Genius Wizard Takes Medicine Chapter 22

Direct Job Request

The store was spacious, larger than most supermarkets.

All kinds of guns and bullets were packed tightly across the displays, and quite a few customers besides Lenoch were carefully browsing the products.

In this world, buying and selling guns and ammunition was not considered strange.

It was a somewhat unfamiliar sight for Lenoch, but it was clearly part of the world he now lived in.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Amid the ear-splitting rock music, people were testing weapons on one side of the store.

“This magazine is too large. It presses against the collarbone when shouldered.”

“The muzzle heats up too quickly. Recommend something more durable.”

“The spray is too severe. The zeroing is off.”

Customers complained and muttered while using all kinds of technical terms.

Lenoch joined them and began looking over the weapons on display.

Just moments ago, he had been seriously thinking about how to improve his magic.

Now, he had come to a gun shop with a clear plan.

During his fight with Crocken, Lenoch had been pushed into a corner and instinctively used the shooting-support combo magic from his Magic gunner days.

Through that enhanced shooting ability, he had discovered a new possibility.

‘With four auxiliary spells cast on a cheap pistol, I still managed to make that monster react. If I study this properly, I might get decent results.’

No matter how extraordinary Lenoch’s talent was, his magic capacity was still limited.

Increasing it would take time.

However, auxiliary magic was highly specialized compared to ordinary common magic, and it consumed relatively little mana.

If he applied shooting-support magic to a decent firearm, he could greatly increase his firepower while using only a small amount of mana.

Of course, his talent was focused on magic, not marksmanship.

He had to be careful not to reverse the order of importance.

Even so, for Lenoch at this moment, it was undeniably an attractive option.

While thinking that, Lenoch picked up a submachine gun and examined it.

A middle-aged man with a thick beard approached him and spoke.

“You’ve got a good eye. That’s a decent piece. It’s reinforced with steel from an Achilles affiliate, so its durability is excellent. It also has a balance stone embedded inside, so there’s no need to adjust the zeroing.”

The man naturally took the gun from Lenoch, loaded it with practiced movements, and aimed it into the air.

Click.

He pulled the trigger, but since the magazine was empty, nothing happened.

The man patted his protruding belly and laughed loudly.

“If I had to go to war right now, I’d pick this Pistoque-4.”

Lenoch did not answer.

Instead, he glanced at the price tag hanging from the display.

His decision did not take long.

“I’d like to look at other products.”

“Is that so? Well, an SMG might not be to your taste. In that case, how about this?”

The man rummaged through the display and pulled out a long rifle, completely different from the submachine gun he had just shown.

“Sightglass-992. Among assault rifles, it’s one of the most delicate and sensitive models, but its accuracy and hit rate are perfectly tuned. It’s a work of art. Ideal for use in urban environments like this.”

Lenoch silently checked the price tag and shook his head.

The assault rifle in the man’s hands was five times more expensive than the Pistoque submachine gun.

What Lenoch wanted was to test the potential of shooting-support magic enhanced through auxiliary spells.

Until now, he had managed with a cheap pistol, so there was no reason to buy expensive equipment just for testing.

On top of that, those weapons were too heavy for Lenoch’s frail body to carry comfortably.

He would have to keep the firearm with him all day while working, and the heavy barrels would be a burden.

If he could apply a constant weight-reduction spell to a weapon, it might be different, but he had not researched common magic to that level yet.

When Lenoch politely refused, the man clicked his tongue in disappointment but did not push any further.

“A picky customer, huh? But that’s the right attitude when dealing with guns. If you find something you like, bring it to the counter. I’ll personally match the ammunition for it.”

The man patted Lenoch on the back and cheerfully walked off to find another customer.

Lenoch rubbed his aching back and watched him go.

The man’s hands were so rough that it would not have been strange if Lenoch’s barrier had activated.

Ignoring him, Lenoch carefully examined the guns on display.

If there was one fortunate thing, it was that Lenoch was not completely ignorant about firearms.

Thanks to his experience playing as a Magic gunner, he could roughly understand the general traits, strengths, and weaknesses of different guns.

Before choosing one, Lenoch reminded himself of the most important conditions.

‘It needs to be durable enough not to break when mana is infused into it. If not, it should at least be made of metal with good mana conductivity.’

He clearly remembered what had happened when he cast four auxiliary spells on the inspector’s pistol.

The gun had shattered completely after a single shot.

He needed to avoid choosing a firearm that would break the moment he used shooting-support magic.

‘Automatic fire would be nice, but a weapon designed for single shots would suit me better.’

Lenoch’s magic capacity had grown greatly since he first awakened it, but it was still not enough for him to use magic freely.

Even if auxiliary magic consumed less mana than other spells, casting several spells for every shot would quickly drain him.

Applying magic to dozens of bullets fired every second would be too much.

It would be wiser to choose a firearm focused on single-shot power and apply auxiliary magic to each shot.

‘Considering cost-effectiveness and portability… there are only two real options.’

