Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1067

The moment Lenok stepped into the spatial rift leading to Kundara, a dazzling darkness unfolded before his eyes.

*Fwaaa!*!

All the surrounding scenery seemed to distort and warp into a blinding white light.

Even the thick fog all around turned into a source of light, becoming part of the path that formed the passage.

As if he had become light passing through a giant refracting lens, his entire body bent and twisted.

*Wooooooong…!!!*

In the ear-splitting resonance, the thick fog spread to both sides, glowing like the Milky Way.

Beyond the misty universe that unfolded on the other side of the veil, a satellite rotated with a faint light.

‘A moon floating in a misty universe…’

Is that small, pure white moon-like satellite, floating and shining in the fog, Kundara itself?

A city of long-lived beings, hidden behind the veil of a star’s shadow, moving in orbit according to the planet’s revolution.

A satellite of eternity seeking the answer to the outer calamity to avoid destruction.

At this moment, when the veil was twisted through celestial magic, and the door to the outer calamity city was finally opened.

On the path to Kundara, Lenok felt his body and mind bending to their limits.

*Fwaaa!*!

Lenok found himself standing in the middle of a very large bridge.

“Here is…”

A path made of solid marble.

A huge bridge that stretched wide to the left and right, as if it were made for giants, not humans.

The size of the surrounding facilities was so enormous that even Lenok himself looked infinitely small.

If it weren’t for the thick fog that covered everything, he would have been able to see its size more clearly, but even the size of the shadows cast beyond the fog seemed overwhelming.

*Kuo-ooo!*!

The entire massive bridge Lenok was standing on felt like a powerful presence, pressing down on the surroundings.

The moment Lenok, with a hardened expression, raised his gaze towards the huge shadow cast beyond the fog.

[It is the first trial of Kundara.]

Oliviera stood behind him with her arms crossed.

“Oliviera.”

[I heard it exists in a very abstract form, but its shape is very different from what I expected.]

She glanced at the huge bridge covered in fog and muttered.

[However, it is only the simplest and most basic trial, so it won’t be too difficult to pass.]

“…Come to think of it, Alogon also talked about trials.”

He had said that one had to reach the eighth trial to exchange the lifespan contained in the wish-fulfilling orb.

At the time, he had just listened and passed it by, but it seemed that Oliviera knew more about it.

Lenok, belatedly recalling what Alogon had said, asked.

“Is the entire outer calamity city made up of trials?”

[Well… I’m not sure if you can call it a trial.]

Oliviera said languidly.

[It’s just a kind of ordeal given to those who try to ascend. There is no clear standard for passing or failing. In some cases, I’ve heard that they overcome the trials simply by the passage of time.]

“…”

[However, it is clear that the concept of trials is extremely closely related to the essence of Kundara.]

“Is it a way of differentiating the level or facilities of the city as the stages of trials increase as you go up…”

Lenok muttered, lost in thought with his chin in his hand.

“Rather than dividing the city into districts or levels, it seems like they have shaped the hierarchy to match the structure of the city.”

[…]

According to Alogon, it was clear that the entire city of Kundara was made up of at least eight or more trials.

Would it be a mistake to feel that the number was quite similar to the number of hierarchies Lenok knew?

A city of long-lived beings created to avoid destruction, standing outside the trials.

Perhaps, the city structure of Kundara itself is the result of artificially reproducing multiple self-transformations.

Standing in the middle of the foggy bridge, Lenok reached into his coat, lost in thought.

“Before crossing the bridge, let’s organize what we need to do first.”

[Organize?]

Oliviera asked back with a playful voice.

[In my experience, not many things have gone according to plan with you. Would it be meaningful?]

“…I always had a plan. It’s just that various things happened along the way, and it didn’t go as planned.”

Originally, he was supposed to ride the Torben War Magic Tower to reach the [Veil] of the Western Continent, cast a celestial spell, and enter Kundara.

In the process, the intervention of the Head of the Military Faction, the Druids, and the Order Alliance caused the schedule to be more twisted than expected.

Even after things went wrong in the process of hearing about the battle between the Leader and the two Apostles, it was also true that he had been handling things as much as possible according to the situation.

Lenok, accepting Oliviera’s words, said while rummaging inside his coat.

