Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 188

Plant (3)

As the young man’s body collapsed, as if shattering, the intense fluorescent glow that had raged like a dying flame vanished as if it were a lie. Only then did Renok, looking weary, rub his eyes. His weak body felt fatigued just from staring at that intensely bright light for so long.

Renok approached the fallen young man and pulled the dagger from his chest. Perhaps due to the severe backlash from his inner balance breaking, dark red blood flowed from every opening in the young man’s body. There wasn’t even time to hear his last words. The faint life that remained was solely due to his considerable skill as a mage.

It was ironic. At the very moment he achieved the magical feat he had yearned for his entire life, throwing everything away to obtain his domain, he collapsed, unable to even see the single dagger that approached him. But it was Renok himself who had gifted this contradiction to the young man at the end of his life. That’s why he must not forget it even more—the fact that Renok’s time, which he had run so fiercely, could also end in vain and futility.

Each time he defeated those who stood in his way like this, Renok steeled his mind not to forget his initial resolve. Renok, having risen from the young man’s corpse, stared blankly at the dagger stained with his blood. A sword that had stabbed both a priest and a fellow disciple—it wasn’t intentional, but its origins were bizarre. Considering the rumor that curse formulas become more powerful when time and stories are imbued in them, it wouldn’t be strange if this dagger also gained power in a different direction because of this incident.

“Considering the transfer ability of artifacts, it wouldn’t be bad to prepare a few more similar weapons…” It was possible to pursue diversity with magical attacks, but the important thing was to establish variables that would catch the opponent off guard. From Renok’s perspective, adding a few unconventional patterns like this was enough to turn the tables in a single move, so he could say such things. Reviewing the finished battle was important, but he needed to take care of what he had to do first. Thinking that, Renok immediately withdrew his magic power and slammed it into the ground below.

[Sinkhole]

GUUUUUUUNG!!

A huge hole immediately opened up in the ground below, and Renok’s body descended straight down into the underground. A three-dimensional sense that was on a different level from simply creating a deep pit. It was proof that, as Renok had guessed, something more than just an empty space existed beneath the plant. It was surprising that they were growing saplings like the Night Moon Tree above ground even after creating such an underground space… but anyone who knew the inside story would understand.

“I’ve arrived.”

Below the dark underground chamber, several dozen cylindrical glass tubes were slowly rotating and glowing, illuminating the surroundings. In the tubes, which were large enough for a human body to fit inside, naked men and women were floating with their bodies curled up and their eyes closed. An unknown fluid filled the tubes, supporting their life activities—or rather, had been supporting them, because there wasn’t a single human being alive in this place anymore. Even Davi hesitated for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite understand the scene.

[These are… humans.]

“Yes,” Renok replied. “They’re probably all mages or sorcerers of considerable skill. They must have focused on capturing those who could use magic, especially.”

[Were they using living sorcerers as a power source?]

“Do you know why the plant here was the most successful among the autonomous territory’s floating islands? They were supplementing the nutrients they should have obtained from the land with human resources.”

Even though he had already guessed, the shock of witnessing it firsthand was unavoidable. The sight of over forty tubes neatly arranged in all directions, the low noise of bubbles rising through the fluid in the tubes, and the dull thud of lifeless flesh colliding with the tubes. And the bizarre scene of the lines connected to the bottom of the tubes converging into one and extending into the dark abyss. Just stepping into this space made something crawl all over his body.

“They probably lured in skilled sorcerers by saying things similar to what they said to me, then used drugs to turn them into human batteries. Even though they knew that efficiency would drop if they confined this many sorcerers in one place, the reason they created this factory was…”

[To prepare for a situation like this.]

A heavy voice echoed from the depths of the underground chamber. As if waiting for it, Renok slowly turned his head at the words that were spoken in response. In the deep corner of the chamber, which was not illuminated even by the light emanating from the lives of the sorcerers, a low voice echoed from within the deep shadows.

[Nice to meet you. It’s the first time we’ve seen each other’s faces, right?]

“…”

[I thought we would meet again. The last fire magic I saw back then was very familiar… It’s not easy to forget that intense flame. Especially if one of you was helping with my business.] He let out a low laugh and continued, [But seeing your face, it seems the Magic Tower has reconsidered our business relationship. It’s very regrettable.]

He hadn’t even seen the situation outside, yet he had already grasped the entire context. Regardless of his bizarre tastes, one had to acknowledge that his insight was considerable. It was a wise choice to have completely changed his face and magic pattern. It had taken a long detour, but it seemed to have been enough to plant a clear misunderstanding, as Renok had intended. Renok crossed his arms and arrogantly raised his head. It was an expression that suited Vizen’s handsome face quite well.

“Dominic Cabaro. This is the end. If you promise to withdraw from the autonomous territory, we promise not to interfere with your business any further.”

[We… That’s a very grating sound. Does that mean your Magic Tower has established a new cooperative relationship with those disgusting lighthouse bastards?]

