Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 71

“…”

A key that had withstood the power of a lightning strike, a strike strong enough to turn a superhuman as powerful as Beck into ashes.

Even if he didn’t know its purpose, it was likely an item needed to unlock something of great value.

With the key in hand and Beck’s shattered phone stuffed into his pocket, Lennox slowly rose and headed towards the back of the ruined train station.

“Hoo…!”

He slumped down, gazing at the slowly rising morning sun.

The heatwave from the lightning strike had subsided, and the chilly dawn air rushed back in.

Basking in the sunlight, he pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and struggled to put it in his mouth.

It had been a tough fight.

He never imagined he would encounter a skilled fighter like Beck Clinton in such a place, in such a way.

But regardless, Lennox had emerged victorious from a battle that no one had anticipated.

Having taken down one of the leaders of the Cigar Bang [a gang] here, the crisis that was predicted to be a failure of the operation would instead turn into a great boon.

That was enough.

However, the feeling of sitting alone in the ruined train station and greeting the morning was, frankly, not very pleasant.

Lennox still knew nothing about the truth of this world.

The heat radiating from his cheek, the pain in his stomach, his time that was gradually shortening.

Even knowing that he had to find the answers to all those questions, he had been swept away by the urgency of having to live day by day, and had been turning a blind eye to it.

As if he had forgotten even the fervent wish he had buried deep in his heart.

Perhaps it was because he was left alone in the center of the quiet ruins.

A choked monologue flowed from Lennox’s mouth so naturally.

“…This won’t do.”

It was only after Lennox spoke out what he wanted that he realized it.

What he desired was not simply to survive in this desolate and barren world.

He wanted to delve into the truth of this absurd miracle that had happened to him, and finally understand it.

He still remembered the series of conversations he had with Cheon-gyeon.

The world that bites its own tail. The story about the Ascendants [beings who have transcended humanity]. And the Alcaide [a mysterious organization or figure].

If this world was really the world that was planned for WORLD 3.0, then wouldn’t what he heard back then be a clue to the main narrative?

Instead of just leaving it to others and forgetting about it, he had to go and find it himself.

It wouldn’t be easy.

But until the outline became visible, Lennox was going to climb to the top of this city.

His mind, with a cigarette in his mouth, began to work busily.

There were so many things to do, and so many things he could do.

The Promised Price

“…Okay. I understand.”

Eden took the phone away from his ear and quietly closed his eyes.

As soon as he finished the call, he flipped over the cell phone that started ringing loudly at the same time and got up from his seat.

A rugged man who had been watching him cautiously asked.

“Boss, other arms dealers keep calling, what should we do…?”

“Leave them be.”

A raspy voice echoed through the darkened room.

“They’re not calling to ask for countermeasures. They need a justification for having treated us with at least minimal respect before they turn their backs on us.”

Eden, who slowly got up, said as he picked up a coat hanging on the wall.

“Keep a record of all the calls coming in now, and make a list.”

“A list, you say?”

“Yes.”

As he left the room, Eden’s face was revealed under the dim light.

Sharp eyes and a cold mouth. A firm jawline and broad shoulders.

He had a physique and presence that was more than enough to claim to be the boss of a gang.

Eden faintly smiled as he pressed his index finger on the vein that had popped out on his forehead.

“That way, I can go and return the favor later, right? Traitors deserve that kind of treatment.”

“Ah, yes, sir!!”

Despite hearing the chilling words, the gang member’s face brightened up instead.

The composure that the boss was showing in this situation, where they were cornered both inside and outside the organization, was reassuring the lower members.

Eden was not a naive superior or an incompetent boss who didn’t know this.

He walked down the empty hallway, lost in thought.

‘How did it get like this?’

Just a month ago, he was taking control of the arms business in the 40s district, and at the same time, he was opening up new trade networks and stabilizing the supply of weapons.

Now, he had lost a significant number of his close aides, and even the gang’s sources of funds were being cut off one after another.

He had lost the opportunity to reverse his mistakes too quickly, and the betrayal of those who had been working with the organization was just as swift.

And the starting point was probably because the others had also noticed the death of Beck Clinton, which he had just heard about.

It would have been better if it had ended with the trade route with the retired soldiers being cut off, but with the death of the person in charge of the new trading partner, both trade networks had disappeared at the same time.

It was fatal.

And it was more dangerous than ever.

‘I’ve built it up for so long… but it’s collapsing in an instant.’

How long had he been searching for a way to achieve his own goals since leaving the Magic Tower [a place of magical learning]?

He had just settled down and was trying to build up his power, but it was about to all go down the drain overnight.

He could feel the fact that he was standing on the edge of a cliff.

Even that it was too late to turn everything back.

But if so, he had to salvage at least what he could reach.

The death of Beck, who was his close aide and partner, was accelerating Eden’s decision.

He hesitated, then pressed the button on the phone.

Towards the number that he had not been able to reach again after just one call.

The other party answered after two rings, as if they had been waiting.

Eden muttered in a trembling voice.

“Juice Master, I want to do business with Pandemonium [a powerful and dangerous organization].”

A fierce and intense battle.

It was a chaotic battle due to the unexpected intrusion of a powerful enemy in the middle.

But as a result, the team succeeded in the operation while minimizing damage.

