Chapter 50
Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 050
Chapter Title: An Absurd Existence
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After the meeting ended.
Riding his personal helicopter back home, Councilor Rockton gazed at the nightscape of the 8th Special District visible through the window and mulled it over.
'Kyle Clark has no clue about this whole mess, does he.'
His prosthetic eye could only detect lies based on the subtle physical tells humans gave off when fibbing—it couldn't peer into the hidden thoughts or intentions lurking behind a tight-lipped opponent's expression.
Still, as far as he could tell, Kyle seemed utterly oblivious to the current situation involving the Marshall Family.
'Is it an act? Or does he really know nothing?'
He'd even considered the possibility that Kyle Clark's very existence was Mayor Luther's foresight-laid trap for exactly this kind of scenario.
Councilor Rockton let out a quiet groan.
'Whatever the case, the fact that someone from Marshall wanted to back that guy means there's a connection somewhere.'
Above all, Rockton put a lot of stock in his gut instincts.
'Infighting within Luther...'
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Clark siblings were tangled up in it.
With that in mind, he dialed a number.
Soon enough, a click as the call connected.
The councilor spoke up.
"Yeah, Inspector."
It was none other than Inspector Yenitz on the other end.
Rockton tore his eyes from the night view and asked,
Regarding the Level 1 database access request to the Surveillance Bureau.
"Made your decision yet?"
Two days later.
12th Administrative District, Southern Zone 5.
Kyle arrived on-site via the Intelligence Agency's top-spec stealth chopper, only to pull a baffled face at the snow dumping down.
"What the hell? Why's it winter solo here?"
"...? You serious? You don't know?"
Rain—who was tagging along for this op too—fired up her implant's thermal regulator and explained.
"The 12th District's south end's got this freak mana climate that dumps snow nonstop. Left alone, it'd screw with the weather everywhere nearby, so licensed mages swing by on the regular with central approval to tweak the barrier."
Licensed mages meant citizens who'd gotten the official green light from the Magic Tower and City Hall.
They had to bunk at the Tower for a stint before going pro, but that was just bureaucracy—really no different from rogue casters.
"Ugh, it's fucking freezing."
Now it clicked why the chopper'd been stocked with cold-weather gear.
Kyle pushed ahead, and Meat—the fresh pull from Response Team 2—griped to Mask and Rain.
"C'mon, even so, sending a heavy hitter criminal into an op like this is... "
"Shut it!"
"Shut that trap?!"
"?????"
Curses hit him like lightning. Meat blinked hard.
Rain—face gone ghost-white—stormed up and yanked his collar viciously.
"You trying to jinx somebody right now, asshole?"
"Huh???"
"Quit yapping about 'heavy criminal' bullshit and tag along. You'll be kissing his ass in thanks later. Got me?"
"Uh..."
"Got me, motherfucker?"
Like, were these the same cocky 1st Team hotshots from HQ?
Meat nodded, face screaming this ain't right.
"Yessir. Loud and clear."
Kyle called back to them then.
"What's with the huddle? We moving or not?"
"Whoa! Yeah! Gotta go. Uh, just briefing this idiot real quick."
Rain hustled to Kyle's side, jabbing a thumb at Meat.
"That dumbass is Team 2 import. Kinda dense."
"Ah, the infamous 'torture guy'?"
"Eh, close enough. Cut him slack if he fucks up."
"Sure thing."
"......"
Meat—now torture officer by default—glanced at Mask.
"This for real?"
Mask nodded.
"Deadass, dipshit. Guaranteed."
Spat on the ground nearby like it pissed him off.
Meat trailed Rain out, utterly baffled.
"...The fuck's everyone's deal?"
They reached the site.
"Something's definitely off."
Rain muttered, hunkered in the brush, IR binos sweeping the Waterloo Corp factory.
"Way too locked down for a standard plant."
Just the outer security bots in view: over thirty already.
Mask tsked sharply.
"Stealth infil's a no-go."
"Means we blitz 'em then..."
Enemy numbers looked beefy. Breaking through resistance'd burn time no matter what.
Kyle—a lightbulb popping—raised a hand.
"Hold up."
"??"
He pulled up his Lightning Magic skill tree right there.
Unlocked lightning spells: just two total.
[Bio Discharge] and [Penetration Shock].
He zeroed in on the second.
'Could overcharge Thunder Bolt, sure... but...'
Factory cover everywhere, bots scattered—not ideal.
'Too damn showy besides.'
Overcharged thunder spear packed punch, but that night-sky lightshow? Nightmare fuel.
'Needed a ranged AOE anyway.'
No hesitation—he dumped the points.
'Oh.'
Didn't expect it, but boom—ranged stealth assassinator unlocked.
Another popup followed.
Cool new toy, but mission first.
'Circle that for later.'
Kyle dismissed the alerts and thought,
'More charge, more targets...'
