Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 533

The Second Thesis (4)

Claude Azlan. The man who called himself Gyeolbaek’s greeting.

Lenox didn’t recognize the name right away, but Jenny, who was listening to the conversation over the phone, seemed to react differently.

[……!!]

Her reaction, unable to hide her agitation even through the phone, made her gasp.

That alone was enough for Lenox to understand how dangerous a monster the man standing in front of him was.

‘A face I don’t remember, but a magical power I’ve encountered before. He’s not from the Underworld.’

If Lenox, who had been active in the Underworld for a long time, was seeing him for the first time, he must be a monster living in the Light.

However, it wasn’t just because of the way Gyeolbaek introduced himself that Lenox recognized him.

The clear aura and magical power. It wasn’t long before he realized that the intense white glow existed in his memory.

‘The white pillar I witnessed in Bairuitz. Was this man the source?’

Unlike the battle between Lenox and Ivelin, another fierce battle took place in the satellite city of Bairuitz.

The existence of a second foreign power, presumed to have clashed with Maiya Lensrit.

This man was one of the monsters who cooperated with Ivelin in Aegis’s operation and lent his strength.

A level 8 extreme ability user. A warrior who, at a glance, seemed specialized in the vanguard.

It was impossible to even guess the extent of his strength and combat ability.

Lenox’s gaze calmly settled.

Gyeolbaek smiled lightly, as if he expected it.

“You’re assessing your chances of victory. I knew you would.”

“……”

“If you’ve fought Onion, you’ll be able to gauge me as well. So, what do you think now that you’ve seen me in person?”

Gyeolbaek’s pure white eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“If you were to fight with a life-or-death determination, how confident would you be in your chances of winning?”

“…The fact that you want to hear that from my own mouth means you’re not in your right mind either.”

Lenox chuckled and turned his gaze away.

“If that’s all you wanted, I have no intention of answering. I’m leaving.”

Although he didn’t know much about Gyeolbaek, there was something he could understand without having a long conversation with him.

The man standing in front of Lenox was a madman far removed from the common sense of ordinary humans.

Moreover, he wasn’t crazy about anything else, but a monster completely consumed by the thrill of fighting and the pleasure of competition.

A warrior whose overwhelming aura made Lenox feel disgusted, and all his words and actions were consistent with that momentum.

What did it mean that he had reached level 8 and transcended the hierarchy in such a state?

He was alive and breathing, but he was already a being who had gone mad with the joy of fighting from head to marrow.

There was nothing to gain from associating with such an opponent. It would be a blessing if he didn’t get caught up in the heat and suffer harm.

Rather, it was hard to understand how he had been quietly confined to the Light while adhering to the Restriction Ordinance.

He didn’t expect to encounter such a monster in the middle of the city, but Lenox wasn’t flustered and slowly turned his back.

If a monster of this caliber was freely roaming the Light, there must be a considerable number of eyes watching from the surroundings.

Knowing that, there was no reason to indulge the other party’s intentions.

Thinking that, Lenox was about to use his cane to return to Jenny’s bar when Claude casually added another word.

“I heard you got a hint about the Black Consumer Project from Onion.”

“……”

A word that Lenox could never ignore.

Gyeolbaek smiled at Lenox, who slowly turned his gaze.

“I have a favor to ask regarding that matter. Would you like to hear about it?”

* * *

District 16 of the megacity.

The outer lane of District 16, famous for its vast flat area among the inner districts.

Only a long fence that seemed to stretch endlessly, facing the open space with highways, fields, and occasional gas stations, blocked the horizon.

The majestic gate erected in the very center of the fence, which was hundreds of meters long.

The sight of the gate, surrounded by all sorts of demons and generals carved from old trees, was gruesome, even down to the sign hanging above it.

[Turyeonmun (투련문) – Fighting Refinement Gate]

The gate opened wide, and the image of a vast manor unfolded within.

Squeak…!!

More than hundreds of superhumans were doing group runs on the outskirts of the huge manor, hitting wooden dolls.

From those who were engrossed in sparring with each other to those who were guarding the inner part of the manor with weapons in hand.

All the warriors who were only devoted to honing themselves bowed politely the moment they faced Gyeolbaek.

“Lord Azlan, how was your outing after a long time?”

