Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 17

Is it even possible to handle something like this so carelessly when it’s not even a check?

Jenny replied with a sneer.

“It’s like we’re also enjoying a creation made for the higher-ups to exchange ‘favors’ comfortably.”

“……..”

“Anyway, you’ve been through a lot this time. I heard you almost died to that crocodile geezer?”

Lenok nodded. After drinking the glass of whiskey she handed him, he felt a little better.

“I would have really died if it weren’t for the agent named Evelyn.”

“I didn’t expect Charlotte to reach out to Pandemonium. It seems they really valued that factory.”

Jenny’s explanation of the whole incident was as follows:

Charlotte, who originally planned to hire Triple Eight to protect the factory, immediately paid a large sum to Kraken to kill the intruders as soon as they heard the factory was attacked.

It was such an impulsive and emotional response for a decision made by Charlotte’s top management that even Baritz’s information security team and brokers failed to notice it in advance.

“The down payment alone was 1 billion. The success fee was more than double that. It was worth it for that crocodile to move personally. It was probably an attempt to completely shake off Baritz’s checks, even if it meant dragging in Pandemonium.”

Lenok, who was staring at Jenny as she chuckled, asked, “Though it was a complete failure, what exactly is Pandemonium?”

It had been almost a week since he met Kraken, but his formidable power still remained vivid in Lenok’s memory.

Transcendental physical abilities that were unbelievable even after seeing them with his own eyes, and durability and reaction speed that far exceeded the laws of physics.

Even though they had intelligence, spoke the same language, and walked on two feet, it didn’t feel like they were the same kind of creature.

If Pandemonium was a place where such monsters gathered, it was clear that they were pursuing something far more unusual than just socializing.

“Well… they’re the ones who get treated like nobles even in this world of gangs, brokers, criminals, and murderers. They only send invitations to people they like, so there’s not much information leaking out. The only ones known are those like Kraken, who have well-known pasts or attention seekers who don’t bother to hide themselves.”

“……”

“They occasionally move together for the purpose of raising funds or stealing artifacts, but it’s common sense to avoid a direct confrontation unless you have a powerful backer like a giant corporation like Baritz or the city government.”

Jenny continued, trying to comfort him.

“It’s easier to think of them as a natural disaster. If you get caught up in something like this, it’s bad luck, and if you’re lucky, you’ll survive like you did. That’s how it is here.”

“I see…”

Only then could Lenok understand Dylan’s attitude, which seemed so nonchalant even though he had been pushed to the brink of death.

He had also done his best against Kraken, but he thought that he couldn’t decide the matter of life and death himself.

Looking down at Lenok’s complicated expression, Jenny slowly swirled the alcohol in her glass.

“Don’t overthink it. No one here can properly count the number of organizations or companies intertwined with each other. The important thing is not how far I can see, but to be aware of how far others are looking.”

“That’s a riddle.”

“Or you could just become a monster like that crocodile geezer, strong enough to push through with just your body.”

Even if the profits and losses of companies, and people’s grudges and hatreds are intricately intertwined, everything ultimately comes down to the logic of power.

The enormous amount of money that changes hands in the process is merely a criterion for distinguishing winners and losers.

It felt like he was facing an insurmountable wall right now, but Lenok was not frustrated or despairing.

The magical talent he possessed was limitless, and there was still plenty of room for growth. For Lenok, who had only awakened and used magic properly for less than two months, the possibilities were endless.

It was entirely up to him to decide the direction, but Lenok knew that he was unlikely to make the wrong decision.

Of course, he would need much more money to achieve a higher level and take care of his body, but wasn’t that why he was working like this now?

The important thing was to strike a balance.

He had to make money by taking drugs and ruining his body, and then use that money to take care of his health to prevent himself from reaching the point of no return.

Right now, he was only cooking and eating healthy meals himself, but after making a little more money, Lenok was planning to try various medicinal herbs that would help him recover his body.

After exchanging drinks for a while, Jenny suddenly said as if she had remembered something.

“Oh, right, Van. You asked me about making a fake ID before.”

“….I did.”

“Now that you’ve got the money, why don’t we go now? That broker is quite busy, but if I contact him, you can avoid waiting.”

