Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1091

[“The darkness that veiled the Nine Calamities has vanished, but the labyrinth itself, the core of the trial, hasn’t disappeared.”]

Oooooooooh…!!

Each time Maleon spoke, a majestic resonance echoed with his voice.

[“Originally, you should have broken through the trial and arrived at the Nine Calamities upon successfully completing the ascension ritual, but due to an anomaly during the ritual, the trial was halted.”]

The resonance of his voice and the magic resonated simultaneously, but it wasn’t Maleon’s own will.

As he moved his body, the surrounding magic responded naturally, like a law of nature.

A level 9 ascender who constructs himself as a world.

His mere existence reorganizes the surrounding space-time according to his own laws, naturally bringing it under his control.

[“Therefore, in order for us to enter the Nine Calamities, we must forcefully break through the trial-“]

[Listening to you is just unnecessarily confusing my ears.]

Olivier’s cold resonance momentarily stopped Maleon’s words.

She, who was looking at Maleon from behind her veil, spoke coldly.

[There’s no way you can’t control the overlapping sounds. Do you want to show off what you’ve become?]

“Hmm, my apologies.”

Only then did Maleon calm his magic, and he quickly adjusted his voice while touching his neck.

“My magic operation and spell output have increased tenfold compared to before, so it took some time to re-establish my senses. I apologize if it was unpleasant.”

“……”

“Ban? Are you alright?”

“That’s what I should be asking you.”

Lenok replied, observing Maleon who was calmly organizing his presence.

“It was a ritual to redefine oneself to become an ascender. There were even unexpected variables in the process.”

“……”

“Even if the ritual was successful, the possibility of your mind and body being in a stable state is extremely low. It would be normal for you to be in a very dangerous state.”

The day Lenok ascended to level 8 in the battle against Madrich Onion.

Lenok was aware of his own extremely unstable state as he transcended the hierarchy and had to take a long time to stabilize.

Even when ascending from level 7 to level 8, it was like that, so what kind of aftereffects would reaching level 9 have?

Even if he looks fine on the outside, it wouldn’t be strange if Maleon’s inner self was very unstable.

“Hmm, I’m not sure about that…”

Maleon, who had a serious expression on his face at Lenok’s words, said.

“At least, I can speak normally. My eyes are working fine, and I can hear well.”

“……”

Maleon, with his chin resting on his hand, pulled at his eyes and ears once each.

Lenok smiled wryly, and Olivier’s look of contempt was palpable.

But Maleon, unconcerned with their reactions, massaged his shoulders and said.

“There’s nothing wrong with my senses or memories. Rather, I’m a bit overwhelmed trying to accept the new things I’ve become aware of.”

“I see…”

They were worried about what kind of being Maleon would become as an ascender, but so far, he wasn’t much different from before.

Except for being a little more honest than before, there were almost no significant changes observed.

But is the fact that Maleon hasn’t changed a normal result of the ascension ritual?

It’s a huge change that completely alters one’s inner self.

After undergoing such a transformation, the fact that he is no different from before might be strange.

But Maleon seemed to have already guessed the difference between the parts of himself that had changed and the parts that hadn’t.

“It seems like countless senses have awakened anew.”

Maleon’s gaze momentarily drifted away.

“Abstract concepts and intuitions that I didn’t understand. Foresight that transcends the timelines of the past and future. The power to reach the source of magic.”

“……”

“I’m fully experiencing all of it, so it’s hard to explain in words. It will take a long time to establish this as a theory.”

Maleon’s gaze towards Lenok momentarily changed strongly.

“All of this is a miracle made possible by your help.”

“……”

“You risked your life to help my challenge succeed. You reversed the moment I should have failed and gave it back to me in its complete form.”

The ascender said.

“I, who was watching it, also received an immeasurable benefit. If I haven’t changed, it must be because of that.”

In the process of helping Lenok with the ascension ritual, he witnessed his talent firsthand.

Because he became the fruit of his talent, Maleon achieved a result that exceeded expectations.

If he is so sure of it himself, then what Maleon felt is probably close to the truth.

“The favor I owe you today is so great that it wouldn’t be enough to repay it even with my entire life.”

Maleon’s eyes, which were looking at the huge labyrinth, sank deeply.

“Now it’s my time to repay it.”

“……It’s not over just because you’ve become an ascender. Entering the Nine Calamities like this would be very dangerous.”

