Chapter 30

According to Madison’s testimony, the area where the blueprints were taken by robbers was an apartment complex of a construction company in the 35th district.

The 30th district is where most of the residential areas where Balkan citizens live are located.

Lennok was also thinking of moving his residence to this block if he could afford it.

In terms of security, it can’t even be compared to the 40th district, and considering the magic research that Lenok is conducting in his studio, the importance of security cannot be ignored.

The season of warm air.

A group of families walking down the street and friends chatting loudly.

“.........”

A peaceful landscape that was once taken for granted, but now feels absurdly awkward.

I calmed down my troubled mind and went to the place Madison had told me about.

Considering the situation he was in, there would have been no lies in his intention to retrieve the blueprint, so there was no reason to cheat the two of them even when making a statement.

The back of a shabby apartment complex scheduled for redevelopment.

A narrow trail with a small bare mountain.

Lennok nodded as he checked the bloodstains scattered on the dusty bench.

I used magic right away.

[Bloody Chase]

The magic power that spreads out from the hand draws a concrete image and transforms it into a dark red magic circle in an instant.

The magic circle, which was slowly rotating as it developed around bloodstains, at some point turned into a single red thread—-

Duuk!

cut off and disappear

“.......”

When chasing the bounty, the tracking magic, which had never failed to disappoint, didn’t work, but Lennok wasn’t so taken aback.

In Bloody Chase, the process is much simpler than I thought, and tracking is often interrupted or interrupted by very small variables.

We’ve been lucky that we haven’t had any problems so far.

Rather, Lennok was more than happy to know that the blood tracking spell had been broken.

If this blood was simply Madison’s, the magic wouldn’t have stopped from the start.

I don’t know what happened here, but it’s proof that the robbers who really stole the blueprints also left here with bloodstains.

‘There are two possibilities to think about when Bloody Chase ends.’

Either the owner of this bloodstain is a person capable of recognizing the abnormality immediately after Lennok used the tracking magic and cutting off the interference.

If the blood mixed with these bloodstains sprinkled here is not the owner of one.

And to Lennok, the latter seemed far more likely.

If a wizard with a level high enough to immediately notice and cancel the magic he implemented had come here, he wouldn’t have left such a trace in the first place.

“What should I do...?”

Lennok pondered, collecting the bloodstains scattered on the bench and placing them in a pre-prepared plastic bag.

Although he uses common magic to track targets using bloodstains as a medium, his knowledge of blood itself is insignificant.

After all, in this field, it is said that Lennok needs someone’s help rather than solving it alone

.

Lennok slowly made his way through the apartment complex, dialing Sebastian’s number they exchanged earlier.

[.........]

After talking about the additional costs, head straight to the 40th Division.

District 44.

Befitting the oddly ominous number, this area is mainly occupied by occupations that smell like the occult.

Even in terms of magic, there are classes that deal with very dark and minor catalysts, or secret spells that are handed down by one-man tradition.

Or, it is a place where even those who deal with studies that may not directly help people’s future, such as prophecy or astrology, can spread their mats without hesitation.

Among them, Lennok, who entered the streets of an area with an exceptionally strong fishy smell, slowly looked around.

Judging from the smell that lingers on the tip of my nose, I think I’ve come to the right place, but I can’t find the entrance, so I’m just at a loss.

Whoop..!

I couldn’t help but spread my mana widely and looked around, and only then did the hidden entrance appear in all directions, as if hiding in a place full of amulets.

A strange pattern drawn with red ink dripping on blue paper.

It was obvious that the ink was not simply a product made with pigments.

Blood mage

Without hesitation, I removed the amulet and chose an entrance. As I went inside, a person burning incense with his back to the door turned his head.

A boy who appears to be in his mid-teens. Contrary to his youthful appearance, which makes it hard to believe that he works in a place like this, his expression looks very calm.

It was the first time he had ever met such a young partner while working on this floor, so Lennok looked at the boy curiously.

The boy also looked openly at Lennok up and down, and then spat out a word in a nonchalant tone.

“I never said I was in business.”

“If the entrance is open, isn’t it receiving guests?”

“........”

The boy, who had been looking at Lennok with a somewhat sullen gaze, reluctantly nodded.

“....sit down.”

As soon as he sat down in a small room designed for sitting, Lennok took out a blood sample from his arm.

“I am looking for someone. I want to know who this bloodstain belongs to.”

The place Lennok found with the bloodstains that ended the Bloody Chase was the lair of the blood mages.

