Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 732

Pandemonium’s herald, Agneta.

A hybrid of an ancient species, her upper body is that of a human female, while her lower body is the form of a spider with eight legs.

She is a being who freely traverses the imaginary dimension using her innate manipulation techniques, delivering messages for the members.

‘I’ve always wanted to meet you. Manipulators are all so unique; I rarely get such opportunities.’

Kkkkkkk…!!

The spider form slowly descends from the ceiling.

Her movements are so graceful that it feels like she’s floating in the air.

However, Lenox knew that her movement relied on a single, barely visible strand of mana.

A faint mana that could barely be detected by Lenox’s mana sense.

She draws a thin thread of mana, so small that it wouldn’t even be enough to light a lighter, and hangs suspended in the air with a calm demeanor.

In terms of the precision and maintenance of her manipulation techniques, she was at a level that even Lenox would find difficult to imitate.

Agneta, hanging upside down, turned her needle-stitched and scarred eyelids toward Lenox.

‘As I’ve heard, your presence is truly unique. You don’t feel like a human, or even a living being…’

‘So, you’re the one who takes on the role of Pandemonium’s herald.’

Lenox also met her gaze and responded.

‘What do you mean by formula transmission?’

‘Ah, should we take care of that first?’

She suddenly raised her hand.

Whoosh!

The mana surrounding the spider seemed to waver slightly, and then a faint thread was drawn out and shot out quickly.

A faint and thin presence that was difficult to perceive without heightening one’s senses.

‘Everyone does whatever they want…’

Lenox shook his head in annoyance and reacted.

Whirr!

Mana threads surged from beneath his feet, grabbing and binding the spider web in the air, twisting its flow.

Sharp, spider web-like mana threads of two different properties tangled in the air, pulling taut.

Kkkkkkkk…!!

The sound alone seemed to stretch the surrounding air, faintly echoing through the hangar.

‘The feeling is very good.’

The spider looked down at Lenox upside down and smiled.

‘You’re much better than I heard. Composition, elasticity, density, durability… In terms of properties, you’re even better than me in some ways.’

‘…’

Just by tugging once, she could grasp that much?

A pure intuition based on senses rather than theory. And a wealth of experience to gauge his skills compared to her own.

‘There’s nothing to say about your mana thread composition. At this level, we can start the transmission right away, right?’

As the spider said that, her intent began to pour out strongly through the tangled mana threads.

Thud!

As if transmitting a voice through a thread, her will flowed in as a tangible force.

The moment something invisible and indescribable melted into Lenox’s mana threads and into his body.

Bang!

Lenox erected his intent and immediately repelled the intangible will.

‘Huh?’

While Agneta was bewildered, Lenox coldly retorted.

‘Who gave you the right to pour strange intent into my body?’

‘Huh? But if we don’t do it this way, the transmission…’

‘If it’s about competing to see whose mana thread aptitude is superior, I’ll gladly crush you, but sharing intent is a completely different matter.’

‘…’

Lenox crossed his arms and tilted his head.

‘If you want to transmit the formula to me, tell me the principles and the incantations. I have no intention of receiving some unknown force or intent like this.’

Lenox’s target designation resistance has the power to resist all kinds of formulas, intents, and functions that designate him.

Of course, if Lenox himself wanted to, he could neutralize it and accept it.

He had no intention of blindly accepting the formula that Agneta was offering.

‘The herald of Pandemonium. A skilled manipulator. And a hybrid of an ancient species.’

Lenox’s eyes narrowed behind his mask.

‘Her judgment and standards are likely different from humans. She’s not someone to be trusted.’

Agneta may not know it, but Lenox had met Agneta once before, a long time ago, when he was a half-god.

After killing the White Lion Turan of Pandemonium at the Blayver Magic Tower’s West Continent branch. She had come to retrieve Turan’s body, hadn’t she?

He still vividly remembered her delivering the commander’s message to Lenox as the herald of Pandemonium.

Since it was unknown how Agneta’s non-human intent would react when it came into contact with Lenox’s inner self, it was right to refuse direct contact.

