Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1177

The executive office on the top floor of the Cartel headquarters.

Lenok had obtained the Power Ranking Risk Report and its list, thanks to Virgil’s help.

In the ranking comparing superhumans active in the Eastern Continent, Lenok could find familiar and unfamiliar names.

Among them were acquaintances Lenok hadn’t seen in a long time, as well as several rising stars.

Even while Lenok was traveling the continent seeking answers, they were each living their own lives somewhere.

Just seeing the Power Ranking and confirming that fact again today was valuable.

However, even so, Lenok was a little surprised by the evaluation of himself.

The names of Thousandfold and Stalwart, ranked 5th and 3rd respectively in the Eastern Continent Power Ranking.

Among them, a particularly noticeable sentence in the Stalwart’s ranking evaluation description.

=The only mortal stronger than an ascended being at this point in time.

Lenok didn’t quite grasp the meaning of this statement, which was presented as if it were an absolute certainty.

[Master, isn’t it fun? Isn’t it fun?]

Dabi wriggled in Lenok’s arms, acting cute.

[I told you it would be fun~]

“…This seems to have gone far beyond the issue of fun.”

Lenok, with a wry smile, pointed to the ranking chart.

“Could it be that the reason there are six million comments on this Power Ranking is because of this?”

[About half of them, I guess?]

“…”

About half of the roughly six million comments were purely reactions to Lenok himself…

However, even Lenok could understand why there were so many comments on the Power Ranking the moment he saw this sentence.

Even those who usually never left opinions on the Deep Web posts were directly adding their voices.

The weight of the name ‘ascended being’ was particularly extraordinary in this world.

[Master, how is it? After looking at the Power Ranking together, I really wanted to ask you this.]

Dabi’s eyes sparkled as she rubbed her head against Lenok.

[I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I really wanted to hear what you think.]

“…Well.”

Only then did Lenok become serious and ponder Dabi’s question.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever compared things like that…”

Lenok’s method of gauging his chances before a battle was thoroughly tailored to his opponent.

He would analyze who the opponent was, what they had achieved, their abilities and techniques, and their compatibility, while simultaneously finding a way to win.

It was not uncommon for him to predict hundreds of attacks and defenses in a battle of wits, only to discard them all the next moment and come up with a new plan.

If you include cases where he deliberately made wrong judgments or created openings in the realm of psychological warfare, discussion becomes virtually impossible.

In the end, there were premises and assumptions that could not be confirmed unless you actually fought in a real battle.

Could it be concluded that Lenok was stronger than an ascended being just by making a simple comparison like this?

Lenok didn’t think so.

“Thinking about when I faced Maleon, I’m confident I wouldn’t die. But that doesn’t mean I’m stronger than an ascended being.”

[What do you mean?]

“Because being prepared to die and assuming death are completely different things.”

Lenok answered, stroking Dabi’s head.

“Since my abilities are special, I might be able to discuss my chances if I assume death. But if I win by ‘dying,’ can that be called a victory?”

[……]

The Kaleidoscope that observes the branching points of parallel worlds, and the Ouroboros that dismantles and interprets all laws.

The two focal points that defined Lenok were miracles that could not be compared to the mental image of any transcendent being,

But the level 9 ascended beings were immortals who had already completed their answers and earned the right to present their conclusions.

They were the incarnations of seekers who had long since passed the path Lenok was walking now, and were being consumed and broken by their answers.

That was why ascended beings were treated as objects of absolute awe and worship in this world.

“Unless multiple conditions overlap, like in Kundara’s case, it’s arrogant to think I can do that normally.”

Even against Maleon, who had just become an ascended being, Lenok could only win after ‘killing’ himself once.

Even that was a kind of trick that could only be attempted after preparing various insurances and safety devices in advance.

Could Lenok now do the same against powerful ascended beings who had lived for hundreds of years?

He was skeptical.

“If I had judged that I was stronger than an ascended being, my course of action would be quite different from what it is now. I’m not sure if this evaluation is correct.”

[I see…]

“But I can guess why the author of the Power Ranking came to this conclusion about me.”

Lenok’s eyes sharpened as he looked at the monitor.

“This person knows what I did in Kundara. They know that Maleon became an ascended being, and that I defeated him, so they came to this conclusion.”

[…Huh?]

Dabi, who had been slightly dejected, perked up her ears.

[Master, does that mean-]

“The author of the Power Ranking is a transcendent being with the ability to directly hear the secret history of Kundara.”

Lenok raised his gaze with a cool expression.

“They must be a being with the power or qualifications to belatedly recognize what happened in the Nine Calamities [a cataclysmic event] outside the Outer Sea.”

