Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 212

“Ugh…!!” His head was upside down, plummeting towards the ground. Renok’s body, momentarily losing its balance, reacted predictably. His face paled as if he were seasick, his stomach churning, but Renok gritted his teeth, enduring, and focused his gaze on the ground. The moment he’d thrown himself from the building, he could have used levitation magic on his coat or clothes to float, but he had a reason for not doing so, allowing Girad to pursue him. Even as he fell, buffeted by the strong wind, Renok kept a close watch on Girad’s movements. Girad’s physical abilities and balance as he ran along the walls of the high-rise were astonishing, but the secret to the brute force that shattered the Fire Heart Orb and allowed him to burst out must lie elsewhere. Girad’s appearance was a mess, having been trapped in the fire prison, but even amidst that, Renok noticed a long, jagged gash on his abdomen, and his eyes gleamed. ‘An injury I didn’t inflict myself. If the reason he tore his tongue and drew blood was the same… he’s a troublesome opponent indeed.’ A constitution or technique that amplifies physical abilities through injuries. At this point, he had already transcended the realm of humans. It was an ability he could use because his mind was slightly warped in that way… Ultimately, it meant that if he couldn’t decide the battle quickly, the fight could become unnecessarily prolonged. It was easy to get distracted by Girad’s bizarre fighting style, but Renok didn’t forget his priorities. It would be good if he could kill the Cartel’s board members, but more important was to cripple the massive Cartel organization before they could fully mobilize. To continuously disrupt the Cartel’s cash flow by destroying their businesses, greatly reducing their ability to operate. The reason Girad appeared here, even if a little late, was likely to tie Renok down as much as possible, call for reinforcements, and settle the matter here. Considering that, there was no reason to keep the battlefield here. “Dabi.” [I’m ready.] “…Can you catch me well?” [The calculations are perfect. I’ll have you perfectly seated in the saddle the moment you deploy levitation magic, Master.] “Okay. I have to trust you…” Kwaaang!! At the same time as those words, the monster bike that had sprung out from below the building and was waiting for Renok came into view. Even without a rider, it was perfectly warmed up under Dabi’s control, waiting for its master to fall. Only then did Girad realize Renok’s intentions, and he gritted his teeth and began to accelerate. “Hwaaaap!!” Wajangchang!! The windows of the building shattered with a loud noise as the berserker sped upside down towards the ground, but it was already too late. The bike, slowed by levitation magic as it fell, perfectly caught Renok’s body as it swept past low and rotated once, holding him in place. Buaaaaaaang!! “Ughhhhhh!!” Renok’s face paled from the shock and dizziness of being flipped upside down twice, but regardless of his body, the bike smoothly sped onto the road and began to leave the vicinity in an instant. Only after taking out another cigarette with his trembling hand did his stomach settle, and he finally began to feel the wind hitting his face properly. While restoring the shattered shield, Renok immediately asked Dabi. “Is he following?” [Look right behind you.] Buaaaaaaang!! “…It’s beyond my imagination.” A dump truck was staggering on the rather deserted road as if it were drunk. There was no need to say who was behind the wheel of that truck, with the driver’s seat covered in blood. “Baaaaaaan!!!” Renok was also taken aback by the sight of him sticking his head out of the driver’s seat with a blood-soaked face and yelling at the top of his lungs. “He’s not right in the head. Shouldn’t he be in another criminal organization, not the Cartel?” Among the leaders of the underworld, the Three Heads, there were organizations formed mainly by all sorts of criminals and escapees. In Renok’s view, Girad was a talent who would shine more among outlaws than in a corporate conglomerate like the Cartel. [Could there be other possibilities?] “What?” [If he’s a high-ranking executive of such a large organization, he might think it’s more advantageous to pursue Master to the end in this situation. Or…] Kkiiiiik!! At the same time as Renok leaned his body, the massive bike swerved and drifted. The bike, leaving thick tire marks on the road, rotated and sped down the narrowed two-lane road without losing any speed. [There might be a reason why he can’t stop chasing.] “…” At Dabi’s words, Renok looked down at the bike with a slightly surprised expression. Of course, Renok had already considered all similar possibilities when Girad decided to pursue him, but for Dabi to follow a similar line of reasoning was a completely different story. What did it mean that Dabi, who hadn’t expressed any opinions during the battle, was trying to exchange opinions with Renok in this way? Until now, Renok