#019. What’s in the Basement (2)
Crack! Shatter!
The bulb struck by a stray spark shattered with a piercing sound.
The light vanished instantly.
Yet the visibility remained unchanged.
The blazing flames illuminated the basement in vivid detail.
Kuhahahahat───
The man’s laughter reverberated.
Shadows flickered across the walls as his body convulsed.
Ray clenched mana in his fist, closely monitoring the situation.
“The boss will regret this! He’ll regret casting me aside! Kuhahaha!”
Flames engulfed the man from head to toe.
His body resembled a human-shaped inferno.
The mana in his ring spun violently.
Crimson mana devoured all other colors as it surged through his veins, spiraling out of control.
“Executioner─! You’ve come to kill me and reclaim the bloodstone─! Try it! Do you even dare──!”
The flames shrouding the man’s hands split into two streams.
They coiled around his body, intertwining to form long whips.
Swoooosh───!
It happened in an instant.
The whip lashed toward Ray’s head like a crimson tongue.
Ray reacted immediately.
He unleashed the mana he’d been gathering, forming a massive, translucent barrier.
Clang──!
A bone-chilling impact echoed.
The whip rebounded, leaving behind sparks and hairline fractures on the barrier.
“A barrier too?! Of course! What else should I expect from an executioner? Kehehe!”
The man relentlessly spat the word “executioner.”
Though he clearly misunderstood Ray’s identity, correcting him seemed pointless.
It hardly mattered now.
The man had long since lost his grip on reason.
“Die─! Become the sacrificial offering for my shattered honor──!”
Sacrifice.
Ray instantly grasped the weight of that word.
Clang─! Clang──!
The man swung his arms wildly, madly striking the barrier with his whip.
Each blow shook the shield violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
Ray focused his mind.
Drawing additional mana from the atmosphere, he funneled it into the barrier to mend the damage.
Clang──! Clang──!
“How long will you hide behind that shield?! How long can you last?!”
The deafening shouts made Ray’s ears ring.
Skin prickling from the heat, Ray stared at the flame-cloaked figure.
Body-enveloping flames—this was magic beyond anything he’d anticipated.
His knife would be useless here.
The searing heat made close combat impossible.
Without mana shielding his skin, his flesh would’ve already blistered and burned.
Can I subdue him?
Should I retreat and wait for another chance?
Time for deliberation was scarce.
Sparks continued raining down, rapidly transforming the basement into an inferno.
‘First, extinguish the flames.’
Only then could he secure enough space to maneuver.
His instincts hadn’t yet reached their warning threshold.
The desire to extract information from the man still burned brightly.
Clang──! Clang──!
The whip’s assault persisted.
Ray split his focus twofold.
One part maintained the barrier.
The other prepared a new spell.
Huuuuum─!
Atmospheric mana converged around the man under Ray’s command.
The coalescing energy shone deep ocean blue.
Frigid droplets materialized midair.
Plop─! Splash─!
Their numbers multiplied explosively.
A gust of wind sent them swirling around the man in a watery vortex.
“What’s this…?! Casting two major spells simultaneously?! And with water element—? You’re no executioner…!”
His outcry was cut short.
The swirling water accelerated, engulfing him completely.
Whoooooosh──!
The vortex tore through everything in its path.
Water droplets sprayed in all directions.
The man’s fiery silhouette blurred, plunging the basement into deeper shadows.
Drip!
Blood trickled from Ray’s nose.
It dripped from his lips and chin onto the floor—a side effect of pushing his mental limits.
Whoooooosh──!
The vortex gradually slowed.
Droplets lost momentum, falling until the floor became a shallow pool.
When the whirlwind dissipated, its prey stood revealed.
The flames had vanished.
The man stood hunched, battered and drenched.
Water cascaded from his hair and limbs.
“......”
Ray remained vigilant.
Had he miscalculated the spell’s intensity?
He’d simply followed his instincts, visualizing flame suppression through elemental manipulation—a spell he’d never attempted before.
“Well.”
The man slowly raised his head.
“That was... entertaining magic. Keh-hick! Kek!”
His eyes lacked focus.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
With a fiery exhale, flames erupted from his lips despite his drenched state.
Mana still lingered in his ring.
‘He’s stronger. I can’t win now.’
Ray’s assessment was swift.
His instincts screamed warnings—the danger meter nearing its limit.
Staying meant near-certain peril.
Snap!
Ray moved like lightning.
He hurled a knife at the man’s face while pivoting toward the door.
To distract, he ignited flames on an untouched notebook atop a desk.
Whoosh!
Darting through lingering fires, he reached the door.
