Genius Warlock

Chapter 246

Thud, thud, thud.

Every time Oliver and Willes moved, a brown powder fell onto the floor.

The brown powder was none other than blood.

It had been splattered on Oliver and Willes when they fell into a pool of blood.

"...We look awful."

"Indeed."

Willes, who had barely regained his strength, spoke while looking at his appearance, and Oliver agreed. Oliver, though not picky, preferred cleanliness.

Eventually, a massive metal door appeared before the two.

It was the only entrance to the Chimera Lab, and upon closer inspection, there appeared to be a lever on the inside.

To enter, one had to touch the metal door and authenticate one's ‘fingerprint' and ‘mana flow', but fortunately, it seemed that one only had to pull the lever to exit from the inside.

‘It's a relief. We can avoid a tricky situation.'

Oliver, through his warlock eyes, surveyed the crowd of people gathered outside and thought.

Willes put his hand on the lever, "Let's double-check before opening. Was there any problem with the World Tree?"

"No... At least when I checked."

Oliver recalled the moment he accessed the World Tree and responded.

As the female warlocks said, the secret experimental room inside the lab had been blocked off from the World Tree's view, and measures had been taken to prevent the other floors from leaving any records.

Except for one thing.

One of the artificially created Root Nets had secretly recorded all the situations in the lab, and Oliver had erased it.

Thanks to this, there was almost no possibility of any traces remaining within the reach of Oliver's abilities.

"Of course, I may have missed something due to my limited abilities."Rêạd new chapters at novelhall.com

Willes paused, pondered, then responded.

"Well, that could be... The World Tree itself is a relatively recent construct, so it's impossible to handle it perfectly. But don't worry too much."

"......"

"I feel like you won't miss anything."

Willes spoke not merely to comfort, but with sincerity.

There was no solid evidence for this, but he was confident, and Oliver, without realizing it, was persuaded by this confidence and nodded.

"Thank you."

"Alright, I'm opening the door. Remember the words we agreed to sync with."

"Yes."

"Good.”

As soon as he heard the answer, Willes pulled the lever, and with a heavy rumbling sound, the massive iron mass split to the sides, letting in the refreshing morning sunlight into the lab.

Also, surprised voices.

"What the hell is this....."

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

In front of the Chimera Research Lab, situated within the domain of the Life School Faction, a group of approximately twenty individuals had assembled. Among them were wizards and personnel hailing from neighboring laboratories. Given their infrequent interactions, it was quite remarkable to witness their collective presence. However, the peculiar events of the previous night had compelled them all to converge at this particular location.

"Why are you here?"

"Because of the commotion last night. We are from the lab upstairs."

"Ah, I see..."

"It was like an earthquake. Didn't you feel it?"

"We did. That's why we're here."

"Darn it. What's happening in this remote place?"

"Exactly... But why isn't there anyone from the Tower?"

"The professor? Didn't you hear? They sent an assistant, not the professor.”

"Assistant? What the...”

Although they were not particularly close, the inhabitants of Mountain Pace had become familiar with one another due to the confines of their shared space. They all harbored a sense of being overlooked in the relentless race for advancement within the tower, which led them to intermingle and exchange their own narratives.

The prevailing topic of discussion revolved around the disturbances and tumultuous events that had unfolded the previous night. Understandably so, as it was no ordinary commotion. The tremors reminiscent of an earthquake and the deafening clamor originating from deep beneath the ground were impossible to disregard. Under normal circumstances, such an occurrence would have been difficult to overlook, but given the ongoing disappearances, the heads of each research institute reacted with heightened sensitivity.

Consequently, they dispatched the junior researchers to investigate the matter. However, it wasn't solely junior researchers who arrived at the scene. Individuals such as Director Sophie from the Herbal Research Institute also made a personal appearance to conduct their own inspection.

“Whew...... Mr. Driver, what brings you here?”

Sophie spoke to the truck driver who was hiding in the corner like furniture. She held a smoking pipe in one hand.

"I came at the request of Will...... no, Zenon.”

Zenon. The employee who came as a representative of Kevin. Sophie remembered him.

"A request?”

"Yes. I brought him here last night.”

Sophie sensed a reluctance in his words.

“You brought Zenon here?”

"Yes."

"But you just got here?”

"He said he left something behind and asked me to bring it. It was late, so he told me to sleep for the night and come in the morning.”

“So, Zenon stopped by here last night and sent you off.”

"Yes."

"Hmm...... What did he ask you to bring?”

As the driver grappled with the mounting intensity of her inquiries, a thunderous noise reverberated through the air—a telltale sign of a colossal structure being set into motion.

In perfect synchrony, the attention of everyone present fixated on the source of the disturbance. The assembled individuals in front of the Chimera Research Institute, united by their shared curiosity, trained their collective gaze upon the unfolding scene.

