Chapter 62

<62. Recovery (1)>

Recovery of former associate professor Herberton.

As soon as Oliver accepted the mission, he took a taxi to the entrance of Zone X.

One good thing about Randi's taxi was that he didn't talk excessively to passengers going to Zone X, seemingly aware that they were involved in something dangerous.

Thanks to the taxi driver's consideration, Oliver could skim through the information given by Forest and recall his explanation.

As soon as Oliver accepted the mission, Forest provided a more detailed explanation beyond the brief one.

"Alright, since you've officially accepted it, I'll give you a detailed explanation. First, our target, Herberton, doesn't require much attention. He's a former associate professor from the Magic Tower, but his expertise is in alchemy and herbalism, and his practical magic skills are extremely poor. He's not an associate professor for nothing."

Practical magic skills.

This term encompasses the number of spells a mage can actually use, their proficiency, and the capacity of their magic heart. While it's not a hard and fast rule, a mage with excellent practical magic skills is generally considered powerful.

Conversely, Herberton, with his low practical magic skills, poses little combat threat and doesn't require much attention.

"And the gang members are the same. About twenty to thirty... They're more like scarecrows set up to deter petty thieves and potential intruders. If you engage them properly, they'll probably run away immediately."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, they lack both the skills and the resolve to fight. They're like flies drawn to the sweet fruit of violence... Well, their lack of knowledge also plays a part."

It seemed to have a deeper meaning.

"But the problem is these guys."

Forest took out three black-and-white photos from a drawer.

"From left to right... No, from my left, yes, from left to right: Knuckle Joe, Nico, and Big Jaw. These are the problems."

Oliver glanced at each photo.

"...This one has a rather distinctive appearance."

He pointed to the third photo, Big Jaw.

As the name suggests, his jaw was extremely large, and he also had a prominent forehead and eyes with more black than white.

To put it bluntly, he looked more like a guard dog than a human.

"You've noticed. It's bound to be... a mutant."

Mutant. Oliver had heard about them from Kent.

Twisted humans born due to environmental pollution from factories or the aftermath of magic experiments.

Most of them looked different from humans, and as a result, they were often treated as cursed humans or a sub-species similar to humans.

Legally, there was ongoing debate on how to treat them...

They were mostly born in the slums or laborer residential areas near the river where factories dumped their waste.

While most had low intelligence, some displayed remarkable physical abilities.

"These are all members of the Fighter Crew."

"Fighter Crew?"

"Yes, a new type of black magic organization that has emerged recently. Unlike traditional black magic families, which are structured in a vertical relationship of master and disciple, the Fighter Crew operates in a relatively horizontal relationship. Of course, there is still a hierarchy, but not as rigid."

"Ah, I see."

Oliver stored the new information in his mind.

"Anyway, the Fighter Crew is a relatively new black magic organization that, instead of making drugs, takes on mercenary work. They do anything related to violence: raids, destruction, assassinations, security, etc. Because of this, they don't compete with existing black magic families and are steadily gaining strength. They've found a niche market, you could say. Though it's more like they stumbled upon it by chance."

"Quite impressive. Mr. Forest, how do you know all this?"

"Because I'm a broker. This is basic knowledge. Still, I appreciate the compliment."

After summarizing, Forest returned to the main topic.

"These three are all members of the Fighter Crew. Needless to say, combat is their specialty. Knuckle Joe, as his nickname suggests, specializes in close combat and, of course, disease magic."

Oliver looked at his quarterstaff. Close combat...

"Nico handles firearms and disease magic. He can fire twenty Hayt Bullets at once. It's quite a threatening firepower. Be careful."

"......"

"The third, Big Jaw, as you can see, bites everything with that mouth. If he bites you even once, it's over. Be especially careful with this one... Do you have any questions?"

"Hmm... Not so much a question, but could I ask a favor? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"...What is it?"

"Could you tell me how you gather such information? I'm not asking for the method, just curious about the system."

"Do you have a specific reason to investigate?"

"No, I'm just really curious. It's like... magic, knowing so much information."

"It's not that impressive. That's why I charge 5% more commission than other brokers."

"Still, it's impressive."

Forest looked at Oliver for a moment before speaking.

"......Fine. Since you're doing me a favor by taking on a job that doesn't make financial sense, I'll tell you. How about this: if you complete the mission and return safely, I'll tell you then."

"Ah, that sounds good. Really good. Then, I'll do my best to complete the mission quickly and return."

With that, Oliver got up, left the restaurant, and hailed a taxi. And then...

Screech—

The car stopped, and reality returned.

"Sir, we've arrived at the entrance of Zone X. I'm sorry, but I can't go any further."

Oliver put the documents back in his bag and took out some money.

"No, thank you for bringing me this far."

"No, it's my pleasure. Wait, you're giving me too much money?"

"I added a little extra to thank you for taking me to a dangerous place. If it's not a problem, could I ask you for one more favor?"

"Favor? What...?"

