NOVEL WEB Chapter 723
Do you know Pablo Escobar?
In the late 20th century, he was a legendary Colombian drug lord, earning $4 billion a year and ranking among Forbes’ top 7 wealthiest people in the world.
Exhausted from his life on the run, Escobar surrendered on the condition that he be imprisoned in a facility he designed himself.
And there, he enjoyed a paradise-like existence at ‘La Catedral,’ covering a massive 400,000 pyeong.
The same goes for here.
The boss of Los Calchona, Alisa Calchona Calderon, built a fairy-tale castle on a hill.
Reportedly, she was sentenced to 40 years in prison under house arrest as a condition for her freedom.
“Get down.”
The truck stopped in front of a hotel-like building, passing through the bars of a makeshift prison.
We stepped onto the soft ground, still tied in a line with ropes.
Despite the glaring sunshine, the weeds remained lush and green.
Women in bikinis swam nearby.
Men huddled under parasols, smoking and playing poker.
‘It feels like I’ve stepped into a completely different world.’
After passing through all these surreal scenes, we finally set foot in the Main Headquarters Hotel.
“Is this the new batch that came in? Phew, they’re all so young.”
“No doubt they were picked by Castano. Not my type.”
“Change into this. Everyone, head up to the 3rd floor.”
Fortunately, the members of the organization untied us, restoring our freedom.
‘The security seems tighter on this floor, though.’
I continuously adjusted the rough-looking white pumpkin pants and tank top I was wearing.
Especially for me, the pants were too big, reaching down to my knees.
Thump—
“?”
“Wow. You look different all cleaned up. I picked you, but was there really such a cute one until now?”
A scruffy young man grabbed the nape of my neck and jostled me.
“Castano, don’t be too handsy with the goods.”
“Hehe, see you later?”
I tightened my waist strap and climbed the stairs.
“?”
Murmurs filled the 3rd floor of the Main Headquarters.
It was a large party hall.
An elegant chandelier, like the ones you’d see in a luxury hotel, lit the room, with tables set with white tablecloths.
But even that couldn’t hide the gangsters’ humble origins; loud noises were everywhere.
“Beginning the slave auction. Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.”
“@#&@#&!”
“Please take your seats…!”
The host repeated himself ten times, barely calming down the cartel members.
Terrified children climbed onto the stage one by one.
It was a scene reminiscent of a medieval slave auction.
Clack—
I rolled my magic stone bracelet in my hands, waiting for this boring time to pass quickly.
‘I wish I could have tried some of the snacks I left with Loscats. What a shame.’
I missed the snacks I had left with Loscats for a moment.
“Next person, come out!”
“Hmm?”
Before I knew it, the children that had been sitting in front of me had all vanished.
I covered the magic stone bracelet and crystal sphere with my aura and dashed out.
““Wooow!””
“Who’s in charge here? This girl is way too young!”
“Are you telling us to raise a child?”
“Hahaha!”
I was under the ridicule of the organization members.
But the event continued as planned.
Members in the back raised their hands, and when the ones in the front raised theirs, those in the back slowly lowered theirs.
It seemed they were assigning slaves in order of hierarchy within the organization.
Thinking there wouldn’t be any demand from the front row, quite a few people made requests from the back.
The arms of the members surged forward as if they were surfing.
Thud—
The woman sitting in the front row.
The boss of Calchona shouted, putting her Gucci sunglasses on her forehead.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing here!”
“What’s the matter, boss?”
She kept adjusting her sunglasses repeatedly.
“What’s that?”
I tilted my head at her strange behavior.
At that moment—
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Alisa’s eyes.
‘Busted…!’
I clenched my fist and drew on my aura.
[▶Activating Particle Barrier (Progress: 40/100%)]
“Damn it! We have an external manifestation user!”
“Where did that guy get the crystal sphere!”
“Activate immediately!”
“Wait!”
Ping—
A bullet flew in from somewhere.
