Genius Wizard Breaking Limits - Chapter 560



Only Noblemtl

Episode 560 Target (2)

A sunny day.

An old man on the fourth floor, the highest floor of the building, looked out over the bustling market with solicitations, bargaining, and conflict.

“… … The transplants near the front line are disappearing one by one.”

My thoughts become deeper.

I tapped the windowsill with my fingertips and frowned.

“It’s strange. The Ark, which is reluctant to come out into the world, is still forced to move passively due to the Western Continent Magic Tower Alliance.”

“Maybe. I missed it recently. It might have something to do with the Ark crew. I don’t know.”

A long, drawn-out voice is heard from a corner of the room where no movement is felt. If you look closely, you can faintly sense something.

Decades ago, during the war between the Kingdom of Estyria and the Republic of Veldirn, the foundation was laid through large-scale human experimentation, and the result was completed using the corpses of high-ranking magicians rescued from the front lines.

A transplant that has acquired artificially specific traits.

Even though it was Gluttony’s technology that possessed truly versatile powers, it was one of the products born from experiments with a very low success rate.

Behind the old man, in the center of the room, a young man with a neat outfit and a backpack on his back stood with his gaze fixed.

“Hound, Locke? That makes sense. He may be weak, but he has great growth potential, and he’s tricky in many ways. Last time, I cornered him, but I ended up losing him. He’s not a disciple of the elder of the ark, Ren Balhag, for nothing.”

The old man said to him.

“But so far, no meaningful information has been discovered on the Ark. That’s for sure. At least it’s not related to our mistakes.”

“So you’re saying that something has changed in the ark?”

“Yes, definitely.”

Again the strange voice whispers.

“Andoooo. Bohemiruuuuuu. The toweruuuuuuuu. Watchuuuuuuu. The transplantersu …

“Ah, the Bohemian Tower.”

The old man scratched his chin.

“I expected that they would turn hostile at any moment… … but I never thought it would be now. I can’t even guess why they acted that way, especially considering the recent rumors that Black Hour is on the move again.”

He clicked his tongue briefly.

“After we got what we wanted, we should have broken the deal first and made a surprise attack. We were completely caught off guard. The original plan went down the drain. But the real problem is the ark.”

The old man turned around as he stepped away from the window, which was heated by the winter sunlight.

“They are searching for the transplant by some means and method. The key is whether the tip of the sword can reach here. What do you think?”

“Humans are independent. You and I are even more so. There is no common sense way to specifically track him.”

“Nooooo. There’s something I need to get away from. Independence.”

The old man and the man listened to the objection raised.

“Our meaning. Common ground. Gluttony’s meaning. Fragment. Wrong. Excluding.”

“A piece of Gluttony? It’s too much of a stretch to assume that’s the cause… .”

“Hmm, so you’re saying that Gluttony’s uniqueness is actually strangling us. It’s hard to believe, but it’s possible. If that’s the case, I could transform Gluttony’s fragments with my power… … but the stakes are too high to bet on mere speculation.”

A whopping 20 red pieces were implanted into the old man’s body. Feeling the life force flowing out of them, he quickly made a decision.

“Spread out the decoy grafts outside the downstairs. Place them within range of detecting life signals. If one of them dies, it will prove that Gluttony’s piece is being stepped on as a tail.”

“Okay, okay.”

“And now that our dealings with the Bohemian Tower have been cut off, there is no need for us to stay here any longer. Prepare to withdraw.”

“yes.”

Squeak.

A distinctive sound of footsteps on the wooden corridor could be heard from outside. The sound gradually came closer and closer until a shallow thud stopped in front of the door.

Knock knock.

A polite knock.

───The Downt Merchants Association has come to pick you up. Are you inside?

The transplant in the corner of the room rolled his eyes and looked at the door, while the man simply adjusted his clothes.

“Ahem.”

The old man revealed his presence with a cough, while at the same time putting on a false smile befitting his ‘disguised identity’.

Then he spoke to the ordinary people waiting outside.

