Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 119

Hina chuckled lightly and twisted the throttle, unleashing a deafening roar.

Kwaang!!

Instantly, a new, jet-black, beast-like machine shot off the hill, surging past dozens of motorcycles to take the lead.

Vroooom!!!

Immediately, the sound of engines starting echoed from behind as the other freelancers followed, their bikes roaring to life.

The barren plateau stretched out before them.

The feeling of riding across an open field, where the horizon was clearly visible, was exhilarating.

Even though Renok was sitting behind Hina, holding onto the handle tightly.

“Looking good, Magician!”

“Looks like we need to make way for you!”

“………”

The scenery and the speed of the bikes fueled the freelancers’ morale as they rode alongside their comrades.

The fact that the Executioners [Elite Agents known for their combat prowess] were directly participating in the operation also boosted their spirits.

The presence of the Executioners, considered to be the most powerful combatants among the Agents, was solid proof that they were not seen as expendable pawns.

Chen also chose a sleek bike and, with a cheerful expression, let the wind whip through his hair as he rode.

As they sped along, the landscape of Vulcan quickly receded.

Glancing back at the rapidly shrinking forest of giant buildings, Hina noticed Renok’s grip and said,

“If you’re worried about the handle, you can hold onto my waist. Don’t be scared.”

Renok sighed deeply at her smirking eyes.

“How long are you going to tease me?”

“Until we get off the bike?”

“It’s not that I can’t ride a bike, it’s just that I need to conserve my magic power as much as possible…”

“I’m just kidding.”

Hina smiled gently at Renok, who was frowning silently.

“I saw firsthand how powerful a magician you were during the temporary base recapture operation, Mr. Ban.”

“………”

“Seeing that, I was convinced. This operation can succeed. And for that, it’s right for you to conserve your magic power until the very last moment.”

…It seemed that the way he had deployed his magic when facing Daron had left a very strong impression on her memory.

It wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

Although he had worked with Hina on several operations before, that operation was the first time Renok had actually shown her his magic.

Even though she must have known how he fought through the data, her attitude had changed so drastically because she had become convinced of something.

Eventually, Renok closed his mouth and turned his head to the scenery around him, but his expression suddenly hardened.

“………”

“What’s wrong?”

Somehow, the scenery looked familiar.

Renok’s eyes calmly sank at the familiar sense of déjà vu.

He should have guessed to some extent when he heard the words ‘forced labor camp,’ but now that he saw this shabby alleyway, he finally realized.

“…I see.”

A jumble of gaudy neon signs and shabby lights. A labor camp where crumpled iron plates and worn-out signs were all mixed together.

He recalled the memory of being hit on the cheek and head for the first time. He remembered the days when he couldn’t sleep, spending the nights with his tired body and wide-open eyes.

He vividly remembered the unfamiliar feeling of killing someone for the first time and the cold sensation of the gun in his hand.

This labor camp was the very place where Renok had first opened his eyes in this world.

‘I had thought it would be somewhere outside the city, but…’

He had never thought of looking for it himself.

Before he had properly mastered magic, Renok was just one of the workers who had escaped from that factory just before dying.

That too, after stealing a supervisor’s gun and killing more than three people.

But after Renok had frantically honed his talent and stood tall as a magician, he had buried that memory along with his fear.

It had already been over a year.

He never imagined he would return to this place in this way.

The memories kept coming back.

‘Come to think of it, the supervisors here were paying tribute to an organization called the Union. And the things that the Union sold were…’

“…The grinders that black magicians use to grind corpses.”

“Ban. What are you talking about?”

Hina turned to him with a puzzled expression at his mutterings.

Renok opened his mouth, wondering if he should explain the fact he had just realized to her, but then just shook his head.

He knew that Craig and Falchion’s relationship was older than he thought, but it was not of great importance now.

What was important now was to quickly find and attack Falchion’s main base in the street where this labor camp was located.

“It’s nothing. The distance is getting closer, what are you planning to do?”

“Falchion’s base is located in the deepest part of the labor camp. Do you see it?”

At Hina’s words, Renok raised his head and looked up at the sky.

The sky that encompassed the huge labor camp. A black curtain that looked like dark clouds was enveloping the surroundings and descending darkly.

“It started to appear the moment we started approaching, and its shape is becoming clearer.”

“………”

“A barrier technique used by black magicians, the ‘Raven’s Shroud’… It’s famous as an impregnable fortress that freely allows entry from the outside, but never allows escape from within.”

Renok easily understood the meaning of those words.

“So, we’re the ones who have to go inside anyway. They must have thought there was no reason to hide since the location of their base was exposed.”

“That’s highly likely. There are two ways. Either we finish everything and get out before the shroud closes completely…”

“Or we blow the head off that black magician named Craig.”

Cheisha interjected, blowing a bubble with her gum.

The huge cartridges on both sides of her bike, which were about the size of a person, made it look quite unique.

