Episode 1044

Episode 1044

Listening to the curses hurled by the leather shopkeeper behind him, Lee Han turned away with a bitter feeling.

‘What an unfortunate situation.’

It would have been one thing for someone else, but of all people, he ran into Professor Voladi.

It could truly be called a colossal misfortune.

“Wait. But doesn’t this mean the other arenas might have gone out of business too?”

“……”

For the first time, Professor Voladi hesitated. Lee Han was appalled at the sight.

No way?!

• * *

Fortunately, there was at least one underground arena that hadn’t gone out of business.

Of course, before finding that arena, Professor Voladi had to visit three more defunct arenas.

-You captured all the bosses, and now you want an arena?! Everyone’s scattered!

-Spare me! I don’t have any bounties on my head! I don’t have any weapons either! Please, just not that magic—!

-Ah. Are you that battle mage? Thanks to you, I was able to buy this tavern cheap. The guild guys who used to be here were completely freaked out.

“Found it. Let’s go in.”

‘Can you really call this “found”?’

Lee Han thought to himself.

With a method like this, even he or Professor Garcia could probably find one.

Just grab any mercenary on the street who looks like a criminal, string them up upside down, and shout, ‘Tell me where the underground arena entrance is!’

Click—

The entrance to the underground arena this time was hidden by the sewers near the slums.

After passing through a dark tunnel built with old, round stones, you had to knock three times on a stone painted red, and a secret door would open from inside.

When the door opened, a fairly bright light spilled out from within. It seemed that not only torches but also magical light sources were used abundantly.

-Is that all you’ve got? Put more on the line, bastard!

-Get your hand off my card! Anyone who covets this Spirit Hall card, I’ll chew your heart out!

-Aim lower! Aim for the lower part! Not the ones with the shield above!

At the far end of the long hallway, there was a raucous uproar.

It was clear that all kinds of gambling were being conducted, from magician cards to underground arena matches.

A guild member at the arena, stacking dirty silver coins in a messy pile on the counter, counted out the numbers and noticed the new guests.

“Who introduced you?”

“Has a Gorgon hybrid been here?”

“Who? Don’t know them. Who’s your reference?”

A menacing undertone began to creep into the man’s voice. He was clearly starting to suspect them as shady individuals, not paying customers.

Lee Han gripped his staff. But Professor Voladi was a step faster.

Bang!

The guild member slammed his head into the counter and passed out. At the same time, Professor Voladi drove a powerful telepathic wave into everyone inside.

Don’t move!

People who sensed something was wrong from the overwhelming psychic pressure quickly dropped to the floor.

The fearless or stupid tried to curse and go for weapons at their waist.

“Split, oh Perkuntra’s lightning!”

After pushing himself to the limit through several 5th Circle spells during the first semester, Lee Han naturally improvised a spell he hadn’t even learned.

The magic just cast was a modified version of Perkuntra’s lesser lightning spell, strengthened and condensed, then forcibly split and fired scattershot-style, like a shotgun blast.

Strictly speaking, it was “Perkuntra’s Chain Lightning.” It was about a 4th Circle spell.

Crackle!

As lightning pierced several people, they rolled on the ground with agonizing screams. Lee Han kept up the pressure, activating his stored magic. Lightning Spear and Thunder Cloak were cast, causing static discharge around him.

“Stay back! Approach and I’ll attack!”

“You’re the one who attacked first, you crazy bastard!”

“…Hmm!”

Lee Han was momentarily lost for words, unable to respond.

Because magicians are vulnerable to ambush, Professor Voladi had chosen to strike first, but it must have felt very rude to the criminal guild members here.

‘But it can’t be helped.’

He couldn’t just take hits once a fight broke out. Lee Han summoned a medium-sized skeleton golem made from dragon’s teeth.

Crunch!

As the golem wreaked destruction in the not-so-large underground arena, guild members who’d come out with crossbows to target the mages were cursing up a storm.

“Hey, you damned magician bastard!!”

“What are you so pissed about that you’re smashing up the place?!”

“…Umm!”

Lee Han felt like explaining, ‘Given the chaos and the fact that I’m defending with Thunder Cloak and telekinesis, I brought out a summoned creature in case a magic arrow or bolt flies in from long range and causes unexpected harm.’

But with half the arena’s facilities already destroyed, the chance for that was long gone. He gave up and ordered destruction.

“Wipe out anyone who’s still standing!”

The lightly armed arena guild members were swept away like balls, unable to subdue the golem. Lee Han kept up the pressure with “Raven’s Evil Eye.” Enemies struck by the curse fell and collapsed from poisoning.

“W-What…!”

“Did the entire Mage Tower come in?!”

Guild members rushing from connected rooms were baffled by the situation.

Lightning flashed everywhere, a big golem was trashing the center of the arena, and their armed comrades were collapsing even though they hadn’t been hit, as if under some curse.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t violence a couple of mages could inflict.

It was wanton violence, as if the whole Mage Tower had come in rampaging!

Why were they doing this to such an extent?

