Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 799

Lenok, guided by Kraya, immediately headed towards the fortress gate where the Incarnation Ritual was to be held. He paid the necessary fees, presented the required gifts for the ritual, and passed through the gate.

The vast training grounds were located on the outskirts of the fortress. It was likely a space usually used to train the garrison.

Tap! Tap!

At the end of the rough field where the sandstorm was raging, a high platform was set up, overlooking the training grounds. Participants who had arrived earlier were visible everywhere, waiting for the ritual to begin.

About a dozen of them were sizing each other up, carefully gauging their skills.

Everyone gathered here must be well-informed about the internal affairs of Yorta to participate in the Incarnation Ritual.

Clang!

The moment he stepped into the wide training grounds after passing through the gate, Lenok felt blatant gazes from around him.

He hadn’t concealed his appearance since entering Yorta, so it wasn’t strange that some people recognized him.

Ignoring the stares, Lenok looked around before leaning against a box located on the wall of the training grounds without a word.

The monk, who had been walking ahead, belatedly noticed Lenok and turned around in a fluster.

“What are you doing there?”

“Waiting.”

“You haven’t even heard what the Incarnation Ritual requires. You should be standing in front of the platform first…”

“No, judging by the atmosphere, I can roughly guess.”

“…Already?”

Instead of answering, Lenok lightly swept the dirt floor he was standing on with his foot.

Looking at the ground of the training grounds where dust was swirling, Lenok said,

“The ground of the training grounds is uneven and excessively irregular. What does this mean?”

Seeing the monk’s silence, Lenok answered himself as if he hadn’t expected a reply.

“It means that many people have been coming and going here for the past few days, so much so that there hasn’t been time to properly manage it.”

“Wait a minute, that means…”

“The ritual started a few days ago, and we are late guests.”

“…”

While the monk was looking around with a dazed expression, Lenok looked around the training grounds and chuckled.

“It seems they divided the participants into ranks and recruited them in advance. It wouldn’t be strange if the locals were given priority in the ritual.”

The reason why Kraya had mistaken the schedule of the Commander Incarnation.

Wasn’t it because the information released to outsiders in the Ghost Dragon’s fortress was completely controlled?

This fortress, which appears somewhat free on the surface, is proof that it operates under very thorough and systematic rules.

It perfectly matches the rumor that the Ghost Dragon, Yao Xun, places great importance on procedures and customs.

“That’s…”

As the monk stammered, realizing the meaning of those words, the surrounding noise disappeared, and all eyes turned towards the platform.

Someone walked out of the fortress, holding several sheets of paper, and stepped onto the platform.

A frail-looking old man stood on the platform, looking at the people gathered in the training grounds.

[Everyone is here. You must be the applicants who have come to participate in this ritual?]

“…”

No one answered, but the old man didn’t seem to care much either.

The old man, putting down the microphone, flipped through a few sheets of paper he was holding and muttered.

[Well then, let’s start the test now. If you pass the criteria, you will at least receive the minimum qualifications…]

“What is that criteria?”

A man with a grim face, standing at the very front of the training grounds, asked.

“If you haven’t revealed the test details yet, you should at least explain it quickly.”

[Hmm…]

The man, breathing roughly, looked at the other participants standing behind him and grinned.

“Don’t stall and start. I’m ready right now.”

“…”

From those who were fidgeting with their equipment in displeasure to those who spat at the man, the man seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, slowly shaking his head and reveling in the jeers.

[The Ghost Dragon has set a few criteria for mortals.]

The old man, who had been watching the scene from the platform, adjusted his glasses and said,

[Fortunately, the test is not at all difficult for outsiders like you, so everyone will be able to pass it easily…]

Clatter!

At the same time, a large cart was pulled out next to the old man.

Inside the old cart, dozens of small glass bottles were piled up haphazardly.

[Take one of these and walk into the fortress, and you will pass the first test.]

The old man held up a glass bottle and pointed to a small pill inside.

[This will satisfy the minimum qualifications to participate in the ritual… After entering the fortress, follow the knights waiting in order- Oh.]

Before the old man could say anything, the man at the front took a glass bottle from the cart.

The man, without even listening to the proper explanation, took out a pill and swallowed it, then turned around with a smirk.

“Let’s do it quickly, shall we? Why do you keep stalling with something so simple, this…”

Thud!

The man’s body collapsed on the spot, and he weakly slammed his head into the ground.

“Gek… Gggk…”

He couldn’t even speak properly, drooling and writhing. But his eyes were still moving, and he looked at the old man in a hurry.

“…”

The participants behind him, watching the man’s disgraceful state, gasped in surprise.

