Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 44

#044. Where evil gathers (1)

Ray asked, using his psychic powers to stack the books on the table.

“Bookstore door. When will it open?”

Veronica, who had been watching in admiration, came to her senses and answered.

“Huh? Yeah. I think it’s past lunch time. I’m going to take a short break and come down. After that, I’ll do some cleaning and organizing the bookshelf.”

“Then I’ll go out for a bit. Leave these books here so I can read them when I get back.”

“Huh? Where─”

Ray left the bookstore without Veronica even having a chance to ask properly.

Daughter.

I walked quickly down the street, hearing the bell ringing behind me.

The destination is street number 2.

Basement of building 32-1.

‘According to Johnny at the restaurant, the man’s routine hasn’t changed. He goes to the grocery store at the same time every morning and evening and comes back.’

The battle in the basement was five days ago.

Because of the other incidents that occurred in quick succession since then, there was no time to go back to the basement to spy on it again.

I had been briefed on the situation through Johnny, but I still needed to go to the scene and see it with my own eyes.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

As the movement continued, the number of people on the street rapidly decreased.

Before long, we arrived at 2nd Street, located on the outskirts of the sector.

Ray walked into a diner with a faded hot dog sign and took a seat by the window inside.

“Ray! If you’re coming today, tell me in advance! Are you here to eat? What’s your order?”

Freckled boy Johnny came running in holding the menu and order sheet.

The eyes looking at Ray sparkled so much that it was burdensome, but the bowl in his chest was overflowing with admiration and longing.

“Same thing as last time. What about that guy?”

At Ray’s question, Johnny glanced out the window at the building across the street.

And then he leaned close to the table and whispered.

“That guy. He came out of the basement at 10 a.m. today, not 7 a.m. He came out three hours later than usual. He’s never done that before.”

The current time is 10:12 AM.

So, the man had left the basement just 12 minutes ago.

“I heard there was a fire a few days ago. Could this have something to do with it?”

“That could be true. Was there anything else unusual besides the time?”

“Um… I saw you pass by and you had a smiling face. You were mumbling something over and over. It was time to leave? I thought so from the shape of your lips.”

Ray was lost in thought.

A man who lived his life like a flawless clock suddenly changed his schedule?

‘Is it related to the fight you had with me? You said it was time to leave… .’

Ray continued his deduction by combining what the man had said with what was written in the letter.

“Boss. The fierce flame of my life… Boss… has already… excommunicated me from the… organization…”

The man was excommunicated from the organization.

“The red bloodstones I received… I can still become stronger… .”

I have a plan to increase the power of the red jewel.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. If I kill the assassin, the boss will have no choice but to acknowledge my skills. Keuhehehehe.”

He made a remark that seemed to indicate that he wanted to be recognized for his power and return to the organization.

‘… Is it time to leave this place and return to the organization? Since all the sacrifices are coming together?’

The man was trying to do something by sacrificing street children.

Considering the exploitation magic that was on the ring, I thought that this would also have a lot to do with strengthening the magic power of the red jewel.

And the number of members in the gang is approaching the 66 the man mentioned.

If I were that guy.

‘I expect you will hear from Cedric on this visit, reporting on the accomplishment of your manpower.’

widely!

When I raised my head, I saw Johnny, who had arrived with a cart, placing a platter of steaks on the table.

Let’s fill our stomachs and think about it.

Ray thought as he reached for the knife next to the tray.

Knock! Knock!

To be exact, I was trying to stretch.

If it weren’t for the other trays that started to pile up around the steak with great momentum.

Now eat…

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“… … .”

Before long, the table was filled with all kinds of food.

At this point, I thought they had brought out the entire menu of the restaurant.

“I didn’t order anything other than steak.”

“The other kids told me to do it.”

“Other kids?”

“Yeah. The hotel kids. And the gangs here and there. There are more than a few who have paid money in advance to treat you to a meal when you visit.”

Johnny added that he could serve this kind of menu after about 10 visits.

“… … .”

I’m not embarrassed, but this is the first time something like this has happened.

I have always lived as a being that causes fear to children, and I have never been a being that receives respect or gratitude.

“Then enjoy your meal. Let me know if you need anything!”

Ray, who was watching Johnny’s back disappear with a bright smile, lowered his gaze and started eating.

Dalgrak. Dalgrak.

I usually eat a moderate amount of food and don’t have any particular food preferences, but the variety of food on offer was good.

‘I said that it is very important to consume nutrients evenly for growth.’

The contents of the book I glanced at in the bookstore said that.

People usually continue to grow until they reach adulthood, and nutritional intake is essential for height growth.

In some cases, growth is completed before adulthood, but this was not the case for Ray.

‘He’s still growing.’

Up until now, I have lived only on the bare minimum necessary for survival.

But from now on, I plan to pay more attention to the meal menu.

Because height and build are very important factors in combat.

‘They said that if you want to build muscle, you have to eat a lot of meat.’

Phew!

I was lost in thought, chewing on a piece of meat that I couldn’t tell if it was gum or steak.

I even consciously put vegetables and fruits that had lost their color into my mouth.

While eating like that, my thoughts about the man in the basement were somewhat sorted out.

widely!

I put down my fork and knife.

I got up from my seat and headed for the exit.

“Huh? Are you going? There’s so much food left over there?”

“I’ll be back. I have somewhere to go for a bit.”

And even if ten big Zephyrs come, they won’t be able to finish it all.

… isn’t it?

Daughter-

Anyway, Ray left the restaurant and walked to building 32-1 across the street and stood in front of the basement stairs.

“… … .”

Below this lies a clue to Murkred.

The current time is 10:23 AM.

If we go by our usual routine, there are 37 minutes left until the man returns.

Plenty of time to explore the basement.

