Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 361

A long time had passed since Evelyn and I first met.

We had become acquainted from the time I first drifted into this back alley and started taking on proper requests, so it had been nearly four years, just counting the years.

It was enough time to get to know each other without even trying.

The fact that there was no information about Lenok’s past, and that his identity was as precarious as it was unnatural for his abilities.

The suspicion that I had kept to myself without saying anything turned into certainty after we started working together in this snowy field.

Seeing Lenok handle the alias Evan so naturally, it was only natural to think that the name Ban might also be an alias.

And to worry that the relationship we had built up until now might disappear like a bubble.

“…….”

If Lenok were to abandon the name Ban and hide, our relationship would be cut off easily and meaninglessly.

With Lenok’s magic manipulation ability, and his power to freely imitate magic patterns, it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to escape without anyone knowing.

I didn’t want that kind of ending. I didn’t want that kind of one-sided severance.

Without even telling Lenok directly, Evelyn was quietly swallowing her disappointment.

The silence grew longer on the bike speeding along.

The heavy engine sound echoed softly through the vast emptiness.

Lenok, who had been silently driving the bike, quietly muttered.

“I still often recall the factory where I almost died at the hands of the Kraken.”

“…….”

“I have no intention of disappearing without saying goodbye to the person who saved my life. What you’re worried about won’t happen.”

“……Really?”

Lenok smiled at Evelyn’s words as she cautiously looked at him.

“From the beginning, I had no intention of abandoning the identity of Ban. The foundation I’ve built with this name has already grown too big……”

Lenok replied in a much lighter tone, as if trying to reassure her.

I knew that there was no need to explain my thoughts to Evelyn.

It might be much more efficient to gloss over her questions and prepare to run away at any moment when necessary.

But even knowing that, Lenok did not hesitate to make a vague promise to Evelyn in this place.

In this world full of chaos and distrust, it was important not to abandon those who approached with good intentions.

Both the intuition and reason that had been formed through considerable experience recognized this.

Evelyn Marcia was a good person.

Lenok was not foolish or dull enough to abandon this naive archer who had followed him and become a Watcher under the Eye of Azure.

“No, I just wanted to know your real name, not just for that reason… well, I understand. Let’s talk about it later.”

Lenok also smiled at Evelyn’s words, which became slightly faster as she mumbled as if making an excuse.

I realized that even a seasoned agent with years of experience was, in some ways, much more clumsy than Lenok.

* * *

Kugugugugugu…!!!

A faint vibration echoed from inside the snowy field.

However, the rumbling was so grand and clear that it was transmitted to everyone scattered around the snowy field.

Lapis, who was sitting on the edge of the floating island, closing her eyes and looking up at the sky, could also feel it.

“Lapis-nim…!!”

Sunmyeong appeared with a surprised expression.

Lapis quietly shook her head at his appearance, clutching his spear shaft so hard it looked like it would break.

Sunmyeong, who had been standing with a stiff expression, sighed in relief at her answer.

“It’s… not over yet?”

It had already been almost a week since they had successfully sent the core forces of the Watchers into the labyrinth.

Even the most resilient warriors would have had enough time to become exhausted and disorganized.

That’s why Lapis was trying to keep the rotation of work and rest for the Watchers waiting outside the snowy field as clean as possible.

Even if the Watchers who entered the labyrinth successfully finished their work and came out, the forces of the floating island had to be ready to retrieve them immediately.

However, it wasn’t just the Eye of Azure that was thinking that way. There was a fierce battle for control near the canyon to secure entry and exit routes.

Whether inside or outside the labyrinth, battles were constantly taking place for different reasons and motives.

“There’s not much time left.”

“That means…!!”

Instead of answering, Lapis raised her eyes to the sky again.

In her wide eyes, countless starlight rose in the endless void, illuminating the vast darkness like a universe.

“I can feel the power that looks down on this snowy field. The will of a transcendent being with an immeasurably vast presence. It must be Jintun’s.”