“Kehehehe. Hoooo──.”
The man remained stationary.
He ignored his burning notebook, drawing a deep breath through manic laughter.
Ray gripped the swollen door handle, mana protecting his hand.
Creeeak─ Creeeak─
Heat had warped the frame, resisting his pull.
“Hoooo── Hup.”
In that moment—
A torrent of flames erupted from the man’s mouth.
Kwaaaa──!
The firestorm billowed like a sandstorm, barreling toward Ray.
Clunk!
The door gave way.
Ray mustered every ounce of focus.
Enhancing his legs with mana, he bounded up the stairs.
Thudthudthudthudthud──!
Blistering heat licked his back.
Stopping meant annihilation—bones melted without trace.
‘Still in the safe zone.’
His inability to feel fear became an asset.
Ray sprinted toward the light above.
Upon reaching it, he threw himself sideways.
Kwaaaa──!
The flames exploded from the stairway.
Where he’d stood moments ago became a molten hellscape.
The inferno scorched the street’s air before vanishing skyward.
No casualties—the timing was mercifully desolate.
“......”
Ray muted his presence, listening intently.
Only eerie laughter echoed from below—no pursuing footsteps.
‘He won’t chase.’
Relocating slightly, Ray sat on the upper stairs.
He recovered stamina while monitoring the basement.
‘His magic was fundamentally different. The mana in his ring moved fluidly—colors blending rapidly.’
Ray’s eyes blazed with ambition.
He craved his own ring.
Only through such power could he grow stronger—closer to vengeance.
‘Vengeance…’
The image of a one-eyed mage surfaced.
An opponent beyond measure, boasting far more rings.
Vengeance seemed impossible.
The gap was overwhelming.
Yet Ray disagreed.
He believed he’d surpass that mage someday.
His quest for strength and retribution wouldn’t halt—it was merely a matter of time.
Clink.
He retrieved a crimson gem—likely the bloodstone mentioned in the letter.
‘Should’ve taken all four.’
He possessed four stones now.
One had been used to ignite flames in the basement, its mana reserves depleted.
Closer inspection revealed ambient mana flowing into the gem.
‘It recharges automatically. Almost like an artificial ring, except limited in color absorption.’
Though unconfirmed, the gem seemed to mimic ring functionality.
A viable alternative if ring creation proved impossible.
He’d consult the bookstore mage tomorrow.
Countless questions remained—
Magic and mana.
The Rainbow City of Mages.
Gemstones and rings channeling power.
Lost in thought, Ray exited the building.
A final glance backward.
The man’s haunting laughter still echoed upward.
He’d have Johnny from the diner monitor the basement.
‘We’ll meet again soon regardless.’
Cedric had mentioned the man’s periodic visits to the abandoned factory.
Ray turned away.
His footsteps never faltered as he left the district.
Swoooosh──
Rain poured through the predawn hours.
It battered the world relentlessly until sunrise, retreating reluctantly.
The cleansed sky offered brief respite.
The sun gasped for breath, scattering golden light across the city.
This reprieve was short-lived.
Dark clouds swarmed anew, devouring the heavens.
The sun’s final rays fought valiantly before being smothered.
Fragments of light scattered earthward.
One such fragment landed in Sector 49’s southern garbage dump.
From sky to ground.
Through a vehicle’s windshield.
Onto a boy’s eyelid.
“......”
Ray stirred awake.
He checked the salvaged pocket watch inside his car.
[AM 6:28]
He’d risen thirty minutes late—likely due to yesterday’s magical overexertion.
His mind felt unnervingly clear.
Exiting the vehicle, he stretched in the chill air.
‘Clear rain at dawn. Not the black kind.’
A rare occurrence.
Puddles reflected the morning light.
Ray moved briskly toward the Elton River tributary.
Kneeling at its bank, he scrubbed blood and grime from his face and limbs.
Splash. Splash.
The temporarily clean river offered a fleeting chance to wash.
Soon, upstream trash and runoff would taint it again.
Using bottled water from his car felt wasteful—in lower sectors, clean water cost more than liquor.
Though capable of conjuring water via magic, the mental toll wasn’t worth it.
Cleansed, he returned to exercise and eat.
[AM 7:12]
He headed inward, reaching 8th Street.
Dragging a crate, he settled before a shop.
The watch’s ticking filled the air as his appointment neared.
Tick. Tock.
Anticipation mounted with each passing second.
Finally, the shop’s lights brightened.
Faint footsteps approached before the door opened.
A girl emerged, speaking urgently:
“Come in. Grandfather’s been waiting.”
