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Although all the anxieties during his journey to the bar had proven baseless—she bore no physical injuries—the three-story building housing the bar had undergone a radical transformation.

Above the second floor, the office lay in ruins, as if it had been subjected to an explosion. On the first floor, dust and blood were strewn about.

The only relatively undamaged area was the basement bar.

Even there, half of the bar was in ruins, with tables sporting broken legs scattered haphazardly.

Strangely enough, a few patrons remained, merrily laughing and drinking as if nothing had transpired.

“Anyone who comes here in this state must be out of their minds,” Lennok muttered, sticking out his tongue. Jenny chuckled, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

“It’s not like there’s only one or two people who wouldn’t be surprised if they died tomorrow,” she remarked.

Accepting the drink she handed him, Lennok produced a cigarette and inquired, “Alright, explain. I was planning on hearing a quick rundown of what’s been happening and then resting, but what is this mess?”

“The Cartel got involved,” she responded.

The term “Cartel” typically referred to a syndicate or group, but in this sprawling city, there was only one Cartel that commanded attention. One of the criminal organizations reigning over Vulcan’s underworld, also known as one of the “Three Heads,” they were renowned for their speed and profit-oriented approach.

“Putting up a sign and changing the trade name were good steps, but they countered too quickly,” she continued.

In Lennok’s absence, Jenny had followed his guidance to kickstart her venture. Within just ten days, she had successfully established a respectable operation with the support of multiple sponsors. Her business focus was distribution, with the goal of wresting control of the supply chain from the current scavenger operators.

“Using the network I built as a broker, and gathering people disillusioned with mercenary life, I was planning on establishing a strong foothold quickly. It seems the Cartel was watching this side too,” she explained.

The mere fact that Jenny, the daughter of the man who once ruled Vulcan’s underworld, was entering the business had the potential to disrupt the market’s existing power dynamics. The Cartel was apprehensive that the equilibrium would be disturbed.

Hence, they left a clear warning by vandalizing the bar during her absence.

“When I was focusing on brokerage, they didn’t bother. Now things have changed,” she added, taking a drag from her cigarette.

“I can’t continue to operate like this, so for now, I’ve diverted other freelancers to Sebastian or Madam. If we want customers to come back, I have to entrust it to people I know at least,” she explained.

“Why am I excluded?” Lennok inquired.

“Because the company was established under your name, of course.”

Jenny then handed Lennok a document, a business registration certificate with both their names engraved on it.

At this stage, questions about whether he had given consent or whether proper procedures had been followed were irrelevant. Lennok could only admire Jenny’s resourcefulness and decisiveness in effortlessly incorporating his vague identity into the business certificate.

“As a reference, this is the amount of investment we’ve collected before starting the business,” she informed him.

“Hmm…”

“The salary set for the CEO is this amount. Additional negotiations are possible if needed,” she added.

Lennok nodded.

“Let’s start work immediately.”

In the world, businesspeople made the most money, followed by investors who backed those businesses.

Upon inspecting the figures on the calculator, all apprehensions evaporated in an instant.

After all, this had been agreed upon beforehand, before heading to the autonomous region.

If he couldn’t wield significant influence in Vulcan’s shadows, he would never gain access to the rare magic and potions he coveted.

The time for hiding behind the excuse of being a freelancer had passed.

Now, bolstered by further validation of his abilities in the autonomous region, it was time to actively expand his influence.

***

[The news has reached me.]

Mana flowed from Yakson, trembling as it delivered the message.

[I heard even here that the guy hiding in the Republic has fallen into a coma.]

“…….”

While Van’s name remained unspoken throughout the Drug Lord’s downfall, someone of Yakson’s caliber wouldn’t fail to discern Lennok’s actions.

She regarded Lennok with emotionless eyes and silently accepted the Malabest roots he offered.

[Although I, who had given up everything, have no right to say this… I still want to say that you’ve fulfilled my wish.]

“It was something I thought I could do, so I tried. I can only say I was lucky to succeed.” Lennok candidly expressed his feelings.

Revealing any specifics about his confrontation with the Drug Lord could pose a danger, but it didn’t matter in front of Yakson. Because after their meeting today, she would not retain any memories.

[Nothing happens by chance among skilled people like you and the Drug Lord.]

Yakson firmly contradicted Lennok’s words.

[How can luck or fate be blamed between beings who can interfere with the laws? I too do not resent, though I may lament my inadequacies. However…]

In contrast to her words, which seemed to transcend earthly concerns, human attachments weren’t easily discarded.

Both Lennok and Yakson understood this without needing to articulate it.

