Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 65

Thudddd!!!

With that shout, a powerful magic infused his cry, creating a heavy shockwave that crashed into Lennox.

Sound-based unique magic.

It’s a personal magic that amplifies a shout, converting it into a physical force capable of striking, while simultaneously inflicting severe damage to the target’s hearing.

Against an ordinary person, their eardrums could burst and their eyeballs pop out from the crushing pressure.

Thump!

However, the sound wave the man unleashed was completely blocked by Lennox’s shield, vanishing uselessly.

The formless wave collided with a solid, intangible wall, scattering and disappearing in all directions, leaving behind only a strange noise like a tuning fork ringing.

“……!!”

Lennox slowly moved towards the man, whose eyes were wide open as if they would tear.

Thud, thud.

He understood somewhat why the man spoke that way.

Generally, sound-based attack magic is difficult to defend against, and it can’t be stopped by simply covering one’s ears.

For mages who aren’t physically well-trained, an attack that targets the senses’ blind spots would be extremely fatal.

If Lennox hadn’t directly dealt with sound-based magic, or if he hadn’t known its effects in detail, he might have been caught off guard.

“Th, this…!!”

Only then, belatedly realizing the situation, the man, with a pale face, began to gather his magic power again and inhaled, but it was already too late.

The shock magic that Lennox fired easily bent his left knee in the opposite direction, almost absurdly so.

Crack!

“Ugh, uaaaaaagh!!”

The second shout that burst from his mouth contained no magic power.

Lennox grabbed the neck of the man who was whimpering pitifully, clutching his knee and falling forward.

In Lennox’s eyes, as he looked down at him, there was a faint pity that he himself didn’t notice.

To talk about one-on-one battles between mages, and then lose his composure and succumb to this level of pain.

It was a clear reminder that the rumors about the lack of skilled mages among freelancers were true.

The match was over.

Lennox’s gaze was already directed towards the other candidates watching this scene.

As if to show them clearly what the end of someone who tried to question his qualifications would be.

Intense currents of electricity burst from between his fingers.

[Bolt]

Zzzzzzzzz…!!

“Ughghghghgh!!! Ughhhhh!!!”

Lennox slowly released the man, who was trembling all over, foaming at the mouth, and collapsing. He turned his back.

With the sound of the powerless body falling to the floor, Lennox laughed.

“Next.”

Unsurprisingly, no candidate stepped forward to face Lennox for the second time.

Briefing

“Phinid Eisel. Affiliated with the Arch Office, and has some knowledge of shamanistic magic that causes confusion in the mental system. Specializes in rear disruption. Uses an SMG as a weapon. Also has some knowledge of mechanical martial arts….”

As Lennox had instructed, the candidates introduced themselves one by one, stating their specialties, the magic they used, and their affiliations, then waited for their evaluation.

The staff member next to him wrote down what they said, creating an evaluation report along with the numerical values from the first physical test.

The candidates were very uncomfortable with the staff’s actions, but they stepped back silently after being promised that the reports would be destroyed after the test.

In truth, it was more because they were reluctant to complain in front of Lennox than because of that promise.

Only after the seventh candidate, a middle-aged woman, finished her introduction did Lennox turn his head towards Panoa and Manya.

Naturally, the two, having read his intentions, approached him.

“Have you decided?”

“Except for three, I don’t see any mages who are particularly useful.”

A druid who communicates with animals, a mage who specializes in curse magic, and Agria Noto of Cybrid Echo.

The rest either had ambiguous magic or seemed to lack the combat abilities to be useful in direct combat.

Basically, there aren’t many mages here who are capable enough to help with the operation.

If they can’t directly help with the operation, then their unique abilities must be rare or have definite effects, but the mages gathered here were not like that.

Even the hooded guy couldn’t use his sound-based magic for anything other than attack, let alone for exploration or tracking.

Thanks to that, he had to knock out the man who was babbling about singing again.

Panoa answered calmly, as if it was nothing to be surprised about.

“I think it would be fortunate if we could pick out about six people, including the Anti-Mage. Tests are also being conducted on Killian’s side, so we shouldn’t be short on personnel.”

“What if we had to filter out one of those three?”

“Pardon?”

Lennox silently gestured with his chin towards one of the candidates.

A young man with a refreshing impression, smiling brightly.

He had a unique aura, with a squirrel-like animal on his shoulder and wearing loose clothing.

He was a versatile druid who used various nature magic, including practical communication with animals and sensory sharing, but… he was someone who shouldn’t be chosen in this place.

Lennox, once again surrounding the three with noise magic, whispered in a low voice.

“Looking at his belongings, there’s a possibility he’s affiliated with the city government.”

“……Are you saying that young man is an agent?”

Lennox silently turned his gaze towards the young man’s waist.

The druid was wearing a small baton that seemed to have no particular features on the outside, but Lennox’s powerful mana sensitivity easily pierced through the disguise.

Inside, a strong green wave was writhing as if it would burst out at any moment.

He had only seen it once with his own eyes, but Lennox didn’t miss it.

The unknown mechanical device that Evelyn was holding when they engaged in battle with the Kraken.

The same wave he felt then was being felt from the druid’s baton.

“……..”

Was it a coincidence?

To encounter that wave, which he had only seen once in over half a year of wandering around, again in this place?

Lennox had no intention of taking a reckless gamble on that slim chance.

He didn’t explain in detail, but Panoa agreed with Lennox’s decision anyway.

In the end, all the other candidates were sent back, and the only one left was a pale-faced curse mage.

The druid glanced at Lennox with a strange expression for a brief moment, but soon greeted him with a bright smile and left the compound.

It was as if he had no regrets about this test.

While Lennox was lost in thought, watching the druid’s back, the remaining curse mage approached him.

