Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1

By the fourth day, the combination of insomnia and physical fatigue began to darken his face. Now, even the other workers were reluctant to approach Lenok. The supervisor deliberately placed Lenok in a corner of the parts room, out of sight, and completely ignored him. It seemed he intended to prevent a body that could die at any moment from collapsing and disrupting work hours. For Lenok, who had been trying to escape by intentionally causing a commotion, this was actually a good opportunity. He fiddled with some parts and then quietly got up, moving towards the hallway. In the process, he made eye contact with a worker who was working with a hollow look, but the worker just turned his head away as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, without saying a word. While the supervisor was swinging his whip with a flushed face, Lenok quickly slipped out of the parts room. He felt much easier to breathe as the stuffy air cleared and a cool breeze blew in. If he stayed put, it would only be a matter of time before he was discovered. Lenok dragged his staggering body and walked stealthily along the hallway wall. Old frames and broken window frames hung intermittently in the hallway. The dirty floor and a noisy ventilation fan on one side… There didn’t seem to be any particular features, but that made it even stranger. Even up to version 2.0, the game WORLD that Lenok played was a typical medieval fantasy world. If this world was different from the WORLD setting that Lenok knew, the situation would become even more complicated. If it became impossible to use his game knowledge, it would be like losing one of the hopes Lenok had. Just thinking about it made his mind uneasy, but there was no other way to think about it now. Lenok shook his head forcefully to clear his thoughts and continued walking along the dirty hallway, trying to memorize the path. Fortunately, Lenok’s memory was far beyond ordinary, so retracing his steps was not difficult. Beyond simply remembering, he could accurately gauge the moment the hallway turned and adjust the distance, easily constructing a three-dimensional space in his head. Just by looking at the shape of the hallway splitting, he could predict the direction and space, and estimate the size of the factory. Lenok hadn’t walked for long, but just by getting out of the parts room and walking through the hallway, a map of the factory was being completed in his head. As he continued walking down the hallway, a pungent smell suddenly stung his nose. It wasn’t just a simple stench, but a smell that strongly stimulated his sense of smell and brain just by inhaling it. The scent of highly addictive cigarettes, or a similar kind of indulgence. Lenok muffled his footsteps and moved a little further, and at the end of the hallway, the space opened up, and a small side door leading out of the factory began to appear. Through the slightly open door, small voices were heard along with the smoky fumes. Lenok found a spot with an ambiguous viewing angle where he wouldn’t be immediately visible even if the door was suddenly opened, and he listened to the voices. “The guys who came in this time are too slow. I don’t know if we can deliver on time at this rate.” “What can you do? They’re just abandoned guys from the city. We have to beat them to make them faster. If we don’t meet the deadline, the chief might burn your forehead with his cigarette.” “Damn it… I can’t stand that. I almost cried when it happened last time.” The man’s coarse curse was followed by a burst of boisterous laughter. From the sound of the conversation, it seemed that the people talking beyond the door were hairy, burly supervisors. “Why are the union members so strict about time? Every time those guys come and cause a fuss, the chief yells at us more.” “Haven’t you heard? They say the things made here are sold to black mages by the union.” “What? Why would mages need grinders?” So, what they were making here were grinders. Lenok, who had been stuck in the parts room all day, didn’t even know what he was making. ‘Anyway, it seems that magic exists in this world. That’s a relief.’ If magic didn’t exist in this unfamiliar world, Lenok’s talent would have no meaning. Lenok let out a sigh of relief and listened to the supervisors’ conversation again. Another voice lowered its tone and answered the man’s bewildered voice. “If a black mage buys a grinder, isn’t it obvious? They’ll use it on… corpses.” “Damn it… I suddenly feel sick. I need to smoke another one.” “Put it in your mouth. I’ll light it for you.” A thick hand holding a lighter appeared through the door. “That’s a nice lighter, how much is it?” “I bought it recently from Calvin & Cups. It’s powered by magic.” With those words, he flicked his thumb, and a blue flame rose from the end of the lighter. And a huge upheaval occurred within Lenok, who had been watching the whole process. A shock, as if someone had pulled a trigger in his head. It was a phenomenon that occurred as a new sensation, which he had never known before, stimulated his body and mind in an instant. It was a sixth sense beyond the five senses, a third eye, and