Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 631

Submerged Barrier Mind Chamber (1)

Though Ibert had spoken as if Renok could visit the Mind Chamber on the day of the summons, Renok knew all too well that if he had to enter the Mind Chamber, the day of the summons would not be an opportunity.

If Ex Machina had decided to call him to the Mind Chamber because Renok had repaired the End of Teremer at the Meister selection ceremony, to get his hands on that magic gun, Renok would have to move one step ahead of them.

Moreover, after learning from Elaba that the existence of the Mind Chamber itself was related to the Ascension Gate, there was no need to say more. The magic gunner’s exclusive equipment. From the moment he recognized the existence of the old world’s magic gun, Renok’s course of action was set.

Mauser, hearing Renok’s firm answer, sighed and stepped back.

“Well, what can I do to stop you now that you’ve come this far? Everything you’ve got is something you’ve obtained yourself. Just be mindful of the time and come back.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Renok smiled quietly, then stepped onto the tail feather of the Night Raven, which was tilted diagonally, and the moment he climbed onto its back, the Night Raven’s wings bent backward and began to wrap around Renok’s back.

[External Transformation: Internal Alloy]

[Vertical Inversion: Outer Skin Mimicry]

Weeeeeeeng!!!

The bird’s long neck and beak folded into the body, and the backrest seat lowered slightly, transforming the seat Renok was on into a steel cockpit. At the same time, the stuffy walls of the cockpit began to reflect the outside scenery like a glass window.

[Shape Transformation: Underwater Maneuvering]

[Arma Delta Alloy Outer Shell Conversion]

[Real-time Water Pressure Measurement in Progress… Values Activated]

Clank!!

With Davi’s clear voice, the Night Raven’s form changed into a sharp dolphin shape, closing together in a streamlined form. From a form standing on the seawater, it instantly floated on the surface and began to cut through the waves in reverse.

Swaaaah!!!

The weather gradually worsened. A strong wind was blowing from afar, and the raindrops were getting thicker. The Night Raven’s form quickly disappeared beyond the intensifying storm, where even the sound of the waves could barely be heard.

Flash!!

A bolt of lightning struck through the dark clouds, turning Mauser’s vision white, and the moment that light struck the middle of the sea, Renok’s figure had already completely disappeared from the surface of the water.

* * *

Glugluglug!!

The Night Raven, now a dolphin-shaped submersible, descended rapidly into the dark depths of the sea. The water bubbles that had been clinging to the cockpit wall disappeared in an instant, and only deep darkness enveloped Renok’s shoulders.

Crack…!!

A faint, eerie sound of the cockpit wall slightly caving in could be heard. As it descended, the change in water pressure became extreme, putting pressure on the outer walls of the submersible. If the submersible were to break down here, it would be crushed by the water pressure hundreds of meters below the surface without oxygen.

However, rather than being overwhelmed by the surrounding scenery, Renok focused on checking the status of the instrument panel that glowed faintly inside the cockpit.

“Check remaining oxygen and reserve power. Sonar and infrared detectors are ready to operate. Night vision activated. What about stealth?”

[The pressure is higher than I thought, so it’s not easy to adjust.]

Davi replied immediately, then wriggled out of Renok’s arms and groaned.

[It seems like it will take some time to synchronize with the external environment.]

“The weather outside is worse than expected. The environment above the sea is probably abnormal, making synchronization more difficult.”

The submersible that Renok had created was a modified version of the Night Raven, which Davi had been operating, with Arma Delta alloy added. This kind of modification was necessary to use the Arma Delta alloy optimized for deep-sea exploration while utilizing Davi’s processing power.

Davi was also familiar with controlling the Night Raven, so he thought he would be able to operate the submersible and adjust variables, but the reality was not so easy.

‘I should have tested it in a similar environment at least once…’

The seawater felt much heavier than he had expected, and the flow of the currents was more intense than he had imagined. He was essentially falling endlessly into the deep sea without knowing anything about the terrain and features of this area.

[Master!!]

At the same time as Davi shouted urgently, the submersible sharply changed direction.

Swish!!

Beyond the cockpit wall where Renok’s cheek was touching, a huge eyeball brushed past the submersible.

“…!!!!”

The moment Renok frowned at the sight of the eerie eyeball, Davi said.

[It’s a deep-sea fish.]

“That’s… a fish?”

Considering the size of the eyeball Renok had just faced, the actual body was almost tens of meters in size. It was practically not a fish, but a monster or a beast.

