Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: The First Contract
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Stupidity and laziness weren't all that closely related. It was hard to say there was absolutely no connection, but being stupid didn't guarantee laziness, nor did laziness mean someone was stupid. There were plenty of lazy geniuses in the world, after all.
In that sense, Ian's brain going slightly haywire wasn't because he was innately dumb. His apathy had simply started affecting his cognitive abilities, making even thinking feel like a chore. His intelligence was fine.
It was an incredible side effect, one that could crush a mage's intellect flat. For most people, their brains would have melted into mush, leaving them incapable of anything. But Ian hadn't gone that far. He could think if he tried. He had just stopped, like some cosmic organism drifting through space.
Of course, anyone else wouldn't have been able to use magic in the first place. The moment they grabbed a grimoire, their body would balloon up and burst. What magic?
Even the flight spells common folk used—the most famous ones lasted only thirty seconds and caused temporary paralysis in the lower body. The value of Ian's spell was extraordinarily high. That was why mages didn't fly around; they used cars or motorcycles instead.
Anyway.
"Hmm."
Two hours after casting the flight spell, Ian felt his mind clearing and slowly sat up.
Whoosh...!
The wind blasting against him as he rode on the Circulator's back at high speed was fierce. It was hard to keep his eyes open, and his hair had been a mess for a while now. Still, he felt pretty good. He had always enjoyed speed, so a bit of wind didn't faze him.
His hair? Whatever. He wasn't trying to impress anyone. Ian stowed the clinging grimoire back in place, adjusted his position to match the Circulator's movements, and began thinking properly.
'If Eun-ha has pinpointed my location, no need to stray far from here. Wandering off might just complicate our paths.'
They had confirmed each other's existence through magic, but Ian didn't know Grandmother's exact position. Only she knew his.
He could backtrace the spell to find her, but that would take too long. Reverse-engineering magic wasn't easy; even for Ian, it would consume a full day.
And that was assuming a standard spell. A mage like Eun-ha, with Lemegeton, could easily weave confusion into the incantation to block tracking. Pinpointing her properly would take three or four days. Better to stay put than invest that time.
"Hold up."
Having sorted his thoughts, Ian patted the Circulator's back and spoke. Recognizing his voice, the Circulator skidded to a halt like it was drifting, scraping the asphalt with sparks and smoke flying.
[Grrr?]
The Circulator tilted its head as if asking why they stopped. Ian dismounted, stretched, and felt his stiff joints loosen satisfyingly.
"Just checking roughly where we are, so wait here. Eat anything that comes near."
[Grk!]
Nod, nod.
Ian lightly tapped the Circulator's vigorously nodding snout and scanned the surroundings. Nothing grand—just confirming if they had left Incheon yet.
Landmarks were out of the question. In a ruined world, what intact landmarks were left? With the airport and most infrastructure destroyed, none remained.
Figuring out their location took effort.
And that effort meant grabbing nearby cultists or Reptilians for interrogation.
"Y-You damned bastard!"
"S-Spare me! No need for humans to do this to each other!"
On the exposed asphalt road, Ian dragged a Reptilian and a cultist before the Circulator. The Reptilian had resisted fiercely, so he'd severed its arms. Lizard-like, it was already showing signs of regeneration, but he planned to kill it anyway, so no issue.
Ian drew his revolver, loaded the cylinder, and tilted his head. Behind him, the Circulator's low growl rumbled.
"Alright, you two. My head's not in the mood for deep thoughts, so straight to the point. Know exactly where this is?"
"This is Reptilian territory...! My kin saw you rampaging for hours...!"
The Reptilian spat. Ian scratched his head and fired into the stump of its severed arm. The cartel-made gun and bullets tore through its defenses like paper, pulverizing the muscle.
"Aaaagh?!"
The Reptilian, which had ignored the gun, widened its eyes at the brain-piercing pain. Ian turned to the cultist next.
"Know where this is?"
