Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 386

The death of Chairman Parden McQueen triggered a rapid shift in positions within the Cartel. It was inevitable that the reshuffling of the board of directors would extend to the executive board below them. Amidst this, Yerien, who had just been appointed as a new director after a fierce performance battle, anxiously checked her wristwatch and tapped her foot.

“The meeting is about to start, and of all times…”

“I never thought I’d run into a Cartel executive in a place like this.”

Boom!

Above the head of a beast swinging its sturdy tail like an iron bar.

“I heard Cartel executives are all busy playing with money, but I guess that’s not always the case?”

The woman, perched on the beast with its perked-up ears, looked down at the bespectacled Cartel executive with a triumphant expression.

“You look much more impoverished than I expected.”

“…I’m not sure why you suddenly want to pick a fight with me,” Yerien retorted, adjusting her glasses.

“Judging by the rodent you’re with, you must be a tamer. Shouldn’t we just go our separate ways?”

Taming-type superhumans are generally rare in the underworld, so Yerien sensed that her opponent was not from the shadows.

Unless one was exceptionally skilled, taming, which easily reveals one’s identity and abilities, was quite vulnerable in this district where one could easily be stabbed in the back.

Unless Yerien knew the woman’s identity, it was likely that she was from the surface world.

“We can’t do that.”

The woman grinned.

“You seem to be unaware, but recently, bounties have started to be placed on the high-ranking executives of the Three-Headed Dragon [a powerful crime syndicate].”

“…What did you say?”

“The amount is much larger than I expected. I’ve ended up playing bounty hunter, which is not my usual thing.”

The idea of placing bounties on the executives of the Three-Headed Dragon, who dominate the underworld of Balkan, was absurd.

And the fact that surface-world powerhouses were attacking Cartel executives for those bounties was proof that the line between the surface and the underworld was blurring in this city.

“Who on earth is putting bounties on our company…” Yerien muttered in disbelief, then sighed and rolled up her sleeves.

As she raised her magic power, a magic circle rotated around her wrist, preparing a spell.

As someone who held a position in the Balkan underworld, she was not lacking in courage or skill.

“Alright. I don’t know how much you’re underestimating our company, but it’s absurd to back down when you come at us like this. What’s your affiliation?”

“Mirei. I can’t reveal my affiliation, but I’m not unemployed.”

Mirei smiled slyly.

“I went through a lot of trouble getting my side job permit, so I’d appreciate it if you’d be captured quietly.”

“Ha, how long are you going to keep up with that flimsy lie-”

As Yerien scoffed, Mirei’s expression changed, and five superhumans appeared around her.

Kuuuung!

A diverse group of skilled individuals, both men and women. The magic power flowing from their bodies changed colors, altering its nature.

They were clearly skilled individuals. It would be difficult for Yerien, a mage, to handle them alone.

Only then did Yerien realize that she was truly planning to capture her, and she bit her lip.

‘If only I hadn’t sent my attendants to the meeting first…!’

She had been careless due to personal matters, and now things had come to this.

Could her opponent have been aiming for this coincidence and decided to pick a fight with her?

Mirei, looking down at her, smiled leisurely and patted the head of the beast she was riding.

“It’s a shame to split the bounty, but 50 million cell [currency] per head isn’t a bad side job…”

Crack!

At that moment, the neck of the beast Mirei was riding was cleanly severed from its body.

The beast’s head, cut straight as if measured with a ruler, fell to the ground, and Mirei’s body, which had been riding on it, was slammed upside down onto the cold asphalt.

“Kyaa! W-What is this…!!”

Before Mirei, who seemed to lack physical abilities as a tamer, could even get angry, the beast’s headless corpse swelled up like a balloon and burst.

Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, scattering bloodstains in all directions.

At that unbelievably gruesome sight, the other superhumans slightly opened their mouths.

From behind the street where not even the beast’s corpse remained, Lenok slowly walked out.

“Bounty hunting. It’s a good thing. I used to do it a lot myself.”

Lenok looked down at Mirei lying on the asphalt and smiled faintly.

“But your experience seems lacking, your work is sloppy. Why bother stopping and bothering people passing by?”

“Y-You… You bastard…!!”

Mirei, her face flushed, jumped up and reached for her neck.

The moment she brought a whistle made of a bright blue gem to her mouth and blew it with all her might.

Clack!

Lenok, using the Archangel’s Compassion [a magical ability], snatched it away in an instant and looked down at the whistle with a curious expression.

