Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 367

“……”

Lenok, looking around blankly, checked his body and quickly recalled his memories.

He remembered that the three of them had passed through the gate almost simultaneously just before entering it.

It was ironic that he had tried so hard to be the first to pass through the gate, burning his body and mind as well as his insufficient magic power. There was no sign of anyone else around Lenok.

“Am I too late…?”

A soliloquy escaped from Lenok’s mouth as he belatedly grasped the situation.

Among the three who had been sprinting towards the gate, Lenok was undoubtedly the least physically capable.

If he was the only one left here, wouldn’t the others have already regained their senses and be heading towards the Cradle?

Even as he felt negative thoughts creeping in, Lenok struggled to support himself on his knees and stood up.

‘I can’t give up.’

Even if it was Maiya, Jaun’s personality wouldn’t allow him to leave a fainted Lenok behind.

It was also possible that the three who entered the gate had been dropped in different locations.

“The Distant View Mirror… is useless.”

Lenok sighed softly as he brought the Distant View Mirror he had taken out of his pocket to his eyes.

The Distant View Mirror was a device specialized in locating the position of magic power that the user was aware of.

Until now, it had shown the appearance of Jintun by creating an unknown synergy with Lenok’s magic eye, but in this space filled with the magic power of an Ascendant, it could not fulfill any role.

Lenok had no choice but to put the Distant View Mirror away and start walking forward aimlessly.

Splash, splash!

Each time he took a step, the water that had risen to his ankles splashed, and a soft echo reverberated.

As he slowly walked through the endless white space, Lenok checked his condition.

“…Dabi?”

He realized that the spirit who was always sleeping in his arms was not there.

At the same time as he crossed into the gate, Dabi’s existence had been reverse-summoned.

Considering that Dabi basically preferred to be summoned, it was definitely not her will.

Were his senses starting to blur so much that he couldn’t even properly perceive the existence of a spirit?

Knowing that his condition was not normal, Lenok began to gather his thoughts in order to somehow regain his senses.

‘The aftereffects of mana poisoning have definitely decreased a lot… almost half, I’d say. In reality, I’ve reduced the aftereffects even more than that.’

Was it because he had been consistently taking the pills that the apothecary Yanushika Greenaway had prescribed and had been thoroughly managing his condition?

Even though he had been rotating his magic power so fiercely throughout his body while running towards the gate, Lenok was still able to move his body.

Of course, he felt a sharp pain like being pricked with needles all over his body every time he walked, but the fact that his two legs were moving was something new to Lenok.

The apothecary’s diagnosis that it was better to gradually reduce the risk by dividing the aftereffects of mana poisoning rather than completely eliminating them was indeed accurate.

A way to reduce the impact without touching the essence of the penalty.

It was because of that insight and deep understanding of the patient that she had met a tragic end at the hands of those who coveted her abilities.

‘My magic power has recovered quite a bit too. I’m not in a state where I can’t fight. Is it because the magic power concentration in the Cradle is unbelievably high?’

As befitting the name of the Ascendant’s Cradle, the magic power that filled this space was at an enormous level that Lenok could not properly grasp.

Just the aftereffects alone were enough to rapidly increase the magic power recovery speed of Lenok, as well as the others who had entered this space.

‘Maiya and Jaun. They seemed to know each other… Did they meet once before entering the maze?’

Even as he continued to think about the existence of other competitors, Lenok did not rush his steps.

The end of this space was not easily visible, and there was no way to move quickly in the first place.

For Lenok, who had lost his bike, the only remaining mobility was a space leap that consumed about 40% of his magic power at once.

Considering that the movement distance was only a few meters and that it was a technique used for combat rather than movement, it was virtually meaningless.

It was not for nothing that Lenok had moved his body instead of using various magic spells right in front of the gate.

It was not that he was not impatient, but if he recklessly used magic power to strengthen his body here, the aftereffects of the poisoning would only worsen.

Boooooo….

A faint melody echoed from above Lenok’s head, who was lost in thought.

Lenok, who turned his head sharply, changed his direction and walked towards the source of the sound without hesitation.

He had been moving aimlessly without even distinguishing between front, back, left, and right. If he could find even a trace like this, it was enough.

A heavy drone similar to a horn. It felt like sweet music that resonated deep within his chest.

Although he didn’t know much about music, he walked in the direction of the sound, trying to remember the rhythm in his head.

After walking for a considerable amount of time, Lenok, who had succeeded in identifying the source of the sound, frowned.

“This is….”

What appeared in the faint mist was a huge pillar that looked like it was carved out of pure white stone.

There were dozens of such pillars embedded in this vast water mist.

