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As Sam readied himself to bombard the warehouse, Joe consumed a condensed life force liquid, subsequently extracting emotions from a test tube. Employing Black magic, he proceeded to enhance his physical capabilities.
Using “Burning Life,” he burned his life force, augmenting his overall physical abilities. Employing “Muscle Up,” he boosted his muscle strength, while “Reflex Doping” improved his reflexes.
Despite already being in a heightened state, Joe refused to settle for average, as this was merely the beginning.
Crafting small quantities of Black suits, he fitted them around his arms, legs, and torso, creating partial armor. His limbs and waist were outfitted with Black armor, all interconnected for optimal maneuverability.
As soon as Joe had completed his preparations, Sam’s voice boomed out. “Get ready,”
Joe responded softly, prompting Sam to employ the Black magic bombardment technique that he had learned from Dave.
Despite being composed solely of basic Black magic, the resultant impact was so potent that it generated a firepower that exceeded their wildest expectations.
Boom! Crash! Bang!
Following the explosion within the building, Joe and Owen sprung into action, implementing their predetermined strategy and leaping inside.
“I’ll go up! You take the lower floor! Sweep everything!”
“Yes!”
Upon receiving Owen’s response, Joe focused his Black magic energy on his legs and propelled himself upwards with a jump.
Woosh!
A deafening roar echoed through the air as Joe launched himself upwards, his body feeling weightless.
Employing a mighty leg thrust, he temporarily defied gravity, ascending higher into the air.
In his airborne state, Joe delivered a fierce punch, breaking through the wall and diving into the building.
Crash!
“What the… Argh!”
With the wall weakened due to the earlier explosion, Joe effortlessly smashed through it, knocking aside multiple gang members in his path and hurling them to the ground amidst a shower of debris.
“Shit! It’s an ambush! The enemy is over there…!”
One of the gang members, having quickly comprehended the situation upon Joe’s entrance, pointed accusatorily towards him and bellowed out.
In tandem with this, multiple armed gang members simultaneously aimed their firearms at Joe.
As they had heard, their level of armament was high.
Bang bang bang!
The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the building. Nevertheless, Joe remained unfazed.
Although he was incapable of providing full-body coverage akin to Dave, Joe had partially shielded himself with a black suit. Consequently, he was not at risk of perishing from one or two bullets.
Moreover, by utilizing “Reflex Doping,” he was able to heighten his reflexes, allowing him to anticipate the trajectory of incoming bullets and react accordingly.
Joe retrieved a sizable chunk of wall debris, shielding himself from the barrage of bullets spewing from the opposite railing before launching a large cement slab at the gang members, exploiting the opportune moment when they were reloading their magazines.
The cement block, of near-human size, instilled panic in the intended targets and those within close proximity.
As anticipated, only François, the Galisian scoundrel, and his cronies appeared formidable; the rest seemed rather mediocre. In fact, they appeared to be inferior to Landa’s gangsters in terms of both venom and fighting spirit.
Joe shifted his focus forward, where he witnessed gang members armed with axes and machine guns ascending the stairs. Spotting Joe, they opened fire. However, Joe evaded the incoming bullets with his augmented reflexes, lowering his stance and exerting force through his legs.
Creak-crash!
As he had done earlier when entering the warehouse, the ground beneath Joe shattered, enabling him to traverse the distance at an astounding pace.
Mere months, or even weeks prior, such a feat would have been deemed inconceivable. Nevertheless, Joe had accomplished it.
In the blink of an eye, Joe closed the gap, expertly swatting away a gang member wielding an ax before delivering a forceful punch to another holding a firearm.
A weighty thud reverberated throughout the space as the gun-wielding gang members bent unnaturally to the side before tumbling to the floor below.
‘Has Owen entered as well?’
Joe instinctively glanced downwards toward the lower level of the warehouse.
Fortunately, Owen had successfully infiltrated the area without issue, wielding an iron club enveloped in Black magic to devastating effect against the opposing gang members.
Despite his typically docile demeanor, Owen’s impressive strength sent two to three gang members hurtling through the air with each swing of his club. The results of his strikes were gruesome; either their skulls exploded or their bodies were crushed.
At first glance, Owen’s formidable appearance was evidently turning the tides of the battle in their favor.
While some gang members attempted to shoot at him from a distance, Owen countered by striking the wooden crates or floor with his club, creating a barrage of flying debris that repelled their attacks.
Though his accuracy was somewhat lacking, the sheer force of his strikes, coupled with the sheer number of projectiles, was sufficient to keep the enemy at bay.
‘As expected, Owen is more effective against small fries than me. But, the fact that there are no Millieu guys over there is-‘
– Swoosh!!
Before Joe could complete his thoughts, a sharp object hurtled towards him at high speed.
