ushernet Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Chapter 79: The Special Operations Division (4)
Veronica Fricks took a small, deep breath.
‘That guy stronger than me? Ridiculous.’
She scoffed at the idea.
It had been two years since she reached Level 4.
Back in her academy days, supported by the White Tower, she had already been an intermediate mage in her final year.
‘I hate to say this myself, but I have talent.’
And she wasn’t some lazy, overindulgent fool basking in that talent.
She was confident, proud, and absolutely sure: no mage had worked harder than her in the past two years.
‘I’ve never skipped my morning training, not even once.’
She avoided outings, knowing even a cold might disrupt her training.
She rigorously managed herself, pushing her body to the brink of overwork.
‘I may not have reached Level 5 yet, nor can I claim to surpass Killian, but...’
At the very least, she prided herself on being one of the top two Level 4 mages of the White Tower.
That pride was her fortress, built through endless effort, and the driving force to keep going tomorrow.
‘Watch closely.’
A mage who had only just reached Level 4 three months ago?
Even with talent, there was no way to overcome two years of effort infused with blood, sweat, and tears.
Narrowing her sharp eyes, she opened her mouth.
“Bring it on.”
“...”
At her words, Fran glanced back at Oscar.
“Why are you looking at me? Look at Veronica.”
“Uh, are you sure it’s okay to use that?”
“What are you suddenly talking about now? When you fought me, you blasted away like you wanted me dead.”
“Well... that’s because I was sure you wouldn’t die no matter what.”
“Same with Veronica. She might get hurt, sure, but she definitely won’t die.”
Oscar warned him with a stern expression.
“Attack her at full power. If you hold back, you might be the one who ends up hurt.”
“...Sorry, I think I got ahead of myself.”
That single statement snapped Fran back to his senses.
Turning to face forward again, he readied himself.
Although she was prepared to cast magic at any moment with her quick-cast ability, Veronica didn’t attack first.
Her posture conveyed one thing.
‘She’s telling me to reveal my cards first.’
Whatever it was, she was ready to crush it head-on.
It was understandable.
After all, hearing someone weaker claim they were stronger would surely get under anyone’s skin.
“Alright... Here I come.”
With that, Fran untied the cord around his waist.
‘A whip?’
Veronica’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected weapon.
Mages from the White Tower typically didn’t use such tools.
‘If I recall, whip users are mostly from the speed-focused factions of the Yellow Tower.’
One thing was clear: a whip didn’t seem to complement the White Tower’s wind magic.
‘A whip relies on speed-based attacks.’
If she could block just the first strike, she could unleash a barrage of spells before he could recover the whip.
‘I just need to block it once.’
She heightened her concentration, tracking Fran’s movements down to the subtlest details:
the positioning of his feet, the rise and fall of his chest with each breath, every little clue.
Finally, his body moved.
‘The ankle.’
The first motion wasn’t his arm but his ankle.
It twisted, followed by his calf, thigh, pelvis, and waist in smooth succession.
The force traveled through his body, culminating in his shoulder turning as he struck.
“Dance of Steel.”
Crack!
The sound wasn’t something a simple whip could produce.
It echoed like the sky splitting apart, ringing in her ears like a song of doom.
“...!”
Instinctively, Veronica deployed a Wind Shield.
‘No, that’s not enough.’
She quickly layered two 『Air Cushions』 between them, used 『Wind Shield』 to slow the whip’s approach,
and finally, formed three layers of 『Wind Shields』 for an impenetrable defense.
Yet she had no brilliant plan to escape this situation either.
All she could do now was sit in his dingy room, spewing curses and drinking heavily.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sudden knocking at the door made her snap her head around.
"You bastard! I told you, I’ll pay it all when I leave—!"
But as she yanked the door open, she trailed off mid-sentence.
The person standing in the hallway wasn’t the innkeeper.
It was a man in a suit, hands clasped behind his back, smiling.
A complete stranger.
"...Get lost. You must have the wrong room."
Just as she was about to shut the door, a polite voice slipped through the crack.
"Ms. Maine. Don’t you want revenge?"
Pause.
He knew her name.
And from the mention of revenge, this man clearly knew her circumstances.
Snapping herself out of her drunken haze with a flicker of magic, Moira reopened the door, growling.
"Who the hell are you?"
"How much longer will you rot in this stinking room? You’re not someone who belongs in a place like this."
"I said, who the hell are you?"
"I’m someone here to help you."
"..."
Moira stared at the man with his amiable smile and asked,
"Help me? Why?"
"To be honest, because we have a common enemy."
"Hah. And how would you know who I hate?"
"Oscar Crucian. Isn’t that right?"
The man whispered, his voice as sweet as honey.
"I know how you can take revenge on him and regain the trust of the Blue Tower Master."
"...Go on."
Though she remained cautious, Moira asked further.
"Recently, in the region near Sirin, White Tower potions are selling better than those of the Blue Tower."
"Because delivery is faster due to the proximity, I’d assume."
"Exactly. The problem is, the Blue Tower is on the verge of losing the entire northern market."
At that, Moira scoffed.
"So what? You want me to go to Sirin and sabotage their potion department?"
"Of course not. There’s no need to storm into enemy territory recklessly. The White Tower uses the Sirius Merchant Guild’s network for their potion distribution."
"...Safe, then."
"Yes, with the Sirius Guild’s banner, no bandit would dare touch them."
The man continued,
"We’ll switch their potions with poisoned ones during distribution."
"Switch them out?"
"Yes. Once people start dying from the potions they purchased, rumors about the White Tower’s potion quality will naturally spread."
Hearing the plan, Moira chuckled.
"The White Tower or merchants aren’t fools. They’ll investigate right away."
"And who do you think the White Tower would send to investigate?"
Realizing what the man was implying, Moira’s eyes gleamed.
"Oscar Crucian."
"Exactly. The very person who created all those potions will personally come to find the issue."
"Then we kill him?"
"We’ll handle the cleanup. All we need is a skilled individual to get the job done."
Someone capable of definitively killing Oscar Crucian.
Moira, tempted by the proposal, asked one more thing.
"Sounds enticing enough, but I can’t team up with someone whose affiliations are unclear."
"...Hmm, if that’s your concern."
After a brief pause, the man retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.
As Moira instinctively took it, she froze, recognizing the strong scent of the perfume it carried.
"NewTech?"
"The vice president values you as an excellent colleague and wishes for your reinstatement."
Everything clicked for Moira.
Since her dismissal, relations between NewTech and the Blue Tower had soured.
‘They want me back to restore their partnership with the Blue Tower?’
A mutually beneficial arrangement.
As that thought crossed her mind, a sinister smile spread across Moira’s face.
"Come back when you have the exact time and location."
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