Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 405

The three of them immediately went down from the rooftop to the workshop where the bike was being made.

“Most of the options you ordered were actually installed a long time ago,” Victor said, guiding Lenok through the echoing sounds of machinery.

“However, according to the requirements you gave us in advance, it seemed like we could push the bike’s performance to its limits, so we deliberately postponed the remaining work.”

“Are you saying there are more options that can be installed?”

“Originally, we limit some functions by applying brakes for the rider’s safety, but I don’t think a sturdy person like you would need such safety devices.”

Whoosh!!

Standing there with a quiet engine sound was the magnificent figure of the bike.

Solid and thick tires, dozens of pipes sticking out from under the wheels, a sharp exterior, and a seat coated in black armor.

Clear magical light flowed from the seams, and hot haze rose from the bike’s body.

In terms of size alone, it was an overwhelming class comparable to a decent four-wheel drive.

While Lenok was slightly admiring the imposing appearance, Victor, who had approached the bike without hesitation, said,

“Ten types of appearance changes. Addition of a six-way injection cylinder. A ten-stage thruster, top-grade alloy outer shell. And even a base power source made with a magic core fusion engine.”

He picked up a piece of equipment that was a combination of a bench, screws, and a hammer from a nearby workbench and began to examine the bike closely.

“But after removing the brakes on each option, there are a few interesting parts that can be connected to the spare circuits.”

“Victor, what are you going to do about vehicle safety regulations?” Sebastian, who had been watching with a yawn from behind, asked.

“If you put in even one of the things you were talking about with me earlier, the National Defense Forces might come looking for you, not the Transportation Management Bureau.”

“It’s not a mass-produced item for sale, so what does it matter?” Victor grinned and retorted.

“I have no intention of following annoying regulations for something I’m giving to Mr. Ban as a special gift.”

“Or is it just that you want to do this?”

Victor didn’t answer Sebastian’s question.

Clank!!

He opened the seams of the bike without hesitation and began to touch the internal structure with the equipment in his hand.

Each time he inserted and moved the equipment, the outer armor twitched, revealing bright lights, and the hidden functions inside popped out one after another, putting on a show in front of Lenok.

Charrrr!!

His hands moved so quickly that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been drinking and chatting with Sebastian just a moment ago.

In response, various mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling of the workshop gathered around Victor and began to hand him countless parts directly.

Without even looking away, he reassembled the received parts onto the bike.

He disassembled and reassembled even the completed parts, naturally inserting new parts.

Lenok checked the identity of the parts in Victor’s hand with his magic sense and chuckled.

Among the parts that were constantly moving on the mechanical arms, there were a few that looked particularly familiar.

“A super-vibration blade, an 88-round rapid-fire cannon, shell-embedded ammunition, and a rear-mounted shotgun. These are all hard to find on the market, how did you manage to sneak them in?”

“I knew Mr. Ban would recognize them. These are expensive items that only well-known friends in the underworld can use as equipment,” Victor replied while constantly adjusting the equipment.

“That’s not all. We’ve also left space to mount about two heat-seeking missiles and are installing an automatic firing system.”

“…Missiles?” Even at Lenok’s bewildered question, Victor continued to move his hands without paying attention.

“If we cram a heat-source thruster into the remaining space and finally install a built-in force field glider… it will be possible to fly for a short time.”

Clank, clank!!

He disassembled all the tens of thousands of parts that went into the monster bike, hung them on the mechanical arms, and reassembled them without a single error.

A series of skills to check and review whether there are any errors or problems in the manufacturing process directly in front of the customer.

Not only did he already have a perfect blueprint of the bike in his head, but this was something that could not be attempted without having done similar work hundreds or thousands of times.

Victor’s face, dripping with sweat and grinning, seemed to be more in the realm of self-satisfaction than for Lenok himself.

“Since the city council created the air force, the regulations on aircraft, which were very strict, have been relaxed. You probably won’t leave any traces if you use it in the outer districts.”

