Um Okay, here I go.

Immediately following Olivers response, his shadow expanded and soared.

A shadow stake brushed past Joes right side of his face.

Joes eyes grew bigger as red blood and sticky sweat scattered over the floor.

You

Joe quickly stepped back while concentrating the black magic on his legs.

Olivers shadow followed him and moved faster than before.

Joe was pursued by the shadow stake, which soared as if mole hunting.

Despite Joes best efforts to avoid it, he was caught by shadow tentacles that were aiming at his ankles.

CLUTCH

Ugh

At that moment, Oliver cast two black magic spells simultaneously, one in each hand.

One was [Creepy scream] which causes mental damage to the other person with a terrible scream, while the other was [Thrust] which turns negative emotions such as hatred and anger into shock waves.

Oliver combined the two black magic into one and shot at Joe, who was caught by the ankle.

[Outcry]

The wave of black emotions tangled up in front of Joe and turned into numerous faces.

It was similar to Creepy Scream, but unlike Creepy Scream, which had a tearful face, it had an angry face a very angry face.

-Ahwhhwhhhwhhhwhhhwhhhwhhhwhhhwhhwhhhwhhhwhhhwhhhwhwhhwhhwhhwwwww

The roar of anger wounded peoples ears and minds as much as the creepy scream, and it also had a physical shock, which directly hit Joe.

Joe, who was tied up, could not avoid it and took a direct hit.

Keuk

The entire area was swept away by the shock wave

Windows nearby were smashed and there were many cracks on the walls, indicating the tremendous amount of power in the spell.

It was a pretty good combination and Oliver thought maybe he should use it a few more times later.

Hmm Are you okay?

Oliver asked, looking at Joe staggering.

His condition was not very good. He instinctively blocked his ears to reduce the damage, but nevertheless, blood leaked slightly from the eyes and mouth as if he had not completely escaped the impact.

Usually, when it reached this point, most of them would fall down, or lose their will to fight, but Joe tried to get up and fight somehow.

His emotions shone with a persistent sense of struggle, and Oliver found the light quite pretty.

Um, not yet

TADADAK

Oliver ran, remembering Joes words for a proper attack.

He imitated Joe by increasing the black magic output to his leg, which raised his speed tremendously.

Then Oliver jumped and stretched his knee forward.

Despite his blurred vision, Staggering Joe lifted his arms to defend himself.

BANG

A loud sound echoed through the ruins.

As before, the sound was similar to that of a metal bump ringing, but this time one side made the sound of breaking metal.

Cough! Ugh Ugh.

Joe, exhausted, released his defense and collapsed, and Oliver, who had turned Joe to this state, lifted his quarterstaff in the air and struck.

BANG!

Immediately next to Joes face, the quarterstaff made contact with the ground.

Joe gasped at the quarterstaff which had penetrated the ground right next to him.

Shock, fear, and then the emotion of recognition shone.

do you want to continue?

Haa No, thats fine. I lost.

Joe answered with his eyes closed.

Something was off, but Oliver helped Joe first instead of asking.

Well, thats a relief. Youre not seriously hurt. You have a very strong body as well as strong vitality.

Joe looked at Oliver, who was comforting him, in a very strange way beyond the oddity.

It was like looking at a creature that does not belong to this world.

Even though he said it himself, Oliver attacked him as if he were going to kill him without a second thought, and yet he was helping him in this way again.

In fact, it was far from the common sense he had acquired in his life, and the bigger problem was he was slowly accepting it as normal.

Whoa

Joe forced his throbbing body and leaned his back against the wall.

In spite of the fact that his stylish suit had been torn here and there by the fight and dust, he did not care about it.

On the contrary, he looked relieved Like a person who quenched his curiosity.

You said you were curious about the reason why I asked you to fight, right?

Yes.

I wanted to check.. What is the difference between you and me? It may sound strange, but do you remember the first time you met me?

Oliver recalled.

It was during his first official job as a Solver that he met Joe, capturing Herbert, an ex-assistant professor of Magic Tower who had broken his contract with Murphy.

It was a 3-to-1 fight, but even without that, Joes close combat style was quite tricky.

