Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1002

“Evan Martinez. Your case is quite rare in many ways.”

Click!

The Conjunction Master, flicking the needle of the syringe with his finger, spoke.

He arranged syringes filled with medicine one by one on the modular stand.

He wasn’t injecting the medicine right away, but rather storing them, allowing the contents to settle over time.

It was a method commonly used by those addicted to synthesized magic drugs, allowing impurities to settle and the drug to take effect more quickly.

“An unorthodox mage who didn’t follow the Tower’s lineage. A successor of Zygis Ithernore. The killer of the 10th Apostle, Amrita Praubel.”

The Conjunction Master, having quickly filled a dozen or so ampoules with medicine, began to speak.

“Despite possessing honors and achievements that are difficult to obtain even one in a lifetime, your official activities are extremely limited. Moreover, the fact that your past is unknown despite such a background is even more curious.”

“…….”

“Even though your activities as a Watcher are extremely limited, the fact that Lapis Palshier favored you is well-known even in the Central. There have been countless speculations about the reason…….”

He placed the ampoules on the stand and picked up a sharp scalpel from a machine next to him.

“I think the answer lies within your body.”

“Do you think you can find the answer by dissecting my body?”

“Where did your lineage come from? Who are your ancestors? From whom did the talent engraved in your genetic information originate?”

The Conjunction Master asked back, adjusting his grip on the scalpel.

“Magic-based medicine is about unraveling mysteries by combining formula data and magic theory. It’s also connected to adding unknown cases and talents to the database.”

“…….”

“Exceptional talent is an irregularity that transcends the standards of the species. I believe that by collecting such outliers and averaging them, I can create new standards.”

The Conjunction Master, having rolled up the sleeve of Lenok’s right arm, which was bound to the operating table, brought the scalpel to her skin.

“In other words, it’s a process of forcibly raising the upper limit allowed to humanity.”

“It seems you want to evolve the human race all by yourself.”

“What, it’s not like I want to give such a grand cause. It’s more like, if I keep doing this, I get a sense of how far I can go.”

The Conjunction Master’s eyes, meeting Lenok’s gaze, shone with an inorganic light.

“Above all… it’s fun.”

“…….”

“I’m fascinated by the act of dissecting and exploring ‘talents’ that are uniquely manifested, either like mine or even more so.”

The Conjunction Master, staring intently at Lenok, asked.

“If you think of it as finding some meaning in this dying world, wouldn’t you say it’s a decent hobby?”

“No. There’s no way.”

Lenok answered, feeling the cold touch of the scalpel on her wrist.

As she felt the scalpel’s force gradually increasing, Lenok stared directly into the Conjunction Master’s eyes.

“There’s no way the Grand Conjunction Master of the Alliance would stay in a gateway city just to enjoy a hobby.”

“…….”

“Enough with the useless talk, if you’re going to do it, start quickly.”

Lenok chuckled and nodded to the Conjunction Master.

“Your ‘hobby’. If you start now, there won’t be time left until the next surgery, right?”

“Well, that’s true. But you don’t have to worry that much.”

The Conjunction Master’s eyes, visible above his mask, curved into a smile.

“There are 14 minutes and 20 seconds left until the second surgery. It’s enough time to turn a mage inside out from head to toe.”

The moment the scalpel’s blade pierced Lenok’s skin, a barrier formation appeared, glowing dazzlingly.

Clang!!

The barrier formation rotated, pushing away the scalpel’s blade and protecting Lenok’s skin from being damaged.

Like a transparent armor covering her skin, the shape of the magic circle flowed rapidly over the area where the blade made contact.

“Jintun’s barrier technique. It’s not surprising.”

However, the Conjunction Master was not surprised by the manifestation of the barrier formation protecting Lenok’s body.

He simply took out one of the many ampoules hanging on the stand.

“Rather than adding a special incantation or spell, it’s more like a power of self-protection or a barrier of survival instinct. Considering that it didn’t manifest until I caught you, that’s even more likely.”

