Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 242

Training (3)

“To be precise, you’re pursuing an excessively balanced approach in combat.”

Silence followed.

“Of course, I’m not criticizing that in itself. Rather, I highly value your courage as a mage who doesn’t hesitate to engage in close-quarters combat… but you should always be cautious about predetermining the outcome of a battle and forcing the process to fit it.”

“That’s…”

Predetermining the outcome of a battle. Lenox wanted to ask what that meant, but he found himself unable to speak easily.

That was probably because Lenox himself knew what those words meant.

Evelyn nodded as if she understood.

“I’ve been hit a few times these past few days, and I roughly understand. You always decide how to finish your opponent at the end, right?”

“……”

“To be precise, you decide on a method of victory based on the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, and then you precisely design the process.”

While Lenox remained silent, she continued.

“I don’t really understand how you can foresee a battle like that in a life-or-death situation… but it’s also true that I can see both tactical judgment and strategic insight in your fighting style.”

Her green eyes shone with a clear, penetrating gaze, as if trying to see through his inner thoughts.

“That means you can use your own life as a card for victory. In a moment where death is decided by a hair’s breadth, can you be sure that your judgment won’t lean towards victory rather than survival?”

Not equating victory with survival. Not placing defeat and death on the same line.

For Lenox, who had always considered both and approached combat with that in mind, Evelyn was raising a completely different point.

The fact that defeat in battle does not necessarily lead to death, and that victory may not necessarily lead to survival.

That was probably one of the conclusions Evelyn had drawn after going through countless battlefields and competing with superhumans of similar levels to herself.

Seeing Lenox’s stiff expression, Evelyn finally relaxed her expression slightly and patted his shoulder.

“Actually, this isn’t advice for mages in general. I’ve never seen anyone with both magical talent and a warrior’s sense like you. But if you don’t recognize the moment when you’re pushing your abilities to the limit in advance, you might end up making a misjudgment in a battle against a stronger opponent.”

“…Okay, I understand what you mean.”

“Even now, when we can’t fight at full power, the outcome is decided by a hair’s breadth. It’s not hard to imagine what would happen if we crossed that line. Shall we stop here for today?”

Evelyn said that, then smiled, stretched out refreshingly, and turned away.

Lenox silently remained and watched her back as she walked towards the group waiting in the distance.

He still didn’t think his method was wrong.

If he hadn’t thought and acted this way, Lenox wouldn’t have been standing here unscathed.

The reason he was able to overcome countless strong enemies and reach his current position was because of Lenox’s near-obsessive perfectionism.

If it weren’t for his abnormal obsession with victory and the belief that it led to his survival, Lenox’s hierarchy [a personal system of power and abilities] would never have been completed.

However, it was also true that he somewhat acknowledged and understood the point Evelyn was raising.

There were times when he had to choose defeat to survive, and Lenox wasn’t sure if he could make the right decision.

If he had equated victory and survival for his entire life as Lenox, if he had a method of victory that he had already understood and felt with his head and body.

Against an opponent who exceeded his limits, which way would Lenox’s magic move?

It was even more unclear because it wasn’t just a problem to think about logically.

The mental image of a superhuman who had completed their hierarchy was already far beyond the realm that could be solved by mere will or change of heart.

Reaching the end of self-modification meant that the change as a human was complete.

To go beyond that, the only way was to break the already completed framework.

Lenox intuitively felt that this was probably one of the countless forks in the road that existed even among level 7s [a high level of power].

All Evelyn had done was show Lenox that choice a little faster and more clearly.

“This is more than enough compensation for this matter…”

Even without her help, Lenox might have faced this dilemma someday.

However, Lenox didn’t feel too bad about the existence of a second teacher after Aris.

With a wry smile, Lenox also moved his feet.

The group, who had lit a campfire and settled down, were waving at him.

* * *

After the training with Evelyn, Lenox joined the group and rummaged through the luggage he had brought.

The books he had picked up from the Cartel’s executive vault just before leaving on the trip.

