Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 389

“The biggest problem in the partial deployment of the magnetic field is that it’s difficult to arbitrarily apply barrier magic to the mental image.”

Flap, flap.

Inside the lab, papers fluttered incessantly. A baby fox darted between them, rubbing its back against them.

“The magic power and mental energy consumed in separating the kaleidoscope that projects my mental image with barrier magic and reorganizing each area are too great.”

Lenok ignored Davi, who was running around him, and focused on solving the problem at hand.

“Considering that the kaleidoscope, which was partially deployed naturally in the Infinite Labyrinth, only moves when combined with the power of the Magic Eye, it doesn’t seem impossible to overwhelm it with magic power…”

[Are you saying it’s because your magic power itself is insufficient?]

In the process of inheriting the memories of barrier magic through his conversation with Jin-Doon, Lenok inherited the control of the Infinite Labyrinth and even took some of its magic power.

Even though he assimilated some of the residual magic power into his own, increasing his maximum magic power, he was still not reaching the temporary doping state he had achieved at that time.

“Unless I use Papyrus Argentius, it’s impossible to drastically increase my magic power. The problem is that even if I use Papyrus, it’s difficult to maintain that state for long.”

Papyus Argentius, where the control code for the labyrinth’s relics was stored. Originally, it was a top-tier artifact used to record and store barrier magic, formations, and high-dimensional formulas, but it was also possible to simply store magic power itself and extract it separately.

Lenok knew that he could temporarily increase his magic power drastically by using the item he had obtained, but he also understood that it would be difficult to continue his research while maintaining that heightened state.

“The best thing would be to combine a groundbreaking method or formula that reduces the cost itself, but there’s no telling how long that will take…”

He scribbled a new barrier formation between the papers, lost in thought.

Without even being conscious of it, Lenok’s hand, holding the pen, was filling a large circle with patterns and shapes.

Barrier magic is a formula that physically draws its form into reality, imitating arbitrary frameworks and orders.

Therefore, simply drawing a virtual barrier formation on a display is not very helpful.

It is more advisable to trace the formations and patterns directly on paper, verifying the knowledge that exists in his head one by one.

Lenok had been practicing this kind of reproduction of barrier formulas every day since returning to the city, without missing a single day.

[No, Master, even if you practice like this, the circle isn’t drawn properly, so the barrier magic doesn’t work.]

“No, it’s actually good. After all, in actual combat, I plan to materialize the barrier formation by shaping my thoughts with magic power.”

He answered without taking his eyes off the pen and paper.

“If you think positively, isn’t it possible to focus on practice without the formula being unnecessarily activated?”

[…Master, it seems you need to study the meaning of the word ‘positive’ again.]

“Does it seem like that?”

At Davi’s slightly worried question, Lenok burst into laughter and leaned back in his chair.

“Well, it’s true that I haven’t had much time to study magic like this. And when I hold a pen like this, old memories come back… memories of a time that I can’t return to.”

[……]

At Lenok’s soliloquy, as if looking into the distance, the digital spirit also silently closed its mouth.

Davi knew that there were secrets that even the spirit, who was born from Lenok’s own hands and had been pondering various secrets with him at the closest distance, did not yet know.

The spirit was also aware that this magician, who was so unreserved and seemingly without any secrets, was more mysterious and bizarre than any other human Davi knew.

Perhaps that was why Davi didn’t bother to remember the names of other humans, because he had such a sorcerer as his master.

“I’m running out of paper. I need to order more.”

[I already ordered 5,000 more sheets on the auction. But the president of that company sent me a personal message asking if it was being used for a crime. How should I answer?]

“…Come to think of it, with this quality, it wouldn’t be strange if it were used for counterfeit money. It would look suspicious.”

The papers piled up here, as much as he practiced barrier magic, were all high-quality products with top-notch texture, durability, and feel.

If they were slightly modified and trimmed, they could be used by adding the image of a banknote. In this huge city where all sorts of crimes are rampant, it was not an unnecessary worry.

After consulting with Davi, Lenok decided to divide the company from which he ordered paper into several places, and then turned his gaze back to the pile of paper on the workbench.