The curse mage, with a strange face that made it difficult to guess his age, smiled and offered a handshake, confirming that he had been selected.

“I’m Allen. Let’s work well together in the future.”

“I’m Ban. Let’s talk in detail after the other team members are decided.”

“Of course. Personally, I’m very interested in the success reward that the planning team leader offered. If possible… um?”

Allen seemed to have a lot to say to Lennox, as he was quite pleased that he had passed, but he stepped back silently after seeing Agria approaching from right next to him.

“Mage, can we talk for a moment, just the two of us?”

Agria, taking Lennox to a secluded place in the compound, took out an object from her pocket.

“This is a private gift from our side to the mage.”

“….A gift?”

“I heard that our new recruit showed an embarrassing side in the last operation. Even if it’s not a matter that greatly affects the organization’s prestige, I hope the mage won’t have any unnecessary prejudices.”

It was more like a bribe to ask for a favor in the future.

Lennox looked down at the object she had placed in his hand.

A wristwatch, simply designed to be worn on the wrist.

It was an impressive product with a pure white background and a blue display.

Surely, she wasn’t really trying to give Lennox a wristwatch as a pure gift.

Agria, noticing Lennox’s gaze, immediately began to explain.

“This is a new product that we are currently developing in collaboration with the Valitz Corporation. It can basically replace all the functions of a cell phone, and in case of emergency, it can be transformed into various forms for different uses.”

As she said that, she pressed the button on the side of the wristwatch, and the wristwatch instantly flipped over in place, turning into an iron gauntlet covering her left hand.

Clatter!

“…Like this. The durability is quite good, so it can easily block bullets. Not only is there a self-defense form, but various patterns are also programmed for emergencies.”

The watch, which had turned into a gauntlet, transformed into a dagger, then back into a baton, and then into various forms such as a telescope and a magnifying glass, constantly showing off its features.

“………”

A multi-purpose tool, or a multi-tool if you will.

The other options weren’t that appealing, but the fact that it could replace a cell phone and act as a telescope seemed good to Lennox.

Agria, interpreting Lennox’s silence differently, began to say something else.

“Of course, personal information protection follows the basic software regulations of Valitz, so you can rest assured. If you’re worried, you can take it to an A/S center [After-Sales Service center] to have it checked, and there won’t be any problems. Well then, I’ll be going…”

Lennox stared intently at her back as she turned and walked towards the platform.

Lennox, glancing at Panoa who had followed them from behind, asked.

“What exactly do they want as compensation?”

“They want the cutting method used when manufacturing industrial tools at the headquarters. It’s a technology from a generation ago for us, so it’s not a big loss… but they’re quite persistent, so we’ve been holding off on offering it as an advance payment.”

Panoa said that, then looked at Lennox with a surprised expression.

“Surprisingly, you don’t seem to have any particular feelings towards Agria. I’m surprised.”

“It’s not like she’s the one who ran away back then… I don’t hold grudges over things like that.”

Lennox retorted with a nonchalant face.

To be precise, it was more accurate to say that the existence of Agria Noto itself didn’t bother him that much.

Since he had properly learned magic and could think of himself as a respectable mage, there were hardly any companions who could be of help to Lennox.

Even Dylan, who was a skilled mercenary, couldn’t be of much help when facing the Kraken Acillas.

He was cooperating in selecting team members according to Dyke’s request, but this request was the same.

Since some time ago, Lennox had become accustomed to solving everything alone.

While Lennox was finishing the test and walking around for a short time, the physical test led by Killian also seemed to have ended.

He hadn’t transformed into a wolf to fight, but he looked a bit disheveled, as if the test process had been difficult. He approached the platform with three people.

Killian, with his hands in his pockets, looked up at Lennox and said.

“It’s over.”

Lennox didn’t answer and scanned the three people standing behind him.

A taciturn young man, a large man with a plump physique, and a young woman with a black hood pulled down low.

If they had passed Killian’s test, they would be physically well-rounded to some extent, but they didn’t seem to be very well-trained on the surface.

“These three are the only ones useful by my standards. With this much, they won’t be a hindrance to you during future operations.”

“Are you sure?”

“…..I’ve done my best.”

“………”

The three people didn’t show any particular reaction even while receiving Lennox’s blatant gaze.

They had probably already been told beforehand that the command system would be handed over to Lennox. The hooded guy who had defied him earlier was probably an unusual case.

Rather, there was an unknown, faint expectation in the eyes of the three people.

Since he was said to be a skilled mage, they were curious about his level.

It was rare to see a high-level mage working as a freelancer in this field.

On the other hand, Lennox was deeply troubled by the gathered candidates.

‘Three people…’

Including the curse mage he had just selected, there were a total of five.

Including Lennox, there were six.

Three in the front and three in the rear didn’t seem to be a shortage of numbers, but one of them was a curse mage who would be of little help in combat.

Even if he didn’t expect much from his team members, could this current composition be the right answer?

“Hoo…”

While Lennox was sighing and pondering, Panoa looked around the group and said in a calm tone.

“Now that the team selection is over, we will immediately begin the second operation briefing. Please follow me to the conference room.”

A conference room large enough to accommodate hundreds of people at once.

In a tiered structure. While Panoa, standing on the platform at the bottom, turned on the screen, the others found their seats.

As soon as she confirmed that everyone was seated, she immediately began the operation briefing.

Pointing to the three photos that appeared on the screen, she quickly continued.

“Currently, the biggest part of the weapons business in the 40s district is the collaboration of these three organizations. The 48th district gang, Siger Bang, the Platon Mercenary Office, and the Scavengers.”

Photos of what seemed to be hundreds of members, the signboard of the Platon Mercenary Office, and the Scavengers’ emblem flashed by in turn, and Panoa continued her explanation.