Despite his arrogant behavior, had the confident man become like that after taking just one pill?

Only then did the old man sigh and begin to explain.

[What’s inside is a very powerful paralytic called Hedora’s Stone Medicine… For ordinary humans, their cardiopulmonary function stops immediately upon ingestion, and even superhumans are unable to move, a deadly poison.]

“…Paralytic? You want us to take a paralytic?”

[As I have said repeatedly, the condition for passing the test is simple.]

The old man turned his cold gaze to the participants and said.

His voice, which had been weak, had become quite clear.

[Take the paralytic and walk into the fortress. That is all that is needed to pass the first test.]

* * *

After displaying the man who had collapsed after taking the paralytic first next to the cart,

The old man distributed the paralytic from the cart to the other participants.

[This man did not listen to the prior explanation and took the medicine first, so he will have to try again after the effects wear off.]

“…”

The participants, glancing at the man who was drooling and rolling his eyes, turned away with the paralytic in their hands.

The guards guarding the gate to the fortress were watching the participants with sharp eyes.

They would probably retaliate immediately if anyone tried to pass through the gate without taking the paralytic.

“Take the paralytic and walk into the fortress yourself…”

Kraya muttered, fiddling with the paralytic with a troubled expression.

“It seems they are looking for someone who can move even after fully experiencing the effects of the drug.”

“…”

Lenok didn’t say anything, but he agreed with the monk’s observation.

Taking such a deadly poison without any preparation was itself an act of taking a risk and entrusting one’s body to the effects of the drug.

How were they supposed to walk through the gate with a body so stiff that even their salivary glands couldn’t be controlled?

Lenok, who was rolling the paralytic in his hand, asked,

“Do you know anything about Hedora’s Stone Medicine?”

“Hmm. Hedora is a very famous surgeon on this continent, and this is a deadly poison she devised for superhuman surgery.”

Kraya replied.

“When operating on a magic user, there are times when you can’t numb their senses. But without anesthesia, the surgery wouldn’t be done properly because of the pain, would it?”

“…So, it’s a drug made to keep the patient from moving while still feeling pain.”

Only then did Lenok understand how powerful this paralytic was.

A surgeon. If it could numb and awaken the senses during surgery that cuts through flesh and bone, it was a deadly poison that could lead to death with even a slight misapplication.

If it was originally made for superhuman procedures, then most magic users wouldn’t be able to escape its effects.

“The good thing is, there are no restrictions on the use of magic or main force [a person’s inner energy].”

Kraya said, carefully putting the paralytic into his mouth.

The monk, rolling the hard, bitter pill under his tongue, said,

“Take the paralytic and somehow move your body with your skills to pass the test… That’s the only way. It seems that’s what they want.”

“…”

Magic is a power that circulates within the body and is manifested through innate senses and intuition.

It was impossible to manipulate the magic within the body while most of the body’s functions were paralyzed.

But even so, Lenok guessed that the ability to do just that was what this test was meant to judge.

‘It means they want to see the skill of handling it regardless of the body’s condition. This is…’

The dichotomy of body and mind.

A test to see if one can objectively manipulate it even after being distanced from the essence.

It was not just a simple test, but part of the basic process for transmitting the Incarnation Technique.

Thinking so, Lenok held the paralytic in his hand and focused his mind, drawing up his magic power.

Kiiing…!!

‘It’s not an ordinary pill after all.’

Although it takes the form of a pill, a very dense thought is deeply embedded within it.

Traces of a coercive designation command close to the materialization of thought. Paralyzing the body was also a result of mixing thought into the drug’s effects to amplify its efficacy to the extreme.

If so, he could easily avoid the risk through target designation resistance.

Convinced of that, Lenok unhesitatingly put the paralytic into his mouth and leaned against the box he had been sitting on with his eyes closed.

“…Hoo, really.”

Seeing Lenok’s limp figure, Kraya also gritted his teeth and swallowed the paralytic.

Crunch!

The moment his mind became hazy from the intense bitterness, Kraya realized that he had his face buried in the dirt floor.

Zzzing-!!

A tingling ringing echoed in his ears, and his whole body convulsed, unable to move.

As he tried to move somehow, the dirt floor was swept away.

Beyond his tilted vision, he could see the other participants rolling around after taking the paralytic.

Only then did Kraya realize that the dirt on the training grounds was so unevenly worn.

As Lenok had said, it was because the participants who had arrived before them had been rolling around the training grounds for days after taking the paralytic.

Realizing that, Kraya gritted his teeth and tried to draw up his main force, but his face turned pale from the severe exhaustion.

