Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 160

“Hoo….”

The gruesome greatsword, held in his dark red hand, suited him remarkably well. The greatsword that had been spitting blood from Irina’s grasp was, for some reason, stoically silent in Dylan’s hand.

“Ugh… When you guys get back, you absolutely have to give me an incentive.”

Mila grumbled, clutching her throbbing head, likely from overusing her psychic powers. Lenok chuckled and leaned back against the collapsed wall of the mansion, sliding down to sit.

A small dispute at the auction house had lit the fuse, and Lenok had managed to extinguish the flames before they grew too large. He could roughly guess what the Arashak exploration team’s circumstances were. It wasn’t difficult to piece together the clues from Irina’s casual mutterings.

Guido [a mysterious cult]. The name of a mysterious cult that appeared in the WORLD 2.0 worldview. She was probably a member of the Guido cult, tasked with recovering relics related to the cult and handing them over. In the process, she would periodically replace the exploration team due to the casualties. The greatsword she possessed was likely an item that directly aided her work and belonged to the Guido cult. And Dylan had faced it here and succeeded in taking it from Irina. There must be a hidden reason why the demonic sword, which had constantly thirsted for blood when held by her, a member of the cult, was now silent in Dylan’s hand….

Lenok didn’t bother to delve into the details with Dylan. They were mercenaries and freelancers. If they needed help, they could simply offer a reward and request assistance, just as Lenok had done today. What Lenok needed to do now was not to think about the Guido cult. Now that the conflict with the exploration team was resolved. Finally, Lenok’s gaze was turning beyond the throbbing obstruction.

“Shall I go get an answer from Jenny?”

The drug kingpin. The Juice Master. The drug trade. A massive business with astronomical sums of money changing hands. The time was approaching to raid the vault of the top tycoon who controlled 40% of the corrupt desires across the continent.

Settling Up

“It’s over.”

Jenny nodded, taking her eyes off the laptop. On the screen, the lightning that had been flashing incessantly had subsided, and the scene of the ruined villa was visible. She had started observing from a considerable distance, so she hadn’t seen what kind of magic Lenok had used inside, but Jenny had a rough idea of how incredible his actions were. She had been working with Ban, a mage, for quite some time and had been trying to develop her own understanding of magic. She knew that simply fetching things that were thrown her way wouldn’t maintain a good relationship for long. There were things that could only be done by subtly controlling the work environment and preferred working hours of the freelancers, and by having a basic understanding of how the freelancers handled their work.

“Isn’t he amazing?”

Jenny spoke to the person sitting across from her, thinking that.

“………”

Ignoring the lack of response, she continued. “Even after unleashing such massive firepower in one go, the shape of the mansion is almost the same as before.” It wasn’t very noticeable, but it was something that was impossible without almost perfect control over the power one wielded. Just like how a sword doesn’t get a single drop of blood on it, Lenok’s way of handling things was always like this.

“Ban doesn’t say anything about his magical abilities, but everyone knows that his talent is not ordinary. It’s not just the qualities of a simple mage, but rather, he’s more like a gambler.” Even if you don’t say it, everyone can see the awl sticking out of your pocket [a Korean idiom meaning that obvious things are easily noticed]. A cold attitude that doesn’t evaluate himself. However, his unique overwhelming ability and perfect work ethic made even that cold pride seem like solid trust. The achievements he had made in just one year of freelancing were something that even she, who had been a broker for a long time, had never seen before.

“I know. Ban has no intention of being satisfied with this life. It’s logically absurd. In the first place, it’s absurd that someone of his caliber appeared in the back alleys overnight. He has his own circumstances, and this life is just a means to an end for him.”

“…..So?”

The person facing Jenny opened his mouth. “What are you trying to say, Jenny? Surely you didn’t call me here just to brag about your partner, did you?”

“Of course not. What I want to say is… the landscape of this street might change soon.”

“………”

At those words, the man leaned deeply towards her for the first time.

“That’s a bit unexpected.”

“………”

“I thought you hated saying things like that. Has that man impressed you that much?” It was hard to say that the presence of just one person would cause waves in the shadows of the Balkan power structure. Especially for someone who knew the darkness buried in this street in detail. A place where power and desire overflowed so much that even the head of the agents, Hyun-Gung Ivelin Marcia, couldn’t touch it. She knew that freelancers were only dipping their toes in the water, but despite that, Jenny was so confident in the mage named Ban that she was saying these things to him.

Jenny nodded readily. “That’s right. So, I’m asking for your help.”

“Help, huh….”

“You never know what might happen, but I’m even thinking of completely reorganizing my business around Ban. And in that process, I’m looking for capable investors and partners who can cooperate.”

“Jenny.”

“At the current rate, Ban will quickly move beyond the realm of a freelancer. He’s already made enemies with Dyke Corporation and the agents, so it’s only a matter of time before he clashes with the guys who control the outer districts of the megacities. We need to be prepared before that happens.”

“………”

He remained silent at Jenny’s resolute words. He knew both Kaise and Jenny, and he had been watching her since she started her brokerage business. He also knew that she had something she wanted to achieve by cooperating with Ban. He also knew that at one time, that expectation had been directed towards him. The man chuckled.

“I should have met him when Dylan mentioned him… I’ve been too lazy.”

