Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 498

“Oh, so it’s about Victor and the Commander…” The young man, as if he had completely forgotten about the corpse he had incinerated, tilted his head to one side. The clown, who had paused in thought for a moment, grinned. “Don’t lie.” “What?” “It’s not that you have something to say to me, but rather that you want to hear something from me, isn’t it?” “……” “Huhu, when did a spider who knew nothing of the world start using such cute speech….” The clown’s mouth stretched into a long grin. “I should ask Freya about this.” The Agneta he knew was not the type to drag out the introduction like this when saying something. A descendant of an ancient race, she had no interest in the mundane world, to the point that she would not only give only the necessary information and disappear, but sometimes even forget to convey everything. That was why the clown was intuitively aware that her acting this way meant that she wanted specific information from him. It must have been influenced by Freya, who was relatively close to Agneta. Agneta, who had been standing still with a blank face, spoke. “I’m sorry to ask this favor after such a long time…” “I get it, so let’s stop with the unnecessary formalities.” The clown chuckled and turned his back without hesitation, striding out of the incinerator. “You wouldn’t have a concept of ‘long time’ anyway. Let’s go inside and talk.” He walked through the complex back alleys without hesitation and returned to the huge gambling house where he had been earlier. A gambling den where thousands of people were gathered in a huge hall, intoxicated by the heat of money and entertainment. The electronic boards on the ceiling and walls constantly displayed the flow of dividends and funds, and all sorts of slot machines and tables were spinning, with blood-stained chips flying around. The clown realized that the seat he had occupied was gone and chuckled. “That’s why you shouldn’t play around with the stakes in such a petty way. I got carried away and just wasted time.” “You were the one who put that priest at the gambling table in the first place. What are you talking about?” “What, you were watching even that?” The clown, who was chuckling at Agneta, whose voice could be heard but not seen, said. “Well, then I don’t need to explain why I’m here either.” “It’s been over a month. You seem to be getting better.” “So-so. I’m about ready to wander outside.” The clown said, rubbing his thickly painted cheek. As he did so, his skin peeled off, revealing the red flesh underneath. The clown grinned, his face dripping with blood. “As you can see, my body is still in this state.” “……I roughly know about the redistribution of misfortune. Are you still in the process of reducing the side effects?” “The things that happened in the jungle were quite a burden.” The clown grumbled. “Even if I fleece all the idiots and suckers gathered here, it’s still not enough.” It wasn’t for nothing that the clown had followed Leya back to Tokerphuz after somehow successfully concluding the clash between the Ascendants [beings who have transcended human limitations] in the jungle. Tokerphuz, the metropolis that was a symbol of gambling, entertainment, pleasure, and revelry. It was here that the clown was continuing the work of reducing the aftereffects of the reality manipulation illusion he had performed in the jungle. “The Commander needs to know this properly. If you happen to get in touch, please convey my hard work in great detail.” “Honestly, I still don’t really understand what it means to control the total amount of luck. Is it just about losing and winning appropriately while gambling?” “How could it be? This is a very delicate operation.” The transcendent illusionist, the clown, does not define his own tier as one level. The geas [a magical compulsion or oath] that manifests in the instability where his own tier is not properly determined protects the clown’s reason to some extent. Considering that most of the great illusionists go mad at the boundary between reality and illusion, it is truly a groundbreaking idea and ability. However, because of that, the burden before and after using high-tier power is greater. He had used several of Glen’s hearts as a forbidden technique to handle the operation as an 8th-level illusionist. The aftereffects of manipulating the tier at will and the injuries accumulated in battle remained on the clown’s body. The clown was delicately adjusting the total amount of luck he had drawn in this city of gambling and entertainment to reduce those aftereffects. “It’s about adjusting the frequency of luck by repeatedly performing random probability trials as much as possible.” He adjusts the balance of luck and misfortune that comes into his hands by repeating acts that test luck, like gambling. This is completely opposite to what he did in the jungle, where he forcibly raised only luck to adjust the geas’s ability in the process of raising his tier to level 8. He was adjusting the balance through ‘misfortune’ through normal gambling, the forced ‘luck’ that had forcibly adjusted the dice roll to raise his tier. He rubbed his cheek again, and the blood that had been dripping stopped, and the clown’s