Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 532

Pee-beep, pee-beep!!

The sound of a cell phone ringing quietly between the two people facing each other.

As Myung, who had awakened in the man’s body, raised his hand, even that sound was swallowed and disappeared into the darkness.

The man, his pupils turned pitch black, slowly stood up and took a step forward.

Whoo-oong…!!

The pitch-black magic circle that had been spread out around him rotated in place, then neatly folded under the man’s shadow.

The ritual transfer technique of black magic, painstakingly prepared through immense time and preparation.

An overwhelming manipulation ability that collects and eliminates the magic circle without even touching it.

A being revered as a monster with the most dangerous talent among the existing black magicians.

The Underworld King of Pandemonium.

“Quickly.”

Myung said quietly.

“I don’t have much time. I’m not in the mood for a long conversation.”

“……”

A demeanor that was so prickly it could be considered indifferent.

However, Antares was not surprised by Myung’s response.

Contrary to his terrifying actions, which were akin to an avatar of destruction, the Underworld King of Pandemonium was not as impulsive and ferocious as he was known to be.

It was just that he was not only good at distinguishing between public and private matters, but the gap between what he liked and disliked was excessively far apart.

Perhaps a being like Antares was likely in a category quite far from Myung’s interest.

“You didn’t respond to this call because of my summons anyway.”

Antares smiled softly and nodded.

“The legacy of the oldest family. Wasn’t recovering that item one of the few memories you’re obsessed with?”

“……”

Myung did not answer. Instead, he just stared intently at Antares’s face.

However, Antares knew that the reason Myung had devoured another black magician’s consciousness and responded to the call at this point was because of that black coffin.

An artifact and a symbol used by the oldest black magic family in this world.

The Underworld King’s collection of the family’s black coffins scattered across the continent was not a matter of hobby or curiosity.

The act of picking up the karma of a family that had already been destroyed was itself a part of Myung’s existence.

“I don’t particularly like talking to seers.”

Myung muttered.

“Most of them are consumed by the future they face, and they set the answer and fit the cause and effect to whatever they say.”

Myung leaned leisurely against a nearby platform and smiled as he looked this way.

“But if the opponent is a prophet who has returned after seeing one ending, I might listen for a moment… So, how far did you see and return?”

“……”

“I heard you were an old friend of that crocodile. If you chose that method even while being with that reckless reptile, you must have something in mind.”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

Antares paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, before answering.

A tense atmosphere that was rapidly heating up.

Both of the two people facing each other had expressions of utter composure, but the magic power raging from all directions danced with sharp edges.

“At this point in time, you were always devouring the shadows of the world. Moreover, the rate of power increase is faster in this era than in any prophecy I’ve seen.”

“……”

“Considering that, I just assumed that you would have enough leeway to respond to a call by now.”

Antares smiled faintly.

“I know you don’t visit Vulcan often for personal reasons, but you should pay attention. Especially if you want to prevent the family’s legacy from being wasted like this.”

“Yes, that’s what it is…”

Myung muttered.

He turned his pitch-black, ominous pupils and asked.

“You are qualified to babble about having seen and returned. What’s your business?”

“I want to make a deal.”

Antares said, lightly flicking his finger.

“I’ll collect the black coffin used by this guy and hand it over to you. In return, I’ll need to borrow your name a few times.”

A statement closer to a notice than a request.

However, neither of them cared about that in the slightest.

“There are many ruffians selling my name even at this moment. The fact that you’re asking for permission instead of doing that means there’s something specific you want.”

“I’m planning to put the Underworld King’s name directly on the agenda of the Vulcan Central Council.”

Antares replied.

“I’m going to twist and hide the talent of Gyeon-roe [견뢰, a name] once more. If I sell your name and mine in the process, I can at least justify it.”

“……”

“You know about what happened at the Magic Engineering Expo, right?”

That question was not just about the anti-gravity technology that Evan had announced.

The dual identity of Ban and Evan. The true meaning that fact implied.

How much more valuable Lenox’s talent, aptitude, qualifications, and potential could become in this world.

Antares was indirectly asking Myung if he was aware of that fact.

“If you accept, I’ll proceed as I see fit. There will be no separate notification afterward. Just give me the authority to borrow your ‘veil’ for a moment.”

Myung’s eyes, which had been listening to Antares’s words, turned cold.

“…You knew from the beginning that I would accept the offer.”

“Rather than that…”

Antares smiled lightly at Myung’s words.

“I just thought that you, who are so fanatically obsessed with special talents, couldn’t possibly not know yet.”

“……”

An answer that came from Antares, who had little contact with him, as if he knew Myung unusually well.

“I’ll confirm that you’ve agreed and start. I started working so hastily that there are many things to clean up.”

Antares continued, fiddling with the cell phone that was ringing in his pocket.

“If I don’t explain this to Gyeon-roe right away, the conversations we’ve had will be useless… Oh, this.”

Antares glanced at his cell phone and chuckled, then showed the screen to Myung.

