Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 760

Thump!!

In the middle of the ancient city square, Pyunram’s coiled form stirred, awakened from a deep slumber.

With a mere blink of its eyelids and a shift of its body, a tremor like an earthquake swept across the ground.

Lenok, gazing down at the chaotic scene of the city shaking beneath his feet, was lost in thought.

‘It’s unlikely to be the real one. But this presence…’

Ascendant Pyunram. The snake guarding the well.

However, Lenok, who remembered the events at the well, knew that Pyunram’s true form couldn’t possibly be here.

Immediately after launching Gye Baek beyond the outer sea, didn’t that Kraken Acilius himself confront Pyunram and resolve the situation?

Even after wielding such power upon awakening, it failed to guard the well, so even an Ascendant would be unable to move for some time.

Even if it had decided to venture into the mortal realm now, there would be no reason for it to hide within the consciousness of a guardian spirit beast.

Decisively, if it had been hiding within the territory, there’s no way Lenok wouldn’t have noticed it.

In other words, the enormous snake form stirring before his eyes was not the real Pyunram.

Yet, even so, this powerful resonance that shook the entire consciousness world made him realize just how mighty a transcendent being he was facing.

[It’s been a long time since a human came looking for me without mastering sorcery.]

The snake, slowly flicking its tongue, whispered.

[Then, from which wave of memory did we meet each other? Tell me with your own mouth.]

“……”

The wave of memory.

A message implying that this consciousness world itself was a fragmented part of Pyunram’s memory.

Is the rather mild and calm nature, considering it had just woken up, also a facet of Pyunram’s memory?

However, Lenok was more focused on finding a way to resolve this situation.

‘I don’t know where to start…’

Pyunram was a transcendent being who was born as a snake, mastered sorcery, and gained the qualifications to challenge ascension [a process of becoming a higher being].

But it was a monster trapped by its duty to guard the well, suffering from severe oblivion.

When he visited the well as Victor, Pyunram, upon awakening, was in such a poor state that it even confused its sense of time.

So, how much would Pyunram’s memory, which he was facing here, be aware of what happened back then?

If he threw out words carelessly, the Ascendant’s keen intellect would immediately notice the incongruity.

“I arrived here, riding on the unconsciousness of a guardian spirit beast born in my territory.”

Therefore, instead of mentioning the mission, Lenok immediately brought up the main point of his visit.

“Why is your consciousness connected to this place?”

It was disrespectful behavior compared to the Ascendant’s status, but the Pyunram Lenok remembered was not the type to care about such things.

Pyunram, being a being far removed from humans since birth, wouldn’t react to trivial manners of speech.

[……]

Instead of answering, Pyunram stared down at Lenok.

Pyunram, who had been gazing at him with reptilian pupils that couldn’t read emotions, spoke quietly.

[Magician, you seem to be quite a unique sorcerer. An ordinary mortal would find it difficult to face me here rather than in reality.]

“……”

[It means you are either mad enough to not distinguish between up and down, or you have a vast enough ego to withstand it.]

Was it more interested in the solidity of his consciousness than the question Lenok had asked?

It wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

The pressure that was pressing down on all sides as the Ascendant’s presence stirred was somewhat burdensome even for Lenok.

If that was the case for Lenok, who completely maintained his own mind in any situation.

It was proof that this entire space of consciousness was constantly fluctuating and shaking according to the Ascendant’s will.

If Lenok’s existence, which showed no sign of wavering in that space, seemed unusual, it wasn’t strange.

Just like Claris Richelieu, those who had lived for a long time and were not human seemed to want to see something different in Lenok.

[There were those who came to me for the same reason as you in the past.]

Pyunram, slowly closing its eyes, muttered.

[It must be because I was born as a Hweryong [a mythical dragon-like snake], escaped the curse of molting, and shouldered an ancient mission.]

“……”

Hweryong. If he had to define Pyunram’s origin, would he use such a word?

While Lenok was lost in thought, Pyunram said as if it were nothing.

[Your guardian spirit beast is destined to die and disappear soon, so don’t get too attached to it.]

“……What?”

[The fact that your consciousness is connected to me means that the essence of your spirit beast is somewhat similar to mine.]

Pyunram’s eyes calmly shone.

[The future of a life form is destined to converge into a great flow. I exist at its apex, so your spirit beast will also become like that.]

“……”

He was taken aback by the overly unexpected topic, but Lenok soon understood what the snake was trying to say.