Although they were things he had hurriedly grabbed, there was no problem since he could always go back as long as his access was approved.

The important thing was the contents of the books themselves. On the covers of the old books, [Liberation Taoism] and [Juye Taoist Scripture] were written in antique lettering.

Back when the Cartel was just laying its foundation as an organization, Parden McQueen had made his techniques into books, stored them directly in the vault, and arranged for them to be used by his juniors.

However, since they were techniques used by the monks of the high mountains, there were too many difficult and vague parts, so they were abandoned without anyone easily mastering them.

Moreover, anyone skilled enough to access the executive vault would have already established their own style, so it was natural that there were no results.

‘But it’s a completely different story for me…’

Regardless of Parden McQueen’s skill, the techniques he used, such as the summoned beast Arjumarta and Taeokrak, remained strongly in Lenox’s mind.

In particular, the barrier technique using the Juye Taoist Scripture was at a considerably high level even in Lenox’s eyes.

By studying these, Lenox might be able to add another path to his magic system.

‘Barrier techniques are very conditional among techniques, but they have many uses. They could help stabilize the magnetic domain and increase efficiency.’

He pondered while flipping through the books.

‘But it seems difficult to convert the techniques into magic because they use a completely different power source from magic…’

It wasn’t for nothing that the other executives of the Cartel hadn’t touched his techniques.

The technique system that used a power source called Taoist power, which was different from magic power, was different from the magic Lenox knew in how it worked.

It was the same reason why Lenox didn’t get any particular inspiration from Grisha’s shamanism.

After all, even in the Autonomous Territory, he had only learned the triggers and understanding of the domain that increased the power by observing her techniques.

It was common sense to think that the extent of what Lenox could extract from McQueen’s techniques was about that much.

While he was lost in thought, he heard the voices of other people next to him.

“So, if you deploy magic power like this…”

“No, no matter how I think about it, that direction isn’t good. How likely is it that the opponent will dodge that way?”

“You can just corner the opponent like Ban did…”

“That’s why the very idea that anyone can do that is…”

The agents were having a heated debate in front of the campfire.

When they first started the journey, they had silently focused on their own work and assisting Lenox and Evelyn without much conversation.

However, after watching the sparring sessions that the two of them held every evening, they had also received some inspiration, and they were constantly discussing training and combat methods.

It was quite an unfamiliar scene for Lenox, but he could roughly understand why this was happening.

It was quite common to gain inspiration or a breakthrough in certain areas just by watching the battles of those who were at a higher level than oneself.

In particular, one of the agents who had come along this time was said to be a manipulation-type mage, so he must have felt a lot while watching Lenox’s fighting style.

While they were resting after dinner.

Lenox smiled faintly as he watched the agents, who had been talking among themselves, get up from their seats and start mock training.

Evelyn, who was busy cutting and eating grilled onions next to him, opened her mouth.

“They don’t say it, but they all respect you.”

“……”

“They really like the way you fight. They say it’s not for nothing that you, a freelancer, sat at the negotiating table with the Cartel.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. For those guys, this moment itself is like a stroke of luck.”

With a slightly sleepy expression, she finished off the remaining green onions on the grill and lightly rinsed her mouth with beer.

“It’s difficult for level 7 or higher powerhouses to move easily within a megacity, and it’s also difficult to watch such skilled people fight directly. It’s like we’ve given them a valuable experience unintentionally.”

“But there are quite a few skilled people who are directly affiliated with the city government.”

“Don’t even mention it. Do you know how intricately the factions are divided even within there? They’re too busy checking each other to even move. They’re bound by all sorts of regulations and ordinances, so they can’t do anything. The agents are relatively free to breathe under the pretext of managing the shady side, but they have to bear more risks than other departments.”

Instead of answering, Lenox shook his head.

Evelyn casually mentioned that being an agent was difficult, but he knew that she carried a considerable sense of responsibility and justice.

