Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1050

Late at night.

The massive War Magic Tower, a flying fortress, was bathed in moonlight as it soared through the clouds at midnight.

Lenok stood in the spacious VIP room, holding a small lamp. Its soft glow illuminated the space, but an even more brilliant radiance seemed to emanate from Olivia, who stood with her face veiled, turned away from him.

Lenok rubbed his tired eyes and spoke, “After being treated like a VIP by Thorben all day, did you finally remember a task for me?”

[If I were going to use you for something so trivial, I wouldn’t have chosen this time,] Olivia replied, her tone cold and sarcastic.

[There’s something… I need to tell you in advance.]

“What is it?”

[As you know, I’ve been working for a very long time to manage the Seven-Colored Treasure Eye,] Olivia said, still with her back to Lenok, in response to his question.

[In the process of enhancing the eye’s abilities and suppressing its backlash, I had to give up many things I possessed.]

“……”

Lenok remembered that Olivia had appeared unwell whenever she emerged from her laboratory for official events. He had thought her condition had improved at some point, but perhaps the problem wasn’t completely resolved. Lenok had been aware of this but had chosen to overlook it, considering it her personal matter.

[I am now going to use the remains of Anathema [a powerful, corrupting substance] to adjust the limiter placed on the eye.] Olivia turned her gaze, slightly revealing her face, which was not covered by the veil.

[This is a process of coexisting the eye’s abilities, which were originally bound and suppressed within my domain, with my core essence to increase its output.]

“So, you’re saying you need to prepare to enhance the power of the Seven-Colored Treasure Eye,” Lenok asked, crossing his arms.

“Does adjusting it now mean that you can only attempt to adjust the eye’s output after leaving Balkan?”

[That’s right. I suppressed the eye’s backlash using the power of my domain, so conversely, I can only attempt the adjustment after moving far away from the domain,] Olivia answered.

[This is a preparatory step to twist Kundara’s veil as you desire… You haven’t forgotten why you brought me into this, have you?]

“……”

The Seven-Colored Treasure Eye was the culmination of all the techniques Olivia had acquired. It not only contained seven different abilities in her two eyes but also possessed the power to forcibly observe and ‘fix’ the cause and effect reflected in those eyes. She had given up an 8th-level Radiant Magic, even accepting a drop in her rank, to obtain this new possibility. She was reminding Lenok that he had asked for her help because he believed that power was necessary in Kundara.

“I understand what you’re trying to say,” Lenok said, crossing his arms.

“So, do I just have to protect you until the adjustment ritual is complete?”

[The opposite. Ensure that no sentient being comes near me until the adjustment is complete,] Olivia retorted.

[Adjusting the eye means encompassing the space the eye reflects. If an anomaly occurs, this airship could be caught up in it.]

“……”

It wasn’t about protecting Olivia from external interference, but about protecting the War Magic Tower from her. In a way, it was a very Olivia-like request. However, if it was necessary to increase the eye’s output, Lenok also needed to cooperate. After getting a rough estimate of the time needed for the adjustment from Olivia, Lenok immediately left the VIP room. He would ask Lyell to restrict access to the VIP room from tomorrow, and it would be enough for Lenok to guard the entrance. There was one last thing he wanted to take care of before going to sleep.

He walked down the darkened tower stairs and arrived at the deepest part of the War Magic Tower’s underground power room. Lenok opened the door to the Thunder Repository, put down the lamp, and took out a magic book from his pocket.

“The Complete Record of Thunder, the Thunder Magic Lineage, the Illida Heaven Gate… were they all around here?”

The magic books from the Thunder Repository that Thorben’s Tower Lord had given to Lenok. He had read and mastered all the magic books the Tower Lord had gifted him, so there was no need to keep the originals. He had returned the Falling Thunder Chain to Lazart, so he could return the remaining magic books to the repository.

“Single Person Thunder Array, Six Direction Thunder Gate, Monstrous Sky Wall….”