‘But there’s no guarantee that the guy will come back and stick to his routine.’

If you suddenly come back and fight the man you met, would you be able to win?

He shook his head.

In short, the man had two rings, while she had only one.

‘I haven’t yet been able to objectively determine to what extent I can fight using the mana of the ring.’

Ray’s eyes, looking around, caught sight of something in an alley not far away.

Three boys talking amongst themselves in a rough manner.

By street number, they were part of the Zephyr gang.

I approached him with as much of a smile as possible and spoke to him.

“I wish you could see me for a moment.”

“What the heck, some kid….”

The group turned their heads and froze in place.

“Hey, hey, you’re a hunter.”

“That guy, that guy, no, why is that person here?”

The gang released their bad posture and folded their hands respectfully in front of their stomachs.

And they whispered among themselves in urgent voices.

“Wow, you seem really angry.”

“Oh, shit. I told you not to come this way. This is a road that hunters often use.”

“Oh, you’re going to turn us into, uh, half-cripples. Like, Zephyr who was brought in on a stretcher yesterday.”

Contrary to the gang’s concerns, Ray made no threats or resorted to violence.

He just took me out of the alley and gave me one instruction.

“So, if the man you mentioned appears at the end of the street, I just have to run over and tell him?”

Those are really simple instructions too.

“Okay. If you do your job well until I finish the job, I’ll reward you.”

Ray pointed to a table visible through the restaurant window.

The food remained virtually intact, as only a small amount of work had been done on the menu.

“All the food you see over there. I’ll let you eat it all.”

Carrot and stick.

It was Philip’s advice.

The effect was actually excellent.

“Really?”

“Can we eat all of that?”

As soon as they heard those words, the gang’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

Ray, who had been watching the group run excitedly to the designated location, turned around and went down the basement stairs.

The stairs and the walls on both sides were covered in soot marks, and on the lowest iron door.

“… … .”

It was filled with a huge lock I had never seen before.

I immediately injected mana into the keyhole like last time.

But an unknown force from within pushed Mana out onto the road.

It seemed like some sort of security-related magic had been cast on it.

I kept trying without stopping.

How much time has passed like that?

Knock knock knock knock──!

Urgent footsteps were heard from the ground above the stairs.

Soon a group of men appeared, signaled that they should come up now, and then disappeared.

It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do about it.

Ray stared at the lock for a moment, then turned and went up the stairs.

As I stepped outside and turned my head, I could see a man walking towards me from the end of the street.

‘I was protecting myself with mana when my whole body was burned by fire.’

The coat and shoes were the same as last time.

The moment I was about to naturally walk away from the place.

Suddenly, that thought occurred to me.

‘In the last fight, I had my face covered with a hood and a mask.’

Is there any chance that the guy won’t recognize me?

Now, I have no face and I am wearing different clothes than before.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

“──────.”

The distance between me and the man is quickly closing.

The man is muttering something incomprehensible while looking at the floor in front of him.

If you come this far, you will definitely raise your head and make eye contact.

A critical situation.

But Ray didn’t move.

‘You might not recognize me.’

The basement lights were dim.

They didn’t even raise their voices while fighting.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The time for selection is reduced.

The more I do this, the more my confidence deepens.

‘…you don’t recognize me, obviously.’

For a long time, my intuition, which had guaranteed me survival and profit in the slums, was telling me so.

After making his decision, Ray leaned against the wall next to the entrance in a crooked posture.

Just like an ordinary street boy who was always there.

I lowered my head and focused on the sound of approaching footsteps.

Knock. Knock. Knock… .

The footsteps stopped right in front of me.

Ray only then glanced up as if he had noticed the other person’s presence.

The man was looking this way, but the snickering smile he had shown as he walked had disappeared.

“… … .”

“… … .”

A suffocating silence flowed.

The man’s expression was completely unmoving.

Ray’s expression didn’t change either.

A few seconds passed like that.

widely.

The man turned and disappeared down the stairs.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Clank. Clank. Squeak─ Clank!

The sound of a huge iron door opening and closing was heard.

Ray only let his guard down after a few dozen seconds for safety’s sake.

“… … .”

The enemy doesn’t recognize me.

I gained very valuable information.

I turned around and left the place, looking at the iron door that looked like the mouth of a beast at the bottom of the deep stairs.

*

Ray’s work was full of activity, every single day without a single moment of emptiness.

First of all, I got up in the car in the morning, had a light meal and exercise, and then headed straight to the bookstore to learn magic.

“It seems like theories are actually a hindrance to you. Try implementing the magic I use in your own way.”

The old man’s magic was to create gray stone like concrete, forming it into various shapes.

Using gray mana, you could create stairs that went up into the air, or a large wall that no one could climb over.

“Actually, it’s not that great of a magic. It’s neither flashy nor powerful.”

The old man said that he had been a scholar all his life.

It is said that when a fight is not unavoidable, it is best to avoid it even if it means taking some losses.

That’s why magic using the primary elements has been developed for defensive or auxiliary purposes rather than for killing purposes.

“I’ve hated fighting since I was born. I’ve tried, but that tendency doesn’t change easily. There are probably quite a few people in the world with similar personalities to me.”

The old man added with a chuckle.

“But that doesn’t mean he’s weak or a coward. Fighting isn’t necessarily the only way to win in that situation.”

The boy did not understand what was being said.

A fight is one where there are clear winners and losers, so how can you win if you don’t win?

To a boy who had been fighting on the streets his entire life, the old man’s words sounded as strange as Grandma Viola’s fantasies.

The previous paradise story was so unrealistic that I couldn’t even make a comparison.

This one was, if we’re being precise, a strange story worth five grandmas’ worth of Viola.

So I said.

“I don’t think so.”