The Wizard Has A Biochip

Chapter 47: This group that came to help me... They seem to be a bunch of blind idiots.

Without wasting another second, I spun on my heels and started running.

"VROOOOMM~~"

The magic crystal embedded in my armor’s chest flared brilliantly.

The engine roared like a caged beast, sending power throughout the entire mechanical frame.

The gears began to turn.

The servomechanisms responded instantly.

Every stride was driven by reinforced pistons, propelling my body through the forest at a speed that easily surpassed that of a leopard.

The trees became nothing more than green blurs rushing past me.

I kept running without slowing down.

A few minutes later...

The Tower’s immense white staircase came into view.

I bounded up the steps, practically taking five at a time.

"CLANG!"

"CLANG!"

"CLANG!"

My armor’s metal boots echoed against the white stone.

When I finally reached the enormous main gate, I slowed to a stop.

That was when I saw them.

Three figures were waiting near the entrance.

Two Level 3 Acolytes.

And one Acolyte at the peak of Level 2.

I immediately recognized one of them.

Kalikol.

The one responsible for receiving the warning sent through my magical talisman.

That type of message could only be received by a special artifact distributed to the acolytes responsible for the Tower’s rapid-response teams.

Naturally, the warning had ended up in his hands.

Upon learning that three extraordinarily powerful unknown acolytes had invaded territory belonging to the Tower, Kalikol had made a prudent decision.

Even though he was a Level 3 Acolyte...

He knew he couldn’t face them alone.

So he called for reinforcements.

He brought Rafa, another Level 3 Acolyte known for his combat strength.

And a third apprentice who had already reached the peak of Level 2.

The three of them waited for my arrival.

"SKRIIIIIIIII~~"

I engaged the armor’s brakes.

The metal plates screeched as I skidded several meters across the stone ground.

A cloud of dust rose around us.

The engine gradually slowed.

"Vrrrr..."

I raised my visor just enough to look directly at them.

My gaze first met Kalikol’s.

He looked back at me with an amused smile.

As though this entire situation was nothing more than another opportunity to make money.

— Only three people?

— Why not bring more acolytes?

— If they’re really the same three I found in the forest... this could end in a massacre.

Kalikol merely tilted his head slightly.

His smile widened even further.

His eyes gleamed with a greed he made no effort to conceal.

— Well...

— If too many people get involved...

— It becomes difficult to split the profits.

I blinked slowly.

So that was it.

He didn’t want to solve the Tower’s problem.

He wanted to monopolize the reward.

Beside him, Rafa remained completely still.

His face was expressionless.

Then he asked in a cold voice,

— Where are they?

He slowly clenched his fists.

His knuckles cracked.

— It’s been quite a while since I last killed someone.

I looked at him for a few seconds.

Then I looked away.

Inside...

I almost started laughing.

What a bunch of idiots.

They didn’t even know who they were going up against.

The serpent-headed man alone was probably an enormous threat.

Even so...

None of them appeared the slightest bit concerned.

Greed really did blind people.

I shrugged.

If they wanted to die...

That wasn’t my problem.

Maybe I’d even inherit some interesting equipment afterward.

I turned back toward the forest.

— Follow me.

Without waiting for a reply, I started walking.

The three of them followed close behind.

For several minutes, we traveled in silence along the trail.

After a while...

The acolyte at the peak of Level 2 moved a little closer to me.

I had noticed him staring at my armor ever since we’d met.

At last, he decided to speak.

— You...

— Are you Master Totil’s new apprentice?

— Why do you ask?

He smiled.

He glanced at Kalikol and Rafa before answering.

— We’ve heard a few rumors.

— They say a very talented engineer has appeared.

— Someone second only to Lina Veres.

I continued walking as if nothing had changed.

— Really?

— Are you looking to buy something?

He seemed surprised by the direct question.

— Right now... no.

He scratched the back of his neck.

— But maybe in the future.

His eyes immediately returned to the engine mounted in my armor’s chest.

— I’d like to commission an armor like yours.

— How much would it cost?

I immediately felt the gazes of the other two settle on me.

It wasn’t mere curiosity.

They were evaluating.

How much that technology was worth.

How much they could earn from it.

Or perhaps...

How much they could profit by taking it from me.

Naturally...

I pretended not to notice a thing.

My tone remained completely casual.

— It all depends on the materials you choose.

— The frame can be made from ordinary steel, enchanted alloys, or magical metals.

— Each option changes the cost completely.

I ran a hand across the armor’s chest.

The magic crystal pulsed softly beneath the plating.

— Besides...

— The magic crystal-powered engine is the most complicated component to manufacture.

— It requires extremely precise alignment between the runes, gears, and energy conduits.

I smiled faintly.

— That’s exactly what makes an armor like this so expensive.

.

.

.

.

.

The mercenaries’ situation had become utterly hopeless.

The group hired by the three acolytes had been nearly wiped out.

Mutilated bodies lay scattered everywhere.

The once-green ground had been stained crimson.

The few survivors still standing remained upright through sheer willpower alone.

Covered in blood from head to toe, the last four mercenaries formed a defensive circle.

Back to back.

Breathing heavily.

Arms trembling.

Their shields had been destroyed.

Their armor torn apart.

Even so, they continued fighting.

