“What an idiot, Horgus! How can you lead so many soldiers and still lose to a place with fewer than 500 soldiers, and then go and get yourself killed? What a waste of money.”
At that moment, Prua was attempting to flee with all his subordinates. He had reached a conclusion about Lord Jared, who had recently claimed victory in the war and taken over Mallorca's territory.
“Incapable of being swayed.”
That was the verdict. Initially, they tried to win Jared over by offering two to three times more money than what they had spent on Horgus. Even Prua didn’t wish to directly confront the new lord while leading an organization, believing money could sway anyone.
Yet, someone that money couldn’t sway appeared: Jared. Jared had already purged numerous criminal organizations in Crivia territory, leaving no stone unturned. Moreover, upon receiving intelligence that Rakis and the security forces were searching for him, the leader of the organization Detrahare, Prua abandoned all hope. The only option was to flee.
They had prepared the infrastructure beneath the surface, and Prua decided it was wise to retreat to Ronella territory and bide their time for the future.
Swoosh!
“Boss, left! Look to the left!”
At that moment, a figure approached from the west with a loud noise. Upon hearing his subordinate’s cry, Prua turned his gaze, and sure enough, someone was pursuing him. Prua’s expression darkened.
“Jared.”
There was no need to guess—it was him.
“Found him.”
I could see him. Even though it was an escape under the cover of night, the route was obvious. I succeeded in pinpointing Prua's location. Meanwhile, Rakis and the security squad, along with the soldiers, were diligently following behind me. The process was going smoothly.
First, I needed to check Prua’s stats since I had no prior information.
[Prua – Lv. 51]
[Strength: 178]
[Stamina: 80]
[Magic: 40]
[Wisdom: 36]
[Agility: 46]
[Charm: 44]
[Physical Defense: 47]
[Magical Defense: 32]
[Special Traits: Rampage A]
[General Traits: Escape, Fury]
[Possesses the artifact 'Tears of Mahat the Third'.]
[Possesses the artifact 'Clock of Spatial Distortion'.]
“Wow, he even has a Clock of Spatial Distortion? No wonder he was expanding his business aggressively in the territory despite having a fourth-class mage like Akron.”
Due to the confidence instilled by the artifacts, I could see why Prua was so confident living in Mallorca territory. The artifacts were indeed reliable. The Tears of Mahat the Third was an artifact that boosted all stats, while the Clock of Spatial Distortion had effects as the name suggested.
What this means is that any magic shot at him from more than 20 meters away would activate a unique distortion field, drastically slowing the approach speed. Even a magical projectile flying at high speed would appear to move in slow motion once within the field’s range.
Of course, it's not all-powerful. It only works on magic of fourth-class or below and only affects one designated target at a time. The problem is that I perfectly fulfill these conditions.
In other words, to effectively hit Prua with a valid strike, I had no choice but to get within 20 meters. That's how I could strike with full speed magic on Prua.
“Sorry, but I was hoping for close combat too?”
I smiled. I wasn't there to half-heartedly throw spells from a distance, giving him time to escape or regroup. Tiger hunting must be bold and swift; hesitation would only make me the hunted.
“Here I come!”
Without delay, I amplified the speed of the Fly spell to its maximum and charged at Prua.
The next moment.
[Conditions fulfilled. The 5th option of Deluc's bracelet is activated.]
[According to the 5th option, Strength and Wisdom stats are doubled.]
The option on Deluc’s bracelet activated. It had also triggered when facing Horgus and Akron, but this time, the message was much clearer. My stats inflated tremendously! Especially the crucial Wisdom stat, which surged to 270. With Wisdom at this level, my magic prowess could be considered equivalent to a fifth-class mage.
Prua was a master of quick swordsmanship. Prolonged battles wouldn’t do me any favors. Prua's special trait, Rampage, would cause his physical abilities to enhance as if stepping on the accelerator the longer time went by. I was at a disadvantage in a drawn-out battle.
“Jared, you damn...!”
Finally, Prua's sharp curses rang loudly in my ears. Swoosh. Tatatatat! From the sky and the ground, our fierce confrontation began as we charged towards each other.
First minute of early engagement.
“What the heck is this guy?”
That was Prua’s impression. Overwhelmed by an onslaught of a completely different level than expected, Prua struggled.
Even while transitioning to Ronella territory, he didn’t avoid combat because he was confident. Prua had faced Akron in battle several times before. Under the mediation of a third party, they fought to the point of being on the brink of death.
10 battles, 10 wins, 0 losses. This was Prua’s record. Akron stubbornly insisted on long-range combat, but due to Prua’s artifact, it was impossible. Any magic that flew in from a sufficient distance would see its speed reduced to 20% upon hitting the distortion field.
At that point, Prua could even deflect the incoming magical projectiles with his sword. Prua’s sword was specifically designed with enhanced anti-magic capabilities, making it suitable for anti-magic combat. Therefore, dealing with incoming magical projectiles with his sword wasn’t a hard task.
The problem was Jared. The lightning arrow that came at Prua, whizzing through the air, lashed his back like a whip.
Sizzle! Ziiing!
“Ugh!”
Once again, I left myself open. Jared seamlessly mixed acceleration and deceleration through the Haste spell, repeatedly closing and opening the distance. The key was that he would never leave the 20-meter range. Hence, the 'Clock of Spatial Distortion' had no role to play. Typically, distortion fields are used to bother mages, but Jared wasn’t affected at all.
