As Magnus turned around, Zeth caught a glimpse of the emblem on his clothes. At that moment, many of the questions in Zeth's mind were answered, including how Magnus had managed the feats he'd just performed.
"Well, I'll be," Zeth exclaimed, his tone revealing his surprise.
"That explains the oddities about you. A student from Takerth Academy, huh? It's rare to see one of you high-and-mighty types down here in the Lower City. If I'm not mistaken, gold and black are the colors of the Mage Division. I guess I should count myself lucky." Zeth's observation surprised not only Jerel but also his own men. It was unusual enough to encounter a student from Takerth Academy, let alone one who showed the capabilities of a mage.
"You're quite knowledgeable, more so than the average person at least," Magnus commented. He had noticed during his time outside that although some people recognized the Takerth Academy emblem, pretty much none of them knew about the academy's inner workings or its students. For Zeth to know that he was a student in the Mage Division suggested that he had some way of getting information about the academy.
"Well, as I said, looks can be deceiving. We might seem like just another bunch of street thugs, but believe me, we're very well-organized and have quite an impressive network for gathering information." As Zeth spoke, he regained his confidence, though the same couldn't be said for his two remaining minions, who were visibly rattled.
"Boss, what's the plan? We can't take on a mage..." The man closest to Magnus looked nervous, his eyes fixed on the young boy standing before them. Magnus's appearance gave off a vibe that he wasn't much of a threat. However, the sight of an unconscious man, bleeding amongst the broken glass on the street, suggested otherwise.
Seeing that his remaining two men were anxious, Zeth gestured for them to settle down before speaking.
"Relax. If I had to guess, I'd say he's unranked, which means he's not a real mage yet. No need to worry." Zeth's reassurance piqued Magnus's interest, prompting him to question further.
"Oh? And what makes you so sure?"
"If you were a ranked mage, we wouldn't be talking right now. A single spell from you could wipe us out. But unranked mages? They barely count. Compared to unranked knights, their combat abilities are severely lacking," Zeth explained as he walked over to the shattered window, surveying the chaos Magnus had caused, and whistled appreciatively.
"That was quite a hit, though. I'm guessing that wasn't just your natural strength. So, the real question is: How many times can you use that ability of yours? And how effective is it against opponents that are armed?" With a snap of his fingers, Zeth signaled for his two remaining men. They listened to Zeth's words, visibly relaxing a bit, though they remained cautious. They quickly drew the swords from their waists.
"Damn it…" Jerel's initial shock from the chaos started to fade as he noticed them drawing their weapons. It was his fault Magnus was wrapped up in this mess, and now Magnus was in danger. He couldn't just stand by. Looking at the array of fallen weapons around him, Jerel quickly calculated whether he could reach one in time to aid Magnus before the two sword-wielding men launched their attack.
But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Magnus turned his gaze toward him.
"Sorry about your window, Jerel. I'll take this outside so we don't make more of a mess," Magnus said casually, catching Jerel off guard and forcing him to react.
"Wait, what? You can't face them alone; it's too dangerous!" Jerel's worry was evident, but it only brought out a smirk from Magnus.
"Don't worry. At first, I was anxious about getting into a fight, worried I wasn't ready, but now... I can think clearly." This wasn't Magnus' first time facing armed opponents. Back in the forest, fear had gripped him like a vice, freezing his body, and he worried those memories might make him pause again.
But that didn't happen.
Even with his pulse racing and his palms getting sweaty, his mind remained steady as a rock, calm and clear. The usual swarm of negative 'what-ifs' that troubled most people didn't even exist within Magnus's mind. For him, there was only the present and the world around him.
He walked over to the broken window and jumped out, clearly not planning to flee. Zeth and his men were quick to react, swiftly surrounding Magnus as they joined him outside.
Three against one, two of us with weapons, and yet he's calm. Is it arrogance? That wouldn't be a shock; he's probably a noble, after all. But there's something more going on here; something feels off.
Despite Zeth's uncertainty, he didn't translate his worries to his men. Instead, he issued an order.
"Kill him! He may be a noble, but he's on his own! We'll dispose of the body later!" At their leader's command, the two men lunged at Magnus simultaneously.
Off to the side, one of the guards assigned to protect Magnus watched from a distance, poised to intervene. Yet his movement was abruptly halted by his partner who held him back. He turned, a question poised on his lips.