“The Head of the Gate is waiting for you.”

“It seems that there has been direct contact from the Central Council.”

The warriors naturally followed Gyeolbaek and Lenox, offering various words as if they were escorting them.

Gyeolbaek nodded briefly and immediately brought up the matter at hand.

“Guide our guest to the place where we will receive him.”

“Understood!”

They guided the two as if they were escorting them towards the main building, which was built like a palace.

They didn’t ask at all what the matter was or what it was about.

[……Ban, you have to be careful.]

Jenny’s voice faintly reached Lenox’s ear.

[Gyeolbaek of Turyeonmun. He’s one of the monsters who has been following a very dangerous path, even among those bound by the Restriction Ordinance.]

“……”

Because she was using the bone conduction phenomenon of magic to transmit her voice directly, Gyeolbaek wouldn’t be able to hear it.

Jenny understood that and was quickly conveying information about Gyeolbaek in a way that only Lenox could receive.

Information that could not be known through Davi’s data hacking or Lenox’s magic detection.

Secret rumors and information that were only passed down by word of mouth among those who knew each other in the Underworld.

[He’s a monster who has existed since the city was reorganized, and he was even a member of the council… but there’s a rumor that he stepped down from his council position due to a very disgraceful incident.]

Jenny said in a tense voice.

[Some say that he has reached the point of no return due to a mental illness-]

“Please understand.”

“……”

Gyeolbaek turned his gaze to Lenox and smiled.

“I’ve been away from the main gate for a while due to some business, so the reception is very chaotic.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Lenox said with a blank face.

He already had a rough idea of what Gyeolbaek was talking about, so he had no intention of asking about it.

Jenny, who had been holding her breath at Gyeolbaek’s strangely overlapping words, quietly whispered.

[…I’ll temporarily link my Deep Web account to Ban’s phone. If you need any information, look it up right away.]

Information he needed.

Lenox understood Jenny’s concern, but he had no intention of using the account right away.

At the point of following Gyeolbaek, there was no reason to beat around the bush. If necessary, he could just dig it out through conversation.

It wasn’t that difficult to find out the notable parts of his words and actions.

“More importantly, how long are you going to keep up that ridiculous way of speaking?”

“…My way of speaking?”

Lenox smiled as he saw Gyeolbaek pause.

“An almost forced respect. You can’t hide the competitive spirit mixed in, can you?”

“……”

“You don’t even intend to, you’re just forcibly suppressing it. It’s actually quite annoying.”

The way he kept talking to Lenox was too awkward and unclear, making it easy to grasp.

Perhaps Gyeolbaek wasn’t the type to be polite or respectful to his subordinates.

He was trying to maintain politeness towards Lenox, who was clearly younger and of lower status than him, so his way of speaking was popping out.

“…That can’t be helped.”

Gyeolbaek smiled.

“I don’t care about age, honor, or status. However, I am very interested in the other party’s skills, achievements, and performance.”

“……”

“The status you have built up in the name of Gyeonroe, the achievement of single-handedly defeating Onion. All of them indicate what level you have reached, so how can I treat you carelessly?”

Having said that, Gyeolbaek grabbed his mouth and pretended to pull it, laughing heartily.

“Please forgive my bad habit. You look much younger than I thought, so I made a slip of the tongue because you remind me of my granddaughter I left behind in another land, hahahaha!!!”

A hearty reaction as if he was trying to cover up his mistake with generosity.

However, Lenox only smiled coldly as he looked at Gyeolbaek.

“You must be at a point where you can’t think rationally unless you restrain yourself by refining your way of speaking like that, right?”

“……”

Gyeolbaek’s smile stopped abruptly.

“Transcending the hierarchy is also a troublesome thing. Isn’t it?”

He continued without waiting for an answer.

“The uncharted territory you reach by deviating from the established path is not always beneficial to you.”

What does it mean to transcend the existing hierarchy by going beyond the seven stages of self-transformation?

To start walking by groping along an untrodden path is the same as abandoning stability and making a gamble.

Lenox knew very well that reaching level 8 was not always a beneficial thing.

It wasn’t for a trivial reason like being reminded of his granddaughter that he was sticking to a fluctuating way of speaking.

