Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 342

The Standards of Power (2)

The pressure, while noticeable, wasn’t particularly strong.

However, the expressions of a few who recognized the faint current within it changed drastically.

“Wait, this magic power is…!!”

All of them were Ascended Ones who had reached level 7. They possessed the senses to clearly distinguish the presence and flow of magic patterns.

The magic power pressing down on the conference room from above was a pattern almost identical to that which filled the snowy field outside.

Lenox was imitating the magic pattern of an Ascended One and scattering it throughout the conference room.

To be precise, it was the magic pattern of the barrier that protected the world’s rifts in the fortress.

Even if it differed from the actual magic of a true Ascended One, the similarity was not a feat that others could easily replicate.

At the very least, it was enough to prove that Lenox had some connection to an Ascended One.

“It seems those who call themselves Watchers don’t have much faith in the Lighthouse Keeper.”

Lenox asked, calmly accepting the gazes pouring in from all directions.

“Do you still not understand why Lapis called me at this point?”

“……”

The dog-headed giant who had been in a standoff with Ivelyn, the vampire sitting across from Lenox, and the other Watchers looking at him with surprised expressions were all within his sight.

Lenox slowly stood up and approached Lapis, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“…Evan?”

Lenox ignored Lapis’s words and continued speaking.

“The reason the Lighthouse Keeper summoned me with the call to gather is because I can somewhat imitate the magic power of the Ascended One, Jintun.”

“…That’s impossible.”

“How is that even possible?”

Jiel’s momentum, who was muttering in disbelief, was visibly broken.

The magic power of Lenox pressing down on her shoulders was the most powerful evidence.

Lenox, who had lied so casually, made eye contact with Lapis and answered.

“It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine how much this ability will help in future operations.”

“……”

In fact, Lenox wasn’t sure how to utilize this power either.

He had only come up with the current answer as a quick fix, based on the fact that he could imitate the magic pattern of an Ascended One while killing the assassin of Elderbane.

But at least, it was definitely a suitable reason to resolve this chaotic situation.

If Lapis had called Lenox not simply out of goodwill or dependence, but because he possessed a special ability that would clearly help the operation.

If she had recognized this early on and tried to summon Lenox, wouldn’t her insight be enough to shine?

Not only would it shift the focus from Lenox to Lapis, but it would also highlight her qualities and abilities.

In a situation where the Watchers had expressed their opinions, presenting such a reason would make them more cautious about opposing Lapis’s opinions in the future.

It would subtly remind these powerful superhumans that there must be a reason for what the Lighthouse Keeper does.

That alone was enough to give Lapis strength in this place.

Lapis was not foolish enough to kick away the meal that Lenox had prepared for her.

“If you all understand enough, would you please sit down now?”

Having instantly understood Lenox’s intention, she looked around at the Watchers with a somewhat subdued gaze and said.

“Before time runs out, I think we should explain the situation to Evan and start the meeting.”

“……”

The Watchers silently closed their mouths and took their seats.

In the center, Lapis clapped her hands lightly and raised her magic power, tapping the table.

Whoooosh!!

Immediately after, a dazzling hologram rose from the center of the table and began to take a concrete shape.

“I’ve explained it to the others several times, so let’s proceed by summarizing only the key points as much as possible.”

The blueprint of an endless, vast labyrinth.

At that moment, when everyone was momentarily speechless at the intense pressure felt even through the hologram.

“The Ascended One Jintun’s ‘Ganges Labyrinth’. The transcendent’s ideological domain occupying the deepest part of the snowy field.”

Lapis quietly opened her mouth.

“We must break through this labyrinth that has swallowed over thousands of explorers and make contact with Jintun Zygis Ithernoer.”

The firm determination in her eyes reflected directly on the Watchers.

“If it is confirmed that Jintun has failed to ascend, our only goal is to recover his remains and prevent his legacy from being taken to the wrong place… that is the sole purpose of this call to gather.”

The presence of Lenox, who had joined the operation last.

It was the beginning of a full-scale operation that started with the final piece of the puzzle she had envisioned completed.

* * *

Ganges (恒河沙).

One of the terms referring to numbers, roughly indicating a number around 10^52.

If the scale of that number is written out, it is a huge number reaching 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

In fact, it is a number whose scale is impossible for human cognitive abilities to even fathom. What does it mean to use such a number as the name of a labyrinth?

