#519

Research, Adjustment, and Improvement (2)  

A New Method of Utilizing the Ouroboros Magic System.

Lennok's continuous contemplation and trial-and-error on this theme was no mere accident. During the final confrontation with Amrita Praubel, one of the ten apostles of the cult, Lennok recognized an issue when attempting to use both the Ouroboros and the Domain simultaneously.

"Amrita didn't try to resist with the Domain; she even went as far as self-harm to block the power of Ouroboros," Lennok’s gaze turned icy.

"It’s not simply because the power of Ouroboros felt more dangerous."

Unlike the kaleidoscope’s domain, which observes and projects branching points, Ouroboros embodies a power that converges and grasps surrounding possibilities. The kaleidoscope’s domain, emanating from within Lennok and radiating outward, remains imperceptible and unblockable. However, the Ouroboros magic system, which dismantles and analyzes an opponent's power and essence, instills a near-death sensation just by activating it. Consequently, any target subject to its power instinctively attempts to thwart its operation by any means necessary.

There’s no need to use this technique against an opponent who cannot recognize Ouroboros's power. However, against an opponent powerful enough to necessitate Ouroboros, they will inevitably sense its danger and attempt to interfere. This critical weakness almost seals its use in battles against strong foes. When used against Gye-baek, it worked only because the fallen ascendant had little awareness of his surroundings. Against a monstrous intellect like Amrita, employing Ouroboros could prove more detrimental to Lennok himself.

In the battle with Madritch Onion, where Lennok first used Ouroboros, the battlefield was in Madritch's territory, allowing him to exploit a gap in Madritch’s domain. Yet, if the gap between the magic system's power and its practical effectiveness cannot be resolved, it risks becoming a burden.

Recognizing this, Lennok decided to purchase entire sets of research equipment and initiate a proper magical study to adjust the operational mechanics of the Ouroboros magic system itself. This entirely new magic system, unfolding on a transcendent level, would require research equipment typically used in large-scale magical engineering installations to handle its output.

“It may be challenging to complete everything before the exhibition begins, but I want to set the direction.”

[Magic synchronization is complete.]

As Lennok extended his hands and raised his mana, Davi synchronized with his intentions. Dozens of pieces of equipment in the lab, guided by the cerebral spirit's control, began rotating and moving around Lennok.

Vroooom!!!

Ignoring warning signals and system overloads, the magical engineering equipment busily adjusted Lennok’s condition from all directions. Stabilizing the mana flow by force, it suppressed the backlash erupting from the Ouroboros magic system, forging a path against resistance.

Rumble!!!

The impact caused the entire underground lab to shake as if an earthquake had hit the mansion, but Lennok paid it no mind.

For a high-level mage, a laboratory is not merely a space for studying and practicing magic or spells. It’s a place where the mage can synchronize the environment itself with their internal conditions, allowing them to contemplate their spells. Lennok’s task involves extracting the flow of mana and imagery typically assembled within his own body, adjusting and stabilizing it externally in real-time to achieve optimal performance. This expansive laboratory effectively functions as an extension of Lennok himself. The fact that Olivera’s lab transformed into a domain reflecting her ideal world is proof of her prolonged self-contemplation within that space. What Lennok is attempting now is fundamentally similar.

The research equipment whirred rapidly, emitting various forms of mana to stabilize the brilliant flow of Ouroboros’s magic. Standing at the center, Lennok confidently pulled an old grimoire from his robes. It was the Fifth Law of the Extremes, a relic of the First World obtained during the interim settlement at Pandemonium. Unhesitatingly, Lennok opened to the page containing the ultimate magic of the Harmony branch, his gaze lifting. His eyes gleamed as he stared at the radiant ring of the serpent.

“I’ll establish a new order within this magic system. Let’s begin.”

***

Murphy’s Clinic.

After retrieving medical data from Arsnova and nearly a month later, Lennok returned to the consultation room.

“It took longer than expected to adjust the specifications,” Murphy said, turning around to hand Lennok a piece of equipment he’d been working on. 

“I designed it similarly to your previous item. The staff form is more portable and suits a mage better.” The staff had a form resembling a rising water stream. The main difference from the life-support device altered by the penteract was the gem at the top, a deep black. As Lennok took the staff, a faint line glimmered across the black gem, writhing slightly.

“It’s a lifeline,” Murphy explained. “It displays your heart rate, mana stability, and nutritional flow within the body all in one.”

