Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 501

“Settlement and exchange, huh…”

It seemed like he was trying to pick a fight under the guise of an exchange, but the moment the man mentioned the settlement, Lenok changed his mind.

If someone in this satellite city of Bairuitz knew about the midterm settlement of Pandemonium, then their identity was pretty much set.

That pot-bellied man, who looked like a drunkard on the surface, was undoubtedly a member of Pandemonium.

The other party also recognized that Lenok was a member participating in this settlement and proposed an exchange of artifacts.

“That’s an interesting thing to say.”

“Isn’t it? That artifact you have as well…”

“But I don’t need the usage.”

Lenok said that and immediately grabbed the Archangel’s Compassion once more.

At the same time, the light that burst from inside his robe poured down equally on the heads of the ghouls fleeing in all directions.

Chiiiiik!!!

“Kkyaaaak!!!”

The grotesque sight of the flesh above their necks melting away without even a proper scream.

The ability inherent in the artifact called Archangel’s Compassion was not just the spatial transfer of inanimate objects or mana.

It was a high-level augmentation technique, the same as Irina Pesfield had used.

Lenok himself had never properly used it due to mana poisoning, but he was aware that it was fatal to beings like ghouls.

Saintly system. Among them, augmentation techniques are basically designed to drastically increase the body’s metabolism, regeneration ability, overall physical abilities, and condition.

This power itself is realized by the power of the technique, but its foundation lies in the subject’s own life, energy, and nutrients.

However, for ghouls who can no longer regenerate or recover on their own and live by sucking the blood of others, forced regeneration and metabolic acceleration are extremely fatal.

The rapidly regenerated and accelerated cells melt away from the ghoul’s body without being recovered.

Ghouls who don’t even have time to suck the blood of others disappear on the spot without regenerating.

“D, damn it!!”

“He’s a Saintly system mage. There was no mention of that…!!”

“No, I’m not ready yet…!!”

Chiiiiik!!

The sight of the corpses melting away on the spot the moment the augmentation technique was slammed into the charging ghouls.

A result that felt somewhat different from the laws of the technique that Lenok had understood so far.

Perhaps this was the very reason why Pandemonium was investing in collecting old-world artifacts.

If it was an artifact that operated through a different world order than the laws established in this world, wouldn’t there be a completely different kind of answer than what they had now?

Thinking that way, it wasn’t impossible to understand Pandemonium’s purpose itself.

Although it was impossible to know how persuasive the progress of the plan and the specific measures were being designed.

At least, if they were collecting such artifacts and coming to this place for the midterm settlement, it would be enough to get a sense of it.

That was why Lenok had immediately moved to Bairuitz instead of resting, to confirm it.

“What, were you already somewhat aware of it? I made a useless proposal.”

A raspy voice came from behind Lenok as he was putting away his mana.

“You’re much more cunning than I thought. Just like that ugly black mask of yours.”

He wiped his reddened nose, blew his nose, and then laughed at Lenok.

“My name is Vernon. I heard you were called Victor? I heard you worked with a clown, but I don’t remember people’s names well. My memory gets blurry when I drink.”

His behavior was too out of place to appear in the middle of this desolate ghost city.

“Your nonsense is long.”

Lenok said in a nonchalant tone.

“If you don’t intend to explain, I’m leaving.”

“Hehehe, it’s rumored that you have an arrogant personality, and it seems that it wasn’t a lie.”

Vernon, who was just grinning as if he wasn’t offended at all by the somewhat sharp retort.

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal. From experience, the guys who gather for the settlement are often quite capable. There have been cases where they trade useful items.”

“…”

“It doesn’t have to be an old-world artifact. We need to leave some items to submit for the settlement. How about it?”

In short, he was saying that members who got along well sometimes did simple bartering before the settlement started.

Well, if you were skilled enough to join Pandemonium, you were likely to have various artifacts, whether willingly or unwillingly.

In the light, you had to explain where you got the artifacts and where you were keeping them, but what did that matter in a criminal organization like this?

Whether you killed someone and took it, looted it from a corpse, or stole it from somewhere, no one would ask.

A proposal to trade based solely on the value of the items each other possessed.

Lenok had reacted sharply, but he wasn’t completely uninterested.