“You said you were a tamer, but you use strange items. Trying to blow this in this situation means you’re probably trying to call a new friend, right?”

“Give that back right now!!!”

Mirei rushed at him, foaming at the mouth.

That meant the whistle she had just lost was important to her.

Lenok chuckled and threw the whistle high into the air.

“Here it is.”

The moment Mirei’s gaze went upward, he detonated an impact magic, slamming her body into the wall of a nearby building.

Crash!

After confirming that Mirei had fainted with foam in her mouth, Lenok turned his gaze to the other superhumans who had appeared there.

“Take her and get lost. Then I’ll let the fact that you smashed the taxi I was riding slide.”

If they were from the underworld, he would have just killed them without warning, but since he didn’t know who they were, he didn’t want to bother using more force.

He was still unsure of the full extent of the effects of the lifted ban on the Law of Restraint [a rule limiting the use of magic].

He wanted to avoid making things troublesome by being too cruel here.

However, the other superhumans exchanged glances and then turned their bodies completely towards Lenok instead of Yerien.

“I never thought I’d see you in a place like this. Does the Iron Wall of District 49 [a nickname for Lenok] usually use public transportation?”

“You know me.”

“There can’t be many people with your skills in this district.”

The muscular giant who stepped forward answered, turning his neck.

“Your face isn’t recorded, but I’ve heard your description countless times.”

“…”

“A non-executive director of the Cartel. And you’re also an external advisor to Dyke, right?”

Each time he cracked his fingers, a sound like breaking steel bars echoed.

“I’m sorry for blocking your way, but you’ll have to come with us too.”

“An external advisor to Dyke…” Lenok smiled bitterly at the blatant hostility.

“So, you weren’t just picking a fight because of the bounty.”

The fact that they mentioned Dyke at this point meant that they were not just side-job seekers looking for a bounty.

It was highly likely that their approach to Yerien was also a planned move.

Kooong!

The asphalt nearby began to collapse as he lightly stomped his foot, wearing military boots.

An impossible feat of strength unless one was a physical powerhouse who used their entire body as a weapon.

“I wondered how the city would function when the Law of Restraint disappeared, but it’s much more convenient than I thought.”

As he took a few deep breaths, the man’s skin began to turn dark red.

The giant, who had transformed into a truly eerie appearance with even his eyes turned black, stepped forward and lightly lowered his shoulders.

“In the middle of a street like this, there’s much less need to worry about what others think…!”

Kugung!

The asphalt was crushed as he extended his legs.

The giant, who had dashed forward, leaving the shattered ground behind, was launched like a cannonball.

The massive body, nearly 2 meters tall.

The impact generated by the muscular body, filled with magic power, rushing at near-subsonic speed, surpassed that of a tank.

The giant, who had flung a jeep parked near the road like a pebble, slammed his shoulder directly into Lenok.

Immediately after, a circular wave erupted from the area where the two collided, flipping the entire asphalt.

Crack…!!

Yerien, who was watching from behind, opened her mouth wide and frantically pulled out her phone from her pocket.

“I-I need to contact the higher-ups…!!”

The Iron Wall was not just a skilled freelancer, but someone who held a non-executive director position in the Cartel under the chairman’s approval.

Even if she was also a director, she was just a newly appointed member of the executive board, and her treatment was completely different.

It was impossible to guess what kind of reprimand she would receive if such a distinguished person got caught up in a commotion because of her.

However, Yerien’s worries disappeared without a trace along with the pale lightning that brushed past her cheek.

Creation-type Unique Magic: Dual Refinement

[Threaded Draw]

Swish!

A light sound, as if stealing the wind.

The flash of light that was shot out with that small sound of tearing through the air easily pierced the giant’s shoulder, passed through his back, and soared into the sky.

“Kuh…!!”

The giant, his face stiff, grabbed his pierced shoulder and retreated.

The dark red skin was returning to its original color in an instant.

Lenok said, watching the giant.

“A technique to increase the strength of the body by solidifying blood around the skin. A good attempt, but the bleeding will be severe after it’s pierced, right?”

“How…!!”

“There have been many who wanted to close the distance and attack first, just like you.”

Lenok, nonchalantly dusting off his hand where magic power had been concentrated, took a step forward.

The giant, clutching his bleeding wound, naturally took a step back.

The advantage was decided with a single exchange.

However, Lenok was expressionless, as if he felt no emotion about that fact.

“But many don’t understand that it also means there are more options for each other. You’re not much different.”

