Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 792

The Prophet of Yorta (7)

Toc, toc.

Only light footsteps echoed in the quiet fog.

Lenok was walking silently through a corridor filled with blurry fog, where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

In this place where even the lights didn’t shine properly, only the back of the person walking ahead was barely visible.

Lenok followed him silently, then slightly turned his gaze to the side.

Whioooo…!!

The scenery of a huge tower where a strong wind was blowing. The dizzying view of the ground below.

The land routes of Yorta, made up of several levels, and the view of the Headrain River crossing between them were clearly visible.

The Spirit Tower, which they had successfully entered, skipping all procedures, at the same time Lenok mentioned the Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts.

They were now on their way to meet the Great Spirit, the Soul Pacification Hall, who was said to reside in the upper part of the tower.

“How much further do we have to go?”

Lenok asked bluntly, and subtly took out a papyrus from his pocket.

“I think we’ve been walking for more than 30 minutes. I need to know the time.”

“……”

The guide’s reaction was to keep walking without any reply.

It was not surprising since he hadn’t heard a single word from him since he was handed over by District Chief Stenberg.

Lenok also didn’t wait for an answer and took out his travelogue from his pocket and opened it.

From the moment they entered the Spirit Tower, the words in the travelogue were filled with more meaningful phrases.

=The Spirit Tower, built as a result of the Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts, is still increasing its height.

=The unfallen ghosts remain to guard the tower and manage the process to continue.

=The old spirits of the Soul Pacification Hall called this the work of building a bridge.

The Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts of Yorta. The meaning of the grand plan that was devised for ascension in the oldest city.

The fact that it was a process of gathering all the spirits and flesh of this world to build a bridge was something he had already recognized while facing Onion.

The important thing was where the concept of that ‘bridge’ started and where it was headed.

The Ascension Gate of Machina was connected not to the next world, but to the already destroyed second world, causing enormous side effects.

Then, what was this Spirit Tower, which was left behind after the failure of the Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts, being built up for?

To confirm that very fact, Lenok had found a way to enter the Spirit Tower immediately after entering Yorta.

All that remained was to use the various items he had obtained before coming to Yorta to find out the secret.

‘The Ring of the Guide. Onion’s ghost ship. Ethan’s travelogue…’

Lenok, who had looked back on the tools in his possession and his actions so far, smiled inwardly.

‘It will be difficult to return to Yorta under Victor’s identity.’

Because he had abused the shortcuts to enter the Spirit Tower quickly, the rumors of how Lenok had entered this city would have spread by now.

Considering Yorta’s closed-off atmosphere, the possibility of passing through the checkpoint again under Victor’s identity seemed quite low.

However, Lenok quickly shook off such thoughts and organized what he had to do in the future.

From the beginning, he had no intention of dragging out this trip in Yorta for long.

If possible, he had to finish his business as quickly as possible and start chasing after Kaise’s trail again.

Kaise Bajur and Alcaide. The Black Consumer project that the two of them started together and ended in failure.

Where was the end of that project that was supposed to gather all the failures of this world to find an answer?

He would not be able to find out without finding Kaise’s body.

‘Yorta and Kundara. It’s certain that there are traces left in one of the two cities.’

Lenok was lost in thought as he checked the words floating on the papyrus.

‘If possible, it would be better to confirm as much of that possibility as possible here before leaving…’

At that moment, a shrill voice flowed out from the guide’s mouth for the first time.

“We’ve arrived.”

Thud!!

The shape of a huge door located at the far end of the corridor filled with darkness.

The guide was still standing in front of the door like a dead man, without showing his face.

“Once you finish the meeting and come out, I will guide you back to the way out.”

“……”

“Make sure to find your way out properly. If you get lost, you will never be able to escape this tower.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Considering the fact that the Spirit Tower was constantly increasing its altitude in real time, it was not a story to be taken lightly.

Lenok replied like that, and slowly passed the guide and grabbed the doorknob.

Inorganic jet black. The feeling of the hinges turning smoothly, despite the solid texture.

Clank!!

The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, Lenok realized that he was standing in a huge circular room.

