Landa’s outskirts were cloaked in a dense forest that had been designated as a development-free zone. Hidden within its depths, a small battle was raging, concealed by the barrier erected to mask the illegal Magic Wine Factory from prying eyes.

Though invisible to outsiders, the fight was a fierce one. It was just another power struggle in the cutthroat world of Landa, but this time, the factory side was losing.

“Damn it, fuck, fuck!”

Bang! Kwa-gwang! Boom! Puff-puff-bang!

Audrey, the owner of the factory and a former Magic Tower student, watched in despair as his defense facilities, dormitory, and magic wine production machines exploded in a hail of gunfire.

Where did things go wrong?

Everything was going smoothly.

Starting with the prison break, the city was catching the back alley gangs of Landa, and most of the gangs had restrictions on their actions, and at the right time, Audrey was able to quietly set up a magic wine factory here.

Recently, magic wine was popular not only in Landa but also in many cities.

The business idea was a sound one, and soon investors were lining up to fund his operation. With money coming in, underlings were also easily found.

The trash that would sell their bodies for a few coins was scattered all over Landa.

Everything was going smoothly… until these raiders appeared.

Tang! Tatang! Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo! Tung! Tung!

“Aaaagh! My eyes!!”

“Fuck, someone turn on the lights! It’s hard to respond in the dark!”

“Take cover! Take cover!! Shoot like crazy!”

The men defending the front gate could not subdue a single intruder, so they hid here and there and shouted.

They wanted to curse him out, but the intruder was clearly not ordinary.

He already broke through the front door and had already killed dozens of people in just one shot, and there was no way to stop him.

He had some kind of skill, shooting multiple guns and firing precise shots, despite the darkness.

The corpses that fell with each gunshot were evidence of that.

‘It’s dark, so I can’t see properly… . mutant? A golem prosthetic hand user?’

Some of Audrey’s men turned on the spotlights to illuminate the surroundings, revealing the intruder.

The grotesque mutant stood before them, its multiple arms twisted in a contorted fashion. The sight alone was enough to send shivers down their spines.

However, despite its revolting appearance, the mutant possessed a cunning intellect that enabled it to dodge bullets and strategically disable the lights by snatching bulbs from their sockets.

Tung! Tung! Dudu dudu dudu1! Tang! Tadatang!

Boom! Boom! Paching! Puh-buh-buh-buh-bung!

The light bulbs that illuminated the surroundings all shattered in just two seconds, and the surroundings were once again plunged into darkness.

The subordinates who raised the lantern became a target.

Then, another explosion occurred.

“Aaaaaagh! My leg!”

“Ahhhh! Turn off the lights here!!”

“I can’t see ahead! ahead! my eyes-!”

Panic set in as Audrey’s men scrambled for cover. Black magic-infused bombs wreaked havoc, causing destruction not only to the facilities but also to the individuals supporting them. The intruder’s attacks were precise and deadly.

Despite the chaos, some managed to evade the blasts, and among them were those with powerful mutant abilities or basic knowledge of magic. They rallied to confront the intruder, but their efforts were short-lived.

The intruder launched another bomb, and a monstrous flame erupted, distorting all basic formations in its path. Without hesitation, the intruder charged into the inferno, brandishing a sawed-off shotgun in both hands.

Bang! Bang!

The deafening sound of gunfire filled the air as the mutant fired relentlessly at Audrey’s men, their panicked screams filling the void. The sheer force of the sawed-off shotgun’s firepower was overwhelming, surpassing even that of the burning flames.

The intruder revealed in the carnage, laughing maniacally at the destruction it had wrought. Audrey’s men were demoralized and fled in terror, leaving the intruder to revel in its victory.

“Eek…!! Monsters!!”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen…! It wasn’t!”

“Mom… Mom…”

It was all over.

Fear permeated every corner, especially for those belonging to the lower class of the alleyways. Audrey, their leader, knew that there was no way to deal with it. He had to act fast, and he had to do it now.

Audrey immediately made his next move– To run away.

The option to fight was there, but it was far too risky. The stakes were high, and Audrey knew that he couldn’t afford to lose. He had acquired enough knowledge from his dealings behind Magic Tower to realize that the time to leave was now.

