Chapter 149

“I was hoping we could have a chat.”

“A chat…”

Shilo de Medissa was displeased.

He was the type of person who wouldn’t be flustered even if the world suddenly ended one day.

The world was full of unexpected events anyway. Handling unexpected situations was precisely what defined skill. ‘Where would you find someone who couldn’t perform properly in a situation that flows exactly as expected?’ That was how he lived his life.

However, if that ‘unpredictability’ was due to the opponent’s stupidity, he couldn’t tolerate it.

To make an analogy, it was like a card game.

It was fine if the opponent made unexpectedly brilliant moves that he couldn’t anticipate. It was fine if an earthquake suddenly struck and overturned the board. He could even accept losing continuously due to poor conditioning.

But if the opponent acted unpredictably because they didn’t know the rules themselves? Regardless of gains or losses, it was utterly disgusting.

That was exactly how Shilo de Medissa felt right now.

“You want to chat with me? What do you think you know?”

Who Shilo de Medissa was, how vast the power gap between them currently was. If they understood this, they shouldn’t have stepped forward so brazenly.

“Wizard of Debt Shilo de Medissa. An outstanding negotiator and threatener. A notorious money-dealer and bold gambler. Your wizard forces number three. We have two 5th Circle mages. The overall numerical difference is two-to-one. Well, it seems like I know enough?”

A flicker of interest appeared in Shilo de Medissa’s eyes. However, behind that interest lay a deeper abyss of disgust.

“You knew that? Then you must also know how I’ll act.”

Idiots who acted cocky without understanding the situation were disgusting, but fools who showed reckless courage despite knowing better were even more revolting.

‘No more conversation is necessary.’

He had honestly been impressed that they’d discovered his side first. But,

‘If you found us, you should have run away instead of appearing before me.’

The moment they appeared before him, Yuria’s group was no longer negotiation partners but merely a chocolate box he could devour at will.

Just as Shilo de Medissa was about to manifest a Memorize spell,

The sky-blue haired girl mage, Yuria, ‘declared’ toward him.

“I know what you’re thinking. I’m going to make a prophecy now.”

One of Yuria’s slender fingers extended.

* * *

‘Damn… there was no need to get into such a grand confrontation.’

Though Magiro appeared to be smiling on the surface, cold sweat was trickling down the back of his neck.

‘It’s my mistake. I underestimated her because her level was low. She was just a girl who followed that Divine Mage around. I should have realized she wasn’t an ordinary lunatic…’

Until now, he had looked down on Yuria. He fully acknowledged that she had excellent magical sense and outstanding reconnaissance abilities using her Gift [Magic Eye]. Her information-gathering skills in moving without being detected and finding the opponent’s destination were also exceptional. But he thought she was overly cautious despite having enough power for direct confrontation. He considered it the limitation of a young mage with a low level. That’s why he had continued to urge her to just fight it out.

‘But the Wizard of Debt…’

He had been shocked when he first spotted the enemy. Among the roughly 200 wizards existing in the Tower of Covenant, this was one of the top figures. Among Society’s five executives, he competed for first or second place, and in terms of recognition, he even surpassed Pan-Dalus. True to that reputation, he had brought two additional wizards flanking him. Three wizards in total.

Certain defeat.

His soaring confidence quickly deflated.

The complaints about not fighting also dried up.

‘We made the right choice not to fight.’

He thought they should flee immediately. Naturally, he expected Yuria would think the same.

But reality was this mess. Instead, she revealed herself first and stood before Shilo de Medissa. Despite all his warnings about how cruel and demonic a merchant Shilo de Medissa was, Yuria simply wouldn’t listen.

‘Is this Magiro, me… going to die here like this?’

Magiro gazed at Yuria’s tightly bound sky-blue hair.

‘No, right? Girl. No. Mage of Penetration. Everything is going according to your plan, isn’t it? You’re really confident, right?’

Whether Magiro knew of his burning insides or not, Yuria extended one finger and boldly ‘declared.’

“I’m going to make a prophecy now. First, you cannot harm me.”

Shilo de Medissa answered with a spell.

“Debt Issuance. Base setting 10 Morning. Interest rate 20 percent per 10 seconds.”

