Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 155

“Seeing you like this, it really hits me that you haven’t been in this game for that long.”

“………”

“Well, don’t overthink it. Do you really think Jenny is relying solely on the unwritten rules among brokers? There are fewer people who would actually follow such a flimsy rule. She’s probably got dozens of concrete measures for self-protection.”

It was true that she had been a broker even before Lenok came to this city, so he didn’t think she would be so careless in that regard, but it was another matter if she actually suffered a loss because of it.

Since they were business partners tied together thoroughly, he had to be careful about incurring debts in this area.

“So, in any case, you’re saying we have to deal with Irina Pespield… This is kind of interesting.”

Dylan stroked his chin with his thick, gloved hand.

“I’ve heard her name too. She’s rumored to be the most accomplished and successful among the exploration teams active recently…”

“………”

“Exploration team… Hmm…”

Dylan was lost in thought for an unusually long time.

Considering his usual impulsive behavior, as if he spoke without thinking, it was quite an unexpected reaction.

It was quite different from Lenok’s expectation that he would get a quick answer, whether it was acceptance or rejection.

But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t give Dylan time to think, so Lenok drank his canned coffee and waited silently for his decision.

He had been cutting back on smoking recently, and instead, he was soothing his mouth with various quit-smoking products and health foods, and coffee wasn’t bad either.

After a short time, Dylan opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Sorry. Actually, I had something I had already committed to. It took me a while to make a decision.”

“No, if you have a prior engagement, you don’t have to be fixated on my request.”

Dylan was just the first person he thought of who would be useful, but it didn’t necessarily have to be him.

If he was just looking for a useful vanguard, he could find someone within the Antares mercenary group without much trouble.

Wasn’t there someone among those who were whispering about him earlier who wanted to work with Lenok?

But Dylan shook his head firmly.

“But if you promise me just one thing, I’d like to cancel my schedule and cooperate with your work.”

“There’s no reason for you to go that far.”

Even at Lenok’s lukewarm reply, Dylan continued.

“The Arashak exploration team is famous for exploring many ruins and collecting a lot of loot, but the amount of goods they’ve released on the market is relatively small compared to other exploration teams. So, there’s a lot of talk that those guys have a considerable amount of treasure stashed away.”

“Is that so?”

“I don’t need anything else. Just let me pick one thing first from the treasures they have after everything is over.”

Dylan’s demeanor as he said that seemed more serious than ever.

“There’s something I’m looking for. I want to participate in this job for that possibility… Instead, I won’t take any money.”

“………”

Instead of replying immediately, Lenok crossed his arms silently.

“I’d like to hear what you’re looking for first.”

If what Dylan wanted was the Archangel’s Compassion, unfortunately, it would be difficult to grant that request.

Due to the commotion at Lavatenon University, Lenok had already confirmed the potential of the rainbow-colored gem he had obtained.

A teleportation technique that doesn’t use magic.

For Lenok, it was the only clue that could solve his frustrating lack of mobility.

Through various experiments, he had confirmed that it was only possible with inanimate objects, but if it was combined with the wand that Irina had, he didn’t know what the result would be.

To confirm that fact, Lenok had to obtain the Archangel’s Compassion in its complete form.

After a moment of thought, Dylan replied.

“…I’m looking for something from the ‘Guido’ [Ghost Path] lineage. It probably won’t be hard to recognize.”

“Guido, huh…”

To put it simply, the laws of ghosts.

It might sound like a somewhat unfamiliar word, but surprisingly, Lenok was also familiar with the term.

The worldview of WORLD 2.0.

It was the name of an unidentified cult that was one of the job lineages in the game world where he had enjoyed playing as a magic marksman.

It was hard to think that hearing that word again now was a coincidence.

Perhaps it was right to think that Dylan’s secret, or the fundamental reason why he worked in this city, was related to that cult.

If he was asking for that as a reward for cooperating in the operation, and only if it was successful, it meant that Dylan was that desperate to find something related to it.

