Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 680

Armand 3’s declaration of defection was completely unexpected.

The other Armands were horrified by the sudden words of the clone who had sought a new identity.

“That’s insane…”

“Absolutely not! You are my clone!”

“Keep talking all you want. From now on, I’ll live as I please.”

In front of the underground cave, Armand’s clones were on edge, as if they were about to fight each other.

Lenok looked at the clones, dumbfounded.

“I’m sorry, but the magic I just cast wasn’t intended to guarantee the clone’s self-identity.”

“What?”

“That’s absurd.”

Armand 3 frowned.

“The magic power flowing through my body right now was a breath that awakened my soul. Are you going to deny my identity after giving me this power?”

“……”

Somehow, he seemed to have gained a very sensitive way of expressing himself.

Could it really be a bizarre side effect of the enhancement magic?

“What I meant was fortunate was…”

Lenok said, raising his magic power.

Two streams of lightning that had spun in the air fell simultaneously.

[Thunderous Remnant Body]

[A Single Gift of Encouragement]

[Thunderous Remnant Body]

[Two Heads, Eight Calamities]

Fzzzt!!!

The enhancement magic that struck the crowns of Armand 1 and Armand 2 instantly amplified their abilities in different ways.

“Ugh!!”

“The power…!!”

“Kyonroe! Why them…!!”

Armand 1 and 2 were shocked, as if they couldn’t believe it. Armand 3 shouted, flustered.

Lenok looked at Armand’s clones and said,

“I thought it would be good to compare the three revised versions of the enhancement magic I developed at the same time.”

“…Huh?”

“If the abilities and magic power of the three clones are the same, it would be easier to compare by applying different enhancement magic to the same sample, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

Only then did the clones realize why Lenok had cast enhancement magic on them and checked if it was properly maintained, and they fell silent.

It wasn’t because he was worried about the weakening of the enhancement magic or the side effect of the clone realizing its identity.

It was purely an idea to compare the revised versions of the magic Lenok had developed and test its efficiency.

From the beginning, Lenok had only intended to study his magic through Armand’s clones.

Armand 2 muttered, dumbfounded.

“Ah, no, why are you doing research on me at this point…”

“It’s not often that you get a chance to verify in a real battle with this kind of sample.”

Lenok smiled.

“And I can’t experiment on my own body, can I?”

“……”

Lenok had long realized the effectiveness of the Thunderous Remnant Body and had been steadily researching to increase its power and efficiency.

Increasing the power and lowering the fuel consumption, or increasing the reaction speed and lowering the sensitivity.

A method of modifying the version to change the system or nature of the abilities enhanced through the Thunderous Remnant Body little by little, so that it could be used in various situations.

The enhancement magic that had been researched in this way was, of course, being used to enhance the vanguard who were with Lenok.

But the ultimate goal was, of course, for Lenok himself to use it directly.

In the battle of superhumans and monsters who had surpassed their limits, Lenok himself was also struggling to gain even one more advantage in close combat.

It was rare to have the opportunity to experiment on the same sample at the same time.

“The output and fuel consumption are different for each revised version, but each will guarantee a duration of about 10 minutes. In other words, there isn’t much time to compare the samples.”

“……”

“What are you doing?”

Lenok smiled and nodded.

“Don’t just stand there.”

* * *

Kwaaaang!!

A huge underground cave made of black walls.

In the shadows where darkness had fallen, three streaks of light raced quickly.

Faaaat!!

As the streaks of light penetrated the corridor inside the cave, shouts erupted from all directions.

“Intruders!!”

“Set up the defenses and activate the magic circle!!”

“Slow them down and start the interception. Vanguard, move first!!”

People wearing black robes popped out from all over the corridor and threw their dark magic power with all their might.

The magic power thrown in all directions of the corridor bound their thoughts and rose into a huge barrier, pouring black flames like rain.

Dudududu!!

However, several young men with the same face rushed in at the same time and crushed the resistance of the black mages.

Woodudeuk!!

A young man with a particularly large physique pushed the barrier and tilted it, and the other two jumped up, stepping on his knees and shoulders.

One of the two who leaped into the air disappeared on the spot and stabbed the backs of the black mages.

