Chapter 218: Taking Medicine (1)

Jenny, with Lennok’s help, began to quickly organize the collective schedules of the Cartel’s cooperating businesses.

She was able to glean not only where and how the businesses made their appointments, but also the reasons behind their meetings, albeit briefly.

Girard, in order to save his own skin, had revealed all the core information, including the Cartel’s management proxies, to Lennok.

As Lennok skimmed through the related schedules, he noticed something and pointed at the monitor with his finger.

“Jenny, look at this.”

“What is it?”

“The frequency of business ownership transfers is abnormally high. It’s evidence that the movement of businesses within the Cartel is constant.”

At Lennok’s words, Jenny murmured as if she had realized something.

“Could this mean that there’s a factional struggle going on over there? If so, it makes sense that the Cartel hasn’t engaged in an all-out war yet…….”

“It’s probably safe to say that’s the case. And considering that they’ve provoked us first, even though they know there’s an internal power struggle, it’s possible they’re trying to use the current situation to sort out the organizational hierarchy.”

Lennok said that and fell into deep thought before speaking again.

“Girard knew I couldn’t miss this, yet he still handed over this information first… I wonder why he chose to reveal the Cartel’s internal conflict first…”

Slowly closing his eyes, Lennok quickly recalled the Cartel members he had met so far.

Their words and actions, the subtle nuances felt in their expressions, and the timing of Jordan’s abduction.

Stopping his thoughts at the image of the sunglasses-wearing Virgil, Lennok raised his head.

“Perhaps it’s not just a factional struggle.”

“……What?”

“If it were an internal power struggle, the organization might have united due to external issues. Yet, the confusion within the Cartel is accelerating… It’s evidence of a traitor within.”

“……”

Jenny slightly opened her mouth and looked up at Lennok.

“And Girard is likely on the side that has betrayed the Cartel… a force that won’t face repercussions for revealing this information to me.”

Having reached that conclusion, Lennok immediately stood up and said,

“Find out which executive-level manager was most closely connected to Girard. It’s unlikely to be Virgil O’Reiden.”

“……What do you plan to do once you find the executive who betrayed them?”

“That depends on how they respond. Given the circumstances, the faction that betrayed us is likely the one that provoked us first… I’m starting to see how this will all play out.”

Lennok’s eyes gleamed coldly.

“Once we’ve finished cross-checking the information from Girard, we’ll need to destroy the Cartel’s business meeting on the 14th.”

After cross-checking and confirming the authenticity of Girard’s information, there was no reason to hesitate.

Since then, Lennok, along with two or three colleagues who weren’t needed to guard the bar, focused on destroying the Cartel’s businesses.

They had to act aggressively before the other side realized their information was leaking.

True to the Cartel’s identity as a corporate alliance, the organization itself was impossibly vast,

but it was possible because there were so many limbs that could be cut off without feeling a thing.

“There hasn’t been any significant movement from them since Girard.”

Kwaaang!!

Kilian, transformed into a wolf over 2 meters tall, kicked a mercenary charging from behind as he spoke.

The mercenary, his stomach pierced by the horse-like kick, died instantly.

As the battle reached a lull, Lennok drew upon his magical power.

Fzzzzt!!

Successfully securing the last remaining business executive alive, Lennok erased his traces as he responded,

“That was probably a solo act on his part. And after someone of that caliber was taken down, it’s not surprising they’re being cautious.”

“That’s rich. You’re saying that after you captured him yourself?”

Kilian bared his canines and chuckled, but Lennok ignored him and continued,

“Moreover, considering your Dyke Corporation and the Antares Mercenary Group, they’re probably hesitant to engage in an all-out war right now… Especially since they’re likely keeping a close eye on Antares’ movements.”

It goes without saying that Antares holds a certain level of prestige and skill in this world.

Although they haven’t officially taken Lennok’s side yet, it’s clear that the mercenaries under their command are leaning heavily in his favor.

It wouldn’t be strange if they thought that making a rash move could lead to them being exploited by even a single member of Antares.

Lennok knew that Antares’ abilities were on par with, if not superior to, the Cartel’s executives.

“So, you’re saying they’re wary of the connections you have… This is interesting. People usually don’t just blurt out such things.”

“……”

Peeok!!

