Among lizards, the venom of a Komodo Dragon was considered more potent than that of snakes.
This was a reason why Pal used their venom, but the other was because of a myth he learned of.
They say there were transcended snakes in mythology that tried to evolve into dragons.
Also known as an 'Imoogi'.
If a lizard with four legs like the Komodo Dragon had the glans of a snake, did it mean 'that'?
Proof that myths might not be far from history.
['Poison Hand (Evil)' is being used.]
[Those poisoned cannot heal from wounds.]
This was the poison Pal had aimed for.
Rather than hurting them, he wanted to lower their ability to stay alive even if they had healing tools.
['Disease' is applied to the toxin.]
By throwing in the rotted mouth of the Komodo Dragon, the myth of bacterial toxins came true.
Pal added this trait to make sure his poison could spread via air and injection of anything touching it.
It was how he poisoned an entire building of people. Naturally, the power couldn't go further.
Not because he was controlling the toxin intake. It was just that his Mana couldn't create plagues.
The real reason this toxin was dangerous was due to it being undetected. Waiting to strike them.
Anyone could heal his toxin if given the time, but the moment the raid started, no one would get it.
They'd die before having the chance.
After having done his part, Pal returned and stood next to the door in wait. The time was coming.
Click.
The portal door was opening from the side of the brothel. Staking out the door had finally paid off.
"Huh?" "What?" The voices raised his hair.
Pal realised that there were more janitorial staff than he expected. Likely due to the people there.
No vane rich man would enter an unclean place.
Before they could react, Pal bolted at them and touched them with his Poison Hand in succession.
'Paralysis.' Pal applied this debuff using the magical properties of 'Evil'. Which used all types.
But there was one misjudgement.
As soon as he struck, one of the janitors quickly dodged his grip and started to flee from him.
It was a speed beyond his reaction time.
"Shit…!" Pal quickly focused Mana into his finger.
Shooting a Magic Arrow to stall the man.
However, his efforts were futile.
The fifth and last janitor was quick enough that he was about to escape. Alerting everyone as he did.
'Do I change plans?' Pal started to sweat.
The amount of unpredictable variables that would happen if he escaped were too heavy for him.
It was then he started to feel a cool breeze calming his mind. A figure flashed past him in an instant.
Appearing in front of the janitor with cold eyes.
Bump.
The man felt like he hit a brick wall.
Running and impacting onto a motionless figure.
He bounced back heavily. Feeling like he slammed into a wall of ice from the chill invading his scalp.
The man looked up.
Shocked to see the glowing sky blue eyes of a maiden. Her hand drawing a blade on her waist.
The moment he saw it, understanding hit the man.
A few short seconds were enough for him to sense the killing intent in her actions. He tried to dodge.
To move away from than dangerous blade of hers.
…Only to be met with the certainty of destiny.
The blade shone like a star in the darkness, then exploded out into an energy wave focused on him.
It permeated his flesh.
Crackle.
He didn't even have time to scream.
The laws of conversion were broken as the man shattered into nothingness. No trace of his life.
No clothes. No nothing.
Everything about the man had been erased in one slash, and it was enough to give Pal goosebumps.
"…" Pal finally realised that she had indeed changed. This wasn't the same person he knew.
Back then, she seemed naive and innocent enough to believe she'd never taken a life before.
Now, Shia looked like an ancient eastern hero.
The word, Yuki Onna didn't her her. Only the name of 'Ice Queen' could describe what happened.
The fear that janitor experienced in that moment was nothing compared to one with knowledge.
Pal Weldone dared to say he understood the mechanics of magic in this world, but the scene he witnessed was beyond his comprehension. Even though she withdrew her blade, the dangerous vibe Shia gave off made him hallucinate a skull.
He blinked, and the delusion cleared up.
After taking a deep breath, Pal calmed himself down enough to ask her an important question:
"Since when?" Her powers couldn't have returned just now. It meant she hid them from him before.
Shia, still wearing her black veil, didn't speak a lie:
"Master Simon helped me."
"Did you call him 'Master'?" If he didn't mishear her, then that meant they both learned from him.
Even though it was expected to happen, Pal somehow felt uncomfortable sharing the same mentor with her. He couldn't explain why. Only that it seemed unneeded for a drunk to tire himself.
But since she was stronger, he held it in.
There was no need in trying to say anything useless to sour their already distant relationship.
He wondered why it turned out like this…
"Leave the rest until I'm done here." Pal took a watch magic from a janitor and enchanted it.
Overriding any previous programming.
He noticed there was defensive measures to stop unauthorised individuals from accessing it, but the firewall was based on the same 'Mana Frequency' principle of before. Making it useless against him.
Pretty much a bad matchup.
After easily accessing the system, Pal found a layout of the building even if it was in simple terms.
He didn't need to know about any secret elevators or whatnot. Just where the Elves were located.
Thankfully, it was within predictions.
The elves were imprisoned underground with only one exit. If they suddenly acted up, there was a protocol installed that would send send only the humans out. He noticed something about it.
There was a massive magic circle etched into the circular tower of a love hotel targeted at humans.
Apparently, it was originally an evacuation magic circle that was supposed to be used for civilians.
Now such a great invention was… unfortunately, a tool twisted into being the back door for scum.
It became a big obstacle.
Pal sighed while wearing the watch and gesturing Shia. Her sword took the lives of those janitors.
Be they innocent or not, their misfortune was having met Pal when he was on a mission.
He wasn't going to leave any loose-ends behind.
All witnesses must be eliminated.
As for the magic circle? Well, it was too wide for his magic to encompass and override the ownership.
They just had to kill everyone before it was activated. A plan he could only have confidence in after seeing Shia's strength firsthand. That hard to explain power that seemed overwhelming to him.
