Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 667

“A door? This thing?”

“No matter how you look at it, it just looks like a box.”

“Ban, it’s just a random box, exactly as you said.”

The people looked at the giant box with disbelief.

However, Lenok knew very well how valuable the box he had created was.

The opening code and core system of the Ascension Gate obtained from the Machine City, Makina.

A miracle created based on the frame of the makeshift Ascension Gate obtained from Kaise’s secret chamber.

With Davi’s help, he designed and assembled only the minimum specifications to build the system, then charged the necessary power to make it work.

Through this, Lenok succeeded in creating a miniaturized makeshift Ascension Gate directly connected to the void beyond the old world.

Proof that he secretly took out only the core of the failed work created by drawing out all the possibilities of the Machine City, Makina.

If X Machina had noticed this fact, they would have tried to silence Lenok by any means.

“Come forward one by one and line up.”

Clatter!!

As he inserted the constantly moving black cube, the Penterect, into the box, the black glow of the Penterect writhed madly and transformed into the shape of a lever to open the box.

Creak…!!

As Lenok grabbed the lever and pulled it slightly, a crack inside the box opened slightly.

The expressions of the group changed drastically as they realized that the space inside was different from the colors of this world.

“Wait a minute, Ban. What kind of artifact did you create?”

[I thought you had returned with some strange skills, but this is beyond that…]

From those who were shocked and asking questions to those who began to analyze the box with interest.

“Did you forcibly twist an existing spacetime and fix it as an artifact?”

“I knew this concept existed, but this is the first time I’ve seen it actually applied.”

“Just observing it seems like I could learn something…”

“It’s an object that has forcibly twisted the rules that would normally require a considerable price, increasing unpredictability.”

Lenok nodded, arms crossed, next to the gathering people.

“Because I reduced the price to pay and left only the minimum passage, I don’t know what can be taken out from inside.”

“Ah, so that’s why you called it a random box earlier?”

Mila looked around, dumbfounded, as if she had finally understood Lenok’s words.

“No, then does that mean you gathered us here just to have us open a random box?”

Of course, Lenok didn’t call others to open the Ascension Gate purely to give them gifts.

It was to accumulate data from the Ascension Gate that Lenok couldn’t accumulate alone, in order to reach another goal.

However, he couldn’t explain everything at this moment.

Lenok, who had put down the lever and stepped back, gestured to those gathered around him.

“Grab the lever when you’re ready. Keep in mind that this is not an opportunity that comes anytime.”

“It’s even more unsettling to see a mage like you talking like a hawking merchant… well, fine.”

Belver, his face flushed with drunkenness, wiped his mouth and stepped in front of Lenok first.

His twin sister, Belita, grabbed Belver’s shoulder with a slightly worried look.

“Belver. Get a grip. Are you really going to do this with a clear mind?”

“Well, according to Ban, this is an artifact with a random box feel.”

Belver, who had dispelled his drunkenness with mana, shrugged his shoulders while grabbing the doorknob following Lenok.

“A big win is an investor’s dream. If I’m going to do it anyway, even if I can recover some of my investment here, it’s a break-even…!!”

“It seems he’s gone crazy from the continuous failures in stock investment.”

“That doesn’t seem wrong.”

“How pitiful…”

“Shut your mouths, everyone!! Do you think you’ll be safe in this hellish market?!!”

Belver, who had rebuked the whispering people, grabbed the lever without hesitation.

Lenok, who was standing next to the door, smiled.

“Brave, aren’t you? Or is it reckless?”

“Let’s just say it’s an experienced investor’s insight.”

Belver retorted cynically.

“If you were planning to trick me, you wouldn’t have bothered with this.”

He closed his eyes and pulled the lever with all his might.

Click!!

Belver, who was pulling the lever with all his heart, as if pulling a slot machine.

At that moment, all sorts of strange noises began to echo above Belver’s head.

Ring ring ring!!

Clack clack clack!!

Dududududu!!

