Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 989

Kugwagwagwa!!!

A crater several hundred meters in diameter, with magma boiling like hellfire.

Beneath the giant crater and the boiling lava lake on the ground, Roberaide’s body slowly sank.

Chiiiiik…!!

The surface of the heavy armor, unable to withstand the heat of the lava, vibrated violently, emitting a rough, grating noise.

The legion commander’s expression, which had been consistently confident, was now distorted in pain.

“Hoo…!!!”

He tried to pull himself together and escape, but each time, the gravity on his body intensified, pressing him further down.

Every time he used magic to strengthen his body, the microcosm [a personal, internal energy source] went berserk, plunging his massive form deeper into the crater.

Jjeojeojeojeok!!!

Fragments of the ground, crushed and melted beneath the crater, shot upwards, increasing its depth.

Each time, the legion commander’s massive body sank little by little, but surely, beneath the lava.

Just a moment ago, he had been standing on solid ground, but now, only a bottomless void was felt beneath the crater.

“The ground…!!”

“I realized while fighting you, but the ground in this area is strangely weak.”

Lenok said, taking out a cigar from his pocket.

“The reason why the cultists gathered nearby to perform sacrificial rituals must be because the ley lines [energy pathways in the earth] around here are so unstable.”

“……”

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Lenok, having cut the end of the cigar and lit it, blew out smoke and lowered his gaze.

“Beneath the ground melted by the hellfire demon’s lava, there is a potential volcanic zone created by the collision and division of the earth’s crust.”

Jjeojeok…!!

The legion commander’s figure was now submerged in lava past his neck, with half his face submerged.

Lenok said, looking at Roberaide’s figure.

“From now on, I’m going to drop you below that crust. If there’s nothing in the way, you’ll probably sink tens of kilometers underground.”

“……”

“Whether you burn to death in the lava or get crushed to death between the rocks. Either way, I think it’s a fitting death for a warrior like you, don’t you?”

Preheating flame magic and drawing out the Red Star System [a personal magic system] before even reaching the gate was putting the cart before the horse.

However, it was also true that there was no easy way to take the life of or neutralize a big shot like a legion commander.

That’s why Lenok took out the Hellfire Illusion Palace [a powerful magic technique] faster than originally planned and caused the legion commander’s microcosm to go berserk.

He intended to use the fact that the ground nearby was unstable to bury his body in the volcanic zone that existed below the crust.

Even an 8th-level warrior with a strong body and artifact-level armor wouldn’t last long in the lava sea tens of kilometers underground.

“Ha, hahaha…!!!”

At that moment, Roberaide, with only half his face left in the lava, burst into laughter.

“Hahahahahat!!!!”

The maniacal laughter that erupted from inside the burning crater echoed loudly in the dark night sky.

Has he gone mad in the face of death? Or was it an expression of joy at his own demise?

As Lenok watched him silently, the legion commander, who had suddenly stopped laughing, spoke.

“I see. I understand. It’s my defeat.”

“……”

“The Dead Rise 3rd Legion Air Assault Unit and I couldn’t handle just one magician?”

Chijijijik…!!

Roberaide’s eyes, which had lifted their gaze from the blazing lava, flashed with intense emotion.

“But that’s why I’m convinced. You must join the legion no matter what.”

“Why?”

“For a magician with such high martial prowess and intelligence like you not to dedicate your talent to this war is a waste!”

Even as his whole body sank and melted in the lava, his will did not fade in the slightest.

He moved his mouth, which was submerged in the crater, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Even if I die here, you must become a legion commander. That talent of yours can burn most brilliantly under the legion’s banner!!”

“……”

Was he saying that, regardless of the fact that Lenok was killing him, his talent should be used by the Dead Rise?

Fanaticism that disregarded even his own death and that of the 3rd Legion, pursuing only the cause of the legion.

“In a few months, the Marshal will return to headquarters.”

Roberaide said, looking up at Lenok with burning eyes.

“Meet the Marshal. And judge for yourself. Which side is truly the right one to stand on in this war!!”

“The right side, you say.”

Lenok, exhaling cigar smoke, swept his hair back with a tired expression.

“I’ve already thought about that enough. I don’t think the legion’s purpose will align with mine.”

“This is war, Evan Martinez…!!!”

Roberaide shouted with a demonic expression at Lenok’s indifferent gaze towards the legion commander.

“If you’re not an ally, you’re an enemy!! In a war that will determine the fate of the whole world, it’s impossible not to take sides!!”

“It seems you still haven’t realized it.”

Lenok muttered, stepping back from the crater.

