The young hacker girl returned from the StarNet, ending her consciousness projection, and shook her head in confusion.
"I can't hack into the backend, boss. There's no arcane defense system here that I can access. There are only some unidentifiable independent magical effects that are completely incompatible with the conventional paradigm."
“I said before, this is classical magic.”
The one who responded was a young arcanist wearing a gray business suit.
"This is a protective barrier commonly found in classical magic. It involves using rituals to conceptually separate an area from its surroundings, and then adding another layer of protection within that area to prevent enemies from intruding. It's really classical, but also outdated. Leave it to me, boss, I'll handle it."
The half-elf with slightly pointed ears stroked his chin as if displaying extraordinary wisdom, a fierce smile playing on his lips.
Then the leader of the group of four spoke up:
"I've said it many times, don't call me 'boss,' call me 'captain.'"
He was an old man, at least sixty years old, an age where one could clearly feel old age approaching, yet no one dared to disrespect him. His expression as he looked at the target house was solemn and dignified, standing tall clad in heavy armor.
The heavy iron armor and the long katana—even on horseback alone, he was enough to kill the other three. The oppressive aura he exuded powerfully proclaimed this fact.
"You can't hack into it from the backend, but you can use brute force to destroy it, right?"
The old warrior, clad in armor, asked.
Both the hacker girl and the half-elf arcanist nodded in agreement.
Why is classical magic considered a thankless task? Because it cannot compete with the efficiency of modern arcane magic. Modern arcane magic can produce or utilize far more objective energy than classical magic, and its efficiency in changing the world is far greater. Even if you painstakingly create a defensive barrier using classical magic, the outside can simply unleash a flood of magic power and efficiency to overload and paralyze it; there's no need to even think about breaking it.
So the old samurai gestured to the last man in the group of four. It was a man in black carrying a bolt-action rifle. His clothes were black, his hat was black, even his face was covered by a black mask, and the cold sniper rifle in his hand was, of course, black as well.
Firearms are a rare sight in New Seattle. This is because the company that runs New Seattle is the Mitra Information Group. Rather than selling guns, they prefer consumers to download various magical items directly to their phones from the internet. So even street thugs in this city can fire magic arrows from their phones. They're highly accurate and quite portable; given this, who needs something as cumbersome as a gun?
However, firearms also have their advantages.
“We all know that this employer has been very generous lately.”
The armored old warrior looked around, then at his teammates.
"So I've saved enough for retirement. After I collect my next commission, I'll leave and go back to my hometown for a quiet life. This should be the last time we all work together. Focus and don't mess things up."
The hacker girl immediately retorted, "Boss, you'll die if you just make up a flag like that."
The old warrior ignored her.
"Everyone take your place."
He gave the order.
The sniper in black moved silently, climbing onto the roof of an abandoned restaurant across the street and setting up his gun.
The hacker girl tapped lightly on the 3D screen projected on her phone. The program started running, and her figure instantly disappeared into the shadows, also sending noise signals to the bungalow and the surrounding astral network, suppressing astral communications.
"Prepare to attack."
The old warrior said,
"Don't kill anyone, use non-lethal attacks. We're not here to do the dirty work, we just need to retrieve the stolen data."
He walked toward the bungalow with the half-elf arcanist.
No sooner said than done. Just as the two of them approached the house, something incredible happened.
In the shadows before the morning light reached them, the old bungalow seemed to suddenly darken, to grow larger, to straighten itself. The immense darkness, like an ancient and bizarre stone sculpture, stood menacingly atop the mountain, looking down upon the tiny intruders and radiating an indescribable sense of terror upon them.
Even though she was hiding far away in the shadows, the hacker girl still let out a frightened scream.
But neither the old warrior nor the half-elf arcanist who stepped forward showed any fear. The former looked at the latter, waiting for an explanation from the expert.
"This should be a fear spell. Didn't I just mention the concept of dividing areas? This classical mage added a concept that would make people afraid to his own divided barrier, which is why we felt a magical fear when we invaded."
