A web of magic patterns unfurled from Gin's core, spreading outward to detect and gather information.
"This, too, might be worth turning into a passive skill," he mused.
Domain magic was an invaluable art, a spell often cast and indispensable in its utility. If he could make it function passively, it would simplify countless situations.
Though he understood it would be far from easy, the thought lingered.
His recent research into biomagic—focused on integrating enhancents into living tissue—teed with potential.
If mastered as passive abilities, these enhancents could turn him into a walking weapon. Enhanced regeneration, greater physical strength, heightened reflexes—each one, layered upon the others, would forge unparalleled combat prowess.
His durability enhancent had already been successfully integrated, providing him with a baseline safeguard.
"At least I have that much going for ," Gin thought.
As the domain settled into place, its magical weave expanded to a radius of three hundred ters, collecting and analyzing every fragnt of information within. Almost imdiately, an all-too-familiar presence crossed into its range.
Gin recognized him at once. It was Jay—the man who had given him his first job.
"In the sa city?" Gin blinked, surprised.
The odds seed slim. He had heard that portals typically connected to entirely different cities, but here they were, both in the sa place. Perhaps an anomaly, perhaps not, but the coincidence was undeniable.
Still, Gin found the encounter fortuitous. He had been grappling with aimlessness, unsure of his next step. If anyone could offer insight into this city and its gifted individuals, it was Jay.
Jin continued walking, his pace steady and calm. He sensed Gin, attempting to be discreet.
A faint sound reached Gin's ears—the soft shuffling of footsteps attempting stealth. Jay had even ard himself with a stun gun, drawing it from his coat with deliberate care.
Gin sighed internally. Did Jay truly think creeping in silence would be enough to elude a magic-user's awareness? Without spells to dampen the impact of each step or to mask the air currents stirred by his movent, stealth was an exercise in futility.
And then there was the stun gun. Gin couldn't help but be amused. For Jay to carry it so confidently ant it must have proven effective against other empowered individuals before.
An electric jolt, sudden and unexpected, could certainly bring down even a skilled mage—provided they lacked sufficient defenses. Gin's durability enhancent had been developed for precisely such surprises.
Jay crept closer, stun gun in hand, his every move relayed to Gin in real ti through the domain. Gin feigned ignorance, walking forward as though entirely unaware.
And then Jay struck.
With a crackling zap, the stun gun sparked to life, aid squarely at Ban's back.
But the weapon struck empty air.
In the blink of an eye, Gintwisted his body, evading the strike with a speed that left Eom dumbfounded. Before the latter could react, Ginhad slipped behind him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
A resounding thud echoed as Ban's strength drove Eom to his knees, pain radiating through his shoulder like fire. He bit down on a scream, instinctively sensing that any sound might cost him his life.
Ginpicked up the discarded stun gun, inspecting it with mild interest. He pressed the trigger a few tis, watching as sparks danced in the air.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Eom flinched with every burst of electricity, trembling uncontrollably.
"W-Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't want to do this—I was threatened into it!"
Ban's gaze was cold, impassive, as he lood over the groveling man. He kept pressing the trigger, the electric arcs casting sharp shadows across Eom's terrified face.
"B-Bellion Guild! It was the Bellion Guild! They sent to bring you in!" Eom blurted out, desperation seeping into every word.
At this, Ginraised an eyebrow. He pocketed the stun gun, as if to signal that the interrogation was far from over.
"And why would the Bellion Guild be after ?"
Eom stamred, struggling to et Ban's unyielding stare. "I-I don't know exactly... but they said you might have sothing they need! Sothing important! Please, believe !"
Gintightened his grip on Eom's collar, pulling him closer. The fear in Eom's eyes deepened as he felt the pressure of Ban's enhanced strength.
"You'd better start being useful," Ginsaid, his tone low and nacing.
Jay nodded frantically. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything I know!"
"Start now."
"There's been a hunt," Jay said, words tumbling out in a rush. "Odysseus has been tracking down all the bait he once used to lure the Shedim—those creatures' hideout you raided. He's convinced soone took sothing from them, and you're the only one he hasn't caught yet."
"So they think I have what they're after," Gin said, his voice cold.
"That's the theory! The suspicion grew stronger when they couldn't find you!"
Gin Released Jay, who collapsed in a heap, gasping for air.
"Guide ," Gin commanded.
"To Fishmogers' guildhouse?" Jay asked, his voice quivering.
"No," Gin replied. "To the Shedim's hideout."
Jay hesitated, grimacing. "That place is a wreck now… The Fishmongers Guild tore through it, left nothing behind."
"Lead the way," Gin said, his voice brooking no argunt.
Reluctantly, Jay rose to his feet, muttering curses under his breath as he began to walk. Gin followed close, his presence a silent reminder of what would happen if Jay dared to stray.
The magical domain expanded, its information-gathering patterns creeping toward the dilapidated building. Gin's focus locked on a hidden space on the second floor, untouched by the destruction around it.
"It's still intact," he muttered under his breath.
The building had been thoroughly wrecked—walls torn apart, supports shattered—but the magically concealed area remained undisturbed. Whoever had ransacked the place had either missed it entirely or lacked the ans to uncover it.
Gin slipped a hand into his pocket, fingers brushing against the small USB drive nestled within. It was a copy of the one he had taken from the Shedim's hideout, with all photos of the ancient ruins scrubbed clean. Everything else had been left intact—irrelevant scraps compared to the runic symbols captured in those images.
"Follow ," he said curtly.
Jay, trailing behind, frowned in frustration. "I told you, there's nothing left in there! I checked a dozen tis!"
Ban ignored him, climbing the crumbling staircase to the second floor. The devastation was worse here—gaping holes in the ceiling revealed the sky above, and parts of the floor threatened to collapse underfoot. A lone pillar stood fractured, its jagged edges bearing silent testimony to the chaos.
"It's a miracle this place hasn't collapsed yet," Gin observed flatly, his voice devoid of concern.
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