He looked through the bookshelves, picking out magic books with interesting titles or techniques. There were many unfamiliar titles, but having done something similar in the Dark Repository, it wasn’t difficult to choose the books he needed. Magic books left by mages who didn’t follow the tower’s lineage, as Thorben had recommended before. Among them were books containing electric magic with severe backlashes or side effects, almost bordering on black magic.

Lenok sat at a desk on one side of the repository and began to read intently. Lenok’s face, illuminated by the small lamp, had become more serious than ever before.

‘The strengthening of the penalty. Forbidden weapons using the body as material… this isn’t something to just dismiss as an anomaly.’

Because the Tower Lord was watching, he had sealed his left arm and locked away its abilities, but Lenok understood how serious the situation with his left arm was. The moment he tried to turn his body into a Thunder Body, the penalty’s power began to affect the outside of his body. The materialization of the penalty itself, something that even Lenok, who had researched and trained in all sorts of techniques and magic, had never seen before. It was the power of the penalty that was the foundation and constraint of Lenok’s transcendent talent and intuition. It was needless to say how fatal and dangerous a secret this was for Lenok himself.

‘I know that my talent cannot be completely unrelated to my body. But….’

What bothered him was the fact that the penalty had strengthened by touching his body. Lenok’s transcendent magic manipulation and mana sensitivity were talents separate from his body, but, for a superhuman who had surpassed a certain level, it was impossible to separate the body, mind, and core essence. It was inevitable that the mind or core essence would be affected to some extent if the body was touched. However, he had never imagined that the penalty itself would directly overwrite and emerge from his body.

‘If I can’t directly touch the penalty, I need to further increase my understanding of the Thunder Body and electric magic.’ Lenok thought as he carefully turned the pages of the book.

‘First, I need to look at the tower’s research records on the Thunder God Shrine and prioritize finding the necessary materials.’

The fact that the penalty’s power had manifested strongly in his left arm was not entirely negative for Lenok. It meant that he could investigate and research Lenok’s penalty, which he had vaguely feared, in a more concrete form. If Lenok could research the operating principle of the penalty himself and resolve the side effects, rather than relying on external techniques or help, perhaps that itself was the path to the answer for Lenok, he vaguely thought. Just like that day long ago, when he was sitting in the Balkan City Library, desperately searching for a way.

In the quiet silence, Lenok’s hand, which was turning the pages of the magic book, stopped abruptly.

“If you have something to say, come and talk directly,” Lenok said, looking at the magic book with his head slightly lowered.

“Or are you planning to just watch me like that until I leave the repository?”

“……”

In the dark and silent repository, between the bookshelves, stood a young man wearing a blue mask. A presence that was cold, even chillingly calm. A mage with a particularly alien atmosphere even within the tower. One of the powerful individuals who had reached the 8th level and who Lenok had never directly fought. Conversely, he was also the one who had helped Lenok enter the Thunder God Shrine’s sanctuary. He had not shown himself at all during the journey to the Western Continent, but now he was standing before Lenok in the Thunder Repository.

“I heard that most of the tower’s high-ranking mages are focused on reinforcing the engine output.”

*Hwarrk!!*

Lenok closed the magic book, lit the lamp, and turned his gaze.

“Did you deliberately choose this time to come and see me?”

“The Tower Lord….”

The man’s subdued voice echoed softly from behind the blue mask.

“I understand why he… likes you.”

“……”

“Most of the magic books in this repository wouldn’t contain knowledge that would meet your standards.”

The man’s gaze seemed to turn towards the magic books in the repository from behind his mask.

“Is it that you don’t neglect learning even though you have such a blessed talent?”

“If you have something to say, sit down,” Lenok pointed to the chair opposite him with a blank expression.

“I can spare some time.”