The half-elf arcanist only had a superficial understanding of ancient magic, but he still explained it with an air of confidence.
"No problem. This barrier is ingeniously designed and consumes very little magic. It's certainly clever, but also rather useless. We just need to use more magic to break it down."
As he finished speaking, he pointed to the barrier surrounding the bungalow and activated a spell: "[Higher Dispel Magic]!"
A torrent of colorless magic surged from the half-elf's hand, crashing against the barrier. The barrier struggled to hold on for a second, two seconds, three seconds, before collapsing helplessly like an earthen wall washed away by a flood.
The armored old warrior drew his katana and slashed at the door from a distance. With a deafening crash, the front door of the bungalow shattered in mid-air. The half-elf arcane mage followed immediately, casting a spell into the shattered doorway: "[Stinky Cloud]!"
The bungalow was immediately filled with thick, nauseating green smoke.
They'd been working together for a long time, and this break-in procedure had become routine. Next, if the people inside were driven out by the stench, they would, of course, be met with a fierce attack; if they withstood the stench and remained inside, that was fine too. The old samurai, protected by his combat armor, wasn't afraid of the stench cloud and could easily go in and capture them.
That's why what happened next was so strange.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the bungalow. All the foul-smelling fog was swept away and blown out in an instant.
Moreover, another figure appeared in the vortex of wind, blocking them from the split door, as if it had come with the wind in response to the invasion.
She was a strange and beautiful woman, dressed in a traditional black and white maid outfit, her long, silver-white hair braided with two gear-shaped hair ornaments. Her face was so exquisite and dignified, without a single flaw, that she looked like a doll crafted by a master artist. Even if you told people her hair was silver, her eyes emerald, and her skin porcelain, they would believe you.
The only problem is that no one saw how she appeared, not even the sniper on the roof of the abandoned restaurant across the street who had been watching them.
Teleportation magic? Nonsense, that's incredibly expensive.
So the sniper pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The thunderous roar immediately shook the streets in the early morning.
Sparks flew from the muzzle of the black sniper rifle as the projectile shot forward, faster than the gunshot. Although the projectile was faster, the maid across the scope still noticed the attack. She suddenly looked up, her gaze meeting the sniper's through the scope.
The next instant, the Cold Iron Demon-Slaying Bullet tore through the vortex of wind surrounding the silver-haired maid. The magic bullet, imbued with a [General Immobilization] spell, struck the maid squarely in the chest!
Firearms have the greatest advantage of penetrating protective magic more easily than ordinary pure magic attacks. They use cold iron to forge magic-piercing bullets that break through enemy protective magic. Magic bullets imbued with attack spells only trigger after the bullet penetrates the protection. This ensures that the spell takes effect and is not blocked by shields.
Furthermore, since the magic is pre-infused into the magic bullets, it doesn't require the caster to expend energy during combat like in typical magic battles. In other words, as long as the gunslinger has enough money and enough magazines, theoretically, every shot can unleash maximum firepower. As for whether carrying too many expensive magazines will cause other problems, that's a matter for the gunslinger to consider.
For magic gunners, firearms and magic bullets are modern alternatives to wands. In other words, they are expensive tools for launching powerful spells in long-range combat.
The magic bullet fired from the large-caliber sniper rifle can be infused with a large amount of magic power. The spell sealed in this magic bullet is an enhanced [General Immobilization] spell. Although it does not have lethal power, it can be effective against most creatures as long as it penetrates their defenses.
The maid, having been struck squarely, must be unable to move.
That's why the expressions of the four people froze when the smoke and dust from the explosion dissipated.
Is this something like fireworks?
Angela, standing still, patted the spot on her chest where the magic bullet had hit her. Not a speck of dust had touched her; she was neither injured nor immobilized.
"Since you all don't seem to be guests, yet you want to disturb the master's sleep cycle, I've automatically decided to enter battle mode."
