Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 641

The End of the Old World’s Magic Musket, Theremere.

A magic musket master’s exclusive equipment, and a top-tier artifact containing the essence of the old world’s shape-shifting technology.

And one of the very few pieces of equipment that the Meister [Master Craftsman] is presumed to have carried.

After recognizing the existence of the magic musket at the Meister selection ceremony, Lenox put in considerable effort to obtain this item.

Although he managed to get the magic musket with the help of O’Ahson, it was still too early to use it at this point without adjusting its output.

But even so, Lenox aimed the transformed harpoon gun at Triton and immediately pulled the trigger.

Whoosh!

Immediately after Lenox’s magic power wrapped around the barrel of the harpoon gun and was sucked in as if converging in a spiral.

The compassion of the archangel activated, teleporting the harpoon beyond the probe ship and thrusting it into Triton’s forehead.

In the middle of the dark sea, the current rotated and followed the harpoon that had jumped through space and arrived right in front of him.

[……!!]

Triton, with his eyes wide open, swung the trident he held in reverse.

Krrrrrr!

The harpoon pierced through the three prongs of the trident, unleashing a tremendous amount of impact and creating a huge underwater shockwave in the middle of the sea.

The shockwave that hit him right in front of him was so intense that the massive body of the mechanical shark fused with Triton was pushed back for a moment.

However, the shark also strongly shook its fins in place to regain its balance and withstand the impact.

Triton, who had used the trident in his hand to receive the harpoon, grabbed it with a blank face.

[The only act of desperation allowed to you in this sea. I’ve seen it well.]

Triton, looking at the probe ship that did not respond, conversely raised his magic power.

[From now on, I will not allow any action other than tearing open the belly of that probe ship!!]

Kwoooo!

His magic power, which was amplified by synchronizing with the surrounding environment, limited to the deep sea, began to spread with an output that exceeded its rank.

The moment he was about to slam down the current by wielding his will strongly, as if shaking the entire sea area near the seabed barrier, the harpoon was fired again at the speed of sound.

But this time, the target was not Triton’s forehead, but the side of the huge mechanical shark fused with him.

Paang!

He dodged it by rotating his massive body, as if flicking his fins.

A near-instantaneous evasive maneuver in this deep sea where immense water pressure was pressing down.

Under these extreme conditions, he was confident that he could face any monster or superhuman on equal or better terms and win.

Triton’s massive body, which had smoothly dodged the harpoons stabbing in from all directions, pushed its body forward.

The mechanical shark, which had approached right in front of the probe ship in an instant, opened its mouth wide and swallowed the entire hull.

His intention was to swallow the probe ship itself and trap it inside the shark’s belly.

But the moment the mechanical shark opened its jaws wide and bit down hard as if to swallow the hull of the probe ship.

Crunch!

The position of the probe ship and the harpoon was switched on the spot, and the harpoon, which was vertically placed, was accurately embedded in the shark’s palate and tongue.

[Using yourself as bait……!!!!!]

Triton, belatedly realizing Lenox’s intention, gritted his teeth and twisted his waist, throwing the trident towards the spot where the probe ship had been.

The trident, which disappeared with a flash at the end of his shoulder, pierced through the seawater at that spot and directly hit the hull of the probe ship.

Paang!

A massive air current erupted in the middle of the sea and spread out like ripples, but the place where the abnormality occurred was not Lenox’s probe ship, but the mechanical shark.

This was because at the same time the harpoon was embedded in the inside of the shark’s mouth, dozens of harpoons were embedded into the skin of the mechanical shark.

[……!!!!!!]

Krrrrrr!

The shark’s true form writhed in the water without even being able to let out a proper scream.

The harpoons, which no one knew where they came from, were embedded into Triton’s body without even having time to react.

But unlike the shark writhing in pain, Triton realized where these harpoons had come from and hardened his face.

[All the harpoons fired up until now……!!]

“You’re quick on the uptake. Did you remember the total number of harpoons?”

Lenox, with the harpoon gun shouldered inside the probe ship, smiled.

