[So, after half a day, I guess you’ve figured out how to move your body?]
“Yes…”
Lennok, moving stiffly like a robot, responded as he poured water into a cup.
Even though he was wide awake and moving, each of his movements was incredibly linear and slow.
His movements seemed bizarre, as if he was calculating every angle and strength needed to move his arms… But Lennok was really moving his body through a similar method.
“It’s completely different, the way… my body… moves. There’s a pattern…”
[Once you memorize the parts where your senses are misaligned, you can move consciously, I see.]
Davi sighed.
[The human who prescribed this probably didn’t intend for this.]
“……”
The prescriber, Yakson, must have wished for Lennok to lie down motionless for three days while on medication, but Lennok was up and moving despite his misaligned senses.
It was like playing a game with the controller’s buttons randomly reassigned.
Pressing the attack button makes you jump, and moving left on the console opens the item window.
Lennok had memorized his tangled senses and was consciously calculating his movements, which was dozens of times more complex.
“This… helps.”
[Of course, otherwise, Master wouldn’t have deliberately done this.]
As Davi said.
Simply put, the medication made from narcotic plants artificially stimulated the nerves, causing a misalignment in sensory control, but Lennok had discovered a different potential in it.
More than just a disconnect between body and mind, it was the alien sensation of meticulously calculating and controlling his body.
This unfamiliar sensation, which Lennok had never experienced before, was giving him fresh inspiration.
“In a little while… even with magic.”
[Yes, yes, that would be great. To be able to use magic before your body returns to normal.]
Davi turned its head away as if regretting the time it worried, but Lennok ignored it and focused on moving.
‘Move the left shin muscle, but it’s the right trapezius. To turn the right ankle, lift the left pinky…’
Of course, Lennok didn’t know the exact locations of the muscles in the human body, but it wasn’t difficult for him to divide and categorize his body according to his standards.
The important thing was not to confuse the once-experienced sensation with other senses.
‘Mostly, knowing that the left and right directions are reversed makes it possible to guess what sensation is needed. Just be careful with that while getting used to manipulating the body…’
Even with the tangled senses, manipulating magic would become possible.
The ability to manipulate magic depended not only on will and mental strength but also on basic physical sensations, making it indispensable.
The first hour was just managing to drink water with one hand, but after two hours, he could stand up and balance himself.
Three hours later, he was able to walk on his own.
This wasn’t the movement of Lennok’s originally poor motor skills, but a new movement created by calculating the sensations from the ground up.
After half a day.
Crackle…!!
Lennok, with his completely reversed senses, succeeded in casting magic again before 12 hours had passed.
Davi, watching from below, asked,
[I don’t know how humans feel their bodies, but… this is incredible, right?]
“……”
Explaining what Lennok had done to Davi seemed meaningless.
Instead of responding verbally, Lennok leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and delved deeply into concentrating on the flow of mana within him.
He could sense it.
The pill’s effects spread throughout Lennok’s body, subtly altering his sensory tolerance by stimulating his muscles.
It was a process of stretching the capabilities of Lennok’s muscle cells, which inherently couldn’t accept mana.
Finally regaining control over his mana, Lennok observed the process as though he were an outside observer.
He began to grasp why Yakson had recommended this form of treatment.
She had foreseen that, given Lennok’s latent potential and talent, he would achieve such results, regardless of the medication’s side effects.
The ability to find faint inspiration even amidst the chaos of completely misaligned sensations.
That was the quality Lennok possessed.
“I’m truly fortunate to have entrusted her with my treatment…”
If Yakson could deduce the extent of Lennok’s talent just from feeling his pulse once, what would other wizards think when they saw Lennok? His talent was exceedingly strong, sensitive, and perilous. This was why Lennok had to keep ascending without pausing for even a moment.
Now, with his body and mind weakened from the medication’s aftereffects, Lennok felt more exhilarated than ever before.
Buzz!!!
The body and mind were inherently connected. No matter how strong one’s will, they couldn’t escape inherent weaknesses, and no matter how robust the body, they couldn’t fully express their intent with a fragile mind. The rule was that only when these two pillars merged seamlessly could their collective potential be realized.