He triggered [Penetration Shock] on the spot. A weird tingle prickled up through the bushes.
"!?"
Response Team gawked at him—that's when it hit.
Mana charged endlessly into the spell. An unnatural vibe coiled around Kyle.
Meat—the newbie—freaked.
'Wha—what's he gearing up for?'
Mana capped out. Hands planted, eyes locked in focus, Kyle snapped 'em open.
'Now...!'
Dozens of bolts drilled from his fingertips deep into the earth.
That razor mana lanced the factory like chain lightning.
Kwajijik, Pang!
Blue thunder spears shattered snow, skewering dozens of sec-bots at once.
Peng! Puffuffuffung!
CPUs blew like clockwork tin cans.
"!!"
Meat's jaw hit the floor.
"F-Fuckin' nuts..."
Rain and Mask too, no doubt.
They frantically IR-scanned the perimeter—could only whistle in awe.
'Nuking dozens in a blink's wild, but...'
The real terror? Pin-drop silence through it all.
Bots scrapped before alarms even beeped.
Rain shuddered at the surgical precision.
'Wh-where'd they dig up this monster...!'
Stealth op pro, even.
Kyle turned to them.
"Hit the factory before sec team clocks the glitch."
"R-Right. Yeah."
He bolted ahead. Rain eyed Meat, hand slashing her throat.
"Saw that?"
"Yap and you're meat."
Meat nodded like a bobblehead.
Meanwhile, a masked figure reported on the mass signal drop of the sec-bots.
"Boss. It's them."
The gray-haired "boss" muttered,
"Intel checks out."
Marshall Family'd bankrolled talents across sectors for ages—their reach blanketed Dun City.
Intelligence Agency? No exception.
Even with siloed data by division, forensics team was mandatory for key ops.
Second they greenlit cyberbrain forensics on Noble Gibson? Marshall had their play.
"Prep."
"Yes, sir!"
Masked killers fanned out.
The boss turned.
"Morons."
Clueless they were waltzing into a killbox.
Gray-hair drew his cursed blade—reeking menace, glowing alien from its rusted edge after devouring 100+ souls.
"Bearwolf, though..."
Never dreamed he'd bag the great wolf himself.
Assassin legend material.
"Perfect."
Sheathed it again, he said,
"Wonder what the famed wolf's face does when death stares him down."
The masker chuckled despite himself.
"Can't wait."
His creepy cackle filled the dim sec room.
"Split into two now."
Rain post-infil.
"Briefed it: one grabs factory DB, other's warehouse sweep."
Unshipped mil-implants? Evidence gold.
"Your pick?"
Kyle hummed, then,
"Warehouse me."
"Roger. Server room us. Radio dark—RV in 20 at LZ."
Kyle double-checked layout on his terminal, nodded.
"20 RV. Good copy."
"Watch your six."
Mask chipped in,
"Think we need that advice, boss."
"......"
Fair.
Kyle smirked.
"Catch ya."
"Huh? Y-Yeah. Later."
Split from Rain's crew, he Wereking Stepped smooth.
Wall-scaled the factory zippy.
Warehouse loomed quick.
Enemy sweep clear. Stuck to the outer wall, he muttered,
"Alarm overdue."
Patrol bots all toast outside.
This tight? Duty guards aplenty.
Sec room blind? Sketchy.
"Hmph."
Fishy, but no stalling.
Scaled up, window hop-in. Scanned.
Dead quiet guts.
Soft landing on dark floor—
Whiiine, KWAANG!!
"...!!"
Crushing pressure slammed his whole frame.
Glanced down—scowled.
Faint-glowing black rune on the deck.
'Magic circle?'
And yep.
Dozens chains surged from everywhere.
Snapped his limbs in a blink.
"...Got you!"
Gray-hair mask dropped from nowhere, longsword whistling murder.
PAAAAAANG!!
Chill whoosh—blade ghosted his chest clean through.
Instant sword gale ravaged round 'em.
Ku, KWAAAAANG!!
"......"
"......"
"......"
Then dead hush.
Cursed sword crumbled post-job. Leader grinned ear-to-ear.
'Clean cut...!'
Sensation flawless.
'That'll do it...'
Bearwolf or not—deader than dead.
Soul snipped before he even registered.
"Hahahaha..."
Lifted head for the shock-and-awe face—
"...The hell?"
Froze solid at the butcher staring down unscratched.
"Eh?"
Warehouse echoed one dumb query.
Eyes bugged, he panic-checked his sword.
Half-blade gone—duty done.
Proof positive it worked.
Assassin stuttered,
"H-How."
Crane-necked Kyle, disbelief total.
"Hit... hit him square...?"
"Beats me what's up, but..."
Kyle wrenched the chains binding his limbs with raw grip.
"Lights out first."
"?!"
Words dropped—lightning apocalypse everywhere synced.
"Son of a bi—!"
KWAAAAAANG!!
```