The other one fearlessly penetrated the ranks of the mages who were trying to chant.

Kagagagak!!

“Kkyaaaak!!”

“Y-You’re too fast!!”

“Unbelievable. The power is ridiculously high compared to the available magic power…!!”

Three young men mercilessly killed and broke through the black mages who were screaming from all directions.

Behind the remnants of the black mages who were quickly being cut down, a mage with a cane slowly moved his steps.

Kwajik!!

“Kkeoeok…!!”

The battle did not last long.

The battle of the three men stopped only after they had broken through the wide corridor and reached the plaza where the huge staircase was located.

Fzzzt, fzzzt!!

With each step, a strong current of electricity was embedded, faintly illuminating the dark plaza.

The three Armands slowly withdrew their different auras.

“Haa, haa…!!”

Although the degree of exhaustion was different, they were panting with extremely tired expressions.

Lenok walked into the plaza last and nodded towards the three men.

“It’s going to be more tiring than you think. No matter how efficient the enhancement magic is, it’s inevitable that it will drain the target’s energy.”

“……”

“I expected it, but the second revised version is the most efficient. The other two still need adjustments.”

The Thunderous Remnant Body, which grants the user powerful physical enhancement and the nature of lightning.

However, the revised version created by adjusting the fuel consumption and power of the existing Thunderous Remnant Body was still under research.

Among the Single Gift of Encouragement, Two Heads, Eight Calamities, and Four Books, Three Extremes, only Two Heads, Eight Calamities was suitable for combat.

The other two were somewhat far from the original purpose because they separated the advantages and disadvantages too much.

“The idea of dividing the detailed abilities according to the purpose doesn’t seem bad… but it seems like more research is needed.”

“……”

Even with Lenok’s calm contemplation, Armand’s clones did not answer.

They only looked at each other with slightly tired expressions and subtly distanced themselves.

It was hard to believe that they were clones split from one body. They looked like they were seeing competitors they had to be wary of, not the same clones.

Davi, who was watching the scene from his arms, shook his head.

[It’s a farce. Their identities are so immature… They seem to lack too much experience in the world.]

“……”

What would the clones’ reaction be if they knew that they were being lectured on life by a digital spirit who was not even a few years old?

Instead of telling them the truth, Lenok silently removed the Thunderous Remnant Body from Armand’s clones.

Fzzzt…!!

“Ah!!”

“Ugh…”

With a groan, Armand’s magic power rapidly shrank and his expression changed drastically.

At the same time, Armand’s clones, who had bowed their heads, merged into one and returned to Armand Martins himself.

Armand, who was dazedly groping his own body, sighed and covered his face with one hand.

“Huuu…”

“How do you feel?”

“…The worst.”

Armand answered weakly to Lenok’s question.

“I had a really nasty experience.”

“The enhancement magic I cast is, of course, a type of power that I can retrieve and take back at any time.”

Lenok chuckled and said, fiddling with his cane.

“It’s unlikely that a new self of a clone would be awakened by such enhancement magic… You were mistaken from the beginning.”

“Yes. I understand what you mean. I felt like the impulse inside me was growing uncontrollably.”

Armand staggered to his feet and answered.

Armand, who had a pale complexion, swept his hair back and picked up the fallen sword.

“I think the impulse that I wasn’t even aware of grew with the enhancement magic, and I mistakenly thought that I had gained an identity by getting out of control.”

“That’s a plausible guess.”

Armand’s clones did not awaken to a new self by receiving Lenok’s enhancement magic.

Superpowers are innate abilities that are most affected by the organic nature of the body and mind.

Therefore, in the case of Armand, who uses clone abilities, he controls and manipulates the clones through the identity of the body.

However, as the clone who received Lenok’s enhancement magic became different from the other clones, Armand’s mind began to misinterpret its identity.

The clone’s sudden actions and the sudden change in his tone were side effects caused by Armand’s own mind misjudging the clone.

Lenok pointed out the fact to Armand, who had returned after releasing the Thunderous Remnant Body.

“I solved it myself this time, but what if the enemy uses the same method?”