a second self. The moment Lenok realized it, he recognized that it was the fundamental power that made up this world, the driving force that defined existence. That it had always been flowing throughout the world, and that he had simply been unaware of it until now. The previous Lenok had never even considered that he had such a talent, and his mind, which had been crushed by despair and pain during his long time in the factory, was suppressing his awakening. But the current Lenok was a completely different person, fully aware of the magical power and mental talent contained in his body. All that was needed was a small trigger, like the flame of that lighter. In the shock of awakening to magic power, Lenok stopped all thoughts and blankly savored the moment of awakening. The power flowing through this frail body was his most important asset, weapon, and hope. Lenok brought his thumb and index finger together and whispered softly. “Light.” Whirr-! The magic power, having gained an incantation, overlapped with the image that appeared in Lenok’s mind, breaking through the realm of ideals and concepts and manifesting in reality. It was magic. Whoosh! Lenok trembled slightly as he saw the blue flame rising in his hand. The same flame as the lighter’s flame, visible through the door, was dancing on his fingertip. Everything around him had changed, but the magic of the WORLD he knew had not changed. For some reason, that fact alone seemed to give Lenok a small comfort. After that, Lenok eavesdropped on the supervisors’ conversation for a while, then slipped away before being discovered and returned to the parts room. The supervisor in the parts room noticed that he was gone and went on a rampage, but fortunately, it ended with him only getting hit a few times. Listening to the surrounding workers, it seemed that a rumor was spreading that he was looking for a grave to die in. He quickly emptied the thin gruel and lay down, lost in thought. ‘The time left until the union comes to collect the products is three days.’ The supervisors continued to talk for a long time after lighting each other’s cigarettes, and Lenok was able to get useful information from there. ‘If the union members come to the factory, the supervisors’ surveillance will naturally weaken… That’s the only chance.’ If he delayed any longer, Lenok’s weak body wouldn’t be able to hold out. The only reason he was able to maintain a clear mind in this harsh environment was thanks to the mental stats that Lenok had invested in. However, no one knew if he would be able to maintain the same judgment and reason even after his body was completely broken. Time was not on his side, but it wasn’t like there was no breakthrough. Lenok carefully pulled the blanket over his head, turned his body towards the wall, and curled up. Just like before, he brought his two fingers together, and the moment he imagined a blue flame, a small light began to appear, dimly illuminating the inside of the blanket. “………” Was it because he had used it once before? Now, he didn’t even need an incantation to use magic. Lenok stared at the magical light, trying to narrow the gap between the magical knowledge he knew and reality. In fact, Lenok knew nothing about the sensation of moving magic power or the knack of using magic. The magic marksman character he had played only used magic by chanting incantations, making hand seals, and then designating the point of impact with a gun, as he directed from beyond the monitor. The magic that Lenok was now creating with his will alone, without incantations or hand seals, was something he had never experienced before. There was only one possibility that came to mind. Could it be because of the magic-related stats that he had pushed to the limit when creating the character? If that was the case, Lenok was actually manifesting the magic that vaguely remained in his head into reality with his talent alone. A talent that allowed him to use magic without knowing about hand seals and incantations. Lenok was aware of how absurd and amazing this was. If he could properly combine this talent with the various game knowledge he knew, it wouldn’t be impossible to grow rapidly in a short period of time. However, one problem was that even if the magic system of this world matched the magic system of WORLD, the magical knowledge Lenok had was only half-baked. The character he played in version 2.0 was limited by the limitations of the magic marksman job, and could only use the common magic system called ‘Dexter’ among the magic spells. He had only heard rumors about the unique magic system ‘Sinister’ used by real mages, similar to other players. But that was enough for now. There were plenty of useful spells in the common magic ‘Dexter’. ‘The real value of magic isn’t in its flashiness or destructive power.’ If he hadn’t awakened his magic power, he would have had to think harder, but the difference was clear from the moment he was able to use even a small amount of magic. All that was left was to steadily carry out the preparations he had thought of from tomorrow. Lenok clenched his fist to extinguish the flame, straightened his body, and closed his eyes. The terrible insomnia was still tormenting him, and it was the fourth day of repeatedly falling into a light sleep and waking up. He had already given up on getting a good night’s sleep without leaving this room, where low snores and foul odors mingled. Lenok, who had spent almost the entire night awake, continued to practice using magic by moving his magic power until it was time for the other workers to wake up. If he didn’t get used to this sensation, Lenok had no future. The only runway given to him was one, and he couldn’t even think of other possibilities. And it was he himself who had made Lenok that way. # For the next two days, Lenok’s daily life was as monotonous as clockwork. During the day, he would escape the supervisor’s eyes and explore the factory’s structure, and at night, he would focus on practicing magic. It seemed that the magical talent he had set was not a lie, as Lenok quickly became accustomed to gathering and moving magic power. It wasn’t so much that he was easily performing some high-level task, but rather that the hurdle itself seemed absurdly low. But that was enough. In just three days of handling magic power and practicing magic, Lenok had gone from being a worker in a gloomy room to a full-fledged magic user. He had already successfully demonstrated several simple spells besides the light-emitting magic. At the same time, thanks to his efforts to explore the inside of the factory and understand its structure, Lenok had succeeded in finding several routes leading out of the old factory. It wasn’t that he didn’t encounter other supervisors along the way, but those who saw Lenok’s pale complexion, which made him look like he would collapse or even faint if touched, ignored him, thinking he was running an errand for another colleague. Of course, Lenok’s body, which had been overworked day and night, was on the verge of completely breaking down, but in this kind of environment, expecting consideration was a luxury. Rather, it was right to say that he was lucky not to be caught by the supervisor for subtly skipping work during the day. This was possible because other supervisors were also sticking to their respective jurisdictions during work hours. If he had been caught by another supervisor, he could have been beaten to the point of never opening his eyes again. And finally, the day that the union members were scheduled to come to the factory dawned. Lenok, who had spent the night awake, slowly raised his magic power to match the time when the other workers would wake up. It was a sensation he had never handled before coming to this world, but the small amount of magic power that existed in his body now moved smoothly according to Lenok’s will. Lenok gathered that small amount of magic power and neatly concentrated it near his forehead, and immediately used magic. A magic with a very simple effect that raised the temperature of the skin’s surface. It was simple enough that it didn’t require any special incantation or hand seals, just enough to prevent body temperature from dropping in the cold weather. But in the current situation, it was clear that it would be an extremely effective magic. The result appeared soon after. Lenok’s skin, where the heat was concentrated on his face, turned red, and he began to sweat profusely. The workers, who were naturally getting up and waiting for work hours, also noticed Lenok’s appearance and began to whisper. “Hey, look at that…” “It seems like it’s about time.” “Still, he lasted a long time. It’s not a place where a weakling like that can work for long.” “It’s his fate.” The workers whispered like that, but they never tried to come near Lenok. Lenok deliberately made groaning sounds, trying to show that he was clearly in pain. “If you’re awake, get out here right away, what are you doing!” Bang! The supervisor, who had kicked the door open with a violent kick, frowned when he saw that the workers’ gazes were directed at Lenok lying on the bed. He approached Lenok, examined his complexion, and shook his head after confirming that his forehead was burning hot. “Hoo… I’ll give you three minutes, so run to the parts room right now!” Even though he knew that Lenok hadn’t opened his eyes, the supervisor left the room without bothering to touch him. He had decided that he could no longer be a useful worker. Besides, today was the day that the union members were visiting the factory to collect the products. There was no reason to cause unnecessary trouble on a day like today. The workers glanced at Lenok as they put on their work clothes. “What should we do with that guy?” “Looking at him, it seems like he’ll be dead when we come back. Wouldn’t it be easier to clean up after we come back?” “Ew… that’s a bit unsettling.” “Still, it’s cleaner to clean up after he’s dead. If we bury him alive, he might struggle and we might have to bury him again.” They began to talk as if Lenok was already dead and only his corpse remained. How many workers had not even left a handful of ashes in this old factory? The death of a weak worker from exhaustion did not give them any emotion. At that moment, one of the workers walked towards Lenok. Lenok, who was lying down, tensed his body at the unexpected situation.