Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 21

Episode 21 Doctor (2)

Pfft! Pfft!

Goblins and kobolds who were directly hit by lightning were unable to endure it and burst out.

The electricity spread throughout the room in an instant. Before he could recover, the clown orc's entire body was engulfed in black flames.

A high-level attribute that only a handful of wizards, as numerous as grains of sand, can handle.

Although thunderbolt was the lowest level of magic in the lightning series, its power was among the highest among the third-tier attribute magic.

There is no way that a group of mere clowns, not even of the highest order, could endure it.

“…….”

But not everyone died.

Two trolls, even larger than the orcs. They stuffed the charred corpses into their mouths, and recovered from their wounds in the blink of an eye.

Even though they were a race specialized in regeneration, this was too fast.

<Fireball>

This time I burned it.

The troll that was hit straight away hesitated, but soon walked out of the flames as if nothing had happened. The troll's yellow eyes were filled with madness.

────Kwaang!

The corpse that flew next to Verden was shattered.

'The third level won't do.'

He's still fine even after being hit by lightning and fireballs. His durability and regenerative power are beyond the norm.

Of course, there is a way. If you reduce the scattered corpses to ashes and then slowly drive them in, you can kill them without a hitch.

But that takes too much time.

then.

Kwaang! The staff, swung dazzlingly, deflected the troll's fist.

He concentrated his magic power and struck the ugly jaw hard, then aimed his staff at the troll running behind him.

<Earthborn>

A sharp pole pierced the troll's abdomen. The troll struggled as it was impaled like a skewer. The pillar cracked under the immense force.

'Just one.'

Wow! The troll that had been hit by the staff came to his senses and slammed the magic barrier.

The bastard's movements were not fast, to put it nicely. In the first place, aside from his regenerative abilities, he was a subhuman of a similar level to an orc.

Knees, face, and neck. The troll groaned and fell to the ground under Verden's triple strike. Even if it didn't feel pain, it wasn't like it wasn't breathing.

Then, the guy who was thrown out by the shockwave collided with the troll behind him, causing the pillar to break and the two of them to become entangled.

'now!'

<Storm of Blades>

Five blades of wind. And triple casting.

A total of 15 blades flew at the trolls like a storm. Skin was torn off, and joints were cut off. Unless they ate corpses, their own regenerative abilities could not immediately heal all those wounds.

<Stone Wall>

<Terrain Manipulation>

Kukukuku… …! A solid wave swallowed the troll, creating a round dome.

Verden clenched his fist. The dome began to slowly compress, cracking at some points, and the troll's blood gushed out from the cracks.

But this won't kill them. They'll soon recover from their injuries and break through the wall.

Anyway, this was just a preparatory stage. It was a troll execution platform made with a considerable amount of magical power.

Magic power was gathered and transformed into attributes.

The huge rock thus created floated into the air.

Verden didn't stop there.

<Magic concentration>

Magic power poured out at a rate faster than the speed at which it dispersed.

As it reached its limit beyond its tolerance, a crack appeared in the rock. Soon, it reached an unstable state like a bomb that was shaking and could explode at any moment.

<Rock Strike>

Hooung────A rock shot out into the air.

And by the time they reached the wall that contained the troll, the single line of gold had grown into dozens, and at the same time the rock had burst into thousands of shards.

Quagwagwa!

A tremendous shock filled the space. Verden quickly blocked the aftermath with a magic barrier. When the dust that had risen to the center cleared, there was no life left inside.

All that remained was the troll's leg, buried in the stone fragments. The upper body had been swept away by the debris without any attempt at regeneration.

Verden exhaled heavily.

The lightning series, as expected from its danger, consumed a lot of magical power, and it poured out everything from terrain manipulation to explosions using rock slams, so it was natural to feel tired, no matter how much magical power one had.

'Still, I gained some time.'

It had only been about ten minutes. I didn't think the doctor would have erased all traces and escaped in that time.

So where did it go? The answer was obvious.

Verden could tell because he lived in the tower.

What researchers value more than their lives is the results of their experiments.

He must have gone somewhere here to get some materials he had forgotten to bring.

I broke the transparent wall and headed towards the passage where the doctor had disappeared.

He sent an assassin to kill me, so he'll pay dearly for it. Wherever he is, he'll never be able to leave this place.

* * *

The doctor arrived at the innermost part of the laboratory. This place, unlike the others, was very clean.

Because he had created his greatest masterpiece after decades of research and experimentation. It was not yet finished, but if he took it to Gluttony, he would surely surpass the others and become one of the 'Five Teeth'.

The doctor was confident of that.

“Kekekeke, I wonder what kind of expression those old, worn-out teeth will make.”

Things went wrong at the last minute because of some useless subordinates, but it doesn't matter anyway.

It's just that Martes can't sacrifice humans. He can go somewhere else and slowly complete it.

The doctor pressed a hidden button. The floor opened and a giant test tube appeared.

The human sleeping inside. My precious, special, pioneering child. The doctor touched the test tube with affectionate hands and opened the door.

Whoa! The liquid inside poured out like amniotic fluid.

The man who came out with him collapsed on the floor. The doctor approached him and took out a syringe from his bosom.

“It’s time to wake up, child.”

Sigh. The needle is stuck in my spinal cord.

As he was slowly injecting the stimulant, pressing hard so that he wouldn't get hurt, the doctor's right arm flew into the air with a spray of blood.

“Kuaaaaaaah?!”

“Is this all you ran away to?”

Verden appeared, aiming his staff at the doctor.

