This Actually Works?
I stared at the man's glowing hand. Mana Burn. It was the same technique the hero and I had demonstrated in the dining hall last time. A skill that burned mana to produce a bright light. Of course, it wasn't just about brightness. That would have been meaningless. Along with the light, the user gained one of seven special abilities. I roughly knew what his ability was. 'He's probably got the reinforcement ability.'
It allowed him to strengthen any object he desired. It was also the most common ability among second-awakened individuals. Thanks to that power, he had earned the name Iron Fist. He soon took a boxing stance. Whoosh—!! Whoosh—!! Then he displayed his flashy punching skills. To my surprise—Crackle-crackle-crackle—!! Crackle-crackle-crackle—!!—every Lightning Spear shattered before his fists. And his fists remained completely unscathed. It was unmistakably the display of a second-awakened warrior.
"Haha! How about that? Pretty cool, right?! This is what it means to be a real man!!" He swung his fists and shouted loudly, looking like some kind of dwarf boxer.
"Second-awakened fighters really aren't easy to deal with."
"Haha! Of course not. Still, you're pretty impressive yourself. A War Mage with that kind of skill... Anyone would mistake you for a Grand Mage like Constantine."
I didn't respond. Instead, I began preparing my next spell. 'Ordinary firepower won't cut it.' I thought of the strongest offensive magic I could currently use. Explosion. A spell that created a massive blast at a designated location. It was an intermediate spell, but among the highest tier of intermediate magic—bordering on advanced. And I could cast even that without chanting.
My hand soon glowed brightly. Then, to everyone's shock—
"Hup...!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!
A tremendous explosion erupted right in front of him. "Kyaaaaah!!" "Graaah!" "Huuuuurk!" The woman at the desk and all the fallen guards were sent flying. The destructive power was that immense. But it didn't end there. I kept firing the spell in rapid succession.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!! BOOOOOOOOOOM—!! BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!
It was something no ordinary mage could ever do. Only my overflowing mana and exceptional skill made it possible. 'That should be enough.' I launched about ten Explosions in total. Rumble. The first floor's wall had completely collapsed.
"Kyaaah! S-save me!!" "Wh-what do we do?!" "Th-the wall collapsed!!" The prostitutes inside came into view, all naked and frantically trying to cover themselves. The bathhouse must have been on that side. But my expression quickly soured. It wasn't the face of a man who had just seen naked bodies. Through the thick smoke, I sensed the presence of a dwarf.
Soon the dust settled, revealing the dwarf in a battered state. Aside from his clothes, however, he looked surprisingly intact. "Cough. Cough. Impressive. Truly impressive. Don't tell me... you're actually a Grand Mage?"
Amazingly, he had endured my ten consecutive Explosions. It was hard to believe. Of course, his fists were now bright red. He must have punched every single blast away. 'Impressive, Iron Fist.' He hadn't earned his reputation in the dwarf world for nothing.
I wore a slightly troubled expression. At this rate, I might have to draw my sword. And the moment I did, he would immediately realize my true identity. 'Do I have no choice but to kill him?' Killing an academy student carried significant risk. Especially one as famous as him. A royal investigation team would likely be dispatched. 'Tsk. That would cancel out a lot of my plans...'
While I stood there with a conflicted look, he suddenly charged at me with incredible speed. Whoosh—!! It happened in an instant. He had clearly decided to take me seriously. His speed far exceeded my expectations—nothing like the first-awakened Il Do-wang. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me, swinging his glowing fist.
I quickly deployed a Shield spell. Flash—!! My reaction was swift; a translucent barrier appeared before me. But—Crash—!!—it couldn't withstand his fist. His glowing knuckles effortlessly shattered my Shield and kept coming. It was a crisis. His fist reached my abdomen, brushing against the hem of my robe. Dodging at this range was nearly impossible.
A victorious grin spread across his face. He was certain of his win. And then I—whoosh—easily sidestepped his attack by simply rotating my body to the right.
