Pursuit

The table shakes violently from the intense movement of magical power with physical force, and the bundles of money and blood samples placed on it fly into the air. 

Dozens of banknotes and blood samples scattered everywhere. 

He uses his magic to grab all the items off the table and pulls them in at once. 

Leo asked, putting down the bundles of money and samples neatly organized in his hands on the table. 

"How about this much?" 

"… … … " 

The boy looked up at Leo with a blank expression at that calm question. 

The emotions in that gaze were clearly different from before. 

The momentum of magical power is too heavy to be considered a mere wandering wizard, and the powerful will to convert his movements into actual physical force. 

And the ability to precisely control magical powers to catch and stack all those bills floating in the air. 

A user of positioning magic of level 4 or higher, no matter how low you set it. 

With this one show of force, Leo had shown that he was a strong man who could kill the boy in one blow. 

At the same time, there is no reason to lie with this information. 

The boy, who had been silent for a while, nodded. 

"… … That's enough." 

If you have that kind of skill, Leo's words that he would pass on sensitive information like the checkpoints also become more credible. 

Things moved quickly as soon as the boy agreed. 

Kiiing…!! 

I slowly rotated the needle in the shape of a triangle with my thumb and index finger, and the blood was accurately divided into three streams and placed into the bottles I had prepared. 

"I'm sorry," the boy muttered as he handed it to Leo. 

"You were lucky. If it had been more than two days, it would have been difficult to classify as it would have gone beyond the limits of what can be controlled by blood magic." 

I guess I should say it was a good thing that we took action as quickly as possible. 

I got my hands on a simple clue with less difficulty than I thought, but the real mission starts now. 

Leo nodded silently and immediately stood up from his seat. 

"...for a moment." 

The boy who had been hesitating then finally called out to Leok. 

"what?" 

He made a seriously contemplative expression, then took two million cells from the money on the table and handed it to Leok. 

"If the information you gave me is true, then I have change left. Two million cells. Take it." 

I've even factored in the amount of money the boy will need to sort the blood for, so there's actually going to be a price to pay. 

But instead of accepting the money, Leo shook his head. 

"There is no need to return money once it has been received." 

Anyway, this is information that will quickly lose its value once the police start moving in earnest. 

The boy may think he is being paid for it, but to Leo, it only adds to the already growing rumours. 

Rather than wasting time trying to save Sebastian money here, it would be more efficient to do him a favour and maintain a good relationship with the blood mage. 

But the boy gritted his teeth, came closer, and held out the money. 

"Once you start working, pay the bills properly. Accept it." 

"....okay." 

Leo, who had been staring blankly at the sight, smiled and accepted the money the boy handed him. 

What impressed me was not his neat calculations, but his stubbornly high self-esteem. 

Considering that he was running a business here on his own at such a young age, it can be said that the boy was no ordinary rookie. 

"My name is Ryan Aiter. Remember that." 

"Why me?" 

"Then you can come to me when you find the Blood Mage again." 

The boy forced the corners of his mouth to curl up as he spoke. 

"I'm not bragging, but I'm a genius who successfully mastered blood magic at the age of 15. There's no one in this world who handles blood better than me. Stop looking for other people and come to me from now on." 

"… … … " 

Is he saying this to confirm Leo's abilities and to continue his friendship with him? 

Even though their methods are not sophisticated, they seem to have a rough idea of what is important in this field. 

He has a strange attitude that we didn't know when we first met, and he seems naive but is a boy who is quick-witted. 

It's like seeing someone who just rolled into this street for the first time. 

The corners of Leo's mouth curled up involuntarily, but he did not respond. 

Instead, I just continued walking and left Area 44. 

If the opportunity arises, we may see each other somewhere, even if it is not here. 

Leo couldn't guarantee the boy even such a trivial encounter. 

Where on earth does Leo have the luxury of waiting for the next time? 

All he could guarantee was his own desperate will and the success of the commission he had been given. 

As soon as you leave Area 44, use the [Bloody Chase] magic on the blood classified as a male in his 20s. 

Sure enough, this time the red thread was completed without any problems, without any interruption to the magic. 

In fact, he turned his head to look at Leok once, then immediately started crawling between his legs and moving somewhere. 

Leo began to walk slowly, quietly following the thread. 

'I remember something from a few months ago.' 

When I first used this magic, my magical power was so lacking that I felt uneasy while chasing the criminal, and I headed towards the undeveloped area. 

It was difficult to say that he had enough magical power even now, but at least he was confident that he would not let the thread crawling in front of him break. 

You can increase the speed of the thread, but then it will become difficult for Leo to keep up. 

Even now, in order to follow [Bloody Chase], which suddenly goes off the beaten path, it was necessary to slow down to some extent. 

'… … No, it wasn't a place that wasn't a road.' 

It's just that the direction of the thread is increasingly heading to places other than the typical neighbourhoods. 

Before you know it, the surrounding walls are covered in dirty garbage and graffiti, and the thick smell of cigarette smoke fills your nostrils. 