Murphy glanced toward the computer on one side of the examination room, adding, “While restoring your damaged body is impossible, maintaining its current state should be feasible.”

“I see.”

“However, this assumes absolute rest. Naturally, combat must be completely avoided.”

“…”

There was no need to mention how many battles Lennok had fought before coming back to this room. Murphy looked at him thoughtfully over his glasses.

“If your balance falters even once, there’ll be no turning back. You understand that, don’t you?”

“To some extent.”

"Especially for a high-ranking mage like you. The higher and more intricate the tower you've built, the harder it will be to control once it starts shaking. I can guess roughly what kind of life you've led so far, but from now on, you'll have to change everything."

It wasn't wrong.

After all, the fact that Lennok had survived up to now, sitting here, was because he had swayed but not collapsed. A single fatal defeat, an irreversible mistake — even while acknowledging the fear of such things possibly happening someday, he had to keep moving forward.

"Well, coming to me, even if it’s late, was a wise choice."

Murphy, who had been watching Lennok with a blank expression, then smirked.

"So you can come back whenever you need adjustments. It’s such a delicate item that if you don’t tend to it regularly, it’ll become useless."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

Afterward, Lennok paid Murphy the agreed-upon production fee and left the hospital. Tapping his hand with his staff, he tilted his head.

"I suppose I should check the sensitivity without taking the medicine..."

With the Archangel's Tears he'd taken to improve his condition and the various drugs he regularly pumped into his body, it wasn’t easy to feel anything distinctly. Perhaps Lennok’s physical senses were already so half-ruined that he couldn’t feel anything with mere adjustments.

He toyed with the staff for a bit, then held onto it firmly and began walking. What mattered was to make it evident that Bolt had been injured through the life-support system. Since his activities as a half-blood were decreasing, creating an alibi was more important than performance.

With his staff in hand, Lennok walked confidently toward District 49, where Jenny's bar was located. District 49 had a particularly chilly atmosphere, even though it was always crowded with people in the high-rise building district. After several rounds of reconstruction and expansion, the bar entrance now looked unrecognizably different, with dozens of people constantly going in and out.

Inside the bar, with its dark lighting, freelancers and gang members filled the lobby, whispering among themselves. Lennok dodged the smoke rising here and there and, upon reaching a table, waved to the elderly man approaching.

"Van."

Without a word, Jordan placed a glass in front of Lennok and began skillfully mixing a cocktail. Lennok took a sip and slightly furrowed his brow at the bitterness spreading in his mouth.

"...Not an easy taste. What on earth is this?"

"It's a medicinal liquor made with mugwort, garlic, and ginger. A recipe from outside the continent, they say. Supposed to be good for you, so drink up."

"Mugwort and garlic, you say?"

Who knew, maybe someone was trying to turn someone into a new person. In any case, it was said to be good for him, so he drank without complaint.

Watching Lennok swallow the medicinal liquor with a slight frown, Jordan chuckled.

"Been hearing some unpleasant rumors. Jenny went as far as to buy the recipe and ingredients from the deep web to make this."

"..."

The rumors that he was injured in the battle with Madritch Onion were given as a heads-up to Jenny before they spread. Even so, since he hadn’t visited the bar personally afterward, Jenny must be somewhat concerned.

“If the response is good, I’m thinking of releasing it as a new menu item. What do you think? You rarely give feedback on taste, so it's hard to know your preference.”

“It’s a unique flavor. If you market it with an energy-boosting theme, there’ll probably be some interested.”

As Lennok grimaced and downed the rest of his drink, Jenny emerged quickly from behind the bar, massaging her temples. She looked around the bar with dark circles under her eyes, but her face lit up upon seeing Lennok.

"Van…!! Are you alright?"

"Enough to be walking around."

Jenny sat across from Lennok and pulled something out from inside the bar table.

Thud!!

"I got all the elixirs you ordered, searched through the auction houses and deep web to get them all."

"Thanks."

"I even asked a famous doctor in the city center to brew some medicine, so take it with you if you need it."

Lennok thought he should explain to Jenny later why these rumors were circulating. But for now, he had to address the reason he came to see her. After all, today's meeting was at her request, not his.

“Shall we head up? The guest is waiting.”

Upon reaching the top-floor office of the company next to the bar, the sight of a giant sprawled across a corner of the sofa came into view. Sitting with arms crossed and back straight, eyes closed, was the eagle-headed giant.