[……]

“If we’re lucky, we might be able to identify the existence that holds so much information on our side.”

The reason Lenok was interested in the author’s explanation that Stalwart was stronger than an ascended being.

It was because this person had presented a conclusion that could never have been reached without knowing about the events of Kundara.

From that fact, Lenok had reached a conclusion that allowed him to infer who the author of the Power Ranking was and narrow down the scope.

“Well, still, I can’t deny that other information, excluding this, is relatively accurate.”

Lenok tilted his head as he scrolled.

“Especially the information about Thousandfold… it seems to have reached a very dangerous level, even to me.”

[5th Place. Thousandfold (踐燔) [a title or epithet] Evan Martinez. Level 8 Pyromancer. Unaffiliated.]

=The strongest pyromancer in the Eastern Front. Successor to the ascended being Jin-dun. Slayer of Apostles.

=Possesses a large number of significant achievements, including the killing of the Drug King, the conquest of the Hanghasa Labyrinth, and the subjugation of the 10th Apostle Amrita.

=Fought a one-on-one battle with Stalwart in Vulcan and lost, but rescued the Lighthouse Keeper. Immediately after, he left the Eyes of Azure [a powerful organization].

=The most sought-after War Mage currently, having defeated the Order of the Joining Arts at the First Gate.

=Selected as 5th due to his transcendent pyromancy and upright character. Future changes are possible.

Explanations that continued next to the names on the Power Ranking, as seen so far.

However, in the case of Thousandfold, unlike the somewhat dry previous evaluations, there were several intense phrases.

This was proof that the things Thousandfold had done in his position were unusually large in scale, but…

Lenok thought so and read the explanation that continued far below.

=The Thousand-Mile Fragrant Flower (天花萬里香) [a powerful domain] that burned down the First Gate is one of the most perfect self-sustaining domains in the history of the continent.

=There is extensive discussion in academia about the immortality of the domain created in combination with barrier magic.

=The alternative incantation of pyromancy based on martial arts is famous as an innovative idea that is currently being considered for application in various magic towers.

=In terms of the versatility and scale of the magic and abilities used, it is among the highest in the Central Front.

=A rare case where the evaluation continues to rise despite many analyses of his abilities and domain.

…

=The most likely candidate for the vacant Blaber Magic Tower Master. The top priority for recruitment by the Central Front’s deepest exploration organizations.

=It is presumed that he is still favored by the Lighthouse Keeper even after leaving the Eyes of Azure. Maintains a good relationship with the Watchers.

=His ranking was removed upon advancing to the Central Front, but his ranking was renewed after receiving information that he was offered the position of Commander of the Dead Rise Legion.

=Likely to attend the Legion Parade.

Lenok’s eyes sank deeply as he carefully read the long explanation.

“They know that I was offered the position of Commander of the Dead Rise Legion. That’s why Thousandfold’s name is on the Power Ranking in the first place.”

In the public eye, Thousandfold’s status was that he had stopped his activities in the Eastern Continent after losing to Stalwart.

Since he had been virtually active only in the Central Front since then, Thousandfold’s name should not have been included in the Eastern Continent Power Ranking.

However, the author of this Power Ranking had listed Thousandfold’s name in the ranking because he had been offered the position of Commander.

Lenok could tell how absurd this was as soon as he saw the series of explanations and phrases.

“What’s this about being a likely candidate for the Blaber Magic Tower Master? This is a recent development that I don’t know about.”

[Master. Let’s quickly look at the important things first.]

Dabi clung to Lenok, biting and pulling on his sleeve.

[Quickly, please read Stalwart’s evaluation first. I want to see your reaction!]

“…Dabi. We’re not playing around right now.”

However, Lenok let out a small sigh and scrolled down as Dabi had said.

[3rd Place. Stalwart (堅雷) [a title or epithet] Van. Level 8 Electro-Mage. Tower Master of Vulcan.]

=A great mage considered to have the greatest talent in the history of the Eastern Continent.

=A great master who started as the lowest-ranking freelancer in Vulcan and built a tower with his own magic system.

=A monster unprecedented in the history of the continent, reaching level 8 in less than 10 years.

=Cruel nature. Blood-soaked mind. A madman who only finds meaning in battles between transcendent beings.

“…Hmm.”

He had guessed what might be there, but seeing the phrases written like this made him feel complicated.

Lenok turned his gaze to the explanation that was written much further below.

=His evaluation as a War Mage/Combat Mage has reached a level that is practically impossible to compare.

=Has a large number of records of overwhelming many of the superhumans listed in the above Power Ranking.