He stood up and lightly placed the glass he was holding down. “It’s hard for me to give you an answer right away. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

Jenny replied. She was satisfied that she hadn’t received a negative answer at least in this place. His influence in this street was not something that could be easily approached. Even if it wasn’t active cooperation, if she could at least get his tacit consent for what she was doing…

Whether he knew Jenny’s thoughts or not, the man smiled and waved his hand before leaving the bar. “See you again. It was nice seeing you after a long time.”

“Yeah, come visit often—”

He was kind and always had a smiling face, but not many people could read the other side of that smile. There were many who said that he was a person who had the power to prove himself but was crouching and waiting for his time. But those evaluations were meaningless because he had not moved for a long time. Could what she was doing now light the fuse for him? It was something she wouldn’t know without trying.

“Antares.”

The leader of the Antares mercenary group. A war mercenary who had wandered the continent and risen to the top of the Balkan mercenary industry with just his two fists. An overwhelming powerhouse whose simple strength could be compared to the monsters of the city government. A shadowy figure who made the industry stir just by moving. He was a unique figure who received both support and criticism due to his ambiguous actions, but he was at least the person Jenny had the highest chance of making an ally. Only after the heavy aura that had been pressing down on the room disappeared did Jenny slump down at the bar.

“Are you okay?”

At Jorden’s question, who was standing next to her, Jenny listlessly bit on a cigarette. “…I’ve done everything I can. He’s the type who won’t move unless he judges for himself, no matter what you say. He’ll figure it out on his own.”

“He’s a man who didn’t react at all even when Kaise died. It’s impossible to fathom the depth of his mind. If you’re not careful, you might get eaten up.”

“Trust my eyes.”

She replied. In the hazy smoke, only Jenny’s eyes shone clearly. “What I saw in the mage named Ban, that man will surely see the same thing.”

#

Lenok’s group recovered from the completely destroyed mansion and sorted out their gains. Many of the artifacts the exploration team had were destroyed by the backflow Lenok had caused, but surprisingly, there were some useful items. Some high-quality items had survived the explosion caused by the overload. The Nix insignia used to confuse the life signs and presence from Irina Pespield’s corpse. A dagger with a twisted blade and a baton with a gold tassel at the end. Only after removing the small sole attached to her shoes and the ornament hanging on her shoulder did Mila click her tongue.

“What a moving treasure trove, how could she have been wearing so much stuff?” The fact that they hadn’t been destroyed by the backflow was proof that they were high-grade artifacts, and it was only natural that she would say that since she was wearing a bunch of items that other exploration team members would have a hard time possessing. The heavy rocket hammer held by the fat man, the glass sword held by the skinny woman, and about three rings that remained intact from the other exploration team members were the loot.

“Considering that the greatsword was the only artifact she took out during the battle, most of them must be artifacts that provide additional effects when worn,” Dylan said, looking down at the scene. He seemed to have gotten used to the thick greatsword, and he was leaning on it, skillfully planting the blade in the ground. “It’s a smart choice, and in a way, you could say she knew her place. She knew that she couldn’t afford to take out other weapons during close combat.”

Dylan’s face looked somewhat bitter as he said that. No matter what, he didn’t seem to feel good about killing a fellow member of the Guido cult.

“Okay! All done!”

“Good work.”

When Lenok, who was leaning against the wall, said that, Mila ran up to him and said. “Hey, I did pretty well this time, didn’t I? You’ll give me an incentive, right…?”

“………”

It was obvious what she was hoping for. Was there something she coveted among the artifacts from Irina Pespield’s belongings? Lenok pretended to think for a moment and then nodded slightly. It would be fun to see Mila’s reaction if he refused, but there was no reason to be greedy since he had obtained quite a few artifacts from this incident. It would be a great help in the future to give her one of the items she wanted, just like Dylan. Not only her psychic powers, but also her unique, witty combat sense was more helpful than he thought. The boldness of rushing into the range of a swordsman with a shotgun, a mid-to-close-range firepower weapon, was a great weapon in Lenok’s eyes. Ultimately, it was also thanks to Mila’s distraction that Dylan was able to win against Irina by a hair’s breadth. The fact that Irina Pespield, who had buffed herself with all sorts of self-support spells, including the compassion of the archangel, had collapsed so easily was also thanks to Mila’s unexpected fighting style. Of course, he didn’t like that she was still only using the shotgun and hiding the specific abilities of her psychic powers… but that was her decision, so he had no choice but to respect it.

As soon as she received Lenok’s permission, Mila’s face brightened, and she ran over and hurriedly picked up a brooch. “T-this!! This is all I need!”

“It seems to be an artifact that makes your feet lighter. Hmm, isn’t it too good of an item for Ban to give to someone like you…”

“Shut up, you bastard!!”

The two mercenaries, who had worked together without saying a word to fight Irina, were now back to bickering and cursing at each other. In a way, these two were the ones who best fit the image of mercenaries that Lenok had in mind. It was easy to say that they strictly separated public and private matters, but how many people could actually keep that in a life-or-death battle? The fact that they could separate the realms of instinct and reason was already enough to prove that they were skilled.

While looking at Mila, who was approaching Lenok again and rubbing her palms together, Davi, who had appeared in his ear, said to Lenok. [Your bowing posture is excellent. Master, I like this human.]

“………”

They were all crazy. Lenok had to keep his wits about him in this chaos. The three people and one spirit took the artifacts they had obtained and went outside. It would have been good to act a little faster, but it wasn’t a bad thing to wait for Lenok’s magic power to recover.