Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1071

Immediately after Lenok spoke to the two boys playing Baduk [a strategy board game similar to Go] in the Kundara manor.

The red-robed boy, veins bulging on his forehead, slammed the black stone he was holding onto the board.

*Thud!*

The boy in the red robe glared at Lenok as if he would tear him apart and growled.

‘Who are you, barging in where your elders are playing?’

‘……’

‘And giving unsolicited advice during a match? It seems the youngsters these days haven’t learned proper manners.’

‘Hmm.’

‘What are you staring at, huh? Should I sew your mouth shut right now?’

The red-robed boy looked like he was about to drop the stones and rush at Lenok.

Despite his neat appearance, he had quite the temper.

The boy in the black robe sitting opposite him even had to restrain the red-robed boy.

‘Angron, calm down. You’re too agitated.’

The black-robed boy, who was called Angron, glanced at Lenok with a composed voice.

Unlike the red-robed boy, he didn’t seem angry at all.

In the first place, the emotions on his face were faint.

‘I don’t know why you’re trying to bother old folks like us, but it would be best if we all went our separate ways.’

The black-robed boy said, smoothing his sleeve.

‘A healthy young man causing a ruckus in this manor will only make the onlookers frown.’

‘I apologize.’

Lenok smiled and apologized.

‘The level of the match you two are playing is so high that I couldn’t help but get immersed and couldn’t hold back.’

‘……Hmm.’

Upon hearing a few flattering words, Angron’s rage subsided slightly.

He even seemed a little pleased, clearing his throat and glancing at the Baduk board.

However, the black-robed boy’s expression hardened at Lenok’s words.

‘So, you’re not just some madman who picks fights with anyone passing by. Then why did you interfere with our match?’

Perhaps it was because he realized that Lenok had been watching their match and had deliberately intervened at a crucial moment to provoke them.

Unlike Angron, the black-robed boy seemed to be even more wary of Lenok.

‘As you can see, Angron and I were in the middle of a very important match. It was a critical situation where a conclusion was about to be reached in just a few more moves.’

‘……’

‘Angron here would agree that the intention of the young man who intervened and disrupted the flow of the game is quite malicious.’

‘Y-yes, that’s right.’

Angron, who had been listening to the black-robed youth, finally came to his senses and bared his teeth again.

‘Hey, you little brat. I don’t know who you are, but we elders were playing Baduk over a very important matter.’

‘……’

‘I was about to finally settle the score with Frimon after much deliberation, and you dare to interrupt me? Do you have a death wish?’

The black-robed boy named Frimon, who had calmed Angron down, had now angered him again with just one word.

However, Lenok did not lose his composure even after hearing the skillful way the black-robed boy spoke.

‘But if you hadn’t stopped there, your match would have become meaningless.’

‘What?’

‘Judging by the looks of it, you seem to have been playing the same match for over 50 times already, and it would be a shame if it didn’t conclude this time either.’

Lenok bowed his head slightly, looking at the two boys.

‘So, I took the liberty of speaking up. I apologize if I have offended you.’

‘……’

Silence fell.

Almost simultaneously, the two boys closed their mouths as soon as Lenok finished speaking.

‘……You.’

Angron asked, breathing heavily.

‘How did you know that we were repeating the same match?’

‘……’

‘It hasn’t even been five times since we started playing in this manor. What did you see?’

Frimon no longer tried to restrain Angron. He simply waited for Lenok’s answer with a blank face.

Lenok calmly took a breath, watching the reactions of the two boys.

The two boys playing Baduk in the manor were undoubtedly long-lived beings who had reached a high level.

Just by looking at the level of their match, it was the highest among the matches taking place in this manor.

Now that he had succeeded in attracting the attention of the two boys, he had to choose his words carefully from here on out.

And Lenok had already decided how to start the conversation from the moment he saw the match they were playing.

‘Well, the match you two are playing now is…’

After taking a slight breath and creating a pause, he spoke slowly, as if emphasizing each word.

Lenok said, slightly raising his head with his hands behind his back.

‘Because it’s a game that could never have occurred if the match had progressed normally.’

‘……’

‘If you were to review the matches you two have played, there would have been at least thirty turning points where the outcome could have been decided.’

Lenok continued, leaving the two silent boys.

‘The fact that the match has continued until now, despite the many situations where the outcome could have been decided, is proof that you two have been intentionally ignoring those situations.’

‘……’

‘It means that you two were not purely competing against each other’s skills, but were continuing this match because you wanted something.’

Lenok said, glancing at the Baduk board.

‘I can’t know for sure since I didn’t see the previous matches, but I suspect you’ve been repeating the same situation around the 565th move, just like now.’