"...Our order's domain. It's not too late, spawn of hell! I see the light in your heart! Free yourself from the demon's guardian that controls yoooouuuuuaaagh!!"
The cultist, spouting nonsense, switched to screams as a bullet hit his thigh. Ian clicked his tongue and wagged the revolver.
'These guys have nerves of steel, blabbering even with a Circulator right there.'
Objectively, the Circulator looked terrifying. A normal person would foam at the mouth and pass out on sight.
But apocalypse dwellers, huh? They showed some fear but stuck to their spiel with strong convictions.
Was that admirable or stupid?
Whatever. Ian addressed the groaning pair again.
"Last chance. Where exactly is this?"
"I-Incheon Seo-gu!"
The cultist answered instantly. Ian's gaze turned to him.
"Seo-gu?"
"Y-Yes! Head left from here, and you'll hit our temple! Namdong-gu to the south has the city the Reptilians seized! The district with city hall!"
The cultist wailed, snot, spit, and tears streaming. Ian nodded, sat on the Circulator's forepaw, which it obligingly curled in.
"Good. Still in Incheon."
"Y-Yes! Exactly! If you need a guide, I can—"
"Don't need one."
"P-Pardon?"
The cultist blinked. Ian pressed the revolver to his forehead and pulled the trigger without another word.
Bang!!!
The massive gunshot blew the cultist's head clean off. His headless body slumped, and the Reptilian glared at Ian, hot blood splattering its face.
"...Killing kin so casually? Humans really should go extinct for everyone's sake."
"Yeah?"
Ian replied offhandedly and shot out both its eyes. The Reptilian tried blocking with its eyelids, but the bullets pierced easily, smashing the eyes and brain.
It died without further resistance. Ian holstered his gun, patted the Circulator's limb, and stood.
"Eat up."
[Grk!]
At permission, the Circulator buried its head in the corpses and started chomping. Ian sat on a relatively intact nearby bench to organize his thoughts. The side effects seemed mostly gone; aside from mild laziness, his mind worked fine.
'Confirmed we're in Incheon. No need to leave. Stick to moving within the city.'
If Grandmother came to Incheon, she'd spot the Circulator visually for sure. Distance might complicate it, but the Circulator moved fast. She'd see it at least once patrolling.
Worse case, summoning a demon would spread its aura everywhere. Tracking that would lead to her.
Either way, stay in Incheon. Ian remounted with the Circulator's help and summoned his grimoire.
He could wander aimlessly waiting for Eun-ha and Yuna, but now that felt boring. He'd craved lounging earlier, but with side effects faded, his body itched restlessly.
'Hunt Reptilians in Namdong-gu? Or sweep the cultists?'
Both appealing, but Reptilians edged out.
Cultists were baseline humans. Killing them offered no real gain. He wasn't a sadistic murderer getting thrills from kills. Better to hunt useful Reptilians for materials.
Humans were ideal for eyes, tongues, ears—but prioritize feeding the Circulator first. Hunt humans after; otherwise, it'd devour them all, headache ensued.
Reptilian corpses were hard to use anyway. Proper butchering changed that, but Ian hadn't learned it. Better to harvest via crude re-creation magic on them first.
'No idea how many Reptilians, but even a horde's no problem. Circulator can eat them all.'
Risk? None. Even nation-level Reptilians couldn't withstand one bite.
Grab a few for materials, feed the rest—belly full.
Pure profit. Ian finalized his plan and patted the Circulator.
"Let's go, Circulator. Namdong-gu. Just follow the Reptilian scent."
[Grrrng!]
The Circulator replied, blood dripping from its maw.
That was when.
"...Oh? What's that? Walter didn't mention anything like it."
A voice came from behind. Ian whipped around.
"...? Someone's riding it. A Reptilian evolution? No... human aura."
"... "
"Who are you?"
The voice's owner.
In a black gothic lolita dress, parasol in hand, she narrowed her eyes at Ian.
Ian frowned, recalling her mutter of "Walter."