“…”

Renok kept silent. He had disguised himself as Vizen and stolen his unique magic, but Renok knew nothing about how the Blaver Magic Tower operated. Here, it was better to remain silent than to needlessly talk and give the drug lord an opening. If he was that intelligent, he would surely find his own answer from Renok’s subtle attitude. As expected, the drug lord clicked his tongue and let out a deep sigh.

[I wondered why a stubborn place like the Magic Tower had made such a big decision, but it’s like this after all. If a sorcerer like you had come directly to convey the will of the Magic Tower, it would be hard to think of it as a simple operation… It’s so difficult to work with idiots.] From what he was muttering, it seemed he had already guessed what Renok was trying to do, but Renok was confident that his deception would not be discovered. He could disguise his face as much as he wanted, but copying another person’s magic pattern—and being able to handle the opponent’s unique magic to a considerable degree—was something that no one but Renok could do. How could he know about Renok’s ability to freely use unique magic based on his transcendent magic manipulation ability comparable to an 8th-level archmage and common magic? No matter how outstanding and sharp-sighted the drug lord was, all he could see was a fire mage of considerable power.

[Unfortunately, my answer is—]

“It’s a refusal.”

The voice that had been heard only as a solemn telepathic transmission suddenly changed to a spoken voice. Immediately after, a pale flash of light shot from the darkness and instantly struck Renok’s shield. Instead of resisting the immense impact, Renok flew backward and floated into the air with anti-gravity magic.

KWA-AA-AAANG!!

Using the impact as a springboard, he quickly escaped from the underground chamber. The power was enough to shatter four shields in one attack. If he didn’t stay alert, it wouldn’t be strange if his shield was pierced in an instant. While rubbing his temples with a tired face, the hole that Renok had dug towards the chamber collapsed, and a massive amount of soil began to flow into the chamber. Due to the aftermath of the rampant fire magic, the soil of the plant had turned to ashes, losing its cohesiveness and filling the underground space. The ash that was eating away at the entire surface of the plant and filling the hole did not stop and continued to rise, creating a huge mountain of ash. A man, naked, sat on the top of that mountain, slowly rising above the ground and looking down at Renok. A young man’s face that was completely different from the age of mid to late forties that was known. A sturdy physique and a large build that could be seen even from a distance. And the magic power swirling around his entire body clearly showed how he had tried to arrive in this autonomous territory. If it was only sending his consciousness, there was no limit to distance and speed. Furthermore, it explained how he had appeared here, breaking through the barrier of the autonomous territory that was isolated from the outside. Dominic Cabaro had transferred only his consciousness to a homunculus [an artificially created being] and arrived here directly. The existence of the homunculus that was guarding his drug warehouse was probably a process to produce such a result. The reason why all the human batteries that should have been used to manufacture drugs were dead was also understandable if you thought that it was to quickly take over this body.

Dominic looked down at Renok with a sharp gaze and then stood up. He slowly walked down the mountain of ash, took the clothes of the young man buried nearby, and put them on, then burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha!!”

KOO-OO-OO-OO…!!

Just by expressing his emotions with a simple action, a tremendous amount of magic power surged, shaking the area. What was the potential of the body that had been created by sucking the magic power and lives of dozens of sorcerers? Moreover, it was a relic of the now-vanished WORLD 1.0. It was impossible to even easily guess its power.

“For a long time, I have admired the overwhelming power of Pandemonium [a chaotic and powerful organization].” Dominic muttered, clenching his fist. “It wasn’t difficult to admit that the most basic logic of this world was not money but power… but I lacked the means to obtain it.”

“…”

“But now, it seems that all the deficiencies I needed have been filled.” He slowly clenched his fist and slowly turned towards Renok. “Once I find the hidden place of you lighthouses and kill the lackeys of the Watchers with my own hands, I will be able to gain some recognition in Pandemonium… From there, I will take control of that unknown organization.”

“I think you’re mistaken about something,” Renok chuckled and retorted. “Was Pandemonium an organization that could be described with the grand term of a secret society?”

The Pandemonium he knew was an organization where there was no shared resolution, no proper hierarchical relationship, and the relationships between members were as faint as grains of sand. What made such Pandemonium a true hall of demons was the overwhelming power and individuality of each member, not the size or history of the organization. There was no room for hollow words like organizational power or unity in that intense reputation.

Dominic also smiled faintly instead of denying those words. “You know Pandemonium well. What you said is not wrong.”

“…”

“It is true that there are many monsters who act as they please… but even so, the meaning that Pandemonium has is clearly present.” At the same time as his eyes flashed, a light made of magic power overflowed. “Even if the values and ideas put forward by those like grains of sand, they were definitely approaching the truth in my eyes. There’s no need to think about it any further.”

Dominic took a step forward and rolled up his sleeves. “I will realize the secrets of this world and survive to the end.”

SHUUUUUU-!!!

Immediately after, a massive amount of steam erupted from his arm where he had rolled up his sleeve. Before he could fully grasp the determination contained in those words, the battle with the drug lord had begun.