Bear School Astartes
Chapter 111. Vizima Round Two

Chapter 111: 111. Vizima Round Two

Lann entered Vizima for the second time.

This time, he wasn’t wearing a hooded cloak; he simply threw on a smock to cover the obviously expensive armor beneath.

According to the itinerary given by the barkeep, Lann, after having lunch, reappeared at Vizima’s port near nightfall.

His brilliant silver hair was dusted by Lann, turning dull.

His eyes maintained a slight squint, and unless inspected up close, those amber cat eyes wouldn’t catch much attention.

As he approached the port’s gate guard, Lann moved with the crowd, steering to one side of the gate, ensuring that only one guard would confront him directly.

Yet, even so, when nearing the gate, Lann clearly noticed the guard who was about to take money from him flash an expression of "having spotted the target but forced calm."

The entry checkpoint was indeed well-prepared.

Lann understood clearly.

Although he had hardly shown his face in Vizima, finding out about a person at this level of power wasn’t particularly difficult.

But Count Steza’s strength was anticipated.

"Mentos, activate the Magic Seal assist function."

"Yes, sir."

The Demon Hunter’s steps were calm and steady.

The firewall Mentos constructed against the phenomenon of [Memory Surge] had recently passed practical testing.

Thus, a considerable amount of computing power was freed from the project.

The [Magic Seal Assist Function] was brought back online.

Under the smock, the Demon Hunter’s left hand traced a faint white glow in the form of a magic seal.

As Lann approached the gate guard, the soldier tried to make his expression appear normal to prevent the target from becoming alert.

But just as the target neared him, he suddenly felt his boot buckle was somewhat askew... too askew, uncomfortable, and unsightly.

So he abandoned all other thoughts and immediately squatted down to adjust the boot buckle.

"Rebuckle... No, that’s not right! Again!"

Until Lann tossed a coin for the entrance tax and walked through the gate.

This gate guard was still persistently fussing over his boot buckle.

Completely forgetting he hoped to report on Lann for a handsome bonus moments earlier.

"This [Magic Seal Assist Function] session has ended."

Mentos’s calm artificial voice spoke.

Lann also released his fingers from the magic seal.

The gate guards were trained soldiers, experienced in battle. In theory, the [Yakxi Rune] couldn’t hypnotize their wills.

But Mentos and Lann had put effort into every magic seal.

Now, if discussing within the Bear School, Lann felt no one could play with the magic seals more elaborately than him.

Yes, the [Yakxi Rune] was of little use for the strong-willed.

And strengthening the magic seal often seemed unrealistic. Most Demon Hunters only managed to progress from clumsy to proficient with sealing skills in their lifetime.

That means shorter casting times, stable success rates, while the strength remained unchanged throughout life.

But Lann, during practice, discovered that [willpower] is an attribute that fluctuates.

He didn’t need to fully hypnotize the strong-willed.

As long as he made minor influences at the right moments, it was sufficient in most situations.

Hence the current application model was developed.

Under the [Magic Seal Assist Function], Mentos would perform a psychological analysis on the target before emitting the [Yakxi Rune] using its computational power.

Are they agitated? Do they have a psychological reaction due to slight physical discomfort?...

There will always be flaws.

Just like the gate guard earlier, the buckle on his boot was indeed uncomfortable.

And under the [Yakxi Rune]’s aid, even in a fight when a blade was upon him, he would unconsciously focus on his boot buckle.

Even trivial magic tricks like the Demon Hunter’s Rune, when paired with powerful computing and near-perfect execution, can develop impressive combat abilities.

But this casting mode’s disadvantages are not without.

Mentos’s psychological insight came from Lann, who wasn’t very knowledgeable in this area.

Most of the effects were supported by computational power.

If Mentos’s initial observation was wrong, then the misdirected power from the [Yakxi Rune] might not even confuse an enemy for fractions of a second.

And Lann would, in effect, waste a chance to cast the magic seal.

It’s somewhat of a gamble on probability.

Night fell like a veil.

The brightness of Vizima kept dimming.

In the affluent Trade District, the street torches and fires began to be fueled and lit.

But in the cluttered Temple District, and Old Vizima, nearly a dilapidated city, no one could expect such nonexistent municipal facilities.

In the ancient night before electric lights, if natural light conditions were poor, the darkness would be astounding.

Unlike the ancient cities of his homeland world, Vizima had no curfew.

Because there was no need for a security force to chase away civilians who roamed the streets at night.

Ghouls emerging from the cemetery, Water Ghosts rising from the city’s sewers at night... Ordinary citizens wouldn’t dare venture out in such circumstances.

The monsters worked better than security forces.

On Lann’s path onward, residents’ doors were shut one by one.

On the increasingly deserted streets, he headed directly to the Trade District.

The darkness became his camouflage.

The previously ingested [Cat] Magic Potion allowed him to detect torchlights held by patrolling soldiers two streets away using light

sensitivity vision.

The Trade District, due to its prosperous economy, resulted in a vibrant nightlife.

Lann passed by drunken merchants, women in low-cut tops and garter stockings, and in front of the inn he once stayed at, now locked and barred...

Finally, as darkness completely enveloped Vizima, he arrived next to the largest private building in the entire Trade District.

This manor built within the city.

— Count Prinslav Steza Manor.

In the light sensitivity vision bestowed by the [Cat], this manor was brightly illuminated by abundant firelight.

Just the illumination cost of this manor for one night was estimated to be dozens of Orens.

The Demon Hunter’s ears slightly twitched, and layer upon layer of footsteps echoed from the manor, near to far.

The footsteps were solid and powerful, accompanied by the sound of armor plates clinking and scraping against each other.

There were people patrolling around the manor’s outer walls, and inside, even the patrol routes crisscrossed each other.

But to Lann’s ears, with vision that could sense light intensity.

Patrolling soldiers, bound to torches and armor, appeared highly "visible."

"Crunch, crunch—"

The Demon Hunter twisted his neck, wrists, and ankles, calmly preparing for action.

In the next moment, with a "swish!" sound.

The boots scraped against the cobblestone pavement in a rapid motion.

A humanoid creature weighing nearly two hundred kilograms charged forward like a tiger!

Leaving shallow footprints on the manor’s outer walls, he flung himself over the walls over two people high.