skin returned to normal. “Of course, this alone cannot eliminate all the aftereffects… but I can’t just accept the side effects and die.” The clown suddenly turned his head to one corner of the gambling house and grinned. It was a strange attitude, as if he knew where the spider who did not reveal herself was. However, Agneta did not react to the clown’s sudden behavior and changed the subject. “I still don’t understand. Anyway, you’re doing some kind of hideous scam that’s far beyond human sensibilities, right?” “Damn it, how can you not understand this when you’re handling such delicate manipulation magic?” The clown chuckled. “It’s a pity that a sense of balance that walks a tightrope in the imaginary dimension is so ignorant of the common sense of the world. That’s probably why the Commander is letting you run wild.” “What are you talking about?” “It’s nothing. So, what’s your business?” The clown took out a deck of cards from his pocket and asked as he sat down at an empty gambling table. He was talking to the empty air, but surprisingly, none of the players at the same table seemed to care. Rather than paying attention to the clown, they were all muttering to themselves, praying, or doing drugs and self-harm. Their bloodshot eyes were constantly shifting between the table and the electronic board’s payouts. In the midst of this chaos and madness, no one could hear and remember what the clown was saying to Agneta while in their right mind. He received the cards the dealer threw and naturally replaced them with the pre-prepared cards as if he were breathing. The clown, who had completed a full house in an instant, heard Agneta’s answer in his ear. “I found the Commander’s trail.” The clown’s hand, which was pushing the chips, paused for a moment. “……A trail, you say?” “I found footprints in the imaginary dimension. I guess he left the coordinates thinking I would find them.” “Hmm….” He pretended to be in thought and unhesitatingly snatched the chips from the shabby man next to him who was biting his finger. The man, who had half of his chips stolen in an instant, had his finger already covered in blood. “You can’t get in touch, but you needed contact?” “The Doctor seems to think so.” “It’s worth considering. It’s rare for so many plans to be going on simultaneously across the continent like this, and it’s happening at this time… What did Myung say?” At that moment, one of the chips on the table bounced up into the air. The clown, following the movement of the chip, turned his gaze to the electronic board on the other side and chuckled. A breaking news report appeared on one corner of the screen, showing a live broadcast of a huge pillar of darkness erupting in the middle of an unknown city. Looking at that, the clown threw his hand and muttered. “Well, it doesn’t look like there’s time for contact or anything. I understand. I’ll try to gather some related information here as well.” “Then I’ll go. Say hi to Leya for me.” “Wait, weren’t you also curious about the story of the sorcerer named Victor?” The clown, who had stopped Agneta as she was about to disappear, slowly shook the chip in his hand. “If you play a game of poker with me, I can tell you the story of what happened then in a very interesting way.” “……Are you going to steal my luck too?” “I told you it’s not like that.” The clown grumbled and then laughed lightly. “Well, it’s true that if I gamble with an unusual being like you, the adjustment will be faster.” “…….” “Come to think of it, that friend was also a manipulation-type sorcerer like you.” The clown’s lips stretched wide on both sides as he sensed a momentary flinch. He didn’t know the specifics, but it was clear that Victor’s existence was as interesting to her as the trail the Commander had left behind. If he could coax her well, an unexpectedly interesting story might come out. The clown, who had quickly gathered the cards, shook the deck of cards with a leisurely gesture. “If you play with me for about three rounds, I can tell you about that friend in great detail?” * * * Grisha was walking through the vast Far East Branch Temple. As befitting its accumulated power and status, the form of the Crystal Palace located in the center of the island was truly magnificent. Even though many parts had been burned and collapsed due to the fierce battle, the imposing presence from its scale was immense. She walked through the corridors where other Watchers [individuals with unique abilities] who had arrived late from the Autonomous Territory were busy moving about, and then she noticed someone and moved her steps. “Dreyfus.” A sorcerer wearing a talisman mask, leaning against the window of a wide corridor, silently looking down at the palace. Even though his face was covered, he could not hide his somewhat tired look, but his spirit had not diminished at all. “You woke up sooner than I thought. You should get enough rest.” Gapseon glanced at Grisha, and she naturally stood next to him. “In fact, we would have suffered a lot of losses if it weren’t for your help in this matter.” [It was something that wouldn’t have been possible to start without Evan.] Gapseon shook his head with a somewhat tired voice. [He risked danger to infiltrate the temple and found a