Considering that the owner of the labyrinth is one of the top barrier masters and transcendents in this world, the answer was obvious.

“I heard that over thousands of people who stepped into this snowy field to meet Jintun never returned.”

At the edge of the floating island where the cold wind blew.

Lenox, with a cigarette in his mouth, and Ivelyn, sitting on a rock behind him, were looking down at the ground tens of meters below.

Ivelyn glanced at the back of Lenox, who wasn’t looking back, and continued speaking.

“But some of them managed to return alive from the labyrinth and succeeded in leaving information. That’s why we’ve been struggling in this snowy field for a month.”

“I see.”

“The Ganges Labyrinth is completely sealed so that no one can enter it normally, but it completely reverses the structure of the labyrinth once every time the season changes. The rifts that occur in between are the entrances to the labyrinth.”

“So, you’ve been gathering here for a month to gauge the location for entering the ideological domain.”

Lenox, who turned his gaze towards the magnificent snow-capped mountains stretching out on the horizon, muttered blankly.

“The power of a level 9 Ascended One is truly beyond imagination. If a barrier master reaches the pinnacle, can they create such an absurd thing…?”

Jintun’s ideological domain, the Ganges Labyrinth.

He hadn’t witnessed its majesty directly yet, but he could tell from the magic power flowing from the distant snow-capped mountains and the occasional information he heard.

The vast structure inside the labyrinth, as well as the different flow of time in the other world.

It was a miracle that was divided and completed in a completely different way from the self-domain, and was practically another world.

Perhaps that labyrinth was the totality and essence of the barrier art that Jintun had built up.

In fact, the Watchers gathered here were essentially entrusting their lives to the mouth of an Ascended One and moving to enter it.

Even though thousands of people have not returned, the reason why not only the Blue Eye but also others are now moving to enter it is only one.

“The aurora that floated over the North Continent was a natural phenomenon symbolizing that Jintun’s ego had completely melted into the ideological domain. The fact that it has disappeared means that there is a high possibility that something has happened to Jintun’s status.”

The disappearance of the aurora, which was a symbol of his consciousness sublimated into a part of the barrier and floating.

That meant that Jintun’s ego had returned to human form.

The movements of a transcendent challenging ascension have many meanings.

If he started moving at this point, when the end was near, it must be because there was a change in his status.

If Jintun had really failed to ascend and died, who would own the enormous value of his relics and assets?

There were many people who had gathered here not because they could meet an Ascended One like Lenox, but simply to covet his relics.

Lapis and Ivelyn were saying that.

“Where did you hide? You two were whispering in a place like this?”

From behind Lenox, who was lost in thought, and Ivelyn, who was looking at him, a dark-skinned woman suddenly walked out.

Her face, with an unknown tattoo, was slightly trembling as she clutched her exotic coat.

A level 7 mage and a shaman who had cooperated with Lenox in the Philemon Autonomous Territory.

She was also the person who first showed Lenox the scenery of her self-domain, the [Southern Barbarian Sea].

“Grisha… I told you we’re not in that kind of relationship.”

Ivelyn sighed quietly and denied the words, but Grisha instead widened her eyes and asked back.

“No, then if you’re not in that kind of relationship, why have you been asking when Evan would come for a whole month…?”

Swish!!

Grisha’s words didn’t last long.

A black arrow shaft, which she didn’t know when she had taken out, was stuck right at Grisha’s feet, making her shut her mouth.

“We’re from the same city, and I just contacted him because I had a job I entrusted to him before I went on a business trip.”

“……”

Ivelyn answered with a smile.

“I think I’ve said several times that there’s something I’m dealing with regarding agents.”

“Okay…”

Lenox could roughly guess what Ivelyn was saying, so he nodded appropriately.

She had said that there was an unusual atmosphere within the city, including the agents, right before she took a vacation and headed to the North Continent, so she must have been worried about what was happening in the meantime.

In fact, as Ivelyn had feared, there was a coup led by the general of the defense forces, so it was not strange that she was waiting for news of Lenox, who could be of help in the process.

Ivelyn glanced at Lenox and opened her mouth with a slightly relieved expression.

“So, what’s going on? I know there’s still some time left before we decide who will enter the labyrinth.”

“Geez, are young kids these days so impatient?”

Grisha, who muttered as if she couldn’t get used to it, slightly opened the inside of her coat.

