BCST 51

chapter 51

Max, the second of the Sicario Bros, appeared in the hall, completely soaked in blood.

It seemed he had just killed several people—blood dripped from his entire body.

Still, as if unconcerned, he lifted a security chip with his hand.

“I secured the records here. They were definitely here.”

He had come from a place with open shooting lanes—a place where people could test guns. Judging by his appearance, he had killed everyone there.

The helmeted figure, who had been about to move toward me upon receiving this sudden critical information, paused.

Slowly turning toward Max, whose eyes were a pale white, he quietly asked,

“Go on.”

“…Target arrived at 14:22, left at 15:58. But some of the data had traces of being deliberately deleted, so I had to track it backward to find it.”

Traces of deletion, huh.

It seemed the temporary Ghost Band I had bought from the market was actually effective.

“But one of them showed up clearly on the screen. The signal was too clean, though, which makes it more suspicious.”

“Too clean?”

Max nodded.

“The one that appeared is a 3rd-tier Edge-line black magician, ‘Eddie.’ But… he’s left such clean visual logs that other signal protocols show no trace at all. It’s as if there’s no electronic signal on his body. Probably a decoy. Suspicious.”

No, that’s not it.

Hearing that, one might think I had some incredible stealth equipment.

It’s just my bare body showing naturally, which is why no signals are detected—because I don’t have anything attached.

Anyway, those Ghost Bands from the market seem effective. Maybe I should have just worn one myself.

I was considering my newly acquired professional gear, the ‘Shader,’ but the features on the Ghost Band were surprisingly good.

“Still, the final data hadn’t been deleted yet. If I’d been any later, it would’ve been gone… I froze it just in time.”

So, nothing left hidden.

According to that, from the moment we entered the shooting range until we left, the data could have been deleted.

If we had delayed even five more minutes, all that data would’ve been lost.

Perhaps this time, the other side was just faster, and we were unlucky.

As I was thinking this, another figure appeared in the corridor Max had emerged from, carrying a bundle of ammunition.

Rex, the third brother.

His pockets were stuffed with bullets and small firearms.

Now all three brothers were assembled.

I focused even more on hiding my presence. I was alone in the middle of enemy territory—it was a precarious situation.

“Got everything packed, bros. Shall we leave before the ACPD arrives?”

If they left like this, I’d be grateful.

But, of course, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Before leaving, the helmeted figure spoke again.

“Before that, detection magic was activated here. It might have been cast outside, so they may have already fled far.”

At Dex’s words, the other two flinched. I narrowed my eyes as well.

The difference in skill was greater than expected.

I’m not saying the two of them are weak.

As 3rd-tier magicians, they should have been able to feel my [Magic Detection].

The problem is that the 4th-tier helmeted guy sensed it before they did, bypassing detection so quickly that the other two didn’t notice at all.

His approach with magic may have been crude compared to a wizard, but the result was flawless.

That guy… he’s not going to be easy.

Just as I was reassessing the danger of this 4th-tier enemy, the second brother spoke casually.

“If they’re not hiding nearby, maybe they’ve already gone far, right? Still, should we check, just in case?”

At that moment, I prepared my magic.

If we were discovered, I would have to fight to survive. Even if I couldn’t win, I might still escape with my life.

Once I had steeled myself and was ready, the command came:

“Scan.”

A red wave swept through the entire space.

It was dangerous.

If I had moved just one second later…

Fortunately, the Shader I was wearing protected me from the scan.

The Shader is a device that protects me from external recording or surveillance.

It specializes in defending against electronic recording and monitoring feeds, even more than the Ghost Band. So the scan didn’t detect me.

Otherwise, it could have been because I’m bare-bodied, which made the scan ineffective.

Either way, the scan didn’t catch me.

“This is dangerous…”

On the way back to the dorm, I muttered quietly at the clearly revealed presence of the enemy.

The enemy’s level was higher than expected, especially that 4th-tier guy.

If I had to fight him, it wouldn’t be easy.

And if even one more person joined them, the probability of my defeat would skyrocket.

I wished Kin could at least hold off the two 3rd-tier brothers.

But that was impossible for Kin, who hadn’t even stepped into the 3rd-tier level yet.

