Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 64

It was only later that he noticed the magical energy she hadn’t used on him, and Lennox was surprised by Manya’s ability to sense it and identify its direction. Considering that none of the other candidates moving around had noticed Lennox’s magic until it was practically weighing down on their shoulders, it was clearly a rare talent.

“Do you have any separately learned magic or techniques?”

“I’m not one of the personnel participating in the planned battle…”

“I’m just asking out of curiosity.”

When Lennox said that, Manya reluctantly answered.

“I did learn some detection-type magic in the past. It probably won’t be of much help now.”

“I see…”

Detection-type, huh? It’s hard to stop the image of ‘Thousand Eyes’ from popping into his head whenever he meets those kinds of mages. He still hadn’t found a clue about the word ‘Alkaid’ that Thousand Eyes had mentioned back then.

At least he had started a conversation with Aris, so he should cautiously approach her connections. That was a distant story for now.

In the meantime, the candidates lined up in front of the platform, and Panoa, who was standing in front of them, began to speak.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Panoa, the planning team leader of Dyke. We’ve all met once before for individual interviews.”

“………”

The people didn’t respond at all. Panoa, as if not expecting an answer, continued immediately.

“As I mentioned beforehand, this test is being conducted to select the most suitable personnel for the company’s project, and those who are selected as team members will be paid the advance payment and success bonus that were promised in advance.”

The candidates’ eyes changed the moment the topic of compensation came up. If freelancers gathered from various fields were reacting like that, it meant that Panoa was really taking a big risk without looking back.

“We will be selecting personnel through two stages: a physical test and a personal test. The physical test will be conducted by Killian here, and the personal test will be conducted with a mage we’ve hired beforehand.”

With those words, he could feel the gazes of those who were glancing at Lennox, who was sitting on the platform behind her. Sharp and sensitive emotions flowed in unfiltered. It was a direct reflection of their annoyance at the judge who was about to evaluate them.

Unlike the murderous aura emanating from Killian, Lennox looked like just an ordinary young man on the surface, so it was understandable. If he was determined to hide his magic, no one in this place would be able to notice it.

As soon as Panoa finished speaking, other staff members quickly began guiding the candidates. It seemed that the test process was already fully designed, and it was a method that reflected Killian’s and Lennox’s opinions to some extent. The start was light, with basic physical ability measurements.

They measured strength, agility, endurance, magic power, mana sensitivity, and control ability, and the other staff members standing next to them recorded the values. While watching the process, Lennox’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

One woman was mixed in the middle of the candidates. A rather stern impression with her black hair tied back. On the surface, she was nothing special, but the magic flowing out when she measured her magic power caught Lennox’s senses. A strangely artificial and inhumanly cold magic… It was definitely the kind he had encountered directly somewhere.

Verification. After a brief moment of thought, Lennox, who had quickly found the answer, turned his head towards Manya.

“Manya.”

“Yes?”

“I thought I heard that you were selecting new team members.”

“…That’s right.”

Lennox frowned slightly at her words. At the same time, a heavy magic power burst out from him, soaking the surroundings.

“But why is someone from the Cybrid Echo [a group known for their use of cybernetic enhancements and modified bodies] mixed in?”

“………”

She was pretending to be a human like everyone else, but Lennox’s senses couldn’t be fooled. That cold, steel-like magic. The distinct sense of incongruity, so different from the slow and sticky flow of humans. It was very similar to the magic he had felt from that fugitive in the last operation. And it was impossible that Dyke didn’t know about this fact.

A faint look of bewilderment flashed across Manya’s face, and at that moment when Lennox was about to get up from his seat.

“The Cybrid Echo has expressed their intention to participate in this operation again. The compensation we promised them this time is quite substantial, so they don’t seem to be willing to give up easily.”

Panoa said, approaching the platform after finishing her explanation.

“………”

“The incident in the last operation was essentially our mistake, and they say that the Echo operative who participated then is more capable, so we’re thinking of keeping an eye on them.”

Panoa’s words, as she spoke, were as calm as if she were talking about someone else’s business, but Lennox actually liked her composed attitude more. Rather than being intimidated and losing control after making a mistake in the first operation, she had cleanly settled the matter with Lennox’s deal and was focusing on her work, which seemed better. If they were going to be working together for the time being, they needed someone who was at least a little capable. That was all.

In the meantime, the physical test was progressing quickly. Unlike his initial impression of being a thug, Killian was quite skillfully handling the candidates. Once he had roughly extracted the average values, he immediately moved on to the next stage, lightly ignoring the voices asking for a chance to try again.

Once the numerical values were roughly quantified, he immediately divided the candidates into three groups based on the measured values, and then began to roll up his sleeves.

“The six in Group 1, line up in front. I’m going to have a match with you. The seven in Group 2, go to the platform over there, and Group 3 can go home.”

There was a considerable backlash against Killian’s shocking declaration to eliminate about ten people at once, but it was quickly resolved. Everyone roughly understood that there was nothing to gain by causing a ruckus here. Lennox quickly grasped how Killian had narrowed down the candidates and nodded.

‘Group 1 based on physical ability. Group 2 based on magical ability. He’s planning to leave the second verification of the mages to this side.’ And among those seven, the woman from Cybrid Echo was also included. It seemed that her magical ability using her unique modified body had been recognized to some extent. As someone who had been selected as a team member in the first operation, she wouldn’t have been lacking in individual capabilities.