A simple recitation. But the spell that manifested was remarkable. The spell <Debt> that had earned Shilo de Medissa the epithet ‘Wizard of Debt.’ If Baek Jun-woo had been present, his eyes would have gone wide with astonishment.

It was a composite magic created by combining Shilo de Medissa’s Gift [Proliferation] with a secret spell passed down through generations.

[JJJNNsinGgg!!]

Circle pronunciation accurate to an unbelievable degree for a mage who supposedly didn’t know mana. And immediately following was an unidentifiable Memorize spell.

[#%#@!!^#]

Unlike before, this one wasn’t a recognizable pronunciation. Rather than words, it was more like background music that added atmosphere and context to the [JJJNNsinGgg!!] pronunciation. Sounds that disturbed the Akashic Records, which had become error-ridden since the gods’ disappearance. Countless coincidences converging to create ‘meaningful error.’ Finally, that error itself was recorded in the Akashic Records and stabilized into a spell.

It was a spell whose very existence was miraculous.

Whoosh—

The 10 Morning worth of mana bills in Shilo de Medissa’s hand turned to ash. But he showed no sign of regret.

“Well then. You already look hurt to me.”

Shilo de Medissa sneered at the insolent girl mage standing before him.

<Debt>. Upon activation, it immediately inflicted damage equal to the amount offered as payment upon the enemy. The enemy could either accept that attack or draw upon their magical power to deflect it. But if they deflected it, the spell’s power would gradually increase according to the interest rate Shilo de Medissa had set. Currently set to 20 percent every 10 seconds.

It was a simple spell that could be cast without burden, but its damage was powerful enough to make even a 6th Circle wizard’s vision flash. In urgent situations where life hung in the balance, it was better to deflect rather than take the hit, but next time one would have to resist with even greater magical power. Thus, like a debt that grew heavier with each return, it would ultimately claim the opponent’s life.

“A mere 3rd Circle, 3-star mage like you… how many times can you endure this?”

Yuria was already caught by <Debt>. The faint light glowing from Yuria’s entire body was proof of this. But the smile never left Yuria’s lips.

‘Is she really an idiot?’

Just as Shilo de Medissa’s disgust was deepening, the answer erupted from beside Yuria.

“Decoy.”

Height 185. Though his face was young, his sturdy build was impressive. It was Monggu.

Craaack!

Something like a glass orb intercepted the <Debt> that had been aimed at Yuria. A glass orb that slowly orbited around Yuria as if protecting her. Shilo de Medissa had seen such objects before. It wasn’t a mage’s item.

“…So you’ve made some preparations? By the way… is that person beside you a knight?”

Only then did Shilo de Medissa find it interesting.

‘Not completely hopeless after all.’

A mage and knight together? An interesting combination.

Right. Let’s see exactly how far they’ve prepared, whether that preparation is sufficient. The heart of a player about to flip his cards was even slightly excited.

But Yuria ignored Shilo de Medissa’s question and extended another finger.

“Second, the first casualty won’t be from our side, but from yours.”

At that very moment, a tiger that had been crouching until now stretched its body and pounced. A perfect ambush. A charge that outran sound itself.

Whooooom—!

By the time the delayed sonic boom swept through, the situation was already over.

“Tch… couldn’t take his head.”

Evan clicked his tongue, and

Thunk, thud.

A defensive magical device belatedly rolled across the ground.

Evan threw away the magic interference device that had served its purpose. The glass rod covered in hairline cracks burst with a pop! in mid-air.

A blue beam hilt between the fluttering robes and a combat suit gleaming beneath.

And hot blood soaking the ground.

“A, a Lord-class knight!”

An exclamation of shock burst forth. Evan bared his teeth in a grin.

“Right. I came to kill mages.”

But Society’s combat unit was by no means easy prey.

“…I’ll handle the Lord-class knight myself. Wizard of Blazing Heat, please command the unit members.”

“My apologies.”

Despite the blood dripping from his shoulder—a severe wound that couldn’t be healed even with magic since it came from a knight—the Wizard of Blazing Heat didn’t waver. He merely stepped back to command the unit.

Instead, a white-haired elderly mage confronted Evan with a threatening stance.

“A close-range ambush. The moment when you could be most effective has already passed.”

He made no effort to hide his anger at his friend being wounded.