Unlike other disease-based Warlocks Oliver had seen, Joe did not strengthen his body excessively, so he moved more quickly

When necessary, he focused on black magic on a particular part of the body and fought very efficiently.

It was more difficult to deal with than general disease-based Warlocks.

Well, thanks to that, Oliver was able to upgrade his black suit spell.

I remember.

I think it was definitely worth fighting with you at the time, but how did the difference in skills widen this much?

Oliver answered after remaining silent for a moment.

Joe is pretty strong, too.

Compared to you, Ive not improved an inch. Even when we met in the contaminated zone, you were stronger than before, but now I cant hurt you even in close combat.. Damn it.

There was a lot of emotion when Joe uttered the last word Jealousy, anger, irritation, admiration, longing.

Even though there were a lot of emotions, Oliver was not happy seeing those.

It was much prettier to see Joes emotions when he struggled to rise and somehow attempted to fight.

Suddenly, Olivers interest in Joe went down sharply.

is that all?

Ha No, Ill offer you a deal.

Deal?

Yes, teach me black magic, that black suit thing.

.

Oliver raised his eyebrows slightly.

Teach black magic..

It was something he never did after leaving the Joseph family.

Moreover, Joe didnt just ask Oliver to teach him on a whim.

Despite the fear of rejection and the humiliation of asking, shame, jealousy, and anger, he overcame it and asked for it.

With a desire to get better, a willingness to grow somehow, and the strength to face rejection and ridicule.

Oliver found it interesting, very interesting.

Joe cautiously opened his mouth as if he interpreted Olivers silence in a different sense.

Of course, Im not just asking you to teach me. Im.

GROWL.

Joes stomach growled in the middle of the ruins.

In an effort to hide his embarrassment, Joe closed his eyes tightly.

Oh, fu*k Its normal after a fight.

Oliver looked at the watch. Having spent the whole day buying things at the black market and fighting Joe, it was already dinner time.

Um, would you like to have dinner with me?

What?

Meal. I was told to eat meals regularly. Ill buy it, so would you like to join me?

Joe looked at Oliver like he was looking at something really weird.

O..K.

Leaving the ruins behind, Oliver and Joe went to a pub/restaurant nearby.

Throughout the store, there was a rough atmosphere, and customers appeared to be shouting and roaring.

Some people fought with bottles of alcohol while playing card games, and the people around them werent surprised either, they were doing their jobs or laughing in amazement.

Oliver didnt hate their emotional state.

And at that moment, a skinny man who got pushed in a fight, came flying toward Oliver.

Just before the collision, Joe stopped him instead.

Who is it? Who daresMr. Joe?

When the word Joe rang through the pub, those fighting and those watching stopped what they were doing and turned to Joe.

Their emotions shone with tension and fear in unison.

Im not here for work. Do what you were doing. But dont make a fuss around me.

said Joe, with bruises all over his face.

It looked somewhat out of place and awkward, but no one thought it was strange.

People who fought like killing each other just a while ago stopped doing what they were doing and began to clean up the messy store.

Oliver asked as he sat at a corner table.

Do you know them?

Well, relatively recently I was having a drink here after work, and I broke the arm of one because he was noisy.

Um

Hey, long time no see.

A woman approached Oliver and Joes table while they were talking. She wore a sleeved shirt and jeans as a store waitress, and her hair was short black.

How come you dont look so good today? Who did that to you?

Dont talk nonsense and just serve the food.

Wow Youre taking it out on a woman. I like it, its very manly. So, what food would you like to have?

When asked by the sly woman, Joe looked at Oliver for a moment and replied.

The biggest steak and beer. You?

Um Can I have the same thing?

Oliver, who had never ordered food, ordered the same food as Joe.

The woman nodded and headed for the kitchen.

Are you okay with that? The steak here tastes good, but the size is really big.

Um, but Ive never ordered food before.

When Oliver stayed at the inn, he just ate what was given, and right after he moved to the warehouse, all he ate was bread, apples, and milk he bought at the market.

Joe looked at Oliver once again with a strange expression as if he wanted to get used to it but couldnt.

In the meantime, the steak came out.

On a large plate, a piece of meat as big as a human head came out half-cooked.

In line with that, beer was served in a huge glass.

Joe, who was hungry, cut the meat into large pieces and took a bite, and swallowed it with beer, and Oliver followed him.