“……”

The man was silent at those words, then slowly moved and sat in the chair Lenok had indicated. Instead of facing Lenok, he leaned back in the chair, looking precarious. Lenok, leaning back in his chair, asked abruptly.

“You’re not human, are you?”

“……”

“You’re trying to imitate one, but your mana flow and patterns are different. You’re not even breathing properly in the first place.”

Lenok tilted his head, leaving the man who didn’t answer.

“Not breathing through the lungs is one of the characteristics of a non-human. Is that mask acting as a respirator?”

“Your intuition is very good. I felt it last time too….”

The man replied in a subdued voice.

“You’re relying on intuition and inspiration to figure out facts that can’t be known through ordinary reasoning.”

“……”

“That’s probably because your spirituality and sensitivity have reached a level that is on a different dimension from other humans.”

Having said that, the man slowly reached for his mask.

“But it’s better to choose your words carefully behind the veil.”

“……You.”

“No matter how right you are, those who have lived long don’t easily accept the advice of mortals.”

The man’s face, after removing his mask, was expressionless, as if no emotion existed. Except for his blue hair, which emitted an alien light, he looked almost identical to a human on the outside. However, Lenok did not miss the small gill-like shape located behind the man’s ear.

“At least, the long-lived species of the Outer City you’re heading to are like that.”

“……”

Lenok, staring at the man’s face, asked, “You said you chose this time to say something… were you from the long-lived species of Kundara?”

“Karnis of the Water Minister. A descendant of the cursed sea dragon,” the man, who called himself Karnis, replied.

“A defector who escaped from that Outer City.”

“If you have such a background, it’s not surprising that you have a talent for magic,” Lenok, finally understanding Karnis’s intentions, raised his gaze.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“……”

He understood that Karnis had noticed Lenok’s destination and revealed his identity. As a long-lived species who had left Kundara, he must have noticed that Lenok was trying to twist the veil and head to Kundara. It was possible because Lenok hadn’t bothered to hide the fact that he was heading to Kundara, but, what was the reason for Karnis to approach Lenok at this point and reveal this fact?

“……”

However, Karnis did not answer Lenok’s question immediately and remained silent for a long time. He seemed to be contemplating whether it was okay to tell Lenok this fact now. His hesitant attitude, unbelievable for a mage who had transcended the ranks, made Lenok touch the magic book.

“My father is the head of the Water God Tribe, one of the top eight Dragon Kings of Kundara,” Karnis said.

“And one of the guardians who has settled in the outer sea of Kundara and protects the endless ocean.”

“……”

“If you try to lift the veil and head to that city-”

Karnis’s eyes, looking at Lenok, shone sharply.

“You will surely meet him. He will directly question your entry.”

“……”

Lenok, who had lowered his head silently, opened his mouth.

“It sounds like you’re saying I shouldn’t fight him.”

“I know how strong a mage you are. You are an extremely combat-capable heretic among the sorcerers I have seen,” Karnis said calmly.

“But my father is a transcendent being who is virtually unmatched within his own deep-sea domain. He is also the one who controls the ocean currents of the entire Kundara sea area.”

“……”

“I’m advising you for the sake of the Tower Lord’s work. If you value your life, never fight on the sea. If possible, don’t even talk back to him.”

Karnis, who had risen from his seat, said, leaving Lenok who had closed his mouth.

“He was someone who would never tolerate even his own children if they rebelled against him.”

“……Thanks for the advice.”

The vivid advice, as if he had experienced it firsthand, made it unnecessary to ask whose experience it was. Perhaps he thought there was no need to hide what he knew from Lenok, who was trying to go to Kundara. He seemed quite flexible in that regard, unlike a long-lived species. Just as Lenok was about to say something to Karnis, thinking that,

*Kuuuuuuuuung-!!!!*

Suddenly, with a tremendous roar, the entire War Magic Tower shook violently.

“……!!!”