“Oh, sorry. It’s already this late. I’ll be leaving now.”

* * *

There is a down to the east where the artifact is pointing, but I saved the in case it is not the final destination of the hunt.

During the move, I encountered and killed several transplants. The process was simple, without any need to pursue them.

All Isabella did was flash the sly look in her left eye.

They were all people who had received only a body transplant, and had no strength or abilities of any kind. In the case of magicians, they were only the second-lowest rank.

That’s when the problem started.

“……uh?”

Isabella tilted her head as she looked at the compass.

The magnetic needle, which had been pointing slightly upward from the east, suddenly began to spin around and then sagged downward due to gravity.

No matter how I manipulated it, there was no response. The compass needle, which had completely lost its power, simply swayed along its center of gravity.

“Hey, why did this suddenly taste bad?”

“Me too, my lord.”

“Me too.”

Each of the [Black Hour Compasses] that they had, both finished and unfinished, were all dead. It’s unlikely that all three would break at once.

I tried experimenting with other magic stones just in case, and was able to confirm that the artifact was not broken, as expected.

So the common problem is the magic stone containing the fragment of Gluttony.

[… … Scan completed. Subtle changes have been confirmed to have occurred within the black magic stone. However, it is impossible to determine what has changed. Knowledge is lacking.]

Here is added Alpha’s affirmation.

The cause of the compass tracking function error is external.

“It seems like the transplanter we dealt with just before was the bait.”

“Are you talking about bait?”

Yes, that’s right.

A twist created when Gluttony realized that transplants were continually being discovered and assassinated, and that the means of tracking them might be a piece of Gluttony.

Isabella touched her lips at Verden’s explanation.

“So, we could have prevented the tracking by influencing the piece of Gluttony a long time ago, but why did we do anything about it now… … .”

“It must mean that the cost is so great that it makes one hesitate to do something at the simple stage of suspicion.”

“You’re cautious. And you’re also bold, judging by the fact that you made a decision right after your hypothesis was proven. You’re quite thoughtful, aren’t you?”

Alpha joined the conversation, mumbling.

[Is Gluttony a strong lover?]

The guy sometimes compares the level of his opponents to that of a child. It seems he likes the word he heard on the street.

“They’ve been living on the continent for a long time, so they’re far from being like a child. At any rate, this confirms it.”

Verden looked at the city far away on the horizon.

“There is a Gluttony tooth in the down.”

It seems like it would be possible to check the vital signs of the transplant used as bait, but Verden was unable to detect anything.

It must be Gluttony’s ability that has nothing to do with magic power.

‘But there is clearly a distance limit.’

If it wasn’t buried deep in the ground, it would blend in with the crowd. After all, if you want to hide a tree, you have to go into the forest.

And like Gluttony’s fifth fang, Rupel, he too will have an influential position in society.

The point is that it is difficult to immediately shake off everything and run away.

If you get caught by the ark and become a target, you’ll be finished.

“No, I’m also part of the Ark, so should I say I’ve already been captured?”

Well, it’s not important.

“It’s a shame that we can’t use the compass, but there’s no change to the plan. If it’s a limited area, we can find it easily. As planned, each of us will be in charge of our own area and search for Gluttony.”

Isabella searches the plaza market where there are the most people, Adrian searches the underground shopping mall, and Verden and Alpha search the alley market.

They were assigned based on each person’s ability, not randomly.

“I’ll be right back. Adrian, you didn’t forget the bet, did you?”

“I told you. Come at me.”

Adrian and Isabella smiled lightly and strengthened their resolve. However, their outer and inner feelings were infinitely serious.

Murderous intent against Gluttony.

The two men also abhor human experimentation as much as Verden.

“I will leave the judgment on the spot to each individual. Scatter.”

* * *

Daunt, a city-state belonging to the Arnak Empire and a place where massive logistics flow, is largely divided into three districts.

First, the square market.

Second, the alley market.

Third, underground shopping malls.

The square market and alley market occupy most of the ground area and are areas where trading is active mainly during the day.

