Chapter 21: The Debt Comes Due
"Another failure."
It truly was difficult.
Even while sitting quietly in the corner of his room and concentrating with all his might, this was the result.
Using it freely in a real battle, with blades flashing back and forth around him?
That was nearly impossible.
'Haa... It seems overturning the situation through strength alone is out of the question.'
Elliott briefly considered bluffing as he had at the Hundred Herbs Apothecary.
However, the circumstances were different.
Arum had known nothing about Elliott's true identity, so he had fallen for the act. The members of the Black Serpent Syndicate, on the other hand, knew every miserable detail of Elliott's life.
If he suddenly pretended to be a hidden expert, he would be fortunate if they merely laughed and wondered whether he had finally gone mad.
'I can't see a good solution.'
In the end, there was only one answer.
He had to face them directly.
He would have no choice but to adapt to the situation as it unfolded.
"Stop thinking about useless things. For now, I need to improve this as much as possible."
Elliott cleared his mind and focused on his fingertip once more.
Condense.
Failure.
Condense again.
Failure.
[Proficiency increased!]
[Proficiency increased!]
After he had repeatedly swept his hand through the air, a faint haze finally appeared above his index finger.
It was only about an inch long.
The blade was barely larger than the tiny knife attached to a grooming tool.
'One success in every five attempts.'
The success rate was roughly twenty percent, and the blade itself was crude beyond description.
Instead of becoming disappointed, Elliott immediately swung his arm while maintaining its form.
Whoosh!
Fortunately, once the Mana Blade took shape, it did not disperse easily even while moving.
The problem was the cost of maintaining it.
'Damn it. My Mana is leaking away.'
Moving while sustaining the blade consumed far more Mana than remaining still.
It was like pouring water into a cracked jar. The energy inside his Mana Core drained away at a terrifying speed.
'Then again, what did I expect at my level?'
Elliott was currently a One-Star Adept, Second Stage.
One-Star, Two-Star, Three-Star, Four-Star, and the Realms beyond them.
He stood at the very bottom of the Adept world, little more than a beginner who had only just stepped onto the path.
'Perhaps I should be grateful that I can produce even an inch.'
Elliott withdrew the energy gathered at his fingertip.
If he forced himself to maintain it any longer, he might collapse from exhaustion at the moment it truly mattered.
Bluish dawn light was already creeping through the gaps around the window.
Elliott sat down with his legs crossed.
"Recovery first."
Before heading to the Black Serpent Syndicate's branch, replenishing his depleted Mana was the most urgent task.
As he felt energy slowly gathering inside his Mana Core, Elliott quietly prepared himself for what was to come.
There were no kings in this land.
Nor did noble blood alone grant anyone the unquestioned right to rule.
Noble Houses existed, but their position was not secured merely by birth.
That did not mean this world was equal.
Far in the distance, the walls of the Inner City rose high enough to pierce the clouds.
Beyond those walls stood the headquarters of the enormous Adept Order that ruled the entire region.
The Obsidian Bastion Order.
They wore no crowns, but they were kings in everything but name.
The reason was simple.
They were the strongest.
The most valuable resources within this vast territory belonged to them.
The richest mana-stone mines, high-ranking secret manuals, and the distribution of powerful cultivation medicines were all held firmly in their grasp.
As for troublesome duties such as maintaining order, collecting taxes, and managing the surrounding districts, those were delegated to subordinate Noble Houses and lesser Adept Orders.
The lands behind the towering walls of the Inner City were a world of their own.
The air was purified through a vast Arcane Array. The roads were carefully maintained, and most importantly, the inhabitants were completely protected from Arcane Beasts and criminals.
Any Noble House or faction that wished to reside there had to offer an enormous monthly tribute.
Those who failed to provide sufficient results were expelled without mercy, and their place was immediately taken by another faction that had been waiting for the opportunity.
It was an absolute hierarchy built upon strength, wealth, and usefulness.
Elliott shifted his gaze.
Beyond the Inner City stood the Outer City.
This was where the subordinate forces of those subordinate factions lived, along with those who had failed to earn even that level of recognition.