The end of Theremere. Among them, the type sphere gun, which corresponds to the fifth shape-shifting form.

It is a simple principle of firing harpoons as bullets, but its true value lies in hitting the target after firing the harpoons.

Multiple implementation of all harpoon bullets fired until hitting the target at the same time as the hit.

The ability of the harpoon gun to embed as many as the number of shots attempted into the target.

In WORLD 2.0, the shape and ability of this harpoon gun are specialized for forcibly restraining and capturing huge monsters or enemies.

However, if the size of the target is not large enough to embed many harpoons, the efficiency is poor, so even Lenox, who played as a magic musket master, did not use this form often.

Lenox combined the ability of the magic musket and space-leap firing to simultaneously slam dozens of harpoons into the body of the mechanical shark.

Kkkkkkk!

At the same time as the harpoons were embedded all over its body, the movements of the struggling shark became faint, and its fins stiffened.

He could feel that the control over the body that Triton himself possessed was gradually being taken away.

The magic chains, firmly overlapped and connected, at the ends of the harpoons embedded in the mechanical shark’s entire body.

Triton, realizing that the ends of those chains were neatly connected to the probe ship Lenox was riding in, roared.

[How dare an intruder with no authority……!! Are you saying you’re going to directly control my body in this sea!!]

“Control? There’s no need for that.”

Lenox smiled and placed Davi on the firmly connected magic chain, and began to inject magic power into the tip of the spirit’s tail.

Davi’s cybernetic function rode the magic chain and was directly connected to the body of Triton’s mechanical shark.

He forcibly caused the shark’s body, which was made of half machine, to go berserk, completely disrupting Triton’s command system.

Clunk……!!

With the sound of something breaking, the mechanical shark’s two eyes flipped over on the spot.

Kkk, Aaaaaaa!!!

At the same time as a terrible scream resembling a human’s, the shark powerfully soared upwards on the spot.

The probe ship, connected by a magic chain, began to pick up speed along with it, hanging behind the shark.

A bizarre sight of using the shark as a propellant to traverse the sea at high speed, let alone fighting it.

By riding the current created by the shark swimming, the pressure and load on the probe ship were drastically reduced.

Triton, who finally realized that Lenox was using him like a sled dog, struggled madly.

[This can’t be happening!! How could the authority be so easily……!!!]

“If the output manifested in the deep sea is relying on the shark’s true form by fusing with its body, then there’s no need to take away that authority.”

Lenox replied, quickly chewing and swallowing a potion.

Triton, the 4th Corps Commander of the Mechanized Legion.

A half-human, half-beast monster with unbelievable abilities and a body specialized for deep-sea mobility and combat.

But strictly speaking, it comes from the ability of the mechanical shark that fused with him, not Triton himself.

If Triton amplified his combat power by synchronizing with the body of a deep-sea fish using magitech technology, then all he had to do was paralyze the deep-sea fish’s biological functions.

Davi’s ability and the interference ability enhanced to the limit with the design code of the Ascension Gate. It was not difficult to forcibly cause the mechanical shark’s senses to go berserk.

“I’ve overloaded the sensory organs to make them extremely sensitive. It will move until it dies in the direction where it feels the least pain.”

If the sensation felt in the deep sea is endlessly painful, it would naturally try to move towards the sea surface where the load is less.

Lenox forcibly manipulated the mechanical shark’s instincts themselves, making it a means to escape this sea as quickly as possible.

Kwaaaa!

The probe ship quickly ascended, following the mechanical shark that was swimming as if soaring diagonally.

Triton struggled to detach the probe ship by swinging his trident, but as he moved away from the deep sea, Triton’s magic power amplification also weakened.

The sight of the shark and the probe ship rising at high speed.

At the same time, Triton’s complexion hardened as he felt the water pressure applied from all directions rapidly changing.

[You’re insane……!! Don’t you know that we’ll both die if we continue like this!!!]

Crack, crack!

Originally, when conducting deep-sea exploration and returning, one should never surface this quickly.

