Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 634

The Godslayer (1)

The Godslayer of the Old World.

As soon as Lenox heard those words, he sharpened his senses and focused on observing the reactions of others.

What did it mean to mention that in the Machine City, which had experienced the failure of the Ascension Gate? [A project to connect to another world, which failed]

Did they understand what it meant to directly speak of the causality of a world that had already perished?

The soldiers remained silent as if they didn’t understand the words themselves, while the Meisters [Master Craftsmen] looked at Hermes with a subtle air.

‘Hermes, have you forgotten so soon?’

One of the silent Meisters spoke.

‘We agreed to consult beforehand whenever we bring in necessary information from beyond the gate.’

‘……’

‘I understand that you are in charge of exploring and researching beyond the gate as the person in charge of this quarter. But we need more than that for adjustments.’

The Submerged Barrier Mind Chamber, which opens every quarter in the Machine City.

Each quarter, Meisters, soldiers, and a person in charge of researching the gate are assigned to fix the failure of the Ascension Gate.

‘A researcher with a mechanical head, a soldier with a steel heart, and a craftsman with a war hammer… They were managing the interior of the Submerged Barrier with a decent balance.’

Then, the huge ring that had risen majestically behind Hermes was a legacy of the failure of the Ascension Gate.

‘I apologize, Harvester.’

Hermes said in a voice that did not waver at all.

‘But you know that there are times when even speaking out loud is not allowed, don’t you?’

‘……’

At those words, the expressions of the other Meisters changed cautiously.

They realized that Hermes’ words were not simply because he didn’t want to talk.

‘You mean it’s information that has been restricted even among the fragments of the Old World.’

‘Certainly, if that’s the case, it’s definitely a reason to completely revise the goals within the quarter. Is that why you called us here?’

‘As I said, proper adjustments are needed to load the necessary information in a timely manner.’

Hermes’ transparent gaze turned to the Meisters and soldiers.

‘If you understand, I’d like to start right away.’

‘……Even if we succeed in finding groundbreaking information and fragments of knowledge, there have been countless cases where we only left irreversible harm because we couldn’t match the price.’

The old Meister, who had been standing silently at the very back, muttered quietly.

‘We don’t have much time left. We must take full responsibility this time to ensure that doesn’t happen.’

‘Of course.’

Hermes slowly nodded.

The Meisters, who had been silently looking at each other, gestured to the soldiers who were standing silently behind them.

‘We will now begin adjusting the gate. You will assist in the related tasks.’

‘Understood.’

‘The situation is not good……’

Lenox, who was walking among the soldiers, frowned inside his suit.

The Meisters didn’t seem to know who the Godslayer of the Old World was, but they were cooperating as if they were used to this kind of thing.

That was probably because they had gone through similar procedures to acquire unusual information from beyond the gate in the past.

There were two things that could be learned from this.

One was that sufficient preparation and adjustment were needed to extract information from beyond the gate.

The other was that the legacy of the Ascension Gate, which he had seen in Boyan’s memories, possessed the power that Lenox had vaguely guessed.

‘The Ascension Gate project definitely failed. But beyond the gate……’

It was no coincidence that traces, relics, and knowledge of the Old World were frequently discovered in the Machine City, Machina.

There was not a non-existent fourth world, but a second world where causality had already been extinguished and perished.

Through the failure of the Ascension Gate, they were bringing out the memories and knowledge of WORLD 2.0, or relics equivalent to them.

Why the gate that was supposed to lead to the fourth world was connected to the perished second world, and whether the space of the Old World that existed beyond the gate was still intact.

There was nothing Lenox could confirm right now.

He could only watch the situation unfold while helping with the work in the huge hollow space above the wide lake.

Lenox and the other soldiers transported the necessary materials and items, and the Meisters began attaching wires and equipment to the huge ring.

Woo-oong…!!

A strange vibration echoed as the huge ring, made of dozens of overlapping circles, rotated above the lake.

After connecting measuring devices and data output devices to each ring rotating in different directions and speeds, they adjusted the values through a temporarily installed computing device.

During the process of delivering and receiving materials during the work, Lenox was naturally able to observe the shape of the gate up close.

