Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 103

He muttered to himself, something that was hard to even respond to, and then quickly shook his head.

‘Well, whatever. A mage is easier to deal with anyway. I can just knock him out and ask him questions one by one.’

For someone with a metal head, he sure was full of worries.

However, the movements he had just shown were not to be taken lightly.

‘Is this the first time I’ve faced a swordsman since Jude Russell?’

It had been a long time since he faced an opponent with a sword, ever since that dark-skinned vampire swordsman he had encountered at the harbor.

In this world, where the power of guns and magic are clearly effective even against superhumans, a melee weapon is a difficult weapon to wield unless one is extremely skilled.

It’s a weapon that’s hard to choose unless you have confidence in your own skills, natural senses, and that you are not inferior to other superhumans in terms of magic power or physical enhancement.

However, warriors who overcome such various penalties and rise above a certain level engage in combat with movements and insights that Lennox could never approach.

‘And the problem is that swordsmen don’t just use a single sword.’

Just as Lennox uses a gun as a secondary weapon, Manson could use a variety of weapons in a similar way.

Before that thought could even finish, Manson suddenly raised his left hand and struck himself on the temple.

Clang!

“……What is he doing?”

[Damn it. Why isn’t it coming out? I shouldn’t have replaced my head with this old tin can.]

Clang!

As he said that, he hit his metal head with his fist once more, and then finally a long glass vial popped out of his mouth.

A gray gas-filled ampule.

Manson picked it up with two fingers and shook the ampule while sneering.

[Seeing that you’re not running away after seeing this, you’re definitely a rookie. There’s no need to be wary… Ugh!!]

KWA-A-A-ANG!!

There was no need to listen to those words.

He didn’t know what he was trying to do, but it would be foolish to just stand there and watch.

Instead of replying, he pulled the water from the waterway next to him and poured it directly over Manson’s head.

At the same time, he released the overflowing chill from his hand, and the sewage water in the waterway, unable to withstand the extreme cold, instantly froze, beginning to bind Manson’s movements.

[Ice Round]

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!!

It was a magic that was only effective in places where there was water, but conversely, it far surpassed the efficiency of ordinary common magic in places where the necessary environment was provided.

Because of the advantage that Lennox could set the stage as he wanted in a specific environment, ice magic was one of the magic types that Lennox greatly favored.

[No, wait…!!]

Manson, who failed to react to Lennox’s magic that pierced through his blind spot, was now completely trapped in the cold ice, and the ampule fell to the floor from between his fingers.

As soon as he confirmed that Manson’s plan had been thwarted, Lennox immediately manipulated his magic power and floated a pure white magic circle in the air.

[Explosive Freeze]

The moment he twisted his left hand and rotated the magic circle, the ice fragments that had been attached to Manson’s body all stood up and exploded.

KWA-A-A-ANG!!!

It was not as large as the grand explosions that Lennox often set off.

However, it goes without saying how difficult it is to cause an explosion using only ice as a medium from a distance of at least a dozen meters.

The practical application of unique magic he had learned through Eden’s research logs.

Lennox was constantly creating new magic by applying its applications not only to electric magic but also to ice magic.

The two most important talents for a mage—the constant flow of inspiration and the clear intuition that never misses a single moment—resonated and harmonized with each other, creating new paths without rest.

He moved his five fingers and stopped the fragments of ice that were scattering in the air.

At the same time, the fragments that had been exploding reversed their direction and poured down like rain on the spot where Manson had been.

On the surface, it looked like he was freely manipulating attributes. It wouldn’t be strange if he looked like a psychic rather than a mage.

The magic he had created on the spot didn’t even need a name.

WHOOSH…!!

The cold rain of crystals burned the dark underground waterway white.

Did he get him?

He thought he had taken care of the follow-up measures, but Lennox did not make the foolish mistake of uttering the magic spell.

He only checked Manson’s life signs while keeping his magic sense as sensitive as possible.

However, even so, he couldn’t stop Manson’s hand from suddenly popping out through the frosty mist.

BANG!!

A pistol held in Manson’s hand, which still had its shape even after enduring such a fierce attack, fired.

He quickly threw up a shield after noticing the direction of the muzzle, but the bullet hit the ampule much faster than that.

The ampule, unable to withstand the impact, shattered as expected, and the gray gas inside began to leak out explosively.

It spread out enough to fill the sewer in an instant.

Immediately after that, Lennox’s brow faintly furrowed as he realized what the gas in the ampule was.

‘Magic power….’

The shield surrounding him and the chill made of magic that was rushing in from all directions began to change little by little.

It was interfering with the structure of the already formed magic and gradually breaking down its framework.

It wasn’t so much about eliminating the magic itself, but rather about distorting the environment in which the magic was located to change its pattern, which was fatal to mages who were extremely sensitive to the operation of the spell.

It was different in method, but it felt like an EMP [Electromagnetic Pulse] against a mage.

While Lennox was lost in thought, watching his shield slowly crumble, Manson’s voice began to be heard from beyond the thick gray gas.

[Hmm~! It smells as fragrant as ever. The smell of mages panicking. It’s so sweet.]

“………”

[Your magic power isn’t moving as you want, is it? I can tell just by looking at your expression. This must be a new feeling for you. It’s something I don’t use easily without a lot of preparation.]

CRACK, CRACK.

A long figure walked out of the gas.

Even though his whole body was frozen and swept away by the explosion, he was surprisingly unscathed.

There were still wounds on his upper body, which was exposed through his torn clothes, but even those were healing at a speed that was visible to the eye.

Lennox’s eyes narrowed as he confirmed that.

‘His durability is average, but he has good regeneration… He’s definitely a rare type.’

Looking back at the physical freelancers he had worked with, most of them tried to minimize the damage they took, and there were not many cases where they could recover from the damage they had already taken.

