Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 864

The Eye That Sees Fate (1)

The Adamantine Tower, located in Sector 49.

Beneath the vast, dark-tinged underground cavern, a motley crew of mercenaries poured in.

Having heard from Lenok that the guardian spirit had awakened, everyone in the bar had rushed over together.

Scattered eggshells and a baby dragon with a plump belly, sitting there with its tummy exposed.

The sight of it rubbing its eyes with its front paws as if just waking up, tilting its head, made everyone’s eyes widen as if they might pop out.

“A, a lizard?!”

“No, you crazy bastard. That’s a dragon…!!”

“No way. A dragon-type guardian spirit was born?”

Dillon muttered in disbelief, slowly approaching the guardian spirit.

“This little guy is our tower’s guardian spirit…”

[Gyaoo~]

The spirit, who had been blankly staring at the ceiling, noticed Dillon approaching and raised its front paw.

“Damn it, it’s too cute!!”

Dillon, who had been silently watching the spirit, spread his arms wide and rushed towards the baby dragon.

“It was worth working my butt off to catch tuna for you, when did you get so big-”

Thud!!

Dillon, who had tried to hug the spirit with all his might, lost his balance and fell over due to the unexpected weight.

[Gweeee.]

The baby dragon, caught in Dillon’s hands and sprawled out, let out a disgruntled cry.

Mila, who had been watching from behind with twitching hands, burst into laughter at the pathetic sight.

“What are you doing, you idiot!!”

“Ah, no…”

Dillon, unable to hide his awkwardness, pointed to the baby dragon on his back.

“This guy. He’s a lot heavier than I thought…”

[Gyaak!]

The guardian spirit, seemingly displeased, pulled at Dillon’s mask with its front paw.

Mila scoffed at Dillon and stepped forward.

“I knew it from the day you started drinking all the time. Your muscle cells are probably all dead from being pickled in alcohol, aren’t they?”

“Hearing that from you really pisses me off. Can I punch you?”

“Get lost. I’ll take care of him. Watch closely. See how easy it is to pick him up…”

Mila, who had tried to pick up the baby dragon, quietly shut her mouth.

“…Ugh.”

The moment magic flowed from Mila’s body as she subtly gauged the situation, she lifted the baby dragon up as if she had been waiting for it.

[Gyaoo~]

The guardian spirit, finally in a good mood, purred and cried out.

Mila, with a nonchalant expression, proudly held the guardian spirit and turned around, walking among the other mercenaries.

Wayn, Drey, Suren, and other freelancers, as if mesmerized, followed Mila and took turns holding the baby dragon.

“Oh, oh… this is the mystery of life…”

“These hard, glass-like scales, and it’s so beautiful. The weight I feel in my hands is especially impressive.”

“But it is quite heavy, just like Dillon said.”

Drey smiled wryly, looking down at the guardian spirit rubbing its front paw against his cheek.

“It feels like about 120kg? Considering it’s a bit smaller than a person, it’s quite heavy.”

Mila is a mercenary who likes to drink but doesn’t neglect her missions, and she is active in the field.

Even if she didn’t use magic, if it was difficult for her trained strength to lift it easily, it was definitely quite heavy.

“It’s a dragon-type.”

Jenny, who had been watching carefully from a slight distance behind, said.

“The bone density and muscle weight are much heavier and thicker than humans. It might get even heavier as it gets older.”

“No, rather than that… I think that belly is the problem.”

Felix said with a disgruntled look, staring at the plump belly of the baby dragon that Wayn was holding.

“That’s definitely fat, no matter how you look at it.”

“Now that you mention it, our little dragon’s length and width look about the same…”

Only then did the mercenaries, who had been impressed by the awakening of the guardian spirit, begin to return to reality one by one.

Naturally, people, including Dillon, began to look at Lenok’s reaction.

“Uhm, did we give it too much food, causing this problem…?”

Despite the good news that a guardian spirit was born in the tower, if the spirit that was born was not healthy, it was something that could not be overlooked.

If it was caused by them, who had volunteered to raise the guardian spirit in Lenok’s place, they would have to take responsibility.

“No, it’s cute when you see it! It’s not that fat-”

There were more than a few people who tried to pick up the spirit, only to lose their balance and stagger.

People without naturally strong physiques like Felix or Manson found it difficult to lift without magic enhancement.

[Was the golden ratio around 1:1.618? Since it’s come to this, let’s try to match the ratio to make it look good.]

“C, can’t we just put it on a diet from now on?”

“Are you crazy? What kind of exercise are you going to make a newborn spirit do?”

“Then are you going to leave it like that? You thugs can have beer bellies like that, but this is the tower’s guardian spirit. We need to take care of it!”

“What? I don’t have a beer belly, you bastard!”

While Mila and Wayn were shouting and arguing loudly, Felix and Suren were lost in thought.

“Dillon is right. We can’t make a young guardian spirit exercise already. But if there’s a health problem, we can’t just ignore it…”

“I don’t know where a guardian spirit should get a health checkup. Do we need to go to a spirit-type veterinarian?”

Heated discussions were taking place all around about the guardian spirit’s obesity and health.