A beautiful metal that shone white and gold. It was an illusion, but its shape sometimes seemed to shimmer as if it didn’t exist in reality.

Dabi quietly whispered through Lenox’s earpiece from inside his pocket.

[There’s no related data in either the Machine City or the Megacity database. It’s an alloy that officially doesn’t exist.]

‘No, this is an item from the Old World.’

Lenox knew that this was an alloy of an unclassified grade called Cloud Gold.

He didn’t remember all the items that existed in WORLD 2.0, but this beautiful and cloudy shape was extremely popular as an appearance change option.

And that fact proved that the gate here now was a new gate created after the failure of the Ascension Gate.

If the demise of the second world was reached through the Ascension Gate project, then the Ascension Gate that was completed at that time would have been made only with materials from this world.

Then where was the Ascension Gate that was made and failed during the project?

‘I haven’t even found the End of Teremer yet, but I’ve gotten too involved in this. This is troublesome……’

When he entered the Mind Chamber, he thought he might find traces related to the Ascension Gate, but he never imagined he would be watching the scene of the gate being used right next to him.

And the reason why things progressed so suddenly was probably because of that man named Hermes, who had gathered the Meisters.

Looking at the situation, it was clear that that man was the one most deeply involved in the secrets of this city and was acting as the head.

A member of Ex Machina and the Mechanical Head faction. Moreover, if he was here as the head of research, he must be a big shot in the upper echelons.

However, Lenox’s senses, which were carefully observing Hermes’ appearance, were reporting facts that were different from the known circumstances.

‘He’s strangely devoid of presence and reaction. It’s like facing an inanimate object.’

His breathing, metabolism, and magic pattern were all those of an organic being, but all his actions and reactions were strangely heterogeneous.

Even if it was understandable that he didn’t seem to have much power or hierarchy for a big shot in the upper echelons, there was an awkward, inorganic behavior that was felt somewhere.

Was it a side effect of researching and exploring the gate for a long time that he had become somewhat out of sync?

While Lenox was lost in thought, the shape of the gate began to rotate faster, and the other Meisters moved busily.

‘The emitted magic value is below the assumption. We need to increase the output a bit more.’

‘We used it too much last time. It’s a problem that we’re calling it back so early. We might have to replace the gate soon.’

‘Wasn’t that because you, Oason, forced it too much, trying to touch the End of Teremer?’

As Lenox pricked up his ears at the familiar name, the Meisters continued to grumble.

‘If a craftsman who participated in the selection ceremony can fix it, there’s no way I can’t fix it.’

‘You’re starting with nonsense again.’

‘I’ve said it many times, but that’s a stolen item with more value than it appears. If we repair it properly, we might be able to clarify the shape-changing ability of the artifact.’

The craftsman called Oason tapped his suit.

‘As a result, wasn’t the fact that we created a suit with a built-in mobile workshop also an achievement gained by researching the technology of the Old World?’

‘……’

‘I don’t think Machina’s technology is inferior, but the knowledge of the Old World is definitely giving us new inspiration and ideas.’

Oason’s eyes flashed eerily for a moment.

‘It’s the only possibility left in this city. No matter what sacrifices are made, I will never give up this opportunity.’

The Meisters reacted unpleasantly to his blatant words, but no one denied them.

That was probably because the other Meisters, even if they didn’t show it outwardly, were gathered here hoping for something similar to Oason.

‘In that regard, it’s a shame that we couldn’t persuade Nasisa Solmer.’

Hermes, who had been listening to Oason’s words with a smile, said.

He dusted off his hands as if he had done his job just by pulling the gate up from under the water and stood up lightly.

‘If we had her cooperation, who took over the Fire Furnace Army’s workshop, we could have stabilized the gate’s condition much better.’

‘……’

Perhaps it was because he mentioned the name of a Meister who was not present, but the expressions of the others changed sullenly.

‘Well, not all Meisters are cooperating with this endeavor. I intend to respect the will of my colleagues.’

‘There are some craftsmen who are so stubborn. I wonder when they’re going to stop being cooped up in their workshops and start running a business.’

