Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 84

Indeed, as predicted, the officials seemed to shrink under the sharp gazes of the residents, but instead of retreating, they actually quickened their pace.

Judging by their direction, they were undoubtedly heading towards District 44.

“……”

It had been almost a year since he had unknowingly started working in District 49.

The environment around him was changing, subtly but surely.

He thought his life was finally stabilizing, but things never went as planned.

As always, he had no choice but to adapt to the new circumstances.

If he couldn’t stop the changes, Lennox’s honest desire was to at least rise to a position where he could lead them himself.

Lennox, noticing the complex expressions of Jordan and Jenny, who had stopped working to look outside, slowly turned his gaze.

Come to think of it, had the blood mage boy he met in District 44 evacuated safely?

If he hadn’t ignored Lennox’s advice, he probably would have wrapped up his business and taken shelter in time.

After that, it wouldn’t be his concern.

Thinking that, Lennox tried to dismiss the boy from his mind.

That is, until he sensed the boy’s presence within his magical sensory range.

The same sullen expression as when they first met, a large, thick bag slung over his back.

Lennox let out a hollow laugh as he realized that the boy’s steps, weaving through the crowd, were heading straight for the bar.

“……”

“What is it?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lennox said that and turned his gaze towards Jenny.

“Jenny.”

“What?”

“You should get ready to receive a customer.”

“…What?”

The sound of someone walking down the stairs could be heard.

Lennox grinned.

“Right. Maybe… a glass of milk would be enough. Let’s put it on my tab for now.”

Later that night.

Lennox’s newly arranged apartment complex in District 30.

Someone’s head, illuminated by the dim light of a desk lamp, showed no sign of rising from the book.

The laboratory, which had been newly renovated during the move, echoed with the strange vibration of magic rotating within.

Lennox, having neatly organized his surroundings, had begun to delve into the unique magic of the Thorben School in earnest.

He needed to solidify the inspiration he had drawn during the battle with Eden into a concrete theory and make it his own.

In the case of [Lightning Human] or the ‘Water Droplet’ magic he had stolen from the black mage, Lennox could only use them for now by enduring rapid mana consumption, but the other unique magics that Eden used were different.

Once a door is opened, it never closes, and the knowledge and inspiration that flashed through his mind remained.

With Lennox’s talent, he would be more than capable of absorbing all of Eden’s capabilities without leaving anything behind.

All he needed was the right amount of time.

‘Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight.’

Staying up all night was not a difficult task for Lennox, who suffered from insomnia.

Just by not reaching for the sleeping pills, he would be able to see the morning sun.

Right now, it was much more important to not miss the thoughts that came to mind while reading Eden’s research journal than to sleep.

Perhaps because Eden had started writing his journal some time after he began learning magic, the basic content was almost entirely omitted, but that was actually more convenient for Lennox.

‘Certainly… there are parts where things are starting to click.’

The worries that had been piling up as he researched magic and mana alone.

In Eden’s research journal, there were answers to some of those questions.

[I received a B rank again in the mid-term evaluation at the Magic Tower…. It’s because I failed to control the final backflow among the five methods of controlling the flow of electricity. Even though I know that the remaining mana after using magic bounces back in the opposite direction, it’s not easy to hold onto that flow until the end. If I don’t get an A rank in the next evaluation, my dormitory funding might be cut off.]

“……”

Of course, it wasn’t very pleasant to delve into the detailed circumstances of a dead man, but Lennox learned a lot from the information contained within.

No, it wasn’t about learning new concepts.

It was about confirming the practical concepts that he had only speculated about while researching magic through this research journal.

It was a different kind of growth from supplementing his theoretical knowledge through his conversations with Aris.

The roots of the giant tree that sprouted from within Lennox deepened, and its branches stretched out in all directions.

Understanding and being able to use the principle of the unique magic [Lightning Human] through the battle with Eden was a great help in understanding the journal.

‘The lightning pursued by the Thorben School is closer to a heavy and intense image.’

They accumulate the maximum amount of mana and imagery that can be contained in a single spell and release it all at once, sweeping it away.

All the mysteries of magic required in that process are to increase power and speed.

They are focused on the essence of destructive magic, which is power, rather than subtlety or functionality.

And that was a perfect fit for Lennox, who had been pondering the limits of the destructive power of common magic.

Although he had overcome all hardships with his overwhelming combat sense, the most powerful magic Lennox could use was ultimately limited to [Thunder Calling].

In other words, it meant that if he couldn’t land [Thunder Calling], he wouldn’t be able to fully unleash his full power.

Because of the disadvantage of having a clear impact point and a premonition during casting, despite its powerful power, he had been using it in conjunction with [Gravity Bind] as if it were a daily routine.

But if he could add the unique magic of the Thorben School to his common magic, the story would be different.

Even [Lightning Human], which he used against Eden, had the overwhelming advantage of an extremely short casting time and extending from his hand, yet it was not much weaker than the power of [Thunder Calling].

If he could keep these points in mind and apply them to the development of magic….

‘Creating a completely new magic wouldn’t be difficult either.’

He quickly reads through the journal without dwelling on parts that are not immediately understandable.

What is important in learning is not perfect understanding, but repetition. The research material wasn’t going anywhere, so he planned to take his time with a calm and relaxed attitude.

‘The last page.’

According to the journal, Eden was a fairly good student at the Magic Tower, but it seemed that he was eventually notified of expulsion due to his lack of background and the limits of his potential.

Just by looking at how his handwriting, which had been stable until then, became erratic after leaving the Magic Tower, it was possible to infer his state of mind.

It seemed that Eden had not stopped researching magic even after being expelled from the Magic Tower, but he soon hit a wall.