“Damn.”
“Why, is something not going well?”
As if adding insult to injury, Jared’s provoking words pierced Prua, making his anger flare even more. The organization had already been exposed. The security squad was already locked in fierce battles with the members of the organization, and the fight between Jared and Prua was merely an extension of it.
“Why am I feeling more impact from him than expected?”
Prua was flustered. Even a brief graze from Jared’s magic made his bones hurt. When fighting Akron, he sometimes took specific magic head-on out of necessity. Thanks to the Tears of Mahat the Third, since his physical abilities had improved, he had quite a tough exterior.
So, he often resorted to taking Akron’s magic missiles directly as he closed in for combat. But Jared was different. Attempting to take magic missiles the same way resulted in him nearly dying from internal shock.
“This is the same fourth-class mage, yet he feels at least three times stronger than Akron. At this level, one might as well say it's fifth-class power.” The realization brought involuntary admiration, despite being on the brink of death.
“You may be a master of swift swordsmanship, but I can’t shake the feeling that you’ve always relied on artifacts. You’re weaker than I expected, it’s disappointing.”
“Jared, just like the former lord, you sure have a sharp tongue.”
Between catching their breaths, Prua and Jared exchanged words. Jared taunted Prua, who, in turn, responded.
“If you were to fight sword to sword, you’d certainly be a tricky opponent. But your worst enemy is a mage who engages in close-quarters combat.”
“Oh! Should I give you a round of applause?”
“Forget applause. It’s time for you to repent and prepare to meet your end!”
Without waiting for a response, Jared leaped towards Prua again.
“Hyaaah! Haat!”
Prua countered with swift swordsmanship. It was faster than ordinary swordplay, yet each strike was exceptionally powerful. It had been the driving force that allowed Prua to remain the overlord of the underworld drug cartel for 15 years.
But,
When Prua attempted his decisive blow against the charging Jared, he thrust his sword straight forward.
Wheee, fwish!
"...?"
Prua realized that something unexpected had happened. He had aimed his thrust at the figure of Jared directly in front of him. The sword pursued the target. This was the truth, and naturally, it was logical to thrust his sword toward Jared’s position.
However,
“How is this...?”
The sword he thrust forward into open space was drawn into a distorted space and ended up stabbing his own back. It pierced through his left back, probing towards the path leading to his left chest.
“The more urgent things get, the cooler your head needs to remain.”
At that moment, Jared smoothly reappeared next to him. He pulled something from a leather pouch he had with him.
Drugs, refined powders.
“Because of this thing you spread, so many people suffered. And those who shouldn’t have prospered, did. Oops! Let’s move back a bit, shall we?”
Jared grabbed Prua, pinned by his own sword, into a bear hug and yanked him backward.
“Aaaagh!”
A tortured scream echoed. Prua’s sword penetrated deeper, dangerously scraping around his heart.
Prua couldn’t believe it. He had fallen perfectly into the trap of Jared’s Dimension Door magic. He was aware of the magic. However, he never imagined it could be instantly linked at such a short distance. Only after long training and practice could such a swift combination become possible.
Having no knowledge of Jared’s extensive experience during his time in <Paradiso> and the continuous effort after his awakening, Prua felt utterly taken aback.
“You loved these drugs, so eat up and die. They say it’s a trip worth dying for. Well, go have one then.”
Promptly, Jared shoved the whole bunch of drug powders straight into Prua’s mouth.
“Urgh! Uh! Uuurgh!”
As Prua struggled to spit out the drugs, Jared smacked him hard at the back of the throat. Consequently, the drugs filling Prua’s mouth were gulped down unintentionally, rapidly absorbing into his body. It was well beyond a lethal dose.
“Praba, you will be executed. In my territory, not a single gram of drugs is tolerated. Crimes that eat away at the future of my people and territory won't be tolerated."
“Guh... urgh. Glrk.”
Prua couldn’t even form proper words. His pupils began to lose focus, and he drooled bubbles from his mouth and nose.
Swoosh!
Drawing out the sword that pierced Prua’s left back further forward.
The next moment.
“...Urk!”
Prua emitted a death rattle, dying on the spot.
Jared then raised and swung the blade with all his might.
Swiish! Sog!
The sword severed Prua’s head, which tumbled to the ground.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The severed head rolled across the dirt—a fitting end for the drug kingpin who would no longer breathe life.
[Quest ‘Tiger Hunting’ completed.]
[Security and loyalty of Mallorca Territory instantly increase to a maximum of 100!]
The stats and loyalty of the territory's residents changed instantaneously. But, if not properly managed post-events, the scores could decline just as silently. With the capable Rakis in charge of maintaining order, a drop in these figures wouldn’t occur under his watch.
Jared intended to give Rakis control over security just like in the Crivia territory. Meanwhile, Jared silently collected the items he desired from Prua’s corpse.
[Mahat the Third’s Tears]
[Clock of Spatial Distortion]
[Moysle: The 99th Failed Longsword]
“Two artifacts, and the legacy of the blacksmith named Moysle—a symbol of failure.”
Satisfied with the loot, Jared examined the artifacts. Hunting a tiger and collecting its skin! It was a comprehensive crime organization annihilation with double rewards.
The tiger hunt concluded.