Lenox’s core psyche was so powerful that even he had difficulty hiding it, so the possibility that Agneta would recognize him and realize Victor’s identity could not be ignored.

Agneta shook her head, as if troubled by Lenox’s answer.

‘Hmm, but if it’s not a formula transmission, it’s difficult to deliver the item.’

‘Deliver an item?’

‘I was keeping an item for Sabrina. Ah, how about I show you the method first, and you can check it out?’

‘Go ahead.’

Lenox nodded.

‘I’ll decide after seeing it.’

‘Okay. Let’s do that.’

Agneta said that and focused her mind with her hands clasped together, then suddenly turned her gaze.

‘Is Hylea not going to come out? It’s been a while, and I’d like to see her face.’

At those words, the nun who had been quietly guarding the surroundings flinched.

The nun, wearing an eye patch, raised her head, slightly turned her gaze, and replied.

‘If she’s out, there will be interference when you travel through the imaginary dimension.’

‘Ah, because of her dual nature?’

Agneta asked, sounding puzzled.

‘But that shouldn’t matter much when I’m observed in the material world. She can come out now.’

‘…I don’t think she wants to come out.’

‘Ehhh…’

Agneta looked disappointed and dejected.

Sabrina shook her head at Agneta’s appearance.

‘Enough, just show me the item quickly. Unlike me, it’s dangerous for you to stay here for long.’

‘Why? I want to meet Victor again, and also Kyunryun. Like I said, I’ve met him once before.’

Agneta asked with a puzzled expression, and Sabrina sighed.

‘I know. But… the situation is so different from when Turan died, okay? Right now, that mage is being treated like a complete madman.’

‘When I met him last time, he didn’t seem completely unreasonable…’

‘Is the current situation, which transcends hierarchy, the same as back then?’

Sabrina, having given up on persuading Agneta, gestured.

‘Do whatever you want after this is over. But I won’t take responsibility if the commander calls you later, okay?’

‘Eek. I don’t want that.’

Only then did Agneta slowly wiggle her spider legs.

Hanging upside down in the air, she made gestures as if manipulating invisible mana threads.

Agneta, with her hands clasped together and her head tilted back, whispered to Lenox.

‘Watch closely. I can’t show you this many times without transmission.’

At that moment, a crack appeared in the empty space, as if sewn together with thread, and then slowly began to widen.

Crack…!!

With the sound of the entire space splitting like a shell, a monochrome landscape appeared.

Sabrina gaped, and Lenox, who was watching from behind, shone his eyes behind his mask.

It was because he realized that this monochrome space had a different texture from the existing concept of space that Lenox knew.

‘It’s completely different from the feeling of an imaginary dimension or a domain… Could it be a sub-space technique?’

A pseudo-space arbitrarily constructed using the paradox of cognitive bias [a mental shortcut that can lead to irrational decisions].

A contradictory technique that uses a concept that does not originally exist, shaped by the caster’s conviction, and alienated from the existing space.

The technique that Agneta showed Lenox was close to a method of handling such a sub-space.

Agneta suddenly reached into the crack that had opened in the air.

‘Let’s see. I’m sure I put it around here… Ah, not here… not there either… Ah, here it is.’

Agneta rummaged through the sub-space, smacking her lips.

Soon, she struggled and wiggled her arm from the inside, and took something out.

Click!

A small case that could fit in Agneta’s small hand.

A silver cube that looked like a ring box or a small music box.

‘Here, is this it?’

While Agneta handed it to Sabrina, Lenox, who was quietly watching the sub-space, said.

‘It’s a method of forcibly tearing space and then sewing and holding the cracks together with mana threads.’

‘Oh, you’re right. You recognize it right away?’

Agneta nodded as if she expected it.

‘I’ve done various experiments, and this is the simplest and most efficient method.’

‘It’s crude, but it’s enough to maintain an artificially formed sub-space. Rather, the means itself is so precise that it catches my eye…’

At Lenox’s words, which sounded strangely impressed, Sabrina asked in surprise.

