Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 344

“……”

Lafford silently closed his mouth, only after glancing around at his surroundings.

He understood how absurd the scene before his eyes was.

At least a few dozen magic users. And these were professionally trained soldiers.

Even after a battle against such superhumans, there wasn’t a single trace of violent explosions or impacts in the vicinity.

It was proof that he had annihilated all the dozens of superhumans the moment the battle began.

Yet, how was it possible that there wasn’t even a slight loss of magical power flowing from his body?

A magician who transcended common sense. He had heard the stories from Lapis countless times, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.

“Now that the nuisances are taken care of, let’s continue our previous conversation.”

Lafford cleared his throat and subtly changed the subject.

“You said you would tell me the secret of my inner world in exchange for information about Kroken, right?”

“……”

“As you know, I already deployed a microcosm [a personal, self-contained world] once during the battle. According to the doctrines of the god I serve, it’s a necessary process for any summoning beyond a certain level.”

“I know.”

Lenox, with his chin resting on his hand, looked down at Lafford and replied.

“Perhaps the microcosm itself is a form with low activation time and mana consumption, and the summoning you use immediately after deployment is the essence of your power.”

“……If you know that much, there’s nothing more to say. Should I show you properly once more here?”

Lafford asked.

After realizing that he had dealt with the Baracheda Liberation Front soldiers much faster than he had expected, his attitude had become strangely cooperative.

Was it because he had a dog’s head that even his way of establishing hierarchy resembled a dog?

Instead of expressing such thoughts outwardly, Lenox shook his head.

“No, it’s fine.”

Lenox nodded.

“That’s enough.”

At the same time, something hazy began to appear behind Lenox’s back.

Woo-oong!!

A pale, ghostly form completely different from the tree giant that Lafford had summoned above his head.

The form of the spirit was much sharper and more sensitive. But without a doubt, its nature possessed a power similar to what Lafford had used.

Lafford’s mouth fell open as he confirmed the appearance of the spirit floating above Lenox’s head.

“N-no… How could you… the blessing of an ancestral god…”

“I also have some knowledge of necromancy. I’ve seen similar things a few times.”

Lenox replied as he stood up.

It wasn’t a lie. He had seen warriors who were assisted by spirits in a similar way to Lafford, and he had unintentionally meddled with necromantic formulas when he used Craig’s Gun.

Moreover, Lenox, who had recently been studying summoning magic with Aris, had become quite familiar with the concept of summoning something.

The power used by the dog-headed giant was closer to a ritual based on faith and mental strength, rather than a formula.

However, it wasn’t difficult to follow the flow of power that Lafford showed during the battle.

In fact, wasn’t that why he had quickly dealt with the Liberation Front soldiers with Davi’s power and created a high vantage point to look down at Lafford?

To observe and memorize the intense changes in mana at the moment of deploying the microcosm, and to guess how it would be used.

That wasn’t simply due to Lenox’s mana sensitivity, but a result of countless battles where he had observed and memorized thousands of mana flows.

The culmination of experience he had accumulated while facing countless strong opponents of the same level.

It had been quite some time since this became possible, but there was a separate reason why he was confirming it again now.

“In the end, the form and ability of the spirit are rituals that depend on the core inner world and doctrines. Perhaps you found Kroken’s traces in me using a similar method?”

Lenox muttered as he walked down towards the snowfield.

“If you have such a powerful tracking ability that you can follow the traces of spirits rather than physical traces, it seems impossible unless your inner world is deeply intertwined with Kroken.”

“Th-that…”

Lafford, at a loss for words, stammered and then drooped his ears.

“There’s no need to explain, is there? Were you aiming for this from the beginning?”

“Not really, but if your inner world has a powerful tracking ability, I did want to know the principle behind it.”

Lenox glanced at his spirit floating above his head and muttered.

“But this won’t be of much use to me. Unless it’s an inner world and way of thinking suitable for a necromantic ritual, the spirit won’t function properly.”

“Hmm… Just by summoning the spirit, you’ve already proven that you have talent for necromantic formulas. Perhaps you could even accept the doctrines of the god I believe in.”

“No, it’s fine. Although I borrowed the form of the ritual and formula, this is ultimately a power created for physical ability users. Unless I can project my inner world, it won’t be of much help-”

Kuuu!!

At that moment, the spirit floating above Lenox’s head suddenly began to tremble wildly, changing its form erratically.

As Lenox and Lafford simultaneously looked up and wore blank expressions, golden ripples appeared on the spirit’s body, and a tremendous amount of mana scattered in all directions.

Pa-a-a-a-a-a!!

The sound of the world splitting, like when deploying a magnetic field, a golden kaleidoscope.

Lenox, seeing the spirit dividing and trying to increase its numbers, stood up abruptly with a rare look of panic.