"Could you come back here around 9 AM tomorrow? I'll pay you double for the return trip."

"Double?"

"Yes, it's hard to find a taxi here. Of course, if it's inconvenient, you can refuse."

Oliver spoke softly.

***

After finishing the conversation with the taxi driver and getting out of the car, Oliver could feel the usual hidden gazes and emotions watching him.

At first, it was a bit scary, but after the second and third time, he got used to it. In fact, it was almost welcome.

Oliver walked forward, pretending to be nonchalant, and naturally extracted the emotions he had stored in his pocket.

Then, as he passed through a shaded area, he cast Eraser Exit on himself.

A black magic spell based on shame for hiding.

It was a vague black magic spell that merely suppressed one's presence, but it had proven quite effective in the past.

Indeed, it seemed to work now, as the black magic spell made people gradually lose interest in Oliver as he moved around.

It was a good sign. It was better not to draw attention before starting the mission.

After judging that he had shaken off most of the gazes, Oliver reviewed the information given by Forest and headed to the potion workshop where Associate Professor Herberton was located.

It was not in the deepest part of Zone X, but it was quite deep compared to the places Oliver had been to.

After wandering through the maze-like streets a few times, he finally arrived.

Clearly, due to the many unauthorized buildings, the actual Zone X differed significantly from the map.

"Hmm..."

Oliver observed the potion workshop from a distance.

White smoke was coming out of the square brick buildings, indicating that this was likely the potion production workshop.

Several gang members were patrolling or sitting guard around the area.

Oliver observed the gang members.

As Forest had said, they seemed more like people placed there for show rather than professionally trained individuals. They were barely better than beggars.

Their appearance and emotions were lax, and their weapons were of low quality and lacked uniformity.

If Oliver wanted to, he could probably shake things up by deploying a large number of minions under the influence of Las Boom.

Of course, that would risk injuring the target, so it was inappropriate.

However, it wasn't a difficult situation.

There were countless other methods.

For example, he could deploy a large number of minions under the influence of Creepy Scream to break the gang members' will, and then use Hayt Bullets for threatening shots, just like he did with the moles in the past.

Or, he could deploy a large number of minions under the influence of Hayt Bullets to eliminate them one by one.

Reflecting on it, black magic was truly fascinating.

By combining a few basic black magic spells, one could create countless applications.

It was the infinite mechanisms, not just the power, that were wondrous.

Suddenly, he recalled the content of a book he had read in Joseph's study.

Unlike magic, which suppresses enemies with firepower, black magic's main weapons are the penetrating eyes and cunning that catch enemies off guard.

Therefore, in a way, black magic was a more intricate and advanced discipline than magic.

Oliver, who didn't know what real magic was like, couldn't easily judge, but it seemed to be the case.

Even lightning mages had such nuances. Or, was it inappropriate to make such a judgment based on just one lightning mage?

"Oops... I'm thinking about something else again."

Oliver shook himself back to reality.

First, he needed to focus on the task at hand. Kent had emphasized the importance of mission success rate and credibility.

Oliver decided to concentrate on the immediate task.

With that in mind, Oliver sat down and pondered how to approach the mission.

He thought about how to solve the problem most effectively and interestingly.

First, he reaffirmed his goal.

The goal was to bring back the potion manufacturer, Herberton, safely.

Therefore, using powerful black magic should be avoided as much as possible.

He shouldn't risk injuring or killing anyone.

If he caused too much commotion, Herberton might run away.

Losing him now, when there were no traces to track, would be quite troublesome.

"...Or, if I remember all the emotions here, it might make it easier to find him later?"

Oliver focused his eyes and memorized the emotions around the potion workshop, just in case.

The total number of people was 60, including both the gang members and the workers inside the workshop.

It seemed a bit excessive, but since Kent had advised caution, it should be fine.

Oliver carefully memorized the light of each emotion, making sure he could recall them later.

After confirming all the emotions, he fell into thought again.

How to subdue them and bring back the target.

There were countless methods, but he wanted to try something different this time.

Something other than overwhelming with firepower.

Don't misunderstand. Oliver wasn't suddenly intoxicated by power and acting recklessly.

It was more about following Kent's advice.

Kent had advised him to try various methods whenever possible to improve his skills.

Kent had stuck to familiar methods due to a lack of skill, but to reach Oliver's goal, it was better to be proficient in various types of tasks.

There would be times when he needed to work in a different way from usual, such as when the use of powerful firepower was restricted.

In such cases, he would need alternative means, like close combat.

Therefore, Kent advised him to try different methods, even if it was more troublesome, when he had the time.

Honestly, it didn't sound like bad advice.

Kent's words were logical, and his emotions were sincere.

Just then, he met a black mage who specialized in disease magic.

It felt like someone was giving him a chance to try it out.

In the end, Oliver decided to follow Kent's advice and approach the mission in an unfamiliar and different way this time.

For that, he needed darkness, and Oliver waited for night to fall.