"Why are we waiting? Shouldn't we be helping him?" His voice was filled with urgency.
His partner's gaze didn't waver from Magnus as he replied calmly, "It's true that we're supposed to protect him from harm... but look at him. Does he really look like he's in danger to you?"
Magnus's gaze swept across both of Zeth's men charging toward him. One charged from behind, his blade aimed straight at Magnus's back, intent on skewering him. At the same time, the second attacker launched a frontal assault, aiming to cleave Magnus's head off in their pincer attack.
Focusing on the attacker in front of him, Magnus dipped his hand into his right pocket. The front attacker tensed, his lack of formal training compensated by enough street smarts to guess what people usually pulled out of their pockets in these kinds of situations.
A knife?
As Magnus's hand emerged, he threw something forward. The attacker instinctively jerked his head aside, narrowly avoiding the projectile.
It looks like the boss was right! No real mage would resort to throwing a knife; he must not be confident in close quarters.
Grinning while feeling a sudden boost of confidence, he quickly steadied himself and launched his attack at Magnus. But he was so focused that he didn't see that there was still something clutched in Magnus's right hand. This time, Magnus didn't throw it; in fact, what he did hardly counted as a toss.
However, that was all it took.
The Command Console in Magnus's view temporarily blocked his vision as it processed code rapidly, and then a black blur appeared. Faster than his attacker could respond, his sword flew from his grip as if it had struck a boulder mid-swing.
"What-" He started, but before he could finish his thought, the black blur whipped around in a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree arc, hitting him squarely in the back of the head. He dropped to the ground, knocked out cold instantly.
Shifting his focus to his next opponent, Magnus quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a sharp blade that sliced through the air right where he had just been standing. As his opponent was momentarily thrown off balance, Magnus wasted no time. He raised his leg, aiming a powerful kick at the man's side. The burly man clenched his teeth, bracing for the impact while getting ready to counterattack, believing they were too close to one another for Magnus's kick to have any real effect.
However, as Magnus's foot crashed into his body, the man felt as though he was being hit by endless waves of force. Despite bracing himself, he couldn't resist at all, and the impact knocked him off his feet, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Agh, you damn brat!" he roared, pain and anger mixing in his voice as he climbed back to his feet, glaring daggers at Magnus. But Magnus just stood there relaxed, one hand casually open.
"Do you think I'm a joke?" the man snarled, tightening his fists and charging again. But before he could reach Magnus, something hit him in the back of the neck, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed. At the same moment, Rokshaata, complete with both its coin and sphere sections joined together, flew into Magnus's hands.
Seeing how easily Magnus had dealt with his two henchmen, Zeth's expression remained stoic and unreadable. He wasn't smiling, yet he wasn't angry either; he was simply watching.
The same couldn't be said for Jerel, who stood there, utterly baffled. He had barely grasped half of what had happened, but he instantly recognized Rokshaata when Magnus snatched it from the air.
Ah, now I get it. That's why Celia wanted it made from the strongest metal I had. Who would've guessed I was crafting a weapon?
"And so, there was one," Magnus said, turning to face Zeth, who appeared to have finished his observations.
"Magic that boosts your physical strength and some kind of telekinesis, all from an unranked mage. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I'm facing a genius," Zeth remarked.
"Genius, huh? That's the first time I've been called that—well, except for that time I discovered the duplication glitch for my guild. But being called a genius by a bunch of dumbasses doesn't really count, now does it?" Zeth shrugged in response to Magnus's banter.
"Not sure yet. I'm still figuring that out myself. Anyway, I should be going now. It's been interesting, but I can't risk getting caught." Upon hearing this, Magnus let a small smile slip as he casually dismantled Rokshaata into its separate pieces again.
"Oh? But I have no intention of letting you escape, though." As Magnus spoke, engaging Zeth further, Basker had already begun visualizing the parameters of [Bullseye].
"Haha, don't worry. We'll likely see each other again soon." Zeth's gaze shifted toward Jerel as he spoke. He reached into his shirt, pulling out a piece of paper. It was a dusky black color, decorated with purple runes. Seeing the paper, Magnus acted quickly, not fully grasping its purpose. Basker had already completed his preparations, and Magnus wasn't about to take any risks.