With his enhanced reflexes, he barely managed to deflect the attack, but the force behind it was far greater than he had anticipated, leaving a deep gash in his black armor.
Joe realized he needed to proceed with caution.
Stepping back to gain some distance, he surveyed his surroundings and soon caught sight of a man clad in armor and wielding a longsword: François, the very same man he had seen in the photograph.
Despite having been injured by Sam’s attack, François appeared to be in a state of readiness, with both his Life-force and emotions indicating his continued ability to fight.
‘He got some serious skills and a perfect stance. And that faint light – could it be some kinda magic item? Either way, this won’t be easy.’
Applying the lessons he had learned from Dave, Joe quickly assessed his opponent’s strategy and mindset. He surmised that François likely had some ulterior motive for not launching an attack right away.
“Who are you? Reveal your identity.”
“Are you an idiot? Why should I reveal my identity?”
At Joe’s snappy response, François furrowed his brow.
“….So it’s Crime Firm.”
“Think what you want.”
“Just the three of you?”
François asked as he examined the damaged outer wall.
“What’s it to you? You’ll be dead soon anyway.”
“They’ve made a foolish choice. I even offered a compromise.”
“Crazy bastard… If you’re a foreigner who crawled in to make money, you should just do as you’re told and think about going back, not asking the landlord to give up his room.”
“Hmph… Talking about things you don’t even know.”
Joe was unable to discern the meaning behind François’ cryptic words. However, having fought his entire life, he knew that his opponent had set his sights on him.
As he felt the killing intent emanating from François, Joe quickly glanced behind him and saw another enemy approaching in plate armor, wielding a flail.
With perfect timing, François and the plate-armored enemy closed in on Joe from opposite directions, intent on attacking him simultaneously. But Joe had no intention of engaging them directly.
Instead, he focused the energy of Black magic in his fist and struck the ground beneath him just as their attacks were about to land.
———Crash!!!
As Joe’s fist made contact with the ground, shockwaves rippled outwards, distorting the metal support beams and shattering the flooring.
The upper floors, including the third and second floors, collapsed in response to the forceful impact.
The sudden destruction caused the gang members on the second floor to plummet to the first floor, crushed under the weight of the falling debris.
The deafening sound of splintering wood and twisting metal echoed throughout the warehouse, rendering everyone, including allies and enemies, temporarily deaf.
“Hmph!”
Joe quickly scrambled through the wreckage and debris, relying on his enhanced senses and Black magic to locate François. Though he couldn’t see his emotions in detail, he could sense his general location and movements.
“Ugh…!!”
François, who had been watching the situation, got up quickly, threw off the debris, and retaliated against Joe, who was charging at him aggressively.
Clank, clank, clank——!!
Joe focused the energy of Black magic on both arms, blocking Francois’ sword with his arm clad in a black suit and armor, and then closed in.
“……!!”
Francois, startled that his sword did not penetrate, retreated.
“Didn’t expect that, did you?”
Joe accelerated with his toes and closed the distance even more.
Joe pulled his elbow back, preparing to strike with his fist.
“Haah!!”
An interruption came just before landing the decisive blow.
Looking to the side, a man wearing a bucket-like helmet attacked Joe with an ax in one hand and a shield in the other.
Joe changed the direction of his punch and struck the man with the bucket helmet, but the man blocked it with his shield and pushed Joe back.
Joe used the force to retreat and secure distance again. Meanwhile, the man with the bucket helmet blocked Joe’s way with his shield.
“Indeed, it’s a magic item,” Joe spoke, looking at the shield that was unscathed even after taking his punch.
“What does it matter to you? You bastards messing with us…!!”
“What are you talking about, you frog-eating jerks… And you’re holding the shield in the wrong direction.”
“?? What the hell are you-”
-Bang!!!
A gunshot confirmed that Joe’s words were true.
It was a supporting shot fired from outside the building by Sam.
Sam had not given up on using guns, even though he had trained in firepower Black magic, and Dave fully supported this decision.
– Yes, there’s no reason to give up on guns. You can enhance the power and accuracy of bullets with Black magic and add various effects… Plus, you can support your allies with warlock eyes, even in a well-covered situation. There are many ways to utilize it.
Sam actively accepted this opinion and trained with Dave, and now the result was proven.
Squeee…Bang!!
Joe concentrated the energy of Black magic on his legs and charged toward the bewildered Francois.
Swoosh…Clang!
Swoosh…Clang!
Oliver faced forward, feeling the night breeze.
As he thought he heard the sound of something crumbling, Sam, with a sniper rifle, pulled the trigger.
It was military-grade equipment purchased from the black market not long ago, modified with additional services, and with the addition of Black magic, it could accurately hit targets even through walls with its eerie power.
“I hit the target.”
“Yes, I saw.”
The sound of fighting resumed from inside the warehouse.
