The chase had already been going on for over a minute. My breathing steadied on its own, my steps echoing dully through the narrow streets. I immediately noticed—his movement technique was decent, around 3★. Catching him instantly wasn't going to happen.
A few more minutes passed. I was gradually closing the distance. He moved confidently, but not perfectly—with every second, I got closer.
Another minute—and we ended up in a narrow alley.
Tight. Empty. Silent.
My technique didn't work well here. Twelve Steps of the Storm required space, momentum, rhythm. In these conditions, it lost its advantage. Meanwhile, as a pure aura user without such limitations, he was more comfortable here.
He suddenly stopped and turned around. Apparently decided running further was pointless.
A long dagger appeared in his hand.
"Heh… little Kaldris," he smirked. "Narrow alley. You don't seriously think you can win, do you?"
Surprisingly, he recognized me.
From his perspective, he was right.
But I wasn't nervous.
I was focused.
And alert. There was always a chance he wasn't alone.
"Someone like you only needs half my strength."
I threw that out with a mocking tone, trying to provoke him.
He frowned.
But didn't move.
Careful.
Fine. Then I'll start.
No technique. Just pure fundamentals.
I stepped forward and attacked.
Steel clashed with steel.
Once. Again.
We exchanged blows, testing each other. No wasted movement, no obvious mistakes.
I needed the right moment.
To cast.
The exchange continued. Neither of us gained the upper hand.
I knew it clearly—if we were in an open area, the fight would already be over.
But here… things were different.
A few more minutes passed.
Time.
I started casting.
Stone Hail (1★)
At the very end, he sensed something. Tensed.
Too late.
Three stone projectiles shot toward him.
At the same moment, I pressed in with my blade.
He couldn't react in time.
He had to block the sword.
Two projectiles hit—left leg and right shoulder.
Not deep. But enough.
He lost balance.
"So you're a mage… little bitch…" he hissed.
I was already casting again.
And attacking.
Now his movements slowed. Rough. Pain interfering.
This time only one projectile hit.
His stomach.
He was ready.
But not enough.
Time to end it.
Before someone else gets here.
But I didn't forget—a cornered man might try to take me down with him.
Another cast.
Another attack.
And then he lunged.
"Let's die together, you bastard!"
Just as I expected.
He didn't block.
Instead, he used a strange technique.
I noticed immediately.
His arm suddenly accelerated—like it was pushed from within. His aura flared, compressed into a single point, and in the next instant his strike became much stronger than before.
But—
His arm burned.
I saw it.
The price of that power.
I shifted my blade, slipping off the attack line, and stepped back.
His strike missed.
He didn't expect that.
And in that moment, all three projectiles hit.
Impact.
Impact.
Impact.
He froze.
The fight was over.
He had no strength left.
I stepped closer.
"Got any last words?"
No emotion.
"…no…" he rasped.
"Then goodbye."
One strike.
His head separated from his body.
I took his long dagger.
Second rank. No runes, but the metal was good. Worth something.
And then it hit me.
I fucked up.
How was I going to explain the holes in his body?
I paused, thinking.
At that moment, the captain arrived.
He saw the corpse.
And me—unharmed.
We waited for the guards. Handed over the body.
The report would reach the academy.
Hopefully no one who shouldn't see it gets their hands on it.
We returned to the tavern.
I immediately noticed the hole where the window used to be.
That's where the chase started.
"Which room was he staying in?"
Straight to the point.
The captain didn't interfere with my loot. Everything was still there.
He had already sold most of it.
Only mana stones remained.
A thousand low-quality ones.
A first-rank artifact costs around a hundred.
I examined the dagger more carefully.
Definitely second rank.
Rough estimate—about a thousand.
Not bad.
Damn… I'm a rich kid.
Why am I even counting money?
Whatever. Might be useful later.
There was nothing left for me to do here.
The next train was in an hour.
I waited.
The trip back took about sixteen hours with transfers.
Like before, I mostly slept and meditated. Focus—magic.
By the time I returned to the academy, it was already 2 a.m.
I quickly wrote the report.
I didn't mention magic directly.
The less they know, the better.
Just described the collateral damage.
That was enough.
Mission Evaluation: A+
Target eliminated
No casualties
No injuries
Minimal property damage
After that, I went to my room.
Took a quick shower.
And the moment I lay down—I fell asleep.