Meanwhile, someone approached Lenok and quietly spoke to him.

“Adamantine. Congratulations on the awakening of the guardian spirit.”

A woman with a blank expression and short hair. Stella, the vice-commander of the Antares Mercenary Group.

He had recognized her when she was in the bar, but it seemed she had followed them here while the commotion grew.

Stella looked at the baby dragon yawning with its mouth wide open in the distance and gave a strange smile.

“I was worried because it stayed in the egg for quite a while, but seeing it awaken like this, it must not be a big problem.”

“…”

“Now it really deserves to be called a large tower. I hope we can maintain a good relationship with the mercenary group in the future. I have to go first because I’m busy.”

Stella forcibly grabbed Lenok’s hand, shook it, and then left as if she had disappeared.

Jenny, who had been watching her suspiciously, approached and whispered quietly.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“The tower’s guardian spirit. Anyone can see it’s all fat. It looks like it’s going to roll around like a ball any minute now.”

“…”

Although she didn’t show it, Jenny was also shocked by the appearance of the baby dragon.

“It’s kind of cute that it’s so fat, but considering the role of the guardian spirit, it shouldn’t be like that, right?”

Jenny tilted her head with a dubious look.

“I don’t believe that thing is the spirit that will protect the tower at all.”

“That’s right. You’re not wrong.”

Lenok agreed after hearing Jenny’s clear question.

It was true that the guardian spirit that had awakened from the egg didn’t seem to have any power, and it didn’t look like it was in a healthy state either.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cavern, the baby dragon, carrying four or five people on its back, was letting out a loud shout.

[Gyaoo~]

“Hahaha, look at this guy’s strength!!”

“He just did a few shouts and lifted them right up?”

“Just looking at his strength, isn’t he already stronger than us?”

Jenny’s mouth dropped open as she watched the spirit, who had lifted several people, including Dillon and Mila, with its thick front paws.

“H, he’s suspiciously strong. But that has nothing to do with combat power.”

“Tatiana, what do you think?”

At Lenok’s lukewarm reaction, Jenny turned her gaze back.

“Did other towers’ guardian spirits look like that at first?”

“There’s no way.”

Tatiana shook her head with a wry smile.

Although she had been dragged here right after colliding with Felix, she was a war mage who had worked on the central front for a long time.

Quickly forgetting her personal feelings, Tatiana opened her mouth, carefully observing the spirit’s movements.

“Most of the spirits I’ve seen were adults who had lived for a long time, with considerable intelligence and divine power. A young dragon-type like that… hmm, I don’t remember.”

“See, right?”

“But I don’t think that appearance is so bad.”

“What?”

Tatiana shrugged her shoulders at Jenny, who was frowning.

“It’s a dragon-type. A dragon-type. Don’t you know what kind of spirit that is?”

“…”

“It is said that ancient dragons constantly shed their skin and went through metamorphosis, becoming closer to the heavens just by living.”

Tatiana said, carefully looking at the baby dragon.

“It’s an era where it’s hard to find dragon-types anywhere in the world. In the midst of that, the fact that Ban chose a dragon as its guardian spirit is significant.”

“…I see.”

Jenny clapped her hands as if she had gained a great realization.

“A dragon guide tour for the only baby dragon in the world!! We’ll make a killing!”

“…”

“…You know I’m half-joking, right?”

“No, that’s not a bad idea.”

Lenok chuckled at Tatiana, who was muttering, “Half?”, to herself.

“A guardian spirit is not something to hide. Since it’s an entity that resides in the tower’s territory and protects it, it might be better to show it openly.”

“Ahem, that’s exactly what I was trying to say-”

“It’ll grow up faster than you think. The reason it was born so fat is probably…”

Lenok guessed that it wasn’t the guardian spirit’s problem, but rather because its soul had grown by absorbing the consciousness of the Compendium [a magical artifact].

He had cut off the curse of metamorphosis that was tied to the Compendium in Yorta, and tried to completely erase the aftermath with the resurrection spell.

But an unexpected event occurred, and the guardian spirit ended up absorbing the essence left by the Compendium’s consciousness.

Considering that, now was not the time to put the guardian spirit on a diet, but rather it needed time to digest the power it had absorbed.

“Let’s watch it over time and see when it enters its growth phase.”

“It’s a problem that will be solved naturally as its body grows?”

“I think so.”

As Lenok said that and reached out his hand, the baby dragon, who had been in Suren’s arms, opened its eyes wide and jumped out of her arms.

[Awoo~]

The baby dragon, making a strange cry, toddled out and grabbed Lenok’s leg.

Lenok, who had cast a weight-reduction spell on the guardian spirit, gently picked up the dragon.

Lenok, who had grabbed the spirit’s side with both hands, raised the dragon’s front paw towards Jenny.

“Okay, say hello.”

[Gyaak.]

“Huk…”

Jenny, who had been watching, took a quick breath and coughed lightly.

“Thinking about it, it’s not so bad as it is now… I admit it.”

“He’s a good boy.”

Tatiana, who had approached Lenok, stroked the dragon’s head, and it shook its head, puffing out air from its nose.

