Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 110

“Anyone who just heard the briefing would know this. The deployment and operation structure clearly favors Team 2, with Team 2 being escorted both when entering and exiting… I don’t care, but there will be quite a few who are dissatisfied.”

“Dissatisfied, huh…”

Considering that freelancers generally dislike being restricted by rigid plans, it wasn’t entirely unfounded. Of course, since they were hired by an agent, it was expected they’d follow the established methods as much as possible, but how many guys in the field would actually care about that?

Unless they were part of a professional organization with proper training, this kind of reaction was, in a way, natural. No, in fact, it should be seen as a predetermined step at a point where direct intervention by agents has become difficult.

“Hey.”

No sooner had the thought ended than someone roughly knocked on the truck Lennox was riding in from behind.

Bright, lime-green hair that looked like it was dyed with fluorescent paint, and a face full of piercings. Eyes gleaming with murderous intent, and lips painted bright blue.

A young man who looked more like a gang member or a biker than a freelancer glared up at Lennox and said. Behind him, a dozen or so of his teammates who had gotten out of another truck were staring intently at Lennox.

“Let’s talk. Come down here.”

“Talk from there.”

“What?”

“I can hear you fine.”

Lennox, with a cigarette between his fingers, looked down at the man indifferently. He could feel the veins on the man’s forehead bulging for a moment, but it seemed he wasn’t planning to start a fight right away. He crossed his arms and tilted his head towards Lennox, saying.

“I have some questions about the operation plan I’ve heard so far.”

“Questions?”

“Yeah. The plan is to divide the roles into entry-action-retreat, but isn’t it just cleaning up Team 2’s mess? I can’t accept this kind of setup.”

The opening of his words was so predictable that Lennox could recite the next words without even hearing them. But Lennox calmly exhaled smoke, prompting the man to continue.

‘They clearly said they would hand over the operation to the on-site standby team, but there hasn’t been any word so far. This means only one thing.’ From this point on, they intend to completely hand over the initiative of the operation to Lennox and refrain from intervening in what happens within it. Or perhaps, it’s a silent pressure that they can’t entrust the job if they can’t even suppress this level of discord.

It was annoying, but Lennox understood it in a way. Trash rolling around the bottom of the streets. Lives lived not by rules and control, but by chasing innate power and money. To bind them within the order of an operation, a solution of their own was needed. There was no reason to be offended. If you think about it, Lennox was no different from those street dwellers. He shouldn’t forget his essence by being intoxicated by his rising reputation and value.

When he first arrived in this city, didn’t he vow to survive and climb to the top by any means? The cold sensation of the washbasin. The warmth of the hot barrel, the unpleasant feeling of vomiting… all of them were vividly alive within Lennox. Even if everyone else forgets and doesn’t care, Lennox alone must continue to remember. The essence of this unpleasant city. And the base truth that he was no different from them.

“………”

Lennox, staring at the man with cold, sunken eyes, slowly rose from his seat.

“You’re listening, right?” He spoke to those who were listening to the situation with bated breath through their earpieces.

“Don’t forget the cost of resolving this situation.”

[……..Thank you for understanding.]

Only after hearing the reply did Lennox feel satisfied.

“Hey, don’t you guys in the truck think so too?” In the meantime, the man turned to the other freelancers in the same truck as Lennox, as if wanting to gain more allies.

“This isn’t fair. We haven’t even seen that mage’s skills properly. Even though the client gave the direct orders…”

“I don’t think so.”

It was a large man with an indifferent expression, who had been leaning against the truck and closing his eyes, who interrupted the man’s words in a heavy voice.

“…What?”

“That guy is much more skilled than you think. I actually think the client’s judgment is accurate.”

“Me too.”

A woman with a blank face sitting next to him said. The two of them sitting side by side gave off a similar vibe.

“I have no complaints about this role, and I’m rather doubtful whether Team 1 and Team 3 can do their jobs properly.” The woman said, her eyes gleaming.

“Frankly speaking, aren’t you guys seeing each other for the first time in this operation? On the other hand, we’ve already worked together and checked each other’s skills. There’s no need to say which side is more suitable for the operation.”

Lennox, who never expected them to take his side in this situation, turned his head and stared at the two of them intently.

“………”

Noticing Lennox’s gaze, the two of them each subtly averted their eyes. Seeing the two of them move at the same time as if they had made a promise, Lennox soon realized their intentions and chuckled. Considering that the pyrokineticist and the two men and women were grouped together with Lennox in Team 2 again, the answer was simple.

Lennox’s abilities were a factor, but the two of them didn’t want to have the role of Team 2, which was clearly going to receive the most support in this operation, taken away by other team members. Moreover, considering the reality of what they showed in the last operation, there must have been a tacit agreement that it was better to take Lennox’s side in this situation. There were various intentions hidden in their unconfident gaze.

Which side would be most helpful to Lennox?

‘I shouldn’t confuse the operation’s goal with my own.’ What Lennox wanted was to find Craig and ask about the legacy left by the old family. Furthermore, to find the secrets and clues about this world. The act of attacking Falcion’s temporary base to extract information and track down the main base was only a part of Lennox’s purpose.