The Conjunction Master muttered, holding up the ampoule.

“It’s within the expected range.”

Thwack!!

He inserted the raised syringe into a machine next to the operating table without hesitation.

The machine, having been injected with the ampoule, vibrated violently, revealing pink flesh between the joints.

Whirring!!

Sharp, tooth-like saw blades popped out from between the flesh and rotated roughly.

Only then did Lenok realize the true nature of the machines in this operating room, and she smiled bitterly.

“Did you even make your own surgical equipment into chimeras? You’re insane.”

“It would have been a good example if I had shown you my operating room beforehand, but I don’t basically use innocent people as materials.”

The Conjunction Master replied leisurely to Lenok’s question.

“I tend to ‘use’ those who are meritorious to the Alliance, or idiots who attacked me, or those who are useful superhumans. And this surgical equipment is…….”

The Conjunction Master said, tilting the surgical equipment towards Lenok’s wrist.

“It’s something made by capturing a distant relative of Zygis Ithernore.”

“……!!!”

At that unexpected explanation, the moment Lenok’s face hardened, the Conjunction Master pressed the saw blade against Lenok’s wrist.

Drrrrr!!

The rotating saw blade made contact with Lenok’s wrist. At the same time as the fierce roar, the barrier formation began to falter.

In the instant a gap appeared in the barrier formation, the Conjunction Master moved the scalpel at an invisible speed.

A red line was drawn on Lenok’s wrist.

Fwish!

The scalpel blade pierced the blood vessel below her wrist. Along with a sharp pain, blood began to drip.

Another machine next to the operating table collected the dripping blood into a test tube.

“I cut the artery, but the amount of bleeding is less than I thought. This case often occurs when the blood vessels in the wrist are compressed.”

The Conjunction Master said, grabbing Lenok’s wrist as if he had been waiting for it.

“If the magic circuits within the muscle fibers are excessively enlarged, they can conversely compress the muscles and blood vessels, hindering the transport of blood and oxygen.”

“Huu……!!”

As the Conjunction Master squeezed her arm with a strong grip, the bleeding from her wrist worsened.

Ignoring Lenok’s grimace, the Conjunction Master tilted his head.

“There’s a strong repulsion between blood and magic at the cut surface. Is it mana poisoning? It’s not an uncommon disease for high-level mages. Even though there are signs of improvement, it’s this bad, you must have been out of your mind before.”

“…….”

“Abnormally low blood pressure and magic concentration. Lack of blood flow sodium and electrolytes. Circulatory dysfunction due to frequent blood vessel and circuit constriction. Even the discrepancy between bioanalysis and formula analysis. All of it is… extremely interesting.”

A cold gaze swept over Lenok’s face from behind the mask.

“You’re much more broken than I thought. Why are you still alive?”

At the Conjunction Master’s calm words, Lenok felt a chill run down her spine for a moment.

The Conjunction Master’s ability to identify the diseases and symptoms Lenok was suffering from just by looking at the wound on her wrist.

Regardless of the fact that Lenok was cooperating with the Conjunction Master’s examination, the Conjunction Master’s insight and judgment were much sharper than she had thought.

“If it’s difficult to find the cause through external diagnosis, I’ll have to start from inside the body.”

When Lenok didn’t answer, the Conjunction Master stood up with a troubled expression.

The Conjunction Master, picking up a transparent tube that had been cleaned from a shelf next to him, said.

“Tube insertion. Activate the miniature camera. Start screen transmission.”

Thwack!!

He inserted the transparent tube directly into the cut surface of her wrist and pushed it in.

Lenok frowned at the sensation of the tube poking through her blood vessels, but the Conjunction Master ignored it and focused on the screen.

“Let’s see… the aggregation rate of magic particles in the body is abnormally high. Due to the backlash, the cell binding force is weakened, causing them to die even from small impacts.”

The Conjunction Master, who had been examining the screen with an indifferent gaze, suddenly spoke with a bewildered expression.

