Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 178

Magic is Learned for Nothing – Episode 179

# 179

Let’s Make Some Staffs 2

Friza trembled, but a smile stretched across his lips.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead. He was so pale he looked like he was on his deathbed.

It was a classic case of a forced smile, the kind that doesn’t reach the eyes.

However, this was the best Friza could manage.

He’d only been hit twice by that iron sword.

No one would believe the extent of the damage.

Every bone in his body had been dislocated and then brutally reassembled. Hard to believe, right? He could barely believe it himself, so who would accept such a tale?

But he knew the truth, even if no one else did. One more hit, and his soul might be forcibly evicted from his body.

He was certain.

Even if the ruler of Sea City CM arrived, even if royalty graced him with their presence, they wouldn’t inspire the sheer terror that Don Dedekman, the butcher of death, did.

This man could wipe out everyone in this underground market without a second thought. So, if Friza wanted to survive, his brain screamed at him to cater to Don Dedekman’s every whim.

No further debate was necessary.

It was unconditional surrender.

“Brother.”

That word escaped his lips: Brother.

For Friza, it was the most affectionate and respectful term he could muster. Legion glanced at Friza, who looked like he was about to breathe his last.

He reached out and gripped Friza’s shoulder.

‘Yes, you’re doing well. I acknowledge your… enthusiasm.’ He massaged Friza’s shoulder as if offering comfort.

Crack-

Friza’s shoulder bone audibly snapped.

-What the hell? What are you doing?

Oops, I’m sorry. I still can’t quite control my strength. I didn’t realize a human body was so fragile. I’m losing my mind here.

Friza felt like he was plummeting into the abyss.

He knelt on one knee, trembling uncontrollably. He tried to speak but could only manage a shallow, pained groan.

He couldn’t even scream.

With superhuman willpower, Friza fought to remain conscious. If he uttered a single complaint here, it would all be over.

‘Don Dedekman is testing me right now.’

‘I’ve been navigating this underground market for over 20 years, but I’ve never encountered anyone so utterly ruthless.’

‘I agree. He’s not just cruel but also frighteningly intelligent. If we’re not careful, our entire organization will be annihilated before the night is over.’

Friza’s subordinates were drenched in sweat, paralyzed with fear.

“Are you in pain?”

Legion’s voice was deceptively casual.

His terrifying voice echoed loudly near the entrance to the gladiatorial arena.

Everyone nearby froze in their tracks.

No one dared to breathe normally. The travelers who had come to experience the market silently cursed their misfortune.

No one could bring themselves to move.

It felt as if the armored man would casually swing his iron sword and separate their heads from their bodies if they so much as twitched.

That’s how potent the fear radiating from Legion’s murderous aura and voice was.

“N-No, not at all. Pain? That’s absurd.”

Friza forced a smile, displaying incredible resilience despite his broken collarbone. His smiling face was a mask of misery and desperation.

“Do you know these dwarves?”

Legion gestured towards Bide and Lulu.

Bide and Lulu were also trembling, overwhelmed by the intense murderous aura emanating from Legion. ‘Is this really the same Legion we know?’ They questioned themselves.

Ultimately, he was still the same portly man.

But after donning that armor, his personality seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

‘Just as I suspected, people change drastically when they gain power. He’s lording it over everyone just because he’s gotten a little stronger.’

That’s what Lulu concluded.

If Legion had somehow heard her thoughts, he would have vehemently protested, ‘That’s not true!’ out of sheer frustration.

The truth is…

No one truly knows.

Even Legion himself was clueless about what was happening.

“I know them.”

“From now on, you will support them with all your resources.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“This man is a legendary blacksmith.”

In reality… he wasn’t a legendary blacksmith. He’d simply bestowed a fancy title upon Bide because it sounded impressive.

Bide, basking in the glow of Legion’s title, puffed out his chest.

‘Finally, someone recognizes my true potential.’

“I failed to recognize your talent. Please forgive my oversight.”

