Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 755

The day after meeting with Clarice and having various conversations,

Lenok was silently gazing at an object placed on his workbench in his personal laboratory.

“……”

Inside two glass bottles, a golden liquid swirled.

Two bottles of elixir that Aris had gifted to Lenok through Clarice.

One was meant for him, and the other was to be used for someone else, or so she had said.

However, instead of taking them, Lenok had been thinking about the elixir all day since yesterday.

The reason she was dedicated to research in the Magic Tower was a gesture of goodwill to create more time for Lenok than what was given.

But the reason Lenok hesitated wasn’t just because of that fact.

“Elixir, huh……”

Clarice had said that Aris had created the name of this elixir by referring to old-world literature.

Old-world literature would mean traces or records of WORLD 1.0 and WORLD 2.0, which Lenok knew.

The problem was that the meaning of the word [Elixir], as Lenok knew it, was not singular.

‘In WORLD 1.0 and 2.0, elixirs had different abilities.’

Lenok thought, looking at the golden light swirling inside the elixir bottle.

‘One was related to recovery abilities, and the other seemed to have a rather unique ability… I don’t remember exactly.’

Since elixirs themselves were extremely rare items in the WORLD, Lenok didn’t have many memories of seeing the real thing.

He only remembered that they weren’t solely focused on recovery in both worlds.

That’s why Lenok had been organizing his thoughts after obtaining Aris’s elixir.

Even if Aris had reproduced an old-world elixir, it was impossible to know whether it was from WORLD 1.0 or 2.0.

Even if he found out, he couldn’t be sure whether it could improve Lenok’s current condition or penalties.

‘Clarice said that the name of the elixir was given a dual meaning. That could mean that she referred to both cases, but…’

Alternatively, it could be interpreted as a dual meaning because it was an elixir and yet not an elixir.

In the WORLD, top-tier consumable artifacts like elixirs were not only difficult to manufacture, but they also had to be made considering the weather, environment, and timing.

Their production itself relied on the natural environment and physical laws of the old world.

That’s why Lenok, even after obtaining alchemy, hadn’t attempted to manufacture the top-tier elixirs of the old world.

The difficulty of obtaining the necessary materials was too high, it was difficult to match the production environment, and he didn’t remember all the prerequisites.

Naturally, Aris wouldn’t have been able to reproduce the old-world production method exactly.

Yet, the meaning of giving this elixir the name ‘elixir’.

Could it be related to the source image that Aris Richelieu obtained when she reached the realm of the Saint?

Thinking that, Lenok turned his gaze towards the huge mechanical device hanging on the laboratory wall.

“It’s done.”

Chiiik!!

He filled a large container hanging on one side of the wall with diluent and then dispensed it in order.

The automated machine filled dozens of potion bottles with a fixed amount of diluent and lined them up neatly.

Click!!

While neatly filling the potion bottles into a neatly organized case, Lenok picked up one bottle of the undiluted elixir that was on the workbench.

He opened the lid and carefully poured about half of the undiluted solution into the container.

The elixir mixed with the diluent preserved in the container was injected into dozens of potion bottles through the dispensing device.

The potion fell onto the drops of elixir that had been pre-divided, diluting the undiluted solution.

Drop, drop, drop.

The work Lenok was doing in the laboratory was not just analyzing the components of the elixir.

He was diluting one of the two bottles of elixir that Aris had gifted him, increasing the quantity instead of degrading its efficacy.

Davi, who was watching from the workbench with his tail curled up, asked with a dumbfounded look.

[I don’t think she gave you the gift to use it that way……]

“The words ‘use it for someone else’ probably didn’t mean that I had to use it for a specific number of people.”

Lenok said, carefully observing the scene with his head tilted.

“If possible, it would be better for as many people as possible to benefit, wouldn’t it? Just in case, I’m telling you, it’s definitely not because I’m stingy with the undiluted solution.”

