Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 923

The magic circle that had been above Peisha Grisburn’s head naturally shifted to Lenok the moment he appeared.

The complex, eight-pronged trigram magic circle rotated slowly, emitting a brilliant light.

Whoooom!

The blind man’s expression slightly hardened as he faced the magic circle glowing above Lenok’s head.

“There was a story that the Deadrise assault force collided with Kyunroe and was annihilated.”

The blind man asked, fiddling with his sword hilt.

“Since Peisha is alive, it’s clear you didn’t kill her, so how did the magic circle transfer to you?”

“It’s a matter of where you draw the line for death.”

Lenok chuckled and looked up at the magic circle above his head.

“I can guess how it was judged.”

During the battle with Peisha Grisburn, Lenok had captured her alive after nearly killing her.

Peisha’s body, having been hit by the Ideological Trust, was so damaged that it entered a temporary state of suspended animation, exceeding its limits.

If that itself was akin to Peisha having died once, it wouldn’t be strange for the magic circle to transfer to Lenok.

However, what caught Lenok’s attention was not the ownership but the ability of the magic circle itself.

‘It’s a power closer to an innate ability than a technique.’

Innate abilities, which are extremely dependent on natural talent or environment, were sometimes difficult for Lenok to control.

His intuition, which had reached its peak, was helpful, but the aptitude for handling abilities was, in a way, different.

‘The organic circulation of magical power. The support of vital energy is impressive, but what’s most helpful is…’

Lenok’s eyes calmly settled as he released the target designation resistance and directly felt the effects of the magic circle on his body.

‘The recovery of mental strength, which is the basis of the ability. It’s a power that’s responsible for the harmony and circulation of thoughts. I never imagined such an ability existed.’

Just by rotating the magic circle, the recovery of mental strength and the enhancement of thoughts were felt strongly.

Peisha’s explosive physical strength using the magic circle must have been an attempt through thought enhancement.

Even without properly using the innate ability, the fact that it possessed its own thought recovery ability just by existing.

Could this be the result of managing and improving innate bloodlines, talents, and aptitudes over several generations?

It was so convenient and precise that it was hard to believe it was an ability, feeling like a work that had been adjusted for a long time.

“I thought so while watching the hearing, but you’re truly an unpredictable person.”

The blind man looked at Lenok, who was lost in thought, and asked as if he couldn’t understand.

“Even though you took Peisha’s life once, are you now trying to save her?”

“Does that matter?”

“…”

The blind man, looking speechless, shrugged and gripped his sword hilt.

“That’s right. What’s important to me is to reclaim the magic circle and make that child comfortable. Are you planning to interfere?”

“Maybe.”

Lenok looked down at Peisha, who had fallen on the runway, with a blank expression.

Feeling his gaze, Peisha flinched, then glared at Lenok with a fierce look.

Only then did Lenok, holding a cigarette in his hand, chuckle and say,

“She seems to have a very strong will to live.”

“The hardships and pains of life are not something you can judge.”

Click!

The blind man, raising his sword hilt diagonally, said,

“I am Habek of the Shie Sword Sect. What is your name?”

“Why ask when you know?”

“Heh heh, how like a mage. You don’t even want to indulge in a simple greeting…!!”

The blind man, Habek, smiled wryly and drew his sword.

The moment the blade appeared, it unleashed a fierce vibration, and sword strikes divided into a dozen or so fell from above.

Drrrrr!

A terrifying sword strike that not only cut the runway to pieces but pulverized it on the spot.

However, Lenok didn’t even look at the sword strikes pouring down on him and raised his hand.

What his fingertip pointed at was not the falling strikes but the blade aiming for Peisha’s life in that brief moment.

Unique magic of the lightning series

Property change confirmation bias

[Thunder Void Eye]

Bzzzzzz!

At that moment, the lightning that surged from Lenok’s fingertip expanded explosively, turning into a vast cradle of lightning.