Because the essence of the guardian spirit beast was similar to Pyunram, was it saying that the spirit beast would eventually merge with Pyunram and disappear?

It was an absurd statement, but Lenok understood that it was not a lie because of that.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain this situation where he had dug into the unconsciousness of the guardian spirit beast and reached Pyunram’s subconscious.

The guardian spirit beast and the Ascendant Pyunram. The fundamental similarity between the two spirit beasts.

That was the very reason why Lenok was standing here now.

“……Why did this happen? Do you know why your essence and the guardian spirit beast are connected?”

[The fundamental cause is not in the origin, but in its source.]

Pyunram surprisingly answered Lenok’s question readily.

Was it because it understood the circumstances of why Lenok had come all the way here?

It was also possible that Pyunram’s spirit, wandering in the distant past, was repeating old memories.

[If the source of a spirit beast is based on excessively powerful ideas and laws, the spirit’s rank is exposed to the material world while being excessively high.]

“……”

[The source, which is defenseless immediately after birth, is bound to be devoured and disappear by me. It will happen according to the logic of predation.]

Pyunram said, gazing at Lenok.

[If I had to define it in human language, it would be because the master was too excellent.]

“That’s…”

Lenok was about to say something, but gave up.

He couldn’t deny how powerful the source of the guardian spirit beast, which was based on the Uroboros magic system, would be.

Rather, the words that Pyunram, who didn’t know the whole story, was casually throwing out were accurately pinpointing the cause of the situation.

Lenok, letting out a small sigh, slowly turned his gaze.

“I understand what happened. I’ll take care of the rest.”

[……]

There were many things he wanted to ask, but Lenok knew that there was no need to provoke the Ascendant here.

Even if he asked about ascension, the secrets of the world, or the ending, Pyunram, bound by the curse of oblivion, wouldn’t remember properly.

Rather, by asking her questions, he might provoke her and make her recall the time at the well.

Although she didn’t seem to be interested in who Lenok was now, she might notice the connection between Lenok and Victor in some way.

In this kind of consciousness world where the logic of spells doesn’t work normally, it was better to be cautious.

Just as Lenok was thinking that and was about to turn away after cleanly asking about the guardian spirit beast.

[You don’t resent me.]

Pyunram, who was looking down at Lenok with an interesting look, asked.

[There is no agitation or wavering in your consciousness. It’s an unusual thing.]

“Resent? Why would I resent you?”

[Because everyone who came to me before did. But you are different. The reaction that your surface consciousness is showing is, if I had to put it into words…]

The snake gave a hollow smile as if it were amused.

[It’s close to not expecting anything from me. You accurately recognize my essence.]

“……”

[Have you perhaps met me once before?]

Was it reading only Lenok’s consciousness reflected in the consciousness world and reaching that point in an instant?

Lenok shook his head with a wry smile at the traces of that absurd intuition and intellect.

It would be difficult to deny it any further after coming this far, but there was no need to tell the truth.

“I met someone who was you, but not you. I don’t know if you remember.”

[……I see. It was a story of a time that I, as I am now, cannot experience.]

Pyunram also seemed to understand what he was saying and twitched its eyelids.

[It was a meaningless question and answer. But you shouldn’t waste your time on meaningless things either.]

“What do you mean?”

[From the perspective of a species, life is just a stepping stone to the next generation. It’s no different for humans or spirit beasts.]

Pyunram said that and slowly twisted its head.

Kugugugu…!!

With just that, the entire square shook greatly, creating an illusion.

A powerful vibration that could shake the space with just its will, even in the consciousness world.

[Life is a container containing genetic information, and nature only designs the world for life forms in their breeding season. There is no great value in saving a newly born spirit beast.]

The Ascendant, who had obtained the qualifications to transcend the world, said.

[If you can maintain an unwavering ego even when facing me, you must be a very powerful sorcerer among the human race. Only the nobles of Ars Nova or the long-lived species of Kundara can be compared to your existence.]

“……”

[If you have transcended the limits of your species, don’t waste your time for something that hasn’t been born yet. Even without that, there are too many endings to face in this world.]

Even though it knew that the life of the guardian spirit beast was in danger because its source came from Lenok, was it saying not to waste time because of that?

A transcendent’s perspective that counts and judges life as numbers from an extremely macroscopic point of view.

It was a calm and composed piece of advice, but it was a perspective that instinctively evoked a sense of rejection in the same life forms.