[……]

Leaving the silent spirit behind, Lenok finished his work and quickly cleaned up the workbench.

“The dispensing is roughly done. Now, if I put a barrier on the storage box and cast a preservation spell……”

One bottle of undiluted solution for Lenok himself.

And a set of diluted elixir for others.

Of course, Lenok might occasionally be included among those ‘others,’ but what does that matter?

Aris wouldn’t try to be picky about its use when she gifted the elixir to Lenok.

[Master’s obsession with saving the undiluted solution is actually more impressive.]

“If you keep subtly teasing me, I’ll make you the first to taste this result.”

[Heh.]

Lenok chuckled, leaving Davi, who was swallowing his breath and desperately pretending not to hear.

“Don’t worry. Of course, I’m going to try it first.”

[……You mustn’t die?]

“Of course. I finished the toxicity test during the dispensing process. It passed 555 harmfulness criteria, so probably……”

[Probably?]

“……Probably, it’s highly likely that there won’t be any major problems with life, according to a careful, prudent, and logical deduction, and there shouldn’t be any theoretical problems with the conclusion.”

[Master, you’re convincing yourself with unnecessary modifiers right now.]

“……”

Lenok couldn’t easily answer the piercing remark.

Although it was using the sacred name of elixir, he didn’t know which effect the elixir would have.

Moreover, the fact that it was an elixir made by Aris, who had no knowledge of pharmaceuticals or manufacturing, added to his anxiety.

He trusted Aris, but considering her skills that Lenok remembered, his faith was slightly shaken, which he couldn’t deny.

Lenok, who had been silently gazing at the mouth of the vial, which was shimmering with a transparent golden light, slowly turned around.

“……Come to think of it, taking it right away seems a bit premature.”

[You think so too, right?]

“Still, I have enough leeway to experiment. The reason I diluted it in the first place was……”

Lenok said that and placed a flowerpot from the laboratory window on the workbench.

It was a plant that absorbed magic to promote growth, and when dried and ground, it was also used as a component of magic circles.

It wasn’t harmful while alive, and it wasn’t bad as an ornamental plant, so he had bought it at an auction.

Lenok stared at it for a moment, then carefully poured the diluted elixir slowly into the flowerpot.

[……gulp.]

Davi, who was watching with his tail raised high, looking very nervous.

Soon, a reaction began to occur in the plant that had absorbed the diluted solution.

Chiiik……!!

[T, that sounds ominous!]

“Calm down. It’s still alive.”

The plant was faintly shaking in place, making strange noises.

While Lenok and Davi watched the change closely without blinking.

The trembling leaves stopped right there.

“……”

[……Is that it?]

While Davi was muttering, Lenok stroked his chin and pondered.

“Aris wouldn’t give a medicine for this kind of effect. Maybe it was the type that didn’t manifest its effects when diluted.”

[Then, are we just wasting a diluted elixir from that organism for nothing?]

“……No. That can’t be.”

Lenok knew what kind of person Aris Richelieu was.

A person who took responsibility for her thoughts and decisions, and gave her words and actions the utmost weight.

A nature that didn’t hesitate to take responsibility and share the burdens of others.

A person who knew the weight and importance of promises, and demanded it more strictly of herself than of others.

At this point, long after the sabbatical that Aris had promised Lenok, it was obvious how heavy the responsibility she felt was.

She must have thought that she had to send a result as perfect as that time.

Even if she was giving him the result as a gift, it must be something that satisfied her standards.

The effect wouldn’t be blurred or weakened by just a few dilutions.

The fact that he immediately diluted a bottle of elixir to increase the quantity was possible because of Lenok’s trust in Aris.

“There might be an activation condition that I didn’t think of. Let’s move to another place and analyze the components-”

The moment Lenok thought that and lifted the flowerpot with both hands.

Crack!!

The bottom of the flowerpot broke, and the roots of the plant began to spread rapidly.

