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A magician’s hands are one of the most critical parts of their body.

After all, all magic ultimately flows from the fingertips.

Staves and similar tools are merely amplifiers.

In the end, a magician’s skill depends on how well they can control their hands.

— At least, that’s what Evan believes.

And in Evan’s eyes, Ian’s mana control is…

“Within the top ten at the very least.”

The only reason his destructive power doesn’t surpass the Bloodstone Cultists is due to a lack of refinement.

But the potential of this child—it’s truly astounding.

When was the last time Evan had been pushed to this extent, even resorting to using [Shadow Clone]?

That was the reason.

— Crunch!

It was why Evan crushed Ian’s hand.

Watching with mere interest wasn’t enough—there was a sense of genuine threat.

Especially after that final attack.

That’s why Evan had to utilize [Shadow Clone], even if it cost him half of his strength.

“You’re truly fascinating.”

A shattered hand.

Ian, staring up at Evan without even a flinch, seemed incredibly intriguing to him.

Pure awe.

It had been a long time since Evan had encountered anyone who could maintain such composure, even after their hand was utterly destroyed.

A broken hand usually means a diminished ability to use magic in the future.

Thus, it’s one of two possibilities.

The person knows a way to restore their hand.

Or they’re simply insane.

And regardless of which of the two it was…

‘…You’re remarkably like a true member of the Bloodstone Cult.’

Only now did Evan understand.

Ian. Ian Blackangers.

Why the higher-ups were so fixated on this boy.

His talent, his personality—everything about him…

He was perfect for the Bloodstone Cult.

No, if nurtured correctly, he might even rise to the highest position someday.

That impression, fleeting and fragmented, struck Evan without reason.

“They must have seen something even deeper in you.”

“…”

Ian remained silent, glaring at Evan.

Evan smiled faintly at his rebellious gaze.

‘Come to think of it, there was a request to kill this one, wasn’t there?’

A request received simultaneously by the Bloodstone Cult executives.

The client was an academy student, no less.

The request was immense, from the reward to the accompanying items—nothing was lacking.

While most declined, one assassin took it up.

Well, that foolish woman ended up shattered into pieces by the Blood Witch.

‘Foolish.’

Blinded by immediate gain, she failed to see the bigger picture.

To the higher-ups, the academy was essentially a facility for nurturing the Bloodstone Cult’s future “saplings”.

Of course, there were times when such individuals had to be used as elixirs, but…

Ian was different.

Thus, Evan had no intention of killing Ian.

He may have inadvertently gone all out, but…

‘Crushing his hand should be forgivable.’

If not, he could always offer up another sapling as a sacrifice to restore him.

“Don’t worry about your hand. Stay still, and I’ll restore it for you.”

“What an honor.”

“Heh. Yes, you should consider it an honor.”

Evan stretched, cracking his neck a couple of times.

It had been quite a while since he’d sustained damage—both physically and magically.

His condition was probably below fifty percent now.

‘Well, turning those into elixirs will solve that.’

Evan shifted his gaze toward the magic circle.

A multitude of sacrifices.

The ingredients for the elixir are all for the Cult Leader.

Even the remnants from brewing the elixir would easily heal this level of injury.

Although the collapse of the magic circle is infuriating, it can be easily restored.

“Since I’ve gained an unexpected reward, I’ll let it slide.”

Now, should I knock him out and finish the job?

“Hmm.”

Evan let out a short sigh and struck the back of Ian’s head.

— Crack!

However, the sensation was off.

“…What? Cough!”

Black smoke billowed from where Ian’s head had been.

◆

As the confrontation between Ian and Evan was concluding, the remaining team members cautiously approached Ian after scaling the wall.

— Boom!

To them, the duel was instantaneous.

In less than a minute, countless unseen moves were exchanged.

Utilizing Silvia’s light-based illusion magic and Elena’s divine protection to conceal their mana traces, they managed to approach undetected.

— Crunch!

Even when Ian’s hand was crushed, they couldn’t react.

‘Oh… no!’

‘Everyone, stay hidden. Rushing out now won’t change anything. Our top priority is Ian’s life.’

Swallowing their belated gasps, they edged closer to the imperiled Ian.

This was possible due to Silvia’s cold judgment and leadership.

In truth, Silvia’s mental state was in turmoil.

The one person she had opened her heart to—

Ian was being thoroughly destroyed.