It hit my abdomen and ricocheted off somewhere.
“Ggk! Gyaaaa!”
One of the executives in the front row groaned, clutching his leg.
[▶Activating Particle Barrier (Progress: 100/100%)]
“Wow, what a surprise. You guys really have no backup, huh? Almost got a hole in my belly, too.”
An unpleasant memory suddenly occurred to me.
I gently rubbed my lower abdomen and dismissed those thoughts.
“Ggk…! Doctor, doctor…! Kill that woman!”
“Catch her!”
“Lord Alejandro has been hit! We must not let her die easily!”
“Wait, did I shoot?”
The members in the back scrambled onto the stage.
“That’s unfair.”
[Cast: Demon King’s Horn]
My arm, wrapped in golden aura.
Crack—
I swung the hand of the Demon King at the organization members grasping their weapons.
“Gyaaa!”
The limbs of the gangsters twisted in shocking directions.
Seeing the blood, the members went even crazier.
While their individual strength was insignificant, their collective action was surprisingly effective.
As soon as I activated the particle barrier, the members agreed to bombard me with mana.
‘Certainly, magic is terrible.’
There’s no way I’m falling for such pathetic attacks.
[Quick Cast: Le Kaizen Familia]
Kuaaaaa—
At the edge of the magic circle, a white wolf opened its mouth wide and absorbed all the magic.
“No way.”
“Oh my god…!”
“He’s got a crystal sphere! We need to sever the mana communication channel!”
From outside the banquet hall, the gangsters endlessly surged in.
They all pointed their fierce guns at me.
It seemed they intended to deplete my particle barrier entirely.
‘But there are still many executives around, so they can’t shoot recklessly.’
[Synthesis: Water]
[Casting: Laminar Flow Control]
[Casting: Glacis Ion Trap]
I shot a stream of water toward the ceiling and rapidly cooled it the moment it hit.
Crash—
Part of the chandelier and ceiling panel crumbled, sealing off the entrance.
Thud—
The first organization member I took down was regaining his senses and crawled toward me.
He tightly grabbed my ankle and tried to disrupt my aura, but—
[Multiple Auras: Heavy]
Rustle—
That was undoubtedly the sound of a beetle or, more mildly, a snack noise.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
I stepped firmly on the hand of the guy messing with my ankle.
Sharp bone fragments were surely swimming freely in his hand.
I pulled a gun from the waistband of the organization member.
“Anyone here who can’t use aura?”
Amidst the boisterous battle, the members hesitated.
“Thanks for the tip.”
Bang—
The first shot missed.
“Huff, again…!”
Bang bang bang bang—
But from the second shot onward, I got the feel for it and buried a bullet in each of their thighs.
“Stop! Stop, you stupid bastards!”
The boss’s sharp scream echoed through the banquet hall.
“…!”
“Hah… haha… I didn’t expect this from you. You’re crazier than I thought?”
“Grr.”
I frowned, rubbing the tip of my nose.
Alisa Calchona Calderon, the boss of Calchona.
A former sicario (hitman) who assassinated over 150 people in Colombia.
“Huegh… Huh…”
She held the slave girl I came with as a hostage.
“NoName.”
“Is she called NoName?”
“Her face is definitely different…”
“Whoa! It’s true!”
I washed away the aura that was covering my skin.
“How did you know it was me?”
“Do you think I’d miss you with such a lame ether disguise?”
“Strange, everyone else couldn’t recognize me. You’re the first.”
Only then did I realize her trick.
“You must have something in those sunglasses.”
“Hmph, there are so many tricksters in poker.”
“No wonder. If you hadn’t known, it would have been perfect.”
“Put the gun down, release the barrier. Otherwise, this girl’s life is forfeit.”
Alisa aimed her gun at the girl’s temple.
“…”
I sealed my lips tightly.
“Damn it, hurry up!”
“Do you know? The one thing I hate most in this world is hostage situations. I think it’s the most cowardly and despicable act.”
