Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 363

“If necessary, I could even join hands with Pandemonium, but you seem to be quite the deep thinker among them.”

Lenok looked down at him with a smile.

“You can’t associate with guys like that for long.”

“Evan, what are you talking about?”

Ivelin asked with a shocked expression.

“This furball and Maiya are part of Pandemonium?”

“Yeah. I don’t know the reason, but the top enforcer of the Machine City has reached out to the worst criminal organization. Things are getting quite interesting.”

[How did you know?] the professor asked.

A near-certain assertion. The professor knew that even denying it would be meaningless.

[Maiya is a pro. She wouldn’t have revealed any traces of her past in her speech, attire, actions, or magical power.]

“Why should I tell you that?”

[…….]

For the first time, the furball shut its mouth.

Lenok looked down at it and struggled to stand up.

His gaze was fixed on the white fur that made up the furball.

The white lion Turan, whom he had faced at the Blaver Magic Tower.

Lenok had long since recognized through his transcendent magical power perception that some of the man-eating lion’s white mane was mixed into the furball.

At that time, the spider Agnetta, who claimed to be Pandemonium’s messenger, had taken Turan’s corpse herself, so only a member of Pandemonium could reuse that fur and mane.

From that small clue, as soon as Lenok realized that the furball had its own intelligence, he was able to figure out that Maiya had joined Pandemonium.

‘I guess he doesn’t know.’

The furball seemed to be quite deep, but it had no idea how Lenok had deduced its identity.

Proof that the information about Agnetta recovering Turan’s corpse was not properly conveyed to this man, who was presumed to have obtained the white lion’s corpse.

It was clear that even though Pandemonium had begun to move in earnest, information exchange between members was not very close.

Lenok never expected to learn about the inner workings of the still-veiled Pandemonium in this way, but he didn’t try to delve any further here.

If a skilled person like Maiya was taking advice from it, even just for the ritual, then it must be a being with considerable intelligence.

It was best to stop the conversation at this point, where a one-sided information acquisition had been established.

A careless mistake could lead to an attempt to pry into Pandemonium’s affairs, and conversely, their information could be leaked.

Rather than that, he had to focus on the situation unfolding right in front of him.

Two incredibly powerful monsters were clashing in the center of the bridge, pushing everything around them backward.

According to the flow of gravity, which was bending and twisting in purple, attraction and repulsion were freely reversed and rotated in all directions.

And through that, the pale flash wielded by Maiya became a blade, cutting through the waves of the gravity field.

Kugugugugu!!

It was only natural that attention was drawn to that unusual magical power and momentum.

Even those who were bleeding and fighting desperately all around naturally distanced themselves, centering on them.

Squeak!!

Maiya, who had slid back and was rubbing her neck, said,

“Besides you, there are two more. No, three? I know that some level 8s have entered this labyrinth.”

“You’re quite perceptive.”

“I thought that instead of participating in the race for the Ascendant, you would only be interested in acquiring spoils after the situation was over……”

Maiya’s lips twisted as she muttered in a cold voice.

“To step forward at this point, you must be quite confident.”

“……”

Balak didn’t answer even after hearing those words.

He simply layered the purple waves he held in his hand while wearing a subtle smile.

Kugugugugugu!!!

The manipulation of gravity on a massive scale, so immense that it was hard to believe it was being realized by human mental power.

The purple waves pressed down on all sides, so much so that even the faces of the allies standing behind Balak began to turn pale.

Even in the midst of the crushing pressure that seemed to turn their entire bodies into lumps of meat, Maiya, who had calmly adjusted her stance, said,

“Get out of the way. I’ll spare your life out of old friendship.”

“I’m so moved by your consideration, sister.”

Balak grinned.

“No.”

There was no reply.

Maiya tapped her feet twice, and then, in a flash, she turned into a streak of light and struck Balak in the blink of an eye.

Kaaaaaang!!

Acceleration that surpassed sound. Just by swinging and rotating her limbs, shockwaves erupted, constantly vibrating the surrounding air.

Balak, who had received Maiya’s preemptive strike, also responded by slamming the purple waves he held in his hand directly into the ground.

Ddddddeuk!!

The waves that were slammed into the ground distorted into a ring shape and spread out in a radius of tens of meters, then surged upwards.