“……”

“They will either not listen to your control like now, or in the worst case, they will try to attack you directly.”

Armand lowered his head silently.

“It would be better to make your clones a little different from each other on a regular basis, so that you can be sure that you are yourself even if the conditions change. I don’t know much about superpowers…”

Lenok said, picking up an old radio from the corpse of a black mage.

“In the end, it’s an ability that starts from believing in yourself. I’ve seen a few people go crazy because they couldn’t do that.”

“…I understand. Now that I know that there is a weakness in my superpower, I will have to work harder. Thank you for your advice.”

“……”

Looking at Armand, who nodded as if he had understood, Lenok separated and organized the magic pattern of Four Books, Three Extremes.

He said that, but it was clear that Armand 3’s sudden deviation was unexpected.

‘Four Books, Three Extremes was basically a revised version created to enhance reflexes and thinking speed.’

Since it was the only one of the three revised versions that assisted mental abilities, there might be more reasons why Armand 3 showed abnormal behavior.

If he researched the direction he adjusted when creating Four Books, Three Extremes, there was a high possibility that there would be meaningful results.

Lenok quickly organized his thoughts and picked up the radio he had picked up.

“If you’ve calmed down, look at this and talk.”

Beep, beep-

When he pressed the button, an unknown signal sound leaked out and then stopped.

“It works fine, but the communication is not connected.”

“Is the communication network down?”

“If that were the case, a message would have appeared saying that the communication was not connected at all.”

“Then… ?”

“Someone is intercepting the communication in the middle.”

Armand’s expression slightly hardened as he understood Lenok’s words.

“It must be the black mages who joined hands with Reisen.”

“Take this and find the point where the signal sound is connected for the longest time.”

Following Lenok’s words, Armand recovered several working radios from the corpses of the black mages and began sending radio messages from various places using his clones.

The clones looked somewhat awkward even after they had merged once and then split again.

He didn’t want to agree with Davi, but it was truly a farce.

But this irony is proof of the precariousness that all superhumans basically live with.

That is why the Ability Awakening Special Forces, an organization that should not exist in the first place, was created and is running through the central front.

For some innate ability users, the talent they were born with is nothing more than a curse.

“Ban-nim.”

Armand 9 waved his hand towards Lenok from the other side of the stairs.

Lenok immediately picked up the radio he was holding and pressed the button.

“Can you hear me?”

[Yes. I can hear you through the radio.]

“Good. That’s within the range where the radio works fine.”

If the black mages’ leadership was intercepting the radio communication in the middle, they had to find out how far the effective range was.

If they could estimate the boundary line where the communication was being hijacked and reverse it, they could estimate the starting point of where the communication was blocked.

Armand also understood Lenok’s intention and immediately moved.

“It’s this way.”

“Kyak!!”

Armand, who had dealt with a black mage hiding on the railing with a dagger, went straight up the stairs.

Armand tilted his head at Lenok’s appearance, who was silently looking at the stairs from below.

“Aren’t you coming up?”

“……”

The moment Lenok tapped his cane, the oil that had been pooled under the floor rose up in clumps and supported Lenok’s feet.

Shuuung!!

In an instant, he easily skipped hundreds of stairs and placed Lenok on the railing on the second floor, and the lump of oil fell down with a thud.

Armand lowered his head as if he had made a mistake when he saw the scene.

“I’m sorry. I knew you were injured recently…”

“…Be careful from now on.”

* * *

Lenok immediately led Armand’s clones and sped through the corridor that stretched above the stairs.

An underground structure that was so solid and precisely designed that it was hard to believe that it existed under the scorching sand plateau.

“To be able to build such an underground structure with only a small number of people… There was a reason why Senator Reisen entrusted them with slush funds.”

Armand muttered in amazement.

“You said it was made by hardening oil. Is there a reason why you chose this place and this material?”

“Well… I think it’s probably because they were trying to use it as a catalyst.”

“…A catalyst, you say?”

“If you think about that, you can understand why they were hiding their slush funds near here.”

Lenok said, turning his gaze.

“If the black mages succeeded in altering this sand pile using the oil-hardened material as a catalyst…”

When he lightly scraped the wall with the tip of his cane, a transparent crystal-like object fell out.