Nine doors surrounded the circular room, and in the center, nine tombstones darker than jet black stood facing the direction of the doors.

Flap!!

The moment he stepped into the room, faint flames soared from the tombstones, dimly illuminating the room.

As Lenok stared at the scene, a low telepathic message echoed in his ear.

[Come closer.]

“……”

Lenok slowly walked and stood on the platform located in the middle of the nine tombstones.

The nine flames flickered as if carefully observing Lenok’s appearance, without saying a word.

Were those spirits that faintly soared from the tombstones the old spirits that made up the Soul Pacification Hall?

They were too weak and faint to be the leaders who managed the entire Yorta.

While Lenok was lost in thought, one of the spirits spoke quietly.

[You don’t seem to be a type of sorcerer that Onion would like. It’s not that you’ve awakened your spiritual talent, but that you already have too many talents.]

“……”

[Sorcerer of the Demon Realm. The reason we responded to your call today is because… the promises we made long ago are too intertwined.]

The spirit’s telepathic message seemed to turn bitter for a moment.

[Even after the Night Parade ended, the promises remain… and we are trapped in the flow of time, wandering without moving forward.]

Were they recalling the Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts that existed long ago, while looking at Madrich Onion and the Ring of the Guide?

The words that the spirits of the Soul Pacification Hall were conveying seemed to be hardly directed at Lenok.

“The fact that this Spirit Tower is still increasing its altitude is proof that it is building a bridge to ascension.”

Lenok ignored the spirit’s soliloquy and spoke first.

“But in this world where the next doesn’t exist, why hasn’t the Night Parade ended yet?”

[……]

Lenok asked.

“Using this bridge of souls that you call the Spirit Tower, where are you trying to reach now?”

Was it because he was poking too deeply into Yorta’s secrets? The answer to the question did not come easily.

It was a long time before one of the spirits answered.

[Who would assume failure from the moment they start looking?]

“……”

[We believed that there would definitely be an answer at the end of the path that gathers all spirits and flesh to connect meaning.]

The spirit spoke to the silent Lenok.

[You have the qualifications but have not received an answer, so you also have the same wish as we did that day.]

Did they want to say that Lenok’s situation was the same as theirs in the past?

Just as Lenok was shaking his head at the message that he couldn’t really sympathize with, the spirit muttered.

[The Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts has not ended yet, but it is not continuing either.]

Flap!!

The power of the flames soaring above the tombstones grew a little stronger.

[After the Night Parade failed once, our determination was lost and the Gate of the Abyss was also firmly closed. Only a contract that is worse than nothing remains in its place.]

“……”

[So, sorcerer, if you are trying to gain something from this city, you must follow the proper procedures that are appropriate for our promise.]

Did they already know that Lenok was trying to contact the Soul Pacification Hall for the purpose of the Abyss from the beginning?

But even knowing that, the spirits of the Soul Pacification Hall didn’t seem to have any qualms about Lenok’s actions.

Was it because such emotions had become worn out in the flow of too much time?

Or was it because they had become so worn out that they had forgotten everything except the wish they had first held?

However, instead of digging into the ambiguous reaction of the Soul Pacification Hall, Lenok pulled down his hood and said coldly.

“You’re just spouting nonsense like a spirit that only has will left. Do you think you can hide Yorta’s flaws with such ambiguous words?”

[……]

“If you called me to the Spirit Tower in response to my message, it must be because the Soul Pacification Hall also wants something.”

Lenok, with a glint in his eyes behind his mask, looked around at the spirits surrounding him.

“If you want to make a deal, state your conditions clearly. What do I have to do to reopen the Abyss and enter it?”

The reason why the Soul Pacification Hall brought Lenok into the Spirit Tower was not because the spirits were friendly to Lenok.

Battle with Madrich Onion. The owner who obtained the Ring of the Guide.

Among the two causes that Lenok had obtained, there must be something that fits the purpose of the Soul Pacification Hall.

At least, under Victor’s identity, there was no need to play it safe and walk a tightrope while knowing that.

