Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1186

The outermost coastal city of the Philemon Autonomous Territory.

A blood-soaked signature was scrawled at the scene of the massacre where most of the city’s residents had been slaughtered.

“Conqueror Baitan, huh…”

Lenok muttered, having heard Yufria’s words.

“He was definitely a special ability user ranked similarly to you in the power rankings.”

“It seems you don’t quite remember the evaluation written in the rankings,” Yufria replied calmly, taking out a long scroll from her bosom and handing it to Lenok.

“I happen to have a handwritten copy of the power rankings, so please take a look.”

“…Is it really a coincidence?”

Even as Lenok said that, he looked at the scroll Yufria had handed him.

[Conqueror Baitan. ? Level Special Ability User. Lord of Wargear.]

=A warlord conquering cities near the coast of the Eastern Continent.

=Raised an army in the northeast and advanced to the outskirts of the central front. Specific combat power unknown.

=Conquered 7 city-states. Beheaded all five level 8 superhumans who ruled those cities.

=Presumed to possess a very special, self-evolving spell or ability.

“It seems he didn’t stop his activities when the information in the power rankings was updated.”

Lenok carefully examined the information written on the scroll before glancing up.

“He’s still constantly invading coastal cities in the Eastern Continent even at this moment.”

“…”

Gooooooo!!!

Sticky pools of blood collected everywhere. Corpses lay scattered, their lives long extinguished.

Death filled the area around the once-bustling streets where people had walked.

Beyond the suffocating silence, the sea, mixed with the flowing blood, was dyed red.

Even the foam of the crashing waves was tinged with red, distorted by the smell of blood.

The Wargear army led by Conqueror Baitan.

Is the special ability user who massacred the people of this city still stationed nearby?

Just as Lenok was staring at the blood-red coastline, Yufria turned her gaze.

“It seems that not all the short-lived species in the city have died.”

She looked around at the fallen corpses with a cold expression and spoke to Lenok.

“There are signs of people packing up or evacuating. It seems some humans have escaped.”

“They only killed the people who remained in the city to resist.”

Lenok replied quietly, still looking at the coastline.

“Most of the corpses are armed, and there are no elderly or children among them. The citizens who couldn’t fight must have already evacuated.”

“…Your observational skills are quite impressive. Did you know this from the beginning?”

“I was aware of it from the moment I entered this city. But that’s not the only suspicious thing.”

Lenok’s eyes sank deeply as he stared at the blood puddles splashing under his feet.

“Judging by the remnants of magic, the battle ended more than a day ago. Yet, the blood hasn’t solidified; it’s still hot and sticky as if it just flowed…”

“…”

“I don’t know if there’s another external factor, or if this is related to Baitan’s ability itself.”

According to the information in the power rankings, Baitan is a special ability user.

Moreover, he is a superhuman with the extremely rare ability to ‘grow’ on his own.

The reason why Baitan’s rank was not accurately marked in the rankings was probably because of that.

The series of invasions of cities near the eastern coast. The traces of the blood of the people he killed not solidifying.

Could the series of inconsistencies that don’t seem to match at first glance be related to his ability?

After pondering, Lenok took out a small flare from his pocket and lit it.

Phew-oong-

The flare soared above his head, scattering red smoke and lingering in the sky for a long time.

Lenok, who had been staring at it blankly, slowly turned around.

“This should be enough for the watchers of the autonomous territory to notice the anomaly.”

Lenok didn’t have the time or the leeway to delve into the details of the incident.

Informing the watchers about what happened in this city was the best Lenok could do.

“Let’s go find the cure. Where were you planning to get the medicinal herbs?”

“The Water Vortex Soul Escape Grass is such a rare herb that there isn’t a specific place that handles it,” Yufria said, walking behind Lenok.

“However, I know that this city sells the herb, so I was planning to look for pharmacies first.”

“Then we can just search all the pharmacies in the city.”