“First. Find the body of Kaise Bajur, which must be kept somewhere in the outer calamity city of Kundara.”

[…]

“It is the most important reason for visiting Kundara, and it is a necessary process to know the ending that Kaise faced in the project.”

At Lenok’s mention of Kaise, Oliviera’s thoughts momentarily turned cold, but Lenok didn’t care.

“Second. Investigate the identity of the major ‘schedule’ that the outer calamity city is currently facing.”

Lenok said, raising two fingers.

“If the Dragon King of the Deep Sea is directly concerned about it, it must be something very important. It could have a big impact on our side as well.”

[I heard that all the paths leading to Kundara were temporarily blocked because of that schedule.]

Oliviera replied in a languid tone.

[It would be impossible without the cooperation of the entire Kundara. The investigation itself might not be that difficult. Is there a third?]

“It might be the most necessary thing to achieve the two goals I explained earlier.”

Lenok said, raising his third finger.

“Third. Find the Blood Feeder and seek his advice.”

[The Blood Feeder…]

Oliviera also seemed to know the name, as she muttered it quietly.

“According to what I learned while investigating the project’s prohibitions, he was one of the two people involved in hiding Kaise’s body.”

Lenok said.

Several secrets he had learned in the process of meeting Kaise in the past and investigating his actions.

There were several facts he remembered about the secret story of Kaise Bajur’s death and what happened after that.

“I heard that the location was selected with the cooperation of the Blood Feeder, and the storage method was decided with the advice of Grimulder.”

[…]

“If the Blood Feeder cooperated in hiding Kaise’s body, I need to meet him and hear his story at least once. Of course, I don’t think he will cooperate willingly…”

Lenok said, glancing sideways.

“Oliviera. If you were with the project until the end, you must know about this.”

*Whoooosh…!!*

A cold wind seemed to blow through the thick fog.

In the slowly clearing fog, Lenok looked at her face, which was visible through her transparent veil.

“Do you know anything about the Blood Feeder, or is there anything you can tell me?”

[Everything was a mess after Kaise died.]

Oliviera replied in a cold tone with her arms crossed.

[We gathered all the failures of the world to defy fate… and we failed more miserably than any scenario we had imagined.]

“…”

[Ars Nova was destroyed, the timeline of the world collapsed, and the cause and effect were twisted and messed up. That’s why I don’t know much about what happened after Kaise died.]

Her eyes, visible through the veil, seemed to blur with complex emotions.

[I hate to admit it, but I’m no different from you.]

Oliviera muttered, looking at the other side of the huge bridge.

[The reason I accepted your reckless proposal to take me to Kundara was because I had a vague idea of what you were trying to do in this city.]

“…”

[If you’re ready, let’s go.]

She glanced back at Lenok and smiled.

[Didn’t you call me here with the intention of going to the end of this city to pick up the pieces of the project’s failure?]

“…I guess so.”

Lenok shook his head with a wry smile.

“But it’s not time yet.”

[Not time yet?]

“Before passing the first trial of Kundara, there is one method I want to try here.”

Lenok said, finally taking his hand out of his coat.

Oliviera’s presence changed slightly the moment she saw the old notebook in his hand.

[That is…]

“It’s called the Blood Thought Record.”

Lenok said, opening the old notebook.

“It’s an artifact made by the Blood Feeder, and it’s a recording device that mainly deals with the themes of blood and life.”

[It’s a term for a blood-based database created by a vampire.]

Oliviera, who immediately understood Lenok’s explanation, asked.

[Are you going to ask it directly about the Blood Feeder’s location?]

“No. When I experimented with it before, it said that it couldn’t disclose information about managers like the Blood Feeder.”

Lenok answered, cutting his finger slightly and dropping a drop of blood onto the page of the notebook.

The Blood Thought Record was a recording device that Lenok had received as a gift from Madam just before heading to the Machine City of Machina.

Lenok had used this notebook to obtain information about the Ascendant Sect, Paud Older.

Through him, he had secured clues about the existence of the outer calamity city, Paud’s betrayal, and Kaise’s body.

“But the information about Ascendants and long-lived beings seemed to be recorded in more detail than I thought. If so, there is a way to use it.”

[You mean-]

“If information about long-lived beings is recorded, then information about the habitats of long-lived beings must also be included.”

