Chapter 37

[Translator - Clara]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 37: Free City (2)

With a sudden blur, his opponent shot out through the smoke from his cigarette.

Oscar’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed every muscular movement of the attacker.

‘A mage... and one with well-trained martial skills too, but…’

In an instant, the man’s foot flew toward Oscar, filling his field of vision.

“Move aside.”

Oscar murmured nonchalantly as a 『Wind Shield』 materialized before him.

The shield was enhanced with 『Shock Absorption』 and 『Durability Reinforcement.』

Boom!

When the devastating kick was effortlessly blocked, the man's eyebrow twitched.

“…Blocked?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

Oscar replied with a casual tone, but inside, he was shocked.

The Wind Shield he’d summoned was stronger than usual, yet it shattered under just one kick.

‘This guy is on a whole other level.’

And that wasn’t even a kick reinforced with magic—pure physical power alone had that kind of destructive force.

‘How does someone end up with that kind of body?’

Though the man looked lean, the force he packed could only be described as godlike.

Oscar glanced briefly at the grimy alley floor with a heightened sense of caution.

‘First, I’ll take the initiative.’

Making his decision, Oscar charged at the opponent, kicking an empty can on the ground as he ran.

“…"

As the can flew towards the man's head, he moved just slightly, watching it pass.

BOOM!

The magic hidden inside the can exploded, causing his opponent to stagger from the surprise attack.

“Ugh!”

Seizing control, Oscar lunged and threw a series of punches.

Pow! Bam!

Despite the relentless assault, the man displayed monster-like reflexes, blocking about half of the strikes.

‘Still…’

This body wasn’t the weak frame that once holed up researching and drinking.

Now, he’d built up the strength and stamina to handle basic combat techniques.

Even if he couldn’t match this guy’s raw speed and power…n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He could make up for the difference with experience and skill.

Grabbing the man’s collar, Oscar drove his feet firmly into the ground.

At the same time, a burst of mana erupted from below, launching his opponent upward.

“!”

Suspended in the air, the man’s pupils widened at this new combat style.

Oscar executed a flawless shoulder throw.

Bam!

For the first time, his opponent’s face contorted in pain as he hit the hard concrete floor.

‘I’ll end this.’

Oscar swung a kick at the man’s head, enhancing his leg with magic.

Smash!

But it wasn’t enough.

‘He managed to mitigate the impact at the last moment with magic reinforcement on his skin.’

Just as he suspected, the man rose, dusting himself off, seemingly unscathed.

He looked at Oscar and remarked,

“You’re strong. I’ll have to fight seriously.”

“Bluffing, are we…?”

Oscar’s words trailed off in shock as the man rushed forward at a speed that put his previous movements to shame.

‘Acceleration? No… faster—it’s like a jet booster. But when did he prepare this?’

The spell was cast in an instant, faster even than Veronica’s “Rapid Casting.”

‘At this speed… I can still keep up.’

To avoid losing control, Oscar activated Acceleration too.

But again, the man’s speed burst explosively.

“!”

A second-layered jet booster.

And he controlled it flawlessly.

‘He’s coming!’

A flash.

In an instant, he was a silver blur.

Crack!

A lightning-fast kick smashed into Oscar’s neck, followed by a spinning blow to his face.

“Ugh!”

Oscar tumbled backward but felt a small relief.

He had barely managed to activate his Wind Shield in time, dissipating the impact.

This time, he used two shields with 『Shock Absorption』 and 『Durability Reinforcement.』

If he’d only used one, he’d have been knocked out cold by that kick.

“…Blocked that too?”

Only his opponent’s crimson eyes shone in the darkened alley, predatory and piercing.

This man defied all conventional limits.

His power level was just Level 4, but his actual strength was closer to that of a top Level 5 mage.

“I’ll finish this with the next strike.”

Oscar sensed the truth in the man’s words and prepared himself.

‘If it’s a battle of speed, I’ll lose ten times over.’

He wasn’t equipped to handle even a basic two-layered acceleration, much less a dual jet boost.

His only hope lay in skill and experience.

“Come on.”

Boom!

Oscar positioned himself and charged, but the man’s form vanished, sinking into the ground.

Though his eyes couldn’t keep up, he never lost track of magic once he sensed it.

He pinpointed his opponent’s location and drew on all his mana.

A torrent of power surged through three circuits within him.

He clenched his right fist as winds converged around it.

‘Merge with me.’

Oscar half-closed his eyes, becoming one with the wind.

Oscar’s First Form: Sound of Waves

He thrust his fist forward.

[Translator - Clara]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * * *

“…!”

The man charging toward him paused in surprise.

Out of nowhere, Oscar Crucian had thrown a punch into empty space.

But then he seemed to understand.

‘So, he lost track of me.’

His speed had exceeded Oscar’s ability to keep up, forcing him to swing blindly.

He threw a punch, hoping for a lucky hit.

Oddly enough, he managed to get the direction and position right.

'But this is the end now.'

Just as the man stretched out his hand to knock Oscar unconscious, a sound like waves crashing echoed in his ears.