‘I, I was wrong…’

Even though his main force was responding to Kraya’s will, his body was not responding, creating a sense of incongruity.

It was returning as a real backlash, rampaging as if to tear apart Kraya’s body.

If he forced his main force in this state, he would suffer severe damage to his blood vessels.

The other participants seemed to have felt it too, and after struggling, they stopped moving with pale faces.

While the participants who had taken the drug and those who were observing the situation without taking it were hesitating, unable to find a way.

Someone among those who had fallen suddenly stood up.

“…!!”

The mage wearing a shadow robe staggered, slowly regaining his balance.

He was hesitant as if relearning how to walk, but he quickly regained his center and balance.

The other participants, scattered all over the place, forgot their own situation and stared at Lenok’s figure.

“…”

“…Kuh!”

They groaned in frustration and trembled, but they were too overwhelmed to even take care of their own bodies, let alone handle their magic.

It was difficult to even dare to make eye contact with the masked mage who had staggered to his feet.

While the other participants were whipping their own bodies, Lenok had already regained his balance and started walking.

Thud!

The monk’s eyes widened as he saw the hem of the robe being swept away under his feet.

Lenok slowly crossed the fallen training grounds and soon stood in front of the old man.

[…] The old man looked up at the obsidian mask as if surprised.

Lenok tilted his head without saying anything.

[…I think I already said it.]

The old man smiled and gestured.

[There’s no need for you to come back to me… The fortress soldiers will gladly open the gate for you.]

If one could move their body and walk even after taking the paralytic, there was no need to walk back to the old man.

They just had to walk through the fortress gate and complete the remaining tests. It would be a waste of time to even approach the old man for confirmation.

But even knowing that, Lenok stared at the old man without saying anything.

He raised his stiff hand and slowly adjusted his stiff jaw.

“…Ah, ah.”

He massaged between his neck and jaw, checked the position of his tongue, and the moment he connected his vocal cords and tongue with magic threads.

Lenok vibrated his vocal cords directly, letting out a faint whisper.

“At the Soul Requiem [a place where spirits are laid to rest], in the Hall of Requiem… I’ve seen you before…”

A faint voice that no one but the old man standing on the platform could hear.

But it didn’t take long for the old man’s expression to harden after hearing those words.

“A construct… built with the Incarnation Technique.”

[…] “…Ghost Dragon Yao Xun. I came to meet you.”

Lenok, who had instantly adjusted the vibration of his vocal cords to refine his voice, said,

“I have a request. How about we put the test aside and talk for a while?”

[…Hmm.]

At that moment, the old man’s face, which had been flustered, instantly turned cold.

The old man’s eyes, radiating an inorganic light that felt alien, beyond human.

At the same time, a hazy barrier of mist surrounded Lenok and the old man, instantly blocking the surrounding gazes.

Whoosh!

Beyond the raging mist, the light of a dragon’s eyes, whose size could not be estimated, flickered.

[I was personally keeping an eye on you, thinking you were exceptionally talented, but I never expected to hear such an answer.]

A chilling voice flowed from the old man’s mouth, who was silently staring at Lenok.

[You have a wider perspective than I thought. Did you see through my essence beyond this crude spirit body?]

“…”

While fighting the vengeful spirits at the Soul Requiem, he had experienced what it felt like to be in an extreme Incarnation state.

Through that experience, Lenok was able to recognize that the old man was also a similar being.

In this Ghost Dragon’s fortress, there was only one being who had mastered the Incarnation Technique to the extreme.

The master of the fortress and the observer of the Hall of Requiem.

The Ghost Dragon, Yao Xun, had sent his Incarnation to directly confront the participants.

[If you know about me, you should also know how much I value the natural order.]

The old man, who was staring at Lenok with a chilling light in his eyes, said,

[Do you believe that a request that goes against my mood is worth it?]

The Ghost Dragon, Yao Xun, was known to value procedures and customs as much as the rumors suggested.

Therefore, Lenok’s act of ignoring the set test and calling out to him was an act against the flow.

For Lenok, who needed to find the Gate of the Abyss, this kind of approach seemed reckless.

But even so, Lenok was confident that he could convince the Ghost Dragon at this point.

“I know why you designed the test this way. It’s to check if they have the aptitude for Incarnation manipulation.”

[…] “That’s a part of the talent that is assumed as naturally as breathing in the system I handle.”

Lenok said, revealing the magic threads he had attached to his body.

Swish!

Numerous silver threads flowed down from under the shadow robe. The old man’s eyes lit up as he saw it.