He had reached a level where his self-control was so depleted that he couldn’t suppress his fighting spirit unless he tried to maintain a way of speaking that forcibly respected the other party.

“I’m curious how you can accept and endure the Restriction Ordinance with that kind of mentality.”

Lenox said indifferently, looking down at the silent Gyeolbaek’s back.

“Wouldn’t it be better to tie your arms and legs and lock you in a room so you don’t come out?”

“…Hehe.”

A low chuckle. A chilling murderous intent emanated from under the swaying white robe.

With the flow of murderous intent that was tightening all around, the string that tied his neatly arranged white hair snapped, and his hair became disheveled.

Click!

Gyeolbaek, who glanced back at Lenox through his loose hair, replied in a subdued voice.

“There was a time when I had to suppress my impulses to that extent.”

“……”

“In the past, I was secretly welcoming the restraint of the Restriction Ordinance. I thought it was an opportunity to forget about the complicated political situation and delve deeper into myself.”

Gyeolbaek, who swept back his hair, mocked himself with a sharp sneer.

“But I realized too late that the tower I had built up uncontrollably high had become easy to collapse out of control.”

The shadow of Gyeolbaek, who had been walking with his hands behind his back, began to turn pure white and emit a faint light.

With the illusion that the area under his feet was being brightly illuminated, the faces of the warriors who were guiding Gyeolbaek turned pale.

“Ah, Lord Azlan…!!”

“Please calm down, the release of magical power above the Saint level is prohibited in the main building…!!”

Fwaaaah!!

Gyeolbaek’s magical power swelled uncontrollably.

Ignoring the others’ pleas, the white shadow that had risen high began to take on a clear shape.

The form of a huge white demon that was large enough to surround Gyeolbaek’s body.

With white hair all over its body, it glared at this side with its eyes gleaming, with a face that was as hideous and twisted as a skull.

In its thin hands, it held a long white flash like a spear, which seemed to be a manifestation close to the incarnation of the superhuman Gyeolbaek’s mind.

“……”

A sinister chill that was completely different from the attitude he had been pretending to be cheerful just a moment ago.

The aspect of a monster living in the shadows, born from the distortion of his mind.

Perhaps this was the true nature of the monster called Gyeolbaek.

A non-human monster who had pursued the essence of a warrior more powerfully and clearly than anyone else, and could no longer imagine anything other than that image.

It was no different from the sense of incongruity he had faintly felt when facing Ivelin.

The level 8 extreme ability users had already deviated from the morals and nature of humans to some extent, and they were trying to adjust and control it in their own way.

Saaah…!!

The gaze of the ghost, whose eyes were gleaming as if it would devour Lenox right away.

It was clear how Claude Azlan thought of Lenox.

Perhaps he had used a similar power to inflate the scale and magnitude of his magical power like crazy when he fought Maiya Lensrit.

However, Lenox only stroked his cane, even at the sight of the white demon that had risen as if it would pounce on him right away.

“You’re using a monster born from the distortion of your mind as an incarnation. It’s interesting, but…”

Fwaaat!!

A colorless wave that burst out from under Lenox’s feet began to suppress the white demon’s form on the spot.

The thought that freely manipulates the signs that appear just before the self-magnetic field is deployed.

The weight contained in Lenox’s mind, carried by the wave, suppressed and neutralized the white demon’s form itself.

The golden spirituality burst out and penetrated the white demon’s eyes without hesitation.

Whoo-oong…!!

Gyeolbaek also didn’t resist the power of the wave that Lenox had unleashed for long.

The white demon’s form disappeared as if it had expected it, too easily.

The other warriors who were watching the scene from the side stepped back, unable to even speak properly.

“How can a mere magician dare to suppress Lord Azlan’s spirit!!”

“Isn’t he a talent that is too dangerous to bring into the main gate…!!”

However, Gyeolbaek ignored the other warriors’ reactions and smiled as if he had expected it.

“Indeed, you could do it.”

“……”

“It has to be you. I’ve already made my decision.”

Some kind of monologue that was hard to understand.

However, Lenox, who had understood the words to some extent, did not bother to respond to them.

Gyeolbaek had deliberately reacted to Lenox’s provocation just now, trying to confirm whether he had reached a level where he could offset his power head-on.