“Hah, don’t even think about negotiating. You’re causing a ruckus in my castle right now—”
That was my chance.
[Casting: Cerebral Cortex Reconstruction]
[Advanced Cast: Lateral Septum Activation]
[Decryption: Neuropeptide Y Receptor 1]
[Unique Magic – Estasha’s 4th Style – Medusa]
The casting was instantaneous.
The gray beam shot from the magic circle and hit the girl’s forehead.
Bang—
“What the…!”
The hostage’s body slumped weakly.
No, it slumped to the point where rigor mortis set in, making her joints stiffen.
As Alisa released the girl, she collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
“I’ve thought about this for a long time. I really, really hate hostage situations, so how do we solve it? The answer is simple. Just eliminate the useless hostages on my side first.”
“…”
“Want to fight again fairly? Or should we just talk?”
The party hall fell silent in an instant.
As if gazing at a demon.
“Did you just shoot the hostage?”
“… She’s insane. I can’t communicate with that person, boss.”
“Hah, I didn’t expect it to go this way… I heard that magic duel participants always have something off about them. She’s far beyond that level…?”
With a sigh of relief, I secretly laughed.
Fully caught in a bluff.
The girl was alive and well.
The identity of the unique magic resembling Medusa surely belonged to a realm hard for ordinary people to imagine.
It had proven to be highly useful when protecting hostages.
With a little acting skill attached, of course.
Alisa ground her teeth in frustration.
“Get out.”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking you to leave my castle, NoName Wizard.”
“It’s not nice to suddenly add the wizard title.”
“Forget everything that happened here. I promise not to retaliate against your family, your acquaintances, or anyone else. Keeping our mouths shut would be much beneficial for your safety, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, like I’d believe that.”
“Check it out, we’re all chips down. Anyway, I can’t escape outside Mexico. Although I can’t promise about the night roads in Mexico.”
“Hmm…!”
I stroked my chin, pretending to ponder.
“Gonna report this to the police? Hmph, sorry, but I’m already serving time in prison. With a 40-year sentence, whether it’s 10 years or 20 years, it’s all the same.”
“This doesn’t feel like a prison at all. It’s more like a 5-star hotel.”
“It’s legally permitted in Mexico. It’s none of your concern.”
“Who knows… maybe if I ask the American president, things might change…”
“You little punk!”
“Don’t move! You want to see Ronald Reagan Season 2 right now?”
Jolt—
The war on drugs.
“If the fact that Los Calchona has offended the U.S. comes to light…”
“You bastard! You filthy scum!”
“How furious other cartels are going to get. They might wipe out this organization completely. Why the hell did you kidnap an American…!”
“How on earth did that girl end up here!”
“You don’t want to be imprisoned in America either. Just what I’ve seen and heard here would command a life sentence.”
“What do you want?”
“Hoh, now you’re finally saying it. I’ve been waiting.”
Clank—
Then it happened.
Wheeee— Wheeee—
A loud siren echoed.
“Huh.”
Alisa grinned wickedly and aimed her gun at me.
“What are you doing?”
“You don’t know what’s happening right now, do you? Our lovely little NoName Wizard? We’ve cut off the Magic Power Plant Storage Tower.”
“So…? If you kill me, America will surely retaliate.”
“Will they, though? How would the world know if we killed you? We could just toss your corpse over the U.S. border. Or sink you in the ocean.”
Alisa Calchona was filled with elation.
With no hesitation in her intent to kill me.
“You’re going to regret this soon.”
“Tell that to your mother in the afterlife.”
Tadadung—
Ping—
“This is a satellite, you damn bitch!”
I proudly shouted the line I had prepared for just this moment.
“Gyaaah!”
“Huh?”
The ricocheting bullet struck another organization member.
“Ggg, it hurts! I got hit in the side…! Help me!”
The young man who had been teasing me earlier in the lobby was writhing in pain.
Karma truly exists.