A pistol.

Or a sawed-off shotgun.

After narrowing his choices down to those two, Lenoch hesitated briefly before picking up a revolver.

It had strong single-shot power, though reloading took time.

That weakness could be covered to some extent with auxiliary magic.

Considering the low price, he could not expect excellent quality, but it would still be much better than the cheap pistol he had taken from the supervisor’s room.

Lenoch picked up a revolver labeled Synox and headed straight to the counter.

The bearded man checked the gun in Lenoch’s hand and grinned.

“You picked something sturdy and affordable. Synox is a well-known name among budget products.”

As he spoke, the man rummaged behind the counter and placed a handful of ammunition in front of him.

“Synox ammunition costs 500 Cel per round. Including the bullets, the total comes to 300,000 Cel. How does that sound?”

“I’ll take it.”

“Great!”

The man laughed heartily, quickly packed the gun into a long case, wrapped the ammunition, and handed everything over.

After taking Lenoch’s card and checking his ID, the man gave him the packaged items.

Lenoch naturally slung them over his back and returned to his room.

When he arrived home, he checked his phone and found a message waiting for him.

There was only one person it could be from.

Jenny.

[A good job came in. Duration: half a day. Pay: 20 million Cel. It’s a direct request for a wizard. If you’re interested, come by tomorrow.]

“Twenty million, huh?”

Considering that a giant corporation like Baritz had offered fifty million, this was quite a large sum for a mere mercenary office to offer.

Perhaps that was because it was a direct request for a wizard.

Either way, it seemed worth hearing the details.

“I need to start researching auxiliary magic quickly so I can test it during this job.”

After sending Jenny a reply saying he understood, Lenoch immediately opened the case and placed the revolver on the floor.

He picked up the revolver, Synox, and carefully infused it with mana.

His first task was to find the most efficient and powerful auxiliary-magic combination for this weapon.

As Lenoch’s mana flowed into it, the gun barrel in his hands began to glow blue.

The blue light leaking from Lenoch’s studio did not fade until night had turned into dawn.

“There’s a request from the Grimgald Mercenary Office. They’re planning to reclaim a building, and they need a wizard for fire support.”

“Is that why the pay is so high?”

Jenny nodded at Lenoch’s question.

“The Baritz request didn’t ask for a specific role, so the pay was fixed at fifty million Cel. But when someone hires a wizard for a particular job, it’s customary to raise the price considerably. Demand is always higher than supply.”

Lenoch took a sip of his drink and thought over Jenny’s words with a crooked smile.

A mercenary office.

If he ever worked with mercenaries again, he had assumed it would be Dylan’s Antares Office. He had not expected to deal with another office this soon.

“I’d like to hear the details. What building are they trying to reclaim?”

“The Scavengers occupied a shared office used by a financial consulting company and started using its power facilities without permission. The company couldn’t cut the electricity because they might lose all their transaction data, so they were forced to leave. Grimgald accepted the consulting company’s request and is preparing a reclamation operation.”

“So the mercenaries hired by the consulting company want to hire me separately.”

“Exactly. Grimgald is one of the more successful private offices in this area, and they usually have a few wizards of their own. The fact that they’re looking for extra magical support probably means something happened on their side.”

“What exactly do they mean by fire support?”

Jenny shrugged.

“It’s nothing complicated. wizards like you, Van, are very useful in urban warfare. Just stand behind the mercenaries and cast spells when needed. It’s much easier than sneaking into a cosmetics factory and blowing it up.”

“Hmm…”

Lenoch seemed to think it over, but his mind was already made up after hearing her explanation.

The way Jenny kept recommending it suggested that the job was not as difficult as the generous pay made it seem.

Besides, if all he had to do was provide firepower from the rear instead of fighting directly, it was the perfect chance to test the auxiliary magic he had been researching.

Jenny watched Lenoch for a moment, then casually slid another file in front of him.

“If you don’t want to get involved with mercenaries, there are other jobs too. All of them specifically requested you. Looks like the story of the wizard who survived Crocken’s hands has spread a little in this field.”

“……”

If Evelyn had not appeared, he would have been dead.

What meaning was there in that reputation?

Jenny did not notice Lenoch’s calm gaze and continued cheerfully.

“There’s plenty of time, so you can decide slowly. But personally, I think the Grimgald job is the best. Mercenaries are very sensitive about money, so they rarely cheat or delay payment.”

“Does that happen often here?”

“How many thugs and scumbags do you think there are in this field? There are plenty of people who cut ties the moment business is done.”

“……”

“That’s why people like us make a living by taking commissions. We sell trust and safety to both clients and freelancers.”

Every time Lenoch met her, he was reminded of how good she was with words.

A personnel office.

Even though she was essentially brokering jobs and taking a cut, Jenny spoke with confidence and without shame.

Lenoch chuckled and nodded.

“Grimgald. I’ll take it. When and where?”

“Sector 53. Tomorrow at eleven in the morning. I’ll send the exact location through communication.”

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