It seemed my best chance was to take the strongest from the 4th or 3rd tier and go 2 vs 1, which would increase my chances slightly.

Of course, that would be extremely risky for me…

For now, I had no choice but to be careful not to be detected.

Luckily, before encountering them, I had acquired the Ghost Band and Shader I wanted.

It seemed wise to focus on stealth for the mission.

“Creak—”

“Oh! Wizard, you’re back?”

When I returned to the dorm and opened the door, Kin greeted me.

As expected, Kin and John were at the dorm.

The two were eating pizza, stretching cheese, possibly after picking up some takeout.

“Here’s yours, Wizard. Potato Bacon Jam Pizza.”

Plop.

I sat down and stared at the pizza in front of me, steam rising from it—it was freshly baked.

“Eat it before it cools. I was told it’s really good.”

“Uh, thanks. This… tastes amazing.”

John had already stuffed his face with pizza, recommending it as he ate.

Watching them, my thoughts wandered: Do they know what just happened? Why didn’t they report moving locations? Do they realize they were nearly killed? And now, after feeling sick in the morning, they’re recovered enough to eat?

I tucked those thoughts away and spoke lightly.

“…Back to the dorm earlier than expected. Didn’t training go well?”

Kin mumbled through a bite of pizza:

“No, it was going well… but suddenly my stomach hurt so bad. And I don’t do well in unfamiliar places.”

Unfamiliar?

“Isn’t this dorm unfamiliar too?”

Kin waved his hand.

“Eh, this is different.”

I got the gist of what he meant.

Kin continued:

“But you know, Wizard? I’ve got insane luck. When things seem impossible, something just clicks. And when there’s something I need to do, I just get drawn to it. I’ve never lost following it.”

That’s thanks to Kin’s [Sixth Sense].

A special stat sometimes given to named characters, similar to opening [Senses] by investing ability points.

Right, I almost forgot he had this ability.

“…So I came here, and my stomach stopped hurting. I wondered if I was hungry, then decided to bring pizza because someone wanted to sober up. Are you not going to eat it?”

Kin pointed to the pizza in front of me.

I glanced at it and replied quietly:

“…I’ll try it.”

I took a slice of Potato Bacon Jam Pizza and bit into it.

Savory and slightly sweet, like dates, it was delicious.

“Tasty, right? Isn’t it amazing? I found a good place.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded as I chewed.

Perhaps I had underestimated Kin’s abilities all this time. His [Sixth Sense] might not be combat-oriented, but it’s still a useful skill.

Maybe I didn’t need to worry so much about leaving Kin behind.

Wait…

“Have you opened your Psychic Energy yet?”

“Kek! You’re asking while I’m eating!”

Kin, dipping his pizza in sauce, choked and coughed.

After drinking soda and wiping his mouth, he replied:

“If I could use psychics, I’d already be 3rd or 4th tier. You saw earlier, didn’t you?”

Hmm… true.

But his ability—[Sixth Sense]—was either a pure stat or derived from psychic energy.

“When did you start feeling lucky?”

Kin looked up, thought for a moment, and said:

“Maybe… from birth? I’ve always been luckier than others.”

From birth?

Could Kin’s growth exceed my expectations?

If I can accelerate it now, I may need to recalculate this mission.

“You might do something big this time, Kin.”

Kin, indifferent, simply grabbed another slice of pizza.

“Who’d think I was just doing chores? I’m always aiming big.”

Confident as ever. I nodded and apologized.

“Right, my bad.”

“Fine.”

The glutton suddenly stacked two slices and devoured them.

Seeing that, I, too, took another bite.

Now slightly cooled, it tasted even better.

I enjoyed the pizza while thinking about training Kin over the next eight days until he meets John Scozy and the Inoujitsu operative near Zone 55.

Time that cannot be wasted.

I planned Kin’s training in my mind while watching him pile on three slices this time.

Perhaps, with a slightly sympathetic gaze.

“Eat plenty. Won’t it be enough?”

Kin suddenly winced, mid-bite.

“Uh, no. Why does my stomach suddenly hurt?”

“….”

Probably not my fault. He had clearly eaten like a pig.

“I need to… use the restroom…”

And so passed the second night in Butterfall.

Kin’s last carefree night.