After that, Lenok and Yufria walked around the city, visiting pharmacies.

They jumped from one pharmacy to another, filled with the smell of medicinal herbs that couldn’t be masked by the stench of blood.

Lenok narrowed his eyes as he stared at the corpses scattered between the doorsteps and shelves.

“The causes of death are quite diverse. Some were cut by swords, others were crushed, and some were caught in spells.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not a massacre committed by one person. Is this the work of the Wargear army led by Baitan…?”

A suspicious part of Baitan’s evaluation is that there is no clear explanation of his combat power.

Is their combat power so unique that even the ranking writers couldn’t grasp the Wargear’s power?

Or is it that what Baitan leads is not an ‘army’ in the first place?

Either way, it was clear that they were dangerous enough to invade the autonomous territory and commit massacres.

“This is the last pharmacy in this city.”

Thud!

Lenok, leaving Yufria who didn’t answer, closed the shelf and turned around.

“If the herb you’re looking for isn’t here either, then there’s no more pharmacies to search.”

“That’s troublesome,” Yufria replied with a blank face.

“If we don’t have the Water Vortex Soul Escape Grass, we won’t be able to suppress the side effects when using life magic for treatment.”

“What happens if you can’t suppress the side effects?”

“Cells will ignore their death cycle and continue to grow abnormally, invading body tissues and organs.”

“…In simple terms?”

“It seems that short-lived species call it cancer in medical terms.”

“…”

If life magic has the ability to interfere with the regenerative ability of cells, it’s not strange that there are such side effects.

I can see why Yufria Aosel is evaluated as having unparalleled killing power.

“If the herb isn’t in any of the pharmacies in this city, we need to think differently.”

Lenok said, turning his gaze.

The sight of a particularly large and splendid fortress stood out even in the small city at the end of the main street.

“If the Water Vortex Soul Escape Grass is treated as a rare commodity or asset, there’s another place to look.”

“You mean if the owner of this city possesses all the Water Vortex Soul Escape Grass as personal assets.”

Yufria, who immediately understood Lenok’s words, nodded.

“Indeed, it was my mistake not to consider the greed and barbaric customs of the short-lived species.”

“It seems that even the long-lived species haven’t transcended worldly desires.”

“If you see one, you can see ten. Just by looking at the behavior of this city, you can guess the usual behavior of the short-lived species.”

“Then, that long-lived species that stole jewelry and artifacts earlier can also represent you.”

Yufria was speechless and closed her mouth.

After walking silently behind Lenok towards the fortress for a while, she spoke.

“I have never stolen anyone else’s belongings.”

“Were you still worried about that?”

“…”

Lenok, ignoring the strangely intensified gaze from behind, opened the gate of the fortress.

Kooong!!

As he opened the heavy iron gate and entered the front yard, he saw a blood-soaked garden.

Blood was pooled in the carefully tended garden, spreading like a thick fog.

Lenok’s expression hardened at the smell of blood that pierced his nose and even his lungs.

“There are no corpses, but it’s full of blood. Something’s strange…”

“I found it. I can smell it.”

Yufria turned her gaze towards the fortress behind the garden.

“It’s in the deepest room inside the fortress.”

“We need to check first before entering.”

Lenok snapped his fingers, creating a flame, and turned to Yufria.

“If Baitan is still nearby, as you said, there’s a high chance that he’s staying in that fortress.”

“…”

“In the worst case, we might encounter Baitan and have to fight. What are you planning to do?”

“I have no intention of passing the effort required to find the herb to you.”

Yufria looked at Lenok with a blank face.

“Now that we’ve come this far, if my power is needed to shorten the short lifespan of the short-lived species, I will step forward myself.”

“…That’s not a very pleasing answer, but that’s why I can trust you more.”

If it’s this long-lived species who isn’t friendly to humans, they wouldn’t hesitate to use magic.

As Lenok chuckled and shook his head, Yufria took the lead without hesitation.