“I think I know why others resented you.”

Lenok chuckled and turned his gaze.

“But didn’t you also love the past time you called meaningless? It can’t be a coincidence that the Ascendant’s consciousness is asleep in these memories.”

[……]

Pyunram was not a predator and a great Ascendant from the moment it was born.

From being born as a mere snake, gaining intelligence, mastering sorcery, and transcending the hierarchy to challenge ascension.

All the time she had lived could not have been such a heartless and macroscopic fate.

That was why she was so pained by the oblivion that came with carrying out her mission.

Did the transcendent’s memory waver at the accurate pointing out of her past?

[……Yes. But that’s why I can only give this advice.]

For the first time, it felt like a clear focus was returning to the snake’s eyes.

[Those who come to me for help don’t need to make the same mistakes as me.]

“……Thank you for answering my questions. I’ll solve the problem with the guardian spirit beast myself.”

Lenok, who had been silent, finally turned away completely.

“It’s a lazy and greedy spirit beast that hasn’t even hatched from its egg yet, but that can’t be a reason for it to die as soon as it’s born.”

He understood that the guardian spirit beast’s consciousness would be devoured and disappear by Pyunram, but Lenok had no intention of asking Pyunram for anything.

Pyunram, Padme Kiesa, was not an Ascendant who was friendly to humans like Cheon Gyeon or Jin Dun.

What she loved was only the time she had spent with mortals and the traces of it.

If he had to put it into words, he should say that she loved the memories of the past that she could no longer return to and those moments.

What had answered Lenok’s questions here was only a part of Pyunram’s memories.

Since there was no way to persuade Pyunram, nor to fight and kill Pyunram, Lenok had no choice but to find another way himself.

Even without that, the time he could endure in the consciousness world was almost up.

Even if Lenok could endure it forever, the guardian spirit beast’s consciousness wouldn’t be able to.

He had to return to reality before the spirit beast woke up.

Just as Lenok was thinking that and was about to leave the consciousness world, Pyunram flicked its tongue.

[……If it hasn’t hatched from the egg even though it has already been born, there might be some hope.]

“Hope?”

[If it hasn’t broken out of its shell even after gaining intelligence, it’s proof that it has a superior spirituality to try to protect its own source.]

“……”

Was it that the reason it hadn’t hatched from the egg even after a long time had passed was to avoid being devoured by Pyunram’s consciousness?

While Lenok, who had discovered a possibility he hadn’t realized at all in what he had thought was laziness, closed his mouth.

[If it escapes the curse of molting and matures enough, it might be able to transcend the shackles of its species based on its own spirituality.]

“That’s…”

[There is a city that observes and maintains the flow of all curses on this continent.]

Pyunram’s breathing gradually slowed down, and then it completely closed its eyes and leaned its head.

The movement of the giant snake eventually stopped completely, and only a faint whisper quietly rode the wind.

[If you don’t want it to end as a mere husk, you must find a way there.]

“……”

Was it implying that in order to escape from Pyunram, it had to become a being other than a Hweryong?

However, instead of asking any more questions, Lenok quietly gazed at the sleeping form of Pyunram.

Because the last words she had left seemed to indirectly imply her own situation.

Perhaps she was feeling the past memories she had forgotten as a husk that could not be recovered.

The reason she had answered about the guardian spirit beast might also be because she was reflecting someone in her memories.

Lenok, who had opened his mouth to say something while looking at Pyunram’s sleeping form, shook his head and immediately turned around.

He walked out along the quiet, windy square.

Swaaaaaa!!

In the distance, the wilderness was slowly closing, and the illusion of the consciousness world collapsing rushed in.

Lenok, without any regrets, pulled up his own consciousness that was rising and immediately returned to reality.

Click!

At the same time as the sound of a camera lens folding, a sensation of the brain’s circuits switching.

Davi, who was riding on his head, asked as he watched Lenok slowly open his eyes.

[Master, were there any results?]

“Hmm…”

The curse of molting. He knew what Pyunram had mentioned that word for.

The military city of Yorta, which observes all the curses on this continent.

The city of the military spirits that guide lost souls in the spirit tower where the night parade of a hundred demons continues.

It seemed that there was one more reason to go there, which was said to have a foot in both the material and spirit realms.

Lenok, who had been pondering, slowly took his hand off the eggshell and said.

“It seems like we need to prepare to leave soon. We’ve stayed in Balkan for too long.”