Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 21

It was Kidel.

“It’s over.”

With those words, the other members of the 1st squad revealed themselves one by one.

“It seems like we weren’t much help?”

“No. They were distracted by the sound of the 3rd squad coming up, so they easily gave us an opening. They were shaken after realizing the first floor had been taken.”

Kidel said calmly as she re-equipped her rifle. Her movements were precise and swift.

Her own magical power wasn’t that great, but her hands handling the rifle seemed very precise and swift.

After changing the magazine and finishing the reload, Kidel urged Dray, “Let’s go up quickly. The 2nd squad will be holding out on the rooftop.”

As she said, the mercenary group immediately entered the 3rd floor and swept away the remaining scavengers at once.

A considerable number of troops had already been mobilized to deal with the mercenaries who had infiltrated the 1st and 2nd floors. Conversely, the mercenaries, who had been scattered while attacking the 1st and 2nd floors at once, had gathered, and their power had increased significantly.

The fact that the mage, who should have been helping to defend the 3rd floor, was subdued by Lenok was also a huge loss for the scavengers.

With the 3rd squad in front and the 1st squad providing fire support from behind, the scavengers, who had no other means of resistance other than firearms, were helplessly swept away.

Ike muttered before the stairs leading to the rooftop.

“Things are going smoother than I thought.”

“At this rate, we can finish faster than planned.”

The time to eliminate the scavengers was much faster than originally planned. At this rate, it seemed possible to finish everything before the scavengers’ additional support troops arrived.

“Shouldn’t we get more money from those consulting guys?”

“It’s not over yet. We have to finish backing up the data for that company and drive out all the guys living in this sewer.”

“Well, at this rate, it seems like it’ll be over before tonight.”

Even while talking, the mercenaries subtly glanced at Lenok, who was silently following behind.

They knew that if it hadn’t been for the electric magic Lenok had unleashed just before entering the building, things wouldn’t have been this easy.

At that time, there were at least twenty scavengers trying to return fire at the mercenaries.

By using the right magic at the right moment, Lenok alone had subdued nearly 10% of the scavenger forces.

It was only natural that the mercenaries, having seen the power of a proper mage, would feel favorable towards Lenok.

So much so that even Kidel, who had initially snapped at Lenok for smoking, was now subtly talking to Dray.

“Boss, shouldn’t we recruit that guy as our exclusive mage?”

“…We don’t have the money.”

“Instead of wasting money on picking up two useless chicks, we should invest in that guy. He looks like he can do the work of four people by himself.”

“…”

“If we work with a mage like that, work will be much easier, we’ll make more money, and our office will become famous quickly…”

“Others will probably have similar thoughts.”

Kidel pouted, but couldn’t say anything in response.

Even she thought that Lenok’s magical abilities were on a unique level compared to other mages they had encountered, and although he had some strange quirks, his personality was very calm.

He had a personality that was easy to work with, yet his abilities were overwhelming, so it was no wonder that he would be getting offers from all over the place, and that there would be a line of people wanting him.

“Jenny personally picked and recommended that mage. If the manpower agency is sending him directly, it’s probably not going to be affordable with just any amount of money.”

There was nothing more foolish than coveting a gem you couldn’t have.

Lenok, on the other hand, was seriously contemplating having another smoke since he had already lit one.

Of course, you never know what might happen, but for now, it was best not to have any lingering feelings.

Dray thought so as he wiped the blood off his sword and picked up the communicator.

It was to contact the 2nd squad, who would be holding out on the rooftop, so they could head straight up there.

“Wayan, can you hear me? You’ve probably already checked through the communicator, but we’ve taken the 3rd floor and subdued all the remaining troops. We’re thinking of going up to the 4th floor now, can you respond?”

Dray spoke in a light tone, but his face hardened at the voice that came from the communicator.

[…..Boss?]

Wayan’s voice was faint, as if it would cut off at any moment.