The corridor of the fortress was flowing with a river of blood. The blood flowing down the corridor was coming from the inner room.

Yufria, meeting Lenok’s gaze, nodded with a blank face and raised her magic power.

Kwaaang!!!

A powerful shockwave burst out, shattering the door and revealing the scene inside the room.

Lenok, witnessing a scene beyond imagination in the blood mist, momentarily held his breath.

“This is…”

Thud…!

In the large room, like an audience chamber, dozens of people were sitting in chairs, lined up on the left and right.

They were sitting facing each other, with their arms resting on the armrests of the chairs, not moving at all.

All of them had their heads cut off above their necks, and blood was dripping down.

“…”

A bizarre scene where everyone in the room was sitting still with their heads cut off.

Without any signs of fear or resistance, it was as if they had waited for their scheduled beheading.

Other than the cut surface where their heads were cut off, there were no wounds anywhere on their bodies.

“I don’t sense any signs of life,” Yufria said with a blank face, looking around at the corpses sitting in the chairs.

“All the short-lived species sitting here are definitely dead.”

“…Wasn’t Baitan himself staying in this fortress?”

A mass murderer whose face he hasn’t even seen, and whom he’s only just heard rumors about through the rankings.

But even so, Lenok felt like he had seen this bizarre scene left behind by him somewhere.

Sitting in chairs without any resistance, cleanly cutting off only their heads and taking them away.

Surely, in the old days of Kundara-

“Evan Martinez.”

It was the clear voice of the long-lived species that woke Lenok from his thoughts.

“I found the Water Vortex Soul Escape Grass. It was here.”

At the innermost part of the room where the corpses were lined up on the left and right.

Behind the corpse of an elderly man with his head cut off, sitting on a splendid chair in the very center of the room.

Yufria, kneeling in front of a box that appeared to be a herb storage, lowered her head.

Hwaaaah…!!

The petals of a flower with a clear, lake-like blue color fluttered.

The water droplets hanging on the leaves remained attached without falling from the herb, maintaining their freshness.

“The Water Vortex Soul Escape Grass is a herb that only grows naturally in the whirlpools at the deepest part of the lake,” Yufria said, staring at the five herbs neatly placed in the deepest part of the herb storage.

“It grows by absorbing the properties of water for a long time, and it is also a very rare catalyst that contains both the energy of stillness and movement.”

“…”

“Among the naturally growing herbs, there are not many cases that contain such harmonious energy, so it is difficult to find anywhere on the continent. The rumor that the Philemon Autonomous Territory is a blessed herb cultivation site is not wrong.”

Yufria slowly reached out and carefully collected the herb held by the corpse.

The long-lived species, having placed the gold coins prepared as payment for the herbs in the storage box and put the herbs in a herb pouch, stood up and turned to Lenok.

“If we have this, we can fulfill our role in the parade. Let’s move to the army headquarters.”

“Hmm, I guess it’s a bit late to ask now.”

At that moment, a strange voice was heard next to the long-lived species.

A young man, squatting next to Yufria, was resting his chin on his hand with a languid expression.

“Do you really have to take that now?”

“…”

In an instant, Yufria’s presence turned chillingly cold.

At the same time as she turned her gaze, the entire fortress violently shook.

At the same time as the magic power distorted before his eyes, one wall of the room burst open.

Kwaaaaang!!!!

The roof of the fortress was blown open and shattered, and the debris flowed down all over the corridor.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I startled you.”

The young man, who had rolled out into the corridor, stood up naturally and dusted himself off.

“However, I prefer to preserve the scene as much as possible. I’d like this place to remain as it is until the investigation team arrives.”

“Short-lived species. Do not come closer.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The young man obediently answered Yufria’s chilling words and turned his gaze.

He tilted his head as he faced Lenok, who was standing with his arms crossed amidst the collapsing debris of the fortress.

