Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 619

Most of the relics from the old world that Renok possessed were useful in both combat and daily life. However, it was dangerous to hastily input the knowledge of the old world that Renok knew into the replica of the statue. The original of this statue replica was undoubtedly somewhere in the Machine City and related to the Doctor. If Renok were to trade relics or knowledge of the old world using the replica, the possibility of that information reaching the Doctor was quite high. Even if he were to trade, he would have to use items or knowledge that would not be associated with Victor’s identity as a bargaining chip.

Click!

Therefore, what Renok took out was the thought circuit he had obtained from the shadow leader of the Side Squad. A transparent crystal ball with the image of the Two-Headed Four-Armed statue engraved on it. As it was a recording device capable of materializing and storing human consciousness, it could be applied in other ways. After deleting all the other information recorded in the thought circuit, Renok overwrote it with the knowledge of the old world that he remembered. Considering the patterns engraved on the Side Squad agent’s thought circuit, it was undoubtedly a technology implemented through the power of this statue. If he were to trade using this thought circuit as a medium, pretending to be a member of the Side Squad, the possibility of the Doctor suspecting him would be greatly reduced. However, one concern was whether the statue could fully recognize the information inside this thought circuit…

Woo-oong…!!

“It’s working.”

Renok nodded as he watched the statue faintly vibrate when he placed the thought circuit on its palm. Fortunately, it seemed that it was possible to activate the replica just by returning the knowledge of the old world. However, after observing the power inside the statue slowly vibrating and building up, Renok could not help but smile bitterly. It was because the output itself was clearly lower than the real statue that Renok remembered, likely due to it being a replica. Using Renok’s sensitivity, he could gauge the maximum output of the replica right here.

“No matter how well it does, the maximum output of this imitation is only level 4 out of 10. Then…”

Renok, having gathered his magic power, began to update the information inside the thought circuit placed on the statue’s palm in real-time. Memories of the old world. Renok, thinking of knowledge from WORLD 2.0 that would be appropriate to connect with the Side Squad agents, finally nodded.

“Cases of cannibalism among modified humans that existed in the 2nd world. With this, I think it should go up to at least level 3…”

In reality, it was a part of the core secret of the large-scale update that existed in WORLD 2.0, the rebellion caused by modified humans. Under the value judgment of the knowledge of the old world, it was not bad information. Not only did it have no particular value to Renok himself, but it was also suitable for giving the impression that a Side Squad agent had obtained it. The statue’s eyes seemed to slowly close, and then it slowly clenched and opened its fist, revealing all three eyes.

Click, click…!!

At the moment Renok was convinced that he had successfully input the information into the statue and took out a small piece of paper from his pocket. There was a sharp sense of foreboding that brushed past his back.

“…”

Someone was accurately targeting this chamber and rushing towards it. Realizing this, Renok quickly looked at the paper he was holding in his hand and the statue, which still had its two eyes open. If he were to retreat now, he would be handing over the information acquisition rights he had just obtained and various traces to the opponent. However, if he were to hold out here, it would be revealed that Renok had dealt with the assassin and directly requested a trade with the statue.

“Hoo…”

The deliberation did not take long. He quickly wrote down the desired information on the paper he was holding and threw it onto the statue’s palm. The replica of the statue, recognizing the question, slowly closed its three open eyes, and at the same time, opened its fist and replaced the old piece of paper with a new one. The moment Renok picked it up and hurriedly turned his head.

Kwaaang!!

A corner of the chamber exploded, and three figures rushed in from the outside. They moved with sharp momentum, holding their equipment in their hands as if guarding their surroundings. Among them, Uzat, who had visited Renok’s workshop with Isabella, was also present. It was a little over 5 minutes since the assassination had occurred. The Executors, having heard the news, were tracking the culprit and had stormed into the hideout. The Executors, who had been watching the quiet chamber where no sign of life could be felt, began to move.

“Ivan, did you find it?”

“Yes. It was here.”

“Ah…”

The Executors were speechless as they looked at the magnificent Two-Headed Four-Armed statue standing in a corner of the chamber. There was not much surprise on their faces, but there was a clear sign that they had paused for a moment due to an unknown sense of intimidation.