“It can fly for a short time, has machine guns and missiles, and is made of super-alloy…” Lenok, who had been thinking deeply, laughed with a dumbfounded expression.

“Looking at it like this, it’s not a bike, it’s a wingless fighter jet.”

“Oh, how did you know? Actually, the engine installed in this bike is originally used in fighter jets.”

“…” The president of Otterble was giving answers that were increasingly beyond common sense.

While Lenok was thinking about whether he should stop him, Sebastian, who had been quietly watching, chimed in.

“Victor is the best when it comes to customization among the Meisters [master craftsmen] I know. Even though he runs a company, his skills are better than those of a craftsman working in the field.”

“…It certainly seems like it’s not just a job for him,” Sebastian also laughed at Lenok’s slightly lukewarm answer.

“He may talk a bit foolishly, but the results will never be disappointing.”

Victor’s clothes, which had gone under the bike, were soaked with sweat, but he didn’t care at all and focused on tinkering with the bike’s internal engine.

“Removing the safety devices to protect the user, full option upgrade of the shooting device that is basically installed on the monster bike. Automatic charging function for consumables used for jamming… final inspection complete.”

It was after dozens of minutes that Victor, who had been assembling and disassembling the bike as if time had stopped, stopped his hands.

“Whew…!! There doesn’t seem to be any major problems. It’s good enough to drive right now,” He stuck out his tongue and smiled awkwardly, drenched in sweat.

“It took a while. Sorry. I guess I’m getting old, my body doesn’t move as I want it to.”

“…No, it was enough. At least I can trust how well you know your work.”

“That’s a relief. Actually, I used to be a decent rider back in the day, so I got a little carried away thinking about the old days.”

Perhaps Lenok’s calm answer had calmed Victor down a bit.

He smiled awkwardly and turned slightly, gesturing towards the bike.

“There’s a test drive course behind the headquarters for customers who have purchased our company’s products. Would you like to try it out?”

“Hmm…” After a moment of thought, Lenok shook his head.

“No, instead, I want to see you drive the bike, Victor.”

“…Yes?”

“I want to see the skills of a rider who was good in his prime. It seems like it would be very helpful, would that be okay?”

* * *

“Ban. Even if Victor has gained some reflected benefits through you, isn’t this a bit too harsh?” Sebastian burst out laughing at Victor’s appearance as he carefully drove the monster bike on the test drive course located behind the headquarters, dripping with sweat.

“Victor is too old. When he was younger, he was obsessed with all kinds of vehicles and wandered around for years, but not anymore.”

Victor, wearing a full-body protector and a hard helmet, was driving the monster he had created very slowly around the test drive course.

Even while driving on a course designed to be relatively considerate of novice drivers, his hands holding the bike’s handlebars were trembling.

That’s probably because he understands how dangerous the bike he made is.

The new bike, made strictly according to Lenok’s order, was adjusted so extremely in terms of deceleration, acceleration, and speed control that it was beyond human senses to control.

From Lenok’s point of view, who entrusted the bike’s driving to Davi’s automatic driving algorithm, it was necessary to adjust it so that Davi could perform most comfortably.

The computational power, simulation, pathfinding, and variable prediction capabilities of a digital spirit are not something that even the most skilled rider or superhuman can easily match.

If you let your guard down even a little, it wouldn’t be strange if you flew out and crashed headfirst into the helmet.

“He certainly doesn’t seem to be a superhuman good enough to avoid aging.”

“You know that not all superhumans can avoid aging.”

A bitter smile formed on Sebastian’s lips.

“Even with chosen talent and body, they become relatively equal in the face of time. Only monsters like you can overcome that.”

“…”

“I don’t have any feelings about that fact anymore. So, if you have anything to say, why don’t you say it before Victor crashes into a corner?”

Lenok smiled faintly at the nonchalant reply.

“You knew.”

“You wanted to talk separately, right? Victor knew that too, so he didn’t ask any more questions and stepped aside.”

Victor also knew that Lenok had said that in order to meet with Sebastian separately.

Only after hearing that did Lenok not hesitate.

