Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 23

Episode 23: Basement

The center of a space where soft light flows out.

A black-haired man sits on an old, worn-out throne, holding a wine glass. A man wearing a robe is kneeling in front of him.

“The doctor is dead… Did you check the body?”

“It’s impossible to confirm because he was burned to death, but based on the circumstances, it’s assumed that he died. It also appears that all of his research materials were incinerated.”

“That’s good. It saved me a lot of trouble.”

I took a sip of wine and swirled the glass around.

There was no need for a snack. The news of the doctor's death was the best snack for the man.

“I should have dealt with it a long time ago, but I couldn’t find it because it was hiding like a rat. It’s already been 20 years since I started tracking it down? All I’ve gained from all that time and effort is this one piece of news.”

Even that was lucky.

An information network built in the Duchy of Liviant, including the one spread out in the city of Martes, accidentally caught sight of an unidentified underground facility, and after a secret investigation, it was discovered to be the secret research lab of the doctor they were chasing.

The result was utterly absurd.

“It was our fault.”

“That’s not negligence, it’s incompetence. But I won’t blame you. That’s what humans are like.”

The man leaned back against the chair.

Humans are weak.

They boast the greatest numbers of any intelligent race, but their average strength is the weakest. Long ago, humans were a weak race that was exploited and robbed.

But the uniqueness they possessed was the greatest of all living things.

Out of thousands, out of tens of thousands, once every decade, once every hundred years, humans who went their own way were born again and again, and there were few who could stop the humanity they led.

No longer were humans food or slaves to other races.

The captain leads and the crew follows.

That was the path of mankind, and one man named it 'the Ark'. And as time went by, it branched off into many branches, one of which was 'Gluttony'.

Admiring the 'monster that devours the world' that was once defeated by the Ark.

Their ideology is born from the human instinct to adapt differently depending on the food consumed.

"Tak." The man said mockingly as he emptied his wine glass.

“What an old-fashioned idea. Wanting to develop humanity by eating them? You’re not some pig. You should be coming to your senses, but you’re going crazy… and you’re even talking nonsense about dividing humanity and destroying the old ones. It’s embarrassing as we share the same roots.”

The man tapped his wine glass with his finger.

Then the glass split open and fell at an angle. The cross-section was clean, as if it had been cut with a knife.

“So now it’s time to sort things out.”

The man rose from the throne and stepped forward.

At his gesture, the curtains and doors that had been closed opened wide. Warm sunlight and cold air flow. He looked down at the white world covered with clouds and said.

“If word gets out that the Doctor is dead, Gluttony will go crazy. The entire city of Martes will be wiped out. To prevent that from happening, stop the rumors from spreading as much as possible.”

“Yes. We will destroy them as soon as we see them and prevent them from coming out into the open.”

“I hope you’re competent this time. Incompetent people will always be eliminated. Oh, but……”

The man turned his head back.

“What is the name of the wizard who killed the doctor?”

“My name is Asher.”

“Ashera……”

That sounds good.

The man who repeated his name smiled faintly.

* * *

The forest east of Martes.

It would take several days to walk, but for Verden, who could fly, it was a distance he could cover in a day. If he increased his speed to maximum, he could do it twice.

“……I think it’s somewhere around here.”

A sunny noon.

Verden spread out the map and looked around.

I've come to the place marked in red, but I don't know the exact location. I didn't see anything suspicious with my eyes.

<Magic Sensing>

I took a deep breath and spread my magical power widely.

Bugs, trees, grass, beasts, subhumans, etc. A flood of information poured in through magic. It was impossible and inefficient to read all of this.

Verden let most of the information flow away and focused on the terrain itself, such as the entrance to a cave.

But nothing was caught in particular.

If you expand the range any further, the magic power will not be able to handle it. After fixing the magic power, the amount of information received has been increased.

From terrain to feature. From earth to tree.

'… … found it.'

An artifact hidden under a tree.

As Verden descended straight to the ground and uprooted the tree, a small, old door appeared, large enough for one person to enter.

I used my telekinesis while keeping my distance in case there was a trap. Soon, I heard the sound of the lock breaking and the door opened wide.

I spread my magic power and figured out the internal structure.

'It's pretty deep. Judging from the dust that's accumulated, it looks like it's been left there for a long time.'

However, this does not mean that it is safe.

There could have been an assassin hiding there that Jason had missed. It was quite possible that he had entered the underground passage without any trace in Martes.

<Implication>

Eyes that pierce the darkness.

Verden, who activated the magical circuits of his entire body, headed underground.

* * *

A space where dust floats and bugs crawl everywhere.

Berden, his nerves on edge, lifted himself slightly off the ground and moved forward silently.

The air inside was so murky that it felt stuffy, as if there was no ventilation.

And in the small rooms in the hallway, dried bloodstains could occasionally be seen. To an ordinary person, it would be an extremely creepy atmosphere, but Verden looked around with a blank expression as if he was used to it.

'It's a similar structure to the lab the doctor was in… … Is it like a laboratory used in the past?'

Or maybe it's prison.

To that extent, the whole place looked shabby and stuffy.

After passing through more than 20 rooms, we finally arrived at the end of the hallway.

Unlike the other rooms, the heavy metal door was firmly shut. When I turned the handle with my psychic powers, it broke limply, perhaps because it was rusty.

'Breaking down the entire door… won't work.'

Because it has been abandoned for a long time, the entire structure is weakened.