=A high-ranking mage with the most combat records among all the superhumans on the ranking.

=Estimated to be among the top in the continent in terms of combat intelligence and experience.

A series of evaluations that were so long that they were much longer than even Thousandfold’s.

Lenok scanned the evaluation section written in the ranking with a blank face.

=Uses an extreme combat method that maximizes the instantaneous output of electro-magic and unleashes it.

=Possesses outstanding senses and intuition to overwhelm close combat with physical ability users of the same level.

=Currently, Stalwart’s name acts as a very powerful deterrent in the vicinity of Vulcan. Many forces are paying attention to this.

=His evaluation of his power has steadily increased since his duel with Thousandfold. It reached its peak after the Kundara incident.

=For the above reasons, it has been investigated that the alias (異名) [another name] referring to Stalwart has been gradually changing recently.

…

=It is presumed that his health has steadily deteriorated since suffering serious injuries in the battle with Madrich Onion.

=There is circumstantial evidence from various sources that he is dependent on drugs and only forcibly raises his condition during battles.

=His ranking was selected as 3rd considering his degree of injury and health condition. Future changes are highly likely.

=The only mortal stronger than an ascended being at this point in time.

The sentence Lenok had seen earlier was the last thing written in the evaluation of Stalwart.

The author must have intentionally put this at the top of the evaluation summary.

It was understandable that the reaction in the comments was so great if such an evaluation was written at the end of the ranking.

Lenok looked at the bottom of the post and lost his words, closing his mouth.

[Recommended: 8458]02$@

[Not Recommended: 213]9485&!#@#$

“……”

The numbers were popping out and smudged, breaking through the recommended and not recommended sections.

Lenok had practically never seen a post with such a bug among all the posts on the Deep Web.

This alone showed how many people had viewed and reacted to this post.

There was hell unfolding in the comments.

└Who made this shitty Power Ranking?

└Don’t be ridiculous. Stalwart isn’t number 1 in the Eastern Continent Power Ranking?

└The guy who made the ranking really doesn’t know anything; if you’re not a resident of Vulcan, please don’t write these kinds of posts?

└Okay.

└Stalwart is 3rd lol Stalwart is 3rd lol Stalwart is 3rd lol Stalwart is 3rd lol Stalwart is 3rd lol Stalwart is 3rd lol Stalwart is 3rd lol

└Come to District 49 and see what kind of crazy shit is happening in the sky. What are you comparing him to, some kind of human?

Enthusiastic support that started with blatant personal attacks as soon as they saw the ranking.

└It’s surprising that Thousandfold’s ranking is lower than I thought. He killed that Joining Arts user at the First Gate, but he’s only 5th?

└Is it because he advanced to the Central Front and was re-enlisted in the Eastern Continent ranking? Still, it’s not very convincing.

└Isn’t it just because the author has trash eyes?

└Considering that the 6th and 4th are the Joining Arts user and the Legion Commander, it’s not entirely incomprehensible, but…

└If the Joining Arts user was alive, he would have cut out the author’s eyelids. Or, would he have joined them together in reverse?

There were also those who calmly raised objections or left their impressions about the ranking.

└No matter what, comparing Stalwart to an ascended being is too much. Do you think ascended beings are a joke?

└If it’s just about fighting, Stalwart might be stronger. Among the ascended beings, is there anyone who has killed as many superhumans as Stalwart?

└It’s sickening to compare who’s stronger by kill count;; What, do you level up if you kill a lot of people?

└Who said Stalwart would definitely win? As the ranking says, Stalwart is the only mortal who can be compared to an ascended being.

As Dabi said, the most significant portion of the comments was the debate comparing Stalwart and ascended beings.

└The important thing is that no one knows what Stalwart’s self-sustaining domain is yet. All the people who saw his domain are dead.

└How to hide your abilities 1. Kill all the witnesses. 2. Kill everyone even if they’re not witnesses.

└3. No? I just killed them because I wanted to?

└Ah lol, I didn’t intend to hide it, but I killed them all, so it became a secret lol

└It’s crazy that we still don’t know the abilities of a mass murderer who kills hundreds of high-ranking superhumans;

└There were speculations, but nothing has been revealed directly. He didn’t even go all out when he fought Thousandfold.

└Now that you say that, I suddenly understand why Stalwart and Thousandfold’s rankings aren’t next to each other?

└It’s over since he single-handedly destroyed Kundara. Look at the long-lived species that Stalwart has released on the continent now.

└So, those monsters that are sweeping through the Central Front were chased out because they couldn’t stop Stalwart alone?

