Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 12

Episode 12: Forbidden Experiment (1)

Bohemian Tower collapses.

The news spread like a snowball, not only throughout the magical community but also to surrounding countries.

It was an unprecedented event when the Magic Tower's power source went out of control, evaporating dozens of magicians and paralyzing all of the tower's functions.

The other nine towers have gone into emergency maintenance of their power sources, which has led to a shortage of tower products. The tower owners are trying to determine the cause themselves, but nothing has been discovered yet.

That was all that was reported in the newspapers of each country.

But as the news spread, various suspicions arose.

The streets were filled with disturbing rumors: that it was a punishment from God, that there had been a terrorist attack, that it was due to an unknown experiment…

Enough to reach the magical city of Birente.

“Okay, get in line! Get in line!”

The space shuttle of Virente, which can move thousands of kilometers in an instant. People lined up in front of it are being guided.

Since the total cost of just one trip was tens of millions of elk, the main customers were the wealthy and those of relatively high social status.

The wealthy merchant frowned at his watch.

'It's taking a long time today.'

Time is money.

I was so busy with work that I felt very uncomfortable wasting my time in a place like this.

I would like to get ahead of him right away, but I can't do that because I have to save face. Even if I bribe the guide, it won't work. I could end up on Birente's blacklist.

'So I'm keeping that in mind… … !'

Why was there a woman with red hair passing by him without even waiting in line?

Judging by the tour guide's puzzled expression, it was clear that he was not an official.

'There is such an inconsiderate person.'

Suddenly the merchant smiled as if he was glad.

I needed someone to vent my anger on, and I thought that if I gave that rascal a sharp warning, my anger would go down a bit.

The merchant approached her.

“Tsk tsk, even if it’s urgent, is it okay to be like this? Everyone else is waiting patiently. You don’t even have the basic common sense that a person should have……”

The merchant's face gradually hardened.

A thick, magical aura piercing through the skin. The red eyes that looked at him as if they were going to kill him looked as if they were stained with blood.

"go away."

"yes."

The merchant immediately turned around and returned to his seat. Knowing when not to step forward was also a virtue that a merchant had to have.

The woman who had chased away the intruder, Robelin, continued speaking.

“So, since I belong to the Bohemian Tower, please secure my place immediately.”

“I understand the circumstances, and there was an order from above to evacuate the Bohemian wizards as a top priority. First, we need to confirm their identities……”

"immediately."

"yes."

At this point, enough was enough. The guide, who shed tears at Robelin's momentum, took the lead.

The tower he was affiliated with was ruined, and he didn't know what would happen if he tried to stop it. With a fierce expression on his face, the manager sweated profusely and barely managed to secure a spot for Robelin.

[Customers using this for the first time may experience symptoms of vomiting or dizziness. In case of an emergency, please inform the guide. We will then move.]

Kiiing─!

A purple light flashed. A massive amount of magical power swept through, engulfing the customers.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the city of the Arnak Empire, my destination. Lobelin, who had released the safety device, immediately rose into the sky.

The guide's voice shouting from behind suddenly grew distant as we drove at full speed.

'Please, please, please, please… … !'

When my magic power reached its limit, I poured an expensive magic potion into my mouth. I got addicted, but I ignored it and maintained my speed.

After several hours of non-stop flying, the Bohemian Tower came into view.

Contrary to what I had heard, the exterior was intact. However, the security magic circle created by Matapju was clearly visible as having disappeared.

I landed on the ground and looked around.

The lower level magicians and workers of the Magic Tower were stealing various equipment from the Magic Tower.

'That means… Verden is alive too, right?'

Verden's position was the lowest of the low. There seemed to be no casualties among the wizards of similar rank. Naturally, he would be safe.

Hoo, Robelin let out a sigh of relief and approached the researcher whose face she recognized.

“Oh, Lady Robelin, are you here?”

“Just now. But where is Verden?”

“Hey, Berden?”

The researcher hesitated and pointed in one direction. At the end of the path stood a large bulletin board.

The letters written with magic sparkled.

[List of missing persons]

no way.

Robelin scanned the list hastily. Some of the faces were familiar. Of course, none of them were familiar to her.

We moved on without even having time to mourn the death.

Tall. Her gaze stopped at one place.

Missing person number 32, Verden.

It is believed that he was exposed to the power source's magical power while working as an assistant to the duty officer in the power room. The body has not been identified.

"ah……!"

It was the same even when I looked at it again. Even if I closed my eyes and opened them, the letters did not change.

Death of someone close to you.

She was a cold burning fire. She felt more anger than tears, more revenge than sadness.

Who, why, what the heck, why.

The red magic unique to Robelin seethed at the unanswered question. The surrounding people were startled and distanced themselves as if they were being pricked by hot needles.

Just then, someone approached her.

“Stop it. Taking your anger out on others won’t make a difference.”

“……Lord of the Tower.”

Bohemian Tower, Baloch Besias.

He lightly suppressed Robelin's magic power.

“Your magic power has become sharper than before. It would be hard for an ordinary human to endure.”

“What on earth happened to the Magic Tower?”

“It is as you can see. When the power source went out of control, all the magicians in the center, including the administrators, were destroyed. Not only that, but all the important data and records were erased, and even the magic circle in the treasure vault was damaged, causing irreparable damage.”

A vein appeared on Matapju's forehead. That was only natural.

He lost one of his collections, the 'Second Circuit', as well as the 'Book of Magic' that had not even been opened yet, the 'Breath of the Elements', the 'Magic Crystal', and the 'Rune Ring' all in one moment.

I never imagined that I would lose so much money on them in such a ridiculous way.