way to break through the barrier and make contact. All I did was tell you the whole story of this incident.] Grisha chuckled and replied. “But it was also your power that assisted Lapis’s ability and allowed us to arrive on this island.” Gapseon had succeeded in making a hole in the Great Barrier and contacting Lapis using the control code he had received from Lenok. Lapis had decided to immediately reinforce the powerful Watchers from the moment she received Gapseon’s call. Dreyfus combined Lapis’s ability and his talisman magic to successfully teleport Grisha, Lyza, and several other Watchers as a group. A large-scale space teleportation that even the Order could barely use through apostle rituals through human sacrifice. Even if it was attempted based on the ability of the Lighthouse Keeper, it was obvious how much power Gapseon had consumed to achieve such a feat. Even if he was a supreme ability user who had reached level 8, manipulating space so openly like this was a suicidal act that would eat away at his core power. He had participated in the battle immediately after doing such a thing and fought against several agents, so it was obvious how severe the backlash would be. He still looked relaxed on the outside, but it wouldn’t be strange if his body was burning up inside. “I know that both Lapis and you have overdone it. You won’t be assigned any formal operations for the time being.” […….] “If you want, you don’t have to stay on this island to help with the cleanup. Do you have any other destinations in mind?” [……I do.] Gapseon replied. [But I want to spend some time like this just for today.] “…….” [Sometimes, there needs to be days like this.] Grisha followed Gapseon’s gaze and looked out the window, then chuckled. “Those guys don’t seem to get tired.” By the lake in the palace courtyard, below the garden, five Watchers who were familiar to her were bickering with each other. The two twins, Leppard, Lyza, and Evan. The five of them were exchanging magic power and having a heated discussion, as if they were very enthusiastic about something. “So, it’s impossible to maintain a stable state without a synchronization ritual. Even if you learn this, it won’t be of much help.” “If the two of you are okay with it, I’d like to check the flow of magic power first.” Lenok replied, touching the bandaged area of his shoulder. “I’m interested in the super fusion ritual. I want to know exactly what it feels like.” The dual resonance complex system unique ritual [Super Fusion(超融合)]. The unique ritual that had made the two people who were at the Saint level into completed supreme ability users. During the few days that the Watchers who had participated in the battle had gathered to rest, Lenok had been asking the twins if he could learn the fusion ritual. For Lenok, who had encountered all sorts of mysteries all over the continent, he had not witnessed a ritual that interfered with the tier itself more than five times. The clown’s illusion that deceived the tier itself was too risky and unstable for Lenok to attempt. However, the super fusion used by the twins was worth learning, even if the conditions and risks were disproportionate. If he found the right conditions and opponent, it could be a technique that could greatly increase Lenok’s own tier or power. Lenok was thinking about that and asking Pio and Gio if they could teach him the principle of the super fusion ritual. “The super fusion ritual itself seems to be closer to a foundation created by the combination of two systems, rather than a secret of the two of you.” Lenok asked. “To simultaneously implement a higher tier of transformation and a synchronization ritual through fusion. That must be the most powerful weapon for the two of you, right?” If the super fusion ritual itself was a secret or the essence of each of the transformation and synchronization systems, Lenok would not have asked about it so rashly. However, Lenok was asking for the principle itself, which had implemented the impossible result of fusion through transformation and synchronization. Even if a ritual was unique and heterogeneous, there were aspects that were compatible with other systems in terms of principle or theory. In that sense, the super fusion ritual, which was created by extracting the essence of the two systems of transformation and synchronization, would in itself require a deep understanding of the system. Lenok was thinking of understanding the rituals that the twins handled to some extent through his understanding of the super fusion ritual. “Well, if you put it that way, there’s no reason why we can’t tell you…” Pio nodded with a reluctant look. “We can’t actually demonstrate it. You know that, right? This is a gamble that we have to rely on luck every time we use it.” “Hmph, that’s why you can’t go any higher, using a ritual that relies on such half-luck.” Lyza snorted and said. “Evan, why don’t you learn my crystallization ability instead!! It would be a great help for a weak magician like you to learn this kind of ability!!” “Lyza, are you out of your mind?” Leppard, who had been sitting by the lake quietly reading a prayer, turned his head. “Your ability is not a power that can be explained in the technical realm in the first