Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 99

Both groups hold considerable social status in this city.

While it’s understandable for nobles to be born into privilege, martial artists also struggle to join a martial lineage without innate talent.

In fact, it could be considered as rare as encountering a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower.

Of course, there were plenty of strong individuals like Dylan and Mila who weren’t affiliated with such lineages, but no one is unaware of how important it is to systematically hone one’s talent.

However, Felix immediately shook his head at Lennox’s words.

‘You just haven’t met them yet, but you’ll encounter quite a few soon enough. If you keep progressing as you are now, you will eventually.’

‘……..’

‘It feels like just yesterday I started hearing about Dylan having a useful mage, and now everyone in our office knows your name. With that kind of talent and judgment, there will be many more places looking for you than there are now.’

‘Is that a scout offer?’

At Lennox’s question, Felix laughed as if it were absurd.

‘Hahaha…!! If you were thinking of joining our office, you would have seen my face the day you first met Dylan. We always welcome skilled mages, but… I’m not thick-skinned enough to keep bothering you after seeing your path. At least, it’s impossible for me.’

He said that and then looked down at Lennox with a grin.

‘But since you seem to get along quite well with Dylan, I’m just giving you some advice. If he likes you, then at least you’re far from being a piece of trash with a rotten personality.’

‘…..Thanks for the compliment.’

‘Dylan and Mila probably already told you, but come visit the office sometime. Antares is curious about you.’

Contrary to his very fierce first impression, he engages in very articulate and logical conversations.

Is he the type who has as much in his head as he has in his thoroughly trained body?

He’s very different from the typical image that comes to mind when you think of a ‘birdbrain’.

Considering that he calls Antares by his name without hesitation, unlike other mercenaries from other offices, it was clear that he was not an easy opponent.

Lennox, who had been watching Felix disappear with Mila, who was grumbling about him talking too much, finished his thoughts and turned his steps.

Was it a coincidence that a mercenary from a mercenary office was in the botanical garden at this time?

Unless the two were enjoying a cozy date in the sunny area full of citizens, their purpose for being here would be no different from Lennox’s.

‘It seems the Antares office is also a customer of the orchard….’

Was it for selling or buying?

Lennox, who had stored the information he couldn’t know right now in a corner of his mind, immediately went down to the orchard.

#

The purple mist that filled the lower part of the basement was still there.

However, unlike before when he couldn’t see an inch ahead, Lennox’s eyes began to see more.

The composition of mana, the structure of the barrier. The moment he became curious about the contents beyond the essence of the purple mist that was blocking his view, the shadow of the answer naturally appeared.

A blurry stall in front of him, and the figure of someone sitting there.

And it was clearly different from the old man he knew.

‘……..’

But when the mist cleared and revealed itself, it was the same old man’s face as before.

The old man, with a pipe in his mouth, looked up at Lennox’s face and grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

‘Oh, who do we have here.’

‘It’s been a while.’

‘A welcome face has arrived. Please, have a seat.’

‘……..’

His reputation had certainly grown since the last time he came, so he expected the treatment to be different, but he didn’t expect it to be this blatant.

The old man’s actions of pulling out a decent chair from behind the stall to make a seat for Lennox were truly materialistic.

It was strange that he didn’t feel so hateful even though he was being so blatant.

Lennox chuckled and sat down on the chair the old man had brought.

‘I’ve been listening to the rumors about our mage for a while now.’

The old man rubbed his hands together and his eyes sparkled.

‘I knew it from the first time you came here. That you would become a very capable person who would sweep up money with your outstanding talent…!’

‘….Is that so?’

He was sure that he had been lecturing him before, asking if he was still alive or dead.

As if that image was Lennox’s delusion, the old man’s attitude was extremely polite.

‘If you’re making that much money, it wouldn’t be bad to cultivate your hobbies, would it? I’ve picked out some very good items for you. There are plenty of things that friends who like tobacco would go crazy for.’