The impact was enough to shake the aerial fortress, which easily surpassed hundreds of meters. Lenok, exchanging glances with Karnis, used Blink [a teleportation spell] and rushed out of the Thunder Repository.

*Paaht!!*

Lenok, who had landed on the deck in an instant, hardened his expression as he looked at the scenery spread out in all directions.

“This is….”

The massive form of Thorben’s War Magic Tower flying in the night sky. Dozens of fighter jets were flying low, surrounding the tower.

*Kwaaaaaaa!!!*

The shapes of the fighter jets, creating rough sonic booms as they flew at supersonic speeds. However, what caught Lenok’s attention were the unpleasant blood vessels that were plastered all over the fighter jets. The shapes of the blood vessels, pulsating as if they were alive, were attached between the wings and the fuselage of the fighter jets. A strange laughter echoed with a heavy roar.

[Khehe, hehehe…!!]

[Hehehehek!!!!]

*Kwagwagwagwa!!!*

The pilots were no longer in the half-open cockpits of the fighter jets. Monsters with a mixture of eyeballs and flesh filled the seats, grinning and glaring with bloodshot eyes. A gruesome sight of war machines, with the humans inside, corrupted and turned into monsters.

[All Thorben War Magic Tower personnel, prepare for battle. The Headrow Warlord’s combat air wing has launched an attack,] Jizel’s stiff voice echoed through the speakers on the deck.

[There are more than 40 presences. The one controlling the formation is-]

As the fighter jets formed a formation and pushed away the clouds, something as large as Thorben’s War Magic Tower appeared from above the clouds.

*Kugugugu!!!*

“That is….”

[A general-class entity…!!]

An aircraft carrier, which should only exist on the sea, was floating in the air, overlooking the ground. Thick blood vessels, thicker than most humans, were plastered all over the hull, writhing. The entire carrier had been turned into a monster, flying in the air. An overwhelming size that could accommodate dozens of fighter jets at the same time. A general-class entity of the Headrow Warlord. Its true identity was the aerial aircraft carrier itself, which had a scale and facilities comparable to the War Magic Tower.

* * *

*Gooooooo!!!*

The shape of a huge aircraft carrier, covered in blood and flesh, floated in the night sky. The moment it raised its magic power, glaring at the War Magic Tower with grotesque eyeballs, the outer walls of the aircraft carrier’s hull opened simultaneously, scattering a vast amount of magic light mixed with blood.

*Tututututung!!!*

The magic fire that burst out from under the carrier’s hull, like an explosion, poured down on the ground, overlapping hundreds of times. Thorben’s War Magic Tower was engulfed in intense lightning, and then it fired thousands of Thunderball Cannons. The two battleships, flying hundreds of meters above the ground, exchanged thousands of rounds of fire almost simultaneously.

*Puhbububububung!!!!*

A blinding amount of light that distorted the view. The night sky became as bright as day, and hellish heat twisted the space. The War Magic Tower shook madly, and the tower’s war mages shouted roughly and ran across the deck.

“It’s an attack!!”

“Load the main guns. Activate the Thunder Siege Cannon!!”

“The barrier’s damage rate is over 58%…!!”

The Headrow Warlord’s combat air wing had attacked Thorben’s War Magic Tower, which was heading to the Western Continent. They were once a large military organization in the center, but the entire warlord had participated in a forbidden ritual and had become corrupted as monsters. Now, they were designated as public enemies throughout the central front and were targets for extermination.

‘The pilots and fighter jets have been turned into monsters together.’ Lenok quickly scanned the fighter jets flying roughly in all directions.

‘They are much stronger than the tank-type monsters I saw at the first gate. Is there such a difference in power even within the warlord?’

The chaotic battle that occurred immediately after killing the Joint Technique Master at the first gate. Lenok had seen the monsters of the Headrow Warlord in the battlefield where all sorts of forces from the central front had invaded. However, the monsters fused with tanks that Lenok had seen at that time did not have such a gruesome presence.