The people who had lined up again in front of the platform stared up at Lennox. The woman also seemed to recognize who Lennox was, and she was looking up at him with a slightly nervous expression. Lennox blatantly met her gaze, then got up from his seat and approached them.

Looking around at the crowd, he slowly began to speak.

“It’s difficult to measure the capabilities of mages.”

“………”

“There are quite a few mages who use power sources other than magic, and it’s also true that it’s difficult to judge their abilities based solely on combat skills.”

Thud. Lennox, who had sat down on the closest step of the platform, gestured roughly.

“First, explain your self-introduction, affiliation, and specialties one by one. I think we need a different method to judge if you have the capabilities to work together.”

He wanted to smoke, but it was a bit awkward to exhale smoke in front of people. If it were during a battle, he wouldn’t care about other people’s opinions, but this was an underground complex after all. Of course, there would be ventilation facilities, but as a basic matter of etiquette, was it right to take out a cigarette in this place?

While Lennox was pondering a dilemma about public morals for the first time in a while, someone stepped forward first from among the group. It was the woman from Cybrid Echo, who had just met his gaze. Staring at Lennox with a slightly stiff expression, she carefully began to speak in a stiff tone.

“…Agria. Agria Noto.”

“Affiliation?”

Agria, as if already aware that Lennox had noticed her identity, answered in a calm tone.

“Cybrid Echo. I can provide long-range support through body modification using magical engineering. I’m also confident in my basic physical abilities to some extent, but I mainly work in rear support.”

As she said that, she stretched her hand out towards the corner of the complex. Whirring! Her wrist clicked open, and a bright blue beam of light emerged from within, transforming into a laser beam that shot out towards a deserted area. Bang! A moderate amount of noise and destructive power. It was a single shot that clearly felt like it had been adjusted in power. Agria also calmly lowered her hand, as if there was no need to say anything more here.

“In addition to this, I can store various cartridges, and although I’m not as good as specialized forces who have received professional training, I can perform most missions.”

“And you can easily run away in case of an emergency, right?”

“………”

She flinched at Lennox’s sharp remark, but silently lowered her head. Lennox, who had been quietly looking down at the top of her head, gestured with his chin to one side. She was a different person from the masked woman he had met back then anyway. There was no need to get heated up and provoke her. However, it seemed that the others who were watching the scene had perceived it completely differently.

“Wait a minute, this is different.”

A young man with a complex pattern drawn on his hood, which was tightly tied around his head, began to speak. He had a rather youthful impression, as if he had just shed his boyishness. He looked only two or three years older than the boy he had met in the lair of the blood mages.

“I agreed to take the test, but I didn’t hear anything about having to bow down like that. In the first place, who are you to treat us like this?”

“What?”

Lennox pondered for a moment before realizing what he meant. The hood seemed to have thought that Lennox was forcing that kind of attitude on others after seeing the conversation between Agria and Lennox. They had no way of knowing what had happened in the last operation. The others also didn’t look too happy, as if they had similar thoughts.

The hood, having gained the tacit support of those around him, took the momentum and stepped forward, starting to rant.

“If you want to test us, you have to show us your qualifications first. Sorry, but I have pretty good hearing, and I heard that you’re not an employee of Dyke, but someone hired for this job.”

“…….I see.”

Lennox, who couldn’t understand what kind of confidence he had to come forward like this, muttered blankly, and Panoa, who was standing next to him, whispered.

“Mr. Ban, I’ll take care of it here…”

“No.”

Lennox said that as he stood up.

“I’ll do it myself.”

The hood’s claim was absurd, but it resonated with Lennox to some extent. It was a matter of selecting team members who would have to work together for at least three times. He hadn’t come to Dyke headquarters to sit back and watch people. It was right for him to check for himself if there were any useful mages.

Bang! Thud! Lennox smiled as he watched Killian, who had already started the second test on the other side of the complex. It seemed that there was no need to use a different method.

“Come forward one by one.”

“…What?”

Lennox, who glanced at the man wearing the hood who was asking back, not understanding properly, snapped his fingers.

“I’ll show you that qualification myself.”

#

After Lennox declared that he would step in directly, things progressed quickly. Panoa didn’t say anything more after he made his decision and tried her best to accommodate Lennox’s convenience. She quickly cleared the spacious open space in front of the platform and surrounded the area with a barrier to prevent damage from leaking out. Inside, Lennox and the hood stood facing each other side by side.

The hood was initially flustered, as if he hadn’t expected Lennox to accept his proposal so readily, but soon began to grin triumphantly. “Hey, I know you’re confident, but you made a mistake.”

When he loosened the hood that was tightly tied around his head, a long, pointed ear peeked out from within.

“……..”

Lennox narrowed his eyes and stared at the sight. An elf with pointed ears… but other features weren’t that prominent. The magic power he showed on the surface was closer to that of a pure mage rather than an elf.

‘A magic that would cause the ears to develop excessively during training… I see.’ Unaware of Lennox’s thoughts, he confidently stepped forward and began to rant.

“Of course, you’re a skilled mage as you’ve been hired for this position, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have an advantage in a one-on-one duel. Rather, these kinds of duels between mages require creative ideas or ingenious techniques that overturn existing compatibility.”

The man paused for a moment, then suddenly shouted loudly.

“…Like this!!”