‘…No. I must stay focused.’

But Silvia held onto her composure and continued to think.

How to rescue the captured Ian.

Then, she recalled a fruit Ian had given her in the sewers.

– This is called a ‘black pepper fruit’. When burst, it releases a pungent black smoke. Think of it like pepper spray. If ignited, it causes a small explosion, making it great for creating distractions. Each of you should carry one. Р

Silvia grabbed Lina and explained her plan.

— …We’ll seize the moment when he tries to finish Ian. That’s our only chance to save him.

As Evan moved to knock Ian unconscious—

— Whoosh!

Silvia hurled the black pepper fruit with all her might.

Lina’s ensuing spell detonated it right before Evan’s eyes.

“…Damn! What is this?!”

While he was disoriented, Elena charged in.

“Haaah! Take this!”

She grabbed Ian and tossed him toward Silvia and Lina.

— Thud!

Silvia and Lina caught Ian.

Staggering, they managed to lay him on the ground.

Ian blinked and murmured.

“Thank you, everyone.”

“Of course!”

“Yes! Save the thanks for later; we need to act now…!”

Silvia stopped mid-sentence.

Ian’s mangled hands.

He couldn’t possibly use magic.

After twitching his arms a few times, Ian gave an awkward smile.

“Silvia, could you stop the bleeding?”

“…Y-Yes.”

Gritting her teeth, Silvia wrapped cloth around his hands.

The red droplets that had been dripping ceased.

Silvia couldn’t fathom how Ian was feeling.

◆

My hands, utterly destroyed.

“Hah.”

A sigh escaped involuntarily.

It wasn’t despair over my ruined hands.

Rather…

‘How do I defeat that monster?’

It felt like confronting an insurmountable wall.

It had been a while since I’d felt this way.

The problem was simple.

The hands, the sole outlet for mana.

With them destroyed, I couldn’t channel any mana.

“…Damn.”

As a last resort, I can channel mana through my wrists, but it’s meaningless. There’s no precision or control—just an uncontrollable flood, like water gushing out of an open faucet.

The best I can manage is reinforcing my body through internal mana circuits. But without hands, I have no way to wield any usable weapons.

Right now, I’m nothing more than cannon fodder.

‘I’m a liability to the team.’

Having made my judgment, I stepped back, observing the situation carefully.

Fortunately, Evan was still disoriented. He blinked repeatedly, sneezing uncontrollably.

I had a good guess about what had happened.

‘He got hit directly by the black pepper fruit.’

The fruit’s effects are potent. Even someone like a Bloodstone Cult executive can’t avoid being debuffed for a while if directly hit.

That’s likely why Elena was barely managing to hold off his [Shadow Bombardment] attacks.

But it’s only temporary.

The pepper’s effect is merely a debuff, and Evan isn’t someone who’d be seriously threatened by something as trivial as pepper.

Instead, I focused on the weakness I noticed during our fight.

“Silvia! Absorb all light coming from normal light sources!”

“…Light?”

“Yes! Get rid of all steady light! Lina, create a fireball—make it as unsteady and flickering as possible!”

“Got it!”

The atmosphere in the underground chamber shifted in an instant.

Every shadow began to ripple and waver as if alive.

Evan immediately reacted.

“…You damned brat!”

As expected.

I had noticed during our earlier fight that his power diminished slightly in areas where shadows were faint and unstable.

With Lina’s flickering flames turning the room crimson and random light sources creating chaotic shadows, Evan’s strength was noticeably weakened.

— Boom!

Elena, who had been barely holding on, started to regain ground and fight evenly.

It was proof the plan was working.

The problem was…

‘We don’t have a finishing blow.’

We needed a skill or attack strong enough to take him down, but nothing suitable was available.

Meanwhile, Evan continued to slowly complete his magic circle.

We had to disrupt the circle by striking his main body.

‘If only I could use magic.’

Or if Danya were here… No. I shook my head, clearing away useless thoughts.

At that moment—

“Nyah!”

A cat that had been lying on Evan’s magic circle suddenly leapt into the air.

A cat covered in cheese-colored fur.

“…Danya?”

The cat, leaping high into the air, unleashed a cascade of various fruits aimed directly at Evan.

Fruits with effects ranging from ignition, explosion, and slicing, to paralysis.

Recognizing the opportunity, I shouted instinctively.

“Lina! Detonate them!”

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