"Kidnapping in Uptown"

Over the next few days, Alex did not wait around for updates on Kelly. Instead, Ella came to visit him a few times, bringing along various items for Alex to evaluate as a potential magic item. This caused Alvis to raise an eyebrow and Ella's eyes to sparkle with excitement. On one particular day, Alex decided to visit the old one-eyed shop again to see if he could obtain a set of military knight equipment.

Alex has always wanted to upgrade the equipment of his skeleton soldiers, replacing their rusty round shields and short swords with enchanted rifles to give them long-range attacks. However, obtaining military equipment can be difficult without special access due to strict shopping regulations. These enchanted rifles, specifically designed for knights, can infuse the knight's vindictive energy into the bullets, making them highly lethal even against extraordinary individuals.

This is why the government relies on these rifles as their main deterrent against extraordinary people. If thousands of people were to hold Legions with enchanted rifles, even high-level formal mages would be forced to retreat.

Alex is worried about whether the enchanted rifle will retain its original power when used by his skeleton soldiers, who lack fighting spirit and only possess the psychic energy of the undead attribute.

He decides to try it out and seeks out the old one-eyed, who is known for his great powers in PARSLOV City. Old One-Eyed agrees to help, but initially asks for a price of thirty gold pounds, which is significantly higher than the ex-factory price of the rifle. Alex refuses and leaves, but the old one-eyed chases after him and offers a 30% discount.

Alex still tries to bargain for a lower price and eventually agrees to pay fifteen gold pounds per rifle, with the possibility of negotiating for a better price if he orders more. Satisfied with the final price, Alex returns to his carriage in a good mood.

It was already evening when Alex's horse-drawn carriage travelled along the gas-lit avenue in Uptown. As they passed through a nearby park, Alex saw a small figure emerge with a white kitten in their arms. Upon recognizing the figure as Lelisa, Alex smiled knowing that the young girl's mischievous nature had led her to venture out in the dark.

Alex watched as Lelisa ran towards the castle, slowing down the carriage to avoid being noticed. Suddenly, a reckless black carriage rushed out from a fork in the road and sped past them.

There are wealthy individuals living in the area and nobody dares to drive a carriage recklessly because they fear causing an accident that could potentially harm someone related to a noble. Alex noticed that the carriage was driving carelessly and watched it cautiously. As it turned sharply, Lelisa, who was running, saw the carriage and wisely moved to the side of the road to avoid being hit.

However, the carriage unexpectedly stopped and two people, dressed in all black with hats and scarves covering their faces, emerged. They exuded an intimidating presence.

Alex noticed that something was off and quickly grabbed a staff. He shouted for the driver to speed up and then jumped out of the carriage. He ran towards Lelisa and cast two spiritual spells, summoning two skeleton soldiers. He prepared to use bone spurs in case he needed to cast the spell again.

Meanwhile, two men in black were blocking Lelisa, who tried to escape because she sensed something was wrong. The little girl looked increasingly helpless as she hugged the milk cat. It became clear that this was a planned kidnapping, with the target being the GOLDERT family's little princess. One of the men had a black and white photo, which he used to confirm the identity of their target before taking Lelisa away like a chicken.

Alex was worried as he was too far from the carriage to catch up. However, the skeleton soldiers were able to quickly catch up and one even managed to climb on top of the carriage. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, causing Alex to panic as he had no means of defending himself against bullets.

He knew that only by becoming an apprentice of a high-level necromancer and learning defensive magic such as [Bone Shield] or [Bone Armor] would he be able to withstand ordinary firearms. Even the Great Magician would have difficulty facing a large group of knights with enchanted rifles.

The skeleton soldier on the carriage door was shot and fell to the ground, but their soul fire remained lit, and they quickly got back up. Alex, seeing this, knew he had to use his [Hard-Skinned Ghoul] trump card to protect Lelisa from being kidnapped.

Before he could act, however, an old and hoarse voice spoke up, warning them to surrender or face the consequences. Suddenly, an arcane missile struck the ground, creating a large pit in front of the carriage. Its speed and power surpassed that of a bullet or grenade.

The driver and two men in black, who had just kidnaped Lelisa, were shocked to find that they had provoked two magicians. They saw the power of the arcane missile and realized that the other party was a highly skilled magic apprentice. The large hole in the cement road left by the missile further stunned them, as they had only planned to capture a single 10-year-old girl, not face such formidable opposition.

Meanwhile, the two skeleton soldiers who had been previously driven back threatened them again. Alex, aware that Dr. Fauci was approaching due to his recognizable voice, ordered the skeleton soldiers to surround the kidnappers and block their escape. Dr. Fauci emerged from the shadows, his blue magic robe trembling with each step as he brandished his staff, ready to launch another arcane missile at any moment.

The two kidnappers are visibly scared and hesitant to fight against the magicians in front of them. However, the driver suddenly becomes angry and jumps out of the carriage, kicking one of the men in black and taking Lelisa from him. He holds a revolver to Lelisa's head and threatens to shoot her if anyone interferes. He also scolds the other two kidnappers, saying they have no choice but to continue with the plan since they have already kidnapped the nobleman's daughter