had simply instructed Dabi to calculate algorithms such as driving, flying, and writing, but what if she could do more complex things than that? What form would the automatic ‘combat’ algorithm that Dabi had calculated take? How far could the spirit of the mind that Renok had created grow? Various thoughts flashed through Renok’s mind in an instant, but he decided to suppress the inspiration for now. Now was neither the time nor the place to research advanced spirit magic. As Dabi said, what was important was- “Belita. We’re almost there. Get ready.” [I’ve been on standby for an hour. As soon as you give me the first point, I’ll go in.] At the same time as the relaxed voice came from the earpiece and Renok drove the bike, Girad, who realized that there were no signs of life on the roads in this area, hardened his face. And Belita, who had been waiting on top of an empty two-story building, moved. What she held in both hands was a magic particle cannon with a caliber much larger than her body. Uuuuuuung…!!! At the same time as the geometrically designed muzzle emitted a bright blue magical light, a massive heat slammed down on the dump truck. The engine, exposed to the attack without any defense, exploded and caused a huge explosion. Kwaaaang!! “Hyuuuuuuuuuu!!!” Girad, who had leaped out like lightning from the wreckage of the spectacularly burning dump truck, stuck to the road and sped along the ground. At the same time, the magic that erupted from his body violently assisted Girad’s movements, turning him into a streak of light. Swaeeeeeek!! He was skilled enough to chase Renok even on two legs, but the reason he grabbed that large transport vehicle. Even with the unexpected attack, there was no hesitation in any of his actions, which was probably because Girad was also waiting for this moment. Girad was also eagerly anticipating the moment when he could close the distance with Renok in an instant, using that huge object as bait. “I expected it!!” Weeeeing!! At the same time as the toothed blade in his hand rotated violently, even Girad’s hand holding the blade was soaked in blood. Even though the skin of his entire body was turned inside out and covered in all sorts of cuts and blood, Girad’s movements were different from before. That strangely amplified physical ability was probably part of the change in the nature of the internal magic that Girad had built through his own methods. Kkigigik!! At the same time as he stretched out his arm, the space distorted and a shockwave erupted. Girad’s strike, which was one step ahead of the sound, instantly caught up with the speed of the bike and slipped towards Renok’s neck like a ghost. A sonic strike that reached close range faster than the blink of an eye. But the rattling toothed blade did not touch Renok’s back. Before Renok could even turn around, a large axe that appeared in mid-air slammed down on Girad’s arm. “…!!!” A strike that landed with perfect timing, as if measured with a ruler. Girad, who had been leaning his entire body forward, couldn’t even resist. Kwaaaang!! His arm wasn’t cut off by the axe blade, but Girad’s body was thrown straight down, unable to withstand the weight of the unusually heavy axe. Immediately after, as if waiting for that moment, Belver, who had appeared in mid-air, fell onto Girad’s back, grabbing the axe and pressing down. Kuuuuuung!! “Kkeoeok…!!” “He won’t last long. Move quickly…!!” At least it was clear that Girad was going berserk the more injuries he sustained. Belver, who had dyed his entire body black, was amplifying his weight to the extreme to press down on Girad’s body, but it seemed difficult just to hold him down so he wouldn’t go wild. “15 seconds is enough. Hold on!!” Renok got off the bike and walked towards Girad, throwing off the glove on his left hand. Inside the custom glove made by the Black Palace Workshop. The formula artifact [Pure Land Mantra] that Lapis had gifted him was activated. 108 prayer beads glowed from his wrist, leaving Renok’s wrist and instantly grabbing Girad’s neck. “Ughhhhhhhh!!” Renok’s response had been strangely lukewarm. His actions of narrowly escaping and drawing attention, as if by agreement, and the perfectly timed appearance of his helpers. Only then did Girad realize that Renok was trying to capture him alive, and he struggled madly. Kiiiiiing!! The moment the prayer beads tightened around Girad’s neck like a dog collar, his movements, which had been recklessly smashing the road, stopped as if by a lie. His entire body stiffened, with his tongue sticking out and his expression frozen. Renok was also amazed by the power of the artifact that could restrain such a skilled person in one go, as if he had been trapped in ice. Only then, Belver, who was sure that he had succeeded in capturing Girad alive, looked at Renok with a bewildered expression. “You succeeded.” Belver shook his head at Renok, who was walking towards him with a nonchalant expression. “If the timing had been off even a little, the side effects would have been