The doctor quickly stopped the bleeding with a gown. He was covered in sweat and groaned in pain.

“Ugh… Huh, how did I get here…! No, before that, how on earth are you still alive?!”

“Rather, I would like to ask. Why did you think I was going to die?”

Among the doctor's failures, the troll stood out.

In addition to the existing regenerative ability, the recovery through consumption was combined to create a monster that could not be killed easily.

Although the power he possessed did not change much, he was worth keeping alive just for that ability alone.

'Surely… …you're saying it wasn't the 3rd tier?'

After hearing Theon's report, the doctor was convinced that Verden was a third-tier player.

Even though the rank of a wizard was determined by talent, it was also closely related to age. Magic was a discipline, and it was common sense that one could not rise to the top without spending a long time studying it.

The doctor turned his gaze to Verden with difficulty.

It is impossible for a normal 3rd tier wizard to deal with the troll he created with 3rd tier magic. The doctor has confirmed this fact through several experiments.

And then you killed all the other failures, including those two trolls, and you're following along so quickly.

'You reached the 4th rank at that age?'

That's a mature 4th tier. Otherwise, there's no way to explain it.

But I just couldn't believe it. How could someone of that age… How could the Ark hide a wizard with such talent so thoroughly?

It felt like it fell from the sky.

Verden asked the doctor, who had a look of astonishment on his face.

“What is that next to you?”

“Ugh……! This is my life’s masterpiece and my child. Would you believe that I sacrificed everything I’ve accumulated over the years to create this?”

The doctor stood up unsteadily.

“Why. Are you thinking of killing it? You can’t… You absolutely can’t. Killing it goes against the ideals of our Gluttony and goes against the world’s ideals. Can’t you feel it? You can feel the future of humanity in this child.”

Verden remained silent at the doctor's words.

Because I didn't really know anything. Gluttony and ideology weren't things I could figure out by inference for the time being.

I took a quick look at the doctor, focusing on the main keywords.

“……That’s the future of humanity?”

“That’s right. Unlike other races, we are evolved beings created for the weak humans. A new form of humanity that changes through consumption, which is the basis of life. Isn’t that our ideal?”

Evolution, consumption, and abnormality.

Verden thought about the experiment the doctor had done as he recalled those words. As he gradually began to understand the purpose of the experiment the doctor had done, the human on the floor began to stir.

In an instant, the staff turned to face the guy, and the doctor threw himself in and pressed the syringe hard.

Choo-oak! The magic that had flown in too late cut off the doctor's remaining arm.

But instead of screaming, the doctor was laughing.

“Keuha! Hahahaha! You crazy wizard, your magical power. Become the nutrient for my child while you are still alive!”

Flash. The human with his eyes wide open stood up from his seat.

There was not a single hair on any part of his body, as if he had just been born. Like a model of the human body, he had nothing that should be there as a human being.

The human turned his head to Verden.

Then he smiled brightly. His teeth, neatly arranged to an eerie white shined.

"rice."

* * *

"……rice?"

Verden tilted his head at the unexpected word.

At that moment, the human moved. His running form was awkward, but he was quite fast.

Should I kill him?

I thought about it for a moment, but then shook my head. I hadn't figured it out yet.

The doctor's masterpiece… Let's call it a human. Anyway, I was interested in it. As a researcher, it was something I couldn't ignore.

Light was shed on Verden's staff.

<Explosion of Magic Power>

Blue magic exploded from a distance.

The magic burst is low in power but fast. If you hit the head properly, it's quite useful as a suppression spell.

however…….

'damage?'

The human, whose body had been twisted grotesquely just before the explosion, smirked at Verden. Then, the muscles in his entire body began to pulse and he was enveloped in a red aura.

Body strengthening.

A type of technique that only those who have awakened the energy can use.

It was used by knights of the Baron's domain, by thieves who were former adventurers, and by Sergen and the assassins.

Kwung! The floor cracked. The speed of the human who began to manipulate the energy was faster and heavier than anyone Verden had met since coming to the duchy.

Oh my god!

The hastily constructed magic barrier rang low. It continued to maintain the barrier despite attacks flying in from all directions, changing direction here and there.

Magic power was being reduced by the minute. Verden read his opponent's movements and waited for an opening to appear.

Then, a voice was heard.

“Rice. Weak.”

Hehe. An ugly laugh.

At that moment, Verden's gaze turned cold.

“……Are you laughing?”

Verden prioritized reason over emotion. He had to do that to survive in the Tower. He kept the boiling anger and hatred inside him at every moment.

As I continued living like that, changes came.

The hotter the inside burns, the colder the head becomes. The conflicting reason and emotions coexist without conflict.

Ironically, the more my emotions became complicated, the clearer my mind became.

Unwavering focus.

Although I tend to get overly absorbed in one thing, it is truly the best weapon for observing things.

Verden's head turned quickly.

I measured the abilities of the human in front of me based on the enemies I had faced so far.

It wasn't long before the situation was resolved.

Enhanced physical abilities are comparable to those of a clown orc, and regenerative powers are also the same. Unusual elasticity and flexibility are also beyond the normal human range.

'But that's all.'

Compared to trained knights, he lacks technique and all his movements are based on instinct. He reacts immediately to magic, but cannot distinguish even a single feint.

It's like dealing with a beast in human skin.

So, to sum up.

“He is not my opponent.”

The magic barrier disappeared and the fist missed.

The human, having lost his center of gravity, staggered for a moment.

────Bam! The human who was hit by the staff was thrown far away.

Berden, holding the staff so tightly that veins appeared on the back of his hand, pointed the tip at the human.