The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 142

Ren showed no reaction after hearing that, but deep down, he was shocked that Zavi had actually killed Karl, even though Karl had later come back to life.

'As for the promotion, I don't think I'm surprised. But Zavi... does that kid even know what a Receivers is?'

Ren suspected that Karl had visited his younger brother on the day he was unconscious, and he had no idea what they had talked about, eventually leading to the day Zavi was hunted.

Zavi Actitus was reported missing on Sunday, the 28th, at approximately 8:00 in the morning.

His last known location was at the corner of Vica, in a café owned by a man who was exceptionally meticulous when it came to business.

The Devil is Here.

Elmer instructed Hagi and Veranica to go to Hava District and conduct a deeper investigation into the sudden loss of senses suffered by more than ten people, including the deaths of a female pedestrian and a member of the hunter organization known as Eistender, on a road near the marketplace.

Although Maeressa, a Receivers of Sorcerer at the second level, Magician, had not died immediately, the incident caused an uproar among pedestrians, merchants, and everyone else because of the actions of a single man.

Hagi and Veranica were stunned, unsure who could have done such a thing. They initially thought he was a high-level Receivers as well, but further investigation revealed that the man in question, Zavi, had simply lost control of his abilities.

"The Devil is Here" was the true reason why Zavi Actitus had become a wanted man with a bounty of 1,000 Pace on his head.

Bounty hunters, underground groups, and anyone who knew about the poster wanted to claim the reward by hunting down Zavi Actitus. The money would allow them to rest, relax, and live without worrying about finances for ten months.

And then what would remain? The money would inevitably run out, especially since essential goods such as wheat and other commodities would soon become more expensive due to the extreme drought affecting Nature Province, the primary source of wheat and other staples in the Kingdom of Norn.

Ren, completely unaware of all this, or rather, never informed by his three companions, was like a coin sunk into the vast ocean.

As for his position, he knew of another group whose authority stood above "The Devil is Here."

That superior group operated under the local Morotuane Church of Moran, headquartered in Havanuheta, in the city of Kuranda.

With six members, "The Devil is Here" had become one of the most successful groups at gathering information, even capable of hunting Hollows, beings regarded as destroyers of the world.

"Honestly, I'm impressed by how he managed to outsmart your brother..." Elmer continued, resting his left arm along the sofa.

Hagi realized that the "death" being discussed referred to the kidnapping of eleven merchants from the city square, and he couldn't help but ask,

"Are your mother and the other five still safe?"

Hagi straightened his posture.

Ren appeared somewhat indifferent before replying coldly, "I don't know... How are they doing now?"

'Damn this guy... Is he messing with me?'

Hagi's teeth ground together as his cold gaze settled on Ren.

"Come on," Veranica said calmly. "Can the two of you act a little more mature? If not, get out of this room and fight outside!"

Hagi suddenly stood up as if accepting the suggestion and said mockingly, "Come on... What, are you scared to fight me?"

Des...

Ren drew his pistol, and in the blink of an eye it was already in his hand. Calmly, he pulled the trigger.

Bang...

Although the gunshot echoed throughout the room with its open windows, no one outside heard it. The three of them froze in shock and slowly turned around as the bullet returned to the pistol's magazine.

Hagi adjusted the collar of his shirt, swallowing hard while wiping the sweat from his forehead. He knew there was no way he could defeat Ren, even though both of them were first-level Transmitter and Empyrean Crimson Receivers.

To Hagi, even though Empyrean Crimson of the Type Spreader path was a formidable opponent for a Transmitter of the Type Architect path, he still wasn't confident, considering he had nearly died while recruiting Ren nine years ago.

....

Nine years earlier. February 5th, 1534 according to the Star Calendar.

"The Devil is Here" was a formidable group led by a lean and stern man named Valdes Reveira.

The group's daily routine revolved around searching for supernatural things: artifacts, rare spells, demons, holy spirits, devils, and relics, which they exchanged for money in the vast underground black market of Ninesorals. They also took side jobs from individuals or organizations willing to pay for their services, completing those assignments with ease.

"The Devil is Here" was nowhere near as famous as it would become over the next two years within the supernatural world, but that changed gradually yet inevitably after their leader, Valdes Reveira, mysteriously disappeared and was replaced by a man named Hagi.

As the leader of "The Devil is Here," Hagi managed to recruit several members under strict requirements, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to join unless they possessed sufficient funds.

Money was the most important thing for "The Devil is Here" at the time.

It was the only way to revive the group after their leader's disappearance, as several members had left following the news that Valdes Reveira had vanished.

A few months later, still in the same year, in June, Hagi and "The Devil is Here" received a mission to kill an ordinary man—a man who would later become very familiar to him. Elmer Michelle and Karl Vairanz.