“…It’s a bizarre shape, no matter how many times I see it.”

“Is this also a replica?”

An Executor called Ivan, who had lightly pressed the statue’s huge arm, nodded.

“That’s right. It’s about to crumble at any moment. It seems like someone has already used it once.”

“Everyone, come over here.”

“Uzat, did you find something?”

“The culprit is dead here.”

Uzat said in a stiff tone, pointing his sharp sword. The Executors, who had rushed over and saw the assassin lying dead, were at a loss for words.

“For the body modification to have progressed to this extent…”

“He must have lost control of his power and gone berserk.”

“For a culprit skilled enough to assassinate Artisan Nasisa to end up like this…”

The other two Executors quietly nodded.

“He must have stolen Artisan Nasisa’s pendant and used it to use the statue.”

“In the process, he obtained information, then went berserk and self-destructed, destroying the evidence.”

“They’re troublesome people. I wonder how long they plan to repeat these reckless acts…”

“No, it might not be.”

At Uzat’s words, the two Executors turned their gazes. Uzat, who had touched a broken blade fragment with the sword he was pointing at the corpse, said.

“Look at this. It’s Grazia alloy. It’s something that won’t even bend with a decent impact.”

“…”

“Could he have broken and shattered something like this by going berserk and hurting himself?”

“Then?”

“There was someone strong enough to shatter the alloy head-on.”

Uzat stated definitively, but the others shook their heads as if they did not agree with his words.

“The culprit who tried to assassinate Artisan Nasisa Solmer was killed in this place without even being able to escape the lower workshop district?”

“Even if a Side Squad agent went berserk and hurt himself, he wouldn’t be weak enough to die in this district. It’s unrealistic…”

There were several lower workshop districts in the Machine City, but this place was a relatively outer area where retired artisans gathered. Most of the people living in these lower workshop districts were powerless artisans with no combat ability, although there might be some with exceptional skills. It was natural that the other Executors could not easily agree with Uzat’s words.

“It’s nice of you to try to help us, but you don’t have to try too hard to get results.”

“That’s right, Uzat. You weren’t originally from the investigation department, but you were dragged into this mission.”

“That’s true, but… think about it carefully.”

However, despite his colleagues’ lukewarm reactions, Uzat looked around, trying to make them understand his thoughts.

“Look at the traces left around. It looks like he was struggling and going crazy, but the ground is too deeply dug for that.”

“…”

“It’s as if he tried to attack someone and failed… Also, if he self-destructed while using the statue, why was he lying so far away from the statue?”

“That’s…”

“To completely erase the evidence, he would have had to damage and explode the statue replica as well, but the statue wasn’t damaged at all.”

Watching the expressions of the other two Executors slowly change, Uzat continued to think. This wasn’t it. The intuition that the artisan had shown in front of Isabella was much sharper than this. It wasn’t just about raising possibilities based on the location or the state of the traces, but rather, it was like looking into a much deeper abyss… Uzat remembered the unique intuition that Renok had shown and was trying to imitate it in this place.

“…I’m sorry. I hope my story isn’t getting in the way.”

In the end, Uzat sighed and gave up on trying to persuade the two any further. In the first place, he was not an Executor in charge of investigation work within the executive agency. His clumsy guesses might actually be a hindrance to the two Executors in charge of the existing investigation work.

“No, Uzat, you’re not wrong.”

“It’s true that there are some strange parts.”

However, the two Executors did not lightly dismiss Uzat’s opinion. They were also superhumans with excellent skills and possessors of sensitive senses. Once Uzat raised a question, they were also able to use their own minds to apply other clues to the traces that Uzat had found.

“The air inside the chamber is hot, but there’s an unusual lack of smell.”

“It’s unnatural, as if someone deliberately erased the traces. Rather, there’s a slight awkwardness left in that place.”

“A spirit? Maybe it’s not impossible if he fought against something formless like that.”

“We don’t know the statue’s abilities, but if someone clashed with someone over the statue’s power…”

‘Their senses are sharp. They’re worthy of being superhumans who have risen to the rank of Executor.’