*Jjeoeop!!*

The wings of the fighter jets spread wide, and the blood vessels covering the wings writhed wildly. At the same time, the missiles mounted under the fighter jets’ wings were launched. They were slammed down towards the War Magic Tower at tremendous speed.

*Kwagwagwagwang!!!*

Not only the fighter jets but also the missiles they launched were covered in blood vessels and eyeballs, and the monsterization was complete. The missiles exploded, scattering blood as they hit the outer barrier of the tower.

*Kuuuuuung-!!*

A bombing that pierced the tower’s defenses, while the tower was engaged in a bombardment with the Headrow Warlord’s general-class entity, the monsterized aircraft carrier. The massive form of the War Magic Tower, unable to withstand the impact, shook violently and tilted to one side, losing its balance.

“Don’t fall over!! Grab onto the surrounding objects!”

“Raise your magic power and prepare for the bombing!!”

“The barrier won’t last long. We need to take the initiative!!”

The war mages who were on guard on the deck immediately responded. The fact that the War Magic Tower was shaking from the bombing was proof that the barrier protecting the tower was unstable. This was happening because the tower, which had been half-destroyed in the battle with Lenok in Area 49, had not yet been fully repaired. Lenok immediately turned away, watching the mages who were preparing to intercept the missiles falling from all directions. He had already confirmed all the presences that were awake in this War Magic Tower.

*Beolkeok!!*

“Lyell.”

As soon as he entered the command and control room, Lyell, who was watching the radar, turned her gaze. Perhaps she had also come up to the deck to assess the situation as soon as the attack began. Lenok, who immediately approached the radar that Lyell was looking at, asked.

“The Headrow Warlord has attempted an attack. What do you plan to do?”

“Currently, the high-ranking mages who are the main force of the tower are supplying magic power to reinforce the engine output,” Lyell answered calmly.

“As long as we continue to fly at this altitude, the more we engage in combat, the more we will lose. It would be best to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible.”

“Battlefield?”

“Look at the ground. It is no coincidence that the Headrow Warlord has launched an attack,” Lyell said, pointing to the monitor next to the radar.

The camera installed on the lower part of the tower showed a dense forest below.

*Passssusss!!!*

The forest, writhing like a living creature and covering the ground, and the shapes of the monsterized tank units rushing through it. Lyell said, looking at the scene.

“The druids of Laravelli and the Headrow Warlord are engaged in combat. We have unfortunately become caught in the airspace of that battlefield.”

“……”

“It seems that the druids’ nature techniques were completely concealing the battle taking place here, but we were unlucky.”

*Kwagwagwang!!!*

No sooner had Lyell finished speaking than the tower shook violently. The bombing that the monsters of the Headrow Warlord were pouring down had broken through the tower’s barrier and began to slam down onto the deck.

“They want us to give up flying and land on the ground.”

However, Lyell said without batting an eye at such an impact.

“It seems that there are entities within the Headrow Warlord who still have enough intelligence to induce the opponent’s actions.”

The bombardment poured down by the general-class entity, the aircraft carrier that had been entirely monsterized. In order for the War Magic Tower to withstand it, the tower’s high-ranking mages had to assist with the insufficient engine output. If they gave up flying and landed, the high-ranking mages could step in, but the druids and the Headrow Warlord were engaged in combat on the ground. If they tried to land in the middle of the battlefield at this point, they would inevitably become targets for both sides. If problems arose with other forces on the battlefield, it wouldn’t be strange if the schedule for heading to the Outer City was delayed by several days or more.

“Focus on maintaining the flight altitude and increasing speed,” Lenok, having thought that far, rolled up his coat sleeves and turned around.

“I’ll help you pass through the battlefield without landing on the ground.”

“Do you intend to directly withstand the carrier’s bombardment?”

“No,” Lenok replied, raising his magic power.

“I’m going to kill that monster called a general-class entity.”