Genius Warlock

The statement that Oliver's help was greatly needed wasn't just a polite greeting.

When Oliver accepted the job, Jonathan explained the primary reason for hiring him – the use of high-quality corpse dolls.

“While looking for personnel, I found out that Dave used high-quality corpse dolls at a dock near the river bank. I apologize for uncovering this information covertly.”

Although this fell within the normal background check range, Jonathan politely apologized to Oliver.

Oliver didn't take offense and remained silent, having initially learned of Jonathan's work through Forrest.

It was this kind of field in the first place.

Anyway, Jonathan said he wanted to use Oliver's corpse dolls for this job, and asked how many corpse dolls were available and what type they were.

Of course, it wasn't a particularly good thing to ask for all the details here, but since Oliver had already received consideration once, he briefly explained only the combat-type corpse dolls.

These included the close-combat specialist corpse doll [Duncan], the corpse doll [Warlock] for both offense and support, the corpse doll [Sniper] in charge of short, medium, and long-range firepower, and a new type of corpse doll currently in production.

Jonathan was slightly taken aback by the fact that the former Pinkman Duncan was being used as a corpse doll, but he pretended not to care.

Thinking about it, it did seem like somewhat rude behavior…

But for now, work came first, so he put aside those trivial matters and asked if Oliver's corpse doll could be mobilized for the operation.

"If you desire additional compensation, we'll do our utmost to accommodate you."

After some consideration, Oliver agreed to it and suggested he would ask for a new corpse if the current one was damaged.

Jonathan, who was able to mobilize Oliver's corpse dolls, explained the basic operation he would carry out based on the information he currently collected, and said that he would call him back when the operation was decided.

“Take this with you.”

Jonathan gave Oliver a communication device that he could insert into his ear.

The device was described as a transmitter and a short-range communication device made by Pinkman for their own use.

After their discussion, Oliver left and planned to meet Jonathan again on the day of the operation a few days later.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

[Did you hear anything about the operation?]

Oliver strode along the barrier outside District Y, his footsteps echoing in the stillness. Near the desolate area, there was hardly a soul in sight, but he didn't want to take any chances. So, he followed Kevin's example and cast soundproofing magic around him to keep their conversation private.

“No, I've decided to hear the details at the safe house.”

[Not a bad choice. Discussing the operation beforehand could lead to an unexpected leak. Often, they explain the specifics just before the job.]

"However, I'm a bit worried if I'll be able to follow along properly."

[Don't fret. Jonathan prefers simple yet efficient operations and doesn't like needless complications. It shouldn't be difficult to keep up with him.]

"Okay, that's good to know."

[Once you give your all, Jonathan will take full responsibility. So, just focus on your task and don't worry. Your skills have already been acknowledged by everyone.]

“Yes, I understand. Thank you for your words.”

[By the way, how did you decide on the reward? While work is important, as a Solver, you should also know how to take care of yourself.]

Forrest asked again about what he would receive from the auction items.

Since he'd split with Jonathan, Oliver had been busy preparing and hadn't given it much thought. He didn't mean to sound uninterested, but he was already satisfied with the book about demons that he would be receiving.

‘Should I ask for money instead? … No, that's a foolish idea. Money can be earned at any time, whereas these items may not always be available.'

If there were more books on demons, he'd gladly ask for them. But he was struggling to decide what else to request.

Then, a brilliant idea struck him.

[Dave?]

“Yes, Mr. Forrest.”

[Oh, that's a relief. I was worried you were ignoring me.]

"I'm sorry. Can we proceed with our earlier discussion?"

[Of course. If you take too long to decide, you might miss out on an opportunity.]

“I lack expertise in this area, but could they provide me with a magic item that fulfills the criteria I will mention? Even something similar would suffice.”

[A magic item, huh… That's not a bad request. What type are you looking for?]

Oliver outlined the conditions for a magic item he thought he needed.

It might not even exist, but to his surprise, Forrest responded with a promise to do his best to find it.

[Interesting. I'll see what I can do. Take care.]

"Yes, thank you."

Finishing their conversation, Oliver arrived at the Pinkman safe house near the barrier outside District Y. The address Jonathan had given him matched exactly.

He knocked on the door, and a pair of brown eyes scrutinized him through the peephole before the door opened, revealing a woman in her thirties whom Oliver had met before.

She was dressed in a shirt, pants, and a bulletproof vest, and armed with a gun, making it all look quite natural. After her guidance, he entered the safe house and saw Jonathan and his team members engrossed in conversation.

"Why are we going through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be easier to go directly to District X? After all, you still have to cross the river at some point."

