The cloak loosely tied around him was blown away by [Alder] directly.
The iron bracers on his arms creaked under the strain of magical impact and physical strength, where the iron buckles linking the armor let out a "squeak squeak" sound.
But in the cat eyes behind those bracers, there wasn’t a hint of disturbance.
The genetic seed in the center of his chest coordinated the entire biochemical reaction of his body.
Muscle efficiency increased significantly, hormones began to secrete massively, stimulating the body.
"Boom-" The sound of the heartbeat was heavy and penetrating.
Upon first contact with the [Alder’s Rune] of the opponent, Lann’s nearly two hundred kilograms of bodyweight was directly lifted off the ground.
But as he adjusted his center of gravity and pushed his body downwards, the moment his boots reconnected with the ground, the power of his muscles exploded violently!
The sound of leather boots scraping the ground became extremely piercing as a result!
More than two hundred kilograms of thrust... Do you think I can’t hold it?
His right fist clenched tightly, resting at his waist like a heavy hammer that could blast out at the next second.
The distance between Lann and Belengar was less than three steps when he was ready to make a move.
Being abruptly thrust away added one more step.
But with a fierce charging posture, he could leap forward three steps in one move!
The remaining step was just enough to reach with a punch!
Belengar was still using the technique of the Wolf School to maintain the energy of [Alder].
He was now in a dilemma.
On one hand, without having consumed magic potions or equipped gear, the power of [Alder] was at its maximum.
And once the magic seal was cancelled, seeing that bear cub’s gaze... the pressure and force gathered in that punch after being suppressed by [Alder] might just blast my head off!
Just as Belengar looked at Lann’s right fist resting at his waist with a grim face, a black shadow suddenly flickered in his vision.
"You motherfucker! Deception!"
Belengar’s pupils contracted sharply, suddenly realizing this fact.
The output area of [Alder’s Rune] was similar to a cone, narrowing the closer it got to the Demon Hunter.
And after Lann got this close, he could completely stretch his arm out, letting a part of his body escape the influence of the magic seal.
The real attack on Belengar was not the right fist but the outstretched left hand!
The left palm, shaped like a tiger’s claw and freed from the reverse pressure, moved at least twice as fast as the body trunk!
To Belengar, it looked as if Lann had whipped out a whip.
With a "pop" sound, Belengar’s jaw was dislocated, his vertical pupils involuntarily rolled upwards, and the spittle at the corner of his mouth was sent flying.
This Demon Hunter only felt for a moment that the world was spinning, the light flickering.
Being hit on the jaw, dizziness was normal.
The magic seal broke due to loss of concentration, Lann entirely lost the resistance.
Belengar’s legs went soft, but before he collapsed to the ground.
Lann’s right hand clamped onto the other’s side face mid-air, directly pinning his head against the wall.
One should say that the Demon Hunter, indeed a warrior strengthened by magic, became clearer-minded instead due to Lann’s action of pressing his head against the wall after being hit on the jaw.
Instinctively struggling for a while, he found that in terms of pure strength, he couldn’t resist the guy behind him at all.
So this ageless Demon Hunter, directly like giving up, stopped resisting.
"Huff-Huff, you son of a bitch, what? The Bear School is now doing Cat School’s work too? And it sent their latest mutation result? Heh, indeed, Demon Hunters are a bunch of bastard playthings who don’t care about human lives!"
Perhaps not even considering he could still survive, Belengar’s voice was sharp and aggressive.
The Cat School is among the Demon Hunters’ schools, the one with the biggest mental issues due to mutations.
The Bear School members mostly lack emotions, while Cat School members mostly turn into psychological abnormalities.
And Lann’s exaggerated physical strength was considered by Belengar as another exploration of mutations by the Bear School.
But while he was acting reckless and furious, Lann, who was holding his head, furrowed his brows instead.
That tone of his... doesn’t sound like the people from the human trafficking side?
He doesn’t even sound like a Demon Hunter.
Lann was forcibly mutated, without the years of apprentice training, thus not feeling a sense of belonging to the Demon Hunter community, but what’s up with this guy?
Moreover, there were quite a few oddities in the confrontation just now.
"When you first saw me, you didn’t have the life-threatening crisis feeling, hence using a variant of [Alder], looked like you wanted to escape rather than turn to fight with a sword. But after you saw my emblem, you almost instantly got tense... Was it the emblem? Belengar, what is your school?"
The old Demon Hunter’s face twitched, responding dejectedly.
"Wolf School... I’m a Demon Hunter who abandoned my responsibilities. I thought it was people from my school coming to persuade me back. But after seeing your emblem, I understood you’re sent by those people to silence me, right? Huh, I shouldn’t have harbored any illusions, Demon Hunters’ eyes glow in the dark, they must have seen this..."
"’Those people’? What did you see that made you certain you’d be silenced?"
"It’s not what I saw, it’s what I transported... Wait! You’re not one of them?"
The sudden tone of surprise was interrupted by the increasing pressure on his face.
"The suppressed have no right to ask questions." Lann applied pressure, urging him. "Answer the question."
Seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, Belengar became concerned for his life.
"I- I’m a Demon Hunter, both my strength and recovery far surpass ordinary manual laborers. Relying on my body, I lived a stable life in Vizima for years, saved some money, even planned to open a smithy. But because I’m keen on working overtime, I was called by the Snake Fang Gang five nights ago... to transport something."
"They said it was timber, expensive timber bought from Novigrad. But the Demon Hunter’s senses are more reliable than hunting dogs. I could clearly smell, while moving, the scent of people within that pile of timber!"
Lann frowned but didn’t reproach Belengar for not taking action despite discovering an anomaly.
Not everyone is willing to fight disgusting and evil things to the end, desiring a peaceful life is beyond reproach.
Moreover, Belengar only knew there were people hidden in the timber, but not who they were.
Yet important information still needed to be asked.
"Where did you transport the timber to?"
"A large warehouse in the Temple District, it’s a cargo hub, uncountable goods move in and out daily."
Lann nodded silently.
Lots of people, huge logistics... Hard to trace but not hopeless.
Sensing the pressure on his face diminish, Belengar immediately tried to dissociate himself further.
"I really didn’t know who was hidden inside! I’m just a laborer trying to save money, if not for these cat eyes, I’m no different from ordinary people! I only wanted to live a normal life, so I left the school."
"Whether they hid assassins to infiltrate the city or helped fugitives escape and smuggle, I don’t care, really!"
"What if... they’re children?" Lann asked softly from behind him.
"Children? Are you kidding? Slave trafficking is illegal! Who would they sell so many children to? Who dares buy them?"
Belengar’s voice suddenly rose a tier, as if the word "trafficking" stimulated him.
He thus mocked furiously at Lann behind him.
Yet with the pressure on his face gone, and Lann’s quiet silence.
The old Demon Hunter, who should have been relieved he survived, now showed no trace of happiness.
He turned stiffly with wide eyes, receiving the answer from Lann’s silent, calm face.
"Really... children?"
Then trembled as he covered his face, his voice squeezing out as if from his lungs.
"Meretelli! What the hell have I done?!"