The Measure of Power

I was surprised at Manya's sensitivity, which was enough to notice the magical energy that had not been used on her and to confirm its direction. 

Considering that all the other candidates moving around there didn't even notice Leo's magic until it weighed on their shoulders, it was clearly a talent that wasn't easily found. 

"Do you have any special magic or techniques that you learned?" 

"I am not one of the people participating in the planned battle…." 

"I'm asking because I'm curious." 

When Leo said that, Manya reluctantly answered. 

"I learned a bit of colour magic before. It probably wouldn't be of much help now." 

"I see…." 

When I meet those types of magicians, it's hard to stop the face of 'Cheon-Gyeon' from coming to mind. 

The clue to the word Alkaid that Cheon-Gyeon used at that time has still not been found. 

Now that I've managed to open a dialogue with Alice, I should use her connections to approach her cautiously. 

It was a strange story at the time. 

Meanwhile, the candidates lined up in front of the stage, and Panoa, who was standing in front of them, opened his mouth. 

"Nice to meet you. I'm Panoa, the planning team leader at Dyke. We met each other once before and had individual interviews." 

"...…" 

People said nothing in response. 

Panoa continued speaking immediately, as if she hadn't expected an answer. 

"As I mentioned before, this test is being conducted to select the most suitable personnel to carry out our headquarters' project, and those selected as team members will be sequentially paid the advance payment and success bonus that we promised in advance." 

As soon as the topic of conservatism comes up, the candidates' eyes change. 

If freelancers gathered from various sources react like that, it means that Panoa really didn't look back and accepted the bleeding. 

"We will select personnel through two stages: a physical test and a personal test. Killian will conduct the physical test, and a magician we have already recruited will conduct the personal test." 

With those words, you can feel the gazes of those around you glancing at Leo, who was sitting on the platform behind her. 

Sharp and sensitive emotions flow in unfiltered. 

The resentment towards the judges who were trying to evaluate him was directly reflected in him. 

In contrast to the murderous aura that Killian exudes, Leo appears to be just an ordinary young man on the outside, so it is only natural. 

If he had decided to hide his magic power, there would have been no one in the place who could have noticed. 

As soon as Panoa finished speaking, other staff members quickly began to guide the candidates. 

It looks like the testing process has already been designed, and it seems like it reflects Killian and Leo's wishes to some extent. 

Let's start with a light, basic physical ability test. 

Strength, agility, endurance, horsepower and mana sensitivity, control, etc. are measured, and other staff members standing nearby record the numbers. 

Leo's eyes, which had been watching the process, sank deeply at some point. 

A woman who is mixed in the middle among the candidates. 

A somewhat strict impression with black hair tied back. 

Although it looks ordinary on the outside, the magical power that flows out when measuring magic power catches Leo's attention. 

A cold magic that felt strangely artificial and inhumane… It was definitely something I had encountered in person somewhere. 

verification 

After a brief moment of thought, Leo found the answer in an instant and turned his head towards Manya. 

"No." 

"Go ahead." 

"I heard you're definitely recruiting new team members." 

"...That's true, though." 

Leo frowned faintly after hearing her words. 

At the same time, a heavy magical power gushed out from around him, wetting the surrounding area. 

"But why are there people from Cybride Echo mixed in?" 

"...." 

Although he pretends to be a human like everyone else, Leo's senses cannot be fooled. 

The magic of that cold steel. A distinctly different feeling from the slow, sticky flow of humans. 

It's very similar to the magic I felt from that fugitive during the last operation. 

And it was absurd that Dyke didn't know this fact. 

A faint look of bewilderment crossed Manya's face, and at that moment, Leo was about to get up from his seat. 

"Cybreed Echo has once again expressed their intention to participate in this operation. Since the reward we promised them this time was a reward, it seems like they have no intention of giving up easily." 

After finishing his explanation, Panoa approached the stage and said. 

"...…" 

"What happened in the last operation was actually a mistake on our part, and they are said to be more capable than the Echo agents who participated at that time, so I plan to wait and see." 

Panoa's words were so calm that it seemed as if she was talking about someone else's business, but Leo actually liked her calm attitude more. 

Rather than being discouraged and losing control over a mistake made in the first operation, it would have been better to cleanly deal with Leo and focus on work. 

If I was going to go with someone for the time being, I needed someone at least a little bit capable. That was all. 

Meanwhile, the physical test progresses quickly. 

Contrary to his gangster-like impression when we first met, Killian was swinging the candidates around quite skilfully. 

If you feel like you've roughly figured out the average, you can immediately move on to the next step, and lightly ignore the voices asking for a second chance. 

Once the numbers were roughly quantified to some extent, he immediately divided the candidates into three groups based on the measured values, and then he rolled up his sleeves and started getting to work. 

"The six members of the first team line up in front. I'm going to have a go at them. The seven members of the second team go to the front of the stage, and the members of the third team can go home." 

Killian's bold declaration to drop about ten people at once sparked a lot of backlash, but it was quickly quelled. 

Everyone roughly understood that there was nothing to be gained by causing a ruckus here. 

Leo nodded, quickly realizing how Killian had narrowed down the candidates. 

'First-tier based on physical ability. Second-tier based on magical ability. I guess they're planning on leaving the second verification of the sorcerers to this side.' 

And among those seven, there was also a woman named Cybride Echo. 

Is it true that the magical powers that utilize a unique modified body have been recognized to some extent? 