“What… What is this? What on earth…”

While Lafford was muttering with a dazed expression, Lenox, having grasped the situation, moved swiftly.

Facing his own spirit, Lenox quickly formed hand seals in front of its vibrating form.

What he wanted was the seal of summoning magic. He would forcibly cancel the necromantic ritual by overwriting it with summoning magic.

Kuu-ung!!

Immediately after, the spirit’s form became blurry and disappeared, and the mana that had been raging over the snowfield slowly began to lose its center and dissipate.

“Hoo…”

“……”

‘That was close.’

Lenox sighed as he saw Lafford staring at him with a blank expression.

Considering the kaleidoscope pattern that had appeared on the surface of the spirit, it wasn’t difficult to guess what had just happened.

The spirit, which was arbitrarily created by following Lafford’s method, had overloaded when Lenox’s inner world was projected onto it.

If he had been standing there dumbly, it wouldn’t have been strange if an explosion or anomaly that even Lenox couldn’t control had occurred.

Confirming that there was still room for research in the concept of necromancy itself was a good thing, but he had no intention of revealing it in such an open place.

Lenox gestured towards Lafford, who still hadn’t recovered from the recent event.

“Let’s go back to the floating island. I’ll tell you about Kroken Acilus on the way.”

“O-okay… I understand.”

Only after hearing those words did Lafford come to his senses and start walking after Lenox.

His ears were strangely drooped, and his tail was hanging down.

He probably realized that Lenox’s power was more than he had expected, even though he didn’t know the reason for what had just happened.

Lenox deliberately started telling him information about Kroken first to divert Lafford’s attention.

At first, Lafford didn’t seem to be focusing properly on Lenox’s words, but as soon as he started talking about the crocodile giant’s movements, he quickly began to pay attention.

That was how strong his obsession with Kroken and his desire for revenge were.

Perhaps because he had told Grisha to keep a distance before leaving the island, they were a little further away than when the battle had started.

While Lafford was silent after hearing the circumstances about Kroken, Lenox was also lost in thought.

‘This isn’t enough after all…’

After facing Lieutenant General Trepen, who had stepped into the threshold of level 8, Lenox had begun to seriously consider transcending the hierarchy.

The magnetic field of a sorcerer who had completed the hierarchy and determined the scenery of their inner world.

The microcosm of a physical ability user who had finished self-modification and was drawing the direction of their heart.

He had thought that the two possibilities that branched out through one inner world were completely different paths.

But at that time, Trepen had reorganized his microcosm into a form that was almost like a magnetic field.

He hadn’t had enough time and power to complete it, but his distorted inner world, the Iron God’s Path, was closer to that of a sorcerer than a physical ability user.

Then, wouldn’t freely moving between the two paths with one inner world be proof of reaching level 8?

He had been thinking that handling both powers given to those at the Saint level might be a clue to reaching level 8.

However, he couldn’t even perfectly handle his own magnetic field, so trying to change this inner world into a microcosm was nothing short of suicide.

If his own capabilities were insufficient, how about starting by imitating an already completed microcosm?

To resolve that question, he had deliberately gone along with Lafford’s suggestion and observed his microcosm, but he hadn’t gained as much as he had expected.

‘It’s difficult to imitate someone else’s microcosm after all. The fundamental inner world is missing.’

The core of deploying a magnetic field or microcosm was the core inner world within the caster.

No matter how perfectly one could imitate and mimic the flow of mana that was erupting, it was just a shell.

Lafford’s microcosm, which projected his intuition through his sense of smell, was the essence of the time he had spent living with sensory organs that were superior to others since birth.

Lenox could read and follow the mana flow that occurred in that process, but he couldn’t bring over his heart.

‘Trying to forcibly imitate an inner world and shaking my ego is the worst outcome. Even with the kaleidoscope, my mind is already on the edge…’

Imitating a microcosm was just one way to reach the extreme level.

Lenox had no intention of changing the scenery or direction of the inner world he had decided on.

The kaleidoscope of possibilities that he had drawn with all his abilities and talents had the potential to be absolutely superior to any other inner world.

Just by drawing that scenery that he had vaguely thought about in his mind, it was already nothing short of a miracle.

He had to refrain from being greedy in the wrong direction here.

However, if he thought about the power and force of the monsters he would meet in the future….

“Evan?”

Lenox, who had returned to the floating island while lost in thought, suddenly raised his head at Lapis’s voice.

She and the other Watchers were looking at him with their mouths shut.

The gaze directed at the magician who had subdued a Saint-level physical ability user, an indomitable warrior who had survived countless battlefields, without even using a domain, was not just simple amazement.

Fear at looking at an incomprehensible being. Admiration for a strength that was completely different from what they had expected.