considerable. It was dangerous.” “That probably wouldn’t have happened. My calculations are quite accurate.” After having Dabi recognize the coordinates of the axe that Belver was using in advance, he used the Archangel’s Compassion [a magic technique] at the exact timing to nullify the fatal blow. Since Dabi was calculating the timing directly, there would be no chance of a misstep. All that was left was for Renok to use the artifact he had received from Lapis and buy time to put a leash on the neck of this insane warrior. Renok nodded, looking down at Girad’s stiff, elongated form. “It was absolutely necessary to make contact with an executive who knew the internal affairs of the Cartel. It was worth trying, even if it was a risk. I didn’t think there would be results in just four attempts…” The fourth reason for destroying the Cartel’s cooperative businesses. It was to directly capture the middle managers of the Cartel who were trying to stop Renok’s attacks and extract internal information. Renok, who had realized that Girad was acting alone, immediately dragged out the fight with a lukewarm response, allowing the pursuit, and succeeded in putting a leash on the berserker’s neck as if to show off. It was just a matter of coordinating with each other in case of an emergency, but the mercenaries of the Antares Office were indeed excellent. Renok had only given a brief hint, but both Belita, the artillery, and Belver, the vanguard, had succeeded in grabbing Girad’s ankles and diverting his attention at almost perfect timing. It was probably possible because they had a lot of experience in simply exchanging intentions and going into action like this. “That’s not a capitalist-friendly decision. Your body is the most valuable asset here. It’s definitely not something to use as bait so recklessly. I hope you’ll be a little more careful next time.” Belver said that and lightly lifted the huge axe that weighed at least several hundred kilograms. “That way, I can trust my comrades and join the operation together.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” Renok nodded, feeling a slight interest in Belver. He was definitely a bit different from Dylan. Even though he muttered about money and stocks, he seemed to be the type who liked to plan carefully when it came to operations. Perhaps a person’s personality is strongly reflected in their investment views… “Oh, you’re always talking big when you’re the one who keeps throwing away the money you make from stocks.” While Renok was thinking that, Belita, who had appeared with a huge magic particle cannon on her shoulder, immediately scolded Belver. “If you’re a mage of about half the level, your biological clock would be running precisely below the second, so what are you worrying about the timing for?” “The killing intent that this madman was emitting just now was not something to be ignored. It’s only natural that the abilities of a mage who is directly exposed to such momentum would be diminished.” Belver protested in his own way, but Belita’s expression changed as if she were looking at something even more pathetic. “He’s a mage who’s famous for having a sense of combat that doesn’t lose even when fighting warriors of the same level. Do you think he’d make a mistake in an operation like this? You take care of yourself, you pig.” “Pig… That’s harsh. I’m just a little heavy.” Belver grumbled like that, lightly swung his axe onto his back, and got up from his seat. Only then did Girad’s appearance, which had been under him, begin to be seen properly. He only had a string of prayer beads tied around his neck, but he was lying on the floor in a strange posture, like a frog with its limbs broken. Belver exclaimed in admiration at the sight of him stiffening up, his momentum from going wild just a moment ago completely gone. “By the way, that’s a really amazing artifact. To think you could capture such a big shot so easily. May I ask how much you bought it for? I know a pretty good investment opportunity in the physical trading market… Ugh!” Belita, who had kicked Belver’s butt for starting to talk about money again, immediately changed the subject. “By the way, you’re really thorough. To think you were planning to capture an executive and extract internal information at the same time as destroying the Cartel’s businesses… Were you looking this far ahead from the beginning?” They say that high-ranking mages have a different way of thinking, and I’m really feeling it. To cripple the Cartel’s power by destroying their cooperative businesses and at the same time capture the executives who come to stop him and extract information. It was easy to say, but how much manpower and opportunity cost would be needed to successfully do such a thing? But Renok succeeded in this plan in just four attempts with only two mercenaries. It was only natural that Renok’s appearance, who casually mentioned a plan that was difficult for a mercenary to discuss in terms of reality and then succeeded, left a strong impression on Belita’s eyes.