A few short keywords that Lenox had sent directly to his number.

[Ancient black magic. Ritual transfer technique. City government special task force. Possible connection to the Central Council.]

“Isn’t he really sharp?”

Antares laughed.

“Even though I just gave him a request without any explanation, he’s already figured out the situation and is retracing my intentions.”

“……”

“It may be difficult right now, but someday he might be able to see as far as the moment I saw and returned. No, maybe… perhaps…”

It was possible that he could go beyond that and step into an uncharted answer.

What Antares expected and desired from Lenox was not a great or grand wish.

The power to walk a little further than others. The will and qualifications prepared for that.

The talent of duality to build it up with his own power and to destroy it with his own hands.

The core that Antares had barely obtained by sacrificing everything, Lenox had from the beginning.

Myung looked at Antares and quietly muttered.

“Is that another delusion that one reaches when one doesn’t go mad after facing the ending?”

“……”

“That means you also have the qualifications to reach the end, after all.”

As the young man’s body, which had been leaning against the platform, gradually lost its strength, the color of his pitch-black pupils began to fade.

“Do whatever you want with the black coffin. I don’t care about lending my name either.”

“…What?”

Antares tilted his head with a slightly perplexed expression at the unexpected answer, and Myung laughed out loud for the first time.

“I just confirmed where it was hidden. Nothing more is meaningful. After all, karma that didn’t start from my hands is like that.”

“……”

“There was a time when I was obsessed with that fact, but I don’t care much about it now. Rather…”

Myung’s fading gaze was not directed at Antares, but at the cell phone he was holding.

Antares, thinking of the owner of the message that had just appeared, couldn’t help but laugh along.

“I see.”

The Myung that Antares had observed and remembered was not someone who would ever say such things.

The king of the underworld, who had become an avatar of contradiction, burdened with arrogance and desperation that had surpassed his limits, with overwhelming talent and the karma that matched it.

What could be the reason why the monster, who was sick of his innate talent and karma but could never be free from it, had changed so much in reality?

That meant that there were infinitely many variables in this world that could twist prophecy and a fixed future.

“After all, reality doesn’t follow prophecy.”

With just that, Antares could endure more.

He could feel that it was not over yet.

At least for Antares, the future and fate existed not for compliance but for resistance.

* * *

[Title: Don’t take requests involving Gyeon-roe.]

=Anyway, don’t take it.

A single post on the deep web.

It was no different from the nonsense that was commonly posted on illegal sites that parasitized the city government network,

But if the poster was a member with a Sapphire tier, the story was different.

A veteran who had survived after completing more than 20 A-class designated requests among countless swindlers and criminals.

A client who had requested designated requests worth billions of cells on the deep web more than ten times and paid the rewards.

A gem tier that only customers who have been certified as key executives of organizations evaluated as top-tier within the deep web can achieve.

A post suddenly uploaded by an account of a tier that rarely appeared.

Naturally, comments began to pour in below it.

└What nonsense are you talking about?

└Come to think of it, there was a rumor that Gyeon-roe had returned.

└He was seriously injured, but is he already taking designated requests? There’s nothing on Jenny’s broker list.

└Someone of that caliber would naturally choose their clients. They wouldn’t even be visible to unauthorized accounts.

Unlike the indifferent replies at the beginning, accounts with certified ranks began to add their replies one by one.

Underground workers who had achieved certifications or results comparable to, if not better than, Sapphire.

└It’s certain that he was seriously injured. There are many testimonies that he’s walking around with a cane that has a built-in life support device.

└Is he taking requests with that body? It seems like things aren’t going well for his company these days.

└It’s the opposite. His business is doing so well that they’re so short-handed that they have to use Gyeon-roe.

└It doesn’t seem like that’s what the poster is implying.

While various conversations were going on, another Emerald account appeared in the comment section and drove the point home.

└It’s true that he’s injured. It’s also true that he’s not comfortable moving around. Even considering that, it seems like he’s become more of a monster, so trash shouldn’t even think about trying to mess with him.

As soon as they realized that two people with gem-level accounts were saying almost the same thing, hundreds more comments were added in an instant.

└Is it even possible that he got stronger after being so badly injured?

└But that account’s tone is a bit arrogant.

└Emeralds are allowed to be. The underground should shut up.

└Why are you suddenly picking a fight? Do you want to die? Where do you live?

Unlike those who were having pointless arguments, those who knew about the situation were sharing information among themselves.

└There’s talk that his style has changed a bit. Most of them are almost dead, so it’s hard to know.

└There were rumors that he was a madman obsessed with blood. It seems that after being injured, he’s become more reliant on firepower.

└It seems like he gained some enlightenment from the battle with Madrich Onion. The power of his electric magic is insane.

└His combat ability has decreased, but the power of his magic has increased enough to compensate for it?

Only then did the commenters, who realized why the story about Gyeon-roe had started circulating at this point, grumble.

The information that a magician famous for grinding people in this industry had become stronger was not welcome news for his fellow colleagues.

