Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 449

The source of the unease I’d felt didn’t require much thought.

The fact that only three people were mobilized for this urgent and crucial operation, and Myung’s abrupt abandonment of him in the jungle.

Even the eerie déjà vu from the clown, whom I was seeing for the first time. It all made perfect sense under a single assumption.

A powerful illusion. A transcendent ability that couldn’t even be compared to Rick, the illusionist who had accompanied him when stealing the Archangel’s Tears.

He had cast an illusion that shook all five senses while Lenok was unconscious, and was gauging when he would notice it.

The reason why sensations like heat and humidity weren’t properly felt was probably because Lenok’s powerful spell resistance prevented the illusion from fully taking hold, even while he was unconscious and defenseless.

However, after quickly deducing these circumstances, Lenok greatly increased his vigilance towards the clown.

‘I’ve never heard of an illusionist of this caliber. There’s a high probability that he’s already lost his mind.’

He had taken advantage of the gap when he was unconscious and defenseless, even using the power of the airship called the Silver-Rank Airship [a high-tier airship], but still.

What does it mean that he managed to cast an illusion on Lenok even for a moment?

The clown was undoubtedly a transcendent-level special ability user, and an incredibly powerful illusionist at that.

Considering the curse of the special ability system, where one suffers from madness the more one learns and obtains high-level illusions, the clown must also be out of his mind.

The way he had suddenly cast an illusion on Lenok and waited for him to wake up was far too dangerous to call him an ally.

There was clearly a good reason why Soryu and Ermong called him a madman and were wary of him.

However, the clown was just smiling at Lenok as if he found his attitude amusing.

Rather, the red laser pointers aimed at Lenok’s robe shone even more coldly.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?”

As tension began to swirl around them, Leya frowned and raised her hand.

At the same time, the bright red dots vanished into thin air.

“He’s someone who joined through Myung’s recommendation. Don’t interfere. It’s a problem we’ll solve ourselves.”

“…It’s dangerous.”

A gloomy voice came from inside the barrier.

Was it the commander in charge of the dozens of combat troops gathered here?

“Against a special ability user, especially one with spatial abilities, we almost always have to give up the first move. Guarding him might be impossible…”

“Damn it, do you think I’m asking because I don’t know that?”

Leya snapped in annoyance.

“Of course, he was called in for this job because he has that kind of ability. I actually want to see more, so stay put. Don’t be useless like you are during performances. Got it?”

“…”

There was no reply.

Instead, the dozens of people hiding in the barrier and the laser pointers illuminating the dark cargo hold quietly disappeared.

Leya glared around for a moment, then strode forward and held out her hand to Lenok.

“Freya. And you are?”

“Victor.”

At this point, there was no need to refuse a greeting.

She lightly shook his hand and naturally distanced herself from Lenok, saying,

“I think I can talk to you better than that psycho, so I don’t care. If you’re a special ability user, you won’t be a hindrance.”

“I’m not as fun as I expected.”

The clown, who had been watching them quietly, said with a giggle.

“It’s been a while since the dice rolled well, so the spell came out pretty good, but I didn’t expect to be found out this quickly.”

“Is that what’s important?”

“It is… Leya is right. How long you can withstand my tricks will be quite important in this mission.”

“…”

“I didn’t think Myung would bring a spatial special ability user, though. Heh heh… Well, it’s fine. The game is over, so shall we get to the main point?”

The clown said that and suddenly grabbed the lever next to the barrier and pulled it down.

Pshoooosh!!

With a rough sound as if the air pressure was escaping, one side of the barrier door sank straight down, revealing the ground thousands of meters below.

Lenok, who had inadvertently turned his gaze downward, paused.

As the airship slightly lowered its altitude, it pierced through the thick clouds and revealed the magnificent jungle landscape below.

The sight of a dense jungle stretching to the horizon.

Even though it was already night, the heat remaining on the ground rose through the air, creating a shimmering haze.

If night were to fall on the landscape of the Southern Sea Border, which was the magnetic domain of the Blue Eye Shaman, Grisha, would it look like this?