“Damage to the artery. Could it be that the blood vessel was torn just because I moved the camera? Even if I made your whole body out of paper, it wouldn’t be this weak.”

“…….”

The Conjunction Master, unable to hide his bewilderment at Lenok’s physical condition, was about to move the camera to illuminate the inside of the blood vessel when.

Whoooom……!!

A faint light began to flicker from the dark side of the screen.

Faint like a candle in the darkness, and precarious as if it would go out at any moment.

The light did not fully appear on the screen, but simply existed, shining in its place.

Oooooo……!!!

“……Wait.”

The moment Lenok realized that it was rotating slightly, drawing a specific shape.

Kwaaang!!

The camera screen went dark, the screen shattered, and the connected surgical machine exploded on the spot.

The Conjunction Master, who had been silently watching the scene, turned to Lenok and muttered.

“A camera made of Arta bio-alloy, disintegrating without leaving a trace… I’ve treated many high-level mages, but this is the first time I’ve seen this.”

“…….”

“A very powerful blessing and curse, or perhaps a will, is holding you back.”

The Conjunction Master, looking down at Lenok lying on the operating table, muttered as if he had realized something.

“The power that weakens you and the power that strengthens you coexist and circulate. I see. This is like…”

“…….”

“…as if a human’s fate has been shaped by a geas [a magical compulsion or binding].”

The Conjunction Master, who had been lost in thought, looked down at Lenok.

“So, that was the reason you asked me to examine you in exchange for your body’s information. Certainly, with this much, it’s worth it just to collect the examination records.”

“Then, did you think there was another reason why I was watching you cut my body open?”

“If I knew your condition, I couldn’t help but be interested?”

At Lenok’s indifferent reply, the Conjunction Master chuckled and shook his head.

“That’s unfortunate. In my current state, I can’t treat you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The reason your body is dying is not a symptom that can be attributed to one cause or disease. It’s a much more fundamental problem of constitution or nature.”

The Conjunction Master said, placing the scalpel in the sink next to the operating table.

“To solve this, you’d have to rewrite the genetic information in your chromosomes, or directly adjust the secretion of hormones by operating on your brain. Either way, it would be a major surgery that would take several months.”

“…….”

“The problem is that even if we do this, I can’t be sure if your symptoms will improve. The body of a high-level mage is so closely intertwined with the soul… in the end, unless you rewrite your mental state itself, your nature may not change.”

The Conjunction Master’s eyes, looking down at Lenok, shone cruelly.

“It’s not that I’m not interested. I think it’s a gamble worth trying. But…”

The Conjunction Master stopped speaking, and then closed his mouth tightly.

It was a strange reaction, as if he was not allowed to say any more to himself.

“That’s an interesting answer.”

Lenok asked.

“You said you swore the oath of a physician, but the fact that you’re refusing treatment even after examining me this far.”

“……There are about 3 minutes left until the second surgery starts.”

While Lenok was watching him with narrowed eyes, the Conjunction Master took off the gloves he was wearing.

“It’s too short to kill you, dissect you, and finish the embalming. Let’s try one more test.”

“Test?”

“It’s to check the ‘talent’ embedded in your blood.”

The Conjunction Master, having collected Lenok’s blood and divided it, snapped his fingers, and several chimeras rose from the floor.

[Ugh… ah…]

[Ah… grk……]

The flesh, with only mouths left, without eyes, noses, or ears, let out weak groans.

They had completely lost their reason and ego, and only repeated the act of standing blankly and writhing.

The moment Lenok realized that they were testbeds solely for confirming ‘reactions’, unlike other chimeras.

“These chimeras are made from mages directly brought from magic towers across the continent.”

“…….”

“This friend here is Blaver. This one is Enolas. That one is Valefor. No, was it Sinclair?”

“……You made the mages of the Tower into test subjects for aptitude tests?”

“I won’t unify them using numerical values or data. There are too many special cases with the blood of high-level mages, so it’s difficult to analyze them quantitatively.”