Most of the credit was concentrated on Lennox, who had single-handedly faced and killed Beck.

In any case, it was a demonstration to everyone of how far a mage named Ban could go when carrying out an operation with proper team members.

And the reaction was just as intense and turbulent.

Beck Clinton was a gangster who had been active in this world for so long that Jenny knew his name, and although his prime was over, he was once a spearman who dominated the 48th district.

There were rumors that he had abandoned his existing reputation and started anew by creating a gang called Cigar Bang, but his fame would not easily disappear.

The news that such a seasoned fighter had died in a battle with just five freelancers was too sensational.

So much so that even the customers visiting Jenny’s bar were talking about it.

“They messed with Cigar Bang? They’re out of their minds…”

“It’s not just messing with them. They completely destroyed them.”

“It’s well known that that gang uses the Panamas train station as a trading place, but the train station has completely disappeared. That says it all.”

“Isn’t this a bit dangerous?”

Jenny sighed secretly as she watched the customers talking without even trying to hide their voices.

In this world, is it rare for conflicts between interest groups to occur?

Even if there are sudden gunfights and piles of corpses in one side of the sewer, no one easily interferes as long as the unwritten rules are properly followed.

Strictly speaking, the attack on the Cigar Bang gang this time should also be passed off as just another incident.

However, the reason why such rumors continue to circulate is because of the underlying anxiety about the disruption of the arms business that Cigar Bang was supplying.

If there is a problem with the current market, which sells military equipment and firearms at low prices, the freelancers in this world will have to wander the alleys again in search of a decent gun dealer.

There was no need to even consider how many hyenas would rush in to seize new interests in the process.

“The boss of Cigar Bang must be furious. If there’s even a slight disruption to a business of that scale, the losses would be enormous.”

“It’s practically how they’ve built up their power so far with that capital.”

“There were rumors that the leader of that gang was a great sorcerer, is this an opportunity to confirm it?”

“I’m a bit curious about that too. There were a lot of rumors about what kind of spells he uses that made Platon and Scavenger helpless. There were also rumors that he had a huge backing…”

“Make sure the bar doesn’t get damaged.”

Jenny turned her head sharply at the familiar voice that came from right next to her.

Lennox, who had somehow entered the inside of the bar, was listening while looking in the same direction as her.

His face was still expressionless, but Jenny read a faint feeling of worry in his words and chuckled.

“Do you think this is the first time something like this has happened in this world? You should take care of yourself. No one is crazy enough to mess with a broker over something like this.”

Seeing him like this again, she realized that he was not someone who was familiar with this city.

He seemed very indifferent and not very responsive to external stimuli, but Jenny guessed that this mage was more compassionate than he seemed.

He had a personality that could be very cold and cruel when he thought it was necessary, but when dealing with an old man like Jorden, he was so clumsy that it was obvious he didn’t know how to deal with it.

And Jenny didn’t think that side of Ban was bad.

“Dike contacted me. They said they want to come and pick you up themselves if you want, what do you think?”

They had only worked together on two requests, but Lennox’s status was completely different from before.

The fact that he had killed Beck Clinton alone would not be made public, but apart from that, rumors that he had clashed with the gang twice and returned alive would be spreading quickly.

As if to prove that fact, some of the customers in the bar, who had been ignoring Lennox until now, were quietly whispering while looking at him.

“…”

Becoming famous in this world is not always a good thing.

The more people who recognized him, the more people who disliked him would also increase.

Jealousy and hatred. Envy and resentment naturally follow the flow of money.

He had only just taken one step on the ladder of glory and disgrace.

He had no intention of being satisfied here.

Perhaps Jenny had also felt something from his calm expression.

Without even thinking of erasing the natural smile that had appeared, she continued to speak.

“According to the rumors, the board of directors at Dike were quite surprised by the success of this operation. It’s understandable that they would be surprised if a project that had seemed to be faltering suddenly got on track. You’ll be treated well if you make an appointment right now.”

“…Okay. Tell them to meet me by tomorrow.”

“That’s just right. It seems that Panoa has something to say separately, so listen to it and let it go. She’s not someone you’ll be working with forever.”

Even though she hadn’t said anything, it seemed that Jenny had also felt something while watching the series of events.

Even considering that her role in this collaboration with Dike was relatively small, her sharp insight was undeniable.

Lennox nodded, once again reminded of how good of a broker she was.

“Oh, and I succeeded in tracking the address of Beck Clinton’s cell phone that you requested.”

Lennox had the key he had obtained from Beck’s corpse, and he had handed the cell phone to Jenny just in case, and it seemed that there was a harvest.

“What about the contents?”

“The data is all corrupted, so I couldn’t check the messages properly, but the call records remained at the base station, so I was able to confirm who the most recent contacts were. Don’t be surprised when you hear this.”

Jenny quickly lowered her voice and whispered.

“It seems he was in contact with a contact person from Pandemonium.”

“…”

“It could be an attempt by the gang to make a connection with Pandemonium. You have to make a good judgment.”

“I understand.”

It was unexpected information, but just knowing this fact in advance was a great gain.

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Okay. Take care of yourself too. Got it?”

“…”

For a brief moment, Lennox’s steps faltered.

Jenny quietly said as she looked at his back.

“The most important thing in this world isn’t money, is it?”