Originally, Maleon should have become an ascender and arrived at the Nine Calamities at the same time.

However, the gateway to the Nine Calamities stopped because of the black lightning that fell from the outer sea during the ritual.

Thanks to Lenok’s help, Maleon was born as an ascender, but he had not yet passed the trial of the Nine Calamities.

He has to pass the trial and reach the Nine Calamities with his unstable body, having just become an ascender.

It would be a considerable risk for both Maleon and Lenok.

“No, rather, that’s why we must proceed immediately.”

But Maleon shook his head strongly, knowing that fact.

“If it’s not now, when you’ve cooperated in the ritual, we won’t be able to cross over to the Nine Calamities together. If we try again later, I’ll have to pass the trial alone.”

“……”

“If I’m to keep my promise with you, we must proceed immediately. Only now.”

Fwoosh!!

Maleon, who brought the huge dragon’s head right in front of Lenok’s nose, spoke with burning passion.

“Please. Help me repay what you have done.”

[You weren’t a thankless animal who forgot favors after enjoying a brief moment of glory.]

Olivier, who was standing next to Lenok, laughed.

[Not bad. At this rate, you won’t be wasting your time in the Nine Calamities.]

“……”

[In a situation where we don’t have time to spare, increasing the number of companions would be a luxury.]

Olivier’s cold lips, visible through the veil, were momentarily covered as if to kill her emotions.

[And if one of us has to go, it should be you rather than me.]

“……Olivier.”

[Go and meet Kaise [a character’s name]. I’ll be waiting here.]

She whispered as she turned around, her robe fluttering.

[Tell me what happened at the end of the Nine Calamities. That will be enough for us.]

“……”

Even though she was with Lenok because of Kaise Bajur, she was giving up in the end.

Perhaps she thought that Lenok, who was free from the restrictions, should go rather than herself, who was a failure of the project.

But Lenok had not yet forgotten Olivier’s answer left in the Nest of Nibex.

Her answer that she had already decided on, an answer she would maintain until the end of her life.

In that moment when Lenok was lost in thought, thinking about it.

“Hmm? What are you talking about since a while ago?”

Maleon asked, his eyes wide open.

“Of course, you have to come too. I was talking with that in mind from the beginning.”

[……What?]

“You also helped Ban with the ascension ritual, didn’t you? I clearly felt it inside the magic circle.”

Maleon raised his large hand and pointed to Olivier’s veil.

“The Seven-Colored Treasure Eye that exists inside that veil. Even if it was for Ban and not me, you helped with the ritual while harming your own body.”

[……]

“I know that it was something you did while taking on a great burden. Then you should also achieve what you desire.”

Kuuuuooooh…!!!

The moment Maleon pulled up his magic, a dazzling light began to gather around the ascender.

Forming a small galaxy centered on Maleon himself, he created stars and made them rotate.

Just by that, the surrounding space was distorted as if it was being crushed, and it began to emit strange resonance sounds incessantly.

Kiyuuuuuung!!!!

Maleon, standing in front of the slope overlooking the labyrinth, slowly tapped his chest and said.

“Let’s go together. I’ll take you to the other side of the Nine Calamities myself.”

“You know, saying that without even wearing clothes doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, right?”

Lenok chuckled and stood next to Maleon.

“Alright. There’s no reason to refuse if you’re going to help us while pushing yourself.”

Lenok, who met Maleon’s smiling gaze, said.

“Ascender. You’ll have to be our reliable support from now on.”

“Is that so.”

[……Ha.]

While Olivier shook her head as if she was dumbfounded, Maleon was buried in a flurry of explosively rotating stars.

The ascender, with brilliant lights on both shoulders, fearlessly advanced towards the labyrinth.

“……Maleon.”

Regnus, who was standing next to Maleon, called him in a stiff voice.

“Do you really think it’s alright like this?”

“……”

“If you take your place in the Nine Calamities and move Kundara [a city’s name], you may never be able to turn back. Is that really what you want?”

Regnus spoke again, looking at Maleon who didn’t turn around.

“It’s a miscalculation if you believe that everything will be fine just by moving the city outside the barrier. In the center-”

“Monsters who have transcended the shackles of lifespan are running wild, trying to go beyond the ending.”

Maleon interrupted Regnus and answered.

Maleon, who slowly turned his gaze, looked down at Regnus.