“If I follow the partial deployment of the kaleidoscope that I remembered in the labyrinth a few times, I think I’ll get a feel for it, but in the end, the demonstration itself is impossible.”

[Are you saying it’s difficult even with the magic power and relics you have now, Master?]

“I need a facility that can fully store the temporarily enhanced magic power and accelerate it in that state. The problem is that it’s hard to even see such a large-scale particle acceleration facility unless it’s a very large research institute.”

Lenok slowly shook his head and got up from his seat.

“I always come back to the same problem… It’s not a problem that will be solved by just sitting still, so should I take care of the pending work first?”

Lenok picked up his coat after selecting and opening one of the messages piled up on his phone.

“There’s a place I need to visit to secure research materials.”

* * *

An external advisor to the agent. A management consultant for Dyke. An outside director of the Cartel.

The magician of District 49, who has succeeded in requests of unrealistic difficulty.

Rumors are slowly spreading that Kyun-Rye and Ban have begun to fully cooperate with the Cartel’s leadership.

Confirmation through a directly appointed registered director, a secret meeting with President Virgil. Up to the current situation, which is very noisy to the outside world.

Rumors began to circulate that Kyun-Rye, who had once refused the presidency, was now ready to become a member of the new board of directors.

It didn’t take long for that news to move the heavy asses of the other presidents.

“Virgil!!”

Bang!!

The president’s office, located on the top floor of the headquarters.

The one who burst into the vast space occupied by Virgil was a young man with a refined appearance.

“Virgil, are you here!”

“You don’t have to shout, I can hear you, Ayun.”

Virgil, who replied expressionlessly, gestured.

“Sit down and talk.”

“Hoo…”

The young man sitting opposite the vampire, Ayun, had a rather different appearance from the atmosphere of this city.

A white strand of hair clearly visible between his black hair.

Two eyes neatly divided into black and white. And a neat suit that matched his black and white appearance.

Although his shirt was messily unbuttoned as if he had just finished exercising, the power felt from his body was extraordinary.

Ayun, who drank the hot coffee in front of him like water, frowned.

“The people of this city seem to like this bitter water. More than that, bring me a drink.”

“I don’t drink while I’m working.”

“It’s right here, what are you talking about?”

“…”

Ayun, who nonchalantly opened the display case next to the office and took out a whiskey, opened the lid with one hand and drank it.

“Ah… The conveniences of civilization are really good. The taste of alcohol is definitely much cleaner than in the boondocks.”

“Stop talking nonsense and listen to the main point.”

Virgil’s red eyes flashed sharply.

“Unless you want to hear how much the liquor you just drank costs.”

“Isn’t it money that can be covered by my salary anyway? Don’t get so angry.”

Ayun, picking his teeth with a nonchalant expression, smiled.

“If it weren’t for my connection with the White Mother, I wouldn’t have been here just to chat.”

“…Did you just call the chairman ‘White Mother’?”

Uzzzz…!!

The glass Virgil was holding crumpled like a piece of paper.

A bizarre phenomenon where the glass crumpled instead of breaking due to his tremendous grip. The young man slightly backed away at the sight.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down… You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I gave you the benefit of the doubt because I heard you were a relative of the chairman’s acquaintance, but you’d better watch your mouth.”

Virgil said with a cold face.

“Ignoring the hierarchy according to the company’s organizational chart and trampling on the rules is absolutely unacceptable, even for a president.”

At Virgil’s cold assertion, Ayun’s lips began to twist instead.

“No, if you’re going to say that… Shouldn’t you also stop the underlings from trying to match me?”

“What?”

“I’ve been hearing strange stories lately.”

Ayun coughed slightly and muttered while turning his gaze.

“I heard rumors that there’s someone on the board of directors who’s eyeing my position.”

“…”

“Isn’t that absurd? It’s not just anyone, but someone who’s trying to take my position, which I got through the chairman’s recommendation. It seems like this is all because the lower management isn’t being properly controlled. You should make sure-”

“No, there’s no need for that. It’s not a rumor.”

