Mana possesses infinite possibilities depending on the individual's capabilities.
Even without borrowing the form of magic, one could simply emit an overwhelming amount of mana to intimidate the opponent, or spread mana to sense the surroundings.
Furthermore, if one's control over mana reaches a certain level, they can form a magic circle without any tools.
A tracking magic circle, Trace.
Though hastily made, unless the target is a particularly sensitive mage, they wouldn't notice it easily. And those guys didn't have anyone like that.
When he struck the assassin with his staff, he secretly etched the magic circle onto the outer robe. The fact that its effect hadn't dissipated yet was the proof.
Verden stepped into the building after breaking the entrance.
Dust floated in the sunlight. Spreading his mana, he instantly grasped the structure of the building.
Jason hurriedly followed him inside.
"W-what are you doing all of a sudden?! They said you were a crazy mage, and you really—"
"It's this way."
Ignoring Jason's words, Verden stepped into a small storage room along the wall.
It was filled with old furniture and junk. Using telekinesis, he flung everything outside, revealing an old floor hatch.
Though there were no visible traces of tampering, the lingering presence of the magic circle clearly pointed downward.
Verden spoke to Jason.
"There's an underground passage below. Judging by its direction and size, it seems to connect beyond the city. Do you know anything about this?"
"...Not at all."
A passage leading outside the city?
It may be a small tunnel, but it was a serious breach in security. If demi-humans like goblins were to sneak into the city through this…
Jason gripped his sword hilt tightly.
"We must shut it down immediately."
"Chasing the assassin comes first."
If they follow the passage, they might figure out what those guys are after, and why they created this route.
Verden took his staff in hand.
It wasn't the temporarily borrowed iron staff, but a custom-made one.
It was originally scheduled to be completed two days later due to a backlog, but during his interrogation, Verden had insisted it was necessary, forcing the blacksmith to rush its completion.
Thanks to that, he didn't have to wait his turn.
'The weight feels just right.'
As Verden spun the staff lightly, Jason spoke.
"You're saying we're going after them just the two of us? We should call the knights…"
"If they won't come, I'll go alone."
Crash! Verden tore open the floor hatch and leapt into the darkness without hesitation. Jason felt a headache coming on from the sheer recklessness.
"Damn it, mages…"
Sighing, he drew his sword. No matter what, he couldn't let his escort target go alone. He was a knight, after all.
Jason followed Verden into the darkness.
***
Theon, who had barely escaped, spent the night at a hideout.
His side had been severely cut, and going straight to the lab would surely leave traces. He stitched the wound himself and used an emergency potion he had prepared.
Only after several hours could he move properly again.
'I delayed too long.'
He had not only failed the assassination, but also lost contact?
If he went back now, the Doctor might really throw a test subject at him. Or worse—use him as the subject.
'Maybe I should just run.'
No, that wouldn't work. Theon shook his head.
Even if he ran, he couldn't escape the fangs of Gluttony. Taken as a child and raised to be an assassin, he knew that better than anyone.
He entered the secret passage hidden outside the city. Not a speck of dust was disturbed—the level of his concealment ability was beyond professional.
Though the darkness was deep, there was only one path, so it wasn't a problem. When he reached the end, he opened the door and stepped inside.
'Damn it.'
…The lab was a complete mess.
He moved silently, masking his footsteps, and saw the Doctor sitting with bloodshot eyes. When Theon made his presence known, the doctor lifted his head.
"You're here?"
"..."
"You're late. Very late. I looked into it thinking you'd died, and somehow, you've become a celebrity. What, are you advertising your assassinations now?"
The Doctor suffered from extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder.
He didn't care if his experiments failed. But when his subordinates didn't obey his will, he flew into a rage.
The number of subordinates the Doctor had thrown to the test subjects easily surpassed what two hands could count. That's why the lab was empty.
"Explain. Briefly, and clearly."
Theon immediately began speaking.
Though the Doctor had no extraordinary physical strength, he held a high position in Gluttony. If Theon killed him in a fit of anger, his own life would be forfeit.
Listening to the explanation—no, the excuse—the Doctor furrowed his brow.
"So. That crazy mage just let you go?"
"I didn't get let go—I escaped."
Clang! The Doctor, lost in thought, hurled a flask.
A mage who blew off a rooftop and used magic in the middle of a city gave up chasing because of a smoke screen, or because soldiers arrived? As someone overly cautious, the Doctor found that hard to believe.
And then, one possibility came to mind.
'No way…!'
Eyes wide, the Doctor shouted at Theon.
"Take off your clothes! Right now!"
"Huh? What are you…"
"Shut up and hurry!"
The doctor grabbed Theon's clothes and immediately threw them into the flames. They were made from the hide of a rare magical beast, not something cheap…
Moments later, blue mana could be seen dispersing from the clothes. The doctor's expression twisted as he clenched his teeth hard.
'Our location's been exposed.'
Which meant they'd been detected by the Ark. It wouldn't be long before they stormed this laboratory.
No matter what, he couldn't let his research fall into the enemy's hands.
Damn it, the doctor had to make a choice.