“Let me say something too. If our boss leaves this world like this, we won’t hear anything good.”

Inside the coat, Lapis’s face was visible, slightly curled up and hiding.

Perhaps because the arrow shaft was stuck at her feet, her complexion, which had not yet shed its childishness, was slightly pale.

“Oh, hello…”

“…You were there. Are you okay?”

Ivelyn, who realized her mistake, apologized to Lapis with a slightly embarrassed look.

“…Of course.”

Lapis tried to smile, but her legs were faintly trembling.

Lenox chuckled at her and asked.

“You could have just come to us, why did you hide in Grisha’s arms? It couldn’t have been unnoticeable.”

Although Lapis was quite young, she was now in her mid-teens.

Naturally, her height had grown considerably compared to before, so it was barely possible to hide her appearance with Grisha’s tall height and thick coat.

Lapis glanced around at Lenox’s words and raised her finger with a playful expression.

“There’s something I want to secretly tell the other Watchers.”

“Something you want to tell?”

“Yes. Please take this in advance.”

She said that and took out a small monocular from her arms.

Lenox, somewhat bewildered, accepted it.

“It’s an item acquired from the belongings of an adventurer who died during the recapture of the base fifteen days ago. It was difficult to know what it was used for because it was locked, so I kept it, but I found a hint right before moving the base.”

“Usage…”

Lenox muttered and brought the monocular to one eye, slowly raising his magic power.

There was no change in the scenery visible through the lens, but Lenox soon noticed the secret contained in this monocular.

The surface of the lens, which at first glance seemed somewhat old.

The fine scratches, like scars, were drawing very subtle formula characters.

“……”

Lenox, with a lowered expression, immediately changed his magic pattern slightly and injected it through the monocular.

Immediately after, the lens of the monocular began to rotate precisely, drawing a completely different scene.

Click!!

“This is…”

“Do you understand?”

At Lapis’s words, Lenox answered quietly.

“I see… It’s an item that shows the location and route according to the injected magic source.”

“Yes. Originally, it’s a monocular used to find the hidden locations of artifacts or relics. It’s a very high-performance and durable item that was even used in this Ganges Labyrinth.”

Lapis said that and looked at Lenox with an expectant expression.

“I was holding back because I didn’t think the others would be able to use this item properly, but if it’s Evan…”

“……”

Lenox was finally able to grasp the meaning of Lapis’s words.

If it was Lenox, who could imitate the magic pattern of the Ascended One Jintun, even in the labyrinth where one could not predict what would happen, he would be able to see Jintun’s location and find the right path.

In the snowy field where magic detection doesn’t work well, the existence of this monocular could be a useful compass.

Lenox, who had unexpectedly obtained a high-performance artifact, nodded.

“I’ll keep it a secret from the other Watchers.”

“Hehe, please do. I don’t think there’s anyone who can use it properly other than Evan, but still, in terms of fairness…”

He understood Lapis’s feelings.

Since they couldn’t distribute the monocular equally to everyone, she wanted to place her expectations on the mage who was the most reliable and had the highest potential in this operation.

Lenox stared at Lapis and brought up the words he hadn’t asked earlier.

“Do you really think Jintun is dead?”

“…Yes?”

“No one knows if Jintun, who has lived as a transcendent for over hundreds of years, died after failing to ascend. Maybe he’s still alive and watching all these moments.”

“……”

“And if he’s alive, maybe we can go into the labyrinth, meet him, and get the answers we want.”

Lapis closed her mouth.

The expression of Grisha, who was standing next to her, faintly hardened, but she didn’t stop Lenox.

Lenox continued to speak, regardless of such reactions.

He wanted to hear Lapis’s honest feelings about what she was thinking and why she was here.

“When I met Cheon-gyeon, she already seemed to have decided on her ending.”

To do so, he had to consider saying somewhat rude words.

“I wonder what she was thinking when she left her only granddaughter behind and left me a message, why she left without telling me everything.”

“……”

“I think a transcendent who was challenging ascension would know the answer.”

Silence flowed.

Lapis lowered her head slightly, then raised her gaze with a strained smile.

“Come to think of it, it’s the first time Evan has brought up the topic of my grandmother.”

She took a breath and made eye contact with Lenox.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not curious. But there are many people more suitable than me to break through the labyrinth.”

