Oh my god!!!
With those words, the shout he let out was mixed with powerful magical power, forming a heavy wave that washed over Leo.
A unique magic of the sound series.
This is an interpersonal magic that amplifies screaming and converts it into a physical force that can strike, while also causing powerful damage to the target's hearing.
If this were aimed at an ordinary person, it would not be strange for the eyeballs to burst due to the pressure being applied along with the eardrums.
Thud!!
But the waves of sound the man shouted were blocked by Leo's shield and disappeared in vain.
The waves, unable to form a form, crash into the solid, formless wall and scatter in all directions, leaving behind only a strange noise like the sound of a tuning fork.
"...!!"
Leo slowly walked towards the man whose eyes were wide open.
Thud, thud.
I can kind of understand why the guy spoke that way.
In general, sound-based attack magic is difficult to prepare for, and it is not a magic that can be countered by simply blocking your ears.
For sorcerers who were not physically trained, an attack that blinded their senses would have been extremely lethal.
If Leo had not personally handled sound magic, or if he had not been well informed about its effects, it is possible that he would have been affected.
"This, this is profit….!!"
Only then did the man belatedly realize the reality and take a deep breath, drawing up his magical power again with a pale complexion, but it was already too late.
The shock spell fired by Leo easily bends his left knee backwards with astonishing ease.
Kwajik!
"Ugh, euaaaah!!"
The second scream that came out of his mouth contained no magic whatsoever.
She grabs the man's neck as he falls forward, clutching his knees and groaning pitifully.
In Leo's eyes looking down at him, there was a faint sympathy that even he himself did not notice.
On the topic of one-on-one combat between sorcerers, why would you lose your mind and surrender to this little bit of pain?
Now I understand the rumour that there aren't many skilled magicians among freelancers.
The game is over.
Leo's gaze was already turned to the other candidates who were watching this spot.
As if to tell us to watch carefully what the words of the person who is trying to discuss his qualifications are like.
A strong electric current burst out between my fingers.
[bolt]
Crackle crackle…!!
"Ugh, ugh, ugh!!! Oh, uh, uh, uh!!!"
Leo slowly let go of the man who was shaking all over and then collapsed foaming at the mouth, then turned his back.
Leo laughed as his body, devoid of strength, fell to the floor.
"next."
Naturally, there was no second candidate standing before Leo.
Briefing
"Finish Easel. He belongs to the Arch Office and has mastered the art of causing confusion in the psychic system. His specialty is rear-end disruption. He uses an SMG as his weapon. He also has some knowledge of mechanical martial arts…."
As Leo had said, the candidates introduced themselves one by one, their special skills, the techniques they use, their affiliations, etc., and then waited for the evaluation.
The employee standing next to them wrote down what they said and created an evaluation report along with the scores from the first physical test.
The candidates were extremely uncomfortable with the staff's behaviour, but they backed down without saying a word after the test was over and they were promised that they would be terminated on the spot.
In fact, the bigger reason was that he was reluctant to make a claim in front of Leo rather than making such a promise.
Only after the introduction of the middle-aged woman who remained as the seventh candidate was finished did Leo turn his head towards Panoa and Manya.
Naturally, two people who had read his mind approached him.
"Have you decided?"
"Except for three, I don't see any useful sorcerers."
A druid who can communicate with animals. A sorcerer who specializes in the art of curses, and Agria Noto of the Cybrid Echo.
The rest of them either had mediocre magic spells or did not seem to have any combat abilities that could be used in direct combat.
First of all, there aren't many wizards capable enough to help with operations.
If it doesn't directly help in carrying out the operation, then the special ability it possesses must be rare or have a special effect that is certain, but the sorcerers gathered here are not like that.
Even the hood was not used for anything other than attack purposes, let alone searching or tracking with sound magic.
Thanks to that, I had to knock out the guy who was babbling about singing a song again.
Panoa answered calmly, as if it was not surprising.
"I think it would be fortunate if we could select about six people, including the half-wizard. Since tests are also being conducted on Killian's side, there shouldn't be a shortage of personnel."
"If you had to filter out one of those three?"
"yes?"
Leo gestured silently to one of the candidates.
A young man with a refreshing impression and a bright smile.
A unique atmosphere with a squirrel-like animal on one's shoulder and loose clothing.
A versatile druid who uses a variety of natural magics, including practical communication with animals and sensory sharing… but this is the wrong person to pick for this position.
Leo whispered in a small voice as he surrounded the three people with noise magic once more.
"Based on the belongings he is carrying, it is likely that he belongs to the city government."
"...Are you saying that young man is an agent?"
Leo silently turned his gaze to the young man's waist.
The Druid was carrying a small, seemingly unremarkable staff, but Leo's powerful mana-sensing ability easily pierced through the disguise beyond.
Intense green waves writhing inside as if they might burst out at any moment.
Although he only saw it with his own eyes once, Leo didn't miss it.
An unknown mechanical device that Evelyn was holding when she entered the battle with Croken.
The same wave I felt back then was being felt in the Druid's short pole.
"....."
Could it be a coincidence?
Is it that I have encountered that wave once again in this place, after wandering around this place for over half a year?
Leo had no intention of taking the risk of such a slim chance.
Although he did not give a detailed explanation, Panoa agreed with Leo's decision anyway.
Eventually, all the other candidates were sent away, and the only one left was a pale-faced sorcerer.
The druid looked at Leo with a strange expression for a moment, but then smiled brightly and greeted him before leaving the room.
It seemed as if he had no qualms about taking this test at all.
While Leo was lost in thought, looking at the druid's back, the remaining sorcerer approached him.