The lightning, spread out in all directions, received and deflected the sword strikes falling from all sides.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Unpleasant noises, like metal bouncing and breaking, overlapped one after another, and Habek, who had approached right in front of Lenok, swung the blade in his hand without hesitation.

Whoooom!

He swung the vibrating blade without controlling its irregular trajectory, just as it was shaking.

The blade, which had maximized its power through ultra-vibration, crushed and unraveled Lenok’s shield.

In the instant that Habek’s blade, having lowered his stance with a staggering step and reversed its trajectory, rushed into Lenok’s chest as if being sucked in,

Lenok reached out his hand directly towards the blade.

Preemptive Resonance: Harmonics

[Lightning Gathering Bias]

The collision of blade and spell.

The attacks, extended by assembling thoughts and magical power, crossed paths, creating a powerful shockwave vertically.

The shadows of Habek and Lenok intertwined with the colors of lightning and sword strikes.

The solid asphalt of the runway rippled like water before shattering into pieces.

Zzzzzzzzz!

“Ugh!”

A violent vibration that seemed to shake Peisha’s brain, which was lying down, entirely.

Unable to overcome the unpleasant sensation of her semicircular canals being paralyzed, she involuntarily vomited.

Wiping away the stomach acid, Peisha struggled to lift her gaze and opened her eyes wide.

“…!!!”

Whoooom!

Lenok was stopping Habek’s violently vibrating blade with the lightning he held at his fingertip.

“…I’ve heard you’re skilled in combat, but this is beyond that.”

Habek said, looking at the sword stopped by the dazzling lightning.

“Did you offset the impact by colliding the same number of vibrations against the blade?”

The collision between Habek’s sword, which emitted a unique vibration from the moment it was drawn, and the lightning magic, which vibrated through a similarly intense resonance.

Immediately after, the power the two emitted interlocked like a key, stopping them in place.

Habek recognized that Lenok had offset the impact with magic, but he didn’t immediately realize how that was possible.

Lenok slowly released the hand holding the sword and stepped back, saying,

“The vibration frequency of the sword changes depending on the intensity of the thought. It seemed to be aimed at grasping the surrounding terrain rather than power.”

“…”

“If you’re covering the invisible blind spots through the sword’s vibration, I just thought I could stop it.”

The purpose of the blade emitting a unique vibration was to replace the senses of Habek, who had no eyes.

Perhaps that sword itself was a kind of very special artifact.

Lenok realized this and forcibly stopped the vibration of the blade, temporarily halting Habek’s movements.

“It’s an idea that a sane person couldn’t come up with. To predict the changing vibrations of the sword during battle and not even create distance, intending to offset it right before the collision.”

Habek hesitated, unable to say anything, then smiled wryly and stepped back.

“If you made even the slightest mistake, your organs would be pierced and your insides would rupture. Wasn’t it too reckless a gamble to attempt with an injured body?”

“I didn’t intend to kill a participant before the meeting.”

Lenok replied, leaning on his staff.

“It’s enough to just confirm who stands above whom, wouldn’t you say?”

“…”

An 8-level swordsman was attacking without even using a small universe [a reference to a power system], so who would think that was his full power?

There was no reason to take a reckless risk when the purpose of the meeting had not yet been resolved.

Lenok knew from the start that Habek had no intention of fighting to the death in this place.

Habek, momentarily speechless, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Yes, I lost on that point. I’ve heard you’re crazy about fighting, but I never imagined you’d enjoy such reckless tightrope walking.”

Click.

Habek, sheathing his blade, muttered,

“I’ve met many geniuses, but a crazy mage like you will probably never appear again. I’ll be satisfied with this much for now.”

The blind man, with his sword hilt at his waist, turned away without regret.

He raised his face with hollow eyes towards the night sky and spoke as if he could see time.

“It’s time. As you said, you should hurry if you want to participate in the meeting.”

“…”

With those words, Habek’s presence vanished in an instant.