If the body is subjected to a backlash as the water pressure rapidly loosens, it would not be strange to die instantly in a gruesome way.

If an ordinary human had been on the probe ship without any measures, their whole body would have exploded and died the moment they turned their head towards the surface.

Woo woo woo!

Kkkkkkk!

The mechanical shark writhed in pain, unable to withstand the rapidly changing water pressure.

Triton also grabbed his neck, unable to withstand the discomfort that felt like his whole body was about to explode.

He was focusing on injecting magic power to somehow protect the relatively vulnerable organs and respiratory system in his body.

The probe ship made of Armadelta alloy also could not withstand the change in water pressure and distorted as if it would burst at any moment.

Inside, Lenox, unable to even speak properly, with a pale complexion, was clutching his hands.

Kwaaaa!

Immediately after escaping the dark depths of the sea and reaching the midpoint between the surface and the seabed barrier, a streamlined submarine appeared instead of a hatch.

[Intruder detected!!]

[Commander Triton is dealing with it, pursue!!]

The pilots on the underwater mobile ships slammed into the probe ship, and at the same time, they fired torpedoes as if they had been waiting.

However, they lost their direction and bounced off, swept away by the vortex created by the mechanical shark surfacing at high speed.

The sight of the shark and the probe ship rising towards the surface at such a crazy speed that even the navy’s pursuit team hesitated.

Unconcealed screams of shock echoed through the communication network.

[No way. No one can withstand this level of water pressure change!!]

[It’s not pain that a human can endure. He’s insane……!!]

[Move!! Contact the main fleet on standby!!]

The moment information came in that an intruder had appeared at the seabed barrier, the fleet guarding the sea, submarines, and Machina’s navy were mobilized and surrounded it all at once.

Even if the probe ship escaped to the surface at the risk of death, what awaited him were only dozens of fleets.

There was no way out.

Kkk, Aaaa!

The mechanical shark’s body reached its limit first, unable to withstand the change in water pressure.

It writhed painfully, its whole body swollen, and then its belly and gills burst open, scattering blood in the sea.

The mechanical shark was dead, its belly turned upside down.

Triton, who was fused on top of it, also seemed to be experiencing the backlash, unable to move with his whole body stiff.

He was still alive as a level 7 Saint-ranked ability user, but he was barely holding on. Even that was only possible because Triton’s rank was specialized for the sea environment.

However, Lenox abandoned the dead shark and used the remaining power of the probe ship to surface.

“……!!”

He could barely speak now, and barely stroked Davi’s head with his fingertips.

At that moment, the cybernetic spirit turned into an ethereal body and escaped the pressure, and Lenox, left alone, grabbed the control stick.

Kiiiiing!!!

A ringing in his ears that was ringing like crazy.

A throbbing stomach and cracks in the probe ship that seemed to be constantly expanding and about to burst.

If the probe ship couldn’t withstand it and burst, Lenox, who was directly exposed to the change in water pressure, would also become a lump of meat.

But even knowing that, Lenox continued to burn the remaining fuel and magic power to increase the speed.

The probe ship, which had risen vertically while rotating in the dark sea, convulsed and shattered dozens of meters below the surface.

Crack, crack, crack!

With a chilling sound as if metal was not breaking but being torn off, the impact covered Lenox as it was.

The rapid expansion turned into a powerful explosion, blowing up the entire probe ship just before reaching the surface.

Puhhhhhhh!

A powerful expansion and explosion erupted just below the surface.

The impact caused the ships lined up along the coast to sway greatly, and a water column dozens of meters high soared up and poured down like rain.

The commanders of each ship hurriedly grabbed their communication devices and began to issue instructions.

[Find the body. Even the wreckage of the mobile unit he was riding in is fine!!]

[Send down all the divers on standby. Start searching with the speedboats quickly as well.]

[From now on, turn the magic detection radar to its limit output!!]

It was out of the ordinary to escape by putting a leash on the commander of the mechanized legion, but even so, they could not avoid the pursuit of the 12th Fleet on standby.