place. You don’t still not know that, do you?” “Do I need to know?” “…….” “Why are you trying to learn the super fusion ritual in the first place?” Gio, with a slightly indifferent expression, asked. “Unlike what you think, this is not just a useful or powerful ritual. It’s just that we two have overcome a limitation that we couldn’t solve on our own in a possible way.” “Hmm.” “It requires thorough preparation, and even then, you have to risk your life every time you try it. A magician of your level must know this.” The boundary line that can only be reached by pursuing the extremes of the two-sided contradiction of physical transformation and mental synchronization, change and stability. The congenital condition of being twins, the miracle that the two of them had mastered the rituals of different systems up to level 7. On top of that, the strong determination to transcend the tier even at the risk of their own lives. It was something that required risking one’s life even with unwavering faith that encompassed the environment, talent, and everything else. However, it was not for nothing that Lenok had tried to hear the principle of the fusion ritual from them. “It’s the same.” “What do you mean?” Lenok, who had looked at the lake, said. “It means that there is a limit that I have to overcome even at the risk of my life.” “…….” At Lenok’s calm words, the Watchers became silent for a moment. Leppard muttered with a look of disbelief. “Even a magician with your talent has such worries.” “I know, this is a bit unexpected.” Lyza laughed and patted Lenok on the shoulder. “To be honest, while participating in this operation, I thought that the Ascendants must have felt like this when they were human!!” “…….” “Huh, isn’t anyone going to give me a rebuttal…?” Looking at Lyza’s awkward face, Lenok silently rubbed his numb shoulder. “I can’t deny that the value of the ritual itself and the risk of transmission are considerable. If both of you don’t agree, I don’t intend to force it-” “No. It doesn’t matter.” Gio shook his head calmly. “My brother owes you his life. Even if it’s not something you can actually use, I’ll teach you the basic skills and the flow of magic power.” “This bastard is trying to act like the older brother again…” Pio grumbled like that, but without complaining, he explained the principle of the super fusion ritual with Gio. “The important thing is to place the flow of magic power in multiples of 2, that is, in 8 directions, and to observe the magic power of the two people needed for fusion from three different aspects each…” “You have to consider stability and regression at the same time as achieving unity. To do that, you need to remember the original flow of magic power that is different from each other.” “……I don’t understand anything even after listening.” The explanation was so complicated that even Leppard, who had been listening with interest, shook his head. “It would be difficult to understand even the words if you haven’t learned the rituals of this system.” “You and Lyza wouldn’t even remember it in the first place, so it’s okay.” “……That’s not a compliment, is it?” While the Watchers were bickering, Lenok nodded. “I roughly understand.” “Huh, already?” “Then shall we try it right away?” The other twins’ expressions turned blank at Lenok’s shocking declaration. “With whom? You’re not going to try that with the other Watchers here, are you?” “Calm down, at least if it’s not an opponent who has learned a ritual that is similar to or compatible with you-” “Don’t worry. I’m not crazy enough to try that with a complete stranger.” Woo-oong!!! At the same time as Lenok raised his magic power, a whitish figure rose from behind him and began to rise. Leppard, who had been watching the scene, jumped up from his seat. The two eyes of the dog-headed giant were widened in an unusual way. “A, a manifestation…!!! Since when!!” “I’ve shown it once in this operation, and once in the Hanghasa Labyrinth.” Lenok smiled, wiping the sweat that was dripping down his forehead. “Twice is enough to imitate it.” Of course, what Lenok had created now was not a proper manifestation like the one Leppard used. Rather than a true avatar that refers to another self, it was a kind of spirit body that was materialized by vaporizing magic power and holding it with thought. He wouldn’t have been able to even attempt it if he hadn’t acquired the sense of summoning and military command magic through the battle with Madrich Onion. However, this alone was enough for Lenok to try the experiment he wanted to do. “……You’re crazy.” Leppard muttered in a bewildered voice. “You’re trying to fuse with a manifestation, not another person. If you do that, neither your mind nor your spirituality will last long…!!” “But it’s worth trying.” Lenok said that and unhesitatingly rolled up his left sleeve and held it out. Because it was not a properly completed manifestation, he could get rid of it at any time. It was more than suitable to safely experiment whether the concept of fusion itself was valid for Lenok himself. At the same time, Lenok’s body overlapped and combined with the left arm of the manifestation that had risen behind him. Faaaah!!! At that moment, a dazzling light burst out from the lake.