“J-Just pin him down!!”

The giant, focused on suppressing the rapidly increasing bleeding, retreated, and in response, the other superhumans, who had been radiating killing intent from behind, rushed forward in unison.

Despite using different weapons and spells, the magic power they unleashed was sharp and precise.

They were clearly veterans with plenty of combat experience, and they were used to this kind of coordinated attack.

The moment the mage, who had slightly tilted his head, closed his eyes, the superhumans’ attacks poured down like rain.

In the middle of the wide intersection, a purple magic eye rotated.

Bang!

He slammed lightning into the chest of the golem that rushed in first.

He grabbed the fragments of the golem that had burst like a broken can with magic power and twisted his wrist, causing the fragments to spread in all directions, receiving Lenok’s magic power and exploding.

Boom boom boom!

The fireballs that erupted in that way rotated in unison and gathered in one place, creating a huge pillar of fire.

From the end of the rotating pillar of fire, countless fire rains fell.

In the middle of the heat that instantly covered and burned the middle of the street, he placed chains of gravity around the necks of the mages struggling and pointed them directly at the ground.

Kwaaang!

He froze the chains around the necks of the mages who were buried headfirst into the crushed road, immobilizing them, and detonated high-frequency sound magic.

The ultrasonic waves, vibrating at an incredible speed, shattered the ice block precisely at the resonance frequency that Lenok had created.

On the water that had melted from the heat, waves rose and swept away the warriors who were rushing towards Lenok.

Thud thud thud!!!

“Damn it, what kind of firepower is that…!!”

“Get a grip and regroup!! Those who can take it, re-enter in order!!”

However, the opponents also desperately resisted Lenok’s attacks that assaulted their senses and clung to him.

As soon as they realized that Lenok was trying to create an opening by using sound magic, someone tore their collar and covered their ears.

They checked the extent of their injuries and re-entered with the people who could move.

The teamwork was so precise that it was hard to believe it was being displayed by a small group of less than ten people.

Even in the middle of this chaotic street, their organizational power was being displayed without filtering, and others regained their senses and rushed to attack Lenok.

“A military organization that uses bounty hunting as an excuse while surface companies are fighting… I can’t just let this slide.”

Lenok, confirming that, also lowered his stance and began to cross his hands to form hand seals.

“I need to keep at least one alive.”

Kugugugugu!!

The magic power that erupted from Lenok’s body flashed and rotated, instantly transforming into a series of colorful lightning.

[Biased Thunder] pierced the chest of the spearman who was trying to stab Lenok’s back, avoiding all the checks.

[White Fall] landed on the head of the gunner who was on the roof of a nearby building, firing a cannon.

He grabbed the magic power and artifacts that were wandering around and twisted them with [Refined Clear].

Paah-ah-ah-ang!!!

The unique magic that used to require a considerable amount of magic power and time to use was unleashed one after another without any reduction, brightly illuminating the surroundings.

The bright blue lightning that was fiercely scattered across the street rotated, drawing a huge hemisphere.

And within it, lightning bolts fell incessantly, turning the area into a sea of fire.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!!!

Even Yerien, who was watching from afar, stopped the hand that was pressing the number and opened her mouth wide.

“No, how can a human…”

Even the high-ranking executives of the Cartel or mages she knew would find it difficult to project that level of firepower magic as if breathing.

The magic that Lenok was wielding so casually was destructive magic that even skilled mages would find difficult to realize without concentrating all their power.

The way he was wielding and firing those spells in the midst of a fierce battle, without any vanguard, while fighting against top-tier superhumans, was like a moving fortress.

Kwaaaaaaa!!

The waves of heat and cold that were constantly surging and being wielded. In between, the ground melted and froze in succession, and even the atmosphere burst.

In the center of that destruction, Lenok’s expression was as calm as ever as he waved his hand, but the expressions of those who were rushing at him, constantly changing positions while keeping him in their sight, were hardening.

“Eek…!!”

Someone, unable to bear it, broke formation and forced their way into Lenok’s lightning zone to create a variable.

“The calculation is complete.”

Lenok waved his hand as if he had been waiting for it.

Immediately after, small concentric circles began to appear on the chests of the other superhumans who had been radiating killing intent towards Lenok.

“Barrier magic… It certainly takes time, but it’s worth trying at least once.”

Lenok, reaching out his hand towards the golden concentric circles floating in the air, clenched his fist.

“From now on, I’ll show you something interesting.”