Immediately after, the gravity of the area twisted like an hourglass, and everything that was standing on two legs lost its balance and fell.

Huuuung!!

“……!!”

In the midst of the bursting pressure, he somehow held his bruised body upright with shields and magical barriers.

Even so, his whole body stretched as if it were about to break, and the bodies of the magic users were stretched like taffy in all directions.

Jijijijik……!!

“Kaaaaaak!!”

“A, it hurts…… Aaaah!!”

“My body……!!”

The moment they were directly exposed to the purple waves, their limbs were crushed, and fountains of blood gushed out from all over, along with the illusion that their bodies were being crumpled in space.

Pubeobeobeobeok!!

At least dozens of people died just from the aftermath of the power that Balak had drawn to block Maiya’s preemptive strike and counterattack.

The manipulation of gravity, so powerful that it was hard to believe it was being realized by one person’s mental power.

Was this the power of an extreme ability user who had reached the end of self-modification with a superpower called the most primitive innate ability?

“With this much power, Balak himself wouldn’t be free from its influence……!”

Lenok struggled to draw up his magical power and raised his gaze to somehow keep an eye on the battlefield.

Magic, spells, and superpowers are not such convenient powers that can manifest real physical force while excluding oneself.

If they cannot perfectly control their own power, they can be cut and injured by the weapons they wield, and the same is true for sorcerers.

How was Balak himself enduring amidst the control of gravity that was indiscriminately slamming and distorting the entire area?

The answer came not from Balak himself, but from the corpse that was hanging limply behind him.

As if unable to withstand the aftermath of the intensifying gravity field, one of the corpses floating on Balak’s far right was torn to shreds, instantly becoming a gruesome shape.

A bizarre slaughter, as if it was absorbing the aftermath of the power that Balak himself should have received.

Maiya also seemed to realize what Balak was doing through that sight.

“Are you going to use all those corpses and then it’s your turn? You must have gone into the vanguard and picked up some strange abilities.”

“I’m ashamed to say that I’m still not good at controlling my abilities.”

Balak replied, panting and wearing a wry smile.

“Unlike spells with established systems and orders, superpowers are innate abilities that are purely dependent on one’s mind…… They are as powerful as they are dangerous. It’s a knife that could stab myself at any time.”

Maiya’s gaze deepened at Balak’s answer.

“Is that why you gave up on research in the Machine City and decided to join the vanguard?”

“The vanguard provided me with a means to effectively control both power and mind at the same time. It taught me to abandon useless remorse and focus on efficiency. It also taught me that sometimes a bizarrely powerful sense of depravity acts as an unparalleled control force.”

Balak, who had slowly caught his breath, said with a sneer,

“Unlike the enforcers of the Machine City.”

Kwaaang!!

Maiya, who had closed the distance as if leaping through the air, swung her blade towards Balak’s head.

Just from that impact, two warriors who were fleeing nearby were crushed and turned into a puddle of blood.

Ujik!!

Unfazed by the blood splattering in all directions, Maiya coldly recited,

“If you’re so confident, show me your domain. Are you just going to die while holding out like this?”

She sneered at Balak, who was focused on blocking the pouring pale flashes without even being able to answer.

“You can’t, can you? If the labyrinth collapses entirely, you’ll become a public enemy on the spot, regardless of finding relics or anything else.”

“……”

Only after hearing that conversation right next to him did Lenok realize why the other skilled people had been waiting quietly until this moment.

If Jintun was really dead, and this labyrinth was only being maintained by his residual thoughts, could the labyrinth withstand their power?

Unless Jintun was alive and supporting this labyrinth, the possibility that the labyrinth would collapse and not withstand the clash of high-level superhumans could not be ignored.

On the bridge before the third gate. If the labyrinth started to collapse from here, it would be difficult not only to find the location of the legacy, but also to guarantee their survival.

In a situation where superhumans of this scale had gathered, it was impossible for even an extreme ability user to not care about their interests.

Unless they became a transcendent who had the qualifications to challenge ascension, putting everything else aside.

Lenok’s eyes, which had lifted his head, calmly shone.

Right. In the end, he couldn’t move forward unless he met them directly and confirmed everything.

He had no intention of giving up here because of an obstacle of this level.

“Ivelin.”

“Hmm?”

“Prepare the bow.”

“……What are you going to do?”