The fact that she, with her level of skill and a rare archery talent, was still working as an agent to protect the city government’s security, even though there were countless people and organizations who wanted her, proved that.

The fact that she tried to keep her duties even though she had enough power and qualifications was proof that her nature itself was not bound by good and evil.

Perhaps it was because she was someone who could live without laws that she knew the value of order and worked to uphold it.

If that was the case, was Evelyn Marcia really an enemy in the eyes of the Azure [a mysterious organization]?

“……”

Lenox’s request for combat training with Evelyn was not just to improve his own skills and find problems.

He judged that there wouldn’t be many opportunities to hear her inner thoughts while spending a considerable amount of time with someone as skilled as her.

In addition, after hearing the story about the emerald archer mentioned by Grisha, he was thinking of subtly probing whether she had really joined the Azure’s Eye.

But it wasn’t as easy as he thought.

First of all, to ask that directly, he would have to reveal that Ban and Evan Bailon were the same person.

If not, he would have to induce her to talk about the Azure’s Eye, but would someone as responsible as her easily let such words slip out?

Since Lenox also had to take some risks, he couldn’t be sure that she would keep the secret.

After all, Lenox and Evelyn were essentially in different positions.

If she heard Lenox’s confession and judged that he was a threat to Vulcan, would she be able to keep the secret?

Even though he thought he had interacted enough with Evelyn Marcia, Lenox couldn’t be sure.

In the end, you wouldn’t know what a person prioritized until the very last moment.

Like the defrocked monk McQueen, who longed for the temple he had left behind his whole life, but believed that he didn’t.

“Hoo…”

While he was lost in thought, Lenox turned his head at the gaze that was staring at him from the side.

Evelyn’s cheeks were flushed, as if she had drunk several glasses of beer.

Or perhaps it was just the flames of the campfire that were making her face look red.

She stared blankly at Lenox with her head slightly tilted, then mumbled.

“It would be so nice if you joined the agents…”

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“I’m not just saying it.”

“……”

When Lenox closed his mouth, Evelyn also turned her head slightly.

“…I was just saying. The city government’s orders have been unusual lately.”

“You mean the scope of work is expanding rapidly?”

“That too, but… lately, I feel like our work isn’t expanding, but simply being pushed out to the outskirts.”

She said with a slightly tipsy expression.

Lenox naturally looked around.

The other agents were busy training in the middle of the night, and only the two of them were around the widely lit campfire.

Lenox was the only one around to hear her soliloquy.

“I’m not very interested in factional fights, but it means that someone is taking over the central area work that we used to handle.”

“……”

“It could mean that other departments that have been bound by regulations are moving… Is the city really trying to change?”

“Does that mean that the city government’s direct powerhouses are gaining more freedom of movement?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Evelyn quietly lowered her head.

“But not all the people directly affiliated with the city government are good guys… And if they lift the regulations, the powerhouses tied to dinosaur corporations, noble families, or sects will also start to roam freely, so it won’t be the same as now.”

“That’s…”

“I don’t know what the old men in the city council are thinking. They’re still talking annoying nonsense at the hearings, but behind the scenes, they seem to be plotting cunning things.”

“……”

Instead of saying anything, Lenox decided to just listen to her.

She probably wasn’t expecting a clear solution when she said that.

She was just throwing her pent-up complaints into the campfire where her subordinates couldn’t see her.

It was just a coincidence that Lenox was the one who was listening.

Perhaps they had built up an inner intimacy while repeatedly undergoing high-level training for the past few days.

If he used this atmosphere well, he might be able to get the answer Lenox wanted, but… Lenox decided to stop for today.

In this prairie where they couldn’t know each other’s true intentions, at least the advice that Evelyn had given Lenox was filled with sincerity and concern.

At least that much, Lenox wanted to be sincere with Evelyn.

The day was getting dark.

Unreachable efforts and sincerity echoed and faded into the warm night sky.

The climate was gradually getting hotter as they moved away from Vulcan.

It was a sign that they were getting closer to the volcanic area.