‘You can tell how Agneta’s sub-space is made right away?’

‘It’s not that she has a sub-space aptitude, but rather the result of forcibly shaping it by pushing her manipulation techniques to the limit.’

Lenox replied.

‘It’s like tearing space once and then holding the entrance with mana threads so that it doesn’t close. If you had to put it into words, it’s like repeatedly sewing and tearing the scars of a wound to keep it from healing…’

‘That’s right, that’s right. Exactly. That’s exactly how I made it.’

Agneta said with a smile.

‘I couldn’t explain what it felt like clearly, but that example is really good. I should explain it that way from now on.’

A level where she sews the space itself with mana threads of manipulation techniques to correct it into a sub-space.

It was possible not because Agneta’s rank had reached that level, but because of her innate birth, but.

The fact that the level had reached a level that even Lenox was impressed by did not change.

The idea of constructing a sub-space itself was crude, but the fact that she handled all the processes with only mana threads was even more amazing.

Perhaps her sense of manipulating mana threads was completely different from what ordinary humans felt.

In the first place, it was strange for her, who was born as a hybrid of an ancient species, to have the same senses and standards as a pure human.

The problem of her seemingly out-of-touch way of speaking and conversing was also due to that reason.

‘But I don’t know how she tore the space with mana threads. I can understand how she seals and carries a space that has already been alienated with mana threads…’

‘I don’t even understand that part.’

Leaving behind Sabrina, who looked disgusted, Agneta replied cheerfully.

‘Ah, Kroken helped me tear the space.’

‘…Are you talking about Kroken Acilus?’

‘He did it for me after I helped him with a simple errand. He just tapped a few times with his bare hands, and it was done?’

‘…’

‘Huh, don’t you understand? Like this, like this, if you tap your hands…’

‘No, I understand.’

Lenox smiled wryly as he watched Agneta clap her hands together.

If it was that monster who transcended common sense, it wouldn’t be strange if he tore space with just a few claps.

Rather, wasn’t Agneta, who could ask Kroken to do such a thing, more unique?

‘If it’s a sub-space technique, it’s worth knowing the principles and tips. Even if it’s not through intent contact, I’ll need to study it separately.’

Formula transmission through intent contact should be avoided because of the risk of sharing Lenox’s psyche.

However, it was worth trying to study and imitate the principles of the technique that Agneta had shown.

While Lenox was thinking that and adjusting his mask, Sabrina shook the cube she was holding.

‘Okay, let’s stop the chatter between manipulators and get back to the main point. This is the item that will be used in this deal.’

‘Are you saying this is related to the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits?’

‘To be precise, it contains some of the byproducts of the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits.’

Sabrina explained.

‘It’s an item containing a part of the ‘Guide’s Remains’ hidden beneath the memorial stones that make up Yorta.’

‘…The Guide’s Remains?’

‘Don’t you know what the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits means? If you’re going to lead souls on a night parade, there has to be someone leading the way.’

Sabrina said, shaking the cube.

‘I don’t know who it is, but anyway, it’s a container with the bone powder of that guide.’

‘…Let’s hear what use it has first.’

‘Since Yorta started the Night Parade of a Myriad of Spirits, it has been dividing all positions and authorities in the city according to the level of the souls. If it’s the remains of the one who leads the night parade, wouldn’t it be the highest-level ticket among them?’

‘…’

‘It’s highly likely to be a necessary item when crossing the Sea of Oblivion, which you must cross when entering Yorta, or when climbing the memorial tower.’

‘You can’t be sure.’

‘I haven’t been there myself. But it’s what I’ve heard from the members who have been to Yorta, so it’s probably true?’

Sabrina was not shaken by Lenox’s indifferent reply.

In the first place, she knew that Victor would not refuse the deal if he had come all the way to Balkan.

‘Okay, keep listening. But there’s one problem. The case that holds these remains is not an ordinary item.’

Sabrina said, suddenly handing the cube to Lenox.