On the opposite side of the clearing, the three acolytes watched everything with complete indifference.

None of them seemed even slightly concerned about the mercenaries’ fate.

Unless a demonic creature attacked them directly, they simply remained where they stood.

Watching.

Like spectators at a stage play.

It was as though those human lives held no value whatsoever.

While the last mercenaries were slowly being slaughtered, the three calmly carried on a conversation.

The little skeleton girl folded her arms.

The blue flames inside her eye sockets flickered with irritation.

— That aura we sensed earlier belonged to a local acolyte.

She looked toward the muscular leader.

— Why didn’t you let me capture him?

The muscular young man kept watching the battle.

— Because we’re not here to attack the Tower.

His voice was calm.

— We’re here to kill acolytes.

— It’s better to let him spread the news.

The flames in the girl’s eyes flared violently.

— What?!

She stomped her foot.

— That’s exactly why we should have captured him!

Clearly annoyed, she turned her attention to a nearby Demon Baby.

She raised her tiny wand.

"WHIIZZZ~~"

A violet beam shot through the air.

The demon instantly exploded into a shower of blood.

The serpent-headed man watched the scene before shaking his head.

Then he stepped closer to the leader.

— Are you sure letting him escape won’t become a problem?

His forked tongue slid out of his mouth.

— He’ll bring reinforcements.

— What if they send a Mage?

The muscular leader let out a quiet laugh.

— A Mage?

His tone dripped with contempt.

— This is only a secondary resource site.

— Do you really think a Mage would waste their precious time coming here over a handful of acolytes?

He pointed toward the mercenaries’ corpses.

— Mages are still Mages.

— Arrogant.

— Detached.

— They’ll certainly send apprentices.

The serpent-man let out a hissing chuckle.

— Then that makes things easier.

His tongue flicked in and out rapidly.

— This place has plenty of interesting materials.

— I’ll make use of the time while we wait.

Without waiting for an answer, he walked into the forest.

A few seconds later, he disappeared among the trees.

The muscular leader watched him leave.

He remained motionless for a few moments.

Then he simply shrugged.

There were valuable resources in the forest as well.

It would be a waste to ignore them.

Soon, he headed off in another direction.

Leaving the girl behind.

Alone.

.

.

.

.

When we finally returned to the Garden of Demon Babies, leading Kalikol, Rafa, and Heitor through the forest, the scene I found was completely different from the one I had left behind.

The battle was over.

And the demons had won.

Completely.

The Demon Babies were feeding freely.

Tearing apart corpses.

Gnawing on bones.

Dragging human remains into the bushes.

The sounds were revolting.

"Crunch..."

"Crack..."

"Snifffff..."

But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

At the center of that carnage...

She stood.

The little skeleton girl.

A child-sized wand rested in her hand.

Her empty eye sockets glowed with blue flames.

And despite being surrounded by dozens of blood-soaked demons...

Not a single one of them dared approach her.

I watched carefully.

The girl ran from one side to the other.

She moved without the slightest concern.

Whenever she passed near the Demon Babies, they growled in irritation.

Some even bared their teeth.

But then...

They backed away.

Making room for her.

Like animals before a greater predator.

Then I noticed something else.

One man was still alive.

Or at least...

Almost.

A mercenary.

Both of his legs had been torn apart.

One of his arms was completely gone.

The other was broken in several places.

Even so...

He was breathing.

Faintly.

The girl approached him.

She stopped in front of the man.

She crouched down.

Then she smiled.

It was a sweet smile.

An innocent one.

The kind of smile you would expect from an ordinary little girl.

— Save me...

The mercenary’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

— Please...

— Save...

The girl tilted her head slightly.

— Do you want help?

Her voice was soft.

Gentle.

— I can help your soul.

She raised her head slightly.

— May I take it?

The man immediately nodded.

Far too desperate to realize.

Even from that distance...

My Biochip detected something strange.

The speech pattern.

The intonation.

The way she pronounced the last word.

Something didn’t match.

Then an analysis appeared before my eyes.

[Warning.]

[Linguistic pattern identified.]

[Probability of magical language: 87%.]

My expression hardened.

She hadn’t said "take."

At least, not exactly.

The hidden meaning behind that pronunciation was something else.

It meant Consume.

Before I could think any further...

The girl took a milky-white sphere from her pocket.

She pressed it against the mercenary’s forehead.

She recited a short incantation.

The man’s body shuddered.

Then...

A white shadow slowly emerged from his forehead.

The shadow had a human shape.

It was translucent.

Fragile.

Like a flame on the verge of being extinguished.

His soul.

She was pulling out his soul.

The white figure was absorbed into the sphere.

The orb’s glow intensified.

At the same time...

The mercenary’s eyes lost all life.

His arm fell limp.

His chest stopped rising and falling.

Dead.

Completely dead.

The girl put the sphere away.

Satisfied.

That was when she noticed our presence.

The blue flames in her eye sockets turned directly toward us.

The girl walked in our direction.

Light footsteps.

Almost cheerful.

The Demon Babies immediately moved aside to clear her path.

When she finally stopped before our group...

She raised her head.

And smiled.

— Hello!

She lifted a hand in a friendly wave.

— I’m the adorable Crystina!

The blue flames danced happily.

— Are you from around here?

...

1882 Words