Chapter 277 – Aerial Train (One)

The sudden explosion sound that came out of nowhere unsettled the passengers inside the cabin.

“What is it? Wh-what’s going on?”

“It, it definitely came from the front, right?”

The anomaly didn’t end there.

Soon after, the train gradually began to slow down before coming to a complete stop on the tracks high in the sky.

Ray, who had been briefly looking down at the buildings and streets on the ground outside the window, whispered to Joshua in the seat next to him.

“Judging by people’s reactions, this doesn’t seem to be a common occurrence.”

“Absolutely not common. I’ve never heard of an aerial train stopping on the tracks.”

After saying that, Joshua, who had been lost in thought for a moment, muttered with a serious face.

“Maybe… no, it can’t be.”

“Do you have a hunch?”

“It’s a possibility…”

According to Joshua’s subsequent explanation, the city was currently in a period where the power struggles between Mage Towers were more intense than ever before.

Over the last few months, it had rapidly escalated, transforming the situation into something akin to a battlefield.

“That’s why there’s been a sudden increase in those kinds of news articles lately. About a specific Mage Tower being attacked. Or a spy who infiltrated a certain Mage Tower being discovered. Or a key figure from some Mage Tower being ambushed.”

“So you’re saying this train might have become the site of a power struggle.”

In other words, it could have been hijacked by some unknown force.

“Right. If the explosion sound we just heard came from the engine room, it would also explain why the train stopped. But it’s just a possibility. Even if it is a hijacking, the situation will likely be resolved quickly.”

Joshua said that while casting a look of trust towards the crew members who were calming the passengers in the carriage.

“The requirement to be an aerial train crew member is the 4th Circle. It’s not rare, but it’s a level ordinary people can’t reach in their entire lifetime. You could say it’s the standard for being recognized as a strong Wizard.”

The number of daily users of the aerial train alone is enormous.

Therefore, many crew members were on constant duty on each train to prepare for any unforeseen situations.

“Our personnel have currently headed towards the front car. As soon as the situation is assessed, measures will be taken, so we ask all passengers to please wait at ease.”

The crew members’ resolute tone.

Perhaps also thanks to the image of trust they had built up over time.

The chaos that had been swirling disorderly inside the cabin quickly began to calm down.

But soon.

Bang──!

The sound of gunfire that rang out stirred up the anxiety and fear that had been fading into a blur.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

From the carriage right in front, noisy voices and footsteps were heard, and before there was any time to react, the door swung open.

“Level 1 emergency! Whoever the opponent is, subdue them forcefully─”

Bang──! Bang──!

The crew members fell powerlessly, bleeding from their heads.

The figures who appeared as the door opened were a group of masked men.

“Wow, that’s amazing. They pierced a 4th Circle Wizard’s Ward in one shot.”

“Where on earth did the boss get something like this?”

Laughing snickeringly, they held various types of guns in their hands.

Mana flowing along the barrels could be seen streaming into the magazines, forming dozens of bullets.

“I heard he bought it from that crazy scientist. Used all the funds earned from the last job.”

“At this level, you can’t complain it was a waste of money. How else would we have captured a 4th Circle Wizard?”

On their chests, which Ray observed, three Rings were glowing on each of them.

“Stop chattering and let’s do what we need to do. We have to finish quickly, get the completion fee, and move on to the next request, right?”

“Right, since this is the last carriage, they must definitely be here.”

Bang! Bang!

Guns were fired towards the ceiling.

“Kyaaah!”

“Sp, spare us!”

The masked man who fired the gun let out a satisfied smile at the sight of the passengers bowing their heads and trembling.

“Now, now, folks, despite how we look, we’re actually soft-hearted guys, so we don’t want to commit unnecessary killings. We’ll leave this train as soon as we find just one person. Understood?”

Unlike the others, Ray, who was holding his head up stiffly, muttered softly.

“A lie.”

“Wh, what? Ray…! Bow your head quickly…! You’ll stand out…!”

“Whether they find the person or not, they plan to kill all the passengers and leave.”

Joshua urgently pressed down on the back of Ray’s head, but he didn’t budge an inch.

Fortunately, it seemed the masked man didn’t hear, as he continued his threats.

“Now, the person who is Research Director McQueen of the Weed School, come forward. Now.”