'Breaking the laws of conversion…' Pal once again felt like a frog in well. Insignificant in the cosmos.
Not because he was jealous of her strength, but because he was once again starting to feel like his know wasn't significant. Like being an author meant nothing in this world filled with mysteries.
When everything was known, he could have confidence in dealing with the world at large.
Without knowing the world, he could only guess that some indescribable creature will kill him one day. Maybe grasp him through the cracks of dimensions when he wasn't looking to take a bite.
'How is George not scared?' Pal had a late realisation because he wasn't sociable, but his brother must have known this by meeting more people than he did. Seeing how things changed.
How could he not display any of that in the short but brief moments they'd decide to converse?
A sinking feeling grasped at the former writer.
But since he had no way of dealing with these emotions, he decided to discard them all instead.
To protect his bloated ego.
'I… am still special here.' Pal believed he may not be a God or invincible, but he was still unique.
An existence that transcended norms.
Isn't that why he was able to create 'Pure Mana'?
Maybe indescribable monsters like Shia and Talia were stronger than him, but he wasn't so weak.
'Strong… I am really strong…' The fact that he was able to do what he was doing should prove that.
"What are you thinking about?" Shia interrupted his thoughts. Waking him up from his trance state.
'Right, she is right here!' Pal felt his world brighten from knowing a strong person was on his side.
It made him feel confident once more.
"Nothing. Okay, I got enough to lead a full scale raid on the place. We might not know everything about the place, but most variables that could cause a problem are preventable." Pal explained.
Going into detail that where their main focus would be and how they'd go about overcoming hurdles.
Shia listened with judging eyes.
…..
….
…
..
.
As a man who once dreamed of becoming a protector of the people, the Chief of the security details regarding the 'Pleasure Gorge' leaned back on his seat while watching for sensors to go off.
His position was surprisingly high in the city's government. Despite what his position suggested.
This place was actually a treasure trove for lustful bastards that desired themselves a leisurely life.
It was a fake position.
The 'real' security team was on the outside. They were the ones who did the heavy lifting for them.
Because if this place was found by anyone, then the ramifications could be huge for humanity.
After all, Elves were particularly strong beings.
There was no method of completely suppressing them despite the years they had to dissect them.
Because the 'quality' of power Elves had was simply stronger than any confine made by man.
There was only two options when fighting an Elf: A battle to the death, or trying to keep them happy.
Rationally speaking, humans had no need to even attack elves since that did more harm than good.
There wasn't even benefits in keeping them captive. No extra resources to rip them off with.
However, this place remained intact.
Because the stronger Elves were, the more a particular type of human wanted to 'conquer' them.
Dominate over their bodies.
The reason this place could be maintained was because those in power liked feeling 'powerful'.
It wasn't enough to be clear on which were the stronger 'race' of them. Proof was a necessity.
Defiling a great 'Mystic Race' made them feel it.
There was no man or woman at that moment. Only the masters and subservient that kissed their feet.
The Pleasure Gorge's security Chief was also someone who got to enjoy that dominance.
He remembered their gaze.
Those eyes that even after so long, saw them as nothing more than vermin. Filth on the streets.
Many high-ranking figures tried their best to torture that attitude out of them, but no amount of pain could change the nature of an elf. No drug nor sedative could dampen the dignity in their bones.
At first, the Chief even felt like bowing to them.
The clean and majestic feeling was different from a beautiful woman. They seemed part of nature.
But this also excited him.
It excited anyone who had political power and the desire to force themselves on only 'worthy' women.
He licked his lips while thinking about the particular elf he himself was getting acquainted with recently.
How he wanted to see her writhe beneath him.
'Should I just see that girl now?' After a brief pause to make a decision, he let go of responsibilities.
Nothing will go wrong if he isn't found out.
He walked out of the room and headed down the stairs. Aiming for a particular room down below.
After getting out of the stairway and making it to the second floor, he looked at the hallway.
Even before he saw anything, he felt something wasn't right. The noises… There was none of it.
No muffled sounds of sex behind the doors.
It seemed too eerily quiet.
He walked down the corridors and still couldn't get rid of the eerie silence. It made him feel alarmed.
Just as he got to the numbered door, he noticed a hint of light coming from the corner of the corridor.
'Did someone leave their room door open?' The Chief thought while ignoring his earlier objective.
Putting safety as a priority.
Only to be scared silly at what he saw.
"AAAAGHHH!" He shrieked at the side of a tree impaling a fat man above an unconscious elf.
'What the fuck is that?!' His mind started racing.
A monster? There should have been no such thing this deep into New Faustus. No dangers were here.
He needed to alert everyone.
There was an alarm button hidden nearby. He just had to press it and get everyone to help him out.
It was at that moment a door next to the alarm button was thrown open. A tree monster attacked.
A branch shot towards him like a tendril spear.
Cutting his shoulder deeply.
'I have to use my Skill now! NOW!' The Chief inwardly stressed his body to use it purchased Skill. Regeneration type Skills only needed luxurious medicines to awaken such a power.
The Chief was lucky enough to have bought one.
At least, that's what he initially thought.
'Why…?' The small cut on his shoulder should have closed up. So why wasn't the wound closing?
'…I have to run!' Fight or flight suddenly overwhelmed his senses. He chose to back out.
Save his life at least.
He grabbed his watch and opened up the communications. They needed to activate it.
The evacuation teleportation circle.
His watch had the main key that could instantly activate it remotely. One second was all he-
Before he could even finish that thought, the rest of the silent rooms in the corridor all opened up.
"…Fuck." Was his last words while countless branches pierced into his body from all sides.
The nightmare of the elves had finally ended.