The spirits of the Soul Pacification Hall seemed to be pondering for a moment at Lenok’s words, and then uttered a clearer telepathic message than before.

[If you are the one chosen by Onion, you will be able to use the spirit of the Guide to restart the Night Parade.]

The gazes of the nine spirits all turned to the ring that Lenok was wearing.

[Now that the spirit of the Guide has returned, a new body will be needed to awaken that qualification.]

“……”

[Find someone who can handle the Incarnation Art and have them provide a body for the Guide.]

“……Incarnation Art?”

[If you do that, you will be able to find out what exists beyond the Abyss, as you wish…]

Were they saying that they would give the role of leading the Night Parade again to the fallen spirit of the Guide and open the closed Gate of the Abyss?

Only after hearing those words did Lenok realize what kind of deal the Soul Pacification Hall was proposing to him.

The Incarnation Art, which is rarely used even within Yorta.

The act of building a new body for a spirit by using a divine artifact that materially embodies another self of the sorcerer.

Were they saying that they would give him the opportunity to open the closed Abyss and enter it in exchange for entrusting that to Lenok?

Thud!!

Without waiting for Lenok’s answer, the flames of the spirits burning on the tombstones slowly began to go out one by one.

At the same time, the inside of the circular room darkened rapidly, and the nine doors opened simultaneously with a bang.

Lenok, who was looking at the silent tombstones, easily chose the door he had entered through and walked out.

The guide, who was waiting behind the door, turned his back to Lenok and immediately started walking.

“The way out is that way.”

“……”

He had tried to get information from the guide by talking to him throughout the journey to the Soul Pacification Hall, but so far, he had not gained any results.

However, the travelogue that he had opened with no expectations had more unusual phrases written in it than he had thought.

=The guides of the Spirit Tower are not living beings, but they are not machines that carry out set orders either.

=They have become part of the tower as military orders, and they have a considerable attachment to life.

=If you talk to them about worldly matters, you can naturally distract them.

Lenok stared at the travelogue for a moment, then slightly turned his gaze and opened his mouth.

“Do you know the weather outside of Yorta recently? The weather has warmed up and the flowers have bloomed brightly.”

“……”

“Soon, the season will turn and the rainy season will come. If the swamps flood, the Headrain River will also be affected.”

“……”

“The managers working at the docks seem to be having trouble securing space for ships every time-”

At that moment, when Lenok threw a few more words as a test, leaving the guide who was not reacting.

The guide suddenly opened his mouth.

“I used to work at the docks outside of Yorta, too.”

“……”

“I didn’t really hate cleaning up the fallen petals every time the weather changed.”

It seemed that he was slowly starting to talk, and the guide continued to mutter, following up on what he had said.

“I miss those days when all my senses were vividly alive. Now I am bound to this dark tower and fulfilling my duties, but a long time ago-”

He seemed to have forgotten everything around him for a moment, recalling his memories from his past life.

The moment the guide’s monologue filled the quiet corridor and even erased the sound of their footsteps.

Swish!!

Lenok immediately cast a magic thread on the window on one side of the corridor and jumped out.

Whoosh!!

The outer wall of the tower, made up of countless flows of military orders, as if waves were crashing.

Lenok, who had swallowed a painkiller and immediately extended his magic thread, began to climb the outer wall of the tower.

The destination was the huge void that revealed nothing, the Abyss, located on the top floor of the Spirit Tower.

Kugugugu…!!

Lenok, who had entered the stairwell corridor where the Abyss was starting to become visible to the naked eye, took out the papyrus without hesitation.

=The Abyss, which observes the flow of all curses in this world.

=An inviolable sanctuary that is not even allowed to be approached after the Night Parade of Ten Thousand Ghosts failed once.

=After touring the entire Yorta and dealing with the fallen ghosts, I caught the eye of the Soul Pacification Hall and obtained the entry record of the tower.

Ethan Bajur had implied in his travelogue that he had visited the Abyss once and had overcome his talent in the process.

Then, the process of how he was able to enter the Abyss must also be recorded in the travelogue.

Regardless of the deal with the Soul Pacification Hall, Lenok knew that if he did well, he could enter the Abyss right here.