A heavy horn sound echoed between the pillars, which were spaced at regular intervals, and reverberated above his head.

Lenok’s gaze naturally turned to the sky where the melody appeared and disappeared, then back to the pillars.

Lenok’s eyes calmly sank as he closely observed the surface of the pillars.

“The faint cracks on the surface are making a sound as the wind passes through them. It’s made to produce a constant tone regardless of the direction of the wind.”

It was not something that could be done with just one pillar. Perhaps dozens of pillars were precisely arranged to create harmony.

With such a clear purpose, it could not be a naturally created object.

If Dabi were here, she would have recorded the pattern and then applied an algorithm to interpret it, but that was not possible now.

Even if it took some time, Lenok had no choice but to record and analyze the pattern himself.

The moment Lenok thought so and carefully raised his magic power.

A burst of colorful magic light exploded right next to him, engulfing his body.

Kwaaaang!!

The horn sound that had been echoing in the quiet space was instantly buried in the explosion, and the roar echoed repeatedly, spreading to the other side of the white space.

The water that had risen to his ankles spread in all directions, creating endless overlapping ripples.

Lenok, who identified the owner of the magic power through the shattered shield, scattered a cold glint in his eyes.

“Jaun….”

“It’s annoying, isn’t it?”

Jaun, whose thick robe that had been covering his body was nowhere to be seen, was wearing only a shirt and had a tattered complexion, smiled.

He swept his long hair back and sneered at Lenok.

“If you heard the sound of the Singing Stone, I knew you would come this way. You guys aren’t that clueless.”

“Singing Stone? Are you talking about these stone pillars?”

Even though he had taken the full force of the jewel technique that Jaun had thrown, the stone pillars were not even scratched.

He knew that they were not ordinary objects due to their considerable durability, but he never thought that they would be objects with their own names.

Jaun chuckled at Lenok’s words and replied.

“It’s literally a singing stone. It has a tone that cannot be artificially created because it contains the wind, so it is a highly valuable object in terms of techniques.”

“……”

“Because of its rarity, the price is also incredibly high. I never imagined that Jintun would have stashed away so many Singing Stones. And to think that he would have incorporated the melody of the Singing Stones themselves into barrier techniques….”

Jaun muttered with a hint of admiration.

“Does the framework and standards of techniques mean nothing to an Ascendant? To give meaning to regularly repeating sounds and transform them into such high-dimensional barrier techniques, I can’t even guess the principle.”

“You’re saying that the music is being used as part of the barrier technique.”

Lenok’s face hardened as he quickly grasped the meaning of what Jaun was saying.

“As expected… you know too much about this maze.”

“Of course I do. Otherwise, would I have even thought of entering Jintun’s inner sanctum with a clear mind?”

Jaun smiled slyly and answered while adjusting his sleeves.

“Only weirdos like you and Maiya would go to such lengths to meet Jintun, who may or may not be alive. Most of the guys who crawled into this maze are only interested in the crumbs that fall from the Ascendant’s remains.”

“……”

“What do you want to talk about with an Ascendant? You don’t think he’s going to give you some kind of lesson, do you?”

Jaun stretched his mouth into a long grin and sneered at Lenok.

However, Lenok just stared at Jaun for a moment before blurting out.

“You’re talking too much.”

“……What?”

“You couldn’t pinpoint Maiya’s location. You don’t have the confidence to leave me behind and escape alone in this situation. Even though you know that provoking me with pointless words is meaningless, you still attacked me first and revealed yourself….”

Jaun’s actions seemed relaxed at first glance, but when you looked at them one by one, there were inconsistencies.

Lenok, who quickly grasped the nature of the unnaturalness even with his poorly functioning judgment, turned his head sharply towards the pillars that stretched out behind him.

“There’s something in the Singing Stones. The path to the Cradle exists behind this. Or, to be more precise….”

Inside the barrier technique that was being reconstructed in the Cradle with the melody of the Singing Stones.

That was where Jintun was sleeping.

The moment Lenok realized this, he drew up his magic power with all his might and erected a huge ice barrier in front of him.

Ice-type unique magic.

[Clear Prison Wall]

Kugugugu!!

On top of the frozen barrier that was mediated by the water below his feet, three jewels resonated almost simultaneously, and a fist of rock that burst out struck the barrier.

Before Lenok could even finish his sentence, Jaun suddenly deployed a jewel technique and attacked again.

Kwaaaang!!

The shock caused the surrounding air to sway, the barrier shattered, and ice fragments scattered.

“You unlucky bastard.”

Jaun’s face, with a murderous smile, appeared through the swaying ice fragments.