Watching this, it seemed understandable why deadly battles took place day after day in the backstreets of Landa.
While the interior of the building was undoubtedly a battlefield where life and death intertwined, from a distance, it was merely a momentary noise.
Of course, if the situation inside the building spread outside, the story would change. However, it was also true that it could be easily ignored as long as certain conditions were met.
It felt like Oliver had seen a similar situation in a book before, but he couldn’t quite recall it. Maybe it was because he had been too busy lately.
‘Of course, that too will soon-’
“-Thank you, Mr. Dave.”
Sam, who was on one knee and watching the building, suddenly spoke as he fired his sniper rifle.
The bullet with a dark aura left a faint trail in the air as it stretched forward.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“For your help. I truly appreciate it. It made us realize how much stronger we’ve become.”
Bang-!
Sam fired his rifle again. Each time he pulled the trigger and the gunshot rang out, the light of emotions and life disappeared.
“I just did as I promised.”
“I know, Mr. Dave. But I also know how difficult that is. It might not be the best moment to bring it up, but I really appreciate everything… And I’m sorry about how things started off between us.”
Sam’s words were sincere. He was genuinely expressing gratitude, not expecting or aiming for anything in return. It felt as if he was finally speaking his long-held feelings honestly.
Oliver thought for a moment before speaking.
“….Thank you for thanking me.”
“Yes… And it seems the fight is over.”
“Yes, I see that too. But, as promised, we’ll go in when we receive the signal.”
“Yes.”
As soon as they finished speaking, Owen, with his massive build, came outside and waved a steel club, signaling that the battle was over.
Sam disassembled his rifle and put it in his bag before heading to the warehouse with Oliver.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah… Yes! I’m fine. Thanks to the Black magic and combat suit that Mr. Dave taught us… And thank you for your concern.”
Owen spoke with a gleam of joy and admiration in his eyes. While it was nice to see him like him, it reminded Oliver of the Joseph family from the past. It wasn’t bad, but it felt a bit awkward.
‘Well, this will be over soon, so it probably won’t matter, right?’
“Are you here?”
Joe spoke as he lined up the corpses.
Though not as much as Owen, he was also covered in blood.
“Nothing much on my side either. Just a little scratch on my face.”
Joe pointed to a small wound on his face.
“Were they strong?”
“Yes, they would have been dangerous if we had encountered them in the past. I can see why this side couldn’t handle them.”
“May I see the bodies?”
“I’ve arranged them here.”
Joe pointed to the four corpses. Three men and one woman. All of them had tall and sturdy builds.
“Is this François?”
Oliver pointed to one of the corpses. The chest appeared to have been struck by a steel hammer, as it was deeply indented.
“Yes. The other three seem to be François’s subordinates. Judging by their armor and weapons, they are likely from the Milleu faction as well.”
Oliver nodded.
“First, we need to show these corpses to the branch manager, and in case the disposal rights belong to Joe, would you be willing to sell them to me?”
“No.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll just give them to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, along with these.”
Joe pointed to a pile of armor and weapons on one side. They seemed to be magical equipment rather than ordinary weapons, including longswords, axes, and crossbows.
“Did you acquire these from François?”
“Yes, they seem to be magic equipment, but I don’t have an eye for it. Please take them, Mr. Dave.”
“They’d sell for a lot at the black market.”
“You’re right, but just accept them. I’ll feel a bit better if I can at least offer you these.”
Oliver understood what he meant. The fighter crew, including Sam, had shown Oliver their gratitude and affection as their training time had increased.
In other words, it was a form of repayment.
“I don’t deserve any gratitude for simply fulfilling my promise.”
“I know. I’m just giving them to you, so please accept them. If it’s really not acceptable, you can teach me a few more Black magic spells later.”
Oliver hesitated for a moment before nodding. It wasn’t a big deal. Honestly, teaching itself was helpful to Oliver.
It allowed him to learn how to apply Black magic from more diverse perspectives.
He could approach it with a fresh perspective, like Joe’s use of partial black armor or Sam’s method of enhancing firearms with Black magic.
It was truly fascinating that he could learn while teaching. The world seemed like an interesting place.
After finishing the conversation, Oliver took Bigmouth out of a leather case on his back and made a request.
“Bigmouth, please take care of those items and all the corpses here.”
Bigmouth, swollen like bread dough, nodded and swallowed François’s corpse, weapons, and armor as Oliver commanded.
“Our work here is done, so if you have any business, you can come out now,” Oliver spoke, looking at one side of the empty building.
Joe, Sam, and Owen looked puzzled, but that didn’t last long. The darkness-stained floor rippled like a night sea, and someone emerged.
“Oh, how did you know?”
“I just saw it. What brings a druid here?”
“…Actually, our boss sent me. He wanted to invite you to have a meal together.”