As Lennok entered the office, the giant’s eyes flew open, and he sprang to his feet.

"Van!!"

"Felix, it’s been a while."

Lennok couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh at the warm greeting.

Felix Magath, head of the Antares Mercenary Office and a saint-tier warrior, was a familiar face to Lennok.

"How’s your health?"

It had been quite a while since their last meeting, but he vividly remembered the events of that time. The Defense Corps rebellion incident. Lennok and Felix had fought together against Croken, who had appeared, destroying the sky fortress. Felix had ended up in a coma after using a battle hammer infused with Ascendant power.

After that, Lennok was summoned by the Eyes of the Blue and had headed to the Ganges Sand Labyrinth, making it difficult to hear news of Felix, but it seemed he had somewhat recovered since then.

"That’s my line, Van," Felix said with an incredulous smile. "I heard you fought a level-8 Command sorcerer and were critically injured. Are you in any position to worry about others?"

The fierce eagle-like gaze shifted to the staff Lennok was holding.

"I had a feeling the rumors were true, and it looks like Jenny’s concerns weren’t misplaced. Quite a few people at our office are also concerned about your health."

"At your office?"

"The sponsorship contract between the Antares Mercenary Office and your distribution company was just officially confirmed."

And then, a woman with a cold expression and short hair appeared behind Felix. She was exhaling vapor from an e-cigarette, her face still vivid in Lennok's memory.

“Take care of your health from now on, will you? Our director alone is enough of a workaholic.”

“…Stella.”

Stella Grien. She was the deputy director of the Antares Mercenary Office, whom Lennok had encountered back when Felix was hospitalized. With both Felix and Stella here, it meant the two decision-makers of the office had personally come to Jenny's company.

Jenny had successfully secured a sponsorship contract with the Antares Mercenary Office, obtaining their full support across her entire business. Today’s gathering was significant enough that even Lennok, who had been mostly hands-off with the company’s affairs, needed to attend personally. As the nominal head and co-manager of the company, there were formalities Lennok had to go through.

“You’ve continued your broker work while growing the distribution business like this.”

As Jenny stamped a few pages with a temporary seal she’d prepared, Stella spoke.

“Having achieved success in both establishing a network of freelancers and distribution channels, many of our office’s mercenaries are now quite interested in prioritizing Jenny’s requests.”

So that’s why they agreed to the sponsorship contract, giving priority to Jenny’s requests. On the surface, it was a deal between two equal organizations, but it effectively granted full cooperation from the Antares mercenaries. Lennok knew well what it meant to have the support of one of the most respected mercenary groups in the industry.

“Is Antares aware?”

“Oh, our director…”

“Hmm, not that we’ve been keeping it secret. He seems to have figured it out on his own,” Felix said with a meaningful chuckle.

As the two exchanged cryptic comments, Jenny tapped the table, addressing them both.

“Alright, the deal’s finalized, so you two can go. I need to speak with Van privately.”

“No, let them stay,” Lennok interjected.

“What?” Jenny turned her head sharply.

“There’s no need to keep it a secret, now that we’re officially tied with the Antares Office. Soon enough, the information will spread to Vulcan, anyway.”

“What on earth are you planning to talk about…?”

“Interesting. So it’s somewhat related to our side as well?” Stella smirked, lazily puffing on her e-cigarette.

“Well, we won’t object if you’re willing to share,” she added.

Lennok hadn’t come back to the company and the bar just because of Jenny’s request. He’d been passing between the Eyes of the Blue and Pandemonium, gathering the latest information and the situation across the continent. Among this was data directly affecting the major cities.

Jenny wasn’t just a business partner; she was also an underground broker, connecting freelancers in the shadows. The more she knew in advance, the more she could maximize the advantage in a chaotic environment.

“…The Dead Rise main force is expected to return?”

But the words Lennok shared caused the three to tense up — a reaction that was almost inevitable.

“With the truce between the Order and the Allied Command stabilizing the front lines, rumors seem to be circulating.”

“Is this reliable information?”

“Most likely.”

Felix and Stella exchanged looks, their expressions grave at Lennok’s calm response.

“This could be a bigger problem than we thought.”

“…Maybe we shouldn’t have asked to hear it.”

They knew all too well that there was a reason Lennok was sharing this news with them now.

However, Jenny didn’t seem affected by their reactions. She calmly tapped away on her laptop.