He crossed his arms, adjusted his mask, and nodded.

“Show me.”

“Hmm?”

“If you made a proposal, you must want something, right?”

Lenok’s eyes shone coldly from behind his mask.

“I’ll check if I need anything, and then I’ll choose the item you need.”

A declaration that was not only arrogant but also confident. Even Vernon, who had been laughing with a flushed face, looked slightly dumbfounded.

“…You’re a much more difficult friend than I thought. Well, that’s not what’s important.”

Vernon scratched his cheek, burped, and rummaged through his chest.

“You should be glad that I have much more experience dealing with mentally ill patients than you do. Do you know how many weirdos there are in used goods trading? There are guys who ask for a discount out of the blue, and there are crazy guys who just state the price they want and say they’ll come to pick up the item, and there are mentally ill competitors who argue about why you’re selling it at this price.”

“…”

“Last quarter, there was even a guy who asked for a 400-year installment plan. What’s even more amazing is that he was a madman who genuinely believed he could pay it back in 400 years. No, if that’s the case, why the hell is he asking me for an installment plan instead of going to a loan shark…”

Vernon was ranting as if he had a grudge against used goods trading.

Listening to what he was saying, Lenok’s attitude seemed to be that of a very conscientious intellectual in this field.

“Well, that’s not what’s important. Then, shall we move to a different place and start!”

Vernon, who had dragged Lenok into a closed shop, energetically placed something down from his chest.

Thud!!

What he placed on the far left of the shelf that looked like a stall was an old manuscript.

A faint mana flowing between the pages, it seemed to be a fairly powerful grimoire.

Vernon said as he gulped down his bottle of alcohol.

“It’s a record of the Glacia Magic Tower’s positional magic experiments. The records of research on unique ice-type magic are very detailed.”

“…”

“It’s a record from the magic tower that rarely leaks to the outside. If you want to research attribute-type magic, there’s no better sample than this.”

“A record from the magic tower…”

Vernon’s voice seemed to be convinced that he had already half-won.

“At this point, let me tell you what I want. I basically prefer joint artifacts that act as filters or purifiers…”

Thud!

Vernon’s words stopped the moment he saw the thick diary that Lenok had placed down.

The man, who had confirmed the faint strands of electricity flowing from the diary, picked it up with wide eyes.

Vernon’s eyelids trembled, unable to hide his agitation as he quickly flipped through the pages.

“T, this is the Torben Magic Tower’s military magic research log!! How did those war-crazed bastards leak this…!!”

A record from the magic tower that was a perfect upgrade to what Vernon had taken out.

“As you can see, this isn’t enough for me.”

Lenok said, watching Vernon’s back as he quickly shut his mouth.

“Show me more.”

“…Ugh!!”

Vernon, with a flushed face, rummaged through his waist and took out a water bottle-shaped respirator for the second time.

Inside, a bluish gas was floating and swirling inside the respirator.

“It’s a storage device that compresses mana into a gaseous state. It can be used conveniently just by putting it around your mouth.”

Vernon said.

“It’s an item that can store the average amount of mana of a Saint-level mage. Such an item that has both capacity and portability is absolutely rare…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lenok took out another item and placed it next to the respirator.

A crystal sphere where blue mana converged in a spiral. A mana core that glowed on its own with a faint heat.

The factory site of Dyke Corporation that the Cartel’s execution squad had attacked. It was a mana core that Lenok had modified to be usable.

It was a mana storage device that could handle the amount of mana in a magnetic field, as he had used it to kill Parden McQueen.

He hadn’t used it once since obtaining Papyrus Argenteus, but it was an item that couldn’t even be compared to most mana storage devices.

Vernon also became quiet in an instant, as if he had recognized the capacity of the mana contained in the mana core.

Lenok looked at Vernon and tilted his head.

“Is that all?”

“…”

“It doesn’t seem like you have many items for someone who proposed a trade.”

“No, it’s not over yet!!”

Vernon shouted, raising his head sharply and widening his eyes.

His expression, which had been flushed with alcohol, was now as clear as if he had been slapped on the cheek.

Vernon rummaged through his chest and placed artifacts on the shelf one after another, and Lenok followed suit, matching the items he had on hand.