This straightforwardness, without hiding his inner thoughts, was one of the aspects that made Lenok trust him a little more than others.

“Okay.”

He nodded.

“Then, we just need to find one more vanguard from this mercenary group.”

It wasn’t for nothing that Lenok was trying to find two useful vanguards to join the operation.

He was trying his best to find information about the Arashak exploration team, but the information that was still public was less than other forces in Balkan, and it was practically non-existent compared to their fame.

To quickly crush a relatively unknown enemy, Lenok also had to prepare for all situations.

Apart from being able to handle all situations alone, the need for a companion who could allow him to focus all his abilities as a mage in case of an emergency was considerable.

“Oh, then can I recommend someone?”

Dylan said with a grin.

“There’s a guy who’s not working and just hanging around.”

“If their skills are solid, there’s no need to say more.”

“Of course. You know him too.”

“…I know him?”

At the same time as Lenok frowned, he could feel Dylan grinning.

#

Sebastian had no trouble deciphering the numbers Lenok had given him.

Dealing with this kind of code was a basic skill for brokers.

Although the broker himself doesn’t directly decode the code, it’s only natural to know a technician related to decoding.

[When you handle confidential documents often, you become familiar with dealing with numbers mixed with various characters. In that sense, it wasn’t that difficult.]

Lenok nodded as he listened to Sebastian’s calm voice over the phone.

[Rather, it wasn’t that difficult because I heard that the data, which was made up of only numbers without any other characters, was related to location information. I was able to figure it out by fixing a point in the sky as an absolute coordinate and reverse-tracking the location where the telepathic communication was used.]

It was a simple yet difficult explanation, but Lenok easily understood what he was saying.

It meant that the technique of transmitting voices using the Archangel’s Compassion was working through a specific intermediary point.

It wasn’t a difficult thing for Lenok, who had once analyzed the structure of the ability and extracted meaningful values.

[If you use the planet’s orbital trajectory and longitude coordinates at the time you obtained the information through reverse tracking, it’s not difficult to find out where the information was being sent from at that moment.]

“So, the information that came out is that mansion, right?”

Lenok said that and glanced around.

A lush forest located on the border between districts 22 and 24.

It was said to be an undeveloped area in the city left to preserve the environment, but no one believed that at face value.

Several villas were subtly hidden on the outskirts of the forest, cleverly concealed by thick trees.

It must be a place made for wealthy people or politicians with a lot of money to use.

In addition, the fact that the exploration team was using such a place made it possible to guess the extent of the support they were receiving.

Meanwhile, someone who had been squatting next to Lenok muttered.

A unique outfit with no exposed skin, and a mask that completely covered his face.

A mercenary with a bizarre appearance that wouldn’t be strange to mistake for a street robber if you met him on the street. It was Dylan.

“It’s a much better mansion than I saw in the pictures.”

“According to Sebastian, it’s a mansion that a wealthy person who bought the site for a new hospital renovated. It’s probably a special villa made only for someone’s convalescence… It’s obvious who that person is.”

“That’s a very interesting story.”

Dylan, who had taken his eyes off the binoculars he was holding, said in a cheerful tone.

“To think that a celebrity like Irina Pespield is actually a cold-blooded person who doesn’t even bat an eye when her colleagues die… It feels like peeking into a superstar’s private life.”

“I’m very curious too.”

Mila, who was sitting next to him and busy tuning her shotgun, said.

Every time she changed the magazine and pulled the hammer, dust flew and soiled her clear navy blue hair.

“From what I’ve heard, they’re not an exploration team, but treasure hunters who sweep up treasures. We’ll split the other treasures except for the Archangel’s Compassion equally among the three of us, right?”

At Mila’s loose words, Dylan shook his head with a pathetic gesture.

“You stupid bastard, if you worry about that kind of thing, you’ll get a bullet in the back of your head. If you want to die, go find treasure by yourself.”