[Hoo…]

The reason why Lenok was the first to stand up and walk after taking the paralytic.

It wasn’t just because Lenok had resisted the paralytic through target designation resistance, or because he had developed an immunity to the drug.

After pouring the effects of the paralytic into his body, Lenok had drawn out magic threads and was manipulating his body like a puppet.

A secret technique and the pinnacle of manipulation that Lenok had often used when close combat with a powerful superhuman was inevitable.

It was the first time he had completely paralyzed his body to this extent, but it was not difficult to grasp the knack and move.

And the Ghost Dragon’s Incarnation in front of him must have noticed Lenok’s intentions.

At the same time, he would also know that the tests prepared earlier were meaningless to Lenok.

‘The transmission of the Incarnation Technique is important, but confirming the existence of the Gate of the Abyss is the priority at this point.’

While Lenok was thinking that and quickly organizing what he had to say,

[I see… You already have the qualifications, so you want me to quickly confirm the results?]

The old man, with his arms crossed, muttered, looking back at the fallen participants.

[You’re not wrong. It wouldn’t be right to treat you the same as the others who have fallen here.]

“…”

Perhaps it was because he had already satisfied all the requirements in his conversation with Lenok.

His eyes seemed to have already lost all interest in the other participants.

[Very well. If you have the eyes to see through the essence, it would be against the natural order to be bound by the process.]

“I like that we’re getting to the point quickly.”

From the fact that the atmosphere outside the fortress was quite free, Lenok thought that Yao Xun wouldn’t be a very rigid person.

Apart from valuing rules and customs, he seemed to be a being with his own beliefs when looking at his attitude in governing the territory.

If he was from the ancient race of Kundara, there was a good chance that he was a being with a high sense of self-esteem about his birth and existence.

Therefore, Lenok had guessed that if he could convince him of his criteria, he could get better results than expected.

It would take a considerable amount of time to enter the fortress, take all the tests, and learn the customs to meet the Ghost Dragon.

But the next words that Yao Xun’s Incarnation threw out were far beyond Lenok’s expectations.

[Then, let’s start the process of summoning your Incarnation right here.]

“…What?”

Ignoring Lenok’s somewhat delayed question, Yao Xun began to draw up his spiritual power on the spot.

The sky of the fortress was covered in a hazy mist, and a strange cry like a dragon’s roar echoed.

Crumble!

The participants, whose bodies were paralyzed, were trembling in fear of death, unaware of the situation.

Lenok, who was also trying to create distance by manipulating his paralyzed body with magic threads, at that moment.

Yao Xun’s Incarnation, who had approached in an instant, reached out towards Lenok’s chest.

Thud!

[An Incarnation is the manifestation of another self.]

The old man’s eyes, engulfed in a storm of intense spiritual energy, flickered, shaking the training grounds greatly.

[It is a feat of creating a new self through the repulsion of the mind and body, and a delicate and complex process of observing the manifestation of the unconscious.]

“Wait, a request that skips the procedure is-”

He was going to ask about the Gate of the Abyss, but Yao Xun had understood it as the transmission of the Incarnation Technique?

Just as Lenok was retracing where the gap in the conversation had started,

[I summon an unwanted creation and an unwanted birth here.]

The Ghost Dragon’s breath struck Lenok’s solar plexus hard.

Whoosh!

The reverberation of the self to forcibly construct and summon an Incarnation.

A series of processes that forcibly repelled the body and mind to construct a new Incarnation that did not originally exist in Lenok.

Normally, there would be no such thing as receiving the thoughts of another, but he had hesitated at the unexpected offer of the transmission of the technique.

Should he refuse the offer now and bring up the story about the Gate first?

Or was it right to resolve all the doubts about the Incarnation Technique and move forward?

After pondering, Lenok retrieved the priestess’s spirit and began to elevate his mind, constructing his own Incarnation.

Following the flow of the Ghost Dragon’s thoughts, the repulsion of spirit and flesh that went against the natural order.

He could understand why Yao Xun was so obsessed with procedures and the natural order.

If one was to handle the Incarnation Technique that went against the natural order, wouldn’t they have to understand the natural order better than anyone else?

As Lenok thought that and drew up his thoughts without hesitation, surfacing them in his mind,

“…!!”

Crack!

A pure white halo soared above Lenok’s head, brightly illuminating the inside of the mist barrier.

A pale white light that was completely different from the golden glow of the Uroboros or the Kaleidoscope.

The moment Yao Xun and Lenok felt the unusual presence and simultaneously raised their eyes.

Boom!

A pure white gauntlet that burst out from inside the halo pressed down on Yao Xun’s Incarnation.