Opinions were fiercely divided, with some saying that the level difference was insurmountable, and others saying that a mage like Stalwart was different.

Surprisingly, the overall atmosphere of the comments did not lean to one side.

└Olinik… It’s a very old name. Is the Fortress of Civil War still alive?

└Maiya Renslit is missing. I’m hearing that name for the first time since the Ascended Gate incident.

└Who is this guy named Baitan, who has such a grand name as Conqueror?

└You don’t know the crazy bastard who’s wreaking havoc on the eastern coast? You’re not from the Eastern Continent, are you?

└Actually, I’m a resident of the Southern Continent lol

└Aren’t you jungle bastards going to turn off your jungle VPN?

There were quite a few stories about other top-ranked superhumans, not just Stalwart and Thousandfold.

Lenok was also interested in reading about the new stars that had appeared in the Eastern Continent and the recent developments of other strong individuals.

└That grumpy old man Betagron finally got into a fight with the Order. I thought he would die soon, but he became a Slayer of Apostles.

└How many Slayers of Apostles are there in the Eastern Continent now? Three, including Stalwart and Thousandfold?

└Four. I heard that one person newly moved from the Northern Continent to the Eastern Continent. He’s not on the Power Ranking yet, though.

└There are more Watchers of the Eyes of Azure than I thought. Are there a lot of talented people, or are they just active?

└That’s because the Eyes of Azure headquarters is in the Philemon Autonomous Territory. Most of them have advanced to the Central Front.

└Even the information about Grisha known in Vulcan is about the Paradox Green Siege.

Reactions discussing the current situation of various forces, including the Eyes of Azure and the Slayers of Apostles.

└I heard that they were going back and forth with the Order, but they finally succeeded in recapturing it.

└It has become a wasteland where people cannot live after the 3 Apostles swept through it. Unless there is a Lighthouse Keeper, I don’t know.

└They were trying to end the siege before the Legion Parade, but the Order finally retreated. Were they short on forces because they were rampaging all over the continent?

└The damage caused by one of the 7 Apostles in the Southern Front has reached astronomical levels. It’s almost comparable to the time of the Holy War.

└The Apostles who were going crazy and dying are returning one by one. Is the world really about to go to shit?

└So, when will the ranking author update the 1st and 2nd place rankings again?

“…Wait a minute.”

Lenok, who had been scrolling through the comments for a while, suddenly raised his gaze as if he had remembered something.

“Why… is there no explanation for 1st and 2nd place?”

[……]

“No, in the first place, there was nothing written above 3rd place in the Power Ranking. That’s-”

He had been so focused on the evaluations of Stalwart and Thousandfold that he had missed it, but in the first place, the 1st and 2nd place ranking sections themselves did not exist.

Whether the ranking author had simply left the spots empty, or whether the rankings that had originally existed had been deleted.

Lenok, who had instinctively sensed something, immediately turned his gaze.

“Dabi.”

[Master.]

Dabi answered quietly.

[The author of the Power Ranking temporarily deletes duplicate rankings when there is a large-scale ranking change and then modifies them.]

“…So?”

He had been thinking about it.

If there were a few transcendent beings in the Eastern Continent who deserved a higher ranking than Lenok.

And what it meant that those names were not on the Power Ranking list Lenok was currently looking at.

He had been aware of it the moment he realized that fact, but the reason he was deliberately asking Dabi about it now was-

[The 35th updated version that the author had scheduled for upload. I secretly extracted it by searching the Deep Web’s backup data.]

Snap!

Instead of answering, Dabi manipulated the monitor screen and refreshed the Deep Web address.

[I think it would be better for Master to see it directly.]

“……”

The empty space at the very bottom of the Power Ranking.

Someone’s information was listed in the space where 1st and 2nd place should have been.

[?th Place. Underworld King (冥王) [a title or epithet]. ■ Level Black Mage. Pandemonium.]

=■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■.

=■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■.

=■■■■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■.

=■■■ ■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.

…

Crack, crackle…!!!!

The explanation written about the Underworld King was damaged, painted over with unknown noise.

Even the ranking listed in the Power Ranking was changing as if it had a will, making it impossible to recognize.

It was as if a being who could not originally be listed in this ranking had been forcibly listed for a moment.

As if the author himself had tried to break the existing rules and list this information here.

“……”

Lenok, who had been staring blankly at the monitor, took a breath as he saw the last explanation about the Underworld King.

The only line of explanation about the Underworld King that was not yet completely covered in noise.

That one word was piercing Lenok’s lungs as if it had been deeply embedded.

=Defeated in battle against the ascended being Jin-wa.