A quiet stillness flowed.

The masked man sharply raised his gun-wielding hand towards the ceiling.

Bang─! Bang─!

“Hii, hiik!”

“Oh God. Pl, please protect me.”

After that, gunshots were heard several more times, but the person named McQueen did not come out.

Around the time the echoing gunshots subsided, the masked man growled fiercely.

“Well, fine, you have no intention of coming out until the end, I see. Thanks to you, we’ll have to waste more damn time. Hey, start.”

“What a bother.”

The remaining masked men began walking between the seats, grabbing the passengers by the hair and lifting them up.

“Ugh!”

“Check carefully. They might be covering their face with Illusion Magic or fake skin or something.”

“I, I, I’m not her.”

“Damn, this one’s not it.”

“This bitch here doesn’t seem to be it either.”

The search gradually drew closer to the last seat where Ray and Joshua were.

Ray, still holding his head up, watched the masked men and asked quietly.

“It’s okay to kill them all, right? I might not be able to control my strength well.”

“Wh, what? What are you…?”

And at the same moment.

Across the aisle from the two boys, a middle-aged woman was sitting.

Next to her was a briefcase with several padlocks, and conflict flickered in her eyes.

“Last chance. If you don’t come out by the time the search is over, we will kill all the passengers in this carriage.”

That threat was likely sincere.

The moment she was about to finally rise from her seat.

“……?”

She witnessed an incomprehensible situation.

A hooded boy had left his seat and was standing in the aisle.

“What’s this, kid? You want to die? Huh? Don’t you have the brains to understand the situation? Or do you need to go to the bathroom or something?”

The masked man, whose path was blocked by the boy’s appearance, was bewildered.

But soon he composed himself and fiercely roared, and the other masked men behind him snickered in response.

“Probably about to piss himself from fear.”

“That’s right, let him go, let him go. I don’t want to smell piss.”

But soon they could sense something was off.

No fear or terror could be felt from the boy’s expressionless face.

Rather, beyond that, his cold gaze seemed to see right through their true intentions.

Click.

“You say I want to die, so you should kill me then.”

The masked man, his face hardened, pressed the muzzle of his gun right against the boy’s forehead.

But the boy showed no reaction.

It was just annoying.

The fact that the appearance of these uninvited guests was delaying the time until they reached their destination.

“You guys, how many are there?”

“What…?”

“I need to calculate how long it will take to take you all down.”

“You crazy…! Die!”

Bang─!

Unable to bear the ominous feeling and fear, the masked man pulled the trigger.

However, the moment the gunshot rang out, the boy’s figure had vanished from his spot.

Crack!

The masked man’s neck, wrapped in arms clad in Enhancement Magic, was twisted and turned.

And.

Thud─!

By the time the masked man’s body fell to the floor, Ray had already charged at the second enemy.

“Shoot, shoot! Shoot him!”

“He’s an Enhancement Magic Wizard! Don’t let him get close!”

Bang─! Bang─! Bang─!

Ear-splitting gunshots and a hail of bullets.

Ray checked the direction of the gun muzzles, twisted his body as he ran, closed the distance in an instant, and swung his fist.

“He can’t pierce a Ward with a bare fist…!”

Crunch!

The fist that destroyed the Ward crushed the masked man’s face outright.

“Cr, crazy! I, I didn’t hear anything about a monster like this being assigned as an escort!”

“Ru, run away!”

The remaining masked men hurriedly turned to flee, but they were all caught by Ray and had their necks turned to unusual positions.

Thud─!

After taking down the last enemy, Ray immediately opened the door and moved to the next carriage.

“Just who was that boy…?”

“Wh, who could he be?”

The remaining passengers let out sighs of relief while feeling gratitude and suspicion towards the boy.

The same was true for the middle-aged woman who had been the masked men’s target, McQueen.

‘All the bullets are embedded in the aisle floor. Did he control it so precisely that even they wouldn’t hurt the passengers…?’

Goosebumps rose.

Enhancement Magic is characterized by the fact that the higher the enhancement level, the harder it is to control one’s own body.

Yet to be able to show such precise movements at such high speed…

Even in the Enforce School, the pinnacle of Enhancement Magic, there would be no one capable of such skill.

Who on earth is he?