With a swift motion, the spherical section of Rokshaata launched forward like a missile. A projectile that could ignore factors like air resistance or gravity and accelerate faster than the speed of sound in an instant—this was the core feature of Rokshaata's existence as a weapon.
Interestingly, this also meant it didn't produce the sonic boom typically associated with such high velocities. Still, its speed was evident as Zeth barely had time to react to the sudden attack.
Just as he crushed the paper in his hand, the sphere section of Rokshaata pierced straight through his abdomen like a bullet. Slowly, a blot of blood began to spread across his clothes. Zeth grunted in pain. The runes on the paper started to glow, their once subdued violet shimmer rapidly engulfing his entire body, while he kept his gaze locked on Magnus.
The shock was apparent in his eyes, but there was something else too—something dark and foreboding. Even though Zeth was the one injured, a chill shot up Magnus's spine as those eyes bore into him. And then, just like that, he disappeared, swallowed by the brilliance of the glowing light.
After executing an impossible maneuver mid-air, the sphere section of Rokshaata seamlessly merged once again with its other half, which hadn't left Magnus's hand.
With it all seeming to be over, Magnus let out a shuddering sigh of relief, his whole body slightly trembling. His mind was free of negative thoughts, yet his body still felt the fear. His chest was tight, his stomach churned, and his entire body trembled from head to toe. The loud drumming of his heart echoed in his ears—sensations that not even Basker could chase away.
Magnus had to wrestle with these feelings on his own.
"Are you okay?" Turning around, Magnus saw Jerel looking at him, concern written all over his face. Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Magnus mustered up a smile while nodding, trying his best to act normal.
"Of course, but it looks like their leader managed to slip away. My bad." Truth be told, Magnus knew he probably could have stopped Zeth if he had aimed to kill by targeting his head or his heart, but he hadn't.
It wouldn't have been the first time I'd taken a life. Those bandits from before—I killed them the first time I unknowingly used the Command Console. But since it wasn't a deliberate choice, it didn't feel real.
Now, Magnus wasn't sure how he'd feel if he actually decided to kill someone. Would he be haunted by guilt, or would it just leave him feeling empty? What would it take for him to go through with taking a life?
He shuddered at the thought.
"Hey, don't sweat it. I'm the one who got you mixed up in this mess. I'll call the guards and have these three locked up," Jerel said, motioning towards the unconscious men scattered around them.
Magnus gave a grateful nod.
"Thanks. And, uh, sorry again about the window," he added, eyeing the broken glass, but Jerel just laughed.
"No worries. A perk of being a blacksmith is that I've made a lot of friends with people who are great at fixing stuff. I'll get it sorted out for a fair price, maybe even snag a discount," Jerel said, flashing a grin. Hearing that, Magnus nodded, his gaze shifting as he noticed the position of the sun in the sky.
"Wow, I didn't realize I'd been outside this long!" Magnus blurted out. Even though Takerth Academy was pretty laid-back when it came to their students's freedom, they still enforced a curfew.
Jerel nodded, understanding that Magnus had to leave.
"Wow, it's been quite a meeting, Magnus. I owe you one for this. Swing by anytime, and I'll whip up something for you on the house, as long as I'm able," he said. Magnus thanked him for the offer before making his exit, he didn't want to be around when the authorities got here.
Meanwhile, the two guards assigned by the Major General followed at a discreet distance as Magnus made his way back to Takerth Academy. He was following the mental map Basker had created for him.
"I still think it was a bit risky letting him take on those guys alone," the guard, who had been eager to step in earlier, said to his partner with a touch of dissatisfaction.
"The Major General has invested in him, which is why he ordered us to keep him safe. However, he also told us to do so from the shadows, meaning he doesn't want us to stifle his growth. Besides, if he was really in danger at any point, I would've stepped in," the more seasoned guard responded calmly.
Hearing this, the anxious guard nodded. After all, things had worked out fine, and his partner did have more experience with this sort of thing.
"Anyway, once he's back at Takerth Academy, he'll be safe. We'll report everything we saw to the Major General. He'll probably be intrigued by the news of the boy's abilities. And one more thing…" The older guard's voice faded as his partner looked him in the eye, encouraging him to go on.
"Zeth, the one who escaped. He had a spell catalyst—not just any, but one with teleportation runes. There's no way ordinary thugs could get their hands on a magical item like that. This could be serious."