However, what caught Lenok’s eye was not just the magnificent scenery of the vast southern continent jungle that overwhelmed the viewer.

The dazzling lights and acrid smoke spreading from all over the jungle, and even the sight of black figures dashing through them.

Other forces had already entered this jungle and were rushing towards the Well of the Codex.

Click!!

The clown, who had walked to the edge of the barrier that had tilted down without hesitation, stood with both feet on the barrier almost vertically and pointed his finger downward.

“The Head of the Warlords, the Blood Spirit Clan, the Vanguard, and the Ghost Clan must have arrived already… Ah, that’s the Binding of Maengrok [a type of shamanic binding]. There were rumors that the southern shamans would unite to form a huge dictatorship.”

The clown glanced at the time and chuckled.

“Calculating the return time, Baek Gye will arrive shortly after dawn. Until the path to the well opens, we should do what we have to do, right?”

“What we have to do?”

“Why are you even asking that? Of course…”

Shhhik!!

The clown, who had gently stroked the blade that had popped out from the end of his sleeve, said,

“We have to get rid of the annoying interlopers.”

The smile that had been on his face all the time was gone.

* * *

At the same time as the lights flashed in various parts of the jungle, the forces that had encountered each other from all directions clashed in various places.

The airship of the Demon Realm that Lenok was riding on passed over the jungle as if mocking them, and began to rush towards the center in an instant.

“It’s a product made with the technology of the old world.”

The clown said, squatting on one side of the barrier.

The way he was taking out dozens of blades from his arms and carefully polishing them one by one looked very sincere.

As if he would never handle the task he was about to do carelessly.

“In the skies above the southern jungle, flight is almost impossible due to the intense convection currents caused by the heat rising from the ground. Unless you have a special vehicle like us, you have no choice but to crawl into the jungle like bugs. Kehehehet!!”

At the clown’s words, who burst into a sinister laugh, Leya, who was sprawled out on the cargo, frowned.

“Hey, I told you not to laugh like that. It’s really disgusting.”

“…Ahem, anyway, we’ll start as soon as we arrive at the ruins where the well is located.”

The clown said, slightly avoiding Leya’s sharp gaze.

“Victor and I will each take charge of one of the entrances to the ruins, and Glen will monitor the area outside the landing point. Leya, you stay on the airship for rear support.”

“Ha.”

“Understood…”

Leya’s snort and a gloomy voice coming from the darkness.

Lenok nodded appropriately instead of answering.

Judging from the way things were going, it was clear that the clown was the leader and commander of this operation.

Unlike his light attitude of being cheeky and getting beaten up by Leya, the clown’s status and ability were by far the best among them.

“We’ll secure the space while buying time until dawn, and then head to the altar where the well is located.”

The clown said, gathering all the blades he had laid out on the floor with a single gesture.

“Signal when the well opens and Baek Gye appears, and then launch the airship. Leya or Victor, whoever it is, just drop that near the well.”

The sharp blade pointed to the countless cargo piled up inside the barrier.

There were dozens of cargo that seemed to be tightly wrapped around something thick and long. Each one was as big and heavy as a passenger car.

“This is the key item in this operation. The Chief has been preparing it for a long time, I hear.”

“…The Chief? What did that person prepare and give to us?”

Lenok’s gaze also became heavy.

If the Chief, who was by far the most alien of all the beings he had seen, had been preparing it for a long time, it certainly wouldn’t be an ordinary object.

The clown ignored Leya’s words and continued.

“If you put those into Baek Gye’s body in order and take him to the well, the last geas [a magical binding or oath] that was hidden will be activated.”

“…”

At the clown’s words, silence fell all around.

The last geas that made up Baek Gye.

Everyone knew what it meant that it was hidden, and that the Chief knew about its existence.

Perhaps the core and key that runs through this entire operation from beginning to end might be right there.

Only then did Lenok realize that the complex magic circle drawn on the floor of the barrier and the strange sculptures surrounding the area were arranged around the cargo, and nodded.

He had thought that the strangely bizarre scenery was drawn inside the airship, but it was all for that cargo.