It would be possible to entrust bloodstains to a laboratory-like facility and analyze the components of the blood to trace it, but even if it cost a little more, it was judged that it would be much more efficient to get help from those who specialize in blood-related techniques.

In the past, when he was chasing Taylor Evans, he had thought of enlisting the help of the blood mages, but at that time, he had given up on Jenny’s words that the labor cost was considerable.

However, in the field of extracting and handling information about blood at a more specialized level, no one could stand above the blood mage.

the boy replied sullenly.

“3 million cells down payment. Additional work will be charged after that.”

Lennok silently put the bundle of cash down next to the blood, and the boy immediately picked up the money and the bloodstain.

A boy placing a blood sample on an old table slowly brings it up with his index finger.

The bright red glow from the bloodstain seeped into the boy’s fingers, and soon after, he opened his mouth.

“The blood of three people is mixed.”

“Are there three?”

“A man in his 40s. One male and female in their 20s.”

Are Madison and the robber two?

While Lennok was lost in thought, the boy continued without hesitation.

“The man in his 40s has no signs of learning magic, and the concentration of the other two is considerable. The injured part was the fingertips of all three people. Judging from the smell of iron, it seems that the blade was deliberately damaged.”

“......what?”

“The time the bloodstains were exposed to the outside was about 30 hours. The two men and women in their 20s are magic wielders, so they will have to use magic one more time... but a man in his 40s can write down that position right now.”

“..........”

I thought it would be helpful, but it is incredibly specific for information extracted from only a few drops of blood.

Of course, it would be impossible to identify the owner of the blood with only this information, but if various information from the underworld and the circumstances of the incident were combined, it would be possible to drastically reduce the number of candidates.

Because of this advantage, despite the fatal disadvantage of having to pay for their own life force, blood mages have been steadily maintaining their lives and are receiving inexhaustible demand.

According to Jenny, the investigative agencies of the city government often visit this street, so the usefulness of them cannot be expressed in one word, assuming that blood is a medium.

Of course, all these advantages are only for those who do not have a strong target designation resistance ability like Lennok.

Not much has changed when you consider the number of people dying in one day in this huge city.

Having said that, the boy suddenly shut his mouth and looked up at Lennok.

“It’s an extra cost from here on out.”

“additional cost?”

“To find the location of a man and a woman in their 20s, 12 million cells. A man in his 40s has 4 million cells.”

I expected it, but it is undoubtedly a fairly burdensome cost.

No, this was a much higher price than what Jenny had told me.

So instead of answering that question, Lennok asked the boy in reverse.

Even such a trivial meeting, Lennok could not guarantee the boy.

Where on earth could I afford to promise Lennok the next thing?

The only thing he could guarantee was his own desperate will and the success of the commission he was entrusted with.

As soon as he leaves District 44, he immediately uses the [Bloody Chase] magic on the blood classified as a man in his 20s.

Indeed, this time the magic was not interrupted and the red thread was completed safely.

In fact, she turned her head and looked at Lennok once, then immediately began crawling between his legs and wriggling somewhere.

Lennok began walking slowly along the thread.

‘I remember a few months ago.’

The first time he used this magic, he had a ridiculous lack of magic power, so he headed toward the undeveloped district with a nervous heart while chasing the bounty.

It was difficult to say that he had enough mana even now, but at least he had enough confidence to keep the thread crawling in front of him from breaking.

You can increase the speed of the thread, but then it will be difficult for Lennok to follow.

Even now, in order to move along the [Bloody Chase], which suddenly falls off the road, it was necessary to slow down to some extent.

‘......No, I didn’t fall into a place that wasn’t a road.’

It’s just that the place where Sil’s head is heading is going to a place that is not a normal neighborhood.

All of a sudden, the walls surrounding it are filled with dirty filth and graffiti, and the thick cigarette smoke stings your nose.

The smell of old oil resembling a stinky smell rising from right next to it and acrid air combine to give a dirty feeling.

It looks like an old junk ship dragged and put on the ground.

Judging from the sound of boisterous laughter from inside, it must be an active bar around here.

To Lennok, who always frequented the calm bar run by Jenny, this noisy place felt different.

As I followed the thread and looked around, there was nothing special about it.

A red-faced couple sitting on the bare floor, chain-smoking, a bald old jeep having a barbecue party, and even a motorcycle bobbing madly in the distance.

I don’t think it’s a place that model citizens who faithfully pay their taxes would like.