CLATTER CLATTER

As they ate in silence, Joe suddenly began to speak.

Do you happen to know about the Fighter Crew?

Oliver, who was cutting the meat and putting it in his mouth, nodded.

Its been a while, but he had heard about it from Forrest.

It was a relatively recent organization filled with new Warlocks

Unlike the existing Warlock families, the command system was horizontal, not vertical, and it was said that it was rapidly increasing their presence centered on mercenary work.

And from what Oliver heard, most of the members are combat enthusiasts.

Joe grinned when Oliver talked about this fact.

I dont know why there was such a rumor about us. Well, people tend to change the narrative as they please.

Isnt that right?

Of course, were not battle maniacs. Its just that were stuck in this business to make ends meet.

Joe said in an indifferent voice, and he meant what he said.

And its not that everyone in the fighter crew has equal status. Well, we dont treat other members as higher or lower in rank, but there is an exception. Our captain.

Captain. Who is that?

I dont know exactly. He just showed up one day and made the fighter crew.

The man who made the Fighter Crew. Oliver got interested.

Whats his name?

No one knows his name. At least among the people I know We call him Captain, but outsiders call him [Cook].

Cook? Does he cook anything?

Yeh, he runs a restaurant in District Y.

In District Y?

Oliver asked back.

According to what hed heard, District X was somewhat under Landas control, but Districts Y and Z were lawless regions and were not under Landas control.

It was a hideout for dangerous criminals who cannot be controlled by the forces of the day and the night.

And to run a restaurant in such a place.. Cook seemed to be a pretty unusual person.

He showed up one day and went around the X, Y, and Z districts and taught black magic to gangsters.

How did he do that?

I dont know. Everyone thinks its just a basic task to make a fighter crew, but the Captain never said anything about it.

Joe cut a big bite of the steak again and gulped it over with beer.

I dont know why, but thanks to that, a lot of people gathered next to him, including me. Theres no reason not to gather around a person from whom you can learn black magic. We have to learn something to live in this fu*ked up world.

Joe went on to explain how the gang leaders who were already living in Districts X, Y, and Z had a quarrel with Cook because of his way of doing things, and how Cook instantly killed all of those who opposed him with a kitchen knife to prove his power.

Thanks to this, more people gathered, and before they knew it, Cook was able to lay the foundation for the fighter crew.

Fighter crew had changed a lot since then. Captain then started teaching stronger black magic to those who did something for the Fighter Crew. Anything is fine. Bringing money, increasing fame. Thats why our members are running wild like crazy. This is probably the reason why were called combat maniacs.

Um thats why you were looking for books in the contamination zone.

Yes, in the end, I failed, but still, I gained a little fame and won a little prize.

Unlike his words, he didnt seem very satisfied. On the contrary, he was anxious.

Is it hard to be there?

Its not to that extent yet. However, there is a limit to my growth under the current system. Its too slow. Slow growth in this line of work means that your life is at stake.

Oliver nodded.

It was a place where you die if you lose even once.

So you want to learn black magic from me?

Yeah, its too much to rely on my organization alone.. The black suit doesnt seem to be a burden on the body unlike the general disease-based black magic, so, can you teach me?

Oliver silently admired Joes emotion.

He didnt expect to meet someone who would ask him to teach something once again.

Joe said urgently as if he interpreted Olivers silence differently.

Of course, Im not asking you to teach you for free

Ill teach you.

What?

Ill teach you.

Oliver answered, cutting a bite of the steak and putting it in his mouth.

For some reason, Joe looked at Oliver silently as if he was surprised.

His emotions shone with confusion as if he didnt understand the situation.

really?

Yes, of course, I cant keep up with you and teach you every day, but I can teach you two or three times a week regularly.

Oliver said as if it was nothing.

However, this was a huge thing for Joe, considering how often he had to bow his head and the amount of money he had to bring to learn a little black magic.

its not a question for me to ask, but why did you accept it?

After finishing the meal, Oliver took out a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and replied. The big steak had disappeared clean.

Oliver pointed to Joe.

You want to learn.

Oliver pointed at himself.

I can teach Do I need any more reasons?

In silence, Joe watched Oliver as if he were watching a being that does not belong to this world.