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Moreover, the adversary displayed a notable familiarity with projectiles of such swiftness, effortlessly evading them.

A momentary sensation of relief passed through the eyes of the shadow that skillfully eluded capture.

Nevertheless, when the frigid spear pierced into the earth, instantly converting the nearby terrain into a frozen expanse, their countenance underwent a drastic transformation.

Shwekshwek…!!

Similar to the explosive burst of a water balloon, a surge of frigid air erupted, instantly transforming an area several tens of meters in radius into a wintry inferno.

The moisture suspended in the air, touched by the biting cold, crystallized and swirled about, creating a white landscape that seemed to trail behind a blazing flame.

‘I won\'t be able to keep them restrained for much longer.’

Lennok realized, observing the successive evasive maneuvers.

The individual before him displayed exceptional skill, unmistakably belonging to a profession that demanded physical prowess.

Lennok continued to disperse his mana diligently, refusing to let his guard down.

Having studied supportive magic for ranged combat, he had aimed to avoid exerting excessive strain on his body through consecutive magical acts. However, now he had no alternative.

He couldn\'t let this opportunity slip away. Unveiling the secret behind how his opponent concealed their presence, eluding Lennok\'s magical detection, was paramount.

At last, when he successfully struck them with an accurate [Gravity Bind], Lennok began a deliberate approach.

Extracting a cigarette from his pocket, he ignited it.

"Huh," he sighed, feeling a renewed vigor surge through him, the weariness dissipating.

Increasing his pace, Lennok maintained an unwavering focus on his adversary, now entirely ensnared within the purplish coils.

After covering several hundred meters and reaching the gradually thawing icy terrain Lennok had laid, he finally had a clear view of his opponent\'s face.

Their arm twisted at an odd angle, as though reaching for the shotgun strapped to their back.

Their feet were immobilized by the frozen ground, likely a consequence of Lennok\'s magic. Exposed to the chilly air, their tank top trembled.

Dark blue hair gathered in a fierce bundle, lending them a formidable appearance.

As her gaze fell upon Lennok, a deep sigh escaped her lips.

"Fuck… Of all people to be caught by, it had to be a monster like this."

She began with a curse, clearly possessing a sharp tongue.

Lennok regarded the woman with an impassive expression, then flicked his finger lightly.

Paang!

"Argh!! Be gentle!!"

When a shock spell struck the shotgun on her back, causing it to clatter to the ground, she let out a piercing scream.

Lennok smirked.

"Why should I?"

"What did I do wrong!!"

"You were hiding suspiciously and ran when you were discovered."

"That… I was just trying not to disturb you. I didn\'t want to interrupt your peaceful hunting, Mr. Wizard."

"That\'s quite persuasive."

The woman slouched, seemingly surrendering to Lennok\'s nonchalant response.

"Haah… Okay, could you at least get rid of this ice sheet? My toes are starting to freeze."

"Depends on your actions."

Although she appeared to have given up on the surface, Lennok remained uncertain of her true intentions.

He knew all too well that this woman possessed remarkably fluid movements, leaving no room to completely dismiss the possibility of her suddenly producing a concealed weapon and launching an attack.

While he believed that [Gravity Bind] was sufficient to restrain a lone mercenary, maintaining vigilance was a different matter altogether.

Seeing Lennok fiddling with his revolver, the woman hastily interjected, her complexion noticeably paler.

"Dil… Dylan!"

"What?"

"…I work with Dylan. Just a typical mercenary."

She seemed embarrassed to have exposed her colleague\'s name so suddenly, her ears turning a bright shade of red.

However, annoyance creased Lennok\'s brow.

"How did you come to know about my connection with Dylan? Did he mention me?"

"…Ah."

"………."

As he gazed at the woman, who fell silent with a guilty expression, Lennok let out a deep sigh.

Despite her impressive agility, she seemed somewhat clumsy.

"So, you must be from the Antares office if you\'re working with Dylan."

"Ye…Yes."

"Why were you spying on me? And tell me how you managed to hide from my detection."

Lennok had never deemed his magical detection flawless, but he also didn\'t consider it to be feeble.

The technique of sensing mana, known as Ki sense among warriors who augment their physical capabilities with mana, may appear rudimentary, yet its efficacy is significant.

Functioning as a sixth sense separate from the basic five senses, this detection method profoundly heightens human perception in an instinctual manner.

For Lennok, whose aptitude for mana responsiveness was extraordinary, this mana detection served as a potent weapon, incomparable to the frail and mundane senses of the flesh.

If she managed to conceal herself from Lennok\'s sensory range, even for a fleeting moment, it would be reasonable to surmise that there was another method at play, rather than Lennok\'s detection ability being inadequate.

Especially if it functioned similarly to when he apprehended Taylor Evans.

"No, I wasn\'t hiding to do anything to you specifically. I was just hiding because I didn\'t want to get swept up in something."

Observing Lennok\'s expression, the woman swiftly began offering excuses.

"And if I really wanted to kill you, I would have attacked first. Honestly, I had plenty of time to do so."

"……."

"And hiding from your mana detection isn\'t really a big deal. It\'s just the power of money."

"The power of money?"

"This. Can you see the amulet hanging on my waist?"

As she mentioned it, a small, dark green amulet dangled beside her leather belt.

At first glance, its design appeared so ordinary that one might mistake it for a mere accessory.

Even Lennok would have disregarded it without a second thought if she hadn\'t brought it up, as no discernible power radiated from it.