Audrey quickly descended from the central surveillance tower to the office, and without hesitation, spoke into the communication device.

“The enemy is strong! I will join you, everyone come this way!”

The device beeped, and a flurry of voices rang out in response, some filled with fear, others with bravery, and some with suspicion. But none of it mattered to Audrey. Whether they believed it or not, whether they gathered together or not, he was going to run away.

It was okay to run away, and it was okay to come here. Anything will draw the enemy’s attention.

“Yeah, this is just a temporary setback. Whatever. I can always come up with a new plan.”

Audrey murmured to himself as he gathered his belongings, stuffing everything from magic recipes, potions, herbal cultivation methods, scroll production introductions, pure magic school books, research journals, and money into a stolen magic bag.

Even though blowing up the factory might not please the investors, it didn’t matter. As he said before, he had a plan.

It was enough to take refuge in the most wealthy and powerful of the investors.

If he compensated for the damage by working under him for a few years, he would surely protect him.

He was a greedy Druid who boasted about his money and women.

‘Because he values talent more than anything… . Well, he can’t ignore me!”

Audrey opened the door confidently.

Kwajik!!!

As the door creaked open, Audrey’s instincts kicked into high gear. He sensed the threat before him and in a flash, he donned his magic shield, ready for battle. But it was no use. A sudden impact struck his chest, sending him flying backward and crashing into the wall with a deafening thud. The force was so intense that he felt as though a cannon had struck him head-on.

As he struggled to regain his bearings, Audrey laid eyes on his attacker, a bald man wielding a tonfa in each hand. The man exuded a powerful life-force and mana.

‘Mana Hypertrophy??!! The guards in the hallway? Are they all dead? But how?’

Audrey guessed that he was a significantly skilled person. However, Audrey was also from the Magic Tower, and even more, from the School of pure magic faction. He didn’t panic but instead conjured a dense magic chain and launched an attack, hoping to suppress his assailant.

Even though it looked simple, Audrey’s specialty was being able to attack and suppress his enemy at the same time.

As the chain caught the bald intruder’s arm, the bald intruder concentrated his mana sharply on the opposite tonfa and tore the magic chain made by Audrey.

“…..!!!”

It did not seem like an ordinary tonfa.

Thwack!!

The intruder quickly closed the distance and attacked Audrey indiscriminately.

Audrey tried to defend himself with the magic armor he had already equipped on his body, but the bald intruder’s attack was so strong that the shock pierced the shield.

Even though he tried to counterattack, the enemy’s attacks were too brilliant and unpredictable, making it difficult to resist.

Fist out, hit with a tonfa wave, hit with an elbow, kicked with a knee, wielded a tonfa wave, and kicked.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each strike was deadly like an iron hammer.

Aundrey tried to use the close combat skills he learned from his school, but it was no use.

“Ugh!”

In the end, Audrey used the magic item hidden in his pocket.

An item saved for use in the really unavoidable moment.

The magic shield that accumulated mana for several months activated while drawing a three-dimensional magic circle in the air. A cube-shaped barrier enveloped Audrey.

The intruder was pushed back by the dazzling mana. He began swinging his Tonfa at the shield.

Tung-!

Tung-!

‘Ha! Do you think you can break this shield that I’ve been storing my mana into for months?!’

With a smile of satisfaction, Audrey gathered and condensed mana.

He tried to leave quietly, but under such pressure, he couldn’t help it. It was a large-scale explosive magic that he intended to use in this kind of crisis, but…

“huh?”

Audrey noticed that the bald intruder was concentrating his mana on his one hand and Tonfa.

‘Are you planning on killing me? … … It’s okay, I can hold on!’

After finishing the calculation, Audrey shouted.

“You think you can break this shield with just that?!”

“No….”

The guy responded with an awkward and creepy smile. It was so disgusting as if someone was forcibly pulling the doll’s face.

Then, out of the darkness, a four-armed intruder appeared and put black magic on the bald intruder’s arms.

“…. Huh?”

That bewildered voice became Audrey’s last words.

Before he could even shout, the bald intruder swung his fist imbued with black magic at the shield.

Bang!

As if space had twisted, the shield was split in half horizontally, separating Audrey’s upper and lower body.

The sensation of hot organs touching the cold air was indescribable, and for a few seconds, Audrey, struggling for breath, looked at the two intruders staring down at him.