Lenok chuckled at Jenny’s words, which seemed to urge him on.

“You seem more eager than I am. What’s the scheme?”

“Hmph, scheme?”

Jenny asked back with a frown, scratching her cheek.

“To be honest, it’s not easy for us either since you don’t have a proper ID. It’s a hassle to prepare cash every time you come, and it’s not like we can contact you properly. Unless you plan to use burner phones and bank accounts, why don’t you get an ID and acquire the essential virtues of a member of society?”

“…..That’s not wrong.”

Certainly, he couldn’t keep piling up cash in the corner of a hotel room forever. For Lenok, who needed to make more money in the future, creating an account was not an option but a necessity.

Moreover, until now, he didn’t feel the need to contact anyone because he didn’t know many people, but if Jenny had to contact him for similar reasons, the situation would be different.

Lenok readily agreed to her words and got up from his seat.

“Let’s leave now. Where do I need to go?”

“District 47. It’s not that far.”

Jenny said that and gave him the address, and Lenok immediately left the bar to find the engineer.

“You must be the guy Jenny was talking about.”

A narrow, dark room even in the middle of the day. Only the lights of the monitors with dozens of computers illuminated the room.

A fat middle-aged man, puffing on a strong cigarette, looked up at Lenok and said.

“I guess you’ve heard the story?”

The man said that and reached out his hand to Lenok.

Without a word, Lenok immediately took out twenty bills from his pocket and handed them to the man.

The man took the money and paused, then gave a strange smile.

“1 million cell bills… you’ve brought quite a rare item.”

“What?”

“It’s an item that’s worshiped like a god by cash-believing perverts. It’s money that was originally made only for high-ranking officials, so it’s not a currency that you can easily handle at commercial banks.”

“……..”

Jenny was acting like she was doing me a favor, but there was such a meaning hidden in it. It seemed like she was also trying to win Lenok’s favor.

It wasn’t surprising. Lenok could easily guess that a talented magician would be treated well.

The man looked at Lenok and smiled grimly, then turned his head towards the monitor.

“Just wait a bit… I need to bypass the Balkan’s resident registration network. It’ll take about 10 minutes.”

“Are you rewriting the network information entirely?”

“No. Just the most basic personal information. Name, age, photo, and address. And it’s not about changing the actual data, but just changing the signal that’s output externally. It’s literally forging an ID. It’ll work as a normal ID, but the security is garbage. If someone is determined to check the network, they’ll find out right away.”

“It doesn’t sound safe.”

“It’s not impossible to do a more perfect job. There’s also a way to bribe the engineer who manages the resident registration network and modify the information directly. The price is about 400 million cells.”

“……”

Lenok silently closed his mouth at the astronomical amount.

It was painful to pay 20 million cells, and there was no way to get tens of times that amount.

Meanwhile, the man, who had tapped on the keyboard a few times, continued.

“I’ve accessed the network. I’ll reactivate the ID of a missing person whose term has expired, and then change the external output value, and that’s it. The address and age can be made up, and the photo can be taken here. Do you have a name you want?”

A name… Lenok thought for a moment and said.

“Van… Evan. The last name doesn’t matter. And for the face… use this face.”

Lenok said that and used magic to change his face once more.

He was planning to create another external ID in case he had to abandon the identity of Van.

The man’s lips twitched slightly at the sight of him changing his face with a single gesture.

“…You’re a magician? Well, you don’t have to use your real face when making a fake ID.”

The man took a picture of Lenok with a disposable camera and immediately extracted the data and tapped on the keyboard.

“Done. You are now Evan Bailon, residing in District 49. If you want to get a separate ID card, you can easily solve it by giving about 500,000 cells to the district office worker in charge of District 49.”

“Thank you.”

“Come back with a different face next time.”

Lenok chuckled at the man’s pointless joke and got up from his seat.

The man understood that the customers who made fake IDs were not very wholesome people.

Lenok went straight to the district office in District 49.

Since it was a district near the 50s, which was half-abandoned even in Balkan, the district office that managed the district was also shabby, and the employees who belonged to it were all indifferent.