If you try to forcefully remove this heavy door, there's a good chance it'll collapse. You won't die, but whatever's behind the door won't be safe.

So, the telekinesis series is excluded. The elemental series is the same.

What we need now is a magic that has enough destructive power to break down a door, but limits it to a certain range.

'then.'

Magic power gathered at the tips of Verden's fingers.

He drew a circle in the air to form the basis of a magic circle, and drew complex characters on its edge. Then he made another circle in the center of the circle and engraved a different type of character.

The magic formula for the Confine magic circle and the fireball that limits the range.

If there is even the slightest misalignment with this complex magic circle, there is a high possibility that it will not detonate or malfunction. In order to prevent it from exploding before your eyes, you must possess a certain level of knowledge and experience.

Of course, Verden was a wizard who met both conditions.

As I opened my hand, the magic circle flew forward and settled in the center of the door.

Then the two circles rotated in opposite directions, then stopped and exploded. The impact only tore through the area where the locking mechanism had been.

Squeak. I opened the door and stepped inside.

'… … .'

As expected, there is no one.

Even if you look at it with your own eyes or use your magic sense, the only things you can detect are bugs and small animals. From a magical perspective, the only intelligent being here is Verden.

I relaxed and looked down.

There were old papers strewn about in the messy room. I picked one up from the floor.

“Orc test subject #132 died from physical overload, Human #292 suffered a mental breakdown, Kobold #408 went mad after suffering a confusion and was disposed of…….”

It's similar to the experimental log I burned with the doctor.

Judging from the scribbled handwriting, it seemed like he had written it down briefly before recording it properly… … If I hadn’t seen the doctor’s journal, I wouldn’t have been able to guess what kind of experiment it was about.

<Psychokinesis>

I gathered all the materials together and placed them on the desk.

And when I opened the drawer inside, a sealed envelope with the leather of a demon was revealed.

Verden, who was examining the leather, opened his eyes wide.

“This… could it be Mahbat’s leather?”

You can tell for sure by the deep green glow.

Mahvat, a demon who literally crushes his prey by striking them with his powerful body. Its hide is particularly popular in many places due to its high physical resistance. It is also a material often seen in the Magic Tower.

“I think this amount would be enough to make one piece of clothing.”

I want it.

For now, I left the leather aside and picked up the envelope.

Inside was a red mark symbolizing teeth.

'It's similar to what I saw in the experiment log… …but the color is a little darker.'

Is it some kind of identification card? Or just a symbol?

I don't know what it is, but it seems like something important and unusual. Why did the Doctor leave it behind? Since he has a map, did he intend to collect it later?

Now that the doctor is dead, the answer to that question will never be known.

Verden thought about it for a moment and then decided to take it.

After careful observation, I found that it was not a magical item, but a simple sign with no effect. It is not too late to dispose of it later.

<Fire Stream>

Hwaruk. The flames that stretched out burned the materials.

After going outside, the underground interior and entrance were completely filled in through terrain manipulation. No one will be able to find anything in the dirt and ash.

This is enough to erase the traces.

Verden's gaze turned downward.

He smiled with satisfaction as he saw Mahbat's skin.

'This alone makes it worth coming all the way here.'

Although it is an expensive material, it is not so rare that it is difficult to find.

Therefore, it is impossible to specify the source. The material worth as much as all of Verden's assets has now fallen into Verden's hands.

'I couldn't figure out what kind of group Gluttony was.'

Just in case, it would be safer to process it in another city. I can easily do that much work.

Now all that remains to be done is the doctor's plan.

I've already deleted the specific part about the experiment. Now, if I edit the content to make it consistent, I'll have a fake plan that's different from the original.

It was a case of deceiving the market, but Verden didn't care at all.

“It’s true that I prevented the disaster that was to happen to Martes.”

It was a fair price.

* * *

Early morning, the training grounds of the Martes Adventurer's Guild.

A few adventurers who had come to train glanced at a wizard named Verden.

Phew. Phew.

The staff moved dazzlingly, cutting through the wind. I don't know how it would be in real life, but that performance alone was enough to catch the eye.

After finishing his physical training, sweat dripped down Verden's face.

“Here it is.”

Iris, who had been watching secretly, handed over a towel.

“What’s going on here?”

“Isn’t it natural for an adventurer to be in the Adventurer’s Guild training grounds, Senior?”

That's right.

Verden covered his face with a towel, wiped away the sweat and quenched his thirst with a cool drink.

Iris, who had been staring blankly, asked.

“But where did you learn that seal technique? That sound is no joke. Were you by any chance an aspiring knight before becoming a wizard?”

“What about the knight? It’s something you can do just by sweeping a broom.”

Starting his chores at the age of 8. Young Verden was curious and active.

If you gave him a broom, he would sweep the dust, but if he got bored, he would probably swing it around. He repeated that routine thousands of times, and even trained himself on his own.

It would be strange if one of these staff members couldn't be handled properly.

"broomstick……?"

Iris tilted her head.

I don't know what it means, but I guess it's okay. That wasn't what I was curious about.

I have a mountain of questions to ask. What happened that night at the Lorix Inn, how to grow as a wizard, etc.

"excuse me……."

As she was about to open her mouth, someone came over.

Armor and sword engraved with the symbol of the principality.

He was a member of the knightly order directly under the mayor of Martes, Gelin Warhard.

“Is this you, Wizard Asher?”

“What's going on?”

“The mayor is looking for you.”

What was meant to happen has come.

The reward for the effort that was promised after handing over the doctor's fake plan.