“I know. Everyone has known it for a long time.”

“……Maleon.”

“Knowing that living a little longer than short-lived species is not a great boast.”

He met his gaze without using any power, without any will or emotion.

Just by that, the presence of the two people tilted overwhelmingly towards Maleon, and Regnus’s face turned pale.

“We might be able to watch the world’s destruction, living a little longer than humans or beastmen.”

Maleon said.

“But when that time comes, we will no longer be able to choose anything.”

“……”

“Now is the time to experiment, when everyone says it’s too early, when everyone can complain that it’s urgent.”

Kugugugung…!!!

The moment Maleon took a step forward, the darkness that had encroached on the gateway receded a step.

Just by the presence that the ascender emitted, he pushed back the darkness outside and filled the void with dazzling starlight.

Fwaaaang!!!

Becoming a brilliant star himself, he illuminated the darkness and opened the way.

Silver Star. The star that rose in the misty cosmos, just as its alias and name originated.

“To see if we are truly beings who can choose the ending.”

There was no further answer.

Pat!!

The moment Maleon reached out his hand, a dazzling light appeared beneath Lenok and Olivier’s feet.

The Primal Magic Saint Lotus Eight Extremes Style, which freely creates and manipulates ‘stars’ at the desired space-time coordinates.

The moment Maleon, who had embraced the two in starlight, took a step forward.

Kwaaaaaaaah!!!

Maleon, who had turned into a dazzling silver star, was shot diagonally into the center of the labyrinth at an incredible speed.

Drrrrrrrk!!!

The walls of the labyrinth rose from all sides, blocking Maleon’s charge.

Thousands of complex magic circles engraved throughout the labyrinth were activated, isolating the space and erasing physical impacts.

Ooooooooong!!!

The entire labyrinth vibrated violently, seemingly nullifying the impact from the outside.

The trial of the Nine Calamities, borrowing the essence of the countless labyrinths created by Jintun [a character’s name] himself.

A gateway that is only allowed to be passed by those who have earned the right to challenge ascension.

“Oooooooooh!!!!”

Kugwagwagwang!!!

The silver star rotating around Maleon pierced through, burned, and destroyed the walls of the labyrinth.

A labyrinth that originally had to be broken through by interpreting the mysteries of barrier magic one by one, was smashed with force.

“Kuh…!!”

The backlash reached even Lenok, who was watching the scene next to Maleon.

His entire body was shaking violently, the shock reaching his very core, his magic and will resonating fiercely.

The wills of the ascended who had already departed and the newly born ascended clashed, their aftereffects reaching even beyond the misty cosmos.

Finally, the mist within the veil was pushed away, revealing the dark sky above.

Kwaaaaaaaah!!!!

“……!!!!”

He wondered why Maleon wasn’t just breaking through the labyrinth but smashing it with brute force.

It was to forcefully create an impact, pushing away the misty space itself.

The sky, cleared of the mist surrounding the Outer City, did not reflect the central front line outside the veil.

A dark abyss where one could not see an inch ahead.

Beyond, only a transcendent madness, incomprehensible to human senses and intellect, filled the void.

“Was there a direct passage to the Outer Sea beyond the veil……!!!”

“It’s possible because it’s a sacred barrier that uses the shadow of a star as a medium.”

Maleon grinned and asked.

“You must have heard where you need to go after passing the Nine Calamities’ trial, right?”

“That’s-”

“Upward.”

Kwaaaang!!!

The moment Maleon raised his head, his figure, which had been smashing through the labyrinth at an incredible speed, shot up vertically.

The mist scattered in all directions, and he ascended at an incredible speed towards the outside of the Outer Sea, now fully revealed.

“The space of the Nine Calamities is right outside the world’s boundary, in the Outer Sea.”

Kwawooooooong……!!!!

Maleon’s silver scales turned red with intense frictional heat.

The surrounding air burned so fiercely that it was instantly depleted, making breathing impossible.

The heat of the friction was so intense that even a superhuman would melt and evaporate in an instant.

At the same time, a chilling cold poured down from the Outer Sea, threatening to freeze everything.

The scene before his eyes was bleached white, then dyed red and blue, as darkness and light danced and mingled.

A sea of darkness that human senses could not even perceive.

A chaotic world where the laws of physics were distorted and reversed.

He thrust his body directly into that corner, riding on Maleon’s power, ascending endlessly.