The old man said that and began rummaging through the crowded shelves behind the stall.

‘I won’t make it long. Take a look first.’

With those words, the old man began to place more than a dozen different items on the stall.

From those with brown, black, or dark green colors, to long pipes, or thick and solid items like cigars, were visible.

‘Then I’ll tell you what these items are used for.’

The old man put down the items and began to briefly explain them one by one.

Strength enhancement, concentration, stamina enhancement…. All of them were items that temporarily doped the user’s mind and body, and in return, caused a rebound later.

He knew exactly what kind of drugs Lennox wanted.

Among them, there were items that caught his interest in a very novel way.

The old man also noticed Lennox’s gaze like a ghost and quickly picked up the item and continued his explanation.

A dark reddish-brown body with a jet-black filter. A tobacco that looked unusual, with gold around it.

‘It’s called Double Scarlet. You have a very good eye. This is a very interesting item, as its name suggests.’

‘……..’

‘It provides two completely different effects depending on how you inhale it. While rolling the smoke in your mouth, it simply makes your five senses more sensitive, but if you light it and deeply inhale it into the depths of your lungs….’

The old man grinned.

‘You’ll feel like your blood is running backwards.’

In short, it was a tobacco that had different effects depending on whether you took a drag or a deep inhale. It was a very novel idea, even for Lennox.

Since it was a civilization with advanced magic, was this how doping agents were being made?

‘Actually, this is an item that is more commonly used by psychics than by mages or warriors like you. Since the correlation between mana and psychic powers is not clear, many psychics cannot find a way to enhance their senses or physical abilities.’

This item can be a very good partner for those friends, the old man said, handing the tobacco to Lennox.

‘Would you like to try one and decide?’

‘…..I’d like to see the other items first.’

The money Lennox brought for this visit was 20 million cells.

Considering that he usually buys dozens of pieces at a time, Lennox was willing to try even items that cost hundreds of thousands of cells per piece.

‘Even if I can’t gain an advantage in physical ability, I need to reduce the chances of being held back in future fights.’

The more he wanted, the more powerful opponents he would meet.

As Lennox’s reputation and value increased, the requests he received would also become more difficult and challenging than they were now.

Cashburn had been a great help in making Lennox’s radius of activity no different from that of other ordinary people, but now that was not enough.

At least, he had to be able to obtain the physical ability of a superhuman who could use mana, just by doping.

He didn’t want much.

Since Lennox’s disorganized motor skills would make even attempting close combat a loss.

To suppress pain during combat and help with movement even a little.

Lennox knew very well how precious that brief moment of time spent on movement was.

‘I also need to be careful about the side effects of taking it…. It’s difficult.’

If the effect was good, the side effects were strong, and conversely, if the side effects were weak, the effect was not as good.

Items that could provide both were either low in quantity or extremely expensive.

Rather than trying to get various functions, it was best for Lennox to choose one effect he wanted and choose an item with the least side effects within that.

In the end, after much deliberation, Lennox chose the Double Scarlet, which the old man had recommended at first, and two types of tobacco called Feather Fall.

It made the body feel lighter when inhaled, and at the same time, it had a main doping effect, so it was one of the prohibited drugs commonly used among track and field athletes.

It was questionable whether pumping up his agility in this way would be useful in actual combat… but at least it was better than extreme painkillers like Defiler-2.

He had learned a lot from his fight with Beck Clinton.

No, in fact, what Lennox was doing now was nothing more than preparation to face superhumans who were specialized in such physical abilities.

He wanted to avoid his weak body holding him back at that crucial moment that determined victory or defeat.

Of course, he was painfully aware that he couldn’t solve the fundamental problem with just this.

But wasn’t it true that he could only look to tomorrow if he won today?

At least for Lennox, there was no victory that was worse than defeat.

This precarious tightrope walk would only be possible if Lennox finished every battle he faced with a victory.