Friza endured the agonizing pain of his broken collarbone and forced himself into a deep bow. He felt as if the bone would pierce through his skin with the slightest movement.

“It’s alright. These things happen.”

Bide acted with magnanimous grace.

“From today onward, this man will be gathering materials for crafting items. Assist him in every way possible. Is that feasible?”

“Of course. I will dedicate myself to providing my utmost assistance.”

Legion nodded in satisfaction.

‘Is the staff finally going to become a reality?’

* * *

Legion’s jaw dropped as he surveyed the staggering amount of food spread out before him.

Who was expected to consume all of this?

It looked like enough to feed at least 100 people.

But the only diners at the table were Legion and Law School.

“How is it?”

Law School inquired with a subtle smile.

“Excellent.”

Legion nodded.

This is an outrageous waste. If Chef Decarson in the territory prepared this much food for me alone, he’d be summarily dismissed.

What’s the monetary value of all this?

“Tomorrow is the day we’ve been waiting for.”

“I know. The advance payment?”

“Here it is. It was slightly delayed due to the need to navigate a few channels.”

Law School retrieved a slip from his pocket and presented it to Legion. It was a slip indicating a staggering sum of 400,000 gold. Even Law School himself had never encountered a slip representing such a vast fortune.

Perhaps it was the sheer magnitude of the sum that made him so anxious about being attacked en route. Now that the money was no longer in his possession, he felt a wave of relief.

Legion accepted the slip with the 400,000 gold notation.

‘Yes! 400,000 gold! 400,000 gold!’

He felt as if he had become incredibly wealthy overnight. Legion grinned beneath his helmet.

“You don’t remove your helmet even while eating. Isn’t that rather uncomfortable?”

Law School asked cautiously.

He was eager to catch a glimpse of his face…

A moment earlier, Don Dedekman’s mouth had twitched slightly, forming a chilling smile. It was the kind of smile that preceded a killing.

‘Surely he wouldn’t murder someone in the middle of a meal.’

“I’m accustomed to it, so it’s not a problem.”

Legion ate with slightly trembling hands.

For some reason, the arm sections of the armor felt incredibly heavy. It was proving difficult to eat gracefully. He tossed the fork aside. ‘I’m going to starve to death trying to maintain appearances.’

He was already ravenous from all the walking.

He grabbed a piece of meat with his bare hands and brought it to his mouth. He tore into the meat with a savage hunger, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

Legion is, after all, a nobleman.

He’s often unfairly perceived as unrefined due to his plump physique, but he’s actually quite fastidious. He typically eats with impeccable manners. He would never greedily devour food with his bare hands.

The reason he was behaving like a barbarian was…

Entirely Mark’s idea.

-Try to emulate Don Dedekman as closely as possible. You must never allow them to discover that you are Legion.

Okay, okay.

Law School inwardly applauded as he watched Legion eat with such vulgar abandon.

Some of the dishes had been subtly laced with poison. Especially the meat dishes. Based on his observations of Legion’s eating habits over the past few days, he had concluded that he had a strong preference for meat.

He was confident that he would indulge in meat today as well.

There were three distinct types of poison in play.

The highly potent venom of the Southern Jungle Spider.

The highly potent venom of the Central Ant.

The highly potent venom of the Desert Scorpion.

They were all exceptionally toxic, but he had encountered some difficulty in acquiring them because they couldn’t induce immediate death by causing him to vomit blood.

The highly potent venom of the Southern Jungle Spider gradually destroys brain cells over two days. The highly potent venom of the Central Ant progressively damages organs over three days. The highly potent venom of the Desert Scorpion systematically degrades nerve cells over four days.

Considering this delayed effect, Law School had paid an exorbitant price for the poisons in the underground market.

‘There’s no escape from death now, no matter what he does.’

Look at him, gorging himself like a pig, completely oblivious to his impending doom.

That’s right. Keep eating. Keep enjoying your meal.

Law School smiled faintly. Now that he was convinced that Don Dedekman was as good as dead, his fear of the man began to dissipate.