Ding ding~

“Wha, what is it?!”

Belver, startled, stepped back and raised his gaze.

All sorts of bizarre phenomena that had been writhing throughout the mansion were rotating around the machine box, flashing a dazzling light.

Even the shape of an unknown fur ball that seemed to be jumping around on the box.

[Roll, roll~]

[You organisms who can’t invest~]

Only then did the people’s expressions change strangely as they realized what those sounds and lights meant.

“I, is it a sound effect…?”

[It sounds like there are some strange words being spoken…]

“The effects are quite flashy.”

“Why even bother with this… ahem.”

While the people were quickly taking back their words, looking at Lenok’s reaction, the effects and sound effects faded.

The lever returned to its original position, and the door of the machine box swung open.

While everyone was looking forward to what would pop out with a mixture of tension and curiosity.

Thud!!

Something with a dazzling golden glow fell right in the middle of the garden with a thud.

“…Huh?”

“Ooooh!! Gold…!!!! Or not?”

Belver’s expression, who had knelt down with a delighted face to greet the gold nugget he had drawn, turned sullen.

It was because he realized that what had popped out of the box was not gold, but a large golden jelly mass.

“What is this?”

“Can’t you see? It’s a slime.”

Belita said that and poked the golden slime with a twig.

It twitched and reacted every time it was poked, but it didn’t move much because it wasn’t a living creature in the first place.

Belver, who was holding the slime with a sullen face, turned his gaze towards Lenok.

“Ban, what the hell is this? Why did you put something like this in a random box?”

“I told you. The contents are not something I put in, nor can I decide what it is.”

Lenok replied.

“It just pulled out an object in response to your will. That’s all.”

He had barely managed to implement only the passage using the objects and system codes obtained from Makina, and the equipment of reality.

In the first place, he could not choose what to take out from beyond the Ascension Gate.

At best, since he used the Penterect as a key, he could only increase the relevance of the first attempt.

“Hmm…”

Belver, who was pondering while holding the slime, muttered.

“Then I guess I drew a dud. What am I supposed to do with this?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not a tamer, and I have no talent for summoning at all. Even if you give me something like this, I can’t use it. Ah, can I sell it?”

“Are you crazy, Belver? You’re going to sell what Ban gave you on the market?”

Mila slapped the back of Belver’s head as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Do you think it’s common for a mage like Ban to give gifts?”

[Hey, stock trader. If you’re going to sell it, sell it to me. I’ll give you a good price.]

“Ah, no, wait a minute.”

When Manson offered a price as if he had been waiting, Belver seemed to have lost his desire to sell it.

Perhaps he realized from an investor’s sense that he shouldn’t throw this away right away.

No, considering Belver’s asset status, it was questionable whether he even had an investor’s sense…

“I made sure that the first attempt wouldn’t be drawn randomly, so it won’t be something completely unrelated.”

Lenok muttered, stroking his chin.

“Considering your usual behavior, Belver…”

Lenok took out a coin from his pocket and lightly flicked it towards the slime Belver was holding.

At that moment, the slime, which had only been twitching slightly, swallowed the coin Lenok had thrown.

Gobble!!

“I, it ate it!!”

[It eats money…]

“Is it a money-eating slime?”

“You drew a pet that looks just like you, Belver!!”

Belver’s face crumpled at the mercenaries’ giggling reactions from all sides.

“Sh, shit…”

Belver, unable to refute anything, was trembling and patted the slime with a displeased look. At that moment.

The slime, which had been chewing the coin in its mouth, suddenly spat something out.

Thwack!

Something covered in sticky mucus.

Belver, who took out the faintly shining substance from it, tilted his head.

“Huh? This isn’t a coin. What is it?”

“It’s Jeritite ore.”

Felix, who had been watching from the side, said.

“It’s an ore that is mined on a small scale in the western fossil zone.”

“…It ate a coin and spat out ore?”

Only then did Belver’s expression change strangely as he realized that the slime’s ability was more bizarre than he had thought.