And Lennok nodded, confirming that Sil’s head was pointing right at that bar.

Shortly thereafter, the [Bloody Chase] that Lennok manifested was cut off.

“......”

Is it a coincidence that the magic is suddenly cut off after coming all the way here?

No way.

Considering that Bloody Chase is particularly susceptible to sabotage, it is more plausible that the perpetrators who noticed Lennok’s pursuit belatedly attempted to cut off his tail.

And if the culprits really noticed that...

‘I’m sure they’ll try to get out of the bar right now.’

Lennok, who concluded the

chase in an instant, hid himself next to an old jeep right next to him and inspected the entrance to the bar.

The couple who were having a barbecue next to him stared at him, but he ignored them.

It wasn’t long before the bar entrance became noisy and two people hurriedly walked out from inside.

“Hey, are you sure about that?”

“It must be. A strange energy was emanating from the back of your head just a moment ago.”

“Ha fuck... It really bothers me.”

A pair of a man with wide shoulders and a woman with a haggard look.

Both of them must have been quite drunk, so their gait looked a little strange, but the amount of mana flowing out was surprisingly considerable.

The emotions on their faces seemed closer to annoyance than fear that they were being tracked, so they were probably freelancers who were confident in their skills.

Are they also hanging out in pairs of men and women?

It seems that you often see those who strangely stick together as a pair, as well as the Cybrid Echo.

“Let’s run away for now. If you get caught by the tail here, there are not just one or two curses that you will hear from the madam.”

“I don’t want that even if I die... I can’t give the madam a reason to bite my neck.”

Lennok stood up when he saw the man groping around and pulling out what appeared to be a car key.

I couldn’t find the culprit and let him run away right in front of me.

He took a tobacco stick out of his arms and walked straight toward the two of them.

As soon as they determined the direction of their gait, both men and women simultaneously turned their heads toward Lennok.

Cheek...!!

While lighting a cigarette, stare at the two of them.

At this point, there’s no way you wouldn’t know.

The man said while covering his mouth.

“I didn’t know that the first sasaeng fan would look like this.”

“Watch out for Mount Mouth. The opponent is a drunkard.”

A woman poses with a tense expression.

Lennox raised his mana accordingly and opened his mouth.

“You know Madison, right?”

“.........”

“Bring it.”

A man and a woman named Mount face each other in silence.

Without any warning, a smoke grenade exploded between the man’s legs.

woooooong!!

In an instant, black smoke gushes out in front of the yard of the bar, covering your eyes.

The whole place has turned into a mayhem, but Lennok’s magic sense is not limited by these obstacles.

As soon as he pulled up the shield, he fired shock magic to stop the two from getting into the car.

Boaaaaang!!

The car, whose driver’s seat was empty, jerked forward as it moved.

With him, Mount and the woman grabbed the trunk of the car and, in an instant, ran out of the tavern’s front yard and started to run away.

Quaang!

Even in the middle of it, Lennok swung a bolt of lightning like a flash war and blew the rear wheel of the car, but it was not enough to stop the car from rolling.

“.......”

Lennok frowned slightly as he looked at the back of the car as it disappeared around the alley.

I blew the rear wheel, so I won’t get very far. Before that, I’ll have to chase after him and give him a harpoon.

Thinking so, the moment Lennok was about to take a step, he heard a voice next to him that he shouldn’t have heard.

clap.

One of the couples who had just climbed into the jeep and had a barbecue party, a man suddenly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Lennok’s head.

Lennox held back a sigh and turned around.

“.....What are you doing right now?”

“What are you doing?”

The man replied while chewing on the meat.

“I’ve seen him cling to my car earlier, but I can’t stand him messing with my friends in this neighborhood.”

“.........”

“I don’t know why the outsider came here because of some business, but it would be better to choose it quickly.”

Even when his face is flushed from drunkenness, his aim does not waver.

“Either it goes off quietly, or it goes off with one hit.”

A sense of alienation that I had never felt before. It is a neighborhood that clearly reveals a terrible sense of exclusion that excludes outsiders.

I guess it might be a place where freelancers who have a relationship can gather, but honestly, Lennok didn’t know about it.

“Whoa...”

Lennok laughed, letting his complicated feelings fly into the smoke.

Originally, I shouldn’t have let the guy who pointed a gun to his head live, but I have work to do right now.

“Be lucky.”

“......what?”

“Because I paid for my life with a car.”