“It would be impossible to escape the gravity field that covers this area with ordinary methods.”

Lenok said that and turned his gaze.

The sight of superhumans struggling to escape the gravity field that covered nearly a third of this huge bridge.

Those with mediocre skills couldn’t withstand the power struggle of the monsters, and their bodies exploded, spewing bodily fluids in all directions, a truly miserable sight.

He had to move first before he turned into such a mess in the middle of this dogfight.

“I have a way.”

* * *

[You were called Evan, right? You’re a much more unusual person than I thought.]

In the midst of the gravity field that was being flipped and bent in all directions, and the aftermath of the shockwaves.

In the midst of life and death that was easily overturned like paper, Lenok ignored the others and moved.

As Ivelin quickly helped him and began to move her hands, the furball that had been rolling around on the floor spoke again.

[Instead of taking sides with one of the two at this point, you’re only thinking about escaping the gravity field…… Are you not interested in wealth at all?]

“……”

Lenok cleanly ignored those words, but the professor didn’t care and simply spat out what he felt.

[I find people like you very interesting. People who have different interests from most people usually have their own reasons.]

“Evan.”

Ivelin asked, with a slightly annoyed look.

“That thing is noisy, should I just kill it?”

“You know you can’t do that.”

Lenok said, silently helping Ivelin with the work.

“If someone like Maiya doesn’t care about its safety, there must be a reason. Perhaps a troublesome situation is likely to occur the moment we kill it.”

[85 points. I like the way you think.]

The furball rolled around and answered nonchalantly.

[There’s a huge difference between killing yourself and being killed by someone else. At least that’s the case with the operating principles of restrictions and geas [a magical binding oath]. Judging by your reaction, you seem to understand that fact to some extent. That’s an answer that only someone who has deeply manipulated geas can give.]

“……”

Rather than that, it was just something he had learned from the treasure hunter who had tried to confront Lenok by borrowing the image of a voodoo shaman, but he didn’t bother to tell him.

The professor, perhaps liking Lenok’s reaction even more, continued to talk to him.

[How did you kill Dominic Cabaro? The old-world alchemy that that friend had obtained had a completely different structure from the existing spell system. Did you have prior exposure to that system, or did you understand the concept of another world at that point?]

“You’re not bothered even though you know I killed the drug lord. Did you know that it wasn’t the Magic Tower’s doing?”

[Why should I answer that?]

“……”

It was as if he had received the same words that Lenok had used to mock the professor earlier.

Even though he pretended not to, he had kept that in mind. Being exposed as a member of Pandemonium must have been quite a shock, even though he didn’t show it.

A low voice flowed out from the furball as it saw Lenok’s smirk.

[As you know, we’re not an organization united by strong camaraderie or bonds. We’re just a group of interests that have a moderate agreement on what needs to be done.]

“Is it about collecting old-world relics and knowledge?”

[Well, that’s not wrong, but…… What’s more important than that is talent. To be precise, it’s people like you.]

Degeureureu.

The furball, which had rolled to Lenok’s feet, said,

[It might be a bit strange to say this to a Watcher, but do you have any thoughts about joining Pandemonium?]

“……”

[In my eyes, you seem like a much more interesting person than Maiya or Hyungung.]

“Huuu…….”

Lenok couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at what the furball was saying.

He never thought that he would not only get involved with Pandemonium under the identity of Seo-ram Evan, but also get scouted again.

Click!!

Ivelin, who had readjusted the arrow shaft, said with a blank face,

“I’ll just kill it. Is that okay?”

[Oh dear, I still have things to do. Can you spare me?]

“Leave it alone. The preparations are almost finished.”

Lenok said that and finished his work, then immediately stood up.

Kuuung!!

A huge greatbow, slightly taller than the two of them. It was essentially a ballista, and it wouldn’t be strange to call it that, stood before their eyes.

Lenok had added the carapace fragments he had to Ivelin’s longbow, disassembled the bike, and used its parts to make the ballista.

Using the blueprints of various weapons that he had downloaded in advance using Davi’s network, Lenok had created the most efficient weapon in this place.

Cheolkeok!!

After placing the long, split carapace fragments on the ballista instead of arrows, Lenok nodded with satisfaction.

“It’s complete.”

[……It’s one thing to be making such a thing in this chaos, but I didn’t expect Hyungung to follow along without a word.]