A massive sense of powerlessness, as if even Lenok himself and Oliviera’s presence were evaporating and disappearing.

The pressure difference between the world and the sea shook and eroded his mind and body.

Thud!

With a strange sound as if passing through a membrane, Lenok’s body tumbled onto the cold floor.

Thump!!!

He didn’t even think about trying to regain his balance by moving his body.

He extended strands of magic with both hands, attaching them to what he presumed was the floor to slow down.

Kkkkkkkk……!!

The sound of the strings being pulled roughly. Lenok, realizing his hearing had returned, opened his eyes.

“This place is…….”

Whioooooo!!!

Everything around him was a vast chamber made of transparent glass.

The walls, floor, and ceiling. The entire outer wall was made of transparent, cold glass.

No, should he call it ice rather than glass?

It was so cold that his skin felt like it would freeze the moment he touched it, so he wouldn’t call it ordinary glass.

If it weren’t for the barrier he had wrapped around his skin, his flesh might have been torn off.

“……Oliviera?”

A woman with a veil over her face stood with her back to Lenok, a few steps away.

[Look outside, Kenloe.]

“…….”

[The void is so close to us.]

Gooooooo!!!

Beyond the transparent glass-like outer wall, only darkness filled the space.

A chilling feeling, as if trapped in a glass structure in the middle of the dark universe.

If one were looking at the empty universe from inside a huge, transparent space station, this might be the feeling.

This was the innermost and outermost part of the Outer City, Kundara.

The space of the Nine Calamities.

[I’ve never envied the lifespan of the Long-Lived, but I can’t help but feel awe at what they’ve accomplished with that time.]

Oliviera said quietly.

[This might be the last frontier left outside the Outer Sea.]

“…….”

The Nine Calamities of Kundara referred to a space that existed outside the Outer Sea, not inside the Outer City.

Why did the founders who created the Outer City build and maintain the space of the Nine Calamities in such an extreme environment?

“The internal space is overwhelmingly larger than it appears.”

Lenok suppressed his questions and quickly turned his gaze around.

“They’ve distorted and inflated the internal space. The space inside the partitions is dozens of times larger than it appears.”

The transparent glass was only used for the outer walls, including the ceiling and floor facing the Outer Sea.

The partitions installed in each sector, and the internal spaces isolated by them, were not visible to the naked eye.

“It’s moving. We can’t just stand still here.”

Lenok, staggering to his feet, took out an ampule from his pocket.

“I can’t sense Maleon’s presence. In the first place, in this space-”

Kwajijijik-!

Lenok’s will and magic were being crushed and broken without rest.

The suffocating pressure, as if his soul was being crushed, was felt the moment he entered the Nine Calamities.

Was this the spiritual pressure Maleon had mentioned, the price that the unqualified had to pay when they touched the Nine Calamities?

He hadn’t done anything, but his breath was already at his throat, and his energy seemed to be draining away in an instant.

Maleon, who had brought them here, was nowhere to be seen.

If they couldn’t last long, they had to move.

Above all, Maleon and Regnus had warned-

Kwajik!!

Behind Lenok, something stomped its foot with a rough vibration.

The floor shook violently from the vibration, and Lenok, who was gasping for breath, staggered.

“……!!!”

His magic reacted before his body did.

He erected a Wheel Barrier and used Blink [a teleportation spell] at the same time. After designating the direction of evasion, he chanted multiple layers of lightning magic.

Flash!!

Lenok, who had risen into the sky above the Nine Calamities, twisted his body, holding a tingling lightning spear in one hand.

He momentarily stopped moving at the sight of a giant turtle glaring at him from the ground.

“……Wait.”

He had seen that figure somewhere before, with its body tattered like rags and its shell broken and falling apart.

The sanctuary in the Hall of the Eight Calamities. The Fountain of Aitalon, used to exchange lifespans.

The Eternal Turtle, said to be the oldest of the Long-Lived, and a statue made to commemorate the founder of Kundara.

It was strikingly similar to the turtle statue that had been in the Fountain of Aitalon.

[Kenloe!]

Reacting to Oliviera’s sharp telepathy, Lenok was about to fire his lightning spear when-

Kwawoooong!!!

A dazzling silver star exploded and accelerated, rotating from the other side of the corridor.

