Chapter 1445

<Chapter 1445> 1445. Dark Moon

After receiving a call from Yuria, I returned home.

Three unwelcome guests were tied up with gags in their mouths, locked away in the basement. Instinctively, my eyes scanned the basement. This was the space I usually used for magic training and research. Aside from a few magical tools, there was nothing special here.

I had told Yuria she could use the basement whenever she wanted, so it wasn’t really my responsibility. Besides, all my important magical research is stored in my head anyway.

“…How did you subdue them? They can’t even move.”

“I severed their spinal cords. With the nerves cut, they can’t move their arms or legs, though they can still move their necks and speak.”

“Why bother tying them up then?”

“Just in case. There might be some secret techniques I don’t know about.”

I approached them. The wounds on their backs were covered with old rags, looking like a rushed first-aid job with no concern for infection or proper treatment.

“Truly impressive skills.”

Looking at them, I couldn’t see any other injuries. It seems she overwhelmed them with overwhelming skill.

“Of course… she did graduate from the Knight Training Academy…”

That she subdued these guys wasn’t particularly surprising. She’s a maid, but I’d guessed since meeting her that she possessed considerable strength.

I grabbed one of them and sat him on a chair. His eyes trembled, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. I intentionally chose the weakest-looking one.

[Silence]

Before removing the gag from his mouth, I cast a spell. Soundproofing the basement. If he starts screaming, it would be troublesome if anyone outside heard.

I removed the gag. He didn’t scream. Instead, his trembling lips clenched tightly.

“…Kill me.”

“Why should I do that? Right now, dying would be the greatest mercy for you.”

“I can’t feel anything in my body. Meaning, no matter what torture you inflict, I won’t feel pain. Killing me will be easier. Or maybe you want to take care of my屎尿(shit and piss) forever? Hahaha! Not bad either. Having such a pretty maid taking care of my bodily functions… Gah!”

SLAP!

I slapped him hard.

Seeing him talk about Yuria like that made my blood boil. Yuria is mine, someone I’m responsible for protecting. I couldn’t let some insignificant bastard insult her.

I grabbed his head and channeled mana into him. I intended to scan his body with mana.

Zzzt.

A blue flame flickered. I was confused—I hadn’t used any electric magic. Somehow, the mana naturally transformed into a weak current.

‘…This method seems more efficient for scanning a human body.’

So I went with it.

The subtle current flowed through his body, transmitting information back to me.

‘Not a mana-awakened individual. Still, his physical condition is incredibly trained compared to an average person. Can someone reach this level without mana, just through ordinary training…?’

The answer came immediately.

Drugs.

Muscle-enhancing drugs.


I’ve heard about this before. It’s on the expensive side, but it’s not a drug that’s impossible to get my hands on.

‘Just as Yuria said, the nerves have been severed. Clean cut. Incredible skill. But… I feel like there’s something I can do about this?’

Ultimately, human movement boils down to electrical signals sent from the brain. If I can control those electrical signals…

Crackle.

Electricity flows. Suddenly, he stretches out his left foot completely, tensing all the way to his toes.

“Wh-What have you done?!”

“Is this the right foot?”

I alter the flow of electricity. This time, he moves his right arm sideways. Crack! His elbow breaks as the arm swings completely around behind the chair.

“My… my arm…!”

And still, the arm keeps spinning a full 360 degrees. Of course, the cost is that the arm is utterly destroyed.

I tried several other experiments too: forcing the other limbs to move, stopping internal biological functions.

At one point, “Hmph.” The form of mana reacts to the electric current.

A spark of magical inspiration flashes through me.

What if… what if I could manipulate the brain with electricity? What if I could tamper with someone’s memories or spirit?

‘A magic to manipulate humans at my will. Creating such magic isn’t impossible.’

With anticipation, I send delicate currents into his brain.

The result was failure.

The moment the delicate current touched his brain, his eyes rolled back and he died. The human brain is far more complex and sensitive than I imagined.

My interest waned instantly. I realized no amount of trying would make this method work.

“Accidentally killed him. Still, I got a rough idea.”

I drag the corpse off the chair and bring in another guy. He swallows nervously, glancing at me with sheer terror—having witnessed firsthand my human experimentation.

I place my hand on his shoulder. Crackle. Delicate currents run through his body.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!”

He screams. Every cell must feel like it’s being tortured.

“If you want the pain to stop, you’ll tell me everything about yourself, starting with your name.”

He doesn’t last a minute.

“I’ll talk…! I’ll talk, just stop it…!”