The voice was like a bird's chirp, but the tone was indifferent. Her jade-like eyes flickered slightly, like those of an ordinary woman troubled by someone in trouble.
"Since I cannot determine whether you are enemies, I will try my best to control the output so as not to kill you."
She carried no weapons, yet she appeared to hold the power of life and death over everyone present.
"...This is a golem!?"
So the half-elves, who had received proper arcane education, finally realized what was happening.
"This is a golem coated with white anti-magic Orichalcos! Holy crap! How much did this thing cost!?"
It probably cost the old samurai about the amount of money he had saved for his retirement.
"Since they're not alive, there's no need to hold back. Switch to lethal attacks!"
So, at the old samurai's command, he leaped into the air, seizing the maid's position, and swung his katana as she looked up. This was a weapon far more primitive than a gun, a simple slash, yet possessing the power to cleave steel and sever iron. The maid, who hadn't flinched when shot at by a sniper rifle, now dodged to the side. The armored samurai's surprise attack missed, but the force of the slash created a massive crater in the concrete beneath the maid's feet—a feat no ordinary person could accomplish.
Through the magic-powered exoskeleton armor he wore, he had gained extraordinary power. The maid dodged to the side, but the old samurai closed in again, brandishing his katana and unleashing a series of swift, sweeping slashes.
The maid moved with feather-light steps, dodging the first attack and then blocking the second. She was ready when the old samurai attacked again. This time, with astonishing speed, the maid reached out and grabbed the old samurai's arms that were holding his sword.
"Please let me break your arms."
She spoke terrifying words and began to exert force. The old samurai's power armor arms immediately began to crackle and spark. Of course, the old samurai immediately tried to break free, but to no avail. This maid didn't understand combat techniques, but in a simple contest of brute force, it was obvious that the one exerting more force would win.
Upon seeing this, the sniper in black immediately sprang into action. He pulled back the bolt, and the massive cartridge case ejected with a metallic clang, quickly loading a second magic bullet with physical destructive effects.
Meanwhile, the hacker girl and the half-elf arcanist certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch their captain's arm be crushed. Since sniping was useless, and the opponent was an anti-magic golem, they'd have to try something else. They were familiar with combat enough to switch tactics immediately.
"It's just a golem; it must be controlled by a spellcaster! I'll go catch the mage first!"
The half-elf arcane mage has already cast the spell.
"【accelerate】!"
Taking advantage of the stalemate between the maid golem and the old warrior, the half-elf instantly accelerated, leaping into the cleaved doorway. The maid golem, of course, wouldn't allow this, but the mercenary squad's coordination was remarkably smooth. Seeing this, the old warrior instead engaged the maid golem, preventing her from intercepting the half-elf.
The hacker girl frantically tapped on her phone screen, only to discover that the strange golem had no Wi-Fi capability whatsoever. Unless she ran over with a cable and plugged it directly into the maid golem, she couldn't hack it. So she switched apps, repeatedly tapping the arcane app on her phone, unleashing a barrage of disruptive spells like webs and flashes of light at the maid golem.
In contrast, the half-elf arcanist's situation seemed to be going a little better. With the speed boost from the spell, he rushed into the house, found the bedroom, and saw a person wearing only underwear lying sprawled on the bed, fast asleep.
This opportunity couldn't be better. As long as the golem's master is controlled and forced to stop the golem, the battle can be declared over.
So the half-elf raised his hand, aimed at the mage on the bed, and cast a spell: "[Iron Binding]!"
The arcane spark flickered at his fingertips and then went out.
The person in bed wasn't doing anything. He was just snoring.
So the half-elf arcanist stood frozen for a second before reacting. He looked up and saw a huge magic circle on the bedroom ceiling. The outermost ring was a circle, with a cross dividing the center. "alpha" was written on the east side and "omega" on the west side. Inside the circle were a bunch of tiny characters, all hand-carved onto the ceiling.