“I am Hotsen, Wizard of Piercing. Remember that name, you butcher.”

It was a name you’d need to remember since it would be the one to kill you. Though he didn’t say the latter part aloud, the atmosphere made it perfectly clear. Evan smiled.

“I’ll slaughter you, mage.”

The battle grew increasingly fierce.

But to Yuria, this chaos seemed invisible.

Like the moon on a water surface that could never be erased no matter how much you stirred it,

She stood serenely and extended yet another finger.

“Third, your coordinated attack will be completely blocked by our side.”

Yuria’s eyes glowed blue with [Magic Eye]. Eyes that detected the enemy’s movements one step ahead. Hands that gave instructions before that. As Yuria’s hands formed strange signals, the expedition members immediately moved.

‘Multi-control spell, number 3. Shield of Glory!’

The expedition team member excluding Monggu and Lytol immediately activated the multi-control spell.

The spell with the shortest manifestation time.

“Saaaa~”

Lee Su-yeon and Hwarin, along with two 3rd Circle mages, produced high tones that enveloped the battlefield.

“Aah—”

Fel, Del, Horatio, and three 3rd Circle mages produced middle tones that spread across the battlefield.

“Duu—”

Magiro’s low tone shook the battlefield.

Mouths and Circles simultaneously harmonized to complete the spell.

[Shiiiiield]

What the harmonizing Circles produced was a clumsy pronunciation of ‘shield.’ But this level was accurate enough. A performance worthy of direct subordinates taught by Baek Jun-woo himself.

Rumble!

Though weakened by injury and reduced in ability, the spell bombardment launched by the Wizard of Blazing Heat was perfectly blocked by the milky-white barrier.

Even during this, Yuria’s fingers continued extending.

“Fourth, your sneaky big spell preparation won’t work either.”

Bang!

An arrow shot like lightning.

The swift and intense attack characteristic of Ki-blood magic. But the ‘monotony’ that was Ki-blood magic’s weakness had disappeared.

“Gah…! What kind of Ki-blood magic has such…!”

In Yuria’s hands was a bow that alternated between silver and black light. The ultimate bow crafted by Refinement.

What would originally never have reached a wizard had <Spatial Distortion>, <Spell Penetration>, <Physical Defense Ignore>, <Intense Impact>, and [Gift-Magic Eye <Enhancement>] layered upon it, while the special arrow crafted by Refinement was inscribed with <Unhealable Wound> and <Pierced Soul> spells.

With the principles of <Collapse Strike> added on top, Yuria’s arrow had transformed into a poisonous needle that even wizards couldn’t ignore.

“Huh, nice.”

Yuria grinned.

“Hah…”

Shilo de Medissa’s mouth fell slightly open. His secretly prepared spell had failed due to a single arrow.

But the bewilderment he felt wasn’t due to the failure.

“Now I understand what kind of nonsense you’re pulling.”

Magical power gathered around Yuria. In that brief moment, Yuria had accumulated tremendous magical power. Of course. She had successfully made four ‘declarations’ against a wizard.

The more she threw around declarations, the greater the backlash would be if she failed even once. Nevertheless, Yuria continued her string of declarations.

In truth, the power advantage was still clear. Shilo de Medissa was the strongest 6th Circle capable of steamrolling two or three 6th Circles single-handedly, and the difference in number and quality of the remaining mages was significant.

Though they were holding their own for now, if the fight dragged on even slightly, the tide of battle would inevitably tip toward Shilo de Medissa.

Yuria’s strategy to overcome this difficulty was ‘I’ll get stronger while fighting.’

Like a mad gambler endlessly raising the stakes and shouting all-in.

Shilo de Medissa asked.

“You plan to keep going? Against me? Do you think you can keep succeeding?”

Yuria answered.

“Scared? Then shall we try talking now?”

“Ha, hahaha.”

How long had it been since he’d laughed out loud…? Shilo de Medissa laughed awkwardly.

Only now did he realize. Why a young girl who was merely 3rd Circle 3-star was leading an expedition.

He suddenly wanted to test this girl’s limits.

“Let’s try it then.”

His relaxed gaze sharpened. He casually loosened the robes that had been billowing like sword strikes.

His dormant gambler’s spirit had awakened.