[It’s said that they can maintain their large size and withstand the water pressure because they evolved by feeding on magic power.]

“……”

[If you search the database that meets the Level 2 or higher evaluation criteria in the Machine City, there are papers on related themes.]

“So, those monsters have existed in the deep-sea area of the Earth for a long time…”

[Deep sea 2500 meters breached. Magic power condensation concentration increased by 7.5 times. The water pressure is expected to increase rapidly in response to surrounding variables.]

Crack!!

An eerie noise as if the cockpit twisted once more. Even with the Arma Delta alloy submersible optimized for deep-sea exploration, it was not completely free from the effects of water pressure.

[Detailed value adjustment completed. Detection and vision functions activated.]

At that moment, the darkness surrounding the cockpit cleared, and the surrounding terrain and the appearance of the deep sea began to appear. Renok quickly turned his gaze, and then closed his mouth after confirming the scenery visible beyond the cockpit.

Because dozens of huge fish, comparable to the deep-sea fish he had just encountered, were gathered in groups and all looking this way.

“……”

A chilling sight of dozens of deep-sea fish with unfocused eyes opening their mouths and staring silently this way. The moment a huge deep-sea fish resembling a sharp marlin twitched its fins, Davi pressed down on the control stick that had risen above the instrument panel.

Sweeek!!

The marlin’s form pierced through the spot like an arrow the moment the submersible’s form tilted. Renok’s face hardened as he realized that the speed he had confirmed through magic power detection was close to subsonic.

“That’s ridiculous. Judging by its movements, it’s almost a level 5 monster…!!”

As if that was a signal, dozens of deep-sea fish began to rush towards the submersible like crazy.

Kurururuk!!!

There were no screams or cries, but every time the deep-sea fish thrashed, bubbles rose, spreading a lot of uncomfortable vibrations. The submersible’s form quickly changed direction to avoid the jaws of the giant fish in the dark depths of the sea. It fell vertically down a steep cliff that appeared at the end of the fog, but dozens of deep-sea fish relentlessly followed behind.

Renok’s face, which was tilted upside down inside the cockpit, was also slightly frowning.

“We can’t last long like this… I need to prepare.”

The submersible was made to withstand water pressure, not for this kind of chase. He was escaping by relying on Davi’s calculation and control skills among the monsters that used condensed deep-sea magic power, but it would be difficult to last long. Renok, sensing this, quickly weighed the possible methods and possibilities in his head and was about to activate his magic eye when,

[External environment synchronization completed. Stealth function activated.]

Shuuuuung…!!

At the same time as an unknown barrier spread around the submersible, the flow of the sea current began to change rapidly.

Kururuk…???

At the same time, the deep-sea fish that had been swimming fiercely until just now could not find the submersible in front of them and looked around. When they lashed out their fins at the innocent rocky cliff in frustration, the aftermath caused the cliff to collapse and crumble. The submersible did not react at all to such a commotion, and stopped dead as if it were dead at the same time as the stealth function was activated.

Only when other deep-sea fish began to lose interest and disappear one by one did Davi speak again, as if relieved.

[Hoo, the detailed value adjustment is complete. Now we can use the stealth function normally even while moving.]

“…Good.”

Only then did Renok raise himself from the cockpit where he had been lying down, and grab the control stick that was flipped over his head. After turning the upside-down submersible around, he moved the submersible back down into the deep sea. As the surrounding scenery came into view, all sorts of bizarre sights that he had not seen until just now caught his eye.

A forest of seaweed that had grown to hundreds of meters in length swayed, and a giant catfish resembling a toad flicked its tongue inside a cave. Dozens of hermit crabs the size of houses crawled in groups between the rocks, and a rainbow-colored jellyfish wriggled its tentacles right in front of him.

“……”

In a world where magic and mystery were alive, he had never thought that the scenery of the unexplored regions untouched by human hands would be different from common sense. Every creature and scenery he encountered was far beyond Renok’s expectations.

‘…Now I know why the outside of the world was called the Outer Sea.’

The dark sea where monsters and miracles, similar to what Renok was seeing now, but also far exceeding that scale and expectations, were rampant. The person who gave it that name was probably someone who had encountered the same scenery as Renok, with a high probability.

While Renok was lost in thought, other beings besides deep-sea creatures and natural landscapes began to appear in the submersible’s field of vision.