Only then did Lenok turn his gaze towards Peisha, who had fallen.

Her face was covered in blood, and she was struggling to wipe it off, staggering as she stood up.

She looked at Lenok, her eyes rolling.

“…Kyun, roe.”

“It’s been a while, Peisha Grisburn.”

Lenok sneered.

He knew that Oliviera Ron Maze’s tastes and ideas were so bizarre that even Lenok found them difficult to understand.

But he never imagined that she would send the Deadrise general, whom he had captured and handed over, as a representative for the meeting.

No, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a violation of the meeting’s procedures or rules.

Although her rank had fallen due to the battle with Lenok, Peisha Grisburn was clearly a superhuman who had once transcended rank.

She was not an incompetent being who lacked the qualifications to attend the meeting or was so clumsy that she would be expelled by the siege barrier.

Rather, Oliviera’s skill in forcing Peisha to attend the meeting as her representative was more surprising.

“Your face has become half its size, how well have you been eating and sleeping? You seem to have been living the good life in Oliviera’s arms.”

“Because of you… I…!!!”

Peisha’s body was literally emaciated and thin, to the point where it was obvious at a glance that her condition was not good.

It was proof that she hadn’t been treated very well since Lenok had put her in a state of suspended animation and handed her over to Oliviera.

At Lenok’s blatant sarcasm, Peisha gritted her teeth and tried to rush at him, but then tripped over her own feet and fell.

Thud!

Lenok laughed, looking down at Peisha, who had fallen in front of him.

“Why, do you want to take revenge from that time with that broken body?”

“…!!”

Peisha’s defeat in the fight against Habek was not for any other reason.

It was partly because she hadn’t been managed after her custody was transferred to Oliviera, but also because her rank had been ruined after her gamble in the battle with Lenok had failed.

Peisha herself couldn’t have been unaware of that, but from the fact that she attacked Habek, it seemed that her nature of throwing herself into battle without regard for her body hadn’t changed from before.

“Stop acting pathetic and get up. You’re supposed to be attending the meeting as Oliviera’s representative, aren’t you?”

Lenok said, taking out a large ampoule from his pocket.

He pressed the button, and the long needle that popped out was inserted into Peisha’s back.

Pshhh!

Peisha’s body convulsed as if she had been electrocuted, and an incredibly loud scream erupted.

“Kuh, aaaaaaack…!!!”

“It’s my first time using it directly, but the effect is quite good.”

“You, bastard…!! What did you do…!!!”

Even Peisha, who had made a name for herself in the central front and crossed countless life-and-death lines, couldn’t endure the excruciating pain.

Lenok, watching Peisha writhe and convulse, threw the empty ampoule in front of her eyes.

Clang!

“Spinal nerve stimulation accelerator. It’s something that forcibly stimulates damaged nerves to temporarily improve the condition. It’s the perfect thing for your situation.”

“Bull, shit…!!! I don’t need it!!”

“They say that to get the maximum effect, you have to inject the drug without any painkillers to revive the senses, and looking at your state, it seems credible.”

“Haa, haa!!!”

As if the drug was working immediately, Peisha, sweating profusely, slowly rose from her spot, supporting herself with both arms.

“Kuhhh! Ughhh…!!”

Her eyes were bloodshot, and blood was dripping from between her gums from how hard she was clenching her teeth.

She had overcome the excruciating pain of gripping her spinal cord in that short time and stood up.

Lenok was inwardly impressed by Peisha’s extraordinary ferocity, but he didn’t particularly pity her.

She was a superhuman who had tried to turn Tatiana’s fellow mages into human sacrifices to make them into Deadrise satellites.

Not only was her nature cruel, but she was a war soldier who didn’t treat anyone other than Deadrise as human.

Although she was an opponent with whom he had ended a life-or-death battle and settled the score, Lenok now felt nothing for Peisha other than that she was a useful tool.