“It’s a priest’s weapon from the machine city of Machina. I couldn’t get the blueprints, but…”

“The custom weapon blueprint of Gearsyde. It’s an item made by modifying Machina’s.”

Vernon’s mouth dropped open.

“…The wrist guard of the Ataksha Workshop. Although it doesn’t match the items from the Black Palace Workshop…!!”

“Here’s a glove from the Black Palace Workshop.”

Lenok took off his glove and placed it down, causing Vernon to sweat profusely.

“The Heavenly Spirit’s spatula. It protects the user with a spell barrier in an emergency…”

“Enakpil’s five fingers that allow the user to escape. I have a few spares too.”

A deep silence.

“Telomere’s magic tool. A high-level artifact that assists in the power of attribute spells…”

“The Revolutionary Scripture, which is given as a gift to the rosary candidates of the Blaver Magic Tower. It greatly improves the speed and implementation of flame magic.”

“…”

He placed down items that were similar to or better than all the items Vernon offered for trade.

Vernon swallowed hard, his hand trembling slightly.

As if he was thinking of taking out an item that he couldn’t take out at this point, he closed his eyes tightly and quickly reached into his chest, placing it on the shelf with a thud.

“It’s a talisman made directly by the Grand Abbot of the Stania Monastery!! It gives the user a powerful blessing semi-permanently…!!”

“A protective talisman made directly by an 8-level extreme talisman master. It is said to contain a spell called Immovable Barrier.”

“FUCK!!!”

Vernon, who had spat out a thick curse, yelled at Lenok.

“Are you messing with me right now!!”

“It was meant to be a request to bring out more valuable items for exchange.”

“I don’t know, fuck it!!”

Vernon said that and then lay down on the spot, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“That’s enough, tell me what you want!! Trade me the artifact I want quickly!!”

“…”

Vernon, who seemed to have lost his mind due to the alcohol, started to throw a tantrum.

Lenok looked at Vernon with a somewhat pathetic gaze and silently put his hand inside his chest.

“Is this the kind of filter you want?”

Vernon’s eyes widened as he looked at the long, pipe-shaped tube that appeared from the end of the robe.

“Oooooh!!!”

Vernon, who had jumped up, tried to grab it, but at that moment, Lenok threw it back.

Vernon’s body tilted in that direction, then fell back down, and Lenok, who had nonchalantly grabbed it with his mana, asked.

“Tell me.”

“Y, yes!! Where the hell did you get that!!”

One of the tobacco filters that Lenok had bought at a high price from Plumber’s orchard when it was difficult for him to make his own tobacco.

It was an artifact, but it had no functions related to augmentation or assistance in terms of spells, so he didn’t expect it to be of interest to him.

Vernon, who had jumped up, stared at the filter in Lenok’s hand, drooling.

“A filter that was secretly manufactured in the shadows of a giant city and sold in limited quantities…!! After it was revealed that it could filter the taste of alcohol into more than 56 types, it’s being sold at a very high price to alcohol lovers…!!”

“…”

“If you don’t need that item, let’s trade it with my artifacts, no, if you need it, I can trade you even old-world artifacts, what do you need!!”

If he was this desperate, it was likely that Vernon’s request was not just a matter of hobby.

Perhaps there was something related to alcohol, or a condition necessary for his ability. If that was the case, it was understandable why the filter was of such great value to him.

However, the problem was that there were no artifacts among Vernon’s items that he particularly needed…

Lenok, who had been lost in thought for a moment, soon came up with an answer and turned his head.

“You’re saying that you want this filter so badly that you’d give up this settlement, right?”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s do this.”

Lenok said that and put the filter back into his chest.

“I’ve heard that depending on the old-world artifacts or information submitted for this settlement, you get a certain reward.”

“…That’s right. So what?”

“Explain exactly what that reward feels like.”

Lenok adjusted his mask and smiled faintly.

“If you promise to use that reward in the way I want, depending on the situation, I’ll agree to the trade.”

* * *

After reaching an agreement with Vernon, Lenok immediately headed to the meeting place with him.

The place Vernon led him to was a huge theater that was particularly large among the desolate buildings of the satellite city.