Kuuuuuung…!!

Squeeeeeeak!!

“…Machines?”

A huge excavator, seemingly hundreds of meters long, was scraping away at the deep-sea rock and transporting it along an endless railway. The shapes of all kinds of equipment made of house-sized cranes, slides, and solid steel bars. The unique thing was that they all boasted an enormous size that easily exceeded hundreds of meters, enough to stand out even in this deep sea.

Davi, in the meantime, had searched the database and found information, and explained it naturally.

[They say these are mining equipment installed in the deep sea to extract seabed minerals and resources.]

“Mining equipment…”

[It seems that there are quite a few rare resources that are only completed in this environment due to the strong water pressure.]

The shapes of the machines that extract minerals and resources in the dark and cold depths of the sea looked more like monsters than equipment. Whooong!! As a huge crane brushed over the submersible’s head and scattered minerals, a purple glow sparkled brilliantly outside the cockpit window.

Fabababat!!

A rain of purple jewels falling in the dark sea. While Renok was silently turning his gaze to the scenery, Davi added, as if amazed.

[It’s Grazia ore. Before processing, it emits a beautiful light like a jewel, and after processing, it is said to be used in various equipment due to its high strength.]

“The side squad assassin I killed last time. The hand knife that guy had was made of Grazia alloy.”

Renok nodded slowly and muttered.

“They were extracting large amounts of precious resources from the bottom of the sea… I think I know why the Machine City was able to maintain its scale while being so closed off.”

It was not that precious resources or minerals were pouring out of all the seas and deep seas of the continent. It was more likely that the city of Machina had established itself in a blessed sea area, and had grown by getting its hands on various minerals, resources, and metals in this way. After that, Renok descended deeper into the sea, avoiding dozens of huge mining equipment.

Drdrdrdeuk…!!

The sound coming from the cockpit wall due to the ever-increasing water pressure was noticeably louder. The view that had been secured with infrared detection and a periscope was distorted, and the flow of the sea current became more ominous.

“The water pressure…”

Davi, also sensing the seriousness, spoke in a rapid voice.

[It seems that the Arma Delta alloy contained in the current submersible is not lasting as long as I thought.]

“No, that’s not it. The senses themselves are being distorted.”

Renok narrowed his eyes as he said that.

“The water pressure is so strong that the space below the sea is being distorted.”

[…Huh?]

“A magical realm where the space itself is twisted and bent due to the power of pure nature… If it’s not that level, it means that it’s impossible to even approach it by physical means.”

At that moment, the fog that had been flowing out sporadically between the sea currents cleared, and a completely new landscape appeared in front of the submersible.

Swaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

A massive barrier that looked as if thousands of huge gears were stacked on top of each other. It blocked the entire sea from end to end in the submersible’s field of vision, constantly writhing and adjusting the size and width of the barrier. The bizarre shape of the barrier convulsing and writhing as if it were alive. Renok quietly muttered as he looked at it.

“The deepest part of Machina’s submerged barrier. I’ve finally found it.”

The deepest part of the Machine City, hidden most secretly, and buried so that no one could easily approach it. The lowest center of the Machine City, which never reveals its appearance to the outside, even though the location and direction of all the districts are reorganized every quarter. The submerged barrier had revealed itself in front of Renok.

* * *

After that, Renok led the submersible around the submerged barrier, slowly examining its appearance.

Kwaaaaaa!!!

A huge submerged barrier with dozens of huge gears rotating, the end of which could not be seen. If you look closely, the submerged barrier is in the shape of a huge sphere, buried under the sea and constantly rotating. However, due to the unbelievable size of the barrier itself, it only looked like a steel cliff even in this deep sea.

[As a result of 3D projection scanning, it is definitely a sphere with curvature… It’s strange.]

Davi, who was dangling from the submersible’s control stick and manipulating the direction, tilted his head.

[According to the data, the submerged barrier should be one of the barriers connected to the terrain of Machina. But why is it isolated alone in the deep sea?]

“It’s not isolated.”

Renok replied, taking out a pill from his pocket and swallowing it.

“It’s just that it looks that way due to the distortion of space.”

[Does that mean that those barriers are actually connected to the internal facilities of the Machine City?]

“It’s not just that level. I think that each of those gears is probably…”

Renok, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened his mouth.

“It’s highly likely that they are the core components of the mechanical barriers that divide the city districts.”