If Hayden were awake, he might have told him that these were the names of seventy-two ancient deities he had found in ancient mythological texts. Names have power. Some ancient people believed that knowing a name, using a name, was to exert its power.
Ancient magicians often drew circles on the ground to create a magical environment. The inner and outer circles symbolized a conceptual separation, ensuring that external forces would not affect the inner world. When the names of gods were inscribed within the circles, they signified that the circles became a barrier separating the mortal world (outside) from the sacred realm (inside).
The interior of the ring is an inviolable sacred place.
This is the true space separated by the barrier. Those who dare to trespass will surely suffer divine punishment.
Even so, it's not a big problem.
"【Advanced Dispel Magic—】"
The half-elf raised his hand, ready to repeat his old trick. No matter how sophisticated the ancient magic was, it could be easily destroyed by the powerful magic of modern arcane arts. This was one of the main reasons why modern arcane arts had rendered ancient magic obsolete.
—That's a good idea, really. But since we made a mistake when we first started, it's too late to do it now.
A mist suddenly billowed from the magic circle on the ceiling. The half-elf's incantation was interrupted as his mouth filled with ash and sand. Before he could spit out the bitter dust, he felt an unbearable itch on every inch of his skin, as blisters sprouted all over his body, and he felt as if maggots were crawling and gnawing beneath his flesh. A violent headache threatened to split his head apart. Blood spots appeared in the whites of his eyes, which darted around wildly.
curse
This was the last word that flashed through the half-elf's mind before he fell unconscious.
After that, all was silent, except for his soul screaming in the void.
014: Public opinion is a fearsome thing.
"I'm very sorry, Master. Due to the emergency, I automatically entered combat mode. Since I couldn't determine whether the opponent was an enemy, I controlled my output to ensure they wouldn't die."
After the battle, Angela bowed her head and apologized to Hayden.
"But I never expected that this would lead to my owner being attacked. This was a huge mistake on my part."
Hayden shook his head upon hearing this: "I'm not made of clay, do you think I'll break at the slightest touch? I've always protected myself before, why should I apologize for something like this?"
"Besides,"
As he said this, he turned to look at the three intruders who were lying on the living room floor, beaten and curled up in a heap.
"Isn't your record pretty good?"
Three minutes earlier, when Hayden was finally woken up in bed by Angela, he opened his eyes to see a half-elf lying unconscious by the bedroom door, his whole body covered in blisters and swollen like a pig's head.
Hayden immediately realized that this person was an intruder who had triggered the magic circle he had previously set up, trespassing into the "holy land" and thus suffering the curse of "divine punishment." With Angela then running in apologetically to report the situation, he naturally understood what had happened.
Even Hayden was surprised that Angela managed to subdue all the intruders in just one minute all by herself.
Angela crushed the old warrior's power armor arm, and he also twisted and broke his own arm.
The sniper in black didn't carry military-grade anti-golem armor-piercing rounds—even mercenaries wouldn't carry such ammunition because it's illegal and too expensive—so when he saw the old warrior's bones broken by Angela, the sniper wisely turned and ran.
As a result, Angela chased after him like the wind and slapped him unconscious.
In the end, only the terrified hacker girl was left trying to escape. However, Angela's military-grade golem sensor could hear even a pin drop on the carpet in the next room.
So now, the old warrior with broken bones, the sniper who was knocked unconscious, and the hacker girl whose phone was confiscated and who was tied up are all piled up in the living room by Angela, waiting for Hayden to deal with them.
In all things considered, the half-elf arcanist, whose head was swollen like a pig's head by divine punishment, might be in an even worse state than them.
To prevent the half-elves from actually being killed by the curse, Hayden first used magic to restrain them all before lifting the curse, and then began the interrogation: "Who sent you?"
The old samurai sat cross-legged on the ground without uttering a sound, closing his eyes and awaiting death.
The sniper gave a cold laugh and refused to answer.