That expression itself was a signal that Lenok had guessed correctly.

“I should have just killed you back then instead of suggesting cooperation. That was my mistake.”

“Are you saying that now?”

Lenok laughed.

“I clearly had the intention of making a deal with you. You were the one who was hiding here and there and avoiding the deal.”

“Deal my ass. You were secretly following my tail and trying to get ahead whenever you had the chance…!!”

Charrrr!!

Jaun, who had eight jewels between his fingers, drew up his magic power with all his might.

“If you think about it, it’s all your fault that my plan went wrong. I’ll blow your thieving head off for having such ideas in this place.”

“A thief… That’s not something I want to hear from a terrorist.”

Lenok smiled bitterly as he stared at the dazzling light of the jewels.

Jaun glared at Lenok and crossed his arms, which were holding the jewels.

“Die!!”

[Moonstone: Spirit Summoning]

[Smoky Quartz: Multi-Projection]

The jewels on both index fingers soared above his head and exploded. They transformed into two birds with blue flames.

The four jewels on his middle and ring fingers floated around Jaun, scattering different waves.

The remaining two jewels rotated vertically and exploded, and dozens of lasers that popped out from inside bent and began to target Lenok from all directions.

Kukwakwakwakwang!!!

The lasers struck down all around Lenok, releasing heat, and the two birds flying in the sky flapped their wings and dropped dozens of flames from above.

Jaun, who fearlessly thrust his body into the barrage of attacks that were being fired at one person, grabbed the jewel that had risen on his right hand and swung it directly at Lenok.

[Jasper: All-Directional Manifestation]

Kwaaaang!!

What appeared after shattering the [Clear Prison Wall] ice barrier that had been half-broken was the shape of a huge wolf that covered Jaun’s arm.

Lenok was slightly impressed as he saw the figure beyond the shattered shield.

“You can even reach the manifestation system? Even if it’s mediated by expensive jewels, it’s quite a high level. Although you can cross systems, it’s basically impossible without knowledge of other techniques.”

“Yeah. Keep talking like that.”

[Sunstone: Three-Directional Manifestation]

Jaun, with a cold smile, grabbed the jewel that had risen on his left hand with his other hand, and the figure of a deer appeared.

“Until I rip your spine out alive, you moron!!”

Kuuuuung!!!

An oval shockwave spread out from the two of them.

The power contained within was so intense that there was a distortion between the manifestation and release of power.

“I thought it would be like this someday.”

However, Lenok nodded as he summoned a new carapace shield in that fleeting moment and blocked Jaun’s third attack.

“It’s a bit late, actually.”

A calm confession and a desperate shout overlapped as the magic power wielded by the two sorcerers echoed.

The ice fragments that were swung by the wind instantly swelled in size and turned into a fierce blizzard.

The manifestation body swung from Jaun’s hand and the onslaught of summoned creatures rotating from all directions swept across the battlefield.

Kwaaaaaaaaaa!!!

A roar like a ceaseless wave. The intensity of the magic power that the two were unleashing was by no means inferior to it.

The magic power that was drawn up was split into dozens, hundreds of strands, freezing and exploding, turning into a raging heat, and the magic light that flashed from all directions changed into various techniques with all sorts of attributes, falling diagonally and blurring the vision.

Dudududung!!

Jaun’s fierce attack, which was launching a direct melee attack from the front while simultaneously unleashing a barrage of attacks using the summoned creatures, was relentless.

His techniques and martial arts, which single-handedly implemented both the front and rear roles, were at a level that Lenok could not ignore.

However, instead of retreating from the onslaught filled with eerie murderous intent, Lenok fearlessly charged forward.

Kkirik!!

He used the carapace shield to block the powerful destructive power of the manifestation body that was added to Jaun’s close combat techniques, and channeled the impact directly into the ground.

[Ice White Pillar: Angular Brilliance]

He grabbed the water that was shaking and bursting from below his ankles and rotated it into a huge ice pillar.

[Plundering Flame Struggle]

He grabbed the flames pouring down from above, reversed the authority, and detonated them in resonance.

[The One Who Pulls and Casts]

A purple chain rose from below his feet, grabbing and stretching out Jaun’s limbs.

Wiiiiing!!

Magic that was deadly and had a precise operating principle even on its own was assembled and rotated sequentially in Lenok’s hands in an instant.

Almost simultaneously, all of them were manifested in a single breath, scattering a dazzling triple-attribute wave in all directions around the magician.

In the center of the pillar zone made of Singing Stones, dozens of huge ice horn pillars rose up all at once.

Dududududududu!!!

Blue flames burst out from between the frozen water pillars, and the purple chains rotated madly.