After striking Kilian’s elongated snout with a concentrated burst of magical power, Lennok spoke again,

“It’s well-known that I’ve collaborated with the Agents for a while. If they think Evelyn Marcia might get involved, it’s understandable they’d want to assess our capabilities, even at the cost of taking damage.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t want to see that woman’s face either…”

Kilian’s sentiment, muttered reluctantly, was not hard to understand.

Unlike Antares, who had never shown off their skills, Hyun-gung Evelyn Marcia, as an Agent, had faced off against countless formidable opponents.

Considering her unwavering stance even against Croken Asylus, the Cartel might be as uneasy about the Agents’ involvement as Kilian.

After erasing all traces of their presence, Lennok stood up, brushed off his hands, and turned away.

It was a precautionary measure, but so far, there hadn’t been any issues.

“Alternatively, the Cartel might be focusing on rooting out the internal traitor, causing administrative delays. In the worst case, they could be biding their time to deploy an unexpectedly powerful asset… which would mean we have a lot more to prepare for.”

While they were wreaking havoc on the Cartel’s businesses, causing losses exceeding tens of billions of cells, Lennok never forgot that the situation could change at any moment.

The Cartel was not an organization bound by a strong sense of camaraderie.

Strictly speaking, it was a corporate alliance—a massive organization formed by powerful subsidiaries.

The executives managed the larger subsidiaries under the chairman’s loyalty, but the connections between individual subsidiaries were tenuous.

This was one of the few vulnerabilities of the Cartel, which had grown to become one of the three heads of the underworld.

How this weakness could be exploited depended entirely on Lennok’s judgment.

“……I hate complicated matters. Is there really that much to worry about?”

At Kilian’s exasperated words, Lennok let out a small sigh.

“I know, right? It’s ridiculous.”

If they could just mobilize their available forces and launch a full-scale war against the Cartel, there would be no need to calculate and consider so much…

But as long as the Cartel’s leader remained intact, it was impossible.

A powerhouse among powerhouses, controlling a third of the metropolis’s shadows.

An old fox of a businessman who hadn’t appeared in public for decades.

With information about him cut off for so long, it was hard to grasp the specifics, but the fact that he had been commanding this vast organization for decades suggested he was an extraordinary monster.

Considering Virgil’s skills as an executive, the chairman was undoubtedly an even greater powerhouse.

Rushing in recklessly would be dangerous.

They needed to exploit the Cartel’s internal chaos, weaken their forces as much as possible, and simultaneously expand their own operations.

While doing so, they would identify the Cartel’s traitor, negotiate, and use Girard to gather intelligence on their capabilities.

This was the best they could do for now.

But this approach would have to stop for a while.

“I’ll be away for about three days. Even if something unusual happens, I might not be able to respond.”

Lennok said.

“I’ve already informed Jenny and Dray, but just in case, I’m counting on you if anything happens.”

Mad Manson wasn’t easily trustworthy, and Dray’s personal combat abilities weren’t particularly strong.

Among them, only Kilian and Weian seemed to meet Lennok’s trust and possess considerable combat skills.

As Kilian shifted back into human form, he shook his head.

The tattered rags he had been wearing after transforming into a wolf were noticeable, but he paid them no mind, grabbing the clothes of a nearby fallen person and putting them on as he spoke,

“I can’t understand. Why would you need to leave during such a sensitive time? Could it have something to do with those rumors going around?”

Dyke Corporation, the Agents, the Antares Mercenary Office.

And now, entangled with the Cartel, one of the three heads, Lennok was increasingly drawing attention, along with a certain rumor.

There was talk that his astonishing magical abilities and combat instincts were not innate but the result of rigorous training, and that he had been dispatched to the metropolis as a talent.

The conflict between Lennok and the Cartel was rumored to be part of a larger scheme by an unknown force to seize control of the underworld.

At Kilian’s sullen expression, Lennok let out a soft laugh.

Unlike others who, despite their closeness to him, were cautious about overstepping boundaries, Kilian was a reckless thug who didn’t care about such things.

That’s why he could so casually ask Lennok about the rumors.

“No.”

Lennok replied.

“I need to take some medicine.”

“What kind of nonsense… Who’s going to believe that?”

At Kilian’s grumbling, Lennok didn’t respond, instead slightly raising his head to look at the sky.

The moon, just rising in the evening sky as the sun set, seemed close to a full moon.

The time