“Sorry for the trouble. I needed a way to make contact separately without going to your office.”

“Ban, there are rumors that you’ve gotten involved in a power struggle between dinosaur corporations. My clients say that you’re on the verge of balancing things out against a huge figure.”

“…”

Sebastian glanced at Lenok and said, “Considering what you’ve done so far, I guess you’re thinking of meeting him directly… Am I wrong?”

Has the inside story of the power struggle between Achilles and Dyke already started to spread?

But that’s why there was something he needed to ask of Sebastian, who deals with such VIPs.

While Lenok was choosing his words slowly to bring up the matter, Sebastian spoke first.

“If you want to find Madrich Onion, I will cooperate.”

“…”

“But there’s a condition.”

Sebastian’s unexpected proposal.

His ability to know the name and the inside story in such detail was impressive, but what surprised Lenok more than that was his proactive attitude itself.

Sebastian, who had always been friendly to Lenok, asking him to work together, had always maintained a seemingly withdrawn attitude, but he was now being so proactive.

“You know something.”

Lenok, who was fiddling with his cell phone inside his pocket, lowered his gaze and asked.

“Do you want a deal?”

“…The fact that you came to me at this point means that you have a certain direction in mind and are considering it,” Sebastian replied with a slightly stiff face.

“I can help you with that process.”

That was not wrong. If it hadn’t been for the information obtained from Achilles’ network through Graham Campbell, there would have been no reason to come to him.

With Sebastian’s connections, who mainly works with clients in the public eye, Lenok would be able to get closer to his plan more quickly.

“Okay,” Lenok, who had been pondering, nodded with his arms crossed.

“Let’s hear about the condition first and then decide.”

* * *

Clank, clank!!

“Hmm…” The revolver modified by Palmer. The sniper rifle with added armor to adjust recoil and durability. Even the rechargeable shotgun gifted by a Makina craftsman.

Lenok looked down at the equipment he had placed on the workbench, then lowered his head and began to tinker with them again.

Clank, thud!

“Ah. I missed it.”

It was a common occurrence when maintaining firearms without the aid of shooting magic.

Lenok’s dexterity was not good enough to be called good, so even though he regularly maintained his firearms, he often dropped and lost magazines or parts.

Of course, as a mage, he had never bent over to retrieve the lost parts, but Lenok bent over and picked up the parts himself instead of using magic.

[I told you not to use magic,] someone who had been watching him from right next to him was uttering a somewhat cold voice.

“I picked it up myself without using it, what are you talking about?”

[Hmm… Is it not intentional?] The voice didn’t answer; instead, it was quietly stroking its chin and lost in thought.

Beyond the veil, complex seven-colored lights flickered incessantly.

[It seems that every time you move, the surrounding magic also reacts and fluctuates.]

“Then what should I do?”

[Don’t move from now on.]

“…” Lenok swallowed a sigh and silently raised his head.

Olivierra Ron Maze’s laboratory, the chairman of the cartel.

The huge magic tome that was no different from when he had visited before. The cold armory of the space that was transformed as the bookshelf folded.

Lenok was fidgeting with his hands on the workbench in the warehouse where all kinds of guns and weapons were displayed.

“I don’t know why I have to repeat this work without even hearing an explanation in the first place,” Lenok, who had collected the guns scattered on the floor with a light gesture, asked.

“What is the point of continuing precise actions without using magic?”

The last meeting when he revealed that the 3rd director, Ayun, had joined hands with the Order.

At that time, Lenok had made a rather bold deal with Olivierra, saying that he wanted to investigate the Seven-Colored Treasure Eye.

It was a proposal he had made because he thought that simply transplanting a high-performance magic eye would not solve the problem, but surprisingly, Olivierra did not laugh at Lenok’s proposal.

Rather, she seemed intrigued and pondered, and now she had called Lenok back to her laboratory again.

As it was the word of one of the top magic eye holders on the continent, he had followed it obediently, but he was not very willing to do so.

The fact that Lenok’s weakness of not being good at physical work if he didn’t use magic was being revealed to Olivierra was itself very unpleasant.