What is his identity?

Even if he were a child active in the shadows, with this level of skill, his name would have to be known.

Then a voice was heard.

“Ray… what on earth are you?”

It was Joshua, his mouth agape in shock.

‘Ray.’

Madam McQueen repeated the name in her mind.

Feeling a premonition that she would hear that name countless times in the city from now on.

“Sp, spare me!”

“Block it! Block it, I said!”

“Open the window! We have the parachutes we prepared! Jump out! Aaah!”

Behind the path Ray ran, only cold corpses remained.

Of course, all of them belonged to the masked men.

“Di, die!”

Bang─! Bang─!

The guns they possessed that fired mana were certainly powerful weapons, but against Ray, who they couldn’t hit, they were useless.

Magic that wasn’t guns was the same.

Because the elements were torn away even before manifestation.

There were also those who tried to ambush him after assessing the situation via radio.

Crunch! Thud!

But it didn’t work on Ray, who could see Rings even beyond structures.

After running non-stop like that, he finally arrived at the door leading to the engine room, located at the front of Car 1.

[No Entry Except Authorized Personnel]

“……”

He paused for a moment, holding the doorknob.

Beyond the door, multiple Rings were visible.

Estimated personnel: 10.

According to the surviving crew member he encountered on the way, the engine room was connected to the driver’s cabin at the front.

One was the captured driver.

All the rest were enemies.

Having finished his assessment, Ray instantly opened the door and charged in.

In that split second, he took in the scene.

─Shoot!

─Kill him!

Masked men aiming guns at him from various directions.

‘No direction to evade.’

It didn’t really matter.

There were plenty of methods.

Ray condensed the atmospheric mana into spheres and embedded them into the muzzle of each gun.

And the moment the masked men’s fingers pulled the triggers.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwang!

“Aaaah─!”

“Aah! My hand─! My hand─!”

The masked men crouched down, clutching their hands that were gushing blood.

Ray soon after knocked them all unconscious with Lightning and then slowly approached the masked man who hadn’t fired his gun.

“You’re the Captain?”

“Wh, what are you? Wh, was there a monster like this in the Weed Mage Tower?”

“I’m not affiliated with the Weed Mage Tower.”

“Th, then, why, why are you interfering with our work?”

“You’re the ones who interfered with my work.”

Click!

“Don’t come! If, if you come any closer, I’ll shoot!”

“If you’re confident your wrist won’t get blown off, go ahead and try.”

“……!”

The masked man couldn’t pull the trigger until Ray was right in front of him.

Plop.

“Aah…”

He knelt down and slumped.

Ray’s slowly approaching hand was reflected in his fear-filled eyes.

Crack! Thud─!

A fallen body.

After picking up the masked men’s guns and examining them briefly, Ray turned and headed towards the driver collapsed in the corner.

He seemed to have been hit with something like a blunt weapon, as the back of his head was stained with blood.

Hum!*

After briefly using Healing Magic on him, Ray shook him to wake him up.

When there was no response, he immediately created cold water and poured it over him.

“Blurgh…!”

“Get up.”

“Blublublub…!”

“Get up.”

“Stop, st, stop…!”

The driver, regaining consciousness, looked around with a dazed expression.

“Did you… no, did you, sir, do all this?”

“That’s right.”

Ray briefly explained the situation and then asked.

“Can we depart immediately?”

“Well… I think I need to check the engine’s condition first.”

Staggering to his feet, the driver approached the huge mechanical device in the center of the room.

“Oh my God…! They smashed the mana tank. Th, then we’ll be stuck here, completely isolated, until the repair team and support team arrive.”

“How long will it take for them to get here?”

“Given our current coordinates, it will take at least 30 minutes even at the fastest.”

30 minutes was far too late.

After thinking for a moment, Ray asked.

“So ultimately, it’s because there’s not enough mana to operate the engine.”

“That’s correct. Even if the crew, passengers, and I combine our strength to inject mana, it won’t be nearly enough. To move this huge hunk of iron, an enormous amount of mana is required.”

“Then there’s no need to wait.”

“Huh?”

“I said there’s no need to wait until someone comes to help.”

In Ray’s grasp, green and yellow mana were swirling violently.

The mana of the two gems, like an inexhaustible, infinite spring.