Jealousy and wariness towards a much more superior person than they had anticipated.

Emotions that he could never get used to, no matter how many times he experienced them, but now they were all too familiar.

Lenox could somewhat guess the reason for the emotions in those gazes and nodded.

‘It must be because of Davi.’

The Baracheda Liberation Front was using Gearsides equipment, and Lenox, who had already gained control of the network through Davi, was able to deal with them with absurd ease.

However, to the other Watchers who had been watching the whole story from above the floating island, it would have seemed that Lenox had instantly killed the soldiers in a way they couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t strange that they saw Lenox not as a simple magician, but as an incomprehensible monster.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Someone naturally put their hand on Lenox’s shoulder and whispered.

“……Ivelyn.”

“Let’s go inside and rest for today. I got permission from Lapis. Selecting the personnel to enter the labyrinth and securing the main entrance will be tomorrow.”

At her natural words, Lenox skillfully relaxed his expression and smiled.

“……Okay. I’ve been awake for too long today. It’s time to rest.”

It had been more than a day since he had responded to Lapis’s summons, crossing thousands of kilometers.

As soon as he was summoned to the middle of the snowfield, he had rescued her, dealt with the enemies, went up to the floating island, had a meeting, and even dealt with Lafford.

“I’m too busy maintaining the floating island to participate in the team formation. See you tomorrow.”

“I hope to be on the same team as Evan.”

As Grisha and Sunmyung gave their own greetings and disappeared, Lenox and Ivelyn also moved towards the mansion inside the floating island.

The other Watchers, as if they had made a promise, cleared the way for them.

“Team? What are you talking about?”

“Roughly speaking, after the summons ended, we decided to move in pairs to secure the main entrance of the labyrinth.”

“In pairs?”

“Since other Watchers besides you were summoned, our numbers have increased quite a bit. We were focused on not being pushed out of the snowfield, but now it’s time to enter the labyrinth.”

Ivelyn said in a casual tone.

“We’ll decide on the entrance based on the maps we obtained in advance, and then enter the labyrinth in teams. Moving in pairs is like insurance.”

“How are you planning to do it? There will be those whose tendencies and abilities don’t match.”

“I suggested a suitable method to Lapis. It’s not uncommon for agents to need this kind of team formation.”

“What method is it?”

“That’s a secret. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“……”

Ivelyn, seeing Lenox’s twitching eyebrows, chuckled.

“I’m thinking of deciding randomly for now. If we arbitrarily assign team members, there are cases where people become dissatisfied with the command structure. The Watchers gathered here are all experienced veterans, so it’s unlikely, but…”

“To reduce any possible dissatisfaction? That’s a very cautious approach… Well, fine. I can easily carry one person.”

Lenox said as he opened the door assigned to him.

If there was a good thing about summoning the entire floating island, it was that he didn’t have to lie down under the night sky in the desolate snowfield.

Of course, this mansion wouldn’t last long in the power of the Ascended, but it would be enough if it held out until they entered the labyrinth.

Thud!

Lenox was about to close the door when he tilted his head, seeing Ivelyn naturally follow him into his room.

“……What’s wrong?”

Click.

Ivelyn didn’t say anything and simply locked the door.

The moment Lenox was speechless at her sudden action, she strode over and sat on the bed in the corner, staring intently at Lenox.

“Imitating Lafford’s microcosm, that was a very dangerous action. You know that, right?”

“……”

Lenox, for a brief moment, forgot to answer and met her clear eyes.

She seemed to be embarrassed by the nickname ‘Emerald Archer,’ but in Lenox’s opinion, that nickname suited Ivelyn well enough.

A seemingly indifferent expression and a cold tone. But he could somewhat understand her thoughts from the gaze that mixed in without hiding her emotions.

“……You knew. I thought I wouldn’t get caught.”

“I’m an archer. My eyes are quite good compared to others.”

Lenox chuckled at Ivelyn’s blank look as she faintly smiled and raised her eyes with both hands.

Only after confirming Lenox’s expression did Ivelyn nod with a slightly relieved look.

“I wanted to talk about that. You seemed to be thinking a lot.”

“……”

“I helped you with your combat training on the way to the volcanic zone.”

She asked, resting her chin on her hands.

“Do you remember what I said then?”

“I remember. It was about the dilemma of how far you had to cross the line to go up.”

Lenox nodded.

“At that time, I was too busy remembering, but now I can understand. Perhaps the extreme level is…”

“Maybe it’s the process of giving up what you shouldn’t give up.”

“……”

“Because the way to walk along the path is somewhat fixed, but the way to deviate from the path is different for everyone.”

Ivelyn’s green eyes glowed softly.