‘……You, how did you…’

‘Judging by the looks of it, you seem to be creating a specific situation where Angron takes the offensive and Frimon defends, repeating the same pattern…’

While Angron was surprised by Lenok’s words, who had figured out the number of times the game had been repeated and even the number of stones each of them had placed just by looking at the board for a moment.

Lenok tilted his head, stroking his chin.

‘It seems like you’re practicing a set pattern repeatedly, like solving a problem. Are you preparing for some kind of test?’

‘……’

Silence fell.

Angron slightly opened his mouth, and Frimon remained silent.

It was as if they had never expected such words to come from Lenok’s mouth, a reaction as if they had been caught off guard by an unexpected opponent.

‘Amazing.’

The sound of the black-robed boy, Frimon, placing the white stone he was holding could be heard.

The boy slowly turned towards Lenok and stared at him with a strange expression.

‘I didn’t think there would be a knight in Kundara’s Five Calamities [a group of powerful individuals] who could understand the meaning of this match.’

‘……’

‘To even see through the essence without knowing the details. Therefore, the young man’s opinion seems to be even more valuable.’

‘Thank you.’

‘There is nothing wrong with what the young man said. We are currently repeating the same match over and over again while making a bet.’

The black-robed boy, who had turned towards Lenok with a smile, pointed to the Baduk board with an unreadable expression.

‘Whether Angron can find a way to break through my defense in this situation. Depending on the result, Angron must concede the ‘qualification’ to solve the problem to me.’

‘……’

‘I accepted the bet in exchange for cooperating with his work, but I was wasting time because a conclusion was not easily reached.’

A strange smile seemed to form on Frimon’s face as he looked at Lenok.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen a talented young man, so I’ll generously overlook today’s rudeness. So, now, please…’

‘Ah, if it was a bet, that makes sense.’

Lenok, interrupting Frimon, asked.

‘So, were you deliberately making the situation unfavorable by deceiving Angron’s stones?’

‘……’

‘What?’

Frimon closed his mouth, and Angron’s eyes widened.

‘What nonsense are you talking about, you brat? How is Frimon deceiving me on this Baduk board?’

‘Looking at the arrangement of the stones that Frimon has placed, the living and dead stones are mixed and jumbled together.’

Lenok said nonchalantly, interrupting Angron.

‘This is a characteristic of illusion magic that deliberately distorts and ruins the original form and shape of a technique, which is proof that Frimon is a very skilled illusionist.’

‘……’

‘Through that, while playing Baduk, like this…’

The moment Lenok picked up one of the white stones on the Baduk board, it instantly turned black.

Lenok, who held out the stone that had turned into a black stone the moment he lifted it from the board, asked innocently.

‘I thought you were changing the color of the stones one by one using illusion magic. Was I mistaken?’

‘……Uh.’

Angron stared blankly at the black stone in Lenok’s hand and the spot where the stone had been, then shouted as if he had realized something.

‘No, wait!! That was the stone I placed on the 560th move!! You deceived me?’

‘……’

Baduk is a complex game where black and white stones capture each other, and even change colors.

Naturally, it is rare for the number of black and white stones to remain the same during a match.

The longer the match goes on, the more drastic the changes become, making it difficult even for skilled players to keep track of all the color changes.

Frimon was using that fact to cast illusion magic on the Baduk board and change Angron’s black stones into white stones.

‘This bastard, I wondered why he was suddenly talking to a young kid and wasting time…’

Was the reason Angron had grabbed Lenok, whom he was trying to chase away, and talked to him to waste time, to cast illusion magic on the stones?

Angron, realizing this fact, began to glare at Frimon with a flushed face.

‘That unlucky crow is cheating while I’m scolding this kid?!!’

‘……Tsk, young man.’

Frimon slightly frowned and glanced away.

‘If you had stayed quiet, I would have helped you avoid trouble, but you’ve been adding unnecessary words since earlier.’

‘Is that so?’

As Lenok maintained a smiling expression, the black-robed boy frowned slightly in annoyance.

‘I apologize for deceiving you with illusion magic, but even without it, Angron would not have found the answer.’

Frimon, looking down at the scattered Baduk board, slowly crossed his arms.

‘In the first place, this is not a problem that can be solved in this way. I was just trying to help Angron not to cling to the impossible for too long.’

‘What? This bastard…’

‘So, how do you plan to take responsibility for ruining today’s bet, young man?’

Frimon, ignoring Angron’s outburst, looked up at Lenok.

‘Surely, you’re not thinking of running away as if nothing happened after ruining the game of us old folks, are you?’

‘The bet you two were making was about the life-and-death problem of saving or killing stones in a specific situation of Baduk.’

Lenok answered calmly.

‘Then how about I help you solve the problem you two were working on?’

‘……Solve the problem, you say.’