“The next process could have been handled using black magic.”

“…Is it a gem crystal?”

Lenok patted Armand’s shoulder, who was dumbfounded, and started walking again.

The scenery of the dark corridor gradually brightened, and the space on the left and right continued to widen.

The black solid corridor was transforming into a transparent crystal shape.

Charrang, charrang!!

A room made of huge gem crystals bent into long disc shapes.

In the dazzling gem room, dozens of transparent glass pillars were densely packed.

Inside the glass pillars, a dark green liquid was filled, and dozens of humans were floating in the liquid with their eyes closed.

“……”

Armand was speechless and opened his mouth blankly at the unimaginable sight.

Lenok left Armand alone and examined the people floating in the glass pillars.

“Their pulse is alive. They’re breathing normally. It seems to be a device made to maintain life.”

“Th-This…”

“Is the power of the device being solved by pouring oil? To solve production and supply in one way, that’s an efficient idea.”

Thud.

The moment he brought the tip of his cane to it, the glass pillar shattered and a body covered in green liquid fell out.

Crash!!

A naked man fell headfirst in front of Armand and rolled around.

Lenok pushed the fallen naked man over with his cane and carefully watched his face.

“Now that I see it, he’s not just fine, he’s quite healthy. Then why did they use this method to store them?”

“How could such a large-scale human sacrifice happen near Balkan…!!”

Armand reached into his arms with a trembling voice.

Armand took out his cell phone and hurriedly pressed a number, but the communication was not connected.

Lenok shook his head as he looked at him.

“I told you that they were intercepting all the communication. Because of the self-storm, it’s impossible for a phone to connect in the underground of an undeveloped area in the first place.”

“We have to call the support team right now!!”

“Do you think they’ll let us go easily?”

“…!!”

Lenok, looking at Armand who was restless, leaned on his cane and stood up.

“And this is not a sign of human sacrifice. It seems like they’ve made some preparations, but the atmosphere is very different.”

If they were just going to sacrifice humans, there would be no reason to keep them so carefully.

Rather than preparing sacrifices for the offering, could there be another purpose?

Lenok thought so and took out a syringe from his arms.

“Let’s wake them up and ask them directly.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a stimulant that can make even a dying magical beast rampage.”

Lenok said that and stuck the needle into the fallen man’s heart.

“I don’t know why they lost consciousness, but if they get this, they’ll wake up whether they like it or not.”

Thwack!!

He stuck the needle and pushed the drug inside.

A drastic method of injecting the drug directly into the heart.

If it were an ordinary human, they would probably not wake up on the spot, but rather die from cardiac arrest.

But Lenok knew that and put the stimulant in the man’s heart and tapped it lightly.

That was because he was already sure that the bodies that were embalmed in front of them were not ordinary humans.

And the man who received the stimulant opened his eyes wide on the spot.

The eerie sight of dozens of people in the tank opening their eyes at the same time and staring at Lenok.

“…!!”

Their pupils were shaking and wriggling as if thousands of insects were crawling.

Unlike Armand, who was biting his teeth with a pale face, Lenok nodded as if he had expected it.

“I knew it was this way.”

The strange aura felt from this man and dozens of other bodies.

And because he remembered these pupils that seemed like they would lose their ego and scatter at any moment.

A being that controls and moves the body with a group consciousness of hundreds of individuals who believe they are a single entity.

An ability user that even within Pandemonium [A mysterious organization], they cannot clearly define the nature of the ability, so much so that it is called a type of disease that contaminates the mind.

Glen, the holder of the group consciousness who assisted Clown and Freya in the Well of the Guide operation, was sleeping here.

The moment Lenok opened his mouth to ask Glen, who had regained consciousness, a question.

“I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t wake that friend up here yet.”

A turbid voice echoed from behind the two men.

A tall man with a sinister look at a glance.

Unlike his dead complexion, which was somewhat dark, the smile on his face was endlessly light.

The man smiled as he looked at Lenok with a strange gaze that made his eyes spin.

“He’s a very sick friend. Why don’t you put that down for a moment and talk to me?”

Between the man’s hands, small jewels clattered like coins.