue drum can placed in the corner.
*
Thud.
Emul, having set down the drum can he brought, shouted.
"Marvin!"
Even though he thought it might be a nuisance to visit in the middle of the night, he didn't have a proper place to store the hunted prey.
He's not close enough to spend the night with a drum can in the sewer.
A moment later, Marvin came down the stairs, his hand outstretched, filled with spite.
"What kind of fucking little shit is... ?!"
He hid his outstretched palm behind his back and bowed obsequiously.
"E, Emul-nim. This is...?"
"Check it."
Marvin approached the drum can and carefully opened the lid.
Under the red and yellow liquid, flesh buried in scrap metal is faintly visible.
Even for him, who had seen his fair share of corpses, it had been a long time since he'd seen such cruelly minced meat.
Marvin closed the lid before the smell could spread and rubbed his hands together.
"Dregs... I will exchange this for the reward tomorrow."
"Take a million chips from there as a service fee, and let me ask you something."
Marvin, who was about to decline, shut his mouth after seeing Emul's gaze.
"That guy. He was able to nullify magic manifested from a Calculation Auxiliary Device. Is that a difficult technique?"
"It's not easy, but it's not an extremely difficult procedure either. It's a procedure I can do too."
"Procedure?"
"Yes. You can perform reverse calculations by replacing half the brain with a Calculation Auxiliary Device, but the downside is that it only works if you become a bio-machine."
If you cut out half your brain, can you be called a whole 'me'?
Putting aside the philosophical argument, the effect is minimal compared to the effort involved.
For Real Mages capable of mental spell calculation, it's actually a losing business. They wouldn't want to replace a brain that's superior to a machine.
'Is that why that mage didn't carry a reverse calculation device....'
Emul, having resolved the doubt that arose during the battle, watched Marvin and then turned away.
"Ah, oh my. Are you leaving?"
Marvin, who had been dozing off while leaning on the drum can, asked hurriedly.
Emul affirmed without a word and left the hospital.
In his hand, he held the terminal that Marvin had handed him.
A burner phone opened by borrowing the identity of a long-missing person. It was also the reason he could access the public network.
When he pressed the power button, a pure white light spread out.
He lowered the brightness while frowning heavily, and the screen began to appear clearly.
The screen was cluttered with advertisements. New pop-ups kept appearing.
Even if he pressed the close button, they didn't disappear. Sometimes, the buttons were even hidden.
"What the....?"
His temples started to throb, so he threw the terminal into his pocket.
It was no different from the reaction of elderly people given a smartphone for the first time.
To taste his first defeat in this world from an inanimate object.
He needs a place to find out this kind of knowledge.
And Emul only knows one way.
He seeped into the eerie darkness of dawn.
"I wondered why you requested an interview even though it's vacation, but I could grant this kind of interview any number of times. Because it's a request from none other than Camellia-yang."
The woman, who had been smiling softly, extended her finger to the side.
Whoosh-.
A small breeze wrapped around her fingertip and began to compress.
"Shall I do it?"
As Camellia nodded, a characteristic high-frequency sound brushed past her ears.
Pew——!
A flawless, clean air bullet flew through the air and vanished.
She had interfered with the spell that was already out of control and reduced it back into mana.
A mana manipulation technique of a distant realm that only someone at the professor level of Academy City could achieve.
That is why Camellia spat out an unbearable question.
"Professor. Could you kill a mana user with the magic you just showed me?"
"That's a brutal question. It depends on the situation. If it's just someone who possesses mana, it wouldn't be difficult, but if they at least know how to use a Calculation Auxiliary Device, they would be subconsciously deploying mana resistance. You obviously know the basic formula, right?"
Camellia nodded briefly. It's a basic number game taught in class.
"Then, the gamma between the maximum damage value an Aero Bolt can produce and the minimum mana resistance of a mana user...."
"Professor...?"
"Oh my. Look at my mind. I'm sorry. We're not in the lab. The conclusion is, of course, possible. However, only when the gap in magic proficiency between the two creatures is severe."
Camellia already knew this much because she had deduced it on her own.
The key is the gap.
"How much of a gap should there be? It's an unquantified area, so I'm having trouble calculating it."
"Hmm. Hmmm. That's a good question. A gap is ultimately relative, so watch closely."
With a single gesture, a blue line appeared in the air, drawing a shape.
"Is it a person?"
"Similar. Let's assume it's a creature with average magic proficiency within the Magic School. Camellia-yang could easily send off a creature of exactly that level."
"Um... what about you, Professor?"
The woman stared at Camellia with a mischievous smile.
"Let's see... the valedictorian might be a bit difficult, but from the salutatorian onwards."
She could be sure it wasn't arrogance. The professors of the Magic School were also renowned geniuses.
Camellia was not intimidated by the professor's somewhat chilling answer and asked.
"Then, is it possible to take out two at once? With an Aero Bolt."
"You're not acting like a valedictorian today."
"...Yes?"
Flap!
The woman's finger accurately aimed at the magic book floating in the air.
Pew——!
The book, with a hole punched right in the center, landed on Camellia's lap.
It almost pierced all the way through, but it wasn't enough to break the wall of mana the magic book possessed.
The woman shrugged.
"Your question is wrong. Air with broken compression is just wind. It's not a weapon. The physical force it carried was all used up while breaking through the mana resistance. Unless it's a higher-tier magic."
Camellia knows this too.
That's why she understands it even less.
Academy City Magic School valedictorian. Someone killed two powerhouses who surpassed even her with just a single Aero Bolt.
Someone who reversed the impossibility that even the professor in front of her boasted about.
Perhaps, really. The wish she had been longing for might come true.
However, the premonition that she would be able to face that mage again was faint.
A high-tier mage wandering the outskirts wouldn't be sloppy enough to let information leak.
She regrets leaving the place as if running away in fear.
She had come with firm resolve, but she gained nothing.
"Nothing...."
"Camellia-yang?"
"...Ah. I'm sorry. I just remembered something. Um, I came suddenly, but thank you for granting my unreasonable request."
As Camellia bowed her head and turned around, a soft voice came from behind.
"Oh, right. Are you not wearing a hair tie anymore? It went well with your silver hair."