Chapter 39: Eyes on the Prize, Part 3

"Not at all," I replied, keeping my confident demeanor as Ethan thought me. "But I'm afraid I can't wield any mana, so it'd be difficult to confirm—"

What that meant was quite simple; there was no way to verify the truth.

"To confirm if this operator is functional and not some cheap ripoff?" the merchant interrupted, still smiling. "Don't worry, I have my ways."

I couldn't help but wonder where did Jacob get that confidence of his from. I was almost certain he wasn't a hunter because of the way his augmentations were formed.

As he tapped the door behind him with his knuckles, my heart sank. "Please, come here; I need your help with something," he said, the collision of metal against metal echoing in my head.

Someone from the other side grumbled, "Is there anyone causing trouble? Say the word, and I'll—"

Jacob shook his head. "No, this one knows how to behave. I just called you to check whether this SCO is functional or not."

Instead of exiting altogether, he simply leaned on the doorframe. "An operator, huh...?" said the behemoth, who was roughly Logan's size and had a deep scar across half of his face.

"He works for me," the merchant explained, without revealing much about his identity. Not even a name was brought up. "He mostly keeps an eye on the place to make sure there aren't any troublesome customers. Oh, and he occasionally does the dirty jobs on my behalf when required. You're smart, so I'm sure you understand."

Just who the hell did I get entangled with?

You didn't have to graduate from Artemis to be considered a hunter; as long as you could wield mana, you were one. But that didn't mean there weren't any drawbacks either. Unless you graduated from Artemis, you couldn't enter any dungeons. Magic and the use of an operator were also prohibited.

However, being a hired muscle was an option, and the person in front of me appeared to be just that. No one could stop him from pursuing employment unrelated to dungeons, even though I personally considered it a waste of potential. On the other hand, the body of a hunter may turn out to be a valuable asset in any career.

Simply by possessing such a physique, I'd be able to work for much longer without becoming as exhausted as I normally do. There would also be no need for me to be concerned about diseases, either. No, if I had been born as a hunter, my life would not be the mess it currently is now.

"Is this truly an SCO?" the guard asked as he put the bracelet around his thick wrist.

"That's why you're here," Jacob replied, peering at me from the corner of his eye. "To see if he brought the genuine article or not."

In defiance, I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms.

Jacob's brows arched slightly as he saw my reaction to his criticism. "I like your attitude."

If worse comes to worst, I'll dash out of this store—if you can call a bunker like this one that way—before they even notice. If the guard channels some mana through his body, he might be able to catch up, but there was no reason for me to lose my cool just yet. I had to keep myself in check for the time being, or everything might fall apart.

The robust man took a lavish step towards the center of the store and lifted his hand forward as if he was about to do something troublesome.

"Don't point that towards us!" Jacob yelled as he ducked behind the counter.

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"Why?" he asked, slightly shaken. "What spell's encoded in this thing?"

"It doesn't matter what spell is there," roared the merchant, revealing that he had never believed a word I said. "You don't point the gun at someone unless you intend to use it! Operators are the same!"

"My bad," the guard spat out as he turned his broad back to us. "Oh, and forget about telling me what spell this bracelet has. That would ruin the surprise."

I had no idea what spell was in the SCO, either. Perhaps I was mistaken and the spell was related to a completely different element. Maybe a stream of water will shoot from the guard's hand, tearing through the wall into the neighbor's building. Others might laugh if that were to happen, but I'm afraid I'd burst out crying instead.

Jacob grumbled, "Just do it already."

"My pleasure."

The guard extended his hand forward, most likely drawing mana toward the SCO around his wrist. Once filled with mana, the spell will manifest on its own, as intended.

We waited in silence for something to happen, but nothing came out. With each millisecond that passed, I could feel the tension in the air rise. Something clenched my innards, and I despised that feeling.

"I don't think it works—"

Jacob gave me an ambiguous look, but before he could even open his mouth, a jet of flames shot out of the guard's hand, dyeing the entire shop in their color. It was only for a short time, but it worked perfectly. The operator I brought was functional.

After a moment of silence, the first thing that the merchant uttered was: "You almost set my store on fire!"

"Sorry," I said, not feeling apologetical in the slightest. "It's your fault, though, for using it here."

"This is amazing!" exclaimed the guard as his dark eyes rolled back, straight toward the ceiling. His knees gave out on him, and he landed with a loud thump on the ground. The sight of such a massive man collapsing made me smile slightly.

"What happened to him?"

For a brief moment, I held the merchant's cold gaze. My previous fear had almost gone entirely as I replied, "He most likely ran out of mana."

Mana exhaustion, as others refer to it. The symptoms worsened gradually and varied from person to person, but when a hunter's mana is completely depleted, in most cases, they'd pass out.

"Are you sure?" asked Jacob, and I simply nodded.

Despite the internal turmoil, I managed to get through it.

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