I remove my hand from his shoulder. As the pain subsides, he lets out a sigh of relief, then quietly checks his companion’s reaction. The companion slowly nods, resignation clear in his eyes. He’s chosen to speak and die rather than endure further torture.

“We’re part of the Frackson Mercenary Squad.”

I didn’t think they were mafia or gangsters. Their vibe was different.

“Did you take a commission?”

“It seemed like an easy way to earn some pocket money.”

“I don’t care what you think. Who commissioned you and what was the job?”

“The commissioner is Orin Harvess, the boss of the Harvess Gang. The job was to kidnap you. They wanted your chicken recipe.”

“Why hire you guys? He could’ve handled this himself.”

“The Harvess Gang is currently laying low because they’ve gotten on the bad side of the council. Moving directly might bring the council into it. Hiring us was to avoid the worst-case scenario.”

“Never heard of this gang… Are they big enough for the council to care?”

“They killed a council official.”

It made sense immediately.

No faction messes with you without consequences, especially when it comes to officials. Killing a public servant is basically declaring war on the state itself. It’s strange the Harvess Gang hasn’t been wiped out yet.

I had what I needed. Still, I asked around just in case. There wasn’t much useful info, though. Just that the Harvess Gang belongs to the Neo London gang coalition called Jupiter. Of course, I’d never heard of the Jupiter coalition either.

“We are the Frackson Mercenary Squad. We…”


“If you let us go, I’ll end this here. If you kill us, the Fraxion Mercenary Corps won’t sit still.”

“Hah, don’t make me laugh! Do you really think I don’t know how this world works? No matter how you kill these guys, Fraxion won’t lift a finger.”

I didn’t attack the Fraxion Mercenary Corps. This whole thing has nothing to do with them. As that guy just said, they were after me for some pocket money, so I killed them in self-defense.

Mercenaries failing a job doesn’t mean their whole corps will come after me for revenge. That would create endless chaos. Though it’s possible another mercenary might take up the mission to restore honor… But first off, Fraxion will deal with the Harvus Gang for sending those fools.

“You seem to know this line of work pretty well. Are you in the same trade?”

Instead of answering, I turned my gaze away. Time to cross-check if the info he gave was legit.

I extracted all useful information from the captured ones and then cleanly finished them off. Afterwards, I incinerated their bodies with magic. Though they pissed me off, there was no need to waste time torturing them endlessly – it would’ve been a pointless drain on resources.

I left home immediately. My plan was to wrap up this annoying business before dawn. Destination: Zone V, notorious for being infested with gangs. The Harvus Gang had its base there too.

Stepping into Zone V, I nonchalantly straightened my coat as I walked.

I made no effort to conceal my face.

This was payback. Harvus started it by messing with me, now I’m just returning the favor – perfectly normal underground logic.

‘I need to show my strength here if I want peace later.’

It’s not like taking out one small gang will suddenly make me famous enough to disrupt my daily life. Even if I did become known, I could always stop showing up at the fried chicken shop personally.

‘Raising wages will easily get me new employees. Now, scanning walls and alleys… Gangs mark their territory like dogs peeing on trees.’

Just by reading the graffiti symbols on walls, you can locate a gang’s hideout.

‘Real top-tier gangs wouldn’t be hiding in such obvious places anyway. Their organizations function more like corporations.’

Most of the thugs here are small fries, which is exactly why I’m walking openly down this street.

‘There it is.’

An alley marked with Harvus Gang’s symbol.

As I walked toward it, I thought: Harvus Gang belongs to the Jupiter Gang Alliance. That’s why they haven’t been wiped out despite killing government officials in Neo London.

‘Of course. They must have connections with high-ranking officials. And if I eliminate Harvus… They’ll probably try to kill me next.’

My course of action is clear:

Show them my power, then negotiate with Jupiter. Make sure they understand it’d be more costly for them to make me an enemy than to compromise.

‘A gang alliance that big can’t act purely on emotion. Harvus started it, so I have the moral high ground here.’

My steps halted.

Three thugs lounging against the wall, chewing gum, were glaring at me. Their weapons looked menacing – assault rifles, handguns, grenades strapped to belts.

Their rough skin bore intimidating tattoos of skulls and monsters.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Do you know whose territory you’re stepping into?”

“If you’re here on business, state the password. You’ve got five seconds.”

Ignoring them completely, I continued walking forward, contemplating how best to dispatch them.

They reacted instantly, pointing their guns at me and pulling the triggers. Bullets flew through the air but never touched me.

Ting ting ting ting ting!

A barrier erected by a Grade 5 magician. Ordinary bullets stand no chance against it.

“Shit!”

An activated grenade came flying toward me.