'Waves?'

This was an alley, with no sign of the sea or even standing water.

He felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort, and his brow furrowed as he realized warmth was spreading through his abdomen.

The heat grew stronger and soon transformed into searing pain.

".....!"

Simultaneously, a twisting agony filled his insides, as if all his organs were wringing themselves out.

BOOM!

He was hurled in the opposite direction of where he was headed.

“Ugh! Ugh! Cough!"

The man, now slammed into a large trash can in the alley, spat out blood.

He looked up at Oscar, who was approaching him slowly, with a look of disbelief.

“...What is this technique?”

“Resonance.”

A massive wave of air resonates with the frequency of the opponent's body.

It's like when different objects vibrate at the same frequency, producing a stronger force.

As the wave penetrates the target, it causes devastating internal destruction.

Using the words of the Yan Empire, it’s like the art of 'striking a cow through a mountain.'

"Heh."

The man muttered in disbelief.

"I can't understand it. When did you get this strong?"

"You say that like we’ve fought before."

"We have. More than once."

"...?"

Could it be that he knew young Oscar?

Oscar furrowed his brows and asked,

"Where did we fight?"

"Mainly in the sparring hall of the White Tower."

"...?"

A question mark seemed to float over Oscar’s head.

What was he talking about, the White Tower?

'Wait, could it be…?'

A sudden foreboding hit Oscar, and he asked,

"Just to be sure, what's the name of the person looking for me?"

"Hamel Grimwiz, the Deputy Master of the White Tower."

"Damn it! You should’ve said that from the start!"

"I did say it."

Oscar remembered his words, staring at him with a resolute expression.

"I've been waiting for you, Oscar Crucian! Someone’s looking for you."

Oscar held his forehead, exasperated.

"...And if I refuse to go, he said he'd take me by force?"

"He instructed me that if words wouldn’t work, force was acceptable."

Unbelievable.

What kind of guy is this?

He couldn’t even manage basic communication.

'But why does it feel like I've heard this infuriating speech pattern before?'

As Oscar furrowed his brows and combed through his memory, his expression suddenly froze.

"Hey... What’s your name?"

"My name is Killian Lockwood, a proud warrior of the forest."

Killian Lockwood.

He was the troublemaker even young Oscar had written about.

Even Veronica felt a fierce rivalry with him—the White Tower's rising star.

'Wait, did he say his last name is Lockwood?'

Oscar, his voice trembling, asked,

"Do you know a Radan Lockwood?"

"Indeed! He's my proud father! He was once a comrade of the great Oscar Sage."

"......."

Radan Lockwood.

A beast of hand-to-hand combat from the forest tribes, an 8th-level mage of the White Tower, known as the White Lion.

He had been Oscar’s ally and comrade.

When he first arrived at the White Tower, he had the same terrible communication skills as this kid.

So, in summary...

‘Did I just beat up my friend’s son?’

Oscar felt dizzy, his head drooping.

He just wanted to pass out.

* * * * *

“We have a problem.”

“...I know. It’s a big problem.”

Oscar slumped next to the trash can, looking very downcast.

Killian, watching him, tilted his head in confusion.

“My organs are ruptured, so why are you making that face?”

“I have my reasons.”

Oscar let out a heavy sigh.

He didn’t know how he’d face Radan in the afterlife.

Though knowing him, he’d probably just laugh it off and tell him not to worry.

'Now that I think about it, as a warrior of the forest…'

Oscar glanced over at Killian.

His clothes covered most of his body, and he wore gloves that hid almost all of his skin.

'A tattooed mage.'

Warriors of the forest tribe have a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to spell-casting.

Bluntly put, they’re not the brightest.

'But they’re loyal and had an unyielding desire to learn magic.'

That’s why the White Tower's Fifth Magic Tower Master created "tattoo magic" just for them.

By pre-etching magic tattoos on their skin, they could activate spells by simply channeling their mana into them.

'Thanks to that, they can fire off spells as quickly as incantation-free casting. But each tattoo has limited uses, and once depleted, they can’t cast any spells until they recharge.’

The forest warriors usually make up for that downtime with their impressive physical abilities.

‘This kid probably has dozens of tattoos on his body. Radan’s body was just like that.’

Oscar asked,

"So what’s the problem? Does it hurt a lot?"

"It does. But pain is nothing to a warrior of the forest. The real problem is that I took on a job in Baran, and I can’t carry it out in this condition."

"...Sorry about that."

"I'm not telling you this to get an apology."

Killian shook his head, his face expressionless.

"You’ll need to complete the job for me."

“Weren't you saying before that I should be sent back to Sirin?"

"But the job comes with a hefty penalty. If I cancel now, I’ll be bankrupt."

"..."

Oscar hung his head and covered his face with both hands.

Was he doing this on purpose, rubbing guilt on him?

“Fine. I can’t let you become a credit risk. What’s the job?"

"...Ah, she’s coming out just now."

Killian looked over at the screen on a nearby building wall, where a woman was singing.

"That celestial voice... My job is to guard her."

[Translator - Clara]

[Proofreader - Gun]