The silence was brief.

“Well, I’ve been paying a lot of attention to my mental training these days.”

Gyeolbaek, who picked up the broken hair tie and casually tied his white hair neatly again, said.

He smiled and turned his gaze, adjusting his voice again.

The other warriors hurriedly regained their senses and began to guide them again.

However, unlike before when they had been ignoring Lenox, their gazes were still fixed on the magician with the cane.

“Rather than thinking about getting stronger, I sometimes try to forget about it and live. The old saying, ‘The slower you go, the faster you arrive,’ still holds true even now.”

Is it possible that one can become stronger by not aiming to become stronger?

Lenox didn’t know much about the values or the precariousness of the minds of such warriors.

However, he somewhat sympathized with the fact that such a contradiction was part of the essence that made up the human psyche.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a pleasant story, so shall we stop here?”

Gyeolbaek said that and strode towards one side of the main manor.

“Let’s put aside my useless story and start explaining the reason why I called you here.”

They went up to a luxurious palace decorated with high-quality carpets and sat in front of a lavishly prepared table of food and drinks.

Did they prepare such a splendid table for the guest in the short time it took for the two to walk through the manor?

Gyeolbaek, who picked up a cup of steaming sake, pushed it in front of Lenox and asked.

“How about we start with a drink?”

* * *

“It has been more than 50 years since Turyeonmun settled in this city.”

After gulping down the cup of sake, he just flicked his finger, and the sake bottle rotated in place and rose up.

Just by gesturing with the cup in his hand, the sake curved and filled the cup as if an invisible hand was pouring it.

“The project failed, the council was replaced, a civil war broke out and the Underworld was turned upside down, and even Kai Se’s granddaughter became a broker, but we were still here.”

“……”

Did he hear it, or did he not hear it?

“Do you know what that means?”

Gyeolbaek’s face was very strange. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he wanted to test his reaction.

However, Lenox didn’t even raise an eyebrow at Gyeolbaek’s question.

“Are you trying to brag about being stagnant and rotten?”

“Hahahaha!!”

Gyeolbaek burst into laughter at Lenox’s words and picked up his cup and gulped it down.

“It means that we have been helping in various ways with the things that happen in the shadows of this city.”

“……”

“It’s not like we’ve been idle since we were bound by the Restriction Ordinance. Rather, we’ve been trying to keep an eye on everything.”

Perhaps it was because of his pure white clothes and skin, but his face seemed to turn red quickly even after just a few drinks.

Gyeolbaek, with a slightly flushed face, picked up the sake bottle after drinking several cups in a row.

“For example, like the incident of the Defense Force’s rebellion that you directly participated in.”

“……”

“Lieutenant General Edmus Trepen. You must remember the betrayal of the mobile fortress commander, right?”

Only then did Lenox realize that Gyeolbaek had brought up the main point, and he silently put down the cup he was holding.

Gyeolbaek stared intently at Lenox’s gesture and said.

“At the time, Lieutenant General Trepen tried to trade with the council using the military facilities abandoned in the undeveloped area, and it actually worked.”

“And?”

“If the Deputy Director of the Agent, Palad O’Con, hadn’t recruited talents like you to stop the mobile fortress, the council would have had to concede a lot.”

Gyeolbaek continued, tilting his cup.

“It was clear that a loophole in the Restriction Ordinance had been discovered, so we were able to maintain our existing privileges and be released. There was hardly any organization or force that didn’t watch the process with interest.”

“……”

“The problem is that in the process, Deputy Director Palad, along with some freelancers, was poking around in some of the closed areas. You might remember it.”

“…Closed area?”

Lenox immediately remembered what incident Gyeolbaek was referring to.

Before heading to the undeveloped area to face the mobile fortress, he had infiltrated District 6, which had been designated as a closed area, and searched through classified documents, hadn’t he?

The operation in which they used the data obtained in the process to figure out the mobile fortress’s advance route and engage in a full-scale battle.

Claude was referring to the incident when they had infiltrated District 6.

“That’s right. In fact, we can’t proceed with the conversation unless we confirm this.”

Gyeolbaek smiled as he put down his cup.

“Because from now on, we have to go into another closed area to clean up the damage caused by the Black Consumer Project.”