“……”

“And if Jintun is really alive and watching all these moments… that might be even more dangerous.”

“Why?”

“If Jintun is alive, it means that he has regained his human ego and incarnated of his own will… Then we must confirm that and decide on our future course of action. If a transcendent who had distanced himself from the world and devoted himself to his own ascension has started to act differently, there is a possibility that there is a problem with the ascension itself.”

Lapis continued to speak without waiting for Lenox’s answer.

“If there is a problem with the process of ascending beyond the hierarchy, other Ascended Ones may try to move. In the face of the possibility that the balance of the world may be overturned, there is no room to resolve personal curiosity.”

“Lapis…”

Grisha quietly placed her hand on her shoulder.

There was a faint sense of pity in Ivelyn’s gaze as she looked at Lapis from next to Lenox.

Lapis smiled slightly at the two of them.

“It’s okay. Now I can understand that my grandmother had her reasons. Sometimes there are secrets that you have to carry alone…”

Grisha, who was standing next to her, quietly hugged Lapis.

Ivelyn playfully nudged Lenox’s shoulder and scolded him.

“Let’s not jinx it before we even enter the labyrinth?”

“No, that wasn’t my intention, but…”

Lenox, who muttered as if making an excuse, composed his expression and said to Lapis.

“But I think differently. If Jintun is still alive and willing to answer something, I think there are things we must ask.”

He didn’t think that a transcendent who was challenging ascension would have all the answers to everything in the world.

But even so, he had to ask. Even if he didn’t get any answers, it didn’t matter.

Knowing what Jintun knew and what he didn’t know would definitely be of great help in the future journey.

It was frightening to stand before a transcendent who was indifferent to the world, but on the other hand, he was also certain.

At that time, Cheon-gyeon had said that unless it was an Ascended One who specialized in ‘seeing’ like herself, they wouldn’t be able to notice Lenox’s secret.

“So, at that time, I’ll ask about Cheon-gyeon for you too.”

“…Yes?”

Lenox smiled faintly as he looked at Lapis, who raised her head with a surprised expression.

“I want to know what that person hoped for and wanted when he failed to ascend… much more than you think.”

Thud!

No sooner had those words ended than a strong vibration suddenly echoed from the other side of the floating island.

Not far from the frozen forest.

Some of the other Watchers, centered around the dog-headed giant, were approaching this way.

A spearman, who had appeared from somewhere, blocked the path of the giant who was walking with black eyes blazing.

A calm-looking young man, Seon-myeong. It seemed that he had been protecting Lapis from an unseen place until now.

“What’s going on? If you’re looking for Lapis, I’d like you to wait a moment.”

“I’m not interested in the Lighthouse Keeper. It’s that mage I have business with.”

At the dog-headed giant’s words, the atmosphere instantly stiffened with tension.

Seon-myeong also slowly stepped back while readjusting his spear.

“…Then I need to hear the reason even more. What business do you have with Evan now?”

“Hehe, I don’t think it’s a topic I want to talk about in a place like this.”

The dog-headed giant said that and burned his eyes towards Lenox, who was sitting far away.

“If you prefer, we can talk here…”

“I’ll go.”

Lenox readily listened to those words and stood up from his seat.

Lenox, who stood in front of the dog-headed giant, put on a simple noise magic and looked up at the giant in front of him.

He wasn’t the type to scatter overwhelming momentum or physique like Kroken, but his skill and muscle density were not much less than Felix’s.

In the first place, if he could express an opinion that directly opposed Ivelyn even after recognizing her skills, it was because he was confident in his own skills.

Lenox was also somewhat interested in the details of how such a giant race had flowed into the Blue Eye and accepted the job of a Watcher.

“What’s your name?”

“Lafford.”

“Hmm, that’s…”

The words that the name suited him quite well came up to his throat, but Lenox barely swallowed his slip of the tongue and asked.

“So. What’s the matter? It’s been over two hours since the meeting ended, is there something else you want to ask now?”

The explanation of the base and route for entering Jintun’s ideological domain was roughly over.

All that was left was to select the people who would enter the labyrinth and set up individual entry routes.

If Lafford didn’t intend to enter the same route as Lenox, he shouldn’t have any business with Lenox.

But the dog-headed giant looked down at Lenox and gave a sinister smile.

“You. You’ve met Kroken Asillas, haven’t you?”