[I will also do my best to respond to your wishes. Leave it to me.]

As she picked up the dull-colored root, her eyes shone brighter than ever before.

[With this, I can offer you one possibility against your unbelievable nature.]

Silently, Lennok descended the mountain, observing Yakson as she closed the door of the small hut and disappeared.

Sorcerers who had reached their limits imposed restrictions on themselves to ascend to a higher realm. Triggers employed by spellcasters like Grisha operated on similar principles.

How far could Lennok, who had been imposing penalties on himself since his arrival in this world, progress?

When Lennok eventually uncovered the answer he sought, would he remain the same person he was at the outset?

That remained an unknown.

Even virtuous individuals like Yakson could fall into their own snares due to momentary lapses.

Lennok, too, needed to be perpetually vigilant against meeting a similar fate.

Only after handing the Malabest to Yakson did Lennok conclude his essential tasks and return home.

Following his agreement with Jenny to adopt a wait-and-see approach as the conflict with the cartel had concluded with a warning, his first priority was to rest.

He set down bags filled with items brought from the autonomous region.

He laid his unwashed body on the dust-covered bed.

“Cough.”

A cough escaped involuntarily, but Lennok closed his eyes and lay still.

The painkillers and sedatives taken one after another in the autonomous region, along with the accumulated fatigue from continuous lack of rest, had taken their toll.

He had managed to obtain sufficient rest at the lighthouse to regain his mobility, but nothing compared to the comfort of returning home.

Although it remained unstable and could vanish at any moment.

It was a haven that Lennok had constructed with his own hands.

“Huuu……”

It felt as though he could drift into slumber at any moment, but there was one last task to complete.

Many messages had accumulated on his cellphone, which connected as soon as he returned to Vulcan.

“Why on Earth aren’t you answering? Where are you?” Aris sent an irate text, to which Lennok replied with a message indicating his return from vacation.

Evelyn proposed a meeting, but Lennok declined with a message.

Dylan expressed his frustration about Lennok’s absence from the bar lately. In response, Lennok explained that he had closed down the business. After this, he powered off his phone and lay down.

As he closed his eyes, his consciousness plunged deep into slumber.

Before long, the only sound in the tranquil room was the gentle rhythm of breathing.

***

“Has he returned?”

“Yes, seems like smashing the bar had some effect. He showed himself not even three days later, probably he was keeping an eye on the situation.”

“Hmm… The woman I know wouldn’t destroy the bar just to observe the reaction.”

Eola, a woman with a husky voice, grew irritated by the man’s nonchalant response.

“Whether you know or not, it doesn’t matter. The situation is what it is, what are you even saying?”

“Calm down, Eola. I’m just saying based on my memory… So, how’s the business Jenny said she would start?”

“She hesitated the day we wrecked the bar, but resumed work the next day. It’s as if our movements didn’t matter from the start.”

“Hmm…”

“We won’t be able to stop anything if we hesitate. Somehow she secured a large number of investors, led by an old man named Vincent who was in charge of inter-city trade. It’s hard to pressure them since they’re different from the business people we’ve been backing in the Vulcan.”

“So we have to deal with Jenny again?”

The woman remained silent, but her silence was tantamount to agreement.

“Should I contact the boss again? Our old man owes a lot to Kaiser too.”

“Virgil, are you still talking about that? Wake up. The boss said it’s okay to kill Jenny.”

“…”

“Only you old timers in the back room remember Kaiser. We need to forget that name and eliminate any competent competitors.”

Virgil offered no response.

Eola sighed, observing his stubborn demeanor.

“Are you hesitant to get your hands dirty? Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

“What are you planning?”

“If she doesn’t listen the first time, we’ll cut off her limbs next.”

Her eyes gleamed coldly as she spoke.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Not only will I complete the task perfectly, but I will also get an estimate of that wizard Lennok’s capabilities.”

***

-Lennok. I really don’t care, but there are many complaints from the university administrative office.

Aris coughed awkwardly.

“…I apologize.”

-Please know this only got better after you revealed you are a spirit master. It’s fine with me if you don’t do anything in the lab, but it’d be good to at least show your face.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll try to start coming in from next week. I won’t take such long vacations anymore.”

After ending the call, Lennok straightened his hunched back and let out a sigh.

He hadn’t expected Aris to contact him directly the morning after receiving his message. Lennok didn’t have much to say about it; after all, he owed Aris for recruiting him into the lab despite his limited contributions.

“Should I at least start something…”

Muttering to himself, Lennok powered on the laptop he had set aside in his lab and took a seat.