As he was selected as a team member during the first operation, his individual abilities were probably not lacking. 

The people lined up in front of the stage again stared blankly at Leo. 

The woman also recognized who Leo was, and was looking up at him with a slightly nervous expression. 

Leo met her gaze openly, then stood up and walked towards them. 

He slowly opened his mouth, looking around the room. 

"The abilities of sorcerers are difficult to measure." 

"....." 

"There are quite a few sorcerers who use power sources other than magic, and it is also true that it is difficult to judge abilities based on combat ability alone." 

dump. 

Leo, sitting on the steps of the nearest platform, made a vague gesture. 

"First, each of you introduce yourself, explain your affiliation, and explain your special skills. I think we need a different method to determine if you have the skills to work together." 

I want to smoke a cigarette, but it's true that I feel a little hesitant about blowing smoke in front of people. 

If I were in the middle of a fight, I wouldn't care what other people think, but after all, this is an underground cave. 

Of course, there must be a ventilation system, but is it right to take out a cigarette in this place in terms of basic manners? 

While Leo was pondering a dilemma about public morality, someone stepped forward from among the group. 

It was the woman from Cybride Echo who had just made eye contact with him. 

She stared at Leo with a slightly stiff expression, then opened her mouth carefully in a firm tone. 

"...Agria. Agria Notto." 

"What affiliation do you have?" 

Agria answered in a calm tone, as if she already knew that Leo had noticed her identity. 

"Cybrid Echo. Using magical engineering to modify the body, I can provide long-distance support. I have some confidence in my basic physical abilities, but I mainly work as rear-end support." 

As she said that, she stretched out her hand to the corner of the common room. 

Wheeing!! 

As the wrist opens, a bright blue beam of light leaks out from within, transforming into a single laser beam that extends towards a deserted area. 

Boom! 

Moderate noise and destructive power. This is a single shot that clearly feels like it has been given some power. 

Agria also put her hand down calmly, as if there was no need to talk any further. 

"In addition, it can store various cartridges, and although it is not as capable as professionally trained specialized forces, it can perform most missions." 

"You could easily run away in an emergency, right?" 

"...." 

She flinched at Leo's sharp remark, but bowed her head in silence. 

Leo, who had been quietly looking down at her crown, nodded to one side. 

Anyway, she was a different person from the masked woman I met back then. There was no need to get angry and provoke her. 

However, other people who were watching the scene seemed to perceive it completely differently. 

"Wait a minute, that's a different story." 

A young man with a hood with intricate patterns tied tightly around his head opened his mouth. 

He looks quite young, as if he has just lost his boyish side. 

He looked only two or three years older than the boy I met in the blood mage's lair. 

"I agreed to take the test, but I wasn't told that I had to bow down and go in like that. Who are you to treat us like this in the first place?" 

"what?" 

Leo thought for a moment before he realized what that meant. 

Hood had just seen Agria and Leo's conversation and thought that they were forcing that kind of attitude on others. 

Don't they know what happened in the last operation? 

The others seemed to be thinking similar thoughts, as their expressions did not look so good. 

With the tacit approval of those around him, the hooded man stepped forward and began to make a fuss. 

"If you want to test us, you'll have to prove your worth first. Sorry, but I have a pretty good ear, and I heard that you're not a Dyke employee, but someone hired for this job." 

"....I see." 

As Leo muttered blankly, not knowing what kind of confidence he had, Panoa, who was standing next to him, whispered. 

"Mr. Ban, here I am…." 

"no." 

Leo sat up as he spoke. 

"I will do it myself." 

Although the hood's claim was absurd, it made some sense to Leo. 

It's a matter of selecting a team member with whom you have to work together at least three times. 

I didn't come to Dyke headquarters to sit back and watch people. 

It was right to check with one's own hands whether there was a useful sorcerer. 

BAM! KWAANG!! 

Leo smiled as he watched Killian begin his second test on the other side of the common. 

I didn't think there was any need to use any other method. 

"Come forward one by one." 

"...what?" 

Leo glanced at the hooded man who was questioning him without really understanding, then snapped his fingers. 

"I'll show you myself what it means to be qualified." 

# 

Things moved quickly after Leo announced that he would step forward. 

After he made his decision, Panoa said nothing more and tried to accommodate Leo as much as possible. 

In an instant, the wide open space in front of the stage was cleared and the surrounding area was surrounded by a barrier to prevent damage from spreading. 

Inside, Leo and Hood stood side by side, facing each other. 

Hood was initially taken aback, as if he had not expected Leo to accept his offer so readily, but soon began to smile triumphantly. 

"Look, I know you're confident, but you made a mistake." 

When the tightly tied hood is released, a long ear pokes out from under it. 

"....." 

Leo narrowed his eyes and stared at the sight. 

For a race with pointy ears… the other features aren't that prominent. 

Even the magical power that was visible on the outside seemed closer to that of a pure magician than that of an Ain. 

'A magic that would cause excessive ear development during training... I see.' 

Unaware of Leo's thoughts, he confidently walked forward and began to talk. 

"Of course, you are a skilled sorcerer in your own right since you were hired for this position, but it's not like you can necessarily have the upper hand in a one-on-one duel like this. Rather, in a duel between sorcerers like this, you need creative ideas that overturn the existing match-ups, or ingenious sorcery." 

The man paused for a moment, then suddenly shouted loudly. 

"…..Like this, that's what I'm saying!!"