The strange-looking sorcerer, whose age was hard to tell, smiled and shook my hand after confirming that he had been selected.
"This is Allen. Let's work together from now on."
"That's half. Let's talk about the details after the other team members are decided."
"Of course. Personally, I really like the success bonus that the planning team leader is offering. If I have to… Hmm?"
Allen seemed quite pleased with the fact that he had passed and had a lot to say to Leo, but when he saw Agria approaching right next to him, he backed away without saying a word.
"Sir, can we talk for a moment, just the two of us?"
Agria, who had taken Leo to a secluded place in the community, took something out of her bosom.
"This is a private gift from us to the wizard."
"….A gift?"
"I heard that during the last operation, our new agent showed an embarrassing behaviour. Although it may not have much to do with the status of the organization, I hope that you, the wizard, do not have any unnecessary prejudices."
Is this close to a bribe asking for better treatment in the future?
Leo looked down at the object in her hand.
A wristwatch with a simple design that can be worn on the hand.
This product is impressive with its blue display on a pure white background.
Surely he wasn't really planning to give Leo a wristwatch as a gift.
Agria also noticed Leo's gaze and immediately began to explain.
"This is a new product that we are currently developing in collaboration with Balitz Enterprise. It can basically replace all the functions of a mobile phone, and in times of emergency, its appearance can be changed to be used for various purposes."
As she said that, she pressed down on the button next to her wristwatch, and in an instant, the wristwatch flipped over in place, turning her left hand over and transforming into an iron glove.
Chorus!!
"…..This is how it is. It is quite durable, so it can easily block bullets. In addition to the self-defence form, it has various patterns input for emergencies."
The watch, which had turned into a glove, turned into a dagger, and the dagger turned into a staff, and the staff transformed into various forms such as a telescope and a magnifying glass, constantly promoting itself.
"...…"
A multi-purpose tool, or is it a multi-tool if you want to be precise?
The other options weren't all that appealing, but the idea that it could replace a cell phone and act as a telescope appealed to Leo.
Agria began to speak differently, perhaps understanding Leo's silence differently.
"Of course, in the case of personal information protection, we thoroughly follow the basic software regulations of Balitz, so you can rest assured. If you are worried, you can leave it at the A/S centre and have it checked, and there will be no problem. Then, I will leave now…."
Leo said that and turned around, staring at her back as she walked towards the stage.
Leo glanced at Panoa, who had been following the two men, and asked.
"What exactly do they want in return?"
"They wanted the cutting method that we used when making industrial tools at the headquarters. It's not a huge loss for us since it's a technology from a generation ago…. But they were so persistent that we held off on offering it as an advance payment."
Panoa said that and then looked at Leo with a look of surprise.
"Surprisingly, it seems like you don't have any feelings for Agria. I'm surprised."
"The person who ran away back then wasn't you, so… I don't hold a grudge over something like that."
Leo replied with a cold face.
To be precise, it would be correct to say that the very existence of Agria Noto is not that concerning.
After he was able to properly wield magic and consider himself a proper wizard, Leo had few allies who could help him.
Even Dylan, who was a skilled mercenary, wasn't of much help when it came to dealing with Croken Achilles.
We are working with Dyke to select team members to meet his needs, but this request is no exception.
At some point, Leo became accustomed to solving everything on his own.
While Leo was walking around after finishing his test, it seemed like the physical test that had been conducted with Killian as the main focus had also come to an end.
It seemed that he didn't fight after turning into a wolf, but he looked a bit dishevelled, as if the test process wasn't easy, and he approached the stage with three people.
Killian said, looking up at Leo, his hands in his pockets.
"It's over."
Leo didn't answer, but glanced at the three people standing behind him.
A young man with a reserved look, a large man with a plump physique, and a young woman wearing a black hood pulled down low.
If they passed Killian's test, they would be physically complete to some extent, but on the outside, they appear to be very trained.
"There are only three people here who are useful by my standards. If it's this many, there won't be many things that will hold you back when you carry out future operations."
"Are you sure?"
"…..I did my best."
"...…"
The three of them showed no particular reaction even as they were subjected to Leo's blatant gaze.
He probably already heard from Leo that he would be handing over the chain of command. The hood that had been talking back to him earlier would be a rather special case.
Rather, there was a faint, inexplicable anticipation in the gazes of the three people.
Since you say he is a skilled wizard, I wonder what his level is.
It was rare to see a high-level sorcerer working as a freelancer in this field.
On the other hand, Leo was deeply troubled by the sight of the successful candidates gathered like this.
'Three people…'
Five in total, including the sorcerer he just selected.
Six, including Leo.
With three in the front and three in the back, it doesn't seem like there's a shortage of numbers, but one of them is a sorcerer who won't be of much help in combat.
Even though I say I don't expect much from my team members, can I really say that this current personnel composition is the right one?
"Phew…."
While Leo sighed and pondered, Panoa looked around at the group and spoke in a calm tone.
"Now that we've finished selecting our team members, we'll get right into the second operation explanation. Follow me to the conference room."
A conference room large enough to accommodate hundreds of people at once.
The structure was built in steps. While Panoa, standing on the lowest platform, turned on the screen, the others found suitable seats.
As soon as she confirmed that everyone was seated, she immediately began explaining the operation.
She continued quickly, pointing to three pictures that appeared on the screen.
"The three organizations that currently account for the largest portion of the weapons business in the 40th District are the collaboration between these three organizations: the 48th District gang Cigar Bang, the Platon Mercenary Office, and the Scavengers."
Pictures of the organization's members, which numbered in the hundreds, the Platon Mercenary Office sign, and the Scavenger emblem flashed by in succession as Panoa continued her explanation.