Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 348

Lenox scratched his cheek at that cold reaction.

“Wasn’t that why you wanted to move as a team with me? I thought you wanted a partner who could assist with focusing on sniping… I don’t know what you’re suddenly talking about.”

“No, that’s… well…”

Ivelyn said, glancing at Lenox, then suddenly started to rub her shoulder.

“Oh, I pulled the bowstring too much, my arm hurts so much.”

“……”

“My shoulder also feels a bit stiff, and my neck feels a bit sore…”

[This person is terrible at beating around the bush.]

As Davi said, Ivelyn was subtly watching Lenox, but her intentions seemed clear.

Lenox stared blankly at Ivelyn, who suddenly started bending her arm awkwardly and patting her waist.

Was she a little dissatisfied with focusing on sniping for three days straight?

He thought he had devised a plan that would maximize her archery skills, but things never went as planned.

Even as Lenox thought this, he sighed slightly and stood up.

Ultimately, it was Lenox who suggested this kind of collaboration, and it wasn’t a lie that Ivelyn had worked harder than Lenox.

He didn’t know why she was suddenly sulking, but considering what she had done so far, granting her request wasn’t difficult.

When Lenox started tapping her shoulder with the back of his hand, Ivelyn turned her head sharply to look at him.

Lenox chuckled, seeing her green eyes wide with surprise, as if she hadn’t expected it at all.

“I can’t do it for long. Look ahead.”

Lenox said, tapping Ivelyn’s shoulder as she turned her head.

“You probably realize it too, but my body isn’t that physically strong.”

“…I know.”

“Maybe I’ll be physically lacking inside the labyrinth. So, in that case…”

He roughly tapped her back a few times and then took his hand away.

“Let’s help each other out, without burdening each other.”

Ivelyn would probably manage on her own without Lenox’s help.

Lenox had also been doing his best in everything with that thought in mind, but he wasn’t entirely sure if that would be possible inside the labyrinth they were about to enter.

The interior of the labyrinth was a different dimension created by an Ascender’s power. In fact, it was unknown how long the path and journey would be.

As they were taking a considerable risk by entering the labyrinth, Lenox didn’t want to hold Ivelyn back because of his weaknesses.

“Is there anything else you want?”

“……”

Ivelyn didn’t say anything, just looked up at Lenox.

Lenox brushed off her gaze and said,

“There isn’t much time left before the entrance to the labyrinth opens. It’s best to rest comfortably before that.”

At the moment when the labyrinth’s structure periodically flips entirely, the structures that make up the labyrinth move, creating a crack through which one can enter.

According to the information gathered by the watchers who arrived before Lenox, the margin of error was at most a day or two.

They would probably have to abandon their current location and enter the labyrinth between tomorrow and the day after.

They had been working tirelessly for the past three days to eliminate their competitors, so it seemed okay to rest for the remaining half-day.

“Then…”

Ivelyn pretended to think for a moment, then smiled brightly and said,

“I want to sleep, will you wait until I fall asleep?”

“…That’s not a difficult task.”

When Lenox entered the tent and sat next to her, Ivelyn lay down in her sleeping bag, smiling and closing her eyes.

“We’ve been taking turns on watch for three days… It’s okay to do this for the last day, right?”

“Did you not like sleeping alone? I didn’t know that.”

“Who would like it?”

“……”

Lenox didn’t answer. He also hadn’t liked the nights he had to fall asleep alone before he created Davi.

He stared at her sleeping face for a long time.

It was probably the result of training to fall asleep easily in any environment, rather than just being physically and mentally tired.

What kind of ending did Ivelyn Marcia want, and what was she accepting as her duty in her current position?

The time she had lived as the head of the agents wouldn’t have been easy, and the darkness of the city would have been much more sordid than she had imagined.

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t feel an inner closeness to her, who was not only a skilled collaborator and a capable trading partner, but also someone he had known for several years.

She had consistently built a friendly relationship with Lenox, and she was also the one who had saved Lenox’s life.

At that moment when he encountered the out-of-standard monster called Kraken Acilus in the factory, would Lenox be here now if it hadn’t been for Ivelyn’s help?

Now he understood that the Kraken was not just a monster driven by slaughter, but nothing was certain.

Only the fact that he owed her a debt of gratitude for saving his life remained.

With that alone, Lenox felt a sense of responsibility towards Ivelyn.

She was the one who had broken Lenox’s determination from the start, the determination to live in this world without owing anything to anyone.

“……”

Lenox, who had grabbed Davi’s three fluffy tails and stuffed him inside his coat, got up from his seat.

He had only taken some time to make Ivelyn comfortable.

Someone had to keep watch near the labyrinth.

Sitting on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the canyon below, Lenox said to Davi.

“Check if the equipment installed at the foot of the mountain is still working. The environment of this snowy mountain isn’t very good, so it wouldn’t be strange if they stopped working at any time.”

[Okay.]

“Antares said there’s no need to be impatient, but that’s only after we enter the labyrinth.”

Lenox’s eyes shone sharply as he looked down at the grand white tetrahedron labyrinth.

“We’ll be the first to enter that place.”

* * *

The day after three days and one night had passed.

The relentless battles that had been raging everywhere began to subside rapidly.

Instead of rashly raising their magic power and stepping forward, they were all busy watching each other.

Until now, the priority had been to reduce the number of competitors and secure a favorable position, but now everyone knew that there was something more important than that.

As if representing their feelings, the huge labyrinth that filled the bottom of the canyon began to vibrate slowly.

Kugugugugugu!!!

The huge pyramid that filled the canyon vibrated in place and slowly began to twist.

In a brief moment when all the structures that made up the labyrinth simultaneously changed their positions and created new paths.

The labyrinth, so precisely and grandly made that it was hard to believe it was the result of barrier magic, changed as if it were alive.