“I left the Azure Eye [a previous organization] to find an answer that transcends such interests.”

No, in fact, he should say that he had already decided on a direction.

What Lenok lacked was not the result, but the process.

The journey to find the answer was all that remained for Lenok.

However, instead of telling Roberaide those words, Lenok slowly turned around.

Four days since arriving at the central front and starting to move.

There was still much to do, and Lenok’s energy was not infinite.

He respected Roberaide’s will, which placed even his own death under the banner of his beliefs, but he did not have the time to pay attention to each and every one of them.

“You’ll regret it, Evan…!!”

Perhaps sensing that Lenok had completely lost interest in the current conversation.

Roberaide, gritting his teeth and sticking his face out of the crater, roared.

“Even if I die here, my offer will not change!! Go to headquarters, take over my position, and become the new legion commander!!”

“This is the most aggressive recruitment I’ve ever received.”

Lenok shook his head with a smile.

“Do you know that your offer is actually making me more certain of my decision?”

Lenok was not certain that Roberaide would die in this place.

It was also clear that he was holding back when he threw the legion commander down the crater.

However, apart from the fact that he could not waste any more energy on this battle, Lenok judged that it didn’t matter if Roberaide survived.

He could not understand Roberaide’s values, which tried to bring him into the legion even in the face of death, but as a result, it was not entirely a bad thing for Lenok.

If Lieutenant General Roberaide died, he died, and if he miraculously survived and continued to try to recruit Lenok, his reputation would rise a thousandfold.

If the reputation of Evan Martinez was spreading in the opposite direction to the solid one, that too could be used in its own way.

In that case, leaving the life or death of the legion commander, who was strangely favorable to Lenok, to fate could also have its own meaning.

“I know what you want to say, but you should worry about yourself first.”

Lenok chuckled and turned his head.

“If you survive that, I’ll consider it a little more seriously then.”

“Evan Martinez…!!!”

Roberaide’s figure, which was endlessly increasing its own weight, finally fell and disappeared as if buried under the crater.

Kugugugugung!!!!

Even as he was being crushed and sinking under the ground, the earth shook and vibrated as if resisting to the very end, but that was only for a moment.

Soon, even that resistance disappeared without a trace, and only a quiet silence remained in the crater.

Chik!!

Lenok, watching the scene, leaned against the slope of the crater and put a cigar in his mouth.

This tobacco, made by grinding medicinal herbs and leaves imported from the plant city of Laravelli, helped to release heat from the body and stabilize body temperature just by inhaling it.

For Lenok, who had difficulty controlling his body temperature and heat as he learned flame magic, it was an essential item that he always carried with him whenever he moved under the identity of Evan.

Lenok, puffing out cigar smoke, fell into thought.

‘It will be difficult to catch up with the gate search party right away. I’ll have to go alone from here.’

Since he sent the search party ahead before facing Roberaide, it was highly likely that they had completely left the battlefield by now.

He could rest and wait for support, but even as Lenok thought that, he grabbed his knee and stood up.

The one currently occupying the first gate was the Joint Art Master under the Magic Alliance.

The Alliance was unlikely to send support to save Evan, but at this point, he didn’t want information to reach the Joint Art Master’s ears first.

According to the information he heard from the search party, the remaining distance to the gate was about a day’s walk.

In that case, there would be no major problem for Lenok to head to the gate alone.

Lenok thought so and grabbed the black-green flames that had moved to the end of the cigar.

Thud, thud!!

“Stay still.”

[……?]

The shape of the hellfire, shaking and tilting its head, burning all the remaining cigar filters.

It kept trying to escape Lenok’s control as if it had its own will.

Lenok, who had been watching the scene silently, eventually withdrew his magic and completely recovered the hellfire.

“It doesn’t listen at all unless it’s the Illusion Palace. Is there no other way?”

The ancient sorcery of the old world borrowed from the Library of Darkness. Hellfire Illusion Palace.

However, the Illusion Palace was not a technique that manipulated hellfire at the caster’s will.

It was merely a technique specialized in shaping the hellfire, a flame of a different dimension, into the form of a weapon.

That’s because hellfire was a living flame with a will, and therefore could not be fully controlled in the form of a technique.

‘I wanted to absorb it into the Red Star System before arriving at the gate… things don’t always go as planned.’

A power that could only be used in battle by confining it within the standard of a weapon and forcing it to operate.

Among the [Embers] that Lenok obtained, it had the most heterogeneous negative nature, and therefore, it was also an ember that had not yet been properly incorporated into the Red Star System.

It was a shame, but it was not a problem that Lenok could solve right away.