If it was an item prepared for a rampaging Ascendant, it was not strange that it was kept under such strict security and preparation.

“Well, I’ve made it sound easy, but I’m going to take care of most of the difficult stuff, so don’t worry too much.”

A reassuring request that was too much to come from the mouth of the clown who had just tried to test Lenok with an illusion.

Instead of being relieved or relaxing his expression at his words, the clown giggled and stood up at the increasingly grim atmosphere.

“As always, just do what you know how to do. Don’t be reckless and die. Got it?”

The clown, who nodded with a smiling face, walked to the edge of the barrier and raised his hand.

In his grasp were the two green dice he had seen earlier.

“Then, shall we test today’s fortune?”

Clatter!!

The dice that fell from the clown’s hand rolled across the floor of the airship’s warehouse.

[4] [2]

“Ummm…”

“It’s okay.”

Unlike the clown, who groaned as if he didn’t like it, Leya, who had been watching the dice closely, nodded.

“I don’t like it very much… Did I use too much luck earlier?”

“It was an excessive number to play tricks on a new recruit, wasn’t it?”

“Well, even if it’s a total of 6, it’s enough…!!”

Kwaaang!!

At that moment, a flash of light flickered in the maze visible below the wide-open barrier, and the airship shook violently with a tremendous impact.

At the same time as a hallucination that seemed to flash before his eyes, the cargo inside the barrier floated into the air and flipped over.

“Kyaaak!!”

Unlike Lenok and the clown, who naturally maintained their balance, Leya, who had fallen from the cargo, rolled and fell out of the airship.

Chwaak!!

Before the clown could move, Lenok stretched out his mana thread and grabbed Leya, pulling her up.

She had a blank expression as if she didn’t even realize she was falling, but she belatedly grasped the situation and her face turned slightly pale.

“Sh, sh*t…!! I almost had a heart attack.”

“It seems you’re not a physical ability user as you appear.”

“…I’m not clumsy?! I can even dance!!”

At Lenok’s words, Leya, who was catching her breath, turned to him with a flustered expression.

The clown shrugged his shoulders with a slightly surprised expression.

“I didn’t know you could handle mana threads so skillfully? You seem to be a master of manipulating special abilities.”

“…”

“Well, you have to be that good for the picky Myung to notice you and try to get you to join…”

Lenok openly ignored the clown’s words instead of bothering to reply.

Because that remark had given him an idea of what kind of sorcerer to play inside the Demon Realm.

A sorcerer specializing in manipulation and spatial special abilities.

If he acted arrogant and rough, like a sorcerer who had obtained a rare type of spell, he wouldn’t be suspected of his identity for the time being.

“Stop with the useless talk and let’s start.”

Lenok muttered, tilting his mask downward.

“It seems like there are some guys who want to keep us in check at this point.”

The impact that had just hit the airship couldn’t have been purely accidental.

It was impossible unless someone had spotted the Demon Realm’s airship speeding through the night sky of the jungle and attempted to intercept it.

As if to support Lenok’s guess, flashes of light were flickering towards them one after another from various places in the dark jungle below.

“Kihihit, shall we?”

The clown, who rattled the dice in his hand, and Lenok stepped out of the barrier almost simultaneously.

“I’ll go first!”

“Go alone.”

Sshwaaeeek!!

Unlike the clown, who fell into the jungle below, Lenok, who had stretched out his mana thread during his descent, pulled himself back up onto the airship.

“Huh?”

The clown’s blank voice quickly scattered and disappeared below.

Lenok immediately touched the end of his sleeve and took out the equipment he had prepared in advance.

Clank!!

Woodudududuk!!!

At the same time as the end of his sleeve swelled in size and weight, long iron lumps began to line up neatly at the end of the airship’s hull.

Inside the solid steel pillars, a bright blue mana light rotated and surged incessantly.

Lenok, who had set up a dozen iron lumps on top of the airship’s body, twisted and pulled the lever of the case at the front.

Uuuuuuung!!!

At that moment, a majestic noise that drowned out the sound of the airship flying erupted, and the case heated up instantly.