The Conjunction Master said, walking through the flesh.

“Therefore, in this case, qualitative analysis using my chimeras will be the standard. For example, like this…”

As he inserted a syringe filled with Lenok’s blood into a chimera, the chimera opened its mouth wide and trembled.

[Aaaah… Aaaahhhh…!!!!]

Whoosh!!!

The flesh, which was on fire, turned to ashes and disappeared on the spot.

The Conjunction Master turned to Lenok, watching the scene.

“I modified superhumans with talents in each system and made them into biological catalysts that react to the same system.”

“…….”

“Before using you as a sample, I need to know what kind of ‘talents’ I can collect. If the results are good, I might even keep you alive and make you into a chimera.”

“You’re spouting things that are worse than death.”

“That’s not for you to decide. Shall we start right away?”

Thwack!!

Lenok’s blood was injected into the chimeras standing side by side in the operating room in turn.

Immediately after, the chimeras began to writhe and scream one by one.

[Ah… Aaaah…!!!]

They burned to ashes, split as if cut by a knife, froze and shattered, and were crushed and pulverized.

“Flame, Cutting, Ice, Impact. As expected of a great mage.”

The Conjunction Master said with an interesting expression.

“It’s extremely rare for a case to show reactions to more than four systems. With this much, I can use you as a catalyst even in the Great Conjunction ritual.”

“That’s not information I particularly want to know.”

“You don’t know that you’re blessed. It’s not common for an ordinary mana user to have an aptitude for even one system.”

The Conjunction Master, with his arms crossed, said, looking at the chimeras that were still convulsing.

“Usually, it’s considered a lot if a level 7 mage has two aptitudes, and a level 8 mage has three or more. In the first place, to transcend the hierarchy, it’s often not enough to have only one aptitude-”

Snap!

At that moment, the fifth chimera rapidly rotted and decayed to death on the spot.

“…Life system. Although it’s relatively easy to learn, having the talent itself is extremely rare-”

Crack!!

Creak!!

Crackle!!

Before the Conjunction Master could finish his sentence, the chimeras standing all around died in various ways.

They were strangled, scattered into smoke, decomposed by black magic, and disappeared as a gust of wind.

The mages of the magic tower who had fought and lost to the Conjunction Master, and who had lived as his toys without dying.

The evidence of rest they left behind for Lenok as they died.

“…I can’t believe it.”

Only then did the Conjunction Master finally realize the reality and showed a surprised expression for the first time.

“I prepared more than 20 chimeras. You have the talent for all those systems in your body?”

Fwish!

The chimeras that appeared in the operating room were dying quickly, and only one last one remained.

Among the chimeras made of flesh, the chimera with mold growing on it, as if it were twisted and rotten.

Special System.

A word that collectively refers to the most heterogeneous and twisted system among all systems.

The moment Lenok’s blood was injected into the chimera of that system, and the chimera trembled as it convulsed.

“Kuaaaak!!”

The flesh shrank as if contracting on the spot, and transformed into the appearance of an ordinary human.

The man, breathing roughly, touched his face with trembling hands.

“Wh, where is this…?!”

There was no answer.

Because the hands of the Conjunction Master, who had turned around with a cold expression, and Lenok, who had risen from the operating table, collided in the air.

Clang!!

At the same time as the shockwave exploded above the operating room, the body of the man who had returned to human form was thrown to the ground.

“Uwaaaak!!”

“I was mistaken.”

Among the surgical equipment trembling all around, the Conjunction Master looked at Lenok with a cold gaze.

“It wasn’t the time to try to have a leisurely conversation.”

The Conjunction Master muttered, pressing down hard on Lenok’s hand that was touching his in the air.

“From the beginning, I should have stopped all the adjustments in the gateway city and focused on investigating you.”

“It’s the same for both of us.”

Lenok, who had barely managed to receive the Conjunction Master’s hand, smiled.

“Don’t you think it’s too late now?”