Not all Meisters were involved in this, and it seemed that there were certain people who cooperated in the maintenance of the Ascension Gate.

In the process, they were providing the Meisters with the technology of the Old World that was flowing out through the failure of the gate.

It was clear that the subject of that was the man called Hermes, who was standing majestically on the lake.

‘But isn’t the reason why Nasisa Solmer is still unconscious because you didn’t have much intention of respecting her will?’

Hermes said with a smile.

‘I know that one of you here used your hands.’

‘……!!’

The Meisters’ expressions twisted at Hermes’ words, which casually mentioned the mastermind of the assassination.

The Meisters quickly exchanged glances and nodded to the soldiers who were helping with the work.

‘All the necessary adjustments are complete. Return to your work area and wait for further instructions.’

‘But Meister Grina, we……’

‘I will personally submit a separate description of the process to the commander of the Mechanized Corps.’

‘……Understood.’

The soldier who seemed to be in charge reluctantly nodded.

Lenox also had to stop pretending to help with the work and walk out of the lake, following them.

The view of the lake from the outside was now surrounded by a huge magic barrier and had taken the shape of a glass tower.

Was the scenery inside the Submerged Barrier changing and rising just by adjusting the output of the gate?

As soon as he walked out of the lake, the commander said to the soldiers in a low voice.

‘As I said before, erase everything you just heard from your memories. Understood?’

The commander, seeing the soldiers nodding with a heavy air, turned his body slightly.

‘I have something to do, so I’m going to leave my post for a while. You guys go back to your work area and wait.’

Even if he said that, the commander was probably also planning to report this to his superior.

Lenox watched the commander leaving the formation and the other soldiers walking silently, then slowly raised his magic power.

Pop!!

At the same time as he used Blink to escape from his suit, Lenox turned and walked in the opposite direction of the soldiers.

However, even though its owner had disappeared, the suit that Lenox was wearing naturally moved in line with the soldiers.

It would be fine to control the suit through Dabi until he returned to the work area.

He fully modified the iron mask he was wearing again and put it back on, concealing his presence, and this time, he raised his magic power again and entered the vicinity of the lake.

With the huge ring of light behind them, the Meisters and Hermes were talking.

‘I hope you don’t forget that we are indebted to each other, Hermes.’

‘Hmm.’

‘In the long history of the Machine City, you are an exceptionally talented researcher, but sometimes you cross the line.’

Even at the stern voice, Hermes did not flinch or get angry, but rather pondered deeply.

As if he was trying to understand exactly what the meaning of those words was.

Lenox watched the scene from afar, convinced that this was an inside story of the Machine City that he would never have known otherwise.

‘It was worth forcing my way through the Submerged Barrier. Or was it because of that that I was able to witness this scene directly……’

Lenox’s action of breaking through the deep sea with an exploration ship and forcibly opening the Submerged Barrier was a miracle that should never have been allowed at this point.

Because he had forcibly reached a space that could never be reached with the variables that could be obtained in this Machine City,

He was able to skip the procedures that would have taken a very long time and immediately glimpse the most fatal secrets of the Machine City.

Meanwhile, another Meister, who had been focusing on adjusting the gate, shouted.

‘The adjustment is almost complete! Bring the test subjects needed for the transaction. The gate’s condition is not good, so it’s hard to maintain the output for long!!’

‘……’

At those words, the Meister called Oason, who had been criticizing Hermes, turned his gaze.

‘Let’s talk after the work is done……’

‘After looking into the gate for a long time, I realized.’

Hermes, who had interrupted Oason’s words, slowly took a step forward.

‘No matter how much we deny it, our glory and honor have regressed far more than they were decades ago……’

‘……’

‘It was too clear that it was due to the errors caused by the failure of the Ascension Gate.’

The audience fell silent at Hermes’ resolute words.

Even the other Meisters, who had been focusing on the adjustment work without interfering at all, turned their gazes.

‘Hermes. What exactly do you want to say?’

‘It’s something that was discussed decades ago. Are you going to overturn all those decisions now?’

‘Even though the Ascension Gate failed, the Machine City was at the pinnacle of magical engineering because it didn’t ignore the failure and accepted it. Are you going to deny the sacrifices that have been made for over decades?’