At the same time as he took his hand off the long case that was shaking and making a loud noise as if it was about to explode, Lenok kicked it away.

Kkaang!!

The case that was hit by his boot fell out of the airship and was immediately wrapped in mana threads.

With a flick of his finger, the mana threads rotated and threw the case with all their might. It was precisely planted at the ground bombardment point that Lenok wanted.

The location was near the riverbank where the flash of light that had attacked the airship had just flickered.

The mana light contained in the case descended rapidly and became so faint that Lenok could not see it.

Kwaaaaaaaa!!!

A tremendous roar exploded in the middle of the river, creating a bluish hemisphere.

“This is crazy, it’s intense from the start!!”

The moment Lenok was about to open the second case he had set up and activate it, the iron door on the roof of the airship opened and Leya staggered out.

“The radar below is going crazy. What the hell are you throwing?”

“It’s a bomb.”

Lenok replied in a monotone voice.

“There’s no need to give up the positional advantage at this point.”

The clown seemed to have understood it as Lenok telling him to go down and move quickly, but Lenok had no intention of going down right away.

There were plenty of ways to project firepower without having to go down to the ground, so why waste mana already?

Even if he didn’t use his original magic, there were more than enough ways to artificially inflate his firepower.

The blueprints for the advanced weapons of the Machine City, which he had obtained from the Gearsides database.

The case he had just thrown to the ground was a type of bomb that Palmer had made based on those blueprints.

The exact name in the blueprint was Mana Resonance Range Domination Resonance Incendiary Bomb (MAPHI). Commonly known as Mafia.

It was a device that caused an explosion with the flammable material inside the bomb, and then amplified the power with the mana inside the case to inflate the firepower and range beyond its resources.

It was a bomb that was close to a symbol used as a bombing axis bomb for war preparation in the Machine City of Machina, and a product that was constantly attempting to develop its power and range.

Lenok had asked Palmer to take it with him just in case, but it was a weapon that he had never used in one-on-one combat because its firepower and range were not ordinary.

He was now using the explosives he had stored just in case during the battle with Madrich Onion.

Once it exploded, the case and the flammable material would evaporate completely, so there was no need to worry about leaving any traces.

It was the perfect item to use for unilaterally pouring down bombardments from such a distance from the ground.

“It’s enough to just drop it in the direction where they’re trying to intercept us after recognizing the existence of the airship. Let’s make it so they can’t even think about looking at us.”

Lenok said that and activated three cases at once and kicked them out of the airship.

Puhbuhbuhbung!!!

Blue hemispherical spheres burst out and disappeared in various parts of the dark jungle, illuminating the surroundings.

Faint screams and shouts could be heard from below. At the same time, the flashes of light that had been flickering towards the sky began to decrease sharply as if they had made a promise.

“That’s refreshing.”

While Lenok was dusting off his hands and adjusting his mask, Leya nodded.

“You wouldn’t be carrying a bomb with that kind of power while being sane. Were you storing it in subspace?”

“What?”

“It’s amazing. It’s my first time seeing a spatial sorcerer in person.”

He had only put in lightweight and volume reduction magic circles and carried them around, but Leya seemed to have already misunderstood Lenok.

“I’ve heard rumors that spatial sorcerers maintain a strict form of external transmission, but I didn’t think that the lineage would really still be continuing.”

“…”

“I’ve also received an artifact with subspace, but its capacity is very small. How convenient would it be if you could make something like that yourself… What’s it actually like?”

While Leya was talking, the airship suddenly began to descend rapidly.

The deepest part of the jungle, where it was too dark to even see the terrain properly.

The lush trees and bushes disappeared, and a plateau-shaped terrain with countless piles of stones on a wide field appeared.

Lenok narrowed his eyes as he realized that the piles of stones scattered throughout the plateau were the remains of something.

‘The form of buildings, cities, and altars… Is it an ancient civilization?’

The remains of an ancient civilization in the southern jungle that had already been forgotten.

They had arrived at the Well of the Codex, one of the worst demonic realms in the southern continent that even those who lived in this jungle could not easily approach.