The last page of the journal clearly revealed his feelings, stained with despair and confusion.

[The White Lightning (魄雷) [A high-level lightning magic], which was considered a symbol of a 6th-level military mage in the Magic Tower…. Through constant research, I have reached the end of the 5th level, but I cannot find a way to go beyond that.]

[I’ve heard so much about the change in the nature of electricity at the Magic Tower, but I don’t understand it. How is it even possible to change the intention that has already been loaded into mana? I resent my teacher….]

[The only method I have found is to pour mana to the limit and forcibly raise the firepower of the electricity by one level. In this way, the temperature exceeds the nature of electricity, and a half-change in nature becomes possible.]

[I need to start by increasing the amount of mana. I think I need more money.]

[Much more than now.]

“……”

Only after reading the journal to the end did he understand the reasons for Eden’s actions.

The reason why he jumped into the weapons business even at the risk.

The reason why he installed so many amplifiers at the power plant and confronted Lennox and his party.

And even why he desperately rushed at Lennox’s [Lightning Human] at the end.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

Exploring the life of an already dead opponent only left an unknown gloom.

Suppressing the useless thoughts that came to mind, he slowly drew up his mana.

Crack..!!

The blue current forming between his two index fingers.

Lennox was lost in thought.

It had been quite a while since he had been able to handle elemental properties like this without having to call up each individual electric-type common magic.

The fact that the electric-type was particularly easier than other magics was probably because Lennox had used this type of magic so much.

It was powerful, fast, and intuitive.

It was worth investing effort in, and it was a magic that had never disappointed Lennox.

He takes one step further from here.

Having made that decision, Lennox drastically increased his mana.

Crackling!!!!

As he poured out mana, the amount of electricity forming in both hands rapidly increased and began to look like a blue beam of light.

The small desk lamp in the room was rendered useless by the brilliant light, but not a single strand of current escaped from between Lennox’s fingers.

Perfectly controlling the magic he created himself was now a matter of course for Lennox.

Lennox, looking down at the mass of mana with an indifferent expression, slightly twisted his fingers.

What is the imagery contained within mana?

Until now, Lennox had only thought about the strong will to use magic, and with that alone, he had run like crazy without any hindrance.

But if he were to change the magic that had already been activated, would he have to change the will contained within it as well?

‘I can’t agree with that.’

It seemed that Eden had thought so and become frustrated, but Lennox did not think that the imagery he had created was so worthless.

He was different from other mages from the starting line.

He knew very well how absurd his talent was and that he was reaching the limits of his existence.

It was an immortal quality that he had obtained even while wearing countless penalties.

There was no way that the imagery he had created, the intention he had assembled, could be something that could be discarded for the sake of more powerful magic.

Lennox couldn’t even be sure of the future of the next day, but he knew that he could observe himself from a more objective perspective than anyone else when it came to magic.

What he needed was not a more noble imagery or a higher level of intention.

It was enough to have a small trigger to realize his ignorance.

Crackling!!

At that moment.

The blue waves of electricity flowing between Lennox’s two hands split apart as if peeling off a shell, revealing a pure white core inside.

Like a drop of ink falling into a glass of water, the white current that grew from within quickly devoured the blue mana light and covered Lennox’s hands with a dazzling glow.

The threshold that Eden had worried about and despaired over for all the time he had left.

Lennox effortlessly stepped up the stairs leading to a higher realm.

Only then did a faint smile begin to appear on Lennox’s lips.

Upward, further upward.

The road ahead was still a long way off.

#

A month had passed since Eden was killed and the Cigar Bang gang was destroyed.

During that time, Lennox had devoted himself to researching magic without any special events, staying indoors.

Except for occasional contact with Jenny to check on each other, he only went out to buy groceries or for appointments with Aris.

During the day, he would meet Aris at the library and repeat talking to himself like a madman, and at night, he would repeatedly flip through Eden’s research journal until it was worn out.

After collapsing from staying up for three consecutive nights, he even bought another Stemmonia [A stimulant drug] using his connections with Panoa.

It might be an unnecessary expense since the effects of the stimulant hadn’t even accumulated in his body yet, but Lennox realized that he couldn’t miss this period.

Regardless of his talent, there was a time and season for learning.

Lennox didn’t know when this opportunity to learn theory from Aris and practice with the research journal at the same time would come again.

He had to do his best when funds, time, and circumstances allowed.

It was a precious time that he had earned by successfully completing several life-threatening requests.

As a result, Lennox was achieving truly insane growth in both his knowledge and ability in magic.

Not only in the electric-type, but he was also gradually developing his magic system by completely modifying common magic.

He couldn’t control the inspiration and imagination that welled up from within, and he experimented with and surpassed all kinds of magic.

The level was already far beyond what could be hidden and was standing out.

To the point where Lennox could no longer hide his own intuition from Aris.

“…So, I was thinking, what if we changed the way we combine elemental magic in a slightly different direction? In fact, the current elemental magic is more like assembling them on the spot rather than deeply delving into the properties themselves, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Frankly, I don’t think it’s a very efficient method. Of course, the optimization of that process itself has been almost perfected through countless studies, but there is no clear answer to how to improve the mechanism of the process, is there?”

Lennox spoke passionately, unaware that Aris was staring intently at his face.

“If we abandon the double assembly process and design the magic to mesh together one by one as two axes rotate like gears…”

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“….Yes?”

Was it because he had been talking too much by himself that she was bored?

Just as Lennox’s face, feeling unusually embarrassed, was about to turn slightly red.

Aris suddenly took out a business card from her pocket and handed it to him.