Although he still had a positive relationship with the chairman of the cartel, no one knew how long this cooperation would last.

Unless he knew what Olivierra was thinking about the ending and continuing her research, he had to be careful about things related to Lenok’s secrets.

But Olivierra stared at Lenok for a moment and then snorted.

[You dared to investigate my eyes without even knowing the Seven-Colored Treasure Eye properly?]

“There’s no way I would do that,” Lenok sighed and replied. Of course, he was never the type to neglect research on items for which data existed.

“One of the most powerful abilities among the existing magic eyes. It is said to freely combine the properties of seven different magics and unleash limitless power.”

[Oh ho?]

“But that’s probably not all. In some way, the ability of the magic eye itself must be deeply connected to your mind.”

[It seems you’ve been studying a lot in a short time.]

Lenok neatly ignored Olivierra’s words, which were like coaxing a child, and continued to speak.

“The principle of constructing a self-magnetic field that reflects one’s own mind. Olivierra, you combined this theory with the magic eye and sublimated it into something different from the existing abilities, didn’t you?”

“…”

“There is no clear information about the exact extent of the power that an 8-level Archmage has gained by transcending the hierarchy. But I can roughly guess.”

Lenok smiled as he looked at the silent Olivierra.

“Partial deployment derived from the imprinting of the mind in the magnetic field. There must be a result that is completely different from the existing concept. Just like your laboratory where we are standing right now. I’m thinking that there might be a name for it, like the Ideological Domain of an Ascendant…”

[What does it matter what it’s called?] Olivierra, who had been listening to him quietly, replied.

[In this world where tens or hundreds of billions of people live, the number of those who have reached that level in history is not even a handful. It’s enough if the meaning can be conveyed and understood. It doesn’t matter what others call it.]

“That’s true,” Lenok nodded.

“That must be related to the reason why you started your research, Olivierra?”

[…Let’s go back to the story about the magic eye,] she turned her head away and retorted.

[There are several ways to awaken innate abilities, but if you have already awakened a magic eye in one eye like you, there is no need for major adjustments.]

“…”

[Rather, it is necessary to confirm your aptitude and qualifications for the ability and undergo training suitable for it.]

“In short, is this a process to confirm the aptitude for ability rather than magic…?”

It was simple to say, but it was not that easy.

A magic eye is a power closer to ability than magic.

It was easy to combine the abilities of the magic eye using formulas, but it was not easy to interfere with the existence of the magic eye itself and adjust its direction.

If that were possible, Lenok would have already opened a magic eye in his right eye to share the output.

Rather, that was why he had tried to get a feel for the ability by directly observing Olivierra’s magic eye and imitating its flow…

[There is no need for further words. If you can’t even pass this process, this matter will be canceled,] Olivierra’s cold voice cut off Lenok’s thoughts.

[If you didn’t have the capacity to match that rudeness, I wouldn’t have even listened to your proposal to make a deal with me. If you don’t even meet the standard, it’s meaningless.]

Is the reason why she doesn’t explain in detail on purpose also to determine the aptitude for ability?

Olivierra also has something she wants from Lenok, so she is taking an attitude to accept Lenok’s deal right now…

The problem is that Lenok’s mere movement is causing the surrounding magic to react in sync.

Apart from perfectly controlling his own magic, his transcendent magic sensitivity is rather hindering the verification of his aptitude for ability.

If he doesn’t pass this process, Olivierra won’t even tell Lenok what she wants in exchange for investigating her magic eye.

“Then let’s do this,” Lenok, who had been lost in thought for a moment, clapped his hands and said.

“I recently learned a pretty good game.”

[A game?]

“It’s not a difficult game. I haven’t been learning it for long either.”

Lenok smiled as he rummaged through his coat and took something out.

“For the sake of the training you mentioned, I’d like you to play a few rounds with me.”

A board game that looked like a mix of Othello and Go.

What Lenok had taken out was the board game he had played with Jin-Doon alone in the Hanghasa Labyrinth.