Dark Moon
"We haven't even talked about the commission fee yet. Aren't you accepting this a little too readily just because it involves Jupiter?"
"I have to settle things with Jupiter one way or another. I figured they'd reach out to me first as time went on… but a full week has nearly passed without a single word."
"Ah. So you thought this might be Jupiter making contact? What if it's the opposite?"
"Doesn't matter if it is. No client with half a brain would name me specifically for no reason."
"The fee is a hundred million credits. As I said earlier, they'll only reveal the details after you accept. But looking at the pay alone, you can already guess what kind of job this is, right?"
"If it were simple work, the fee wouldn't be that high…. So it's a commission to attack Jupiter."
"You taking it?"
"I am. Going to talk me out of it as my broker?"
"I'm actively recommending it, actually. You're a 5-Class mage. Most of the jobs you've taken so far have been beneath your rank. It's about time you started climbing. Come to the office in five hours."
"Not right now?"
"I need to do some digging myself, don't I? Providing you with accurate intel is part of my job as a broker."
Click.
The call ended.
I stood up and checked over my body and gear.
"From what I found out, Jupiter's in a much worse spot than we thought. Their business is the casino in L District, and right now that whole operation is shaking."
"Shaking? Are they at war with another faction?"
"That would actually be better. L District has two representative councilors locked in a standoff over the casino."
The Neo London Round Table Council.
You could call it the government of Neo London, a city-state. Each district has two representative councilors, but the true rulers of the city are the twelve who sit at the Round Table itself.
That didn't mean the councilors were weak, of course. Not even close.
"One side wants to keep the casino open for the sake of L District's economy. The other wants it shut down for the sake of public safety."
"The latter will have the upper hand. Citizens care more about safety than money. Nobody wants to live somewhere crawling with robbers, no matter how rich they are."
"Exactly. But do you think Jupiter gives a damn? They're throwing money around left and right trying to stop the shutdown. The amounts are insane — enough that you'd wonder if they're just dumping everything the casino has ever earned."
"Is the client the councilor pushing for the shutdown?"
"The commission came through a broker. But there's a ninety percent chance it's that councilor."
"And the specifics?"
"Three days from now, the casino will be temporarily closed for an investigation. They're calling in the figurehead manager for questioning. That's when you wipe out the gang. Officially, it'll be reported as a fight between rival gangs."
"They're fine handling things that way?"
"Still don't know this city? Pretty much anything can be cleaned up here. From the citizens' perspective, a dangerous gang disappears — so even if they can guess the real story, they keep their mouths shut. Oh, and you're not the only one on this job. They've already hired other mercenaries."
"They already have other mercenaries, and they still put in a request for me…."
"I asked around casually. Apparently someone recommended you hard. Any idea who?"
Invisible Blade.
The female ninja came to mind. Thinking back on how ruthlessly she'd dismantled the Harvers gang, this had to be preparatory work for the current job. If I looked into it, a few of the gangs under the Jupiter Alliance had probably already vanished.
"Anything I need to watch out for?"
"Don't get cocky just because you're 5-Class. The boss and officers of the Jupiter gang are on a completely different level from the likes of Harvers. Making massive money in this city also means you can become massively strong. Works the other way around, too."
"Understood."
"I've prepared the intel on the Jupiter gang. It all has to be shredded, so memorize everything here before you leave."
Thud!
Rose dropped a stack of documents more than thirty centimeters thick in front of me. I stared at the overwhelming pile in blank disbelief.
"I'm pulling an all-nighter tonight too. You'll keep me company, right?"
"……."
Three days later, I entered the old warehouse in L District — the meeting point the client had designated. The moment I stepped inside, more than thirty pairs of eyes locked onto me. Men and women alike, every one of them armed. All of them mana awakeners, too. Most were only around 2-Class, but still.
"Right on time. So you're the 5-Class mage we were waiting for?"
A man with green hair spiked straight up. The style made me think of a green onion. He carried four swords total — two across his back, two at his waist. Compressed muscle showed clearly through his black spandex outfit.
He made no attempt to hide his level. From the power and presence rolling off him, he was a 5-Class warrior.
"Yujin Meier."
"Mons. The lonely blade of Neo London."
"……."
I surveyed the room.
One 5-Class warrior, one mage, and thirty 2-Class mercenaries.
It didn't look like enough firepower to take on that gang. We needed at least one more fighter at 5-Class or higher.
"Ignoring me, huh. That stings a little."
"Is this everyone?"
"One more joining us on-site. A ninja, apparently. The kind that throws shuriken. Aren't you excited to see a real ninja?"
"Not particularly."
Click. Click.
The sound of heels echoed. I turned to see a woman in a suit walking into the warehouse.
"Everyone's here. I'll brief you on the operation on the client's behalf."
The plan was straightforward, almost boringly so.