“Then, to deviate from the path, shouldn’t we act in a completely different way from our previous selves?”

Completing the seven stages of self-modification that form the hierarchy of a superhuman and reaching the Saint level.

However, even though the results obtained in that process differ depending on each person’s inner world, the process of reaching that point is somewhat fixed.

The change in the nature of mana that one awakens at the level of a 6th-level Commander. The basic domain that one learns in the latter half of the Commander level.

The domain and the scenery of the microcosm that one awakens upon reaching the 7th-level Saint. And even the process of determining the inner world.

The trials and errors accumulated by countless pioneers in the history of this world are vaguely outlining the path to completing the hierarchy.

But the 8th-level extreme level is different.

It’s a process that goes beyond simply completing the hierarchy and transcends it.

And the meaning of transcending the established laws can only be applied differently to everyone.

The rules, methods, meanings, and concepts are all different.

There is only the result that is obtained as a result of reaching the extreme level.

That was a different kind of vagueness from finding and completing one’s own inner world before reaching level 7.

A realm where only the result of reaching it exists, without a fixed method or path.

That was because the name of the 8th-level extreme ability user was accepted differently by everyone who challenged it.

The process of reaching the result by following an undefined path.

It was through such an awakening that they were able to realize the knack of interfering with space-time as a result of reaching that level.

There was a reason why sorcerers who reached level 8 were called great mages with such grand titles.

It was so vague to reach the extreme level, so how much more difficult and arduous would it be to reach ascension?

Just having the qualifications to challenge ascension was enough to reach level 9 and be called a transcendent, so it was difficult for Lenox to guess what that achievement meant.

“Ivelyn, what about you?”

Lenox asked.

“On the way to the volcanic zone, you were wondering what you had to give up to go up.”

“……”

“Now that you don’t worry about that anymore… Is it because there’s no need to worry about it anymore?”

* * *

Early the next morning.

Lapis, who had gathered the Watchers who had rested for about six hours, opened her mouth.

“Everyone, please pay attention.”

Everyone gathered here were skilled people who were used to battle. And they were the only ones who had been fighting fiercely together for the past month.

For them, six hours was a relatively long time for maintenance.

But even after such a sweet rest, the Watchers’ expressions were faintly hardened with tension.

The reason why Lapis had managed the Watchers’ condition so thoroughly.

Everyone knew that it was because they would immediately enter the deepest part of the snowfield after this team formation was over.

She held up the black box she was holding above her head so that everyone could see it well.

“Inside this are thirty gems, each paired with a different color. Those who draw gems of the same color will form a team and then disband.”

The Watchers’ mouths slightly opened at the fist-sized gems that popped out of her hand.

To replace the tools used for team formation with such gems. How much wealth would one have to accumulate to make that possible?

If Lapis had intended to show off the status or wealth of the Azure Eye, it was definitely a more effective performance.

As soon as Lapis finished speaking, the Watchers began to pick up the gems one by one.

Gems of various colors poured out, and some people quickly formed teams.

If they got along, they formed a team, and if not, they politely refused and waited for their turn to end.

Everyone gathered here had the ability to move alone, and they understood the reason for forming a team, so it was possible.

There had been a commotion due to differences of opinion in the meeting room earlier, but it was only because they had the ability and the ability to make their own judgments.

Lapis had not brought in mediocre people just to inflate the size of the organization.

Rather, she had reached out only to those who could think for themselves in any situation and who could agree to her will with their own will.

Lenox could vaguely read that fact even while this simple lottery was going on.

Even if they formed teams in such a crude way, if the individual capabilities were outstanding, they would go through a pretty plausible decision-making process.

‘Ivelyn…’

Looking at the long line behind him, Lenox was lost in thought.

The unexpected possibility he had discovered in the spirit that imitated Lafford’s necromantic ritual. The conversation he had with Ivelyn about the extreme level.

How far did her answer reach? Lenox was able to grasp some clues from yesterday’s conversation.

‘I never thought she would be thinking like that.’

Had she reached a different answer from the one she had given Lenox on the journey to the volcanic zone?

After hearing her words, Lenox had no choice but to look back at the concept of the extreme level that he had been thinking about.

Even so, there were things to learn from her way of thinking, as she had lived as an agent in a large city for a long time.

It would be nice if she was on the same team as him in this team formation, as they could have more conversations about that level….

‘That’s unlikely.’

Lapis wasn’t a fool. She wouldn’t randomly put two of the most powerful people among the Watchers under her command on the same team.

Even if the two of them were on the same team by some chance, they would eventually try to create the optimal team through their own agreement.

The only possibility that Lenox could think of was to hope that someone who was friendly to him, like Sunmyung or Gerick, would be on his team.

The moment Lenox turned his gaze while thinking that.

“Hehehe.”