The former are located in squares and boulevards, while the latter are located between buildings, buying and selling items that fit their characteristics.

Because of the nature of the area, there were few streets without merchants, so it was impossible to go outside without passing the market. That was the gamble.

Even if you have no intention of buying it, you might suddenly open your wallet because it catches your eye. There is nothing that changes as quickly as a person’s mind.

And the underground shopping mall has a kind of anthill-like structure, built beneath the three cities that form the downtown.

An area of ​​considerable size overall, where shops operate day and night.

People who visit here usually want to get their hands on something that is difficult to find on the ground or something more special.

Or sell it.

It’s not just books that don’t fit in with the bustling markets of the earth, or alchemy and other magical materials that don’t like sunlight.

In more secret places, they also exchange loot that is difficult to dispose of or things that cannot be legally permitted.

The old Downt was a small city with a poor geographical location… … a city-state in name only, only slightly larger than a village.

The frequency of appearance of subhuman or heteromorphic species is too low for adventurers to actively engage in activities, and the soil quality is questionable for farming.

There are no robbers nearby.

I don’t know if I should call it ordinary or barren, but it was clear that it was difficult for the city to be environmentally self-sufficient.

Because the main source of income was the money coming from travelers heading to other regions.

However, as the economy of the villages, towns, and cities that were relatively far apart improved and the population increased───Downt, which was naturally located at the center of them, began to act as a kind of passageway.

As a midway point, it became a city where merchants could easily trade.

People gather because there are people.

Above all, since the floating population accounts for a large proportion, a lot of money comes and goes.

As such, downtown, where money is central, has been run by a merchant association since ancient times.

“This is Gwangjang Market. There are a lot more people than I heard.”

Isabella strolled down the street like a tourist, her robe pulled down low.

The crowd is so large that you could bump into someone if you take just two or three wrong steps. The noise is no joke. Finding someone here would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Phew.

The golden light shining beneath the hood, and the deformed magic circle contained within it, pierced the essence of countless people.

“Hey.”

She was amazed.

“How many people are there?”

A man with a bizarre skeleton enjoys a drink on the terrace of a café. A merchant holding a twisted organ smiles and greets customers.

Monsters in human skins are scattered everywhere.

The other side of Downt.

Isabella, who possesses the clear eye, is the natural enemy of the Hidden Ones.

* * *

The yellow light from the stone lantern illuminates the passageways of Downt’s underground shopping mall.

Of course, there were some dark places, but aside from the ceiling being blocked off, it was so bright that it was hard to call it a basement.

A sense of being pushed to the limit.

Adrian walked leisurely and observed the interior.

To others, it seemed like it was their first time visiting an underground shopping mall, but no one dared to start a fight.

Just looking at his physique, hidden by his dark blue robes, he was clearly an unsuitable target for robbery with a knife and threats.

“… … .”

Then, Adrian noticed two men talking in a hallway that was a little less crowded than the others.

At the same time, he slowed down his walking speed and watched calmly.

“Then I understand it will be ready within two days.”

“Of course! Then go and check it out!”

The merchant bows.

The man, who looked to be in his late forties, stroked his beard as he passed Adrian and turned the corner.

“… … .”

Adrian, who confirmed that the sound was fading away, approached the merchant.

“Hehehe, as expected, if it’s just one big customer… … .”

“hey.”

“yes?”

The merchant looked back.

I took two steps back in shock at the sight of a strange man standing right in front of me. Before I could ask anything, Adrian asked me a question calmly.

“What were you talking about with the middle-aged man who just passed by?”

“A, a conversation? Why is that… … No, more than that, it’s for security reasons, to protect the trust of our customers.”

Kwak.

Adrian clenched his fist.

It was obvious to even an ordinary person what would happen if he got hit.

“What kind of security is a bastard like me who sells the loot of the dead? Isn’t that right? Let’s have a cup of tea and talk. Please, loosen up your fist a little… .”

The merchant showed his worldly skills.