At that moment, a mocking smile appeared on Frimon’s lips as he looked at Lenok.

Having heard that, the black-clad boy leaned back leisurely, as if relieved, and spoke, “I understand that you, young man, are a skilled player who can discern our techniques and inner workings just by watching the game for a moment.”

“……”

“Indeed, Angron was born a Fire Salamander and mastered flame techniques, while I am a Dark Crow who has mastered illusion magic. There’s no doubt about your insight.”

Frimon looked at Lenok with an indifferent gaze. “However, I have never heard of a player with your talent anywhere in Kundara. You are aware of that, aren’t you?”

“……”

“Very well. I will allow you to interfere in the game.”

The black-clad boy tilted his head. “If you are so confident, then go ahead and advise Angron as you wish. But if your impudence is merely at the level of disrupting the game…”

Frimon’s eyes flashed menacingly for a moment. “Then you will have to give up all of your short lifespan, noble one.”

“……”

“Frimon, are you crazy? Why should I listen to this guy’s advice?” Angron, with an angry expression, yelled at Lenok and pointed his finger. “I don’t need any advice—”

“I’m not here to give you advice,” Lenok said with a smile. “If it weren’t for Angron’s fiery and passionate style, I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the true value of this game.”

“……”

The enemy boy, suddenly receiving praise, blinked his eyes. Lenok didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly continued speaking, “You take the offensive in every situation, and yet, each moment’s judgment is incredibly intense. Seeing your extreme talent in flame-based techniques, you are like the incarnation of a fire dragon.”

“I, is that so?”

“Judging by the depth of your game, it seems you have been mastering and training flame techniques for over 80 years, a depth of time that a mere mortal like me cannot even begin to fathom.”

“Hmph, well… I’ve only been mastering flame techniques for 70 years, though,” Angron coughed and shrugged his shoulders.

Was he that pleased with Lenok’s praise of his Baduk [a strategy board game similar to Go] skills? He tried to maintain a calm expression, but the corners of the boy’s mouth were twitching uncontrollably.

“It seems even you think my technique is much deeper than it originally was. That’s proof of my deep training, isn’t it?”

“Of course, it is.”

“……”

Angron puffed up his chest, and Lenok skillfully played along. Frimon’s usually expressionless face showed a rare look of exasperation. It was probably because he realized that Lenok was deliberately trying to lift Angron’s spirits, even though he knew how long Angron had been practicing his techniques.

However, Angron, oblivious to such reactions, tapped the Baduk board with a delighted expression. “Alright. If you’re a player with such insight, I’ll allow you to give advice on my game. Go ahead and try!”

“Thank you for allowing me. Then—” Lenok’s smiling expression turned cold in an instant. “Would you mind playing the game again from the beginning until we reach that point?”

“……What?”

“Ultimately, it is Angron’s responsibility to solve the problem, and I am merely assisting him,” Lenok said. “In order to provide assistance in a way that is suitable for Angron, not me, I think I need to watch the game from the beginning.”

“R, right… Hey, Frimon. You cooperate too,” Angron, with a disgruntled expression, picked up a black stone and glared at Frimon, who was sitting opposite him. “You have to help me solve the problem as promised until I give up the bet. You understand?”

“I clearly said it was a futile effort…” Frimon shrugged his shoulders but obediently started placing stones according to Angron’s words. Since they were long-lived beings making a bet, the black-clad boy couldn’t just back out as he pleased.

Tap, tap. Perhaps because it was a game they had played dozens of times, the two boys filled the Baduk board at a very fast pace. The black and white stones flipped rapidly on the board, changing colors quickly. The moment the stones on the board exceeded 500 moves, Lenok’s gaze deepened.

“As expected, it wasn’t just a simple Baduk game or a life-and-death problem.” The entire game was thoroughly testing whether Angron’s black stones could break through and solve it. It was as if the game was intentionally designed and shaped to test Angron’s capabilities. In the first place, if two long-lived beings were solving a problem with a specific game, who would have posed that problem? And why was Frimon trying to obtain the ‘qualification’ to solve the problem, even deceiving Angron? Everything about the game, the situation, and the attitudes of the two long-lived beings was suspicious. But, because of that-

“Kid. As you said, we replayed the game from the beginning and got to this point,” While he was lost in thought, Angron had stopped placing stones and was looking at Lenok. “565 moves. From here, the game is blocked, and I can’t move forward anymore.”

“……”

“There are gates on both sides. A dead end behind. Tigers on the diagonal [a specific formation in Baduk]. And a direct attack in front. No matter where I place a stone, it will only be captured,” Angron said with a frown. “I feel like I’m lost in front of a decisive wall. If I could get even a small clue, my mind might open up…”

“You are not lost in front of a wall,” Lenok, who was looking at the board, answered without turning around. “It’s just that you haven’t properly looked into the essence of your flame techniques yet.”