That was true.

Two people were fighting fiercely in the middle of the bridge, occupying it and spreading a gravity field.

Kwagwagwagwa!!!

Disasters were erupting all over the bridge due to the clash of the monsters occupying this area, reversing the war situation.

People were being thrown up and down, turning into pieces of flesh, and being sliced by Maiya’s slashes that cut through them.

It was only natural that Lenok, who had made such a thing instead of taking sides with either of them, didn’t seem to be in his right mind.

Even Ivelin’s reaction, who had followed Lenok’s suggestion without any questions.

“It’s an enormous weight for an arrow, but it will be difficult to penetrate the gravity field with just this.”

Ivelin said, pulling the ballista’s string all the way back and fixing it.

“We have to aim for the exact moment when Maiya and Balak clash with all their might. If we aim for the moment when the gravity field is greatly disturbed, or when Balak’s agitation increases, it might not be difficult……”

“That’s not why I went through all this trouble.”

“……?”

[……?]

While Ivelin and the professor were raising question marks in turn, Lenok answered with a smile.

“If I was really just going to penetrate the gravity field, I wouldn’t need to do this. I just need to aim for the moment when Balak’s attention is focused on Maiya.”

“Then why……?”

“Look at Balak’s attitude.”

Lenok said, pointing to the two monsters who were still fighting fiercely in the distance.

Kugugugu!!!

Tens of gravity waves that were layered and erupted in an instant. Through that, a pale flash flickered more than a hundred times, and purple waves surged and blocked them.

The area was already soaked with corpses and blood, a battlefield of death that was not even allowed to approach.

However, it was clear which side had more control in the center of that fierce battle.

“Even though he started the fight first, he’s clearly at a disadvantage. Even though he knows that the compatibility of his superpower is disadvantageous against Maiya, he even provoked her and forced a fight.”

“You’re saying that Balak has something up his sleeve.”

Ivelin, who immediately understood what Lenok was saying, nodded.

A gravity-type superpower that had reached the extreme.

It was an incredibly powerful force that could twist an entire space and block the way, but it could not be denied that its power was essentially specialized in controlling a wide area.

Lenok also didn’t expect firepower or lethality when he used gravity-type spells, but rather something else.

He didn’t know exactly what level Maiya was at, but she was definitely a killer who was used to this kind of one-on-one battle.

It was only natural that Balak, who didn’t seem to have a knack for solo combat, would have a hard time gauging his chances of winning against Maiya.

“Right. If he made a sudden move at this point before the final gate, there must be a reason. Perhaps he’s joined hands with someone to tie up the competitors.”

“If a level 8 monster joined hands while taking such a risk, wait. That means……”

“It must be that guy who knows facts about the labyrinth that we don’t.”

Lenok said that and raised his head, and at that moment, a huge shadow began to fall over the bridge.

Everyone raised their gaze above their heads at the strange phenomenon of the surroundings darkening, and opened their mouths as if they had made a promise.

Hwioooo!!!

A group of more than ten-meter-tall evil god statues that had been sleeping quietly under the bridge.

One of them opened its eyes wide and stood up, then jumped up and fell onto the bridge.

Looking at that sight, Lenok finished his words.

“He must have been working hard in his own way. I never thought he would succeed in coaxing a level 8 superhuman into a deal in the midst of all this.”

The evil god statue, which was more than ten meters tall, landed on the bridge.

The shockwave from the giant’s leap, which weighed over hundreds of tons, rotated in concentric circles, throwing dozens of superhumans who couldn’t resist it directly down the bridge.

Kuuuuuuuuung!!!

“Hahahahahat!!”

Even so, on the bridge that was still standing intact. A joyous laugh echoed from the left hand of the evil god statue.

A young man with a snake-like impression wearing a robe.

Jaun Odis was laughing while looking down at everyone in this place.

He quickly found Balak, who was hanging by one arm between the thick fingers of the evil god statue, and raised his finger.

“I’ve succeeded in obtaining the control of the evil god statue, that’s enough!!”

“You son of a bitch……!!”

Balak, who was focused on enduring Maiya’s offensive, cursed while panting.

“I thought I was going to die waiting, you lowly bastard!!”

Uuuuung!!

At the same time as those words, the huge gravity field that had been pressing down on the area began to dissipate.