“…What?”

Virgil looked directly at Ayun, who was blinking his eyes, and replied.

“It’s not officially decided yet, but it’s true that one of the outside directors is showing interest in the presidency. We will hold a shareholders’ meeting soon to review the matter.”

Only then did Ayun understand Virgil’s words, and his expression twisted fiercely.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…!! So, are you saying that I should give up this position for that guy!!”

“Is there a problem?”

“There are more than enough!! I’m here to help you guys because of my connection with the chairman! Isn’t it obvious that the animal called Merilda or the 5th president from the board of directors should be replaced, not me!!”

“All of the Cartel’s operations, except for the chairman’s agenda, are strictly performance-based.”

Virgil leaned back in his chair, inwardly suppressing a smile.

Wasn’t it to see this reaction that he had been steadily leaking information to Ayun’s aides?

“And the one with the worst performance among our presidents is you, the 3rd president.”

“You…”

“You don’t even know how the companies you took over are doing, and you’ve been indulging in entertainment. Do you have any excuses left now?”

Virgil stared coldly at Ayun’s shirt.

“A shirt soaked in alcohol and drugs. Lipstick smeared on the soles of your shoes. The smell of blood on your belt. You’ve been enjoying alcohol, drugs, and women, and you’ve probably killed a few people too, right?”

“…”

“I don’t care if you enjoy the pleasures of the Balkans… But the position of president is too much for someone who has no intention of working. Moreover, the new candidate to replace you is someone who has recently been highly praised as the most capable in our organization.”

Virgil said, as if driving a wedge, looking at Ayun, who was speechless.

“The chairman tried to put that person in the position of president before you. If that friend hadn’t refused the presidency, the position you’re sitting in wouldn’t have gone to you in the first place. Do you understand?”

Bang!!

The table in front of Virgil was split in half and collapsed.

Ayun, who had jumped up from his seat, had crushed the huge stone table with one hand.

“Tell me the name.”

Ayun muttered, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

“I’ll show the chairman right away who’s better between me and that bastard.”

“I’ll prepare the stage for you anyway, so just wait a little longer.”

Virgil, realizing that the provocation had worked perfectly, faintly twisted the corners of his mouth.

“In front of all the employees, I’ll show you who is more suitable to be the new president.”

* * *

“Assistant Professor Evan!”

Lenok adjusted his expression and turned his gaze at the sound of someone calling him.

A female student with striking bluish hair was looking up at Lenok.

“Priscilla. It’s been a while.”

“I was worried because you haven’t been to school for a while…!”

She said with a slightly guilty expression.

“I was worried that you might be uncomfortable because of what happened last time…”

“…”

Lenok, who had been listening to her, remembered the last time he had seen her and nodded.

In the process of tracking Priscilla’s friend, he had faced the missionary of the Order, Walter Martinez.

He remembered taking a leave of absence and heading to the fortress after finding traces leading to the Eight Directions Fortress in the process.

Even after dealing with Walter, who had been newly transformed into an apostle, he had continued his research with Aris, but he had not been able to return to school due to the defense force incident.

It was not strange for Priscilla to worry about Lenok.

Lenok smiled and nodded.

“It’s not just because of the Order’s problem. I had some personal business. Thank you for your concern.”

“But, Professor Aris also suddenly said she was going on sabbatical… The atmosphere in the lab doesn’t look so good either…”

“Hmm…”

Students entered the empty lecture hall and listened to the conversation between the two.

At this rate, he might have to think of a plausible excuse in front of hundreds of people.

Before that happened, Lenok decided to take special measures.

[Master?]

He immediately took Davi out of his arms and placed him directly on Priscilla’s head.

As the chubby belly of the baby fox peeked out from between Priscilla’s hair, the other students all exclaimed in admiration.

“Cute!!”

“Did he get this fat in the meantime?”

“Assistant Professor must have fed him a lot of delicious food!”

The female students exclaimed and flocked around.

“…No, that thing seems to have gotten a lot stronger.”

“What kind of spirit magic is that… Can we win?”