“…….”

Sunmyeong didn’t seem to realize it, but Lapis, who had inherited the mission of the lighthouse keeper, could tell.

The will of a transcendent being that was not only looking down on the entire snowy field, but also rotating its consciousness beyond the space-time of the world.

It was clearly to confirm with his own eyes the identity of the end that was approaching from beyond the outer sea.

Now, the Ascendant was also sensing that there was truly not much time left.

Lapis didn’t know if the Ascendant’s will, which he had belatedly realized, was left before or after his death.

The only thing that was certain was that he had intended all of this from the beginning.

With an intuition close to certainty, Lapis opened her mouth.

“I think I know to some extent why the Ascendant suddenly started moving.”

“Could it be… are you saying he succeeded in ascending?”

She shook her head at Sunmyeong’s tense question.

“He’s waiting.”

Lapis said blankly.

A vague conviction without any basis or logic.

But Lapis did not hesitate to tell Sunmyeong that.

In the gaze that looked at her, it seemed that she had also read some of Jintun’s intentions.

“Waiting, you say? What on earth is he waiting for?”

“Someone who can give him an answer… or someone to give his answer to.”

Lapis replied.

“In the end, the only ones who can confirm the truth will be those who reach the end of the labyrinth.”

The operation that had been going on for nearly 50 days was coming to an end.

The Hanghasa Labyrinth did not reject those who entered, and with the skills and hierarchy of those who had entered, they would be able to overcome the end.

However, what was reflected in Lapis’s expression was anxiety rather than joy.

“Please, may everyone be safe…”

Even though she knew it was an unrealistic and futile wish, she had no choice but to pray.

From the moment she inherited the mission of the lighthouse keeper and decided to change the irrational ending, she had always been looking at impossible hopes.

For the sake of the people who had gathered around her, drawn by that absurd determination, Lapis had no choice but to always wish.

Not everything you wish for comes true, but if you don’t wish for anything, nothing will come true.

If it was to prevent the sky from opening and to preserve the world, Lapis was prepared to be unreasonable.

* * *

Whirring!!

The sound of the wind gradually intensified. It was difficult to open my eyes due to the strong wind that was hitting my face.

“I can see the end of the bridge.”

Along with Evelyn’s muttering, Lenok’s mind also gradually calmed down.

The scenery of the bridge that quickly passed by, the sight of hundreds of illusions visible through the lens of the monocular.

Hundreds of bridges.

Even in an environment where time flowed differently, the illusions that Lenok saw walked forward at the same speed and pace.

“…….”

The unchanging appearance of the illusion looking back at me.

When I first entered this labyrinth, it was closer to the appearance of a young boy, but now it had clearly changed into that of an old man with a hunched back.

It was as if it was showing the life of a person from beginning to end.

Lenok now seemed to know what this illusion, which he could only vaguely guess at, meant.

“He tried to implement all the timelines and possibilities that have passed in the labyrinth, and tried to gain a presence equal to that of a world on his own.”

Lenok muttered.

“That is the answer given by a transcendent being who is challenging ascension as a barrier mage. But, even after stuffing such a miracle into reality, it means it was still not enough…”

“…Have you come to a conclusion about the illusion?”

Evelyn quickly grasped the context of Lenok’s sudden words and reached the correct answer.

Lenok nodded, glancing at Evelyn’s expression, which had also become serious.

“It would be good to decide what we need to do before we reach the final gate.”

“…….”

“We don’t know who will reach the end of the labyrinth. Maybe the gate itself will only let one of us in.”

“But if that’s the case, then you, the sorcerer, would be better than me-”

“Listen to the end.”

Lenok interrupted Evelyn and said, gripping the bike’s throttle again.

“Reaching the cradle isn’t the end of everything. We also need to think about what happens after we confirm the Ascendant’s life or death.”

“…….”

“In the worst case, one person may have to block the path while the other goes inside. It wouldn’t be strange if time was even more distorted inside the cradle.”

