Chapter 37: Mamit Lawless Zone (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Mamit Lawless Zone (2)
In his past life, immediately after being exiled from the Garden of Swords, Jin had spent a significant amount of time wandering aimlessly from country to country as a vagrant. Having lost his purpose, he was a wreck for a while—at least until he met his magic master.
During that time, Jin had experienced the many types of scum that infested the backstreets.
Pickpockets, muggers, beggars, alcoholics… they were mayflies with no thought for tomorrow, slaves to their immediate desires.
‘Among them, the junkies were the most memorable.’
Junkies.
They were people who couldn't survive a single day without drugs. Without their fix, they would foam at the mouth, their eyes hollow and vacant. If offered a dose, they were foolish enough to offer up their very hearts.
Without a single exception.
Among all the addicts he had encountered on the streets, not one had been different.
There were those who managed to quit through superhuman willpower and reclaim a normal life, but they were, quite literally, one-in-a-million cases.
In Jin’s estimation, Alcaro Chendler was by no means a man possessed of such willpower.
“Damn it! Please, I’m begging you. Please? I don’t think I can last another hour without it. I’m on my knees here, please…!”
Alcaro collapsed to the floor, rubbing his palms together desperately.
The Secret Palace members guarding him maintained stoic expressions, but Jin didn’t miss the flicker of disgust in their eyes.
“I told you, no. Our priority is to protect you, not to indulge your whims. If you continue to cause a scene, we will be forced to take measures.”
“Aaaagh! I don’t want to hear it! If you won’t give me the drugs, I have my own ways! Dammit, once my darling gets back, all your heads are coming off! Your heads! I’ll make sure they’re chopped right off!”
“Sigh.”
“Ha! Did you just sigh at me? Do you think I’m a joke? People like you? You commoner filth! I am a Chendler—!”
Thwack!
One of the guards suddenly drove his fist into Alcaro’s abdomen with full force. Alcaro trembled violently before slumping to the ground, unconscious.
“Damn it, how much longer do we have to protect this piece of trash?”
“I wish he’d just overdose and die. I don’t know why Her Ladyship is keeping a guy like this alive…”
“Quiet. We just do what we’re told. No personal feelings.”
The guards hoisted the limp Alcaro over a shoulder and returned to their room.
Having watched the entire scene, Jin felt as though he had stumbled upon a treasure chest.
‘The relationship between the guards and Alcaro is at rock bottom. On top of that, Alcaro looks like he’d do anything to get his hands on drugs by tomorrow.’
Hmm.
As he sipped the beer the waiter had brought, Jin mulled it over. Assassinating Alcaro didn't seem all that difficult.
The junkie young master would only grow more hysterical with each passing day. If his outbursts continued, opportunities for an assassination would present themselves several times a day.
Whether he used hidden weapons, magic, or spirit energy—the kill itself would be child’s play.
‘The problem is what happens after. I need a way to kill Alcaro and escape safely while evading the guards.’
That was the greatest hurdle of this solo mission.
It was impossible to kill him openly inside the inn and then flee. Since the Secret Palace members were all 6-star or higher, they were far superior to Jin in physical prowess.
Poisoning was no different. If he lured Alcaro with drugs and then poisoned him, all of Mamit would be turned upside down. Even in this lawless city, breaking certain unwritten rules was a grave offense.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Secretly murdering Alcaro within the confines of the Moonlight Well was impossible through conventional means.
Clack.
Jin finished his beer and set the empty glass down firmly.
‘I’ve decided.’
This was Jin’s judgment: he would use magic from within his own room to stage a devastating attack on the Moonlight Well.
The Moonlight Well was where the Kings of Mamit gathered—an inn where the most notorious leaders among the city’s worst criminals stayed together. The moment the attack began, the Kings within the inn would retaliate and hunt for the culprit.
They would be certain that whoever attacked the Moonlight Well was at least a ‘6-star mage.’
‘If I infuse 4-star magic with my spirit energy, it will have the destructive power of a 6-star spell. Enhancing the lightning spell, Lightning Call, would be perfect for this.’
But how many people would believe that a mere fifteen-year-old boy was a 6-star mage?
No one.
Even Veradin Zipple, the candidate for the next Zipple Patriarch and three years Jin’s senior, was only recently rumored to have reached the 6-star rank. Firing off 6-star magic at fifteen was a feat impossible even for the greatest geniuses of the Zipple clan.
‘There’s no need to overthink it. I’ll just fill the room with spirit energy to hide the mana generation.’
Anything shrouded in spirit energy had its presence diminished.
During his beginner cadet mission, Jin had coated a dagger in spirit energy to easily kill 4-star warriors. Mana and aura were no exception. He was confident he could completely conceal 4-star level mana using his spirit energy.
Therefore, the guests of the Moonlight Well would have no choice but to assume the attack came from outside. If that much mana had suddenly materialized inside the inn, there was no way they, the so-called Kings of Mamit, would have failed to notice.
‘I’ll enhance Lightning Call with spirit energy and drop it on the Moonlight Well. I’ll take some damage, but with Orgal’s Pendant, I should be able to withstand it.’