“What?”

“From what I’ve seen from the beginning, this game has continued up to 565 moves because of your own will, Angron.” Lenok turned his gaze towards Angron. “It was the result of expressing your mastery of flame techniques, which you have learned, in Baduk, without being fixated on momentary calculations.”

“……”

Just like the Water Dragon King Alogan, the long-lived beings of Kundara do not rely heavily on calculating moves when playing Baduk. They simply unfold a style on the board that transcends the battle of wits, based on the techniques they have mastered and the principles of creating magic circles. Therefore, what Lenok needed to advise Angron on was not the detailed positions of the stones, but the direction.

“It doesn’t matter where you place them. Keep placing them.”

“Didn’t I tell you? No matter where I place a stone, it will be captured and turn into a white stone, or it will become a house—”

“That’s not the core of flame techniques,” Lenok interrupted Angron and glanced at the boy. “The persistence of fueling and heating yourself by using yourself as firewood, and constantly seeking a spark, is within it.”

“……”

“If you, Angron, intended to express the essence of such techniques through Baduk, you must maintain it until the end,” Lenok said that and pointed to an empty space. Angron, who had been listening to Lenok’s words blankly, began to place black stones in the empty spaces as if he were possessed. Frimon, who was sitting opposite him, immediately placed white stones, capturing the black stones that Angron had placed and turning them into white stones. However, Lenok did not stop and continued to encourage Angron to have his stones captured.

“Burn, be captured, burn again, and be captured again.”

“……”

“The essence of flame techniques lies in the destructiveness of burning even oneself. If you, Angron, can maintain that tone until the end—” The black stones that had been continuously captured by Frimon’s white stones began to fill the Baduk board again. As if a black stone that survived among the white stones was burning its surroundings and turning them black, it quickly covered the board. Every time a stone was placed, life and death crossed over dozens of times on the board, and the colors changed, spinning chaotically. Instead of calculating each move, he unfolded a talent that transcended calculations on the Baduk board, according to the mysteries of the techniques.

“It is possible to unfold results on the board that go beyond what can be achieved through calculation.” The essence of the game that Jintun pursued when he created Baduk. The core of flame magic that only Lenok, who had already reached a higher level in a thousand lives, could convey. In that moment, as Angron moved the stones as if possessed, burning and sacrificing his own stones.

“T, this is…” The Baduk board where the two boys were sitting was now filled with black stones. A bizarre sight where all the stones on the board, which could hold over 800 stones at once, were dyed black.

“This is quite interesting,” Angron’s hands trembled, and Lenok, who was watching from behind, rested his chin as if he had seen something amazing. “Even if you play a perfect game, it’s almost impossible for one side’s stones to fill the entire Baduk board.”

“……”

“Since this wasn’t the result I intended, I suspect that the game you two were playing was designed to induce such a result.”

“T, this can’t be…” “What kind of problem were you solving that—” Angron mumbled blankly, not even listening to Lenok’s words. “T, the Trial of the Eight Calamities so easily…”

“……The Trial of the Eight Calamities?” Lenok’s expression also turned bewildered. “Then, was the game you two were playing practice for passing the Trial of the Eight Calamities?” With that one sentence, Lenok also realized why these boys were so obsessed with this game. Could it be that the reason the long-lived beings of Kundara were so engrossed and obsessed with the game of Baduk was not simply to enjoy the game, but—

“T, Teacher!!” Angron, who had jumped up from his seat, knelt down on the spot. Frimon, who had been sitting with a rotten expression, looked slightly surprised when he belatedly saw Angron. Even the others who were playing Baduk nearby were surprised and turned to look. However, Angron did not care about the surrounding gazes and bowed his head. “I will take you as my teacher. Teacher!!”

“……”

“I need your advice to pass the Trial of the Eight Calamities. Please teach me!!”

“Hmm… I wonder if I have the skills to teach someone…” Perhaps because he was impatient with Lenok’s feigned contemplation, the enemy boy placed both hands on the ground. Angron, with both hands on the ground and his head bowed, shouted while exhaling hot breaths. “I, Angron of the Fire Salamander race, will follow whatever you say, Teacher!!”

“……”

“I want to pass the Trial of the Eight Calamities no matter what. So please, teach me…!!” Angron’s bowed head and shouting were excessively loud. The other long-lived beings in the manor, who had been ignoring the passersby and focusing on their games, were now looking this way.

“I suppose I have no choice,” Lenok, who let out a small sigh, slowly turned towards Angron. Lenok, looking down at Angron with his head bowed, spoke with a strange smile. “Then, may I first confirm what kind of sincerity you can show to a teacher in Kundara?”