The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

“The item, the item…”

Taser Gale tapped his fingers on the fence. The sound of the rings hitting the bricks echoed sharply. It was an irregular rhythm, as if to announce his current state of mind.

“I don’t know where the information leaked from, but it’s a solid goal rather than a simple grudge…”

Well, traditionally, the breeding of unique creatures was an elegant hobby of the rich and powerful. They were fascinated by uniqueness because they wanted to be different from others. Even my Guardian Hawk was a creature with abilities beyond that of an ordinary bird of prey. It was highly valuable because it satisfied the desire for collection and display, and if well-tamed, it was also suitable for use as a bodyguard.

It meant that the way the wanderer Colin Sieger had been eyeing the Guardian Hawk was not for nothing. But in the end, that was all. It was just a beast, a peculiar luxury item.

Taser Gale was probably thinking that the cost-effectiveness was not right. If it hadn’t been necessary for my ability enhancement, I wouldn’t have made such a big deal out of it either.

“So, we can enter into negotiations at this point.”

I deliberately turned my gaze away from him and glanced at the lower floors of the building. Hatig, who had cleared the external battlefield, was causing a rucke there. His momentum was tremendous.

In this world where superhumans exist, the presence of one person can turn the tide of battle. Hatig was one of them. Although he had a taste for using cowardly tricks to overcome situations, he was a strong person on the level of being able to destroy the underboss’s business on his own.

“Hand over the item. Then I’ll withdraw quietly.”

“……”

Of course, there was no way it could end so peacefully. We had come too far for either of us to give in. He, as an underboss, would not be able to let go of an enemy who had tarnished his dignity.

So, this was a way to buy time. It was enough if he showed even a slight sign of hesitation. With that brief moment, Hatig would be able to get a little closer to him. It was a business with nothing to lose.

However, Taser’s answer was unexpected.

“Contractor, do you know the value of that item?”

He asked.

“Well, I’m a contractor, not a merchant.”

“You don’t know.”

“……?”

He leaned his body over the fence. His eyes were shining brightly from his shadowed eye sockets.

“You’ll leave quietly if I just hand over the item? You don’t know anything. What that item is, what meaning it holds!”

Taser, as if he had suddenly accelerated, skipped the intermediate process of slowly getting excited and showed a state of intense excitement. It wasn’t the attitude of someone dealing with just an expensive product. A complex emotion mixed with obsession, desire, resentment, and fear.

“If you knew how I got my hands on it, you wouldn’t have said such a thing! To hand over a spirit beast that I barely caught at the end of the continent? It’s not an item that a guy like you, who commits robbery without even thinking about the consequences just because it’s a money-making item, can covet!”

I chewed on the shocking statement he had uttered.

‘I see, so that was the situation.’

Why the high and mighty of this city were obsessed with that spirit beast. Now I understood.

‘A spirit beast caught at the end of the continent, you say.’

The end of the continent was, as Jordan Crank had mentioned, ‘a place that holds the secrets of this world’. It was related to the keyword ‘transcendence’, which even I, a veteran of FP, didn’t know, and it was a region deeply related to the World Tree.

I realized that I had inadvertently obtained some very important information.

‘Does it mean I can recover a large number of spirit beasts if I head to the end of the continent?’

Of course, Taser could have just happened to capture it there. But even considering that, it was a clearer goal than wandering around looking for ruins where the Guardian Hawk was found or headbutting the ground.

“That’s a very interesting story.”

I stuck the doping agent into my body.

“As it happens, I was also curious about what kind of place the end of this continent is.”

“A worthless curiosity. Did you smell money? This is the last kindness I can bestow. It’s a place that has no meaning even if a contractor like you is interested.”

“You talk as if you know very well. Have you been there yourself?”

“……”

His pupils wavered. I had just thrown it out there, but was it true?

“What did you see there?”

“It’s none of your business!” For more chapters visıt novel·fire.net

A trembling voice, widening pupils and nostrils, and rough breathing. It was an abnormal symptom of excitement. I don’t know what he saw there to show such psychotic symptoms, but my determination was getting stronger.

“I think I have a lot to hear from you.”

The determination to capture him and interrogate him.

“I’m looking forward to what other secrets will come out of that mouth.”

***

The start of the battle was, as always, a gunshot.

The top of the building and the floor. The almost vertical direction and the large height difference were major obstacles in shooting, but I trusted the M2 Maximum.

A three-point shot aimed at the forehead, the Adam’s apple, and the solar plexus. The specs that surpassed the limits of a pistol always acted as a dagger that pierced the opponent’s carelessness. If even one shot went through, I could lead the battle to my advantage.

Of course, a big shot like an underboss is strong even if he’s careless. The bullet couldn’t get past the fence of the rooftop where Taser was standing and bounced off.

‘A shield? No, did he engrave a magic barrier?’

I couldn’t feel any flow of mana from Taser himself. It seemed that his appearance on the rooftop was not just for show.

‘I need to check.’

The Guardian Hawk, which had been flying in the sky, responded to my will and descended. Sharp claws and beak, and the mass that plunged from the high sky are simple but threatening attacks in themselves. But this time, even though it went to the back instead of the front, the Guardian Hawk couldn’t get close to him.

Just like the bullet, it hit a wall in the empty air above the fence. With that, I was certain of the method Taser had used to block my attack.