Lenok adjusted his sleeve and summoned a massive bike.

Kuoong!!

[Phenomenon Conversion System Activated]

[Automatic Driving Algorithm Activated]

[Could not find a suitable driving route. Switching to autonomous driving mode.]

Chwarararak!!

The shape of the monster bike folded as if it were turning upside down on the spot, instantly transforming into a one-person hover bike.

The hover bike, with its wheels folded to the sides of the body, floated above the ground using its built-in boosters.

“……”

Lenok, looking at the scene with a dumbfounded expression, asked.

“Did the phenomenon conversion system have this mode?”

[I was bored while working in the lab, so I modified some other algorithms.]

Davie, who was lying on his back in Lenok’s arms, said.

[I added a flight function to the automatic driving algorithm, but I needed a suitable test model to test it.]

“I see. You’re going to use your master to test a new algorithm?”

Davie’s snout, held in Lenok’s hand, was kneaded like a rice cake.

“Since when did you start thinking so admirably?”

[Eubebebe.]

Lenok, who had stretched Davie’s cheeks with both hands, let go of his hand after seeing him wiggling his tail.

“If there’s even the slightest problem along the way, I’ll suspend the development of the automatic flight algorithm for the time being.”

[He, hehet… Actually, I released the altitude limit, so it might fly away while driving-]

Along with the scream of the electronic spirit, the hover bike sped up and disappeared into the plains.

A vast plain burned and melted. Craters and lava eruptions filled everywhere.

Only a fire turtle with a half-destroyed shell remained alone, yawning slowly before closing its eyes.

After a long time, so long that even its appearance faded as it was reverse-summoned.

Click!!

“…Is this the place.”

More than a dozen magicians wearing antique robes appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

The magicians stood with stiff, shrunken expressions, looking around the burned and disturbed battlefield.

“The battlefield… is still burning.”

“Not a bombing unit, but a single magician did this?”

At the head of such a magician unit, a young man with red hair tied up in a single ponytail stood holding a terminal.

“I’ve arrived. All five airships belonging to the 3rd Legion Assault Unit have been confirmed. It seems certain that they were annihilated in this engagement.”

He had an earphone in one ear, and he muttered to himself as if talking to someone invisible while tapping on the terminal.

“Notify the legion headquarters of the relevant facts and wait for a reply. I am willing to leave video records for cross-verification.”

[……]

“Okay. I am Askal, a Flame Master from the Blaver Magic Tower. I will now begin the on-site investigation.”

The young man, having closed the terminal, finally raised his red eyes.

“All members of the Fire Suppression Unit. Scatter and search for traces of the engagement and recover the embers.”

“Understood!”

One of the five Flame Masters of the Blaver Magic Tower, Askal Lutz.

The Fire Suppression Unit (擲火部隊) [a specialized unit for handling fire-related incidents] he led was currently one of the most outstanding grenadiers in the central front.

Basically, the mission of the Fire Suppression Unit was to provide firepower support to the forces on the side of the Magic Tower on the front lines.

However, since all the magicians belonging to the unit were excellent war mages, they also performed the role of scouts in special situations like this.

In particular, the appearance of a powerful flame magic user who did not belong to the Magic Tower was a state of emergency that the Flame Masters were most concerned about and watching.

‘The heat remains even though it’s been several hours since the engagement ended.’

After dispatching the Fire Suppression Unit, he reached out his hand towards the lava stream flowing beneath his feet.

Chiiiik…!!

The moment he touched the lava, a searing pain burned his fingertips. The sensation in his fingers disappeared, and it felt like his brain was being burned.

Askal’s eyes, frowning, changed complexly.

‘Flame magic power. Is this the level of power even for me, a magician of the same system…’

Originally, between casters of the same system, the power was often reduced because they shared resistance to each other’s techniques.

Even considering that the owner of this flame was a powerful flame magic user, it was natural that the power would be somewhat offset for Askal, a 7th-level who had completed his hierarchy.

However, even considering that, the heat of the flame that burned Askal’s fingertips was at a level that was not easy to handle.

A battlefield where the engagement ended several hours ago. Embers that had spread and preheated, leaving only their traces.

“Evan Martinez…”

Askal, clenching his fist until it broke, muttered the name with a complex expression.

“Askal-nim. We have secured the wreckage of the 3rd Legion airships and recovered some of the bodies.”

The war mages of the Fire Suppression Unit, who had quickly completed their investigation, began to approach one by one and report.

“Identification is possible through the belongings, but most of the bodies are burned at the cellular level, so it seems impossible to compare DNA.”