Lenok turned his head.

“If that happens, no matter how I think about it, it’s more reasonable for me to block the path and buy time. Building a defense line and adding firepower is the job of a sorcerer. So, if that situation comes, don’t hesitate.”

Lenok’s cold eyes met Evelyn’s green eyes.

“Whether Zygis Ithernoer is alive or dead, we must find out the fundamental reason that made him move.”

“…Okay.”

“It would have been nice if we could have told the other Watchers, but there’s not enough time to exchange information… It’s because the labyrinth is wider than I thought.”

Lenok said that and turned his gaze forward again.

“There will be quite a few guys who are more interested in the Ascendant’s legacy or artifacts than the Ascendant himself. If the situation becomes complicated, we’ll have no choice but to aim for the maximum profit at that point…”

Evelyn placed her hand on Lenok’s shoulder as he muttered. Her face had already turned cold.

“Ban, it’s ahead.”

Lenok turned his head following her gaze and let out a groan.

“Yeah… It’s starting, I guess.”

Peeyoooong…!!

A crimson ray of light shot from the left diagonal, aiming directly at the bridge where the two were running.

If it wasn’t for the gloomy magic light, it wouldn’t be strange to think it was Evelyn’s, it was such an accurate and sharp designated shot.

The competitors who had passed the second gate had discovered each other’s presence at the end of the bridge and had begun to check each other.

The gently curved red magic light accurately aimed at the top of the bridge where the two were running, tilting its head.

Drdrdrdeuk!!

The bridge, which had become so hard that even Lenok’s revolver fire couldn’t even scratch it, was shattered so easily.

The bridge, which had been cut off in the middle, began to recover quickly, but the speed and extent of the recovery made it difficult to support a heavy bike.

Lenok quickly realized this and immediately extended his magic thread, turning the bike towards the bridge next to him.

Squeak!!

As thick tire marks were pressed onto the bridge, the bike floated upwards.

The heavy bike fell onto the bridge next to it, but the bridge, which was much stronger than before, easily withstood the impact.

“It’s not going to end with just one. It’s coming continuously!”

Crimson flashes of light flickered continuously from the dark void. If the same magic light flickered continuously, the possibility that the target was a coincidence was low.

At Lenok’s words, Evelyn stood up from the back of the bike where she had been sitting.

“Keep going. I’ll intercept them.”

Clank!!

Balancing precariously with her toes on the edge of the bike, she reached behind her back.

The bow that had been attached to the back of the suit spread out wide on both sides, taking the form of a heavy longbow.

Evelyn also realized that she could not counter the sniping from afar with the power of a short bow.

While retreating to the back of the bike to secure the distance to draw the bow, there was not a hint of agitation on Evelyn’s face.

Kkiririk…!!

As she placed the arrow on the bowstring and pulled her shoulder back, the green light that bloomed from her fingertips moved to the arrowhead like a flame.

Aiming the arrow purely with her eyesight and senses on the bike that was running so fast that she couldn’t see her surroundings properly.

The moment her bent fingers lost their strength, three green flashes of light flew into the void.

Peeying!!

Immediately after, it collided with the crimson magic light that was accurately aiming at them and pouring down from the void.

The green and black-red magic lights intertwined and exploded, creating a dazzling glow in the void.

As a result, a rain of magic fell incessantly all over the bridge, creating a fierce fire.

Du du du du du!!!!

I ran over the remaining flames of magic that were rising from all over the bridge with the bike.

The thick tires of the car body began to melt and a burning smell rose, but there was no time to worry about that.

“Can you pinpoint the sniper’s location?”

“No!”

Evelyn replied.

“My magic detection hasn’t fully activated yet, but I can’t see anything ahead!”

Communication was not easy in the wind that was constantly blowing.

But even after hearing Evelyn’s words, Lenok nodded as if he had expected it.

‘I think I know roughly.’

Hundreds of bridges placed in the vast void. The speed of time flowing differently on each bridge.

