Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Interlude Chapter 176: "Tales of the Foggy City"

In 1999, London, known as the Fog City, was shrouded in thick fog, as if draping the city in a veil of mystery.

A horrific scene unfolded before the eyes of a high-ranking British official's office.

More than thirty corpses lay scattered on the ground, their expressions terrified, as if they had experienced immense fear before their deaths.

The silk threads and the sharp edges of the knife danced back and forth inside the building, gleaming with a cold light that sent chills down one's spine.

Amidst this chaotic scene, a black figure moved about like a ghost.

His movements were swift and agile, each swing of his arm carrying a deadly threat.

The threads intertwined continuously, and the figure that could barely be seen in the blink of an eye was none other than the genius boy hailed as one of the world's top ten magicians.

—Klein (Kamine)

As he slowly walked up to the last person who had come to assassinate him, his eyes were utterly empty, as if he had long been accustomed to the killing before him, and all he could hear was the man's wailing.

"Ah! Don't kill me, I was wrong!"

"Oh, is there anything else?"

Ming coldly looked at the person begging for mercy, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about something trivial.

"Is it when you choose to draw your sword and swing it at something without hesitation, without realizing you're about to be killed? I'm telling you... be careful in your next life."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dagger in his hand flashed out with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. The assassin only felt a pain in his neck, and before he could suffer any more pain, his head was severed.

Blood splattered on Ming's face. Although he didn't feel much guilt, he still wanted to give the man a quick death.

Ming stared at the fallen heads, blood dripping from his face. He turned and casually used his Free Domain to drag the corpses away, heading towards the storeroom on the building.

The hallway was filled with an elegant fragrance, which seemed to blend seamlessly with the fog outside, yet the floating corpses were so incongruous.

After disposing of the body, Ming walked out of the building.

A black car was parked at the entrance, and a woman in a suit stood beside it waiting.

"Your bodyguard mission is over. You've successfully delivered Councilor Essam here. So, it's time to go home. Want to hop in and grab a drink, Klein?"

"Oh, it's Horalim. Sorry, I don't have a taste for special drinks."

"Oh, that's quite cold. Ever since you became the World Magician, Klein, it seems like you have so many more tasks to complete. I really miss the days when we took care of you."

"Damn it! I was assigned this task, don't you have any self-awareness?! I'm working overtime... I work overtime every day until this late, and I have to thank some good guy who keeps recommending me to the higher-ups!"

Horam covered his mouth and chuckled, "Oh dear, don't get so angry. This just means your abilities have been recognized."

Ming rolled his eyes at her. "Agree? I think you guys are just trying to shirk your responsibilities and push all the work onto me. But I've been thinking, it's not bad to go check on things occasionally, even though I don't want to drink too much."

Horalim shrugged. "Great! Now I have a man to drink with!"

"Get out of here!"

Ming got into the car, and Herald started the engine and drove towards the bar. Along the way, Ming gazed at the London fog outside the window, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Although... well, things aren't easy in SSS right now. Because it's an officially funded magician organization, they have to serve not only the public, but also various investors and high-ranking officials, and they have an obligation to protect them.

Upon arriving at the bar, he found it dimly lit and filled with loud music. Horam, familiar with the place, found a seat and ordered a drink.

Ming sat opposite her, looking at the wine in his glass, his thoughts drifting back to the office filled with corpses.

Haralim seemed to notice his silence and spoke up:

"Thinking about the killings in those missions? Don't overthink it. We're all doing this for the mission. And as an assassin, he should have been prepared to be killed when he was considering why he wanted to assassinate an important member of the national council."

Ming gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"I'm not the kind of person who cares about other people's feelings. You're overthinking it. I'm just suddenly curious if they have family members they want to protect."

Who knows?

Horalim took a sip of his drink and looked with interest at Ming, who had suddenly brought up this topic.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just asking out of boredom, but if I had to say something..."

"To be honest, your eyes don't look like those of an absolutely good person. Instead, they seem more like someone who would sacrifice a few people to achieve their goal."

"Yes, I'm just curious how their families will feel when they find out about their deaths. It's like soldiers on the battlefield; they can only follow orders from their superiors. Even if they know that the enemy soldiers also have families they want to protect, they still have to fire."

"Well, a magician would rather be an assassin than an SSS or join DEM. At worst, he could become a folk magician and do some small business. He wouldn't become an assassin."

"That seems to be true. People in this profession are unlikely to have family, or maybe only those whose family members have died would have one."

Ming did not choose to drink alcohol, even though alcohol is burned up the moment it enters the body, so there is no possibility of getting drunk.

But perhaps it was due to his father in his previous life, he tried to avoid alcohol as much as possible, at most drinking a little bit to cater to other people's preferences.

"Oh dear, you really don't fit the mood. You said you'd come for a walk with me, but you didn't touch a drop of alcohol."

"I reiterate, I do not drink alcohol."

In response, Horam suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something, and pulled Ming to the bartender at the front desk.

“I know her well, why don’t you try mixing the drinks?”

Ming frowned, but still stood in front of the bar.

"Hey, I haven't agreed yet..."

But Horim didn't care about all that. He simply pulled the long-haired bartender at the front desk aside, as if they were discussing something.

"Hey Ennis, do you think my friend could mix me a drink for you? Well, he's a regular customer, I'll come back for a few more drinks... And look how handsome my friend is, he can help you attract customers."

Hearing Horalim's words, the bartender named Agnes glanced at Ming before calmly looking away.

"Hera, I think your taste is a bit outdated. Okay, putting aside whether this kind of ice-cold type of kid is popular or not, I really don't think that kind of skinny, weak type is handsome..."

They argued for a while, but in the end the bartender decided to give Ming a chance.

He looked at the various bottles of liquor in front of him, feeling somewhat lost.

However, he quickly calmed down and, relying on his keen observation and perception of the elements, began to mix them.

He skillfully picked up the wine bottle and poured out the various wines with precision, his movements fluid and elegant.

The other people in the bar were drawn over, casting curious glances their way.

A moment later, a colorful cocktail appeared before everyone.

Ming handed the wine to Horalim, who took a sip and his eyes widened instantly.

"Wow, this tastes amazing! You're a true bartending genius!"

Hearing this excited shout, some of the people watching from the sidelines also cheered and encouraged Ming to adjust the ingredients again after trying Ming's golden ratio mixing technique.

"I didn't expect you to be so skilled. Let me think... Although it looks old-fashioned, like a robot backplate, it's definitely done with extreme proportions. It's really good for a beginner."

The voice came from behind; it was the bartender with long black hair.

"What's your name?"

"Klein".

"What's your educational background? What job are you currently doing...?"

“He graduated from the University of London, and later someone else obtained a medical certificate, a major in surgery. As for his job, it was the same as that guy Horim's, but now he's my boss.”

Upon hearing this, Agnes's eyes lit up. "Would you like to quit your current job and become a bartender? You'd definitely make a fortune."

Ming raised an eyebrow. "Be a bartender? I have no intention of doing that."

Agnes persisted, "You're so talented at bartending, I can recommend one of our branches here. You'll definitely make a good living there!"

"No."

"Don't you want to live a good life? As long as you have enough fame, bartending is actually a pretty good job, just like your sister. I can even be your mentor in the meantime!"

"No need, a peaceful life... I'm sorry, if I do that, I probably won't be able to sleep."

"Ha...what a pity."

Agnes left with her head down, perhaps because it was a pity that she had seen such a promising talent but couldn't cultivate it.

Ming had no desire for an ordinary life; his only wish was to return to the deceased girl and fulfill her beautiful dream.