Tatiana, who was gently rubbing the spirit’s head, said with a small smile.

“Spirits born in a territory often take the form of a mythical beast. It’s because they are born in a territory that embodies the caster’s ideals and take shape.”

“…”

“Even so, the fact that your guardian spirit was born as a dragon-type must have a reason.”

Tatiana asked.

“Or is the future you ideally imagine, you yourself becoming a dragon?”

“…That’s not possible.”

Lenok smiled and shook his head.

“I have a guess as to why, but it’s not certain. I’ll let you know when it becomes clear.”

The guardian spirit was born in the territory of Ouroboros, ate the consciousness of the Compendium, and opened its eyes.

It was clear that its species or lineage was influenced by reptiles that challenge ascension.

However, in order to accurately understand its origin, Lenok had to have a more concrete understanding of ascension [a concept of spiritual or physical transcendence].

For now, it was more important to find out what Lapis was trying to achieve in this city through her actions.

Thinking that far, Lenok put the baby dragon down and said.

“Collect and classify only the data that can be quantified through the first measurement, including the guardian spirit’s physical abilities. It won’t be difficult to create a comparison group with the help of the mercenaries.”

“What? Weren’t you calling us to do it together?”

From the moment he brought up the guardian spirit in the bar, it was natural to test the spirit’s abilities and tendencies.

The tower’s guardian spirit. Moreover, it was a spirit that had been dormant in its eggshell for quite a long time.

Even if they couldn’t make it exercise right away, they had to check if there were any problems with its basic metabolic functions, including breathing.

It was rather strange that Lenok was not directly participating in the test.

But Lenok stroked the head of the dozing spirit and turned his gaze away.

“I was going to at first, but it seems like it follows you guys well, so I think I can leave it to you.”

“What if that guy goes wild while you’re gone? We still don’t know anything about the guardian spirit.”

“I don’t think that will happen, but…”

The mercenaries gathered here were the ones who had been feeding and raising the guardian spirit since it was hidden in the egg.

The guardian spirit wouldn’t cause trouble if the mercenaries were by its side.

But Jenny’s concern was not without merit.

Lenok nodded and immediately changed the subject.

“If the test is too much of a burden, please take care of the idea I mentioned earlier. It’s not an idea that can be easily dismissed. It might be more helpful than you think.”

“Idea?”

“It’s true that it’s a spirit born in the tower’s territory, but it also has a lot of potential to attract attention.”

Lenok smiled quietly and pointed to the dozing baby dragon.

“Since it’s come to this, how about making the guardian spirit help with the tower’s business?”

“Make it help with business… is that even possible?”

Jenny shook her head with a somewhat dubious look.

“It seems to have intelligence and judgment, but we can’t make a baby dragon do paperwork.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about changing the tower’s external reputation to be more friendly.”

“Reputation?”

“For example, putting the guardian spirit’s face on item payment terminals or cards.”

“…!!”

As soon as she heard that, Jenny made a face as if she had realized something.

“That… that’s quite possible. You mean to imprint it on terminals or equipment that can only be used in the tower and use it as a symbol?”

“Since the item market mediated by the tower is operating exclusively, it would be good to create an image that symbolizes that authority.”

Lenok nodded.

“Wouldn’t it be a suitable point to emphasize an independent payment method?”

“I see what you mean. If we use a real dragon-type as a point, not just any symbol… it’ll work. No, it’ll definitely work. Much more than a guide tour…!!”

Seeing Jenny’s expression as if she had realized something, Lenok patted her shoulder and turned around.

“I’ll go first.”

Lenok, who had walked out while receiving greetings from the other mercenaries, immediately reached out towards the end of his sleeve.

The note that Stella had half-forcibly slipped between Lenok’s gloves while shaking hands.

Since he guessed who had sent it, he needed to check it.

He slowly walked along the slope of the underground cavern, where there were no stairs, and checked the words written on the note.

It was not written by Stella herself, but by someone Lenok knew, a familiar handwriting.

“…”

Lenok was lost in thought as he read the words written on the note.

At that moment, Ivelin’s name appeared on his phone screen.

After hesitating, Lenok cut off the surrounding noise and answered the phone, and Ivelin quickly whispered.

-Ban. Lapis has replied. It seems that the prior consultation with the Central Council is over.

“That’s faster than expected. Are we moving right away?”

-She’ll arrive at the outskirts of the city via the undeveloped district. I’ll send you the coordinates. Can you come there?

Lenok immediately checked the coordinates and nodded.

“It’s outside of Sector Six. It’s not that far. What’s the estimated time of arrival?”

Considering that it was a few days earlier than the schedule Ivelin had mentioned, had she finalized the schedule considering the time it would take to travel to and from Vulcan?

If so, Lenok also had to roughly finish what he had to do as Evan and Ban during the remaining time.

Most of the urgent matters were mostly finished, and now it was mostly a matter of personal research-

[No, right now.]

Ivelin answered firmly.

[I’m going to use the lighthouse keeper’s ability to forcibly summon her. She’s scheduled to arrive in three hours.]