Lenok said, using his bloodied finger to write on the page of the notebook.

“Then, wouldn’t it be natural that some information about the outer calamity city is also recorded in the Blood Thought Record?”

=Blood Thought Record, Zayble.

The moment Lenok wrote the blood-stained letters, the letters seemed to seep into the page and disappear.

At the same time, new letters began to appear on the page of the old notebook.

=I greet the transcender who is qualified to challenge the great mission.

“…”

The same phrase as when Lenok first used the Blood Thought Record.

Lenok already knew what the Blood Thought Record would say next.

=Ascendant. What are you curious about?

[…]

Oliviera, who was watching the letters appearing on the notebook next to Lenok, turned her gaze away as if dumbfounded.

[You’re doing all sorts of things. Are you now scamming even the relics of vampires?]

“It’s not a scam. I know roughly how you usually think of me, but…”

Lenok, as if used to Oliviera’s words, flipped the page.

“The Blood Thought Record’s own standards are evaluating me higher than expected. The experiment on this part is over.”

Still, the Blood Thought Record was mistaking him for an Ascendant after tasting Lenok’s blood.

Since Lenok’s skills had continued to rise since he first used the Blood Thought Record, it was natural in a way.

If so, there was room to use this blood-based database even in the outer calamity city of Kundara.

Lenok thought, squeezing blood from his fingertip and writing on the page again.

=I want to know how to pass the first trial of Kundara.

The answer came immediately.

=There are 40,320 ways to pass the first trial. Would you like to continue reading?

“…”

The number was quite large than he had expected.

Lenok, scratching his cheek, wrote again.

=Tell me only one of the simplest and most convenient ways.

If he were to have all 40,000 methods explained, not only would there not be enough space in the notebook, but he would also have to draw blood from his entire body to make ink.

Of course, he had no intention of dying in such a way here.

“…No.”

After thinking for a moment, Lenok rewrote the question before the Blood Thought Record could answer.

According to Lenok’s memory, there was a limit to the number of questions the Blood Thought Record could answer at once.

Rather than wasting the number of questions with trivial questions, it would be better to choose a question that could penetrate the core relatively.

=I want to know the easiest and most convenient way to pass all the trials of Kundara.

The Blood Thought Record responded immediately.

=I am now showing the easiest and most convenient way to pass all the trials.

=Turn around.

“…What?”

At the completely unexpected answer, Lenok turned his head without thinking.

“Hmm?”

A black-haired girl with blood-red eyes tilted her head, making eye contact with Lenok.

“…”

“…”

The two people, who had made eye contact for a moment, remained silent without saying a word.

The first trial they faced immediately after arriving in the outer calamity city of Kundara.

An outsider they never expected to encounter on the huge bridge covered in fog.

Lenok’s eyes turned cold as he looked at the girl standing quietly behind him.

“…She’s not an ordinary child.”

She had approached right behind Lenok, but he couldn’t even notice her presence through magic detection.

No, in the first place, it was impossible to read the life reaction or presence of the girl in front of him.

At first glance, she looked ordinary, but she was definitely a dangerous being that made his spine tingle.

Above all, the fact that the Blood Thought Record had designated this girl as the way to pass the first trial-

“Did the highest-ranking long-lived being of Kundara come out to greet us directly outside the city?”

*Kiiing…!!!*

Lenok said, quickly drawing up his magic power and reinforcing his shield.

“State your name. What race are you from?”

“Well?”

The girl replied as if it were nothing.

“From my point of view, it seems like I should be the one to hear an explanation from you first.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the one who called me here. I just responded to the call.”

The girl, with her hands on her hips, looked up at Lenok with a strange smile.

“I came out because I felt a strange sense of familiarity outside the city, and you brought an item that I made decades ago.”

“An item?”

“That thing.”

The girl pointed to the notebook in Lenok’s hand.

“I made it.”

“…”

Only then did Lenok, understanding what the girl was saying, shut his mouth.

If there was someone in this outer calamity city who recognized the existence of the Blood Thought Record and claimed ownership of it.

[As I’ve said many times, nothing goes according to plan when you’re around.]

Oliviera muttered with a smile.

[Did the Blood Feeder come out to greet us directly in front of Kundara?]