Dead men tell no tales.

Regardless of Law School’s internal machinations, Legion remained focused on the food before him.

And he was once again struck by the exceptional talent of Decarson.

‘Our chef is truly gifted.’

He hadn’t encountered a chef who could rival Decarson’s culinary skills since leaving the territory.

With that level of expertise, he could have made a name for himself anywhere. Why would he choose to be a chef in such a small, insignificant place as our territory? The salary isn’t particularly generous either.

He could only speculate, as he had no insight into Decarson’s inner motivations.

-Ding, the venom of the Southern Jungle Spider has been neutralized.

-Ding, the venom of the Central Ant has been neutralized.

-Ding, the venom of the Desert Scorpion has been neutralized.

-Experience for the Detoxification skill has increased by +2.

‘It seems to be a fairly potent poison.’

But it has absolutely no effect on Legion. In particular, 99 percent of the spider’s venom can be detoxified even if you searched the entire continent.

Most other poisons are neutralized as well. He eats his fill, confident in his body’s ability to handle anything.

Legion glanced at Law School.

He was wearing a faint smile. ‘This bastard has a remarkably sly side. He must be absolutely certain that his plan is foolproof.’

“After the meal, I will escort you to the designated sniping location.”

Legion nodded.

The target is Baserabap.

But he won’t be alone. The three guardian mages will undoubtedly be accompanying him.

No matter how much stronger he had become, he couldn’t possibly take on all four of them single-handedly.

Of course, he had no intention of doing so.

“It’s impossible for me to handle this alone. You understand that, right?”

“Hmm. I suppose so.”

Law School’s eyes flickered slightly. He had anticipated that he would boast about taking care of those old men himself, but he was surprisingly level-headed.

Well, no one in their right mind would claim that they could defeat Baserabap alone.

Even that ignorant Don Dedekman seems to grasp that much.

So-

“We have 50 five-star assassins lying in wait.”

Legion’s jaw dropped again.

Securing 50 assassins is impressive enough. But the situation changes dramatically when they’re five-star assassins. Five-star signifies that they are among the elite.

As many as 50 of them?

Did he somehow contract with all the top assassins in the kingdom?

“We also have 1,000 mercenaries with three-star or higher skills ready to deploy.”

“Wow.”

He inadvertently blurted out his usual speech pattern [ 말투 – a person’s unique way of speaking].

Startled, Legion quickly covered his mouth. Fortunately, Law School didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

-50 five-star assassins and 1,000 mercenaries with three-star or higher skills?

Mark seemed genuinely surprised as well.

Legion was now realizing that he had become entangled in a truly significant operation. If he executed this plan half-heartedly, he would be branded a traitor with no hope of escape.

“No matter how numerous they are, they’re ultimately just cannon fodder. They can’t directly engage Baserabap. But they can certainly keep Baserabap’s three guardian mages occupied.”

“Don’t worry. Once the three are separated, I will snipe Baserabap. But…”

“But?”

“The target is an 8-circle Archmage. No matter how skilled I am, it won’t be easy to land a successful shot. You understand that, right?”

“Of course, I understand.”

“Provide me with all the details. That way, I can formulate a comprehensive plan. If I simply charge in blindly, I have an 80 percent chance of dying.”

Law School’s eyes narrowed.

He seemed to be reassessing his perception of Don Dedekman. He studied him more closely.

His head wasn’t just for show.

He had underestimated his intelligence due to his reputation for violence.

“Okay. We have several additional safety measures in place. I’ll explain them all.”

Having made his decision, Law School revealed the entirety of Marquis Porse’s plan to Legion.

As he listened to the intricate details, Legion’s expression grew increasingly grave.

If he had remained ignorant of these plans-

Legion would have found it impossible to extricate himself from this situation. When this operation unfolds, the legendary Archmage Baserabap is almost certain to meet his demise.

No matter how he analyzed the situation, he couldn’t see a viable escape route for himself.