“District X is also quite distant from normal areas. Even if only a few people charge in, there will be those who attack you. Despite being inconvenient, it's much safer to take the long way back."

“I applied for this job, believing that if I worked with Pinkman, I could accomplish anything. Unfortunately, it's turning out to be a major disappointment.”

"Welcome to the real world. You signed the contract, so get used to it."

“This is a scam.”

Clap. Clap.

The woman who opened the door clapped her hands, grabbing the attention of her colleagues.

"Hey, tough guys. Now that the final guest has arrived, shall we begin our business?"

At that, everyone looked at Oliver.

“Hello. Am I a little late?”

Oliver took out his watch and checked the time, just to be safe.

“No. Our side came first and was preparing.”

It was natural to suspect that there might be ulterior motives among the negotiators in a situation like this, but Jonathan's emotional state suggested otherwise.

"If it's ready…?"

"This one."

The woman with orange eyes, sporting mechanical gloves made of wires, cogs, iron plates, and magic stones, answered his question.

As she spoke, magic flowed from a rectangular machine in the corner, projecting a video in the air.

It was a messy street where most buildings had been demolished, and corpses were hanging in the streets with ominous graffiti scattered everywhere.

It looked like a city that had been ravaged by a disaster.

Oliver instinctively seemed to know where this place was.

“Is this District Y?”

“Yes.”

Jonathan, decked out in combat gear with a knife on each leg, an ax on his waist, and a revolver that looked handmade, approached Oliver.

There was no special mana, but they seemed to be sturdy and reliable.

"As you can see, this is the view of District Y, and the warehouse that hides the stolen auction item is located in the center of the screen."

On the screen, there was a temple without a roof, and around it were several mutants chained with iron and armed men holding giant weapons.

“They will be cursed for hiding stolen goods in the temple.”

"…Hmm, that's true."

“Fortunately, it’s on the outskirts, not too far inside. If we do it right, we can instantly hit and immediately retrieve the item without too much damage.”

“There must be quite a few auction items, is that possible?”

“So I brought something to help. Look here."

At Jonathan's call, the muscular middle-aged man brought out a large magic bag that could easily fit two people.

Unlike a typical magic bag, it was made of thick leather and had three fist-sized gems embedded on the surface.

"What is this…?"

"It's a military magic bag. It's not very efficient, so it's a discarded item, but with this, you can bring back almost any auction item."

Judging from the amount of mana flowing through it, it didn't seem like a lie.

Of course, it didn't seem like something that could be used for a long time, as it would require a tremendous amount of mana to achieve that level of output.

‘Still, as long as it's short… .'

"Take this too."

Jonathan took out a silver-painted bottle with a cross-shaped symbol on it, which seemed to be a Church item.

"It's holy water that neutralizes disease-related black magic. It may not be perfect, but it'll save you from fatal levels."

Oliver looked at the water bottle and thought for a moment.

“Is anything wrong?”

"No nothing, it’s just that I just felt ironic. Ironic that I, a warlock, carry the holy water."

“That's all we can provide from our side. So, did Dave bring the things you promised?”

Oliver pondered for a moment, then nodded in response to Jonathan's question and pulled out a leather case containing his glutton bag – Bigmouth.

The plump Bigmouth seemed to be sleeping, with its eyes closed in various places, but it responded to Oliver's will and opened its eyelids one by one, checking its surroundings like bread dough rising.

“Eh, is this the rumored glutton bag?” muttered the teenager with the eye tattoo.

The fully grown Bigmouth extended its human-like arms and legs and stood up, making a croaking sound like a toad as it looked at Oliver.

“Big Mouth. Please.”

At Oliver's request, Big Mouth looked around once more.

Especially at the Pinkman party, including Jonathan.

"Kruuk…"

After surveying the surroundings, Bigmouth folded and unfolded its body as if nodding its head, and opened the zipper made of teeth.

Then it vomited two corpse dolls.

“Kku-week!”

The first one that came out was the Corpse doll [Sniper]. It had eight arms and various guns and small bombs hanging from his body.

"I… go to war… alone."

“Kku-week!”

The second corpse doll was Oliver's new corpse doll.

It was a flesh mass composed of six legs, six arms, three torsos, and a large barrel. It looked like a cockroach with a cannon attached.

All the Pinkman except for Jonathan were taken aback by the grotesque doll, and hesitantly stepped back.

Jonathan approached Oliver and asked, "Is this the high-powered long-range support corpse doll you mentioned?"

"Yes, it needs someone to move, but its power is definite. It was made by attaching the bodies of the pure magic school’s wizards together. Its firepower is undoubtedly very potent."

(To be Continued)

OR

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