=What I was able to confirm after going back and forth to the Spirit Tower several times is that time is needed to enter the realm of the void.

=The ghosts guarding the Abyss are so cunning and intelligent that it is not easy to break through their boundaries.

=But if it was just to peek beyond the Abyss without being detected, there was an easier way than I thought.

=That is to put a curse on yourself and observe the flow of that curse from beyond the Abyss.

“To put a curse on yourself…”

Lenok smiled bitterly as he read the travelogue.

=The raison d’être of the Abyss is to observe the flow of all curses that exist on this continent.

=Then, if I make myself the target of a curse and recognize the flow of curses generated inside the Abyss, I can transpose it with my consciousness.

=I used this method to look beyond the Abyss several times without being detected, and I obtained a way to enter it.

An absurd idea of not intervening in the boundary to peek into the Abyss, but of forcibly recognizing oneself in the Abyss by breaking oneself.

However, Lenok knew why Ethan Bajur was able to choose and use such ideas and methods without hesitation.

A being who was born as Kaise’s son, possessed the talent to defy the heavens, and did not live long.

Since he had no feelings about his own life and time, he was able to achieve his desired goal by even using himself as a tool.

Click!!

From inside his shadow robe, Lenok took out the shape of a dagger with a particularly twisted blade.

It was an artifact containing several types of curses that he had obtained from Soryu, a member of Pandemonium and the prince of Kabahim.

Lenok, who was silently looking down at it, slowly stabbed it into the back of his hand.

The moment he sensed a tingling pain and the magic of the curse flowing into Lenok’s body.

Lenok began to observe the fluctuations of the idea felt from beyond the Abyss with all his might.

Woo-oong!!

Lenok’s will, which had surpassed his five senses, synchronized with the flow of curses newly generated beyond the Abyss.

By connecting the lines of senses that did not originally exist, he began to look at the other side as if he was putting his eyes through a narrow crack in the door.

Immediately after unconsciously thinking that it was similar to the function of the oracle used by the priestess.

Lenok held his breath for a moment after confirming the scenery reflected from beyond the Abyss.

“……”

In the darkness where there was nothing, a man with his whole body dyed black was sitting.

A throne that was too large and ornate for the man’s physique.

No reaction of life could be felt from the man’s body, which was slumped on the throne.

Like he had been left dead a long time ago, a quiet aura that seemed to be buried in the flow of time.

However, Lenok intuitively felt that the power and will felt from that corpse had reached an unbelievably powerful and dangerous level, and he swallowed his breath.

That was not the corpse or remains of a mortal.

The body of a transcendent who had surpassed the seven levels of self-modification and reached a higher level.

The end of a challenger who had obtained the qualification to challenge ascension and possessed a status equal to the world as proof.

The Spirit Tower of Yorta. The void of the Abyss, which observes the flow of all curses on the continent.

The corpse of an ascendant was kept in that sanctuary where only the formless flow of curses should be observed.

The moment Lenok realized that fact and wiggled his stiff fingers.

“Oh, my.”

A hoarse voice echoed from behind him.

A white-haired young man wearing a pure white robe. A strange figure standing like a ghost with his hands behind his back.

The being who had once blocked Lenok when he tried to look into the Abyss using the priestess’s oracle.

“There have been many reckless living beings who have tried to peek beyond the Abyss, but you are the second one to put a curse on yourself and come in.”

He smiled bitterly as he looked at Lenok.

“You’re not going to make the excuse that you got lost and drifted all the way here, are you?”

“…That’s what I should be asking you. Ghost of Yorta.”

Lenok turned his head with a stiff expression at the young man’s eerie question.

“Why is the corpse of an ascendant kept beyond the Abyss?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a contradiction to ask me that.”

The ghost chuckled and shook his head.

“That is because it is an item that we left behind by making a deal with a savior who failed a long time ago.”

“…What?”

“I think there is someone who knows more about that than we do.”

The ghost’s gaze was directed precisely at the spirit of the priestess standing behind Lenok.

“Isn’t that right, priestess of the Order?”