“He looks stronger than me, is he not my hyung [older brother] anymore?”

“Was Davi a male?”

The male students made sullen expressions.

[Hmm, this kind of pleasure after a long time isn’t bad either.]

Davi, also pleased with the praise and attention he was receiving after a long time, smiled contentedly while coiling himself on Priscilla’s head.

A happy ending that everyone was satisfied with. Lenok smiled with a proud expression, and Priscilla looked up at him with a sullen expression.

Lenok clapped his hands lightly to draw attention and said.

“Okay, okay, look around appropriately and go up when it’s time for class. Today, we’re here to greet the new professor after all…”

Although Aris had declared that she would take a sabbatical and return to the Magic Tower, Lenok still held the position of assistant professor.

Being affiliated with Lavatenon University, a magic education institution directly under the city government, had more disadvantages than advantages, no matter how he thought about it.

It not only created a plausible identity for Evan Bailen, but also allowed him to access various literature and archives under the name of Lavatenon.

For Lenok, who needed to refer to as many materials and papers as possible in the process of creating a new magic system, Lavatenon Magic University was a place he had to use very often.

However, in order to freely enter the university, he had to take care of the assistant professor duties that he had been putting off until now.

Since it was said that a temporary professor had been assigned to teach elemental magic for a year at the same time that Aris went on sabbatical, he was thinking of at least showing his face.

‘It’s peaceful. It’s like a lie…’

Lenok, who had been silently watching the noisy students from the side, raised his gaze.

Unlike the rapidly changing scenery outside the city, the inside of the lecture hall was as peaceful as if time had stopped.

The people chatting leisurely and the faint sound of bells echoing from afar.

The noise of busy pages turning and the footsteps echoing in the hallway.

All the sounds that rang in his ears came to Lenok as more relaxed and warm.

Lenok could understand why the leader of Pandemonium, the lighthouse keeper of the Azure Eye, was so desperately trying to protect this world.

A world where people live. This time, which is more peaceful and relaxed.

They had known from the beginning that all of it was a miracle that was established under the groundless belief and conviction that the future existed.

The desperate assumption that there is no next. The desperate struggle of mortals to break through that line of resistance and find the next method.

Only those who know the value of life can be prepared for death and open a path to the next.

That is why they had been consistently wanting and looking for the existence of Lenok without ever deviating for a single moment.

Because Lenok was one of the people who knew better than anyone else that the time he lived each moment was more precious than anything else.

“Excuse me, are you Evan…?”

While Lenok was thinking that, a cautious voice was heard from behind.

A woman with a clear-cut impression was staring at him with wide eyes.

Somehow familiar gray hair. And a magic power pattern that was more clearly remembered than that.

From Lenok’s lips, who frowned, someone’s name flowed out.

“Cassia?”

“So it is you!”

“…”

She brightened her expression and shook Lenok’s hand vigorously.

Lenok also did not expect to see her again in this place.

Cassia Rubenil.

A talented magician who held the position of vice-researcher at the Carlyle Research Institute, which was supported by the city council.

And wasn’t she the magician who had accompanied Lenok on the train when he first headed to the Philemon Autonomous Territory?

He remembered that she had moved to obtain the necessary materials in the autonomous territory, which was famous for growing rare herbs, and had also prevented her from getting caught up in the drug lord’s plan in the middle.

Lenok, whose thoughts had reached that point, suddenly turned his head.

Cassia was a talented magician, but not enough to take on the position of professor in place of Aris.

The fact that she was here probably meant that…

“I never thought you’d still be working as an assistant professor.”

A sharp-looking middle-aged woman, who was the last to walk into the lecture hall, stared at Lenok with sharp eyes.

“What’s the matter with my lecture hall?”

The director of the Carlyle Research Institute and an acquaintance of Aris.

It was the research director, Baila, who had temporarily taken over the position of professor in place of Aris.

However, despite Baila’s sharp gaze, Lenok muttered as if something had come to mind.

“Research Institute?”

A super-large particle acceleration facility that could not exist unless it was a very large research institute.

The way to use that facility was walking in front of Lenok’s eyes.