"It\'s a camouflage amulet made by a high-level druid. It\'s expensive, but it\'s worth the money. Basically, the more well-off mercenaries have it… Hey, give that back!"

Disregarding the woman\'s startled exclamation, Lennok swiftly seized the amulet from her waistband and scrutinized it closely.

Druidic nature spells, strictly speaking, held a distinct position apart from conventional magic.

While they fell under the broader umbrella of "spells," unlike magic, which drew upon the versatile energy known as mana as its power source, nature spells lacked a discernible energy that could be considered as such.

Their power stemmed from a deep faith in the existence and inherent potency of nature, and thus, left no visible signs or traces.

The reason Lennok had failed to detect the power of the druid was rooted in the very principles underlying such nature spells.

‘Although there might be some overlap with psychic abilities… the talents I acquired then were mostly mana-related abilities.\'

Lennok pondered the slim likelihood of achieving comparable results with spells that operated without mana.

Consequently, he had devoted little attention to knowledge beyond mana-based practices. However, the presence of these amulets compelled him to consider delving further into related lore.

As he continued to examine the amulet, turning it this way and that, Lennok shook his head.

‘I roughly understand how it works.\'

The amulet not only concealed one\'s presence but also triggered the nature spell under specific conditions.

Even Lennok, who had remained stationary, felt his own presence fade and his breathing grow calm as time passed.

‘It\'s a useful item for hiding in one place. It\'s not something you can use for surprise attacks or pre-emptive strikes.\'

Moreover, as Lennok began benefiting from the amulet\'s effect, one of the lines in the intricate pattern etched on its surface faded slightly.

Judging by this, it appeared to be a consumable item with a limited number of uses.

Considering its potential for ambushes and surprise attacks, it seemed less likely that the woman had intended to harm Lennok.

Looking at Lennok with a somewhat anxious expression, the woman spoke up.

"Hey… you\'re going to give it back properly, right? It\'s a bit expensive. Quite a lot expensive."

"I can\'t promise…"

"Hey!"

"Don\'t worry. I\'ll use it well and leave it with Dylan."

"Damn… that guy doesn\'t even care what\'s in his wallet."

The woman grumbled, but surprisingly, she didn\'t voice many complaints about Lennok taking the amulet.

Perhaps she believed it was a fair trade for the value of her life.

While Lennok had initially planned to study the operational principles of the spell embedded within the amulet and return it, she appeared indifferent, as if she had already relinquished any attachment to it.

The magical essence sustaining the icy terrain began to dissipate, causing the frosty shackles binding her feet to rapidly melt away.

The magic had been designed with a limited duration and contained only a modest amount of mana, resulting in a brief lifespan.

It was at this moment that the woman shook off her thawing feet and started hopping around.

"Ah, damn it. There\'s a lot of water in my boots. What am I going to do about this?"

"Is that what matters now?"

"What else? I really didn\'t plan any tricks on you, okay? …Though there is something I\'d like to do together."

Upon hearing the woman\'s words, which subtly hinted at her underlying motives, Lennok chuckled softly.

He retrieved his cell phone and swiftly dialed Jenny\'s number.

‘Merely mentioning Dylan\'s name won\'t be enough to let her off the hook.\'

By obtaining mutual confirmation through a trusted acquaintance, he could ensure a proper verification of her affiliation with the Antares office.

[…..Blue hair…? That….crazy bi… is there… where….. met….]

The call quality was poor, likely due to being situated in an area outside the city. It was possible that the turbulent self-explosive storms often experienced in the outskirts had an impact on the signal.

Although Jenny\'s voice barely reached his ears, Lennok managed to grasp the essential details.

After ending the call, which was plagued with strange noises and connectivity issues, Lennok nodded to himself.

Releasing the tight gravity bind that had restrained her upper body, he inquired, "What\'s your name?"

"Camilla. Just call me Mila," she replied, swinging her arms freely.

It had been a binding spell that even Croken had struggled against for a brief period. If Mila had been ensnared in such a whip, her movements would have undoubtedly been severely restricted.

"Do people usually shorten it like that?"

"It\'s my name, what does it matter. You\'re Van, right? I\'ve heard a lot about you." Mila remarked, subtly glancing at Lennok as she retrieved her fallen shotgun.

"Anyway, Van, you came here to exterminate the contaminants too, right? Right?"

"Isn\'t that the same for you?"

"Well, yes. I\'ve been needing urgent money these days, so I\'ve been accepting all the jobs that come in, but the boss says that accepting requests for a while would be a loss while doing something on the deep web. So I came here to earn some pocket money."

"…….."

"What? Is something wrong?"

"…..No… Nothing," Lennok replied, averting his gaze as he stumbled over his words.

Mila\'s statement had caught him off guard. It seemed she had accepted the request to exterminate the contaminants for a reason strikingly similar to Lennok\'s own. However, based on what she revealed, it appeared that she was in a phase where her worth fluctuated due to rapidly accumulating achievements.

In other words, she had come here after accomplishing a task of comparable difficulty to Lennok\'s previous endeavors. Surprisingly, Lennok had never heard of her before.

‘This field really is damn wide.\'

Simultaneously, it dawned on him that his ability to gather information was lacking. While clients placing requests in this field and intermediaries like Jenny might possess such knowledge, but for Lennok, that gap was enormously far.

Until now, he had heavily relied on brokers like Jenny for information gathering, but it became evident that he needed a means to gather information on his own.

(TO BE CONTINUED)