‘Did someone kidnap a mage or something?? But no one did!’

“Sword, of Bible’s…”

As Lee Han prepared to cast the recently learned “Bible’s Flying Sword” to finish things off, Professor Voladi, who had just returned, spoke up.

“She’s not here.”

“Oh. Really?”

While his disciple dealt with the guild members at the center, Professor Voladi had subdued all the inner guild members and finished checking.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes.”

After the two magicians disappeared, suffocating silence fell.

The remaining customers slipped out quietly. The guild members sprawled everywhere didn’t even think of threatening or catching them, just stared blankly.

Someone muttered,

“…Those damn crazy magicians…!”

• * *

To be honest, it wasn’t so surprising for Eandurde not to be in the first underground arena.

The capital was one of the largest cities in the empire, and the crime running below its surface was in proportion.

There were probably well over a dozen big and small underground arenas in just the slum areas.

But when she didn’t show in the second underground arena, Lee Han started to have doubts.

“Could it be that Eandurde went to another illegal arena? Not this one…”

‘Shouldn’t you have thought of that before trashing them all?’

The collapsed guild member next to him inwardly swore with his eyes closed. If he opened them, he feared the mages would beat him up again.

Who the hell is this Gorgon hybrid???

But Professor Voladi shook his head.

“That’s not likely.”

There could also be such arenas in areas outside the slums.

But people like Eandurde couldn’t easily enter those. Some form of ID and guarantee was required.

It was most likely the arena in this district, where entrance was comparatively easy and where Eandurde was familiar.

“Hm. Let me ask. Is there another illegal arena around here?”

Lee Han asked a guild member, who was feigning unconsciousness with closed eyes. Realizing he’d been caught, the guild member blurted hastily.

“There! I heard there’s a group near the ranch under the road! Please spare me!”

“Thank you.”

“Those guys are really bad! Please punish them!!”

“Will do.”

With the guild member’s support, Lee Han moved on with Professor Voladi again.

But this time things were a little different.

At the third underground arena, their guild members came out to meet them.

“We don’t have any Gorgon hybrid here!”

News that the mad hunter butcher was rampaging about had put the arena guild members, disguised as a ranch, on extreme alert.

Normally, they’d have tried to resolve things with force, but this time the opponent was just too much.

According to rumors, someone was searching for a Gorgon hybrid and demolishing everything in the process…

• Didn’t they not use to go this crazy? Why are they destroying everything now?
• Does that matter? If anyone here bought a Gorgon hybrid, speak up fast. If we find out later you hid them, we’ll skin you alive!

After checking the books and even the back pockets of the guild members, they were sure of it.

They really didn’t have anything like a Gorgon hybrid.

A little relieved, the guild members were waiting on the trail leading up to the ranch hill and shouted out to them.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. If you don’t believe us, we can let you check.”

“…Uh, are you a guild officially licensed by the empire, by chance?”

Lee Han asked in confusion.

The criminals were just way too polite and friendly.

The guild members’ faces twisted as if they were chewing something bitter.

Having a mad mage turn every guild they went to into scorched earth, then have the nerve to say something like that—it turned their insides upside down.

‘Bastard!’

“Begin.”

Professor Voladi said to Lee Han in a quiet voice.

It was because Lee Han had requested, ‘Please give a signal before starting any attack.’

“??”

The guild members, not understanding what “begin” meant, hesitated. In that instant, both mages disappeared.

Bang!

The initial assault was sharp and precise. The fallen guild members couldn’t even realize they’d been hit by illusory magical blades to their vital points before collapsing.

Then came the unrestrained violence of untamed magic.

The disciple, who lacked the confidence of his master, made no concessions. He kept firing off spells on edge, worried he might be counterattacked at any moment.

“Bast…ards…”

While someone was muttering, Professor Voladi had already slipped into and out of the arena.

And returned a moment later.

“Not here.”

‘So this is what a pro does.’

Lee Han felt he understood why Professor Voladi didn’t accept the guild members’ offer; instead, he subdued them and searched directly.

Such suggestions are only reliable when dealing with people you can trust.

You couldn’t ally with suspicious types like these guild members of unknown motives.

They could have hidden Eandurde elsewhere and played innocent, or staged an ambush once you went inside at the most advantageous moment.

The key was never to lose the initiative.

‘I learned something. I shouldn’t let my guard down so easily either.’

No matter how sweet the offer, you must never accept it as is…

Flick—

A paper bird flew in.

Lee Han caught and opened it. The handwriting was Professor Garcia’s.

“What is it?”

“…Eandurde is with Professor Garcia right now? She went to an old, defunct arena to get some money she had hidden there…”

“I see. Let’s go back.”

Lee Han blamed himself deeply.

If only he’d trusted Eandurde a little more, he wouldn’t have jumped to the reckless conclusion that she’d gone to the underground arenas for gold.

‘I should have trusted her a little more.’

“……”

“……”

The guild members sprawled out half-dead shivered at the backs of the two magicians.

They were such relentless types that not even a shadow wanted to touch them.