No one knew what Elmer Michelle had done to hire them, and Hagi realized the man was older than him when he was eventually recruited into "The Devil is Here" on the recommendation of one of the group's members.

At the time, Hagi sensed nothing strange, nothing supernatural controlling the twenty people who followed him, both men and women. Yet doubts filled his mind as he repeatedly glanced at the two of them amid the silence of a borderland between two provinces, flanked by vast dark valleys on both sides.

But under constant pressure, Hagi accepted the recommendation, and not long afterward, at the end of October, his leadership position was revoked and handed to Karl Vairanz due to Karl's logical thinking and willingness to kill his enemies.

At the time, Hagi felt cornered and wanted to leave, but this was the only legacy Valdes Reveira had entrusted to him. Encouraged by Elmer Michelle, Hagi ultimately accepted his role as leader of Squad Number Two, responsible for investigations before action was taken.

Countless investigations brought in substantial profits and turned them into one of the most feared groups operating from the shadows.

The existence of "The Devil is Here" became increasingly threatened by a conspiracy aimed at destroying the group from within.

Eventually, the conspiracy vanished, allowing "The Devil is Here" to recover and return to its former state.

Until the great supernatural incident seven years earlier. The year 1536 according to the Star Calendar.

"The Devil is Here" was utterly crushed by a blue-eyed teenager with an icy stare who had just completed the ritual to become a Receivers with the assistance of a group of mysterious individuals.

That young man was Ren Actitus. He had been abducted under the false promise of employment, leaving his biological father—who at the time worked at a large factory in Sanerva—in a tragic condition.

Coincidence? There are no coincidences in this world. Every event has a cause and effect that allows it to happen, even if some lesson can be drawn from it afterward.

It wasn't only "The Devil is Here." Secretive organizations such as the Order of The Blazing Dawn also dispatched key members to the location now known as "Nitherblack," near the great river whose source lay in the city of Nedce in southern Nature Province, flowing through numerous cities, forests, and valleys before reaching the city of Semilir in the northeast and emptying into the Kasnia Sea.

Hagi, who at the time was a Receivers of Empyrean Crimson at the first level, Cold Mystic, faced Ren, a Receivers of Transmitter at the first level, Controller.

By all logic, Hagi should have won easily because he had been a Receivers for nearly a year, yet he was helpless against Ren, who had become a Receivers only a few hours earlier.

Using his wooden staff, Hagi's frost was effortlessly shattered by Ren. Although Ren struggled, the combination of his protection from the black smoke and the nearly windless forest that night allowed him to force Hagi to his knees in exactly one minute.

The other members of "The Devil is Here" fought desperately against the Chalog-type curses and the members of the group that had kidnapped Ren, along with those sent by the Order of The Blazing Dawn.

The battle reached its climax. One side gained nothing, overwhelmed by the unity of the Chalog-type Hunter group, leaving blood hanging in the air throughout the forest until morning.

After surviving that nighttime hell, Ren was forced to join The Devil is Here at Karl Vairanz's recommendation after Karl discovered the hidden potential within him.

From that day onward, Ren's life became deadly serious. He had only wanted to find work, yet he ended up like this, unable to return to a normal life.

He remembered warning his younger brother never to become involved with the absurd world of the supernatural. Now Ren had to carry this burden alone, hiding it from three families after receiving news that the only blood relative he had left had died because of him.

That incident shattered Ren's heart. He acted indifferent, but deep inside was a wound that had never healed, even after Ren eventually found happiness.

Ren rose from his seat as black smoke drifted from the pistol before it disappeared.

'What a ridiculous meeting. I should've skipped it.'

"I'm going home, and it seems that man never expected me to be here anyway..."

Ren immediately left the room with a sour, gloomy expression.

The three who remained seated watched him go. Elmer Michelle leaned forward slightly, both hands clenched into fists.

"We'll begin searching for Narissa tonight. Of course, we'll hire a few people to help locate her."

"With what money?" Veranica asked, knowing that "The Devil is Here" had already severed its ties with the Morotuane Church without any official authorization.

Elmer walked to the left toward the hat rack. Taking a wide-brimmed hat, he said coldly,

"We'll do that job again..."

The two of them looked hesitant after hearing that statement, but their doubts soon faded. There was only one goal now: finding their two missing companions.

Far from that room, down the corridor and just beyond the front door of the house, Ren stood motionless with his hand frozen on the doorknob as he thought about his younger brother's condition.

He knew. He was certain that the rumors of Zavi's death were false. His intuition constantly told him that he had to keep searching until he found his younger brother. No matter how far away Zavi might be, even in another realm, Ren swore he would find him and bring him home.

'I'll find you. I don't want you living in the shadows of fear like your foolish older brother...'

With a long sigh, Ren turned the doorknob, stepped outside, and the door closed behind him.