Thousands of abnormally large gears were gathered, forming a huge circular sphere and spinning like crazy. But what were they so busy operating in this empty sea full of mining equipment and bizarre deep-sea fish? It was too conspicuous and noisy to simply protect the space inside the barrier from external threats.

“The district changes that take place every quarter inside Machina. I think that the core function is established due to the existence of the submerged barrier.”

[That the linking process appears to be isolated due to the distortion of the space below the sea.]

Davi perked up his ears as if he understood.

[Then, I’ll try to get closer and check it out.]

Charrrrreureuk!!

He approached the barrier of gears that were constantly rotating in the dark sea.

“It’ll be difficult to see through the internal structure of the barrier…”

Even with the magic eye, only the outline of the inside of the barrier was faintly visible. He could only guess that the inside was also shaking slightly as it constantly rotated along the submerged barrier.

[The water pressure and altered natural magic power that distort space are hindering the acquisition of vision. Wouldn’t it be difficult to see through?]

But if he got close to the barrier, he would be swept away into the gaps between the gears and become a handful of blood. Rather, it could be said that the power of the magic eye, which could faintly project the inside of the barrier even from this distance, was amazing. However, Renok’s expression did not ease, even though he was well aware of that fact.

“Even after coming all the way down here, I can’t pinpoint the location of the Pentarect [a magical artifact]. If I can’t confirm that, there’s no point in coming down here.”

From the moment he went down to the coast with Mauser, Renok had clearly recognized the presence of the Pentarect. If he had not used the existence of the Pentarect attached to the old world’s magic gun, the End of Teremer, as a landmark, it would have been impossible to find the submerged barrier in this vast deep sea. The problem was that it was difficult to pinpoint the location of the Pentarect even though he had reached right in front of the submerged barrier.

“…I have no choice.”

If he didn’t thoroughly investigate the submerged barrier here today, such an opportunity might not come again. Even if it was a bit reckless, he had to get a clear result here. Thinking that, Renok quickly chewed and swallowed several elixirs and stimulants from his pocket.

Tuk, tuk!!

Every time an empty vial and ampoule fell behind the submersible’s seat, the magic power flowing from Renok’s body became explosively denser. Whoooong!!! To the point where the internal space of the submersible, which had been crushed, began to recover with just the magic power flowing out without any manipulation. Davi, who had been frantically analyzing the appearance of the submerged barrier, finally looked at Renok and tilted his head.

[Master?]

“Davi, stop operating the submersible. I’m going to ask you to do the calculation from now on.”

[If you give up the stealth function and use magic power, the built-in security system near the submerged barrier will be activated?]

He had taken advantage of the gap in security caused by Ex Machina’s city administration inspection, but there was also a security system built into the barrier itself. Until now, he had been avoiding it due to Renok’s concealment of his presence and Davi’s stealth operation of the submersible, but if he used magic power, traces would surely be left.

“I can’t just be a craftsman in this city forever.”

Renok’s eyes shone coldly.

“I’ll take that into account and open the submerged barrier here. Prepare.”

It was not bad to meet various people while working as a craftsman in the workshop, and to use Renok’s own intuition in a new direction. However, the reason why Renok had built his position, increased his reputation, and worked as a craftsman was to access the core secrets of the Machine City. And that action had eventually led him here. As long as it led to a result, he was ready to take risks at any time.

The secret of the Ascension Gate. Kaise’s research journal. The existence of the Mind Chamber in the submerged barrier. If he had obtained all the clues he could get his hands on right now, wouldn’t he have to clear away the remaining fog with his own hands?

Whoooong…!!!

At the same time as he calmly made hand seals with both hands, he closed his eyes and began to drastically increase his magic power. However, the center was not Renok, who was making hand seals, but Davi, who was hanging from the submersible’s control stick. The colorless wave that burst out from the center of the spirit of the electronic brain instantly covered the submersible and spread beyond the sea.

Faaaaat!!

Observing the wave of the wave that covered reality, he took out the mind within his mind and threw it. The ability of self-modification that elevates the inner image itself and makes it overflow onto reality. A miracle that was not yet possible with the spirit’s own power was unfolded by covering it on the magician’s talent and vessel.

Self-Magnetic Field Deployment: Spirit Resonance

Electronic Brain Hierarchy Image Implementation

[Dream Thought Electric Mirror]

In the dark sea, thousands of cubes resembling white snow fluttered down and began to fall on the outer skin of the submerged barrier.