It was clear that something had happened, as he couldn’t even properly understand what Dray was saying.

Seeing his expression, the mercenaries stopped chatting and immediately picked up their equipment and started running towards the rooftop.

Something was wrong.

Retired Soldier

With a low but fast pace, he quickly climbed the stairs.

Thump thump thump…!!

Lenok also took out his pistol from his pocket, applied auxiliary magic, and followed behind.

As they reached the rooftop, the messy office disappeared, and an open view was revealed.

A large generator located in a corner of the spacious area, a towering transmission tower, and countless wires connected to it.

And the bright red bloodstains flowing on the floor.

“Wayan!!”

Dray shouted as he ran towards Wayan, who was lying on the ground covered in blood.

The other mercenaries of the 2nd squad were not in much better condition.

They were all in a state close to being incapacitated, barely clinging to life. They were severely injured, and could only barely turn their eyes to welcome the arrival of their allies.

“Hoo… Boss. Sorry…”

As Wayan struggled to open his eyes and muttered, Dray quickly took out medicine from his waist and poured it on Wayan’s wounds.

A recovery potion imbued with bio-regeneration magic. It was a very expensive item, but it was not more precious than a person’s life.

The other mercenaries were also holding onto their fallen comrades and taking similar measures.

Once Wayan’s breathing had calmed down to some extent, Dray quickly raised his head and looked around.

It was as if someone had deliberately not delivered the final blow, with precise skill. It was something that would be impossible unless it was a thoroughly trained expert.

If a force with this level of skill had appeared within the scavengers, there would be no reason to make them like this and run away.

They would surely be watching the situation without leaving.

The other mercenaries seemed to think the same, and they all sharpened their senses and were on guard in all directions.

The scene of the rooftop, where only a cold wind was blowing.

In that empty landscape where no enemy could be seen, only the sound of blades slashing through the air continued.

Where are you?

The senses of magic power that a dozen mercenaries were spreading in all directions overlapped at the same time, and a low breathing sound began to be heard.

As if by agreement, everyone simultaneously turned the equipment in their hands.

As Dray rose from his spot, the wires hanging from the generator shook, and a man sitting between them revealed himself.

“I thought there might be guests…”

With graying hair, a thick beard, a face full of scars, and a cold gaze.

An elderly man exuding an intense murderous aura that seemed to overwhelm anyone just by facing him was swinging a knife in his hand.

“I didn’t know the situation would be this bad.”

“…It was you.”

Dray’s expression twisted greatly as he saw the knife soaked in blood.

“You bastard… Did you make my squad like this and just watch them die?”

The man laughed sharply at that face. A dry voice.

“Hey, do you know how much money was invested in this operation?”

“What?”

“It’s something that three branches gathered together and scraped together resources to prepare. We managed to get this far by occupying a server with access to the network that manages the taxes of District 53, and bribing dozens of people involved.”

The man’s words were slow and vague, but Dray immediately understood what he was saying.

“…You’re insane. Are you thinking of siphoning off the reserve funds managed by the Vulcan City government?”

“There’s no need to go as far as the city government. The money managed by the district office, which is no more than a puppet, is over billions of cells [currency]. If you occupy a proper power facility and make the power of the entire District 53 unstable, the network security will also become relatively lax. Is it a bad thing to slip through the cracks created by a corrupt institution?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like a business that a retired soldier should be doing.”

Dray said as he slowly placed his finger on the trigger.

The man’s eyes flashed coldly at his words.

“…It’s been over three years since I left the front lines. I thought I had shed all the soldier habits, but I was mistaken.”

“How can a normal criminal emit such precise murderous intent?”

“Huhu… You know it well. Perhaps you too?”

Dray didn’t respond to the man’s mocking reply.

The elderly man didn’t say anything about his own background, but the atmosphere emanating from his behavior couldn’t be hidden.

The precise and cruel skill that completely subdued the 2nd squad. The calm yet rigid atmosphere and the disciplined way of speaking.

