Chapter 4: Showing the lone wolf's power
The air hung heavy with silence as six men cautiously surveyed their surroundings. The leader, easily identifiable by his uniform, directed his attention to the Cobra corpse while the other five members diligently scoured the area in search of the intruder. Horiz keenly observed the confusion etched on the leader's face. From an outsider's perspective, the peculiar demise of the Cobra and the untouched corpse perplexed the leader. His mind grappled with unanswered questions, while the other men, unable to penetrate Horiz's stealth spell, continued their futile search.
Dismissing the five men, all of rank 3, Horiz focused on studying the leader. Despite his efforts, Horiz found no discernible clues about the leader's true identity. This formidable leader, the one who had once discovered Horiz, now stood bewildered, unable to decipher the enigma of the Cobra. Completely absorbed in his own calculations and oblivious to the presence of the five members and the infiltrator among them, the leader failed to notice Horiz's scrutiny.
Seizing the opportunity, Horiz silently incapacitated the five men, paying particular attention to the leader as he dealt with them. A quick examination of their belongings revealed them to be part of a mini-terrorist group with intentions of wreaking havoc upon the city. The destruction of the magic high would ignite chaos throughout the country, prompting influential figures to intervene or fulfill the group's demands. "Not a bad idea,"
Horiz mused, seemingly unfazed by the fact that there were individuals stronger than him safeguarding the city and the academy. He perused the spoils from looting the mini-terrorist group, discovering valuable items such as detailed magic high maps, healing potions, and communication tokens. It was an unexpected windfall.
An idea crossed Horiz's mind—what if he were to kidnap the leader and demand a ransom? Such an act would yield significant financial gains, although it might not bode well if his family were to find out. Being a transmigrator was indeed a challenging existence. Only in novels did transmigrators enjoy an easy life.
Hopeful that the leader possessed something of value, Horiz leaped down from the tree, landing stealthily behind him. Purposefully revealing his presence, he anticipated a challenging battle ahead. The leader, at least a 5th rank mage, did not intimidate Horiz, who possessed two indestructible doors that not even two 9th rank mages could penetrate.
As the leader turned around, he questioned, "Can you tell me how you killed the Cobra? Even after considering every spell I know, I still can't comprehend the answer."
Horiz nonchalantly replied, "Sure, if you have something valuable to offer in exchange."
The leader's shock was evident as he stammered, "You don't work for the government?"
"Nope, I am a lone wolf. I only work for money," Horiz responded, his tone unwavering.
Adding a sense of urgency, Horiz stated, "Let's wrap this up quickly. I need to be back before 10."
Bewildered, the leader exclaimed, "Why the hell are you fighting me?"
Horiz gestured toward the Cobra's corpse. The leader, his head spinning in confusion, shifted his gaze, realizing that his world had been turned upside down.
"What? If you wanted it so badly, why didn't you take it earlier? You can have the corpse. There's nothing of interest to me except the method used to kill it," the leader questioned, his voice tinged with bewilderment.
Horiz explained, "I didn't have a storage ring with me at that time." He had no intention of involving the magic high students in his affairs.
Sensing the leader's movement, Horiz stepped aside, understanding that the leader was swift and had no desire to come between him and the corpse. The leader was deeply intrigued by the masked man before him, recognizing his strength. Patiently, the leader awaited the masked man's claim on the corpse.
Ready to depart, Horiz was unwilling to engage in an unnecessary fight, especially since he did not wish to compromise the success of his hunt. It was a win-win situation for him, after all.
As Horiz prepared to leave, the leader handed him a communication token, asking if money would suffice for a particular task. Horiz readily agreed, having no hesitation when it came to someone paying him. However, he vowed to reject any inhumane requests, recalling his past experiences.
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Today, he had earned a substantial amount of money. It would easily sustain him for a week, as long as he refrained from attempting any new experiments to enhance his power.
Upon reaching his basement, Horiz realized that someone had already arrived. The extravagant setup had been activated, requiring a significant infusion of mana to maintain it. He immediately deduced the identity of the intruder. Upon entering, he found his older sister comfortably seated in his chair, legs resting on the table. Familiar with this trouble-inducing individual, he recognized her as his older sister. Once again, he wondered why the world denied him a peaceful sweet life.