The other mercenaries also tilted their heads as if they didn’t understand well.

“To eat money and produce something else of value, that’s not like Belver.”

“That’s right. It doesn’t suit Belver, who throws all the incentives he receives from the office into stocks and burns them all.”

“Can’t you all be quiet?”

While Belver was bickering with the other mercenaries, Jenny opened her mouth as if she had thought of something.

“Jeritite ore is one of the most volatile minerals in the market because its production is so irregular.”

“Huh?”

[It was quite famous for its price fluctuating by millions of cells every month.]

Manson, who seemed to have similar knowledge, chuckled at the sight.

[If you’re really an investor who has bet his life on the stock market, you’d probably know why the slime is turning money into such a volatile ore.]

“…”

Only then did the expressions of the others change strangely as they understood the slime’s ability.

They had vaguely understood that the random box Lenok had created had really drawn an object that was somewhat related to Belver.

“Huh? Then should I invest in the slime instead of stocks?”

Ignoring Belver, who was carrying the slime with a somewhat sullen look, the others began to line up.

Their movements were mixed with a strange heat and intense curiosity that was different from before.

The next one to take the spot was Mad Manson.

[It’s my turn. Is that okay?]

“You’re a coward, tin head!!”

“Why are you lining up twice by yourself!!”

Lenok laughed at the words of the female Manson, who was at the front of the line, using the maximum number of heads she had, two each for men and women.

“Go ahead.”

[I’ll go right away. If you hesitate with something like this, it’ll bring bad luck.]

Manson, who had received Lenok’s permission, immediately grabbed the lever and pulled it with all his might.

Click click click!!

Grrrrrrr!!

Peeeeeeeng…!!

Just like before, something with five tails jumped around on the box.

[Unlucky tin can~]

[Your personality program is outdated~]

[…It feels like it’s subtly poking at my sore spots. Is this also a delusion?]

“…”

Subtly different sound effects and effects from before were rampant above the two people’s heads.

After all sorts of pale and bizarre lights flowed in and out of the box like a galaxy.

Manson, as if possessed, put his hand into the box and took something out.

Lenok looked at the object instead and said.

“It’s a fountain pen.”

[……]

It was small enough to fit in one hand, and it was worn as if someone had used it.

It was difficult to guess its ability just by looking at it.

Rather, it was an object that didn’t suit Manson, who was a physical combatant.

“Is it an object from your memory?”

[…No, it’s an item I’ve never seen before.]

Manson smiled wryly and lightly grabbed the fountain pen.

[But I think I know why I got this. The reason I became like this was, in a way, completely opposite to this.]

“…”

[It’s an unbelievable magic, Ban… You’ve created a truly amazing random box.]

A tone full of unreserved admiration, completely different from the usual Manson.

A rare emotional fluctuation from him, a multi-body adapter.

Unlike the others, was it that the person who pulled the lever could see the history and reason for the object at a glance?

“Me, me!! Can I go next?”

“Mila, get in line!!”

“Can’t you see there are a lot of people waiting right now?”

The relaxed atmosphere from being drunk was gone, and the people were waiting in a circle around the random box.

Lenok looked at them and smiled, grabbing the lever again.

“Don’t rush too much. I’ll let you keep going as long as the power allows.”

* * *

“Manson was right. Now I know what you’ve created.”

Jordan held the object he had taken out of the box and smiled wryly.

Half-broken glasses. The left lens and frame were shattered without a trace.

“It pulls out an object related to the wish of the person opening the door, but the direction is very different from the wish.”

“Is that so?”

“These glasses are an artifact that automatically recognizes underlying diseases and judges treatments. This is the first time I’ve seen such a miniaturized medical device.”

Jordan said, carefully stroking the flaws engraved on the glasses.

“But the most important core data recognition part is missing.”

“…”

“It knows what I wished for, but it refuses to fulfill it in the right direction.”

Jordan smiled faintly.