Of course, even they lived better than Elliott.
Once a person passed beyond those streets and began avoiding the thick puddles of mud underfoot, a familiar and revolting smell soon entered the nose.
The stench of rotten food mixed with human waste.
That meant one had reached the slums.
The place where Elliott lived.
Elliott quickened his pace.
The deeper he entered the central districts of the Outer City, the more the revolting stench faded.
The surroundings changed just as clearly.
The commercial district stood farther inside, beyond the Outer City gates.
As expected of a place where great sums of money changed hands, security was strict. The tall buildings lining both sides of the street were clean and impressive.
Beside the glittering commercial district, an enormous pleasure quarter clung to it like a parasite.
The Black Serpent Syndicate's Seventh Branch had established itself directly at the entrance to that district.
Elliott stopped before the building.
[Black Serpent Syndicate]
It was a rough stone structure that resembled a warehouse.
However, the grim-faced enforcers guarding the entrance made the building's true nature obvious.
Elliott paused to straighten his clothes.
After taking one deep breath, he pushed open the heavy iron door.
Creeak.
The instant it opened, a wave of heat struck his face.
A gambling den filled with madness stretched before him, completely different from the silence outside.
"Bet! Put everything down!"
"No! My mana stones!"
Men shouted until the veins in their necks bulged.
Through the pale smoke, the clattering of mana stones and gambling tiles rang loudly throughout the hall.
At that moment, a woman emerged from the thick haze and approached Elliott.
"Welcome, sir. I don't believe I've seen you here before."
She appeared to be an attendant.
Her clothing was unusually revealing. Thin pieces of silk barely covered the essential parts of her body, leaving more exposed than concealed.
She gave Elliott a seductive smile and lightly brushed against his arm.
It was merely part of her work.
Her purpose was to cloud the judgment of wealthy fools and lure them toward the gambling tables.
"The tables are lively today. Would you care to play a round? Or perhaps... you're looking for something else?"
A heavy fragrance entered Elliott's nose, but his expression remained dry.
"I came to repay a debt."
The seductive smile vanished from the woman's face at once.
To her, Elliott was no longer a customer who might scatter mana stones across the tables.
He was merely a debtor from whom the Syndicate intended to collect money.
She had decided he possessed no value worth charming.
"Oh. A debtor?"
With a bored expression, she adjusted her clothing and gestured toward the stairs with her chin.
"The branch leader is in the room at the back of the second floor. Go up on your own."
Without another glance, she turned away.
The moment she spotted another man who appeared to carry a heavy purse, her expression changed completely, and she vanished into the crowd with a bright smile.
The logic of profit ruled everything here.
They would expose their bodies and sell smiles to those who brought money, but mercilessly ignore anyone who did not.
That was the nature of the pleasure quarter.
Elliott paid no attention to the dismissal and walked toward the stairs.
At the end of the second-floor corridor stood the branch leader's office.
A guard stationed before the entrance blocked Elliott's path with a massive arm.
"Wait."
Keeping his arms crossed, the guard examined Elliott's shabby appearance from head to toe.
"This is not a place anyone can enter. What business do you have here?"
"I came to repay my debt."
"Your debt?"
Before the guard could say anything more, a shadow leaning against the corridor wall straightened.
"Let him through."
The man wore black combat robes, and a serpent tattoo coiled around his forearm.
It was Acke, the enforcer who had taken Elliott's pouch at the Hundred Herbs Apothecary before being forced to withdraw.
The guard looked confused, but he slowly stepped aside at his superior's command.
"Ah... Understood."
The way opened.
Elliott glanced toward Acke.
He lowered his head slightly, less an expression of gratitude than a simple greeting.
Acke silently returned the nod.
Creeak.
Elliott pushed open the heavy door.
The strong scent of incense immediately entered his nose.
The room beyond was dimly lit.
At its center stood a broad chair covered in tiger hide.
Zelian, leader of the Black Serpent Syndicate's Seventh Branch, sat upon it at an angle.
As though he had been expecting Elliott's arrival, the corners of his mouth curled into a thin smile.
"Oh. You came."