“We have secured some of the heavy armor wreckage presumed to belong to Lieutenant General Roberaide. ‘Violence,’ a special impact-resistant alloy that was only produced in the central city. It is certain that it is a treasure that cost hundreds of billions of cells per gram.”

Askal, receiving the armor fragments that gleamed with a strange light, asked.

“What about the Lieutenant General’s body?”

“We have selected unit members with excellent sensitivity and assigned them to focus on the search, but there is no progress. It is presumed that there are no bodies at the scene.”

“Unconfirmed whether he is alive or dead…”

Was it a gain or a loss for the Magic Tower that they could not find the remains of Lieutenant General Roberaide?

The impact that the news that Cheonbeon [a nickname for Lenok] had defeated the 3rd Legion Commander of the Dead Rise would have on the front lines in the future was as difficult to predict as the future itself.

Askal, pondering that fact, slowly turned his gaze.

“There is one most important report left. How was the recovery of the embers?”

“We have recovered the flames presumed to belong to Cheonbeon. However…”

“However?”

The magicians of the Fire Suppression Unit, who had recovered the flames from the sea of fire, trailed off.

“The flames are not properly contained within the Flame Locking Bead (鎖炎珠) [a magical artifact]. It seems impossible to transport the sample to the Magic Tower as it is.”

“……”

Flame Locking Bead (鎖炎珠).

The relic-level magic treasure created by using the remains of the fifth former Magic Tower Master of the Blaver Magic Tower as a relic after his death.

It was a top-tier artifact that could confine, seal, and forcibly preserve anything that took the form of a flame.

Even Askal, a Flame Master, was not normally allowed to possess it, and it was only allowed to be taken out in special situations like this.

If the opponent was a magician who handled flame magic, even if they were a great magician who had transcended the hierarchy, they must be under the influence of this relic.

That was why Askal was taking the risk of the opponent still being on this battlefield and moving for an on-site investigation.

“Doris. If the flames cannot be contained within the Flame Locking Bead, how many possibilities can we think of?”

“The Flame Locking Bead is a magic treasure created through the remains left by the former Magic Tower Master.”

A magician wearing glasses, called Doris, replied.

“Since it was made using his remains as a material after his death, it is made with a more powerful law than the level reached by the former Tower Master.”

“……”

“If the power of the Flame Locking Bead does not work, it means that the owner of this flame is either one of the Ascended who has reached level 9…”

The magician, hesitating, smiled bitterly.

He also knew that making such a statement was a truly absurd possibility.

“Or does it mean that it is one of the former Magic Tower Masters who went missing after their death?”

“……”

A cold silence flowed among the magicians of the Fire Suppression Unit.

They were also aware that this situation was unprecedented.

The flame magic user who appeared in the central front border zone, Cheonbeon Evan Martinez.

The worst-case scenario that the power of that magician, who turned Vulcan into a sea of fire, might be much more dangerous than they had assumed.

“…It’s not something that can be concluded based on the on-site judgment alone.”

After pondering for a long time, Askal slowly turned around.

“Turn the line. I need to speak directly to the Tower Master.”

* * *

A breeze blew, and the bushes swayed incessantly.

The grass swayed like waves along the wide prairie, and Lenok stood on a hill, looking down at the scenery.

“That is…”

Kuoong!!

On the plains that stretched out as far as the eye could see, the skeleton of an incredibly huge magical beast lay.

The size was so enormous that the skull of the magical beast, which had died as a skeleton while lying down, was several hundred meters in size.

“……”

Even Lenok, who had traveled the continent and seen all sorts of oddities and mysteries, had never seen the corpse of a magical beast of that size.

If it was that big even after dying and becoming a skeleton, then when it was alive, it would have literally shaken the continent just by its existence.

No, perhaps the existence of that magical beast itself was like a small continent.

As if it had been there for a very long time, bushes and vines grew over the skeleton, binding its shape.

Nevertheless, the magic power emanating from the center of that huge magical beast’s skeleton was truly powerful.

The momentum of the magic power rising and wrapping around the beast’s bones was filling the entire plain and echoing faintly.

Uuuuuung…!!!

Even now, if he closed his eyes and listened, it seemed as if he could clearly hear the vibrations of the echoing magic power.

This was the first time he had faced it directly and seen it with his own eyes, but Lenok could understand without having to ask for an explanation.

The huge [Barrier] that enclosed, hid, and protected the central city of Ars Nova, stretching across the entire continent.

And the first entrance to that [Barrier], the first gate.

After fighting and moving non-stop for at least four days in the border zone, and staying up all night, Lenok had finally arrived at the very beginning.