He didn’t even feel anger, hatred, or sadness at the reality that was too unbelievable to believe.

He just stood there blankly.

‘…Huh?’

Audrey noticed something strange just before he stopped breathing.

He realized that the two beings who killed him weren’t humans.

At first, they were obscured by excellent makeup skills, but when he saw their empty eye sockets, he realized they weren’t human.

Though, it was all meaningless now.

Audrey, a former Magic Tower student who wanted to become a giant in the underworld starting with being a magic wine conglomerate, lost consciousness.

Forever.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

Oliver gazed intently at the magic wine factory, observing every movement through the eyes of his minion. He closed one eye and muttered under his breath, “It’s over.”

As he scribbled down his notes on the battle situation, he retrieved the blueprints of the factory that Murphy had provided him. The defense was thick, making it a cumbersome task, but thankfully Murphy had already taken care of the blueprints, making the mission easier than anticipated.

Following the blueprint, Oliver dispatched his minions and assessed the situation of the enemy. He strategically placed Las Bomb in the minions and deployed the corpse dolls, quickly gaining control of the factory. Despite not encountering any formidable opponents, Oliver’s accomplishment in taking down nearly 100 enemies was nothing short of commendable.

What surprised Oliver the most was that the corpse dolls weren’t just effective as a backup. They could also fight as the main force, especially the Corpse doll-sniper. Although it was initially deemed to have low expectations, Oliver discovered its true potential during the battle. Equipped with a gun and auxiliary weapons, the Corpse doll-sniper showcased remarkable combat power and versatility. It even managed to break through the main gate and take down dozens of gangsters.

‘However, I need to keep a close eye on Second’s tendency to flaunt its firepower. It’s a new trait that I haven’t seen before, and while it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it could interfere with our work,’

Aside from the sniper, the Warlock and Duncan also displayed intriguing abilities. The Warlock’s synchronization rate with Duncan was so high that it nearly replicated Duncan’s movements when he was alive, demonstrating remarkable combat power. Even a student from the Magic Tower was overpowered by their performance.

‘It matched well with First, who joined the Warlock.’

Oliver was pleased with the results. Although fighting drained significant amounts of energy such as life-force, emotions, and mana, he now had a team that he could use in case of an emergency. This increased his range of actions at work.

“Kyayaya…”

As Child-Third cried softly inside its test tube, Oliver retrieved it from his pocket, reassuring it that it need not feel regretful. He promised to create a new corpse doll soon, given the abundance of materials at his disposal.

After passing through the broken barricades and defenses, and arriving at the central magic wine factory, Oliver was greeted by the corpse doll-sniper collecting materials – corpses.

“Gun! Count! Ingredients! Lots!” the corpse doll exclaimed, but Oliver quickly calmed it down.

He greeted [Duncan] and [Warlock] as they descended, each carrying a corpse that had been separated up and down.

A corpse was dropped to the floor, along with the words “gift” and “Kyahyahyahya.” Oliver took out a black-and-white photo and contrasted the face. It was Audrey, a former Magic Tower student who had been threatening Murphy’s magic wine business.

Oliver pulled out Big Mouth from the leather case behind his back, instructing him to take care of the corpse and as many others as possible. Big Mouth tried to argue, but when Oliver became interested in other things, it soon became disappointed and got to work

“Rurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. … .”

“Kyahehehehe.”

The scene of dead Big Mouth being comforted by the corpse doll-Sniper was eerie.

However, Oliver’s attention was already focused on the magic bag the corpse doll-Warlock had brought.

It was a great harvest with the magic bag alone, but there were better things inside. Dozens of bundles of money tied up in high-density currency, School of Pure Magic books, magic wine recipes, potion recipes, herbal cultivation methods, and so on. But the most eye-catching among them were the research journals that seemed to be written by hand.

The Lightning Wizard and Audrey were the same. They seemed to have a penchant for writing things down. Oliver exclaimed as he looked over the journal. There was something better than he had expected.

“As expected, I did the right thing taking this job,” he said as he checked the harvest. It was time to go back.

(To be Continued on Mar 27(MON))

OR

$5/month6 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$15/month12 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$30/month19 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$45/monthAll advance chap + 6 chap/week