Renok, who was hiding, chuckled as he listened to the three Executors thinking. ‘But that’s why they can’t narrow down their options.’ As the Executors said, the way Renok erased the traces was so clean that if one paid a little attention, they could notice the gap. This was partly because Renok had quickly retreated and hid, but also because he had deliberately used a minimal amount of magic power to erase the traces. The magic power required to erase traces cleanly was less than the magic power required to blend in with the surrounding scenery in a natural way. Renok had deliberately stopped using magic power here to minimize additional magic power consumption and avoid leaving any room for being caught. The Executors had used their sensitive senses to identify and recognize the various traces left in this chamber. However, because there was little connection between the pieces of information, they were unable to make a decision easily. In the meantime, Renok was able to safely obtain the desired information through the power of the statue. Renok quietly took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and began to read it.

[Armadelta Alloy Casting Method]

‘If it’s a statue kept in the Machine City, there’s a high possibility that information about alloy casting methods exists.’ Armadelta, an alloy of the Arma series, which was famous as an alloy material in WORLD 2.0. Since the alloys of the Arma series were almost essential materials for making equipment in WORLD 2.0, Renok thought that there was a high probability that information about the Arma alloy series existed among the information of the old world. Armadelta was the fourth alloy in the Arma series to be registered as an item. If there was anything unusual, it would be that it was the least valuable among the Arma series and that its applications were extremely limited. Because it was relatively less valuable, Renok was able to obtain the casting method of the Armadelta alloy without submitting much information to the statue. However, Renok’s gaze, as he quickly read through the alloy casting method, was sharper than ever.

‘Armadelta alloy has the advantage of becoming heavy and hard when magic power is injected, but it can only show its characteristics in the deep sea where the water pressure is strong.’ Outside of the water, it was just one of the common metals that was moderately soft and moderately hard. However, the moment magic power was injected in the deep sea, it boasted a hardness and flexibility that could not be compared to any other metal. That was why it was not well-received in equipment production and gift trading in WORLD 2.0, which Renok played. However, it was treated as a core component that could not be omitted in the production of submarines or underwater airships capable of deep-sea exploration. The reason why Renok obtained the old world’s alloy casting method, which could only demonstrate its value underwater, through this opportunity.

‘To explore the underwater barrier of Machina and enter it, I need a means of transportation that can move underwater, whether I like it or not.’ Renok’s eyes sank deeply as he memorized the Armadelta alloy casting method. Using Renok’s common magic and unique magic, he could explore the underwater barrier on his own. The problem was the enormous amount of magic power that would be consumed to breathe, move, and hide traces normally in the deep sea. It would be inappropriate for Renok, who might have to explore the underwater barrier for a long time and find a way, let alone just taking a quick look at the underwater area. Especially now that he didn’t know what was waiting for him beyond the underwater barrier.

‘I heard that the ‘Heart Chamber,’ where the Machine City keeps relics from the old world, is inside the underwater barrier.’ Renok tore the piece of paper into small pieces and burned it before adjusting his iron mask. ‘If the old world’s magic gun, which left traces through the Penterect [a device or system for communication or energy transfer], has returned to the Heart Chamber, I can approach the underwater barrier and guess its location.’ Renok had no intention of giving up the magic gun that he had only touched once at the Meister selection ceremony. He had not obtained it at the selection ceremony because he was conscious of the attention, but he could not leave Machina without entering the Heart Chamber even once.

‘Once I clean up this mess, I should start preparing to explore the underwater barrier right away.’

Click!

When he loosened the screw located inside the mask, the appearance of the mask changed to a completely different shape from the one Lyman used. When he transformed the shadow coat that he had not used for a while and put it over his head, he looked almost non-human. It would be easier to change his appearance and pretend to be someone else until he escaped from this chamber and returned to the workshop. Thinking that, Renok leaned his back leisurely against the space where he was hiding, and just as he was about to wait for the Executors to let their guard down.

Crack!!

Along with the sound of the tightly sealed space crumbling, someone’s voice was heard.

“I’ve told you so many times that you should always look around carefully when investigating a crime scene…”

“…”

“There wasn’t enough time to run far away from the beginning. Then that means you were hiding somewhere nearby.”

A middle-aged man with a grim face was looking down at Renok with a cigarette in his mouth.