Orgal’s Pendant neutralized most magic attacks of the 5-star rank and below. It was riskier against 6-star magic, but it wasn't entirely without defensive power.
‘With my current mana and spirit energy, I can use an enhanced Lightning Call four times. If I drop them in succession across the inn, the Moonlight Well will be plunged into chaos.’
And in the ensuing pandemonium, Jin would wander through the wrecked rooms pretending to be injured, find Alcaro, and kill him. Mission accomplished.
It would be even better if Alcaro happened to be struck and killed by one of the random lightning bolts.
‘Being so young is annoying sometimes, but it’s an unexpected advantage in situations like this.’
As its name implied, Lightning Call was an instantaneous flash of lightning. Since the spell manifested in a split second, it would be difficult for anyone to notice the spirit energy mixed within. Even if someone did spot the dark energy woven into the lightning, they would likely assume it was just a variant spell. While spirit energy was a power unknown to the world, all sorts of magical variants existed.
Regression, spirit energy, and a natural talent for magic.
This attack on the Moonlight Well was a method that couldn't even be attempted if any one of those three factors was missing.
‘There’s no need to wait. I don’t know what that junkie might do, so waiting only increases the variables. I’ll execute the plan tomorrow around noon.’
Broad daylight would be more effective than the dead of night. The more people who witnessed his Lightning Call and believed it to be 6-star magic, the better.
*
10:30 AM.
Jin went down to the lobby and ordered a late breakfast: toasted bread, boiled eggs, and soup.
This, too, was part of the act. He was starting his day normally, just like the other guests of the Moonlight Well.
Five of the Kings of Mamit were in the lobby having their meals. They sensed the faint aura emanating from Jin and smirked.
“Hey, kid. You’re at an impressive level for your age, but don’t think you can stay in this neighborhood for long just because of that. Acting recklessly will get you killed.”
One of the five spoke to Jin.
“Thank you for the advice. But there’s someone I need to find. I’ll be sure not to cause any trouble for the others staying here.”
“Haha, I heard you dropped those tavern bums with a single strike yesterday. Now you’re acting like a gentle lamb.”
“They are of a different caliber than you, sirs. I know my place.”
“You’ve got some manners. Fine, I’ll allow you to stay here for a few more days.”
“Thank you. I won’t forget the consideration the Kings of Mamit have shown me, even after I leave.”
Jin bowed slightly and left. The Kings of Mamit exchanged words among themselves, finding him rather amusing.
“Mamit is really going downhill. To think kids like that are coming and going.”
“Well, he’ll probably last a few days and then clear out. Or get killed by some bottom-feeders.”
“Still, he seems like decent material. I’m almost tempted to recruit him as our organization’s youngest.”
“Don’t even think about it. Your subordinates would ruin him. He’s got such a pretty face, too.”
“Pwahahaha!”
The Kings of Mamit burst into laughter.
‘My manners pass? What a bunch of hilarious trash.’
Returning to his room, Jin scoffed. It was absurd that human scum who had likely committed every atrocity imaginable were lecturing him on manners. It was even more amusing that he was about to drop lightning on their heads.
Jin sat cross-legged in the center of the room.
As he closed his eyes and activated Spirit Energy Release, a dark energy began to slowly bloom from his body. To launch the attack at noon, he had to start laying the groundwork now.
‘I’ll coat the room thickly with spirit energy so that not a single trace of my presence leaks out.’
Since it was a small room, he could fill every nook and cranny within an hour.
This one hour was the most critical part. If someone happened to visit his room, it would all end in disaster.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside—the sounds of employees cleaning and guests moving about.
‘Well, a little risk is unavoidable.’
Jin began to spread his Spirit Energy Release. As the black energy seeped into the room, the faint disturbances from outside were cut off, bringing a profound sense of stability.
After an hour, the four walls of the room had become pitch black, as if soaked in ink. The outlines of the desk and bed vanished; it was absolute darkness.
The only thing with any color in that space was Jin himself.
‘I did it myself, but this is perfect.’
Whew.
Jin took a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his brow. Now, all that was left was to ignite his mana and chant the incantation for Lightning Call.
‘I’ll get rid of the spirit energy in the room by loading it all into the final bolt. After that, I’ll run out into the hallway screaming and check if Alcaro is dead or alive…’
Crude, yet brilliant.
Pleased with his own plan, Jin began to manifest mana in both hands.
Crackle! Zap!
Blue currents flowed along his hands, crackling loudly. However, just as he’d predicted, not a single person outside sensed the phenomenon.
Next, spirit energy unraveled into the current like black threads.
‘Lightning Call.’
KABOOM!
As the first bolt of lightning fell, half of the Moonlight Well’s roof was torn clean off.
“Gah!”
Before the screams of those struck by lightning could even end, before they could reflexively look up at the sky, another dark-blue bolt struck the Moonlight Well. It was the second strike. People poured out of rooms that had been instantly turned to charcoal.
“Crazy… looks like I picked the wrong day to visit.”
A girl who had just been walking toward the Moonlight Well couldn't help but tilt her head at the sight.