The plant that had been in Lenok’s hands grew explosively, becoming so large that it pierced the ceiling of the laboratory.

Thud!!

Unable to withstand the weight, Lenok let go, and the huge roots spread out in all directions.

Rustle, rustle!!

The plant that had spread in all directions turned into the shape of a huge tree on the spot.

Davi, who was riding on a branch that had stretched above his head, looked at Lenok with a dumbfounded expression.

[This is too much, isn’t it?]

“……”

[Could it be that this plant is listening to us?]

“That can’t be. If anything, it’s more like the type where the effects take a little longer to kick in.”

Lenok muttered, stepping back to avoid the leaves and roots that were spreading and filling the central workbench of the laboratory.

“But this isn’t good… It’s actually harder to use this way.”

[Isn’t it good if you can forcibly promote growth with the effect?]

“It’s not always like that. The fact that growth is happening like this is proof that the effect is not controlled. Look.”

Lenok said that and pointed to the roots that had spread under his feet.

As soon as the growth was over, the roots began to wither and dry out rapidly on the spot.

Crack, crack……!!

They crumbled quickly from the tips of the roots, and the joints fell off. The leaves withered and lost their vitality, and the green stems turned yellow and drooped.

It was a completely different sight from the way it had been growing vigorously just a moment ago. Lenok said, watching the plant wither and die quickly.

“It didn’t receive enough nutrients for the forced growth, so it’s dying quickly as a backlash.”

[This is……]

“The efficacy of the effect itself is focused on promoting the state, and the backlash to maintain it is passed on to the outside.”

Lenok said that and carefully lifted the vial.

“Considering the growth and backlash seen in the plant, is this also an attempt to implement the effects of the elixir that I knew?”

[With this much effect from a solution diluted hundreds of times, it would be a disaster if you took the undiluted solution.]

Davi muttered, climbing onto Lenok’s head, but Lenok shook his head.

“It’s natural that the backlash is strong since it was directly absorbed by the roots of the plant. It will be much more stable if ingested.”

However, even as Lenok answered that, he felt a question arising in one corner of his mind.

“Still, I won’t know unless I drink it directly.”

Lenok muttered that and immediately picked up one of the diluted elixir bottles that was on the workbench.

[Electrical shock preparation complete in case of cardiac arrest. Emergency rescue team call preparation is also complete!]

“……”

Lenok, ignoring Davi, who was jumping up and down and making a fuss, closed his eyes and poured the diluted solution into his mouth.

A refreshing and sweet taste. Strangely, it was difficult to remember the taste after eating it.

Suppressing the urge to try another bottle, Lenok quickly checked his internal condition.

Certainly, when ingested, there were no explosive reactions or signs like the plant that Lenok had experimented on.

However, along with the peculiar blandness of the diluted solution, he could only feel the elixir lightly circulating in his body.

His senses sharpened, and the speed of his magic rotation increased.

His metabolism became active, his body temperature rose rapidly, and his skin seemed to flush.

Lenok nodded, checking his condition while circulating his magic in that state.

“As expected, it’s not a recovery potion. It’s more accurate to see it as a stimulant or a doping agent.”

It was possible that his recovery power would increase by forcibly promoting his metabolism, but that was not the purpose of the elixir’s effect.

What Lenok could learn from the diluted elixir was that it could be used as a safer and more convenient stimulant.

It had similar effects to the painkillers and stimulants that Lenok used, and all he had to do was quickly supply the necessary nutrients after taking it.

It was probably the safest drug with the fewest side effects compared to the stimulants he had used so far.

However, it was also clear that its effects were not quite up to expectations to be called an elixir.

What exactly was Aris expecting when she gifted this elixir to Lenok?

While Lenok was lost in thought, Davi seemed to have observed something else in his body.

[Master. I’m observing your body with the laboratory’s component analysis device right now?]

Davi said that and tilted his head.

[But your condition has been a bit strange since right after you took the elixir.]