These were all things that Dray Creamgal used to have, and even longed for.

But he had long forgotten them all.

“To be honest, I have no intention of arguing about the right or wrong of this matter. I don’t care what happens to the scavengers.”

Two soldiers who had thrown away their duty and justice stood facing each other.

“It’s just business. Know that.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I started this to stop here.”

The man who had come down from the front lines said as he reached into his pocket.

“…It’s too early to be stopped by just one mercenary group.”

In the tense situation, Dray’s mind began to work quickly.

What was the most dangerous and deadly means that could come out from deeper inside his pocket?

Pistol, grenade, or smoke or flashbang to obscure vision… Either way, the battle would resume the moment the man’s hand revealed his skin again.

And the man betrayed all of Dray’s expectations and took out something several times more dangerous than those.

What came out of his pocket was a disposable syringe with a long needle.

As soon as he saw the syringe, Dray felt a chill down his spine and sharply shouted at the mercenaries behind him as he raised his gun.

“Stop him!!”

Ta-ta-ta-tang!!

The shooters immediately fired at the man, but his reaction was much faster than that.

Moving quickly to the left to dodge the mercenaries’ shots, the man did not hesitate to stick the syringe into his arm and push the cylinder in.

Pshoo!

“Hoo…”

The effect of injecting an unknown liquid into his body appeared immediately.

The man’s eyes turned completely black, and his arms began to tremble.

An eerie, cold black mist spread around his body and slowly soaked the floor.

Seeing his unusual appearance, the mercenary group continued to pull the trigger, but everything went wrong the moment the man stomped his foot.

Crack!!

“Kuaaaak!!”

It was only a moment before a fist-sized hole was punched through the chest of the mercenary who was aiming at the man with a rifle from the side of the formation.

“Hansen!!”

Ike called out his name and quickly poured a potion on the wound, but it was too late. The blood seeping from his chest was too much to simply stop with medicine.

Empty eyes and a blankly open mouth. No breath, only subtle convulsions. It was instant death.

“Do you know why I didn’t kill the guys who came up here first?”

The man said as he shook off his blood-soaked hand.

Somehow, he was holding Hansen’s throbbing heart in his hand.

In that short moment, he had pierced through the opponent’s chest and taken the living person’s organ.

“To use this power… I need fresh, living fuel.”

With those words, the man began to eat the heart raw.

“……..”

At that bizarre and gruesome sight, the mercenaries were speechless and raised their weapons.

If those words were not a lie, it was obvious whose heart would be used as the next fuel without even asking.

In the cold air, which was completely different from the relaxed atmosphere of before, Lenok observed the man closely without even twitching an eyebrow.

To be precise, the unknown energy flowing around him.

It was sticky yet flexible, slow yet agile. It occupied the surface without moving in a line, and it went against the grain from the bottom up instead of falling from top to bottom.

A nature closer to going against the order rather than conforming to it.

‘Black magic, huh.’

It was the first time he had seen it directly, but it was a familiar movement.

The number of mage players who chose black magic as their main focus in WORLD was not small, and the proportion of related NPCs was also significant, so Lenok was able to quickly guess the identity of the syringe the man had used.

‘Judging by the fact that he’s craving human flesh, it seems like he’s from the Vampiric Order, and the Blodia Size [a technique that strengthens oneself by taking the flesh and blood of the opponent] is also a possibility. That is, if the related magic system remains in this world…’

The Vampiric Order refers to sorcerers who borrow the characteristics of vampires, and the Blodia Size is a beastly technique that strengthens oneself by taking the flesh and blood of the opponent.

They were famous for being gory among black magic users and techniques, so Lenok remembered their names.

‘I know the side effects are considerable, so is he going to decide the outcome here? It’s not something to take lightly.’

Seeing that one mercenary had his heart taken without even reacting, Lenok couldn’t let his guard down either.