As the man said, when he gave a suitable amount of money to the employee who issued the ID card, he was able to receive a brand new ID card in less than an hour.

“……..”

Lenok, who came out of the district office, looked down at the ID card, which was not yet dry, for a long time.

A fake name and a fake face. Nothing about his place of residence or age was real, but

Here was the proof that he had taken root in this world for the first time.

He was just drifting around like a tumbleweed, but still, Lenok was alive here.

Today, he felt like he had been recognized for it.

#

As soon as he made a new ID card, he opened an account at a bank near District 30.

The commercial bank, which was eager to receive customers, immediately created an account for Lenok after confirming his identity, as he said he would deposit 20 million cells right away.

Lenok, who also received a cash card to use the money in his account, immediately put 10 million cells, which he had piled up in his hotel room, into his account, and then bought a suitable item at a private mobile phone store and activated it.

When he contacted Jenny through the number he had received in advance, she answered immediately.

[Even though you only work when you want to, you’re the first person in this city to activate a cell phone in a month.]

“I don’t know. What about the vagrants living in District 50?”

[Can you even call them people?]

Lenok shook his head at Jenny’s cruel words.

The cold reason of a magician had already acknowledged that those words were as good as the truth.

Jenny gave Lenok various pieces of advice, who had just activated his phone and account.

[You may be a magician who has only trained in some remote area, but when you work here, it’s good to have a similar source of income in the public eye. If money keeps coming into your account without you doing anything, it can raise unnecessary suspicion.]

“Are you saying I should do a simple part-time job?”

[Anyway, you’ve officially opened an account at a commercial bank, right? It’s a low probability, but you could get caught up in an unnecessary tax audit. If you keep working with me, the amount of money you handle will increase, so it’s good to be careful in advance.]

“Hmm…”

Lenok had not yet decided whether he would continue to work with Jenny, but he pretended to listen to her words obediently.

He had learned from experience that it was not bad to have her arrange work for him until he knew more about the ways of the city.

She had at least maintained an attitude of consideration for Lenok on the surface, and that was of considerable help to Lenok, who still didn’t know much about this world.

However, he should cooperate but not give complete trust.

The fact that her attitude was changing to be more and more friendly than at the beginning meant that she had expectations for Lenok.

‘She must have heard from Dylan that I used ice magic, but she hasn’t said anything yet.’

Even though she knew Lenok was an electric-type magician, she didn’t ask or mention anything about him using ice-type magic.

[Anyway, the rumor that a magician is looking for work will have spread widely in this area because of this incident, so you might get a designated request in the future.]

“I see.”

[It might be more suitable for your aptitude and the pay might be much higher. Look forward to it.]

“……”

Lenok quietly looked down at the phone that had hung up.

Was she planning to hide her true intentions and betray him, or was she planning to hide his secret and continue to cooperate?

It was impossible to know unless they revealed their cards until the end, but he had no intention of just waiting.

A crooked smile was on his face as he grabbed the phone and headed back to the hotel.

#

Click—

“How was it?”

Jorden asked as soon as Jenny put down the phone.

She shook her head as if it was impossible.

“There was no sign of anything even when I talked to him face to face.”

“Hmm…”

Jenny asked back, looking at Jorden, who was lost in thought with his arms crossed.

“Do you think Dylan didn’t see it?”

“That’s unlikely. Most magicians are the type to cling to even the smallest possibilities. You could say they have a lot of unnecessary worries. But he knew his disguise was exposed and didn’t say anything… I thought he would throw something out to fix his mistake.”

As Lenok had expected, the two had heard the whole story from Dylan and realized that he was not just a simple electric-type magician.

Even if they overlooked binding magic like [Gravity Bind] because it was difficult to distinguish its attributes, it was impossible not to recognize the attributes of magic like [Frost Horn] that he used to stop Kraken.

They knew that Lenok used at least two or more attributes, but the two were not greatly surprised by that fact alone.

The world of magic was deep and wide. Even if it wasn’t a simple attribute-specialized magic system, there could be magic systems that dealt with two or more attributes if you looked for them.

The important thing was the intention of such an outstanding and quick-witted person to hide his own magic.

And whether he still had the will to work with them.

“Ha, I definitely want to keep him.”