The absence of any response upon pressing the call button only reinforced their suspicion that something extraordinary had occurred.

“What the, what the fuck is this......"

Observing the stunned expressions around him, Oliver scanned the faces of those present and asked,

"Would anyone like to see it again?”

Subsequently, Oliver concluded his account, detailing the events that transpired within the Chimera Research Institute.

However, he chose to omit sensitive subjects such as the collusion between the Life School faction and the Bathory family, as well as the clandestine experiments conducted at the institute.

Additionally, Oliver modified the narrative to portray Willes as the one who defeated Bathory, following Willes' suggestion.

They both agreed that revealing the truth could prove to be a complicated endeavor, and this alteration allowed Oliver to seamlessly conceal his true identity without falling into any potential traps.

The researchers who listened to the entirety of the story appeared taken aback by the accomplishments attributed to a mere solver. However, they reluctantly accepted the narrative, perhaps because they were hesitant to entertain the notion that Oliver was responsible for such feats.

The prior presentation of evidence had already played a significant role in persuading them, and this subsequent account further solidified their acceptance.

Oliver suddenly realized that convincing others was akin to a chain reaction of dominoes.

If one could instill faith in people initially, subsequent attempts, even if somewhat imperfect, had a higher likelihood of being believed to some extent. Of course, exceptions always existed.

"It's impressive. You defeated Bathory by yourself. She must have had subordinates.”

Sophie from the Herbal Research Institute cast a peculiar gaze, seemingly directed both at Willes and Oliver.

"I was lucky.”

"It seems you're not just lucky.”

Once again, Sophie interjected with a pointed comment, yet her words carried no hint of malice or hidden intentions, prompting her to refrain from delving further into the matter.

Similarly, the other researchers displayed a similar demeanor. However, in contrast to Sophie's considerate approach, it seemed they did not fully grasp the true extent of Bathory's power as a warlock, inadvertently underestimating the magnitude of the threat Bathory posed.

‘Well, it's not that strange. Even among wizards, there are specialties. Research, combat, education, etc.'

Then, one researcher cut in.

"Excuse me, Mr. Solver.”

"Yes?”

"Who is your broker? Or do you have an affiliation?”

"Why do you ask?”

"This is not an ordinary situation. It's a big deal that the Life School’s Research Institute was attacked.”

Looking at his emotional state, it seemed sincere, but Willes was unimpressed.

"....The point is?”

"I want to confirm your identity, to see if you're a trustworthy person. I mean no disrespect, but-”

“-But you are disrespecting me nonetheless.”

Willes cut him off. His intimidating presence made everyone tense up.

"To answer your question, I'm a freelancer who isn't affiliated with any organization. I mostly work within the Northland community.”

"Do you help out only within the Northland community?”

Sophie asked cautiously.

"Yes, they need people like me. So, there's no one who can vouch for me from your end.”

“But, then-”

“-Of course, I don't intend to wait until someone from your end comes to meet me.”

“Why not?”

"Why? Because I'm a free man and you have no right to detain me.”

The researcher who was having a conversation with him seemed taken aback.

“But, we hired you?!”

"Not me, this man did. Dare not twist words.”

Pointing at Oliver, Willes made everyone stare at Oliver. Their gaze seemed to ask him to say something.

But Oliver's answer was already decided.

"The job is done and the contract has expired.”

With a composed demeanor, Oliver calmly responded, implying a sense of helplessness in the face of the situation.

Observing Oliver's reply, Willes nodded in understanding and prepared to move. What unfolded next held paramount importance.

Several researchers, driven by their own pride, attempted to impede Willes' progress, but they faltered under the weight of his piercing gaze.

It became evident that Willes possessed the traits of a true warrior, while they were merely researchers, unaccustomed to such confrontations.

Sensing the tension and seeking guidance, some of the researchers turned their gaze towards Sophie, the esteemed head of the institute, hoping for her intervention or support.

‘Is she a considerably skilled wizard?’

Oliver also looked at Sophie, waiting for her response.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"He's right. We have no right nor obligation to stop him. That’s his prerogative.”

Sophie pointed at Oliver.

Their obstruction was due to their bruised egos, and the researchers finally stepped aside. Willes continued to walk away.

After Willes had left, all eyes were on Oliver.

"How did you end up hiring someone like him?”

"Well, I'll explain that when I submit my report to the Tower.”

"Really?”

"Yes, I've been considerate of everyone living here so far, but beyond this point, I have no obligation to explain.”

"You're not wrong.”

Sophie smiled instead of getting angry.

"You'll really have to write a thorough report.”

"Thank you for your concern.”

With the conversation concluded, Oliver bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment and left. It was time to return to the tower.

(To be Continued)

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