It had a very unique design and size compared to other buildings in Bairuitz.

The streamlined curved roof that resembled a dolphin was impressive. It must have been planned as a major landmark when the city was designed.

It was so noticeable that it wouldn’t be easy to choose it as a meeting place, but the members who had gathered this time didn’t seem to care about such things.

The back door to enter the main hall of the theater.

Lenok, who was passing through the spacious corner of the warehouse behind the back door, following Vernon, stopped walking.

Swish!!

A chilling murderous intent that accurately targeted the space between his neck.

A blood-red light twisted in the air and then stopped right behind Lenok.

Immediately after, Vernon, who had confirmed the direction from which the murderous intent had come, turned his head.

His expression was closer to annoyance than panic or surprise.

“Can’t you fucking stop that? The smell of blood is making my alcohol taste bad!!”

“Hehehe… I apologize.”

Thud…!!

Along with that, another man appeared from the back of the warehouse, dragging a corpse.

A dazed-looking old man. His appearance was shabby and tattered, but the blade he was loosely holding shone coldly.

“I thought you were definitely a great swordsman, so I tried to test your spirit, but was I wrong…?”

Vernon scoffed and scolded the old man.

“What swordsman against a special system mage… You must have gone completely blind from killing people indiscriminately.”

“Hmm… If not, then there’s nothing I can do.”

The old man muttered in a nonchalant tone and slowly slid the blade he was holding into its sheath.

However, Lenok focused on the fact that there wasn’t a single drop of blood on the blade, rather than his natural movements.

Even though he had been killing people indiscriminately just a moment ago, there wasn’t a single trace left on the weapon he was using.

That was only possible because the old man was a swordsman who had reached the pinnacle, unlike his shabby appearance.

The old man quietly flashed a red light as he looked at Lenok.

“You definitely feel like you’ve killed a lot of people, but it’s strange…”

“…”

“Hehehe, if you’re not a swordsman, then that’s fine…”

The old man picked up the corpse he had killed with the tip of his sheath and then walked out of the theater warehouse.

As he walked, the corpse was dragged along, drawing a bright red trail of blood on the warehouse floor.

Vernon spat out the alcohol he had in his mouth and cursed.

“…That crazy old man, where the hell is he going when there’s not much time left?”

“It’s quite enjoyable to hunt fresh human flesh after a long time…”

The old man let out a sinister laugh and slowly walked away from the warehouse.

“Don’t disturb me…”

“Damn it, he’s still a creepy guy.”

Vernon grumbled and spat out phlegm.

“Okay, let’s just leave that old man to die or whatever. He’ll be back when the time comes. Or else he wouldn’t have come this far.”

Vernon, who had scratched his head with an annoyed look, turned his back.

“Let’s just leave that Blood Old Man to do whatever he wants. We’re going in.”

They passed through the complex back door warehouse and dressing room and entered the theater.

The main hall of the grand theater where thousands of spectators would simultaneously look down at the stage.

However, the seats were only filled with hazy dust and unidentified ashes.

Nevertheless, what caught Lenok’s attention first was not the desolate audience seats, but the spacious stage located in the direction they were facing.

In that place where all sorts of props and stage equipment should have been, there was a huge statue that looked like a giant had carved it.

Goooo…!!

The form of a two-headed, eight-armed being. [二頭八臂 – A Buddhist deity often depicted with multiple heads and arms, symbolizing power and compassion].

The statue, with its demon-like distorted face and muscular upper body, was engraved with unknown ancient characters.

The arrangement of the engraved characters glowed all over the giant statue, scattering a faint light.

The appearance of the statue was truly out of place to be hidden in the middle of this theater.

While Lenok paused for a moment, looking up at the statue, five presences began to be felt from the darkness of the theater.

Four humans and one bizarre-shaped doll that seemed to imitate a human.

And surprisingly, two of them were people Lenok already knew.

“…”

The figures of two men and women sitting on the theater’s VIP seats and the ceiling lighting fixture.

Soryu, the royal of Kavahim, who was surrounded by cold air, and Maiya Renslit, the executor of the machine city.

Strong individuals that he had encountered in Kaiushu and the Hanghasa Labyrinth. Two skilled individuals who had left a strong impression on Lenok were here.