“Hoo…” After quickly finishing his calculations, Lennox slowly grabbed the truck railing and stepped onto the desert sand. His body was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if his knees gave out if he jumped down. The man looked at Lennox with a dumbfounded expression, then shook his head.

“Haa, I’m done… this guy and that guy are all idiots.” He pulled out a long dagger from his waist and quickly channeled his magic power. “Coming down from there means you’ve decided to listen to our demands, right?”

Before answering, Lennox quietly looked down at the watch on his left wrist.

“There’s about 30 minutes left until the operation’s execution time.”

“Damn it, this bastard hasn’t been answering since earlier…!!” In the end, the lime-green-haired man, unable to contain his anger, kicked off the ground. With the sand dust exploding, his figure disappeared in an instant.

Thwack!!

Regardless, Lennox, with a cigarette in his mouth, was lost in thought. There were countless ways to deal with these morons, and the efficiency was so high that prioritizing them was meaningless, as Lennox’s magic had advanced significantly. From Lennox’s perspective, who could react almost simultaneously with the opponent’s move, what he needed to consider was the aftermath of using magic and the most efficient and safe way to reveal his power and talent.

‘Considering the situation when the operation starts… the answer is set.’ Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the magic power in the air. According to the laws of this world, how far had he come? Level 5, or level 6? And how far could he go? He grabbed the time to ponder along with it.

[Sand Thrust]

At the same time, the sand piled up under Lennox’s feet began to rise up all at once, stirring violently.

Saaaaaaaah…!!!

The dark yellow curtain was drawn under the hot desert sky, completely obscuring the surrounding view. The other freelancers who were watching the scene were left with their mouths agape.

“A, a sand mage…!!”

“No way. How can he freely use such a rare technique…!!”

At the same time as the completed giant sand umbrella looked down at the ground haughtily, the man’s figure was revealed. An expression that was clearly flustered at a glance. Looking at the giant sand barrier surrounding Lennox with a flustered expression, Lennox slumped down under the umbrella he had created. Although he was managing the surrounding air with magic to keep it cool, the satisfaction that shade gave in this desert was unparalleled. Exhaling a long stream of smoke, Lennox gestured to the people around him.

“It would be good to rest until then. Anyone who is sensitive to the heat is welcome to come in.”

Torrent

“………”

It was as if the lime-green-haired man was not even in his eyes. However, unlike before, no one objected to his words. The lime-green-haired man, who was staring at Lennox with a blank expression, also slowly retreated with a hardened face. Lennox was satisfied that there was not even a shred of hostility left on his face. He wanted to avoid carrying unnecessary burdens before the operation even started. It seemed that the method of completely eliminating the will to fight with an unconventional method that only a mage could do had worked effectively.

“It’s decided then.”

Only then did one person approach Lennox and speak. A young man with an asymmetrical shaved side of his head and tattoos filling the space, smiled and said.

“A sand mage, who can only be seen occasionally among the nomads who live in the desert for their entire lives… and even more so in this environment. I don’t know how the agent managed it, but they’ve found the most perfect talent in this place.” He looked at Lennox and slowly extended one hand, offering a handshake.

“Chen Kruger. I’m in charge of leading Team 1 in this operation. For your information, that friend named Dave is in charge of Team 3.”

“Ban.”

Lennox shook hands with him roughly and glanced at the lime-green-haired man who was still unable to get up. Was he dissatisfied with being in charge of the rear guard, so he challenged Lennox like this first? He must have acted on the judgment that it would be good if it worked, and if not, it wouldn’t matter, but he probably didn’t expect Lennox to come out so strongly. In the process, after showing such an overwhelming result in this way, in the end, the opponent’s will would disappear and only Lennox’s ability would remain. Even now, this man named Chen is showing favor to Lennox, thinking of him as a sand mage.

The battle method of turning the tables and making the situation his own was one of the magic usage methods that Lennox preferred the most. If he could get a little more of a grasp on this ‘domain,’ he might be able to create something different… But it still seemed to be just a vague feeling. While Lennox was lost in thought, Chen had a proper conversation with the other team members and quickly sorted out the situation. Judging by the way things were going, there was some kind of agreement between Team 1 and Team 3, and they were planning to discuss how to proceed with the operation after seeing Lennox’s skills. Lennox, who was only thinking of taking care of his own purpose no matter how the operation proceeded, didn’t care, but it was much better than having to show his skills a few more times. Rather, Chen seemed much more suitable to lead the other team members in this situation.

“Ban. I’d like to share the details of the operation we’ve adjusted among ourselves, is that okay?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Good. The operation that the client has devised is extremely efficient, but it has one major problem.” Chen said, then held up three fingers.

“One. It doesn’t take into account the individual skill differences of the team members. Two, it didn’t explain this operation overview in advance. And lastly, the success or failure is excessively focused on the performance of Team 2.”

“………”

“Team 1 and Team 3 only maintain their formation after entering the base and then retreat again. In fact, if Team 2 doesn’t achieve results, everything will be in vain.” He said that and then looked at Lennox with gleaming eyes.

“I think this operation was set up based on your abilities, Ban. Am I right in my guess?”

“I don’t know.”

Lennox replied indifferently.

“I wasn’t directly involved in the operation planning process, so I have nothing to say. I’ve only worked with them once before.”

“I see…”