‘He’s plastered all sorts of defensive magic on the rooftop.’

I thought he was strangely relaxed, but I didn’t know he had prepared a fortress. That rooftop was the last bastion he had prepared in case of an emergency.

“It looks quite cozy. Are you waiting for external support?”

Time is not on my side. Why did I dare to attack today? To reduce the time the underboss had to prepare for battle by even a single second. That preparation includes the mobilization of manpower. Hatig’s speed of climbing the building was already getting slower. If more manpower were to be added here, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the tide of battle to turn.

“That’s not all.”

Taser said, twisting and pulling out a silver ring from his middle finger.

“A mage who has secured a stable fortress, his own base, can do many things.”

He flicked his thumb and dropped the ring. It wasn’t a throw. He literally dropped the ring in the empty air.

Surprisingly, the ring disintegrated into dust in the empty air and scattered. At the same time, I felt a change of a strange nature. The remains of the broken ring were converted into mana. Then, I felt the mana fluttering in the empty air form a single stem.

The mana poured down to the ground and soon turned into a single magic.

A rippling earth.

“……!”

As if a giant earth dragon were advancing underground, the ground overturned and surged like a wave. I pulled out a whip stem and blocked it. The stem swayed and tilted towards me, and the earth and sand flowed over it and over my head.

“An interesting trick. Then how about this?”

He took out two gold rings from his index finger and flicked them into the air again. This time too, the rings disintegrated into dust and turned into mana. Was it the difference between gold and silver? The speed was faster than before.

A water bomb. A swamp of freezing. As the water poured down, the earth and sand became sticky, and ice flowers spread over it. I quickly cut the stem and dodged as the procession of ice flowers spread along the whip stem to my body.

“A quick response. Not bad.”

The guy who had been so easily excited during the conversation was now relaxed, as if enjoying an interesting game, as he engaged in battle. It was a display of confidence that he did not doubt his own victory. And in the aspect of this short exchange, I saw the basis of his confidence.

“A rather unique spell.”

“Did you notice? It must have been a difficult problem to solve, but I’ll at least listen to the solution.”

I replayed his actions. Taking out the ring and flicking it. That action itself probably had no meaning. It was probably just for show.

Rather, the ring disintegrating and turning into mana, the secret of his ability was hidden in that process.

“It must be the ability to convert valuables into mana as a catalyst. The amount of mana converted would be determined by the value of the valuables.”

“Correct. You have a good eye.”

Taser clapped his hands. A mage who uses valuables as a catalyst. Magic is a monster that eats up an enormous budget just by learning and researching it normally. On top of that, if he had made a spell that was premised on the consumption of valuables his specialty, it was an ability that literally required a splurge of money.

The big shot of the smuggling market and the president of a sound company. The reason he had expanded his business in both the underworld and the open world must have been related to his own ability.

“But just because you know my ability doesn’t mean anything will change.”

A ring with a jewel was flicked into the air. Its value was, of course, higher than gold or silver. The amount of mana being concentrated was enormous, as if the previous exchanges had been just a reconnaissance.

A huge blade of wind fell on me like a guillotine. It was a tremendous power that pierced through all three layers of defense: the whip stem, the lignification, and the guardian totem. I gave up on defending and twisted my body like an acrobat, kicking the ground to escape the rain of blades.

After avoiding the rain of blades, there was a pillar of fire. A pillar of fire as hot as lava erupting from a volcano soared high into the sky.

As I dodged into the empty air, this time the wind swirled. It was a storm wrapped in flames. In the empty air, even I couldn’t dodge. I felt my body being sucked into the storm.

“Die.”

With this much heat, just being grazed would turn me into a well-cooked piece of meat. Magic that didn’t discriminate between elements and an efficient linkage. Judging from his crooked smile, it was no mistake that this series of developments was all according to his calculations.

This was the battle of a mage who had reached a certain level. As he had said, a mage who has secured his own safety can have an overwhelming advantage in the battle of wits.

Just before the storm of flames swallowed me. I felt a grip on my forearm.

It was the Guardian Hawk, which had descended just in time. The Guardian Hawk’s strength is not just in its wide vision that overlooks the whole. Its flying ability, which comes from its sturdy and huge two wings, is not inferior to that.

The Guardian Hawk gracefully escaped the chaotic storm as if a fish were cutting through the water. It soared. The Guardian Hawk, which had flown up almost vertically, stopped flapping its wings for a moment.

By now, Taser was in front of me. Even though he had allowed me to approach, he had a calm expression. He seemed confident that I couldn’t harm him, regardless of the distance.

When I saw the defensive magic spread on the rooftop up close, I thought it was understandable. The light of the mana was so dense that it could be seen with the naked eye. Five thick layers of magic barriers. It was truly an iron barrier. A fortress built so paranoiacally that it wouldn’t be afraid of even the military’s firepower projection.

I aimed my gun at Taser. He was leisurely fiddling with the ring on his finger. The number of remaining rings was still over a dozen. Including the piercings and earrings, he still had enough ammunition left.

He was probably planning to block my last desperate struggle and then deliver the final blow this time. He would find out if things would go as he thought when he experienced it himself.

The bullet hit the barrier. Fragments flew. It was a fragment of mana that shattered and scattered like glass.