"Huh...?" His expression was one of disbelief. Mine was the same. 'Damn... I dodged it by accident.' Without thinking, I had moved like a third-awakened being.
"......You dodged that?" He looked stunned, but quickly regained his composure. "Th-then try dodging this!" He swung again. Once more his fist came within inches of my face. And once more—whoosh—I leisurely avoided it.
"Y-you dodged that too?!" He kept attacking with a bewildered look, and I continued to evade each strike with minimal movement, as if reading the flow of his attacks. It was not the kind of display expected from a second-awakened warrior or a high-ranking mage. His face hardened, and he stopped in place.
I wore a troubled expression. 'He figured it out, didn't he?' He had likely realized I was third-awakened. 'Very few people use both third awakening and magic...' At this point, my identity was practically exposed. I immediately put on a cold expression. I would have to eliminate him to keep his mouth shut. 'Should I kill the prostitutes too?' It looked like tonight would involve quite a bit of bloodshed. My mood sank instantly.
I moved my arm with a chilling expression, reaching for the sword hidden beneath my robe. The moment I drew it, a massacre would begin. But just then—
"I-I'm sorry, Grand Mage! I-I was arrogant and failed to recognize you!" I stopped at his booming voice. "Hmm?"
"The way you instantly layered magic over your entire body in that moment of crisis and read the flow of mana to dodge my attacks... You must be a Grand Mage!"
He was clearly under a serious misunderstanding. I had simply dodged. I hadn't used any of the magic he described. Still, it was something a Grand Mage could plausibly do. Constantine probably could have avoided the attacks exactly as he described. 'This actually works?' My mind raced. He had jumped to conclusions because of my overwhelming skill. Or perhaps because he knew too much about Grand Mages, he had been fooled. Either way, it wasn't a bad situation. In fact, it was quite good.
I nodded calmly and spoke in a composed tone. "Hoh, your insight is remarkable." It was an act, but one that came easily to a mercenary like me.
"Th-thank you!" He actually thanked me, completely convinced I was a Grand Mage. 'He must be the type who's weak to strong people.' That worked in my favor. I immediately gave him an arrogant order. I couldn't afford to give him time to think.
"Then step aside. I need to meet the owner of this place." "Th-the owner? I-I'll guide you!" "Hmm? You will? Very well."
I nodded. There was no reason to refuse his offer. I also noticed the worry etched on his face. 'Is he worried I might harm the owner?' He seemed to have a close relationship with the owner. That was probably why he could use this place for free. 'So that's how it was. Now I understand.' In a way, the brothel owner had played their cards well—offering free service to a second-awakened warrior in exchange for protection. They were no ordinary person. 'I'm looking forward to meeting them.' I walked forward with curiosity. If they seemed competent... 'I might consider recruiting them like Robin.'
***
The brothel owner was indeed no ordinary person. I wore a slightly startled expression. "Tila!!" "Dubalton!!" Whoosh—!! The two dwarves embraced the moment they met. Crack—!! "Hup!!" I even heard something snap. 'I-is this how dwarves hug?' Dubalton had a pained look on his face—more agony than when he had taken my Explosions. It was truly monstrous strength.
Anyway, the female dwarf appeared to be the owner. 'A dwarf running a brothel?' It was an unexpected sight. I had never imagined such a thing. Dwarves were stereotypically associated with forges, and most of them did indeed run one. But a brothel... 'So that's why the building was so ornate.' I had wondered whose craftsmanship it was—it must have been hers. All my questions were being answered at once. The owner hadn't used some clever strategy. 'It wasn't a premium marketing tactic. She just built a pretty house because she's a dwarf.' And she hadn't offered Dubalton free service on purpose either. The two of them were clearly lovers. Anyone could see it. In short... I had misunderstood everything.
I let out a sigh. 'I was going to try recruiting them as a subordinate...' If they had been sharp, I might have used them like Robin. But that didn't seem necessary anymore. Their embrace finally ended. She looked at me with a slightly fearful expression.