“Anyway, what I came for was on the other side.”

“You had business with me.”

Lenok smirked and stepped forward.

“Is that all you have to say after hiding without a trace and then suddenly popping out?”

A skilled person who was able to hide from Yufria’s senses, who is sensitive to the signs of life as a life mage.

Moreover, he appeared and spoke to them just as they were about to obtain the herb. Either way, it doesn’t seem to be for a good reason.

“I don’t intend to harm or threaten you, but there’s one thing I need to confirm.”

The young man rubbed his neck and asked with a languid expression.

“Evan Martinez. I have something to say to the hero of the first gate. Can I confirm if you are him first?”

“Confirm?”

Lenok sneered and raised his hand.

“That’s something you should be receiving, not me.”

Whirr!

There was no answer.

The moment a flame flickered from Lenok’s fingertips, the young man twisted his body at an invisible speed.

A huge pillar of fire soared diagonally, evaporating and exploding the entire wall of the fortress.

[Crimson Bloom Cannon]

Kwaaaaaaaa!!!!

Even Yufria, who had been wary of the young man with a cold expression, was momentarily surprised by the tremendous output.

Under the pillar of fire that did not disappear even after the incantation was finished, the two clashed.

Clang!!

Dududududu!!!!

Each time the flames wrapped around his fingertips brushed through the air, a burning fist of fire appeared and struck the young man.

The shockwave of the red-hot flames exploded, pushing away the surroundings and replacing them with heat.

An overwhelming offensive, as if the wave of fire that rose from behind Lenok was projecting physical force.

“The flames, they’re definitely different…!!”

Chaeng!!

The young man, only then slightly hardening his expression, drew the sword he had been wearing on his waist.

A mechanical straight sword, different from ordinary swords, that seemed to be made by combining several complex parts.

Lenok momentarily focused on its unique design, and the young man, gripping the sword, deflected all the flames exploding in front of him.

Tatatatatang!!!!

“…Hoo.”

An incredible speed, to the point where its trajectory and speed were not visible to the naked eye.

But more surprising than that was the swordsmanship itself, which felt so precise that it was almost meticulous.

The swordsmanship itself seemed similar to that of the Kavahim Knights Commander, but the manipulation ability that carried it out was frighteningly detailed.

By dividing the movements to the extreme and distributing them efficiently, he was able to parry the offensive even at such a close distance for a short time.

Clang!!

Lenok, pressing down on the young man’s sword with a flame spear, lowered his head and smiled.

“It seems you have the skills to brag about. Shall we continue?”

[Ignition]

[Flame Arrow]

[Searing Pierce]

[Crimson Bloom]

The moment he moved his thoughts without incantation or hand seals, the heat magic was completed through combinations.

More than 16 types of bombardment magic were fired, drawing different trajectories overlapping each other, and exploding with a time difference.

He stomped on the young man as if beating him, continuously raising red fire clouds.

Puhbuhbuhbuhbuhng!!!

Even in the midst of that, the young man used surprisingly precise swordsmanship, avoiding direct hits and creating distance.

Even though he couldn’t perfectly keep up with Lenok’s offensive, his judgment was accurate and his movements were mechanical.

Evidence that, contrary to his outward appearance, he had a wealth of practical experience and had crossed many battle lines.

Kaaang!!!!

With a clear sword sound, the distance between Lenok and the young man instantly widened to nearly ten meters.

“Hoo…!!”

“…You.”

The young man, breathing roughly and organizing his breathing, and Lenok, standing with a blank face, were juxtaposed.

Lenok, looking at the young man with a thoughtful face, slowly withdrew his magic power.

“Okay. You’re more skilled than I thought.”

“…”

“If you had read the flow of the offense and defense to that point, you would have had a chance to counterattack. Did you not intend to fight properly from the beginning?”

“Cough, it’s not exactly like that… If I had to say, I also wanted to see your skills, so I didn’t answer,” the young man said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve with difficulty and raising his gaze.