"We're leaving immediately. I'll take care of the test subjects, you shut down this lab completely. Leave no trace behind. You can handle that much, right?"
"Yes, understood."
"I'll deal with your responsibility afterward."
…Boom!
Just then, a tremor rang out.
As if an earthquake had struck, the ground began to shake slightly. A precariously perched flask fell and shattered.
The tremor didn't stop there. The sound grew clearer, and they could feel the source getting closer. Even the doctor, with only average physical ability, could sense it.
This was no earthquake.
"…Don't tell me, already?"
BOOM! The doctor's voice was drowned out by the explosion. Dust surged into the air.
When he opened his eyes, the room connected to the secret passage was destroyed, and from the debris, two figures emerged.
"Found you."
***
A man with black hair. Though his face was unfamiliar, he was definitely the assassin from yesterday. Which meant the man beside him must be the doctor.
Even without considering the situation, the white lab coat and round glasses made it obvious he was a researcher.
The doctor narrowed his brows at the sight of Verden.
"So you're the insane mage? Not only did you interfere with my experiments twice and kill Sergen, you even dared to track me here. And with just one half-witted knight in tow. Even if you came from the Ark, this arrogance is absurd."
"What? Who's half-witted?!"
Jason bristled, but no one paid him any attention.
Verden focused on the word "Ark," which he'd heard back in the goblin cave.
Piecing together the information so far, it seemed the doctor was hostile to an organization called the Ark, and had mistaken Verden as one of its agents.
'Might be worth using that.'
It would make extracting information easier.
Verden didn't deny the doctor's assumption. He didn't respond at all. Interrogation could come after they were subdued.
Instead, he summoned his mana.
A rocky spear shot toward the doctor's leg.
He didn't intend to kill him outright—he had questions. Theon intercepted, swinging his dagger fiercely.
CLANG! The deflected spell pierced through the wall. The heavy impact made the dagger ring. The doctor, calmly brushing off his clothes, glared at Theon.
"Theon, you've ruined everything."
"…I apologize."
"It can't be helped. Things have come to this, we'll have to move up the plan. Take responsibility and stall them as long as you can."
The doctor retreated deeper into the lab.
Verden aimed another spell at his legs, but Theon blocked flawlessly.
Using high-powered magic could kill the doctor by accident. So clearing away obstacles came first.
Verden activated his entire mana circuit. Mana surged in his blue eyes.
At that moment, Jason stepped forward with his sword.
"I'll handle things here. Please go after the other one."
"Understood."
Verden rose into the air using flight.
Jason, stunned by how readily Verden accepted, smacked his lips and readied his sword.
'Come to think of it, it's been a while since my last real battle.'
Still, he was confident. After all, he was the second-ranking knight of Martes, and once a scholarship student at the academy—even if it was only for one semester.
Jason activated his aura and kicked off the ground.
Clang! Their blades clashed, sparks flying.
Using that moment, Verden gave chase to the doctor, and Theon focused on the knight in front of him, not even thinking of stopping Verden.
Since there was only one path, tracking the doctor was simple.
After passing through a fairly cluttered area, Verden saw a door wide open at the end of the hallway.
'Suspicious.'
But there was no other way forward.
As he passed through the doorway, a stench hit his nose, enough to twist his expression. Using suggestion, Verden enhanced his vision and saw the doctor.
"Ha, just as I thought. A failure who couldn't even do his job properly, no surprise. So, mage, what do you think of my creations?"
The doctor spread his arms wide.
On both sides, behind iron bars, were cages filled with demi-humans. All of them had twisted mouths—identical to the clown orcs and goblins.
"What is this?"
"Demi-humans I evolved in my own way. They've got their flaws, so I was planning to dispose of them, but they're useful enough. Especially for taking care of intruders."
Clang! All the iron bars opened simultaneously.
Drooling, the clown-like creatures began crawling out. A transparent wall rose in front of the doctor.
"Please, enjoy my masterpieces at your leisure. Now then, I'll be on my way, mad mage."
Orcs, goblins, kobolds, even trolls. This would be more than enough to kill that young mage. And even if he survived, he'd burn through all his mana, leaving him unable to pursue.
Either way, the doctor had no intention of ever meeting that mage again.
With a smile on his lips, the doctor calmly disappeared.
[GRRRAAAAH!]
[KEEEEHEHE!]
Once the doctor vanished, the demi-humans began attacking each other. Biting, slashing, stomping, bursting.
Among them, several who caught the scent of a human turned toward Verden.
'If I take them out one by one, I'll be here all night.'
There were easily more than 50 of them. Since they were experiments, some of them could likely heal by eating flesh.
He needed a powerful strike.
A massive surge of water swept across, swallowing the surroundings.
The demi-humans were rolled across the ground, and water soaked everything. The furious creatures fixed their savage gazes on Verden.
The sound of countless wet footsteps filled the room.
Crackle—!
Verden's mana shifted, and blue lightning echoed around him. A charging goblin burned to death in its tracks. The intense blue glow filled every corner.
Verden pointed his fingertip at the heart of the crowd.
A bolt of lightning exploded forth, engulfing every demi-human in a straight line.