“There isn’t much time left, so let’s move. You have something you need to do at the meeting on behalf of Oliviera.”

“Hoo, hoo…”

Peisha, breathing heavily, muttered as she picked up her spear with trembling hands,

“Someday, I will definitely kill you…”

“It’s a talent that you can say that even after coming this far.”

There was nothing wrong with what the blind man Habek had said to Peisha.

“What kind of deal did you make with Oliviera?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I need to check what kind of geas [a magical binding or oath] is on you. I don’t want my work to be interfered with.”

“So, I’m saying it’s none of your business-”

“Tell me. We need to coordinate our words while the meeting is in progress.”

At Lenok’s cold gaze, Oliviera flinched, then gritted her teeth.

Was she realizing that she was unconsciously shrinking back at a single glance, and was she even more enraged by that fact?

Peisha, biting her lip and lowering her head, quietly answered,

“…A ban on preemptive attacks. A binding that prohibits fighting except for self-preservation. I put my ruined rank as a condition.”

“And yet you fought that blind man Habek earlier?”

“That guy drew his sword first. The old geezer secretly wanted to kill me at any time.”

There was an undisguised sneer in Peisha’s voice.

“Unlike Songha, he was dissatisfied with me for not having any achievements in swordsmanship. He never had any attachment to the magic circle from the beginning, and he just used that as an excuse.”

“Was he said to be Ethan Bajur’s swordsmanship teacher…”

The establishment of the giant city of Balkan. The great civil war that took place over its existence.

Before the battle that was close to war, did the superhumans of the light and dark sides periodically interact and build relationships?

No, at that time, the concept of light and dark sides wouldn’t have existed in the first place.

Lenok thought so and immediately moved towards the center of Etanok.

Peisha, despite her fierce threats, couldn’t attack Lenok and quietly followed him.

Koooom!

At that moment, a roar that made his heart sink echoed, and the sky of the satellite city began to change color.

The dark night sky, which had been filled with stars, was distorted into a gray, achromatic color.

The colors, painted in all directions like paint spreading in the sky, instantly formed a hemispherical dome.

Peisha’s expression changed slightly when she saw it.

“That’s the siege barrier Oliviera mentioned. Once that’s complete, it will be impossible to enter the ritual site.”

“A siege barrier…”

Habek had disappeared with unusual haste, and it was already midnight.

“It’s a barrier that’s much stronger internally than externally, but it’s a magic circle designed directly by 8-level extreme mages. Once it’s complete, it will be difficult to forcibly enter.”

A crooked sneer appeared on Peisha’s face as she looked at the siege barrier.

“It wouldn’t be bad to give that woman the finger for not being able to attend the meeting.”

“…That’s absurd. Are you saying you don’t care about the penalty now?”

If Oliviera had made attending the meeting a condition, the penalty for violating it would be considerable.

Peisha seemed more pleased that the situation wasn’t going as Oliviera wanted.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be unable to enter the ritual site.”

“Who said they were worried-”

“If it’s a barrier that’s so clearly visible, it’s not difficult to interfere with its construction for a moment.”

“…What?”

Ignoring Peisha’s question, Lenok raised his magical power, and the magic circle rotating behind his back began to flash with intense light.

Whoooom!!!

With the magic circle functioning for the recovery and enhancement of thoughts and the support of mental strength, even reckless actions that greatly consumed thoughts were now permissible.

And when it came to the strength of will and interference, Lenok was aware that he had aspects that surpassed even the Ascended [a reference to a higher power level].

The moment he slowly turned the hand he had extended towards the sky.

Squeak! Squeak!

At the unpleasant sound of a door hinge creaking, the hemispherical barrier came to a sudden halt.

A bizarre sight of the siege barrier, which was completing its construction, being forcibly stopped as if time had been turned back.

Lenok looked at it and lowered his hand.

“That’s done. Let’s go.”

“…You’re showing off your strength in a barbaric way. Did you just forcibly delay the barrier’s construction by slamming your thoughts into it?”