Before they knew it, those who had settled near the labyrinth and were waiting for the right moment were densely lined up.

What was reflected in their eyes, about to face the Ascender’s ideological war, was not fear, but anticipation and greed.

If something had happened to Jintun, his legacy within this huge labyrinth might be theirs.

That possibility was showing them an indescribable excitement and a rosy future.

“We’ve finally made it this far.”

As someone’s words flowed out, someone else naturally looked back at the snowy mountain behind them.

“Those damn snipers, are you sure they haven’t left the snowy mountain?”

“Of course.”

A man with gritted teeth replied.

“I’ve checked several times. They won’t be able to come near here until the labyrinth opens.”

“It’s a bit of a shame. I was thinking of just killing them if they tried to sneak out, looking for an opportunity…”

The man’s threatening words were not empty.

In fact, they had even considered joining hands with other organizations to catch the snipers who had been killing their allies at any time for three days.

They had never imagined that the fear of death coming from an unseen place could be so terrifying and hateful, even at such a high level of hierarchy.

“Hmph, but it seems they have some brains. Were they not thinking of focusing on sniping from the beginning and aiming for the labyrinth?”

“It seems so. They must have been planning to give up their greed and focus on supporting their allies.”

“Good… Then it doesn’t matter. After all, there’s only one reason why we came to this canyon.”

The man’s eyes gleamed with undisguised anticipation.

“If Jintun really failed to ascend and died, and if we can get even a little bit of his legacy… dealing with those guys is not a problem.”

It wasn’t just about gaining enormous wealth and fame.

If it was the legacy left by a transcendent who had already attempted ascension once, there would surely be a treasure that could break through the wall of the blocked hierarchy.

If they could get their hands on it and rise as the next generation of powerhouses… they might even get the qualifications to challenge ascension.

The eyes of the superhumans, who had been immersed in endless hope, returned to reality as the cracks in the labyrinth in front of them grew larger and larger.

Kugugugugugu!!!

The shape of the labyrinth’s outer wall changed as it was reassembled. The appearance of the cracks leading into the labyrinth that were revealed in between.

There were not a few who had been waiting for this moment for over a month.

No one looked at it for long.

“Let’s go!!”

“Waaaaaaa!!”

With fervent shouts, nearly a thousand superhumans rushed towards the labyrinth.

“Get out of the way!!”

“That entrance is for our Jita Alliance!!”

“Take the position and block the others!! Prevent them from going in as much as possible!!”

Those who had been watching each other just a moment ago were now firing magic at each other as they rushed towards the entrances that had opened in all directions of the labyrinth.

The snowy field, which was instantly filled with explosions and roars, turned into a bloody battlefield again, but no one stopped.

At the very moment when people were about to take their first steps towards the cracks in the labyrinth that were endlessly rotating and opening in all directions.

Kuuuuuung!!

A huge vibration that shook the entire canyon echoed from behind them.

“……”

“Wait, what is this…?”

Those who turned around a beat late, without fail, realized the cause of the unusual shock and their faces hardened.

“No way, no way…!!”

“Shit…”

Kugugugugugugugugu!!!!

Beyond that unbelievable vibration, the snowy mountain that had stood tall above the canyon was collapsing.

A huge pile of snow rising like a giant tidal wave from above the canyon and pouring down.

At the center of the avalanche that seemed to overturn the entire area.

“Shall we go?”

“Faster, faster!!”

Lenox and Ivelyn began to rush towards the labyrinth at tremendous speed, using a huge carapace as a board.

* * *

Swaeeeeeeeeeek!!!

“Ban, the sense of speed is amazing!!”

Ignoring Ivelyn’s excited cheers from behind, Lenox delicately adjusted the position of the carapace under his feet.

The important thing was to hold the two of them together with magic power and maintain a stable balance.

There was no need to check the direction.

The avalanche caused by collapsing the entire snowy mountain was pouring down into the canyon and rushing towards the center of the labyrinth.

Dududududududu!!!!

A grand vibration like thousands of people drumming at the same time. The loud roar that shook even his insides made Lenox’s head shake faintly.

Lenox nodded faintly as he confirmed the endless piles of snow collapsing and pouring down from all directions.

‘It worked much better than I thought.’

The reason why Lenox had secured the high ground of the snowy mountain and poured sniping fire down into the canyon was not just to help the other watchers.

The further they moved away and started providing support fire, the further they naturally moved away from the labyrinth.

If they didn’t secure a position in advance before the labyrinth opened, their entry point would naturally be delayed compared to other competitors.

However, if they rashly came out of the snowy mountain and revealed themselves, they would likely become targets of the enemies who were waiting for them.

That’s why Lenox had decided from the beginning to fall into the canyon in a way that no one else had imagined, instead of approaching the labyrinth on foot.

By using the huge avalanche that Lenox himself had created.

[The last 235th trap has been detonated. The shock transmission to all the snow piles within a 2km radius of the canyon is complete.]

“Good.”

[The damage range is 410% wider than expected. From here on, it will be difficult to calculate the aftermath of the avalanche.]

“Don’t worry.”

He installed dozens of bombs purchased from Palmer’s workshop on the slopes of the snowy mountain and in areas where snow was concentrated.

He then used Davi’s power to detonate them sequentially, maximizing the vibration and linking the amount of accumulated snow that slid down.

As a result, not only the snowy mountain where Lenox and Ivelyn were staying, but also the snow accumulated on other nearby mountains was sliding down, unable to withstand the impact.

Lenox, who had stroked Davi’s head, placed his hand on the carapace plate.

“Because that’s what I’m going to figure out from now on.”

Kugwagwagwagwagwagwa!!!

All the snow accumulated in the canyon began to pour down towards the Hanghasa Labyrinth.