Eight Forms – Outer Law

Mass Transformation

A powerful heat source with immense heat energy pierced through several solid partitions and was ejected.

It slammed down on the head of the turtle corpse, hundreds of meters away, from beyond the transparent glass chamber.

[Meteor Cannon]

Kwaaaaaaaaaa!!!

“……!!!”

The dazzling starlight bombardment swept over the Eternal Turtle’s corpse and evaporated it.

The Eternal Turtle’s body, unable to even scream, was filled with silver light and exploded.

Not a single drop of blood came from its emaciated body, only the tattered skin fluttered.

Poof!!

Behind the Eternal Turtle, which had burst like a balloon, Maleon stood with his hand outstretched.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“……Maleon?”

Lenok, using magic to land on the ground, hardened his expression at the sight of Maleon.

“Your body……”

Chiiiiik!!

The silver scales were red-hot and emitting smoke, and blood flowed from the gaps in his torn skin.

His magic and will were not damaged, but physically, he appeared to be quite injured.

Maleon, noticing Lenok’s gaze, gave a wry smile and covered the torn scales with one hand.

“It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“…….”

“However, it seems that forcing my way into the Nine Calamities wasn’t as easy as I thought.”

Was this the price he paid for directly enduring the backlash that accompanied breaking through the trial of the Nine Calamities with force?

It was clear that he had suffered damage that even Maleon’s powerful regeneration could not easily recover from.

No, rather, should he be amazed at his transcendent durability, that he had broken through the Nine Calamities with his bare body and only shed a little blood?

“The damage to my disguised body is not a big problem for me. Rather, the problem lies elsewhere.”

Maleon changed the subject nonchalantly.

“As you already know, what roams the Nine Calamities are not mere monsters. They are far more hideous and noble beings.”

“……The founders.”

“Yes.”

Maleon nodded.

“The founders who created Kundara. They cannot die or rot in this Outer Sea, and they wander this sanctuary as mummies.”

The statues commemorating the founders that existed in the Hall of the Eight Calamities.

But why were there no living founders or even tombstones commemorating the dead founders inside the Outer City?

If they were Long-Lived who lived for hundreds of years, it wouldn’t be strange if the founders were still alive and in the city.

The answer was right here.

“Those who created Kundara and completed it through their deaths. To pass through the Nine Calamities, you must face them.”

“…….”

“At each partition that isolates the sectors of the Nine Calamities, the deaths of the founders will be lurking. It will not be an easy task.”

The ‘things that roam’ the Nine Calamities that Maleon had mentioned and Regnus had warned about.

They were not mere monsters, but the corpses of the highest-ranking Long-Lived who founded Kundara, and they had to face them from now on.

“Most of them are transcendents who have accumulated immeasurably high ranks, or whose very existence is like an ability.”

Maleon’s gaze turned to the Eternal Turtle he had defeated.

“It’s not difficult in the outer areas of the Nine Calamities like now, but the deeper you go inside, the more you will encounter beings who retain their power from when they were alive.”

“……Does that mean that the boundary between life and death becomes blurred as you enter deeper into the Nine Calamities?”

What did it mean that those who were already dead were still wandering this space while preserving their bodies?

What kind of environment did the Ten Sanctuaries, located in the deepest part of the Nine Calamities, have?

Lenok frowned momentarily at the intense sense of incongruity that pierced his mind.

“But don’t worry.”

Krrrrumble……!!

Maleon, who had stood up, turned to Lenok with his shining silver eyes and said.

“That’s why I’m here with you, to help you.”

“……Maleon.”

“Of course, what we have to do in this Nine Calamities from now on is by no means safe, but-”

Maleon smiled and took a step forward.

“Don’t worry and trust me. There’s a lot to gain from a place where such beings existed.”

“Gain?”

“The entire Nine Calamities is a giant tomb and ark for storing the deaths of the founders.”

Maleon said as he turned his body around.

“Therefore, the treasures and artifacts that the founders possessed are also stored here.”

“That’s…….”

“Mythical artifacts made from the bodily organs of True Bloods [a powerful race]. Various weapons created by honing the abilities and talents of the Long-Lived to their limits.”

“…….”

“When I said I would help you in the Nine Calamities, it wasn’t just about lending you my power and qualifications.”

Maleon, looking back at Lenok, who had lost his words, gave a rare mischievous smile.

“Before doing great things, shouldn’t we take care of what we need to take care of first?”