“Oh, my, what’s so great about a guy who’s always digging up antiques?”

“Are you saying we should have a go right here and now?”

Lenok sighed as he watched the two of them glaring at each other with fierce eyes at the same time.

“These idiots, really…”

Watching the two of them constantly fighting, it was hard to believe that Dylan had recommended Mila.

Besides, they weren’t fighting about anything serious, and they were always bickering and picking at each other’s words like this.

Both of them were mercenaries who were good at what they did, so there was no doubt about their skills, but it felt like he was working with two kids who were always grumbling.

“Focus. I’ll organize what we need to do before we go in.”

“………”

Still, it was fortunate that both of them listened to him when he spoke, perhaps because they had worked with Lenok before.

This was what he had expected when he asked for Mila’s cooperation, so it was only natural.

This was also possible because he had proven his skills several times before.

Watching the two people who had quietly shut their mouths and gathered around Lenok, he immediately poured magic into the ground.

Whirr…!

The blue magic moved along the bushes and instantly began to draw the shape of the mansion.

The two mercenaries’ expressions also changed to serious ones at the precise projection of magic, as if creating a hologram directly.

They knew that Lenok had completely grasped the structure of the mansion in that short time and was projecting it as it was.

“Oh, my…”

“Your manipulation ability is monstrous no matter how many times I see it. Is it even possible to do this without the help of equipment?”

It was even more so because they knew how difficult it was to gather magic to form light, create lines with that light, and maintain those lines to make it look like a hologram.

The deeper they knew about the magic flowing through their bodies, the more they admired the skill in Lenok’s hands.

Lenok, unconcerned with the reactions of the two, stretched out his finger.

“There are three things we need to do.”

Clash (2)

“There are three things we need to do.”

Whirr!

Along with the words, the hologram of the mansion split in two, revealing the internal structure as it was.

It was as cute as looking at a dollhouse.

Lenok, ignoring the two mercenaries who were amazed at seeing that even the furniture inside was all implemented, said.

“First, block all communication to the outside. I’ll take care of this myself, so you two don’t have to worry about it.”

“And?”

“Second, identify Irina Pespield and secure her as a top priority. You know what that means, right?”

From the moment they entered the villa, it was like a countdown had begun.

In fact, it was Lenok who was making the first move, so variables would occur in the operation from the moment the opponent started to respond.

It was important to hit the enemy’s head as quickly as possible before the plan went awry.

“Lastly, if there are any sponsors like Vincent Mayblack among the exploration team, subdue them as much as possible without causing any injuries.”

They had to end it by just killing the exploration team.

Unlike the exploration team that didn’t have enemies in Balkan, those who sponsored them were clearly people who had taken root in Balkan and were doing business or forming organizations.

The moment they started to touch those people, it would be impossible to cleanly get out of this job.

As for Lenok now, he had to refrain from increasing the work he had to do.

“I’ll share the list of sponsors I received from Sebastian, so memorize it from now on, and make sure you don’t cause any major injuries.”

Lenok said as he sent the photo file to his phone.

“If the job ends as quickly as it can, the sponsors will probably decide to give up on the exploration team. From our side, there’s no reason to take on unnecessary risks.”

“I see. I understand.”

“They’re all just a bunch of weak-looking guys. I’ll be able to recognize them as soon as I get inside the villa.”

The two of them memorized the faces in an instant and put down their phones.

Even though they looked endlessly relaxed, they were clearly top-tier mercenaries who had survived in this street for many years.

The speed at which their minds worked, the training they had built up in their bodies, and even their magical talents were not comparable to ordinary freelancers.

The Antares Mercenary Office was one of the most systematically completed combat groups in this industry, where amateurs and professionals were mixed up.

The two of them, sensing that there wasn’t much time left until the start of the operation, quickly began to check their weapons and warm up.

Clank, clank!

They checked the firearms they had brought in advance, and sharpened their armor and blades to check their performance.