Chapter 50

Sometimes, one action is more effective than a hundred words.

Having lined up the man's friends beside the stairs, it took the thief, who had knocked on his door last, less than three minutes to exact his revenge.

Since he had cast a noise suppression spell beforehand, there was no worry that the midday commotion would leak out to other places.

With a click of the switch on the cutter in his hand, Renok asked,

“What did I just say?”

“I said that if you steal one more time, I’ll cut off your wrist!”

The man, who was sprawled on the ground with his limbs pressed tightly to the floor, repeated the words with all his might, making a deep impression.

The murderous intent he had shown towards Renok was gone, and large beads of sweat rolled down his furrowed forehead.

As a thug who rolls around in back alleys, he was desperate to follow orders.

The moment Renok released a current between his fingers, the thug had given up everything and was just waiting for this time to pass.

Holding his fist under the man’s head, Renok slowly spread his fingers and said,

“Don’t worry, I’ll cut off your wrist and stop the bleeding myself. Got it?”

Crack...!!

As the current rose between his fingers and was pushed up to the man’s chin, his eyes instantly turned to fear.

Although it wouldn’t be bad to thoroughly engrain the pain here... Renok cut off his magic and stood up.

He had spent too much time on it.

After coming back from outside with his aching body, he needed to lie down and rest for a while.

After giving the man one last warning, Renok glared at his sprawled-out friends and went back into the studio apartment.

Spreading his magic to check the outside, he could confirm that the man was trembling and moving his friends into the apartment.

He caught the man mumbling behind the door,

“F*ck... F*cking... Psychic... I picked the wrong guy, damn...”

He seemed to have completely misunderstood just by seeing Renok use electricity, but it wasn’t bad that he had this misconception.

Only then did Renok relax somewhat and head to the bathroom.

‘...Should I have been more thorough?’

Was he too lenient in dealing with the thief who was about to rob his home?

While he was showering, Renok briefly pondered but soon shook his head.

Unless it was a situation where he had to fight for his life, he didn’t want to see blood even on his way back home.

Dealing firmly with provocations and being cruel are different things.

Renok had been trying to clearly define the boundary between the two, but sometimes the rationality of a mage and his emotions didn’t align.

The mage’s talent for handling everything efficiently and decisively sometimes took precedence over the morality Renok originally possessed.

He had recently felt himself becoming more cruel without realizing it, after a series of intense battles.

“I should move as soon as possible.”

He was already considering moving to set up a separate laboratory, and now his resolve was firm.

The amount he received from Panoa, plus the additional compensation, would be a decent sum.

He needed to find a good place as soon as possible.

Rising Reputation

“Please put the luggage there.”

“Understood.”

“The kitchen is over there, so you’ll need to carry the refrigerator in separately.”

After the unpleasant incident, Renok immediately decided to move.

Since he had accumulated a decent amount of money from his deal with Dike and there was no reason to stick with a studio apartment with an unnecessarily rude neighbor, he made up his mind.

Sector 30. It was a simple apartment complex with just one more room added to a studio, but Renok was satisfied.

The small park in front of the house had families out for a walk, and children were playing in the playground far away, indicating a good level of safety.

Just listening to the children’s laughter under the setting evening sky made him feel at ease.

Even though he knew that the peace and rest these people enjoyed were not his.

Even though he knew it might be a long time before he could have it.

Still, just looking down at them for a moment gave Renok a strange feeling.

“It’s done.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

While it would be one thing to act stiffly when he was in his Ban persona, there was no need to do so when moving in as Evan Vail.

Renok treated the movers with a drink and politely thanked them before sending them off.

“Alright, then...”

The large appliances like the refrigerator and the big furniture like the desk had already been placed, but the remaining furniture was all Renok’s responsibility.

He had bought a sofa, TV, desk, and chairs for the larger place, making it even more so.

Of course, with his trembling arms, nothing was possible.

After idly passing time with a cigarette in his mouth, he naturally felt strength returning to his limbs and a bit of energy starting to flow.

“Should I try?”

He had moved to a two-room apartment to separate his living space from his research space.

During this time, Renok had accumulated various rewards and magical materials through different commissions, along with various notes and logs he had written whenever he had the chance.

And Eden’s research logs.

Instead of meticulously organizing, he focused on dividing the space and categorizing the items.

By the time he finished cleaning, it was already dark outside.

“Phew.....”

When he lived in a studio apartment, he would hear all sorts of noises when he came home late at night.

It was a street where you could hear dogs barking, shouting, and sometimes even gunshots without being surprised.

But now, even without properly installing soundproofing magic, the surroundings were incredibly quiet.

Renok felt that he wouldn’t regret moving here.

‘But I can’t be careless with my vigilance.’

Although he quickly became tired from continuous movement, he couldn’t forget to set up barriers around his surroundings.

Noise suppression spells, security spells, various traps to guard against intruders, and alerts.

Since he had done this before, the work was completed much faster.

With his deeper understanding of imbued magic now, the barriers surrounding Renok’s home were, even to him, nearly flawless.

Only then did Renok sigh in relief, finish his shower, and immediately lie down to sleep.

Another unfamiliar ceiling.

How much time had passed since he escaped the factory, passed through an old hotel, and arrived here?

How many things had happened?

The resolve he had made while vomiting in a shabby sink had never faded, but he couldn’t help but realize how much he had changed from that time.

“............”

Change is not a bad thing.

Similarly, Renok’s changing appearance is not something to be received negatively.

Believing this, Renok took a familiar handful of sleeping pills and swallowed them.