“I wouldn’t believe it even if you made it on purpose, but if you didn’t, that’s even more amazing. You’re a truly great mage…”

What was the wish he had that he immediately recognized the ability of the glasses he had drawn and guessed the essence of the Ascension Gate?

Perhaps it was a story related to Jordan’s past as a doctor in the Central Front.

However, as Jordan said, not everyone who pulled the lever drew a useful or desired object.

Some people drew easy-to-use objects, while others drew useless items and became sullen.

“No, why a baby’s rattle…”

“Wayan. We know your taste well.”

“Let’s all keep a little distance from Wayan from now on.”

“That’s right. It seems like he needs some time to enjoy his own secret hobby.”

“No, it’s not. It’s slander!!”

Wayan, who was unfairly upset about the rattle that had no use.

“The voices I heard when I turned the lever earlier, they were subtly hitting the nail on the head.”

“Maybe it’s not a goblin…”

“Should we offer a tribute to it behind Ban’s back?”

The mercenaries seemed to have seriously fallen for the temptation of the spirits, not the random box.

On the other hand, there were also objects that made them hesitate even though they knew their use was too clear.

The objects Dylan and Jenny each drew were also such cases.

[……]

A blue heart slowly writhing in Dylan’s hand.

And a pure white whistle in Jenny’s hand.

Jenny showed the whistle to Lenok with a sullen look and asked.

“I shouldn’t blow it, right?”

“…It’s not in good condition.”

Lenok took the whistle, observed it carefully, and nodded.

“It’ll break soon after using it a few times. It’s better to think of it as a consumable.”

“Hmm, a whistle that might produce something if blown. I was hoping for something that would help my business, but it’s ambiguous.”

Jenny sighed and shook her head.

“But since it’s something Ban gave me, it’s probably not a dangerous object.”

“…I can’t guarantee that. You might have to get it appraised if necessary.”

Lenok said that and glanced at Dylan, who was silent.

“I’ll go talk to Dylan for a bit.”

A short event using the makeshift Ascension Gate as a random box.

Everyone who had gathered here had drawn something at random from the door.

Since the initial purpose was over, what was left was the aftermath of what Lenok had done.

“Dylan.”

“Ah, Ban.”

Dylan, who had been silently looking at the writhing blue heart, forced a smile at Lenok.

“…I drew something less interesting than I thought. Sorry.”

An artifact that was so bizarre that it gave off an ominous aura to anyone who saw it.

No, could this writhing heart even be called an artifact?

They had naturally avoided mentioning it, but it was definitely an object that made them think in many ways.

And that was probably because it was somewhat related to Dylan’s origins.

Lenok nodded lightly.

“Shall we go over there and talk for a bit?”

“Sure. Ah, but it’s a bit of a shame. Usually, the fun of these events is watching someone who is unusually lucky… hmm?”

Dylan, who had stopped walking for a moment, followed Lenok’s gaze and quietly closed his mouth.

Only then did Lenok chuckle and casually say to Dylan.

“So, as you said, someone who seems unusually lucky has arrived.”

“C, Captain…?”

In the middle of the chaotic mansion garden.

A man with a strange aura slipped into the group like a ghost.

A tall figure, a head taller than the others, wearing a suit with a thick fur coat.

Even the way he swept back his long hair seemed to fit in anywhere.

A strange presence that couldn’t be believed to be standing in the same place, even though it was visible and recognized by both eyes.

Antares, who was standing in front of the giant machine box, looked at Lenok and smiled.

“I’m not too late, am I?”

“C, Captain…”

“When did you come back to Vulcan?”

He nodded lightly at the members’ questions, waiting for Lenok’s answer.

They thought he had left Vulcan, but was he still staying near the megacity?

“…No. You’re not late. But if you want to participate, you’ll have to line up.”

Lenok said that and turned his gaze.

“It seems like someone came before you.”

On the roof of the mansion building.

Amidst the torrent of swirling mana storms and lights, a green glow was flashing.