"We found him, he's right here!"
"Hurry, don't let him escape!"
"Block him over there!"
“......”
"Damn it, how did it come to this!!"
Park Jung-chul, running through the dirty and narrow streets of Brooklyn in New York, cursed loudly.
Hidden beneath the hood, his eyes revealed deep-seated fear.
Park Jung-chul had learned the Rosy Chrysanthemum Prolonging Life Talisman from the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. This involved breeding ghouls, merging with them and gaining the ability to extend one's life by acquiring the characteristics of ghouls.
Having murdered several people, allowing his ghouls to evolve, and being discreet in his actions, Park had successfully eluded the police until now.
His unbroken streak had caused him to lower his guard, as he grew increasingly confident that his mystical means would allow him to elude the authorities.
His ghoul was on the verge of completing its evolution. Once it did, he could proceed to the second stage of the Rosy Chrysanthemum Prolonging Life Talisman—Corpse Fusion—and undergo a complete transformation.
On this day, Park Jung-chul had come to the streets of Brooklyn to search for his next victim, just as he always did. He had his controlled ghoul lurking in a dark corner not far away. However, when he walked into a deserted alley, someone suddenly shouted, "It's him."
Immediately, Park Jung-chul saw a burly man in a black suit wielding a futuristic-looking gun. The man aimed and fired directly at him.
Luckily, Park Jung-chul's spiritual awareness increased during his study of the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. In the nick of time, he narrowly avoided the gunshot. Though unsure of the gun's power, its futuristic design made him doubt his chances of survival if hit.
Though puzzled about how he was discovered, Park Jung-chul remained calm. With his ghoul ready for a surprise attack, he believed that, despite the high-tech weapons, his ghoul could effortlessly kill his pursuer.
Everything was going according to Park Jung-chul's plan until a group of individuals in wizard robes appeared. Muttering cryptic words that powered their magic, they blocked the ghoul, saving the man in black. More wizards and black-suited individuals joined in, encircling Park Jung-chul.
Faced with imminent danger, Park Jung-chul, who had been an ordinary person, started to flee. In his escape, he directed his ghoul to intercept.
However, without human guidance, the ghoul's limited intelligence became evident. With the assistance of four black-suited individuals armed with high-tech guns and several wizards, they easily dealt with the ghoul.
By this point, Park Jung-chul had no time to mourn his ghoul's demise. All he wanted now was to escape. He realized that if he were caught, his life would be over.
Thus began a scene of a desperate chase through the streets.
Since the U.S. authorities wanted him alive, the pursuers refrained from using firearms. Park Jung-chul gradually regained his composure during the escape, learning of the U.S. government's intentions. He thought he might be able to use this to his advantage and escape with his life.
Although he hadn't completed the second stage of the Rosy Chrysanthemum Prolonging Life Talisman, the secret techniques in the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan had partially altered his body. This enhanced his endurance beyond that of an ordinary person. He believed he could use his abilities to escape and survive.
However, the reality was often cruel.
“Grease Spell!”
Suddenly, a crisp female voice echoed. In a narrow alley with no way out, Park Jung-chul, attempting to climb a wall to escape, found every surface he stepped on turned into slippery oil. He slipped and fell from mid-air.
If a wizard from the San Soliel were present, they would recognize this spell as part of the curse magic—'Grease Spell'. The one casting this one-ring spell was Su Wei.
As a talented apprentice, Su Wei was one of the few who mastered a one-ring spell. Although she couldn't use many, it still set her apart from most wizard apprentices who could only perform zero-ring spells.
"Damn!"
Park Jung-chul, finding himself slipping on the oil, knew he was in trouble. He realized he might not have much chance of surviving.
Indeed, as he fell to the ground, a barrage of spells followed.
"Acid Splash!"
"Tremor Shock!"
“Daze!”
"Frost Ray!"
“......”
Acid corroded Park Jung-chul's flesh like sulfuric acid, the tremor shock made him tremble uncontrollably, the daze spell left his mind in a daze, and the frost ray froze his hands.
Though these spells were merely tricks, and the damage done to a person was less than a gunshot, the use of magic was entirely different from technological weaponry, leaving modern people in awe.
"Rock Fall!"
Finally, Su Wei once again employed a one-ring spell from the curse magic—rock fall. Summoning a rock from the air, it precisely hit Park Jung-chul's legs as he lay on the ground, causing a comminuted fracture.
The intense pain caused him to immediately lose consciousness.
Before losing consciousness, Park Jung-chul could only think about how the United States managed to find so many wizards. Could it be that he wasn't the protagonist of some novel? Had governments secretly mastered the mysteries of magic?
The affairs of the magical academy were not publicized, and it was normal for Park Jung-chul, a former ordinary citizen, not to know about them.
"We did it! We caught him!"
Su Wei let out a sigh of relief, her face beaming with joy
The other wizard apprentices also cheered. It was their first successful mission, applying magic in actual combat—a rare and valuable experience.
"Thank you all for your help."
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stepped forward, expressing gratitude with a smile. Although the magical tricks performed by these wizard apprentices were not as lethal as a handgun, their use of magic still left a deep impression on him.
Not to mention the zero-ring spells, even the one-ring spell Su Wei used, such as the rock fall spell, was beyond the understanding of contemporary individuals.
Moreover, this trick was quite sinister. If someone wanted to assassinate someone else, they could probably summon a rock from a distance and end a life.
Su Wei exchanged a few polite words and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent approached to handcuff Park Jung-chul. The unconscious man was carried away.
Next, it was time for the professional interrogators from the U.S. government to take over. They intended to extract all the knowledge of the supernatural from Park Jung-chul, even if it required inhumane methods. It was unlikely that this untrained individual could endure such pain.
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