“To be precise, I adjusted the nature of the barrier to postpone its completion.”

Lenok answered Peisha’s bewildered question and moved forward.

“It’s only to the extent of interfering with the construction, so I can’t stop it for long. It would be possible if I were to completely destroy the barrier.”

“…”

Instead of scoffing at Lenok’s casual explanation, Peisha closed her mouth with a complex expression.

As a general of Deadrise, she was not a superhuman with narrow views or a lack of experience.

Rather, it was probably because she realized how absurdly unreasonable what Lenok had just done was.

Walking under the siege barrier that had stopped just before closing, Lenok headed straight for the underground ritual site.

A spiral ramp leading down to the underground, located in the plaza in the center of Etanok.

“Nice interior.”

“There’s nothing aesthetically pleasing to praise, what are you looking at?”

“Can’t you see this delicate design structure that considers the user? You have no taste.”

“…?”

He walked down the ramp, dragging along Peisha, who was unusually bewildered.

The images of bizarre monsters that had deviated from human form were engraved on the walls of the ramp.

The ramp widened as they went down, and the content of the engraved murals also changed bizarrely.

Human figures were added one by one to the murals that had been filled with monsters that had deviated from human form.

The monsters devoured humans, skinned them, and offered their flesh to the altar.

The entire bizarre human sacrifice ritual was engraved without any hesitation.

It seemed to clearly show that this place was a discarded ritual site that had been used for human sacrifices in the past.

Even Peisha seemed disgusted, as she could be heard quietly scoffing.

Thud!

The end of the murals that continued along the ramp.

The bizarrely shaped monsters knelt down, repeatedly worshiping towards the end of the mural.

When he turned his gaze towards the direction the monsters were bowing, the scenery of a huge ritual site was revealed.

Whoosh!

The center of the ritual site was raised and processed into a huge altar.

Every time the central altar rotated, bizarrely shaped statues rose one by one from all directions.

Koooom!

The figures of superhumans, riding on those bizarre statues and looking down at the altar from all directions.

Some wore strange smiles that made it impossible to read their emotions.

Some were expressionless or had hostile gazes.

Some were engrossed in snacking, not even paying attention to Lenok.

There were also those who openly stared at or observed Lenok, not fearing or being overwhelmed by him.

It was silent proof that everyone gathered in this place had stepped into a similar realm as Lenok.

“…”

Peisha frowned with displeasure at the feeling of being a spectacle, and the other attendees turned their gazes one by one.

[You’re late, Kyunroe.]

Ollinik, sitting on a statue on the left side of the altar, said leisurely, raising his hand.

[But you were lucky. The construction was delayed because of a problem with the siege barrier. If the barrier construction had been completed, you wouldn’t have been able to enter here in the first place-]

“I stopped the barrier.”

Lenok replied.

“I just stopped it for a moment because the barrier was closing when I was trying to enter the meeting.”

[…Hmm?]

Ollinik tilted his head, momentarily not understanding the words, and the gazes of the other superhumans sharpened in that instant.

Lenok, who had explained it casually, snapped his fingers.

“I got my hands on a useful ability on the way. If I were to give a demonstration-”

Whoosh!

Lenok, with a huge magic circle floating behind him like a halo, looked up at the attendees.

The other attendees’ expressions subtly changed at the appearance of the magic circle.

At the moment when the others realized that it was the result of forcibly adjusting the terrain of the ritual site using the thought enhancement of the magic circle, a huge statue rose from under Lenok’s feet and instantly rose above the other participants.

A sinister-looking demon statue, boasting a size that was even more enormous than the bizarre statues in the ritual site.

Kugugugung!!!

Lenok nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Now the eye level is a bit more aligned. My neck was a bit sore from looking up from earlier.”

“…”

Lenok, ignoring the sharp gazes looking up at him from all directions, nodded and said,

“Then, shall we start the meeting now?”