However, in this moment, Lennok realized he could control his body solely with his mind.
At this profoundly powerful juncture when one pillar supplanted the other, Lennok’s mind, liberated from the constraints of his body, soared into the vast skies of consciousness.
Thudddd!!!
Invisible shockwaves emanated from Lennok’s body, reverberating through the laboratory’s walls and floor. Despite the room being fortified with steel plates, security spells, and even soundproofing enchantments, Lennok’s body began to levitate.
Whoosh!!
[……]
While Davi observed the process with a slightly cautious expression, Lennok, deeply engrossed within, reflected on his past journey.
The intense exhilaration and the incredibly heightened consciousness he experienced were reminiscent of the awakening he had undergone during his confrontation with Eden.
Back then, Lennok had plunged into a profound state of awakening, triggered by witnessing and deciphering a unique magic spell, surpassing Level 5 and even replicating Eden’s distinctive magic, eventually reaching Level 7’s [Thunder Seal] without direct contact.
Lennok’s mind had often stretched beyond its limits through intense focus, but he hadn’t encountered such an awakened state since then.
What he had deemed a fleeting opportunity unexpectedly returned at this unforeseen moment.
“Ugh…!!”
Overwhelmed by the deluge of thoughts and inspirations flooding his mind, his body quivered slightly.
At this moment, he felt capable of attempting what had once been deemed impossible, such as recalling the formidable Level 7 magic, [Thunder Seal], which he couldn’t access due to his unattainable level of sensory control.
However, Lennok resisted these temptations and resolutely redirected his focus inward. He couldn’t guarantee when such an awakened state would manifest again.
Considering his past experiences, Lennok’s current exhilaration seemed to be triggered by an entirely novel experience he had never encountered before.
Therefore, he had to swiftly accomplish what was most crucial for Lennok before this serendipitous opportunity vanished.
His primary task was to determine the mental image that should be etched into his Domain.
He understood this.
The memories that had once been hazy landscapes in his mind now unveiled their latent powers and the potential for effective combination to serve his purpose.
As he closed his eyes, fleeting yet intense memories from two lifetimes swirled through his heart.
It didn’t matter if these memories weren’t inherently his. What mattered was discovering the mental landscape that would be most efficient and beneficial for Lennok.
In this moment, Lennok navigated the vast expanse of his mind, piecing together the necessary mental landscape.
While other sorcerers might merely latch onto the most enduring image in their minds, Lennok, in his unique way, was crafting the mental image required for his task.
This demonstrated that Lennok had fully evolved as a sorcerer. Since his birth, he had existed as a complete and independent entity.
He suppressed his weaknesses, maximized his strengths, and bore the necessary costs to propel himself forward.
The answer was within reach.
Paaa!!!
At that instant, a brilliant surge of mana erupted behind Lennok, who floated in the air with his eyes closed.
The intense radiance, potent enough to illuminate the dark laboratory, slowly revolved behind him.
The magical light, endlessly emanating, formed a colossal concentric circle without any irregularities, where the beginning merged seamlessly with the end.
[This is…]
Davi, who had been crouched and wagging its tail, suddenly stood up. Just as abruptly, the concentric circles vanished.
With that, Lennok, who had been suspended in the air, descended gently to the room’s floor.
Davi remained motionless, patiently awaiting Lennok’s awakening.
“……”
[……]
“……”
[……Did he fall asleep?]
* * *
In the dimly lit office of a bar, shrouded in the darkness of night, Jenny sat alone.
She typed away on her laptop, having dismissed everyone else. Like Lennok, who was overseeing the conflict with the Cartel, her role was to manage and expand the business from within.
Moreover, many had become willing to cooperate with her side, unbeknownst to Lennok, especially after his dismantling of Cartel’s collaborative enterprises—an advantageous turn of events. Demonstrating the power and ruthlessness of the wizard who possessed at least half their strength had made it difficult for those who had remained neutral to coldly reject Jenny’s business proposals.