In the dimly lit room, Horiz entered to find his older sister, Selina, comfortably seated in his chair, her legs casually resting on the table. Clad in a black short-sleeved dress that matched her ruthlessness, she exuded an air of trouble. Familiar with her troublesome nature, Horiz had no desire to involve himself with her or the rest of his family.
Having transmigrated into a family of Counts, Horiz's great-grandfather had been granted a noble title, bestowing its benefits upon the entire family. At first, it seemed harmless, but Horiz soon discovered that his family engaged in shady activities under the guise of their noble status, bringing disgrace upon the entire country. Determined to distance himself from such a family, he had managed to escape his situation, or so he had thought. But as he would soon discover, one cannot run away from their past—it inevitably catches up with them. Being the only son of the Count, his family constantly pressured him to join their illicit business. That was why his sister stood before him now.
"Greetings, my sweet little brother," Selina waved, rising from her seat and walking toward him.
"You are uninvited here," Horiz declared bluntly, meeting her gaze head-on.
Horiz couldn't help but doubt that her visit was solely for the purpose of calling him back to the family. He had already abandoned them, and her frequent visits seemed more like she was checking up on him, assessing his progress. Last month alone, she had come eight times, and here she was again on the second day of the new month. It felt as if her intentions went beyond a simple familial visit.
As Selina approached, she offered to help him remove his coat, but Horiz suspected she was more interested in checking his mana. However, he had been smart enough to suppress his mana and prevent it from radiating from his body. Sensing her attempts to gauge his mana or determine his level, he swiftly intercepted her hand.
"It's useless. You won't be able to check my mana," he stated, looking her in the eyes.
With that, Horiz walked past her, whispering a curt "goodnight" to prevent her from getting too close or scrutinizing him further. It was better to leave others guessing and curious, while he focused on finding a solution.
Closing the door to the drawing room, Horiz cast a spell to prevent his 5th rank sister from penetrating the walls and checking on him. With the Cobra's core and body in his possession, he took a moment to examine the core in his hand. It was an impressive achievement to hunt a 5th rank beast after a long time. Using his Infinite Reversible Mana Art—a mystic art he had stumbled upon by accident—Horiz had managed to compensate for his weak mana reserves. The problem lay in his mana; thus, he had devised a method to quickly replenish it by converting mana from mana stones.
To his surprise, he discovered that he could also utilize mana cores and mana crystals for recharging. As he grew stronger and more adept at manipulating mana, he suddenly found the mystic art appearing in his status. Though Horiz was clueless about its origins, he understood that he was the first to reach rank 1 and now the only one capable of ascending to the next rank. Despite the increase in his combat ability, he had reached a dead end. His progress had come to a standstill, and he needed to break through somehow.
Focusing his attention on the Cobra's core, Horiz closed his eyes, visualizing the flow of mana within it.
After a few minutes, he gained control over it. It was just another mana core to him, and he had
hundreds stored in his basement. Delving deeper into the core, he examined the type of mana embedded within. Though he couldn't be entirely certain, he sensed something different. The mana deeply embedded within the center of the core seemed capable of converting the mana stored in the core itself.
Though unsure of the significance, Horiz had discovered a direction for his research. Before employing it in combat, he needed to study and understand it better.
Recalling the healing potions and communication tokens he had obtained from defeating members of the unnamed mini-terrorist organization, Horiz planned to sell them. The Cobra's skin was also quite valuable due to its market demand. Setting those items aside, he pondered the purpose of the two doors he had acquired upon transmigration. The incredibly durable doors had remained unscathed despite his attempts and even the efforts of the 9th-ranked experts he had called upon with his father's assistance. Moreover, only Horiz seemed capable of commanding the doors; others could neither move them with physical strength nor spells. Intrigued, he yearned to unravel the mystery behind the metal door and the wooden door but had thus far found no clues.
Preferring not to encounter his sister early in the morning, Horiz left a note in the hallway and slipped away in the dead of night. He made his way to the black market, not to sell, but rather to purchase mana cores from different beasts. He intended to test the embedded mana within them, believing that the more types of cores he acquired, the better his chances of strengthening himself. Though he had no intention of spending money, he had no other choice. He needed to grow stronger, make a name for himself, and become a true transmigrator in this world.
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