The 2-Class mercenaries would handle killing Jupiter's rank-and-file. Mons, the 5-Class warrior, would take on the officers and the boss. I, the mage, would provide fire support from the rear — then move in to assist Mons once the battlefield was mostly under control.
"We've prepared two large buses for transport. All right, everyone. Earn your pay."
The buses tore toward the casino.
As if the casino had known we were coming, it welcomed us with gunfire, rockets, and missiles. The shield generators mounted on the buses kicked in. Translucent barriers wrapped around the vehicles.
BOOM! CRASH!
Impacts the barriers couldn't fully absorb slammed into the bus. The whole vehicle rattled and shook. Seated inside, I gripped the seat in front of me and fought to keep my balance.
Screeeeech!
The bus screeched to a halt in front of the casino. The mercenaries smashed out the windows without hesitation and poured into the building. Bullets rained down, but no one flinched. Just not having rockets and missiles flying at them was enough to feel comfortable.
I tapped the radio on my ear and spoke.
"I'll handle the ones on the roof firing rockets and missiles."
"There's quite a few of them. This won't take long, will it?"
"Three minutes is plenty."
I opened my Astral.
My senses expanded, and I felt the mana flowing smoothly through me. Thirty-four mana roads activated — excluding the sixteen I still couldn't use. Following my will, I constructed the mana into a spell formula.
I quietly chanted the completed magic, almost under my breath.
Lightning Spear
Five elongated spears of lightning shot toward the casino rooftop. Infinitely slow compared to real lightning — but far faster than any missile.
The moment each spear struck its target, it exploded bright enough to light up the dark night for an instant, scattering bolts of electricity in every direction.
"You son of a bitch!"
Ignoring the damage to their own building, they fired rockets straight at me.
BOOM!
A rocket hammered the bus's barrier. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface. Two or three more hits and the shield would shatter.
Lightning Spear
With a blank expression, I hurled five more spears of lightning. Whether it was because I was in good condition or something else, landing hits felt almost too easy.
Lightning Spear
I threw another volley in rapid succession. No one was left on the roof. Most had failed to dodge the Lightning Spears and died; a few had fled into the casino building.
I nodded to myself and swept my gaze across the structure.
Detection
Enemies near the windows: forty-two.
I flicked my fingers. Crack. Current flashed, becoming magnetic force that dragged spent casings from all around toward me. There were more than five hundred of them.
"Fair warning. If you're near a window, get away from it. If that's too hard, duck below the sill."
"Sounds like our mage is about to do something. Got it."
Form Transformation
Five hundred casings reshaped into conical spikes.
Electric Area
A modified version of Electric Field. Instead of grounding it in the earth, I laid electromagnetic force across the surrounding space. The floating projectiles trembled as if ready to fire at any second.
In other words, this is a railgun with the power dialed way down.
With the trajectories set, I fired without hesitation.
Five hundred projectiles shattered the casino's windows and punched through the bodies of every enemy near them. Broken glass rained down in a glittering cascade. The building looked like it was weeping.
"Now that's proper fire support. That just killed about thirty percent of them. Hey — anyone need more covering fire?"
"No. We'll clean up the rest ourselves."
"Yujin. Get to the VIP rooms. We're going after the Jupiterain brothers."
"On my way."
I stepped into the casino. It was a mess. Gang corpses littered the entrance. Without hesitation, I took the stairs in the right-hand corridor. I'd thoroughly memorized the building's layout before the operation began.
The gambling rooms for VIPs were extravagant starting from the doors themselves. Nude men and women had been carved into the surfaces. The female figures had full, rounded breasts — even the genitals rendered in detail. I deliberately avoided looking at the male statues. I opened the left door, the one with the female carving, and went inside.
Mons, dual swords in hand, was holding off two men by himself. The enemies in suits were equipped with a spear and gauntlets, respectively.
"You're here!"
Mons shouted with open delight at my arrival. The two he'd been fighting fell back briefly, eyeing me warily.
"Reinforcements?"
"Looking at that ugly mug, he's the mage from the report earlier. Want him, big brother?"
"You take him."
"Thanks for giving me the fun job of killing a mage, big brother."
The one in gauntlets grinned nastily and locked eyes with me. Watching him carefully, I asked Mons a question.
"The Jupiterain brothers, then. Where's Philip Jupiterain, the boss of the Jupiter Alliance?"
"When I got here, I saw him ducking into a secret passage behind that table. My guess is he went to stop the ninja."
I cast three 2-Class support spells on Mons in rapid succession.
Strength
Haste
Iron Body
Support magic that temporarily enhanced physical strength, agility, and bodily durability.
"Ohhh! If doping is something you despise — well, this kind of perfect, non-addictive doping is a whole different story! Here comes the dungeon blade!"
Mons charged the Jupiterain brothers, green-onion hair streaming behind him.
Bald Jupiterain, spear in hand, rushed to meet him head-on.
Cason Jupiterain, still wearing his gauntlets, blew past Mons and came straight at me.