Of course, a legitimate business should not rely solely on fear or street reputation, but Jenny understood this underworld better than anyone.
Ultimately, what mattered was gaining the upper hand in the power struggle and wielding influence without restraint.
Controlling the distribution of materials in the underground was vital, especially since the Scavengers held sway over existing distribution networks.
If the notion that the Cartel could no longer protect them spread among these elements, Jenny’s business would become significantly easier.
‘And with Dray being surprisingly cooperative… Maybe I can involve some of their personnel in this business. Money isn’t an issue, so increasing the number of reliable staff should be feasible…’
Her thoughts raced, and her typing sped up accordingly.
Since the official network of the city government had extended its reach throughout Vulcan, accessing the megacity’s underworld had unexpectedly become more accessible.
Those who had integrated themselves into the vast city government network had naturally established their own gathering places.
While the underworld expanded through channels accessed via the unofficial deep web, the city government turned a blind eye.
Others might naively assume that it’s merely because it directly benefits the city government, but Jenny had a deeper understanding.
She was well aware of how desperately the elderly men holding key positions in the city council clung to the remains of their lives.
Their reluctance to take action against the deep web and the underground network, their passive stance on intervening in the underworld, all stemmed from this desperation.
The Black Consumer Project.
It was the final masterpiece of the megacity, designed for those who defied the constraints of time and struggled against fate.
Now, she awaited only the last fragment of that once-proud project, which had crumbled into obscurity.
Click!
Jenny paused her typing and leaned back, her hand sweeping across her face.
Her jet-black hair flowed down like a cascading shadow.
“This is preposterous…”
This city, drowning in unending corruption and indulgence, had once harbored a dream.
A dream of breaking free from predetermined destiny, escaping the shackles of time, and joining the great civilization shaped by magical engineering.
Who would have thought that all those aspirations and ideals would crumble with a single failure?
But the old men in the city council had undeniably changed after that failure.
Jenny didn’t know what the project had revealed, but she was aware that they still clung to its remnants. That’s why she was eager to resolve the current situation promptly.
If the Cartel’s chairman, who had remained in hiding for decades, decided to make a move…
The monsters from her era would begin to emerge, one by one.
And that would signify an unprecedented upheaval in Vulcan’s political landscape, which had remained quiet until now.
Gazing blankly at the ceiling, Jenny adjusted her position.
While Van was absent due to personal reasons, she had to accomplish as much as possible.
Expanding her business while confronting the Cartel exposed her to risks, but she was willing to take them, even if it meant relying on Dyke Corporation.
Missing the opportunity to enter the market would result in losing out to others.
She understood that it was better to secure a stake now, even at a loss, to maintain her position.
‘I’ve concluded the discussions with Panua. The rest depends on how cooperative they are…’
A year ago, with Van’s assistance, Dyke Corporation had ventured into the underground arms trade, boasting substantial capital and manpower.
There were rumors that they had acquired vast expanses of abandoned factory sites in the 50th district and were operating factories at full capacity, which would greatly assist with labor-intensive tasks.
In exchange, Jenny had no choice but to concede some of her business shares to Panua, but their collaboration was invaluable.
‘The Cartel must be in disarray by now.’
Lennok’s dismantling of their collaborative ventures was only the beginning.
As Jenny rapidly expanded by taking over the businesses Lennok had disrupted and claiming their market share, the Cartel began to exercise restraint, avoiding hasty retaliation.
It wasn’t just Jenny acting alone; Dyke Corporation was also exerting pressure, which must have rattled them considerably.
As Lennok had predicted, this upheaval wouldn’t be easily quelled, and more people would begin to notice the Cartel’s instability.
If one of the three heads of the underworld displayed signs of weakness, would people still adhere to the Cartel’s established order?
Lost in these thoughts, Jenny was engrossed in her typing when the office door swung open.
“Hey, aren’t you asleep yet?”
“…What do you want? I don’t recall summoning you.”
The person who entered the room was a formidable woman.
Her hair, extending beyond her shoulders, was not of flesh but comprised robotic components – Mad Manson, a freelancer, now stood before her.