It looked like a design that would not be out of place in a hail of bullets if you rode it once in a narrow alleyway.

A huge black shroud that covered an entire area.

He didn’t know what that shape, which had descended like a huge curtain covering the sky, meant, but what he had to do didn’t change.

“Of course, it would be good to give them a light greeting before entering. They must be noticing our approach by now.”

“A greeting?”

“Hey, mister, you don’t know?”

The answer came not from Hina, but from Cheisha, who was riding a monster bike several times her size right next to her.

Clank!!

With those words, the cartridge on the side of her bike burst open, and a piece of mechanical equipment emitting a bright red wave popped out.

Cheisha completely let go of the handlebars of her bike and grabbed it with both hands.

Renok’s expression briefly frowned at the sight of her grabbing the bike with just the strength of her thighs.

But when the mechanical equipment in her hand unfolded and turned into a huge bazooka that was over 2 meters long,

Renok couldn’t help but open his mouth slightly.

“Artillery exists for moments like this.”

Thwoom!!

She grabbed a missile that had been ejected from the wheel of her bike in mid-air, pushed the heavy iron lump into the muzzle, and adjusted her stance.

At the same time, the enormous red magic power rising from her whole body enveloped the gun and turned into a heavy wave.

Wiiiiiiiiing!!!

She aimed the muzzle at the sky and pulled the trigger.

Kwaaaang!!

A flash of light soared into the cloudy sky, scattering red waves.

The heavy roar that seemed to tear through the atmosphere made all the freelancers who were following behind raise their heads at once.

[What was she aiming at?]

Chen’s voice came through the earpiece, cutting through the roar of the bikes.

It would have been difficult to guess Cheisha’s intentions from the vague preemptive strike that was fired without a clear target.

However, Renok had somewhat guessed her intentions by looking at the flow of magic she was using just before she pulled the trigger.

That was probably because Renok had also used shooting support magic for a considerable amount of time, and there was a part that he could relate to.

“Is it an area-of-effect attack…?”

“Huh?”

Cheisha, who had immediately understood Renok’s mutterings, turned her head.

Her eyes, visible beyond the inflated bubble gum, were wide open.

“How did you know?”

[What are you talking about…]

Before Chen could finish his sentence, the cloudy sky opened up.

And from between the broken barriers, dozens of red flashes of light poured down.

Du-du-du-du-du!!!

A violent noise like a machine gun firing.

The endless rain of shells accurately struck the center of the labor camp that the allies were aiming for.

Explosions, including dirt, erupted everywhere, and the street quickly turned into chaos.

So much so that they couldn’t even pay attention to the freelancers who were riding their bikes and entering the labor camp in reverse.

Only then did the other freelancers, who had understood who was responsible for the bombardment that had started from beyond the sky and why she had suddenly done this, look at her with shocked expressions.

[She’s crazy. Is this the power of an Executioner?]

[To be able to do such precise concentrated fire while riding a bike…!!]

Like the freelancers’ honest admiration, Renok was also surprised, although he had guessed it by looking at the flow of magic that was finely divided in Cheisha’s hands.

How could the other freelancers be any different?

Cheisha, who casually accepted the admiring gazes, put the bazooka, which was bigger than her body, back into the bike’s cartridge.

As if this kind of thing was nothing.

“Then, let’s go.”

There was no answer.

Vroooom!!

Dozens of bikes simultaneously sped into the shabby streets of the labor camp.

No one was there to stop them in the street where black smoke was billowing.

To the Beginning (2)

Kwaaaang!!

[Team 3, move to the 3 o’clock direction, Team 4, move to the intersection at 7 o’clock and spread out the encirclement.]

The operator’s voice came through the earpiece.

The entire operating team was focused on this operation.

Considering the expected benefits of finding out and stopping Craig and Jaun’s goals, it was only natural.

[This is the terrorist organization’s base. If anyone approaches with suspicious behavior, don’t hesitate to attack first!]

At the same time, Renok slowly got off Hina’s motorcycle, listening to Chen’s overlapping words.

A deserted square with a small fountain.

In the past, this place was also built in anticipation of Vulcan’s city expansion plan, but now it was just abandoned, far away, at least tens of kilometers away.

Occasionally, there were people running away, frightened by Cheisha’s bombardment, but they were all either factory workers or supervisors.

Only the sound of gunshots in the distance made him realize that the other freelancers were fighting Falchion’s members.

“Hoo…”

At the same time, Hina frowned as he took out a feather pole from his pocket and lit it.

“…Smell.”

“………”

Renok silently put the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep breath.

The smoke that filled his mouth sharply hit his throat and pounded his lungs.

Immediately after, Renok felt the vitality of his body gradually starting to lighten and rotated his shoulders.

This amazing sensation that didn’t feel too floaty, but moderately invigorated and brought him back to life.

Even though he knew that this was the effect of a drug that had nothing to do with his body’s health, he sometimes felt like he was mistaken.

That one day, Renok could regain this body.