The navy, which boasts the strongest military power in the mechanized city of Machina.

On the surface, they are guarding the important sea areas of Machina’s system, which uses seawater as its power source, but they are also the watchmen mobilized to protect the seabed barrier.

Therefore, the fleet staff were still discussing the identity of the intruder they had been chasing until just now.

“Damn it, how did he get into the seabed barrier without any checks?”

“All navigable sea areas are under the control of the navy. We have no choice but to suspect an internal collaborator.”

“There are also factory districts and research districts that have been privatized and are beyond the reach of the military. First, request an explanation of the progress from that side as well.”

“Find the body and wreckage quickly!! That’s the only way our opinion will be properly accepted by the higher-ups.”

[Commander.]

The voice of the unit commander in charge of the navy’s divers was low and subdued.

[We have been searching within a radius of several tens of kilometers since the explosion and have found many parts presumed to be from the probe ship. However…….]

“However?”

[We have not found any traces of a body presumed to be the occupant. It has either been completely annihilated and turned to ashes, or…….]

“Find it.”

The commander said in a stiff voice before the unit commander could properly continue his words.

[Yes?]

“Until we find his body in this sea today, we cannot return. Tell that to the entire fleet.”

* * *

Upper Workshop District. Lenox’s workshop.

Mauzer sat next to the workbench, hammering away, and glanced at the clock with an uneasy expression.

“The time is…….”

He had returned after listening to Lenox’s words, but he couldn’t hide his anxiety.

It was the same for Mauzer that the idea of directly entering the seabed barrier, which was physically impossible to approach, felt reckless.

However, he had agreed because the one who proposed the method was the most outstanding and talented magician among those Mauzer knew.

“…….”

In fact, Mauzer also knew.

That cooperating with Lenox could put Mauzer’s own safety at risk.

Helping with the work that a craftsman should do and helping with the operation of the workshop might be something he could get away with.

But helping Lenox forge Armadelta alloy and assisting in the production of the probe ship’s exterior was clearly something that could be recognized as a crime.

In the worst case, he might be judged by the military court of Ex Machina and imprisoned in a prison where he would never see the sunlight again.

“Hmm.”

Mauzer, who had thought that far, picked his nose and muttered nonchalantly.

“I’m getting old. What’s the point now…….”

Mauzer did not think he was so intelligent as to be able to attach a valid reason to everything he did and wanted to do.

Because Lenox had saved his life at the Blaver Magic Tower.

Because he found it interesting to see him run the workshop in a unique way by his side.

Because he was curious about the truth about the death of his master, Hwadeok Jin-gun.

Because he thought that that magician might really dig up the secrets buried at the very bottom of the mechanized city.

There are plenty of reasons if you look for them.

Mauzer was not interested in organizing those feelings into a clear form.

He was more curious about how far the young partner, who had made his boring craftsman work fun, would reach in the depths of this city.

“It’s been a long time since that guy Ban said. When is he coming back?”

The return time that Lenox had mentioned had already passed long ago.

Even if he had succeeded in secretly approaching the seabed barrier, it was time for the 12th Fleet of the mechanized city to have detected the abnormality.

If he made a mistake, it would not be strange if he was found dead, swept away by all sorts of shelling without being able to escape.

Of course, if it was Ban that Mauzer knew, he would not die from being swept away by the shelling of the ships. It was a situation where a war could break out in the middle of the city.

“……Should I prepare to run away in advance?”

Mauzer, who had put down his hammer and stood up, glanced at the bundle he had spread out in the corner of the workshop and was deeply troubled.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the workshop door.

Mauzer ran to the door as if he had been waiting and threw it open.

“Lyman, aren’t you too late than scheduled……!!”

“Yes.”

Someone’s voice, which had sunk low.

“It’s too late now.”

At least, it was definitely not the tone of Lenox that Mauzer remembered.

“Y-you are……!!!”

Mauzer, taking a step back without realizing it, raised his gaze.