Even with the criticism pouring in from all sides, Hermes did not care.

‘The rules of steel. The gate was created under the rationality that we must return more than what we were given, and we tried to move forward with everything we had.’

‘……’

‘But now we are paying the price with haggling worse than peddlers and eating the scraps of a perished world. I no longer think of this as a failure.’

Hermes’ expression, as he turned his gaze, was coldly mocking.

‘It’s evidence of falling behind and collapsing, worse than a failure.’

‘Hermes!!’

One of the Meisters, unable to bear it, slammed the workbench hard.

Bang!!

‘That’s enough!! The adjustment of the gate is complete, so bring the necessary test subjects. After confirming the information of the Godslayer you mentioned, we will hold you responsible for this matter later!!’

‘It’s enough to look back on the past memories and recall the forgotten information.’

Hermes said, grabbing the ring of the gate with one hand.

‘I found something of even greater value beyond the gate. And I finally succeeded in getting it.’

Kiiiing…!!!

Following Hermes’ hand, the speed at which the huge ring of light rotated began to accelerate madly.

Several dozen rings of different sizes overlapped and accelerated simultaneously, creating a crack in space, and beyond the distorted crack, a completely different landscape was reflected.

The other Meisters’ faces changed drastically.

‘No!! If we open the gate without other offerings, no one can escape the rules!!’

‘Stop him!! Prevent the gate from opening!!’

Most of the Meisters were powerful superhumans who could handle magic at a high level.

The craftsmen, who had raised their magic power, each grabbed their tools and rushed to stop Hermes, but it was already too late.

Click.

With the sound of the gate quietly opening, the intense light that leaked out from beyond instantly covered the lake and flashed.

Paaaaat!!

Ironically, the Meisters, as soon as they faced that light, staggered and fell, unable to even stand properly.

At the same time, various noises of clattering, twisting, breaking, exploding, and crawling echoed in Lenox’s ears.

Just like he had faced in Boyan’s memories, an overwhelming amount of information was randomly leaking out from beyond the gate.

Even the Meisters, who were excellent superhumans, had difficulty maintaining their consciousness the moment they properly faced it.

‘This is impossible……!!’

Harvester, the craftsman who had fallen at Hermes’ feet, shouted with difficulty.

‘How, how did you open the gate alone, breaking the rules……!!’

Originally, opening the gate itself was impossible with Hermes’ authority alone.

The reason why the other Meisters had responded to Hermes’ call was probably because they believed that he could not harm them alone.

But that belief was completely shattered when Hermes opened the gate himself.

Instead of answering Harvester’s words, Hermes squatted down in front of him and opened his mouth.

‘Harvester. Do you remember what we were trying to do through this gate?’

‘……’

Instead of answering, Harvester wielded the folding blade he was holding with difficulty.

A blow that he swung in a desperate gesture, close to a self-abandonment.

Thud!!

Absurdly, the blade easily lodged itself right into Hermes’ neck.

‘……!!!’

The other Meisters who were trying to regain consciousness to help Harvester.

Not only Lenox, who was watching, but even Harvester himself, who had swung the knife in a desperate act, was startled and widened his eyes.

Hermes’ dazzling silver hair was cut off and fell, and red blood dripped down from the neck where the blade was lodged.

A fatal wound that could have been life-threatening for both humans and superhumans.

However, Hermes continued to speak, not caring about his appearance, which was instantly covered in blood.

‘In order to bring back what has been forgotten according to the rules of steel, we must leave what we have inside the gate.’

‘……You, you……’

‘Until now, we have obtained fragments of the Old World by using memories or knowledge as a price, but it suddenly occurred to me.’

Hermes said, reaching out and grabbing Harvester’s collar.

‘If what we have obtained is the fragment of the perished world itself, wouldn’t there be souls or consciousness that have not escaped from that place?’

Hermes, who had stepped closer to the pure white ring of light, grabbed Harvester’s collar and stood right in front of the gate.

With his neck half-cut and dangling, Hermes smiled more brightly than ever.

‘And if we are to summon a soul, not specific information or memories, we must give something of equal value.’