The only one he could remember was Dylan, who got up fine even after his waist was bent by the Kraken [a mythical sea monster], so it was right to think that Manson in front of him was of that type.

Manson grabbed his own head with one hand and turned it this way and that, then tilted his head as if he had just discovered Lennox.

[Aren’t you running away?]

“What?”

[Your magic power won’t move properly soon, and most mages would be so terrified that they would run away by now. You’re more resilient than I thought.]

“……..”

[Well, a fool is better than a coward. It’s more fun to cut off the heads of those who resist to the end than those who just give up and beg for their lives.]

SWISH!!

Lennox, who had been lost in thought while watching Manson walk in with his sword drawn, spoke.

“The gas you just used. It’s not an item made with magic or spells.”

[Oh ho.]

It was impossible to interfere with the magic that Lennox had assembled simply with the effect of an item.

Lennox’s magic control ability already far exceeded the level of other ordinary mages.

There was no way that a mere consumable item held by a freelancer could do something that other mages could not even dream of.

In order to interfere with his magic power, he would have to bring a treasure that was truly called a relic.

If so, the phenomenon that was interfering with his magic now was more likely to be a way of indirectly changing the environment of this area rather than directly targeting Lennox as a mage.

“Is it a method of slowing down the movement of magic power itself, causing the magic structure to slowly collapse? Considering that it is not targeted, it is not an intentionally created item.”

Lennox concluded, putting his hand on his waist.

“Psychic power. Or it must be something that contains the effects of a unique plant or animal. If it’s something that can help in battle like this, it must be incredibly expensive.”

[……….]

Manson, who had been listening to Lennox’s words, stopped his chattering mouth for the first time and stared at him.

[Huh? You’re too smart to kill here. You found the pillar before me too….]

“……….”

Manson, who had his sword on his shoulder, tapped his hard chin.

[Do you want to work with me? I don’t know who hired you for this job, but it doesn’t matter if you survive here. My client is a very high-ranking person.]

“A high-ranking person?”

[Yeah. There are too many things to do besides this, so personally, it would be nice to have someone smart like you. If you say you’ll work under me, I can put in a good word with my client.]

A high-ranking person….

Manson didn’t bother to mention the client’s name at this point, but Lennox, who knew the situation roughly, immediately realized the identity of the employer.

‘It seems that Reisen also smelled something and came running.’

Did Evelyn know about this? Whether the agency knew that they were moving in a different direction from Reisen, and whether they had an alternative prepared, was a more important issue than he thought.

It seemed that he shouldn’t waste any more time.

Madness.

Instead of replying, Lennox gestured silently, and Manson, who understood the gesture, sighed deeply.

[Haa… That’s why it’s tiring to talk to guys who think they’re so smart. I just wasted time for nothing.]

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

[Yeah. I don’t know anymore. I’ll just rip off your face and take it with me, and they’ll take care of it… I guess!!!]

SWISH!!!

As if his arrogant attitude until now was a lie.

The blade, which had turned into a streak of light in Manson’s hand, was aimed directly at Lennox’s neck.

The gray gas that had been sprayed while shattering the ampule.

A sharp blow that pierced through the gap that was revealed between Lennox’s collapsing magic without any hesitation.

A high-level sword strike that was difficult to predict the trajectory, curving in a long way while accelerating even faster, aiming directly at Lennox’s carotid artery.

KA-A-ANG!!

It was once again blocked by the shield and bounced off in vain.

[……!!]

The effect of the gas that Manson had released must have been really outstanding.

He must have never thought that Lennox would still be able to maintain his magic, as he paused for a moment and stammered.

[No, how… ?]

Lennox replied.

“If it’s a method of disrupting the magic structure by causing confusion in the structural properties of magic power, then all you have to do is rearrange the magic power accordingly.”

Lennox’s words were easy, but it was a transcendentally difficult solution, like continuing to draw the same picture while adjusting to the size of the brush that changes every moment.

Considering that the composition of magic is more precise and complex than drawing a picture, it was even more so.

However, Lennox was capturing all the movements of magic power that changed in real time and using magic without any problems, rearranging them anew every moment.

A shock magic fell on Manson’s head, who had not even properly realized his unbelievable tuning ability.

KWA-A-A-ANG!!

[Kuhak!!]

Manson’s figure collapsed as if he had been grabbed by the hair by an invisible hand.

Lennox did not miss the opportunity and pulled out two gravity whips and swung them, but Manson reacted quickly even at the moment he was slammed into the ground.

He understood from experience that once his feet were tied, it was over, even if he didn’t know how he could use magic.

He rolled over on the floor, kicked the ground with the back of his foot, and flew to the side.

The moment Manson’s foot touched the ground, he planted the sword he was holding in the ground and spun around to regain his balance.

Once again, his figure disappeared from Lennox’s sight.

SWISH!!

Is it his body that’s moving first this time, not the sword?

He moved up, down, left, and right in the narrow sewer passage, shifting his center of gravity as if there was no gravity.

A high-angle maneuver that was difficult to even guess the location, not just the direction.

It wasn’t just to confuse Lennox’s senses and take away his vision.

He had clearly grasped that it was difficult to use high-powered spells in a closed space like the underground, and he was constantly forcing Lennox to make a choice so that he would not be able to take such risks.

The fact that he was showing this kind of movement in this damp and dark sewer clearly showed how outstanding a warrior Manson was.

WHOOSH!!

A smooth and cold murderous intent rushed in like a gust of wind.

The moment the acceleration ended, as if he had turned his own body into a sword, Manson’s body was already behind Lennox.

A diagonal slash that was made at the same time as he took a step.

The majestic magic power imbued in the blade and the shape of the flames that seemed to be burning made it impossible to even guess its power.