And if you think about the illusions that are walking on all those bridges without exception, you can see what that means.

The bridges of this labyrinth leading to the third gate represented all the derived futures that a person could have lived.

Warrior, carpenter, farmer, shaman, barrier mage, engineer, explorer… If they had lived with different possibilities, the perceived time within them would have been completely different.

If you realize that the different timelines flowing on each bridge mean that, you can understand why Lenok and Evelyn didn’t notice the presence of those gangsters earlier.

Only in the timeline that has gone ahead can you look back and recognize the existence of other possibilities.

This is probably because you cannot actually recognize even the near future that could have been possible for you in the same timeline.

The Ascendant’s ideological domain, which had unfolded the countless possibilities of humans into one labyrinth.

The Hanghasa Labyrinth was an otherworld that was implemented by adding the number of those countless possibilities to the labyrinth.

‘The fact that the bridges are starting to converge into one and the path is gradually becoming stronger is also part of that.’

The older you get and the higher you climb in the hierarchy, the number of possibilities that exist for humans decreases, and instead, that future becomes stronger.

Does it mean the process of passing through a fragile and weak childhood, completing the self, and becoming stronger?

I even felt a faint sense of awe at Jintun’s idea of ​​digging into a person’s inner self to the limit and completing a world.

Unlike Lenok, who completed his mental image by drawing a future that had not yet come, Jintun was drawing the past by looking back at the path he had already taken.

The direction of the two people who chose a non-existent future and a past that had already passed.

Which one is closer to the answer will be confirmed at the end of this Hanghasa Labyrinth.

Crackling…!!

The more I looked around, observed, and absorbed new realizations and know-how, the deeper the cracks engraved in Lenok’s magic eye became.

But Lenok was lost in thought without even realizing that fact himself.

‘It would be nice if I could see and observe a little more… but the problem is time.’

If Lenok’s thoughts were correct, all the competitors who entered this labyrinth would eventually reach their destination at a similar time from the moment they arrived on this bridge, sooner or later.

In the end, the maze of countless possibilities implemented in this labyrinth would have to converge towards the existence of the Ascendant called Jintun.

In other words, the advantage of the two people who passed the second gate relatively quickly was fading.

In the end, it was no different from saying that they had to race to compete for the lead at the last gate.

“Evan!!”

Paah-ah-ah-ah!!

At that moment, Lenok, who had been awakened from his thoughts by Evelyn’s shout, suddenly looked down at his feet.

The angles between the rapidly running bridges were rapidly narrowing and merging into one huge path.

On the huge bridge that had no boundaries and stretched endlessly, competitors riding on different vehicles like Lenok began to come into view.

There was no need for words.

The labyrinth entrants, who had recognized each other’s presence, simultaneously drew up their magic power and extended it towards each other with all their might.

Kwaaaah-ah-ah-ah!!

The waves of magic that spread out widely and the sharp thorns that rose like awls collided, creating a shock wave.

As if affected by the shock wave, the scenery of the void surrounding the bridge was completely cleared, revealing the scenery of the labyrinth.

Even the superhumans who had been extending their killing intent towards each other let out groans at the shocking sight.

“Huk…!!”

“C, crazy!!”

“No way, what is this!!”

A huge open space in the labyrinth filled with a vast void.

Below it, huge evil god statues that were at least ten meters tall were lined up densely.

The evil god statues had human bodies, but their faces were as ferocious as demons. Each of them was holding a weapon and looking up at the bridge, and their appearance was truly terrifying.

The hundreds of statues seemed to be alive and filled the labyrinth with their hideous and lively appearance and momentum.

And at the end of that magnificent group of evil god statues.

The appearance of a gate that was so vast that it stretched from the dark void sky to the ground.

The golden patterns faintly shone between the pure white doors, illuminating the bridge that was gradually widening.

Everyone who saw the beautiful gate realized.

The third and final gate. The final path to the cradle.

The end of the labyrinth was right in front of them.