“I was going to see if the rumors about the monster of a thousand battles were true… I was presumptuous. I almost died.”

But the moment Lenok tried to use a stronger magic, the young man noticed it like a ghost and forcibly created distance.

In the high-speed exchange of blows, he was able to read Lenok’s judgment to some extent, and even insert his own response in between.

Even though Lenok was overwhelmingly dominant, he was a skilled person with techniques that were so outstanding that he couldn’t help but admire them, and with a weapon of an alien and unique design.

Lenok remembered a group of skilled people with these characteristics.

“You’re from the Executioners.”

“…”

The reason why the fight stopped at this point was not because of anything else in the first place.

“I thought your movements were strangely familiar, so you’re a guy from the Machine City?”

“…I used to work there a long time ago,” the young man said with a wry smile, getting up.

“Not anymore.”

“You weren’t related to the Conqueror’s side.”

Lenok muttered, rubbing his wrist as he turned around.

“If you were the one who destroyed this city, you wouldn’t have spoken to me like that.”

“That crazy mass murderer left this city a while ago,” the young man shrugged.

“That guy has no intention of ruling or governing the cities he conquers. He just tramples and descends on whatever he sees.”

“…”

“More than that, I’m more surprised that many of the stories about you weren’t lies,” the young man muttered, rubbing his waist.

“The rumored flames. Your unbelievable fighting skills… Is it true that you became even stronger after losing to Kyunryun?”

“You weren’t hiding here to confirm the truth of my rumors.”

Lenok turned around with a cold expression and tilted his head.

“So, what do you want to say to me?”

Although he was unilaterally pushed back, he was a skilled person who was able to continue the battle with Lenok head-on.

He was an unidentified superhuman who was tracking the traces of Conqueror Baitan alone, despite having such skills.

Although there wasn’t much time, if he didn’t intend to antagonize Lenok, it would be worth listening to his story at least once.

The young man also seemed to sense Lenok’s reaction, and his expression quickly turned serious.

“I am a member of the ‘Organization,’ a front-line group that is attacking the deepest part of the central front’s demon realm.”

The young man, calmly putting his sword away, straightened his posture and spoke in a polite tone.

“Evan Martinez. Your power is needed for the upcoming attack on the Four Heavenly Demon Realm. Would you please join us?”

“…”

[Organization]. He had heard of the organization referred to by that name before.

One of the organizations of elite superhumans who were attacking the deepest part of the central front’s demon realm.

It was said to be an organization of skilled people who moved independently without belonging to a large force.

But what Lenok was curious about right now was not the details or explanations about the Organization.

“Why is an organization aiming to attack the demon realm chasing Baitan in the Eastern Continent?”

“Since I made the offer to recruit you first, it’s right to give you the information first in return,” the young man said, clearing his throat lightly.

“You’re planning to participate in the parade, right? I think I can help you with that.”

“…Did you come here after seeing the power rankings too?”

The rumors about the Thousand Battles were always famous, but it seemed to have gotten even worse since the power rankings were released.

Now, even superhumans he was seeing for the first time were asking him about his destination as if they knew him.

But what the young man said next was enough to momentarily take away even Lenok’s thoughts.

“We believe that Conqueror Baitan is a being from the Four Heavenly Demon Realm. At the same time, we believe that he will be a key to attacking the demon realm.”

“…”

Conqueror Baitan was not an ordinary living being, but a being from the Four Heavenly Demon Realm.

That meant that there was a high possibility that Baitan was not an ordinary human in the first place.

If that was the case, it would be understandable why there was almost no information about Baitan, but-

“Does the fact that Baitan is a being from the demon realm have anything to do with the army’s parade?”

“Yes.”

The young man nodded.

“Because the place where the nemesis of Dead Rise, Ethan Bajur, was ‘reborn’ is the Four Heavenly Demon Realm.”