As the world doesn’t always go as planned, he had almost fallen a few times, but he had managed to hold on so far.

‘You have a complicated face.’

The old man, who was packing the tobacco in a case, glanced up at Lennox and said.

‘There must be a reason why a talented mage like you is looking for these things. I understand.’

‘……..’

‘But you know, right? These are not things that can simply be dismissed as medicines. Rather, they are products like balloons that have greatly inflated only one positive effect of medicine. If you take them wrong….’

The old man spread his arms wide and gave a cold smile.

‘Be careful. I hope you come back in one piece next time.’

His attitude, which had seemed so humble at first, was gone, and it seemed like he was changing his face as soon as he was done with his business.

Even that seemed to be just another amusement for the old man.

Instead of bothering to respond, Lennox just chuckled and immediately left the orchard.

He knew now that there was nothing more meaningless than spending time worrying about what the old man had said.

What he had warned was not entirely empty words, but it wasn’t as if he was really worried about Lennox either.

He was just changing his attitude and testing his reaction for the sake of momentary pleasure, wanting to see his reaction.

Perhaps that kind of method was the best way to survive in this city.

Lennox, who was rummaging through the tobacco cases that filled his bag, immediately took one out and put it in his mouth.

Double Scarlet.

Unlike Feather Fall, which he had purchased for intensive use during combat, it was a product he had chosen as a replacement for Cashburn.

He had been thinking that it was time to change because of his tolerance to the drug, but when he thought about completely switching to a new product, leaving Cashburn, his mind became complicated.

Would his body get worse than it was now? Would it interfere with his daily life?

Minor and awkward worries. Excessive concerns that he had never thought about or needed to worry about when he escaped the factory.

But from Lennox’s point of view, who had more things in his hands, it was natural to think about them.

‘……..’

Was he afraid of change? That was wrong.

Since the moment he opened his eyes in this world, the only emotions Lennox felt were unfamiliarity and fear.

So he shouldn’t hesitate.

The more he saw the faces of happy families around the botanical garden, the colder Lennox’s expression became.

He was used to steeling his heart alone.

Lennox’s body quickly disappeared among the people.

Clue

Back to District 40.

This place is full of entertainment districts and clubs.

A room in the Lealta Club.

Lennox found Raul and briefly explained what had happened.

The intervention of the city government agents. The slush funds that Senator Leisen had, and the terrorist organization Falchion, which had joined hands with the black mages.

None of them were big problems that could be easily overlooked.

It was difficult to tell him the specifics of the ongoing operation, but it was not difficult to tell him how much progress had been made.

‘So that’s what happened…’

Raul, who had been listening to Lennox’s story with a serious expression, nodded his head.

His expression, lost in thought, looked much older than before.

‘It’s not an easy problem to solve. The leader of those black mages…. His name was Craig. Now that that man has joined hands with Falchion, it’s even more so.’

‘I know what Falchion is.’

The terrorist organization Falchion was well known to the citizens of Balkan, as much as Raul had heard the name himself.

A strange place that doesn’t stay in one city and wanders around undeveloped areas.

It was one of the most dangerous elements that those who planned to travel between cities should be aware of, as it was a large organization formed by gathering criminals who lived by looting and killing.

In particular, the leader of Falchion, Jaun Audis, was a well-known figure on the deep web, and a high-risk criminal whose danger level was equivalent to an A-class wanted order.

Lennox, seeing Raul’s complicated expression, waited patiently for his answer.

He had entrusted the work to Lennox because he wanted to maintain the reputation of the black mages, but the moment they joined hands with Falchion, it was already beyond the two of them.

Considering the recent oppression of the black mages belonging to the Bu-ye faction, they wouldn’t be able to go out recklessly, so there was nothing they could do on their own.

In the end, Raul’s options were set.

Either give up and wait for the situation to end, or actively cooperate with the city government and find a way to survive in Balkan even after the inspection.

There was no need to say which option he, as an elder leading a faction, would choose.