“What?”

At those words, Lenok looked back at his body.

His body temperature had risen slightly, but there were almost no abnormalities or changes as Davi had said.

After pondering for a while, Lenok managed to think of a discomfort or problem that he felt.

“If I had to say, I’ve been a little hungry since right after taking it.”

[……No, it’s not that.]

Davi shook his tail wildly, as if dumbfounded.

[In the first place, there’s no way you can see through Master’s stomach with a component analysis device, right?]

“Then, what part is abnormal?”

From the moment he first opened his eyes in this world, Lenok had been extremely sensitive to his physical condition.

Now, after consistently working hard and going through trial and error, he could immediately notice even the slightest problem.

Was it possible that a problem that Lenok himself couldn’t sense was visible with the laboratory’s component analysis device?

As Davi said, it was strange that the analysis device could see his condition by breaking through Lenok’s resistance.

While Lenok moved to find out more, Davi pointed to the analysis device screen with his front paw.

[If you check the log for this time period, there’s a section where there’s no change in Master’s magic power at all.]

“……”

[Originally, even if it was impossible to measure the amount of magic power, the change itself could be estimated through a graph, right?]

Davi tilted his head.

[It seems like there was a section where even estimation was impossible right after taking it. That’s why it’s recognizing Master as an inanimate object.]

As he said, the component analysis device displayed a graph that estimated the target’s magic power and its change at the same time.

Nevertheless, there was a section where the graph of the change in magic power that was showing Lenok was drawing a completely flat vertical line.

The fact that there was a point where the amount of magic power itself was fixed and observed externally, regardless of whether magic was being consumed or accumulated.

Lenok asked as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“Davi, what was the change in the preserved magic power of that plant earlier?”

[I just looked through that log, and it’s the same as Master’s. There’s a time period where the magic power measurement is completely impossible right after the diluted solution is injected.]

Even though the plant that promoted growth through magic had grown explosively, there was a section where there was no change in its magic power.

“I see……”

Lenok muttered, staring intently at the graph with an intrigued look.

“Maybe the secret of the elixir that Aris gave me is here.”

Lenok, who had moved away from the device, immediately took another bottle of the diluted elixir from the workbench.

The moment he felt as if all his senses were rapidly awakening, he drew up his magic power and chanted a spell.

[Alpha Light]

Fwaaaaat!!

A dazzling light source instantly filled the wide space of the laboratory and spread out.

The light was so intense that Davi covered his eyes with his front paws, grumbling.

However, Lenok didn’t stop there and continued to chant the same spell in that spot.

[Alpha Light]

[Alpha Light]

[Alpha Light]

……

Fwa, fwa, fwa, fwa!!

The laboratory was filled with dazzling light, so bright that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead.

It was like having an illusion of being buried and flowing in a huge mass of light.

However, Lenok ignored the surrounding environment and focused only on checking the amount of magic power.

‘There is no change in the amount of magic power.’

Even though he had continuously chanted Alpha Light, which was a very inefficient spell among common magic, there was a point where no magic consumption occurred.

Only then did Lenok, who had finally understood the elixir’s ability, smile faintly.

“The awakening and promotion through ingestion were just additional effects. The real effect was somewhere else.”

If he had used magic immediately after taking the elixir, he would have noticed it right away.

He had been so focused on checking his condition without doing anything that he hadn’t noticed it.

The reason why the analysis device couldn’t observe the change in Lenok’s magic power.

The fundamental reason why even Lenok himself didn’t properly understand the true ability of the elixir at first.

It wasn’t just that the elixir was hiding or concealing Lenok’s magic power.

The power to preserve the amount of magic power itself, even when using magic or extracting a large amount of magic.

“The power to preserve the amount of magic power regardless of magic consumption… Aris really made something unbelievable.”

The elixir that Aris had manufactured was, literally, ‘fixing’ Lenok’s magic power for a short time.