└That’s a shitty story… How are us mayflies supposed to make a living when the world is getting so tough?

└Shouldn’t the world be a little tougher for friends like you?

└Address.

Secret complaints and constant personal attacks, the experienced’s skillful intimidation and provocation.

Even madmen who felt a sense of rivalry or intense greed even after hearing these words.

└Still, if the injury is real, it’s not like there’s no way to attack him. If we drag him into a melee, we might have a chance of winning.

└If he’s wearing a life support device, that means he’s just a walking corpse.

└That’s why this post itself is advising you not to even try that, you idiots.

└Leave them alone. What’s the point of talking to guys who don’t understand even when a gem account speaks directly?

└Let’s not be too harsh on friends who won’t be able to log in a month from now. Let’s cheer them on with warm words.

└Still, it doesn’t seem like there’s no way at all. It’s definitely worth trying. (Edited/Deleted)

“Ugh…”

“I see.”

Lenox checked the edit and delete buttons on the last comment and then threw the cell phone he was holding.

The cell phone landed directly on the chest of the bloodied man.

“The reaction is more interesting than I thought. I saw the comment you wrote too.”

“Cough!!”

“How do you feel now?”

“Shit…”

The blood-soaked man burst into a hollow laugh at Lenox’s question.

“I should have listened…”

“From now on, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of thinking carefully at least once when someone gives you advice.”

Click!!

Lenox, who had aimed the muzzle of his revolver at the man’s head, nodded with a smile.

“If there’s a next time, that is.”

Bang!!

At the same time as he pulled the trigger, the man’s head fell back, scattering blood.

Lenox, having confirmed that the man, who had twitched for a moment before dying, had finally stopped breathing, struggled to get up, leaning on his cane.

The lights flickering from the ceiling and the colorful neon signs. The pungent smell of alcohol flowing from the broken bottles stung his nose.

He walked through the wreckage of the shattered mirror balls and tables, and took out his cell phone.

“Jenny, it’s all over here. Is this the last one for today?”

[…You’re already done?]

Jenny said, sounding dumbfounded.

[No, I told you to take a few other freelancers with you. Why did you go all the way there alone?]

“It’s easier to move alone.”

Lenox replied, walking out of the devastated club house.

“It’s also easier to get noticed, and the rumors that I’ve returned to the field will get stronger.”

He looked back at the underground residents who were staring at him with frightened eyes outside the house and walked straight through the streets.

“It’s necessary to maintain this tone for the time being while the adjustment is in progress.”

The fact that the forces behind the suspicion that Ban and Evan were the same person had been revealed to be part of the city government’s high-ranking officials.

Unless Lenox had been subjected to the ritual transfer technique, the suspicion that the two were the same person would disappear.

However, Antares did not stop there, and instead began to track down those forces in order to protect Evan’s identity.

In the process, he established a justification for Antares to step in directly by borrowing Myung’s name.

And by having the Antares Mercenary Office directly protect Evan Bailen’s safety, he prevented the city government from arbitrarily taking measures such as isolation.

In the meantime, Lenox was focused on handling a few more designated requests, showing that this activity was not a one-off event for a special purpose.

Lenox was about to pass through the street behind the club house when he thought that.

Swish…!!

There was a cold sensation that brushed past his neck.

“……”

His aimless steps stopped in an instant.

Only then did Lenox feel the identity of the unknown sense of incongruity he felt around him and smiled bitterly.

“This is…”

The bustling streets where all sorts of peddlers, criminals, freelancers, and mercenaries were busy moving around.

The people who had filled the busy street, which was difficult to even know which area it was, had disappeared without a trace, and only Lenox was left alone in the middle of a wide crosswalk.

It was not the power of a technique or magic. It was not even a trick that used transcendental energy like magic power or spiritual power.

The overwhelming fighting spirit that was enveloping and burning this entire area.

A gaze mixed with a competitive spirit that was so intense that even Lenox was surprised at first glance, was unconsciously causing all the people in the vicinity to turn away.

He wanted to fight the opponent in front of him.

He wanted to throw himself with all his might to kill him.

The manifestation of an overwhelming and intense idea that, with just that emotion, made all the people in the entire downtown area feel intimidated and turn away.

A transcendental realm that exerted physical interference on reality simply by evoking one’s own will.

A monster painted all white stood across the street.

“I’ve heard quite a few rumors, but it’s indeed as good as its reputation.”

A quaint tone that was completely out of place to be heard in the middle of this city where dazzling civilization was built.

White hair, a pure white robe fluttering, and a benevolent look as if looking down at Lenox with his hands behind his back.

His face was filled with an unknown sense of satisfaction that even Lenox could not guess the origin of.

As if he had recently resolved a long-awaited wish.

“I heard you won a new victory against that friend Onion, and your actions are not awkward at all.”

“……”

“Staggering and shaking, yet burning fiercely. Truly an ideal form of mortality.”

The man nodded incessantly, as if satisfied.

“You are already a full-fledged warrior.”