‘See? It’s clearly a case for holding something, but there’s no keyhole.’

‘…’

‘It’s called the [Gyro’s Coffer], and it’s a very rare item, with only about 10 of them found in the entire continent. No one knows the exact number.’

‘So?’

‘The inside of the coffer is twisted with a 48-layered dimensional function, and no one but the designer Gyro himself can solve it. It can only be opened with a specific key. If it’s exposed to the outside for too long, it will cross dimensions on its own and disappear, so it’s easy to lose if it’s not stored using a sub-space.’

Sabrina explained, picking up a snack.

‘So, a coffer that exists with a key is a very, very valuable item as a miniature safe artifact.’

Only after hearing that did Lenox understand why Sabrina had willingly handed over this coffer to him.

‘You want me to find the key and take the contents, and give you the coffer?’

‘Exactly!’

Sabrina clapped her hands and said.

‘I got it by chance, but I had no way to open it or use it. So I had forgotten about it for a while, but it seemed like it would be helpful for this matter.’

‘…’

‘You open the coffer, and you get the Guide’s Remains, and I get to share this Gyro’s Coffer. How about it?’

She was offering the contents of the coffer for free, but leaving the opening to him.

It seemed that Sabrina was more interested in the coffer itself than the remains.

That was probably not because of the value of the coffer, but because there was something she needed to keep inside the coffer instead of the remains.

Lenox was about to ask what the item was, but then stopped.

Considering Sabrina’s talkative nature, she would have explained it already if it was something she could talk about.

Perhaps it was related to how she had ‘sealed’ her own language magic.

At this point, the conditions of the deal she had proposed were over, and only Lenox’s decision on whether to accept it remained.

However, Lenox had no intention of accepting Sabrina’s conditions right away, even though he knew them.

Lenox, holding the coffer in one hand, manipulated it with mana threads like a yo-yo and said.

‘The condition of finding the key is too vague. It’s not enough to accept the deal without even a precise shape or clue.’

Even if information about Gyro’s Coffer could be found by researching, the difficulty would increase dozens of times if each coffer required a different key.

Even if he found the key to the coffer, figuring out if it was the right one for this coffer was a completely different problem.

If he accepted Sabrina’s deal as it was, it wouldn’t be strange if he wasted time unnecessarily looking for the key.

Just as Lenox was about to put the coffer down without any regrets.

‘Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ve already secured the location of the key.’

Sabrina replied.

‘Like I said, I’ve already sealed my language magic, so I can’t use my powers for a while. So I need someone to steal the key for me instead.’

‘The location of the key…’

Was it because the key to the coffer was hidden in a more heavily guarded place than he thought that Sabrina couldn’t take the key out on her own?

If so, it was understandable why she had approached Lenox for a deal as if she had been waiting for him.

She had finished planning and preparing a long time ago, but she had revived a plan that had been canceled due to a lack of manpower to execute it.

‘The deal itself won’t take long.’

If she had secured the location of the key, there was no need to waste time searching.

All that was needed was to check the hidden location, assess whether it was possible or not, and then move.

Whether he succeeded or failed, it wouldn’t take long.

Lenox, having made up his mind, put the coffer in his arms and nodded.

‘I’ll decide after checking the site. Give me the coordinates.’

‘There’s no need to give you the coordinates. It’s a very famous stronghold in the North Continent, so the location is known.’

‘A place where the location is known?’

‘The Giant’s Citadel, ruled by the Archduke of Kavahim and the Watcher Jillian.’

While Lenox frowned, Sabrina took out a photo from her arms and held it out.

The photo showed the landscape of a huge citadel that filled the entire canyon.

Above the citadel, countless bloodstains flowed down as if they were flowing down the neck of a giant.

‘It’s also a relic of the Giant Soldier Corps, one of the few on the entire continent, and a hidden place designated as the sixth lighthouse by the Blue Eye [a mysterious organization].’

‘…’

Sabrina nodded as she looked at the silent Lenox.

‘The key is there.’