“Records of mercenaries and soldiers passing through the central front are declining. It makes sense to assume they’re consolidating their forces.”

“….”

“A dramatic increase in exports to the Paradini Republic, and a sharp decline in the revenue of northern industrial cities… the pattern is clear.”

As she tapped on her laptop, various news reports and articles appeared on the projector screen. Was she gathering and cross-referencing related information in real-time based on Lennok’s single comment? This wasn’t simply about data collection or processing power. Jenny’s ability to quickly spot trends and cross-check facts stemmed from her experience handling underground work, allowing her to grasp the bigger picture. 

With her keen judgment and quick thinking, it was no wonder she had succeeded in not only expanding the distribution business but also dominating the underground market. Stella, impressed by Jenny’s efficiency, chimed in.

“They really haven’t been as active lately. Not the type to sit idly by. If there was a hint that the main force would return, it starts to make sense.”

“A decision set before the central front stabilized?”

“No, more likely… they already knew about the truce agreement,” Jenny replied, brushing her hair back in response to Felix’s question.

“Someone among Dead Rise’s leadership must have close ties with the Order or the Allied Command. No doubt about it.”

“You’re certain.”

“I know them personally.”

Lennok opened his mouth to respond, but closed it upon noticing the complex expression on Jenny’s face as she stared at her laptop.

“They have the capability and the temperament for it.”

The core leaders of Dead Rise were once trusted aides of Kaiser. Given that Jenny was Kaiser’s granddaughter, it wasn’t surprising that she was acquainted with them. The fact that she reacted so strongly, despite usually being unaffected by her grandfather’s name, spoke volumes about their power and character.

“Do you think it’ll be dangerous?”

“…Hard to say. The people I remember never moved without a reason,” Jenny replied, pressing her temples with both hands.

“If they’re returning to the city at a time like this, it’s not just because the front line has quieted. I’ll focus on monitoring their movements for now.”

Quickly adjusting her laptop, Jenny began investigating both the deep web and the intelligence-sharing network. She looked up at Lennok.

“We already control over half of the underground distribution network. Even if Dead Rise’s main force returns, we can detect and intercept any signs of movement.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. We’re focusing just as much on building up strength and securing personnel, so we won’t need to rely on the wounded.”

“…No, rather than my condition, it’s better to focus on adapting flexibly to the situation.”

“Why?”

Before replying, Lennok gave Stella and Felix a slight nod, and they immediately understood, leaving the office. After casting a magical barrier to prevent any eavesdropping, Lennok spoke.

“It’s true that I was injured in the fight with Onion, but it’s not as severe as it seems.”

“Not severe?”

“Right. If a fight is necessary, there’s no need to delay it-”

Lennok’s words were cut short as Jenny abruptly stood up, pulled a piece of paper from a shelf, and placed it firmly on the table. With her arms crossed, she fixed him with a cold stare.

[Guidelines for Recovery that the Patient's Guardian Must Read and Understand]

“You’re saying that, even though your attending physician sent this?”

“…Where did you get that?”

As Lennok confirmed that it was Murphy’s medical record, he looked slightly taken aback, and in that moment, a voice came from behind him.

"I got it for her."

“…”

“It’s been a while since Jenny put in a direct request to our office, so I went out of my way a bit.”

A young man, draped in a thick, fur-lined coat, was leaning casually by the office window, looking their way. Despite his long hair being pushed back messily, his appearance was surprisingly neat. His calm expression contrasted sharply with the intense surge of magic power that seemed to rage within him. Lennok let out a low sigh, recognizing his face, and stood up.

“…Antares, do I need to explain the reason for the magic barrier myself? You don’t seem inclined to wait your turn.”

A level-8 physical adept. The head of the Antares Mercenary Office. An extraordinary fighter, renowned in the underground world and a traveler who accumulated countless achievements and honors. A prophet who, in exchange for glimpsing fragments of omniscience, had accepted an unavoidable fate.

Antares had been present from the beginning, and Lennok had already been aware of his presence. Antares gave Lennok a faint smile and a nod.

“Apologies for intruding on an important discussion, but I’m short on time as well.”

“Short on time? As if any of us have so much of it—”

Lennok’s words were cut short as soon as Antares began to speak.

“There’s something I need to discuss regarding the expo. Do you have a moment?”

It was a reply that didn’t fit the current situation at all, yet somehow managed to catch Lennok off guard.