The smell of stale oil, similar to a musty smell, rising from right next to me, combined with the pungent air, gave off a dirty feeling. 

It looks like an old junk ship was dragged and placed on the ground. 

Judging by the raucous laughter coming from inside, this appears to be a lively bar nearby. 

For Leo, who had always frequented the quiet bar run by Jenny, this noisy place felt different. 

As I followed the thread and looked around, it was truly a sight to behold. 

A balding man sitting on the floor with a red face smoking a cigarette, a couple having a barbecue party in an old jeep, and even a motorcycle roaring madly in the distance. 

It doesn't seem like a place that model citizens who pay their taxes faithfully would like. 

And then, Leo nodded, confirming that the thread's head was pointed straight at the bar. 

Immediately after, [Bloody Chase] that Leo had manifested suddenly stopped. 

"… … … ." 

Is it a coincidence that the magic suddenly ends when we come here? 

No way. 

Considering that Bloody Chase is particularly vulnerable to interference magic, it is more plausible to assume that the culprits who noticed Leok's pursuit belatedly tried to cut off his tail. 

And, if the criminals really noticed it… .. 

'You're probably going to want to leave the bar right now.' 

Pursuit 

Leo, who had come to a conclusion in an instant, hid himself next to the old jeep and peered at the entrance to the bar. 

A couple having a barbecue party next to him stared at him, but he ignored them. 

Before long, the entrance to the bar became noisy, and two people came out hurriedly. 

"Hey, are you sure about that?" 

"That's right. Just a moment ago, there was a strange energy coming from the back of your head." 

"Ha, shit… This really bothers me." 

A man with broad shoulders and a woman with a haggard look. 

Both of them seem to be quite drunk, so their gait seems a little strange, but the magical power flowing out of them is surprisingly considerable. 

The emotions on both of their faces seemed closer to annoyance than fear of being tracked, so they were probably freelancers who had confidence in their own abilities. 

Are they also the ones who stick together as a male and female pair? 

It seems like we often see Cybride Echo and others who strangely stick together in pairs. 

"Let's run away for now. If we get caught here, there's going to be a lot of insults from Madam." 

"I hate that no matter what… I can't give Madame an excuse to bite my neck." 

Leo stood up as he saw the man fumble around his waist and take out what appeared to be a key. 

I couldn't just find the culprit and then let him run away right before my eyes. 

He took a cigarette out of his arms and walked straight towards the two people. 

As soon as the direction of their steps was determined, both the man and the woman simultaneously turned their heads toward Leok. 

Chewing...!! 

He stares at the two people intently as he lights the cigarette. 

At this point, there's no way you wouldn't know. 

The man said with his mouth pursed. 

"I didn't know my first sasaeng fan would look like this." 

"Mount, watch your mouth. Your opponent is a sorcerer." 

The woman poses with a nervous expression. 

Leo also raised his magical power accordingly and opened his mouth. 

"You know, Madison?" 

"… … … " 

"Bring it." 

A man named Mount and a woman face each other in silence. 

Without warning, a smoke grenade exploded between the man's legs. 

Phew!! 

In an instant, black smoke billows out from in front of the bar's yard, obscuring the view. 

Although the surroundings have become a battlefield, Leo's magical power perception is not affected by such obstacles. 

The moment the shield was raised and shock magic was fired to stop the two people from getting into the car. 

Boooooooooooo!! 

The car, whose driver's seat was empty, jerked forward as it moved. 

With that, Mount and the woman grabbed the trunk of the car and started running away in an instant, out of the front yard of the bar. 

Boom! 

Leo managed to blast the car's rear tire with a lightning bolt, but it wasn't enough to stop the car from rolling. 

"… … .." 

Leok frowned faintly as he watched the back of the car disappear around the alley. 

Since the rear tire has burst, it won't be able to get away very far. We'll have to chase it down and drop the harpoon before it does. 

As Leo thought so and was about to take a step, he heard a sound that he shouldn't have heard from the side. 

Crunch. 

The man, who was part of a couple who had just been having a barbecue party in their Jeep, suddenly pulled out a gun and aimed it at Leo's head. 

Leo suppressed a sigh and turned around. 

"… ..What is this now?" 

"What are you doing?" 

The man replied, chewing the meat. 

"I let it go until you clung to my car earlier, but I can't stand you messing with my friends in this neighbourhoods." 

"… … … " 

"I don't know what business an outsider has to come all the way here, but you'd better make a choice quickly." 

Even with his face red from being drunk, his aim remains steady. 

"Either it goes off quietly or it goes off with one step." 

A sense of alienation that I had never felt before. This is a neighbourhoods where the extreme exclusion that rejects outsiders is clearly evident. 

I guess it's probably a place where freelancers with connections gather... But honestly, it wasn't something Leo would know about. 

"Phew… .." 

Leo laughed, blowing away his complicated feelings in smoke. 

Normally, I wouldn't want to let a guy with a gun to his head live, but right now, there's something I have to do. 

"Know that you are lucky." 

"...what?" 

"Because I ended up paying the price of my life with one car."