'And then there's subject number 77.'

Subject #77, Verden.

If only the guy's head had remained, we could have retrieved his memories and restored some of the lost records and achievements.

I felt like I was going crazy because I was so sad about each and every one of them.

In the minds of such a magician, there was no assumption that someone had broken the magic circle and taken the treasures. It didn't even occur to him. Because Balok Besias was the absolute authority on magic circles.

It was the confidence and arrogance of a transcendent being.

Matapju said, calming down his anger.

“But you don’t have to be too disappointed. We lost the guy who caused the power source to go out of control, but we found the rat that was hiding.”

what?

Robelin looked back.

“What does that mean?”

“Horace, the 4th-rank magician who was in charge of the power room on the day of the magic festival. He disappeared. Just 3 hours before the power source went out of control.”

And then he never came back. Of course, I couldn't help but be suspicious.

Baloch devoted all his energy to tracing his whereabouts and past, even borrowing the power of other magic towers. And from there, something very remarkable emerged.

Baloch took out a small sign from his bosom.

“This is…….”

The inverted triangle and the eerie gaze contained within it.

It was the symbol of the Black Hour, a group of death wizards who moved in the darkness.

“I don’t know how they infiltrated the tower and caused the power source to go out of control, but it must have had something to do with them.”

Woozijik. The sign is distorted.

Now that they have a clue, the Bohemian Tower will focus all of its power on finding the culprit, even if it means delaying the Tower's restoration indefinitely.

The destruction of those involved in the collapse of the Magic Tower.

Uprooting and erasing any trace of their existence from the world was Balok and Bohemirn's new goal.

“So, I’m thinking of organizing a new annihilation unit under my direct control, Black Hour. I’ve roughly thought about the members. You, Robelin, are included in it, even though you’re a low-ranking member… Will you come with me?”

"yes."

plural.

Her answer was already decided.

* * *

Verden, who received the contact, visited the Adventurer's Guild in the Pythe Territory.

It was not a good location for adventurers and was on the small side, but the guild was quieter than usual because a lot of valuable adventurers had died a few days ago.

As we headed to the guild master's office after receiving instructions, a somewhat clumsy looking man appeared.

“Asher…… is that you? Oh, I’m sorry. I heard about you, but you look very different from what I imagined you would look like……. Uh, of course, in a positive way. Now, please take a seat.”

Verden and the guild master sat across from each other at a desk.

He looked so nervous that it was hard to believe he was the leader of a guild, but it was such a small place that I figured it could be true.

The guild leader, who had been coughing, opened his mouth.

“Well, first of all, let me apologize for this incident. I set the risk level for that orc as high as possible and sent the highest gold-ranked adventurer in the guild, but who would have thought this would happen……”

“It’s okay. It was something that happened by chance, so there was nothing I could do about it.”

It was really okay.

Not only had Verden suffered no damage, but he was also not the type to hold a half-ruined guild responsible for extorting a small amount of compensation.

Because I have money to receive anyway.

“So. How much is the reward set by the guild?”

“Oh, yes. How much is that… Here is the statement of account.”

The total cost of the expedition was 6 million elk, which was to be paid to the adventurers.

However, the cost of the clown orc was increased because it exceeded the risk level set by the guild. In addition, since they received the corpse of a previously undiscovered subhuman, they were given a suitable reward.

A total of 24 million elk.

But what was settled with Verden was 12 million elk. It was a tax issue.

“I… I don’t know if you know, but outsiders who aren’t adventurers are required to pay a 50% tax. This is a law, so if you exceed the set amount, you’ll be charged with embezzlement. However, there is one way to avoid this outrageous taxation.”

“Are you telling me to become an adventurer?”

“Ah! You know! That’s right. Our guild taxes decrease as your rank increases, but adventurers below Silver rank are taxed 20%, and Gold rank adventurers are taxed 15%. The higher your rank, the lower the tax goes up to 5%. Normally, you start at the lowest Baekjeol rank, but in Asher’s case, you start at Silver rank, and the tax is only 15%…….”

The tense expression from just a moment ago had disappeared, and the guild leader spoke in a fluid manner. To the point where anyone who saw him would mistake him for a merchant.

'Was your goal to recruit me? I felt like you were acting too humble.'

Well, if you think about it, it was natural.

From the guild's perspective, they needed to make up for this loss. They happened to find out that Verden wasn't affiliated with any organization.

It would be the best option for the guild if they could afford to hire a magician with gold rank or higher.

I understand.

But Verden didn't care.

“Please settle the account like this.”

“Yes… Yes? But the tax….”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Whether adventurer or mercenary.

I have no intention of joining an organization right now.

'How long has it been since you left the tower?'

I have no intention of putting myself on a leash for immediate gain.

This freedom is entirely Verden's.

"……All right."

The guild leader brought the money with a look of obvious disappointment.

Verden estimated the amount by eye and put the thick wad of money into his bosom.

Now, only one final matter remains.

“What happened to the information I told you in advance?”

“You mean the orc’s corpse? It’s well-kept in the warehouse so it doesn’t rot. A dismantling specialist from another branch will come and dispose of it tomorrow. But what on earth are you going to do with it…? Just in case, you must not damage it under any circumstances. It is now the guild’s property by contract.”

As if it was like that.

The guild leader drew a line at Verden.

Since your offer was rejected, there's no need to be polite.

It's a similar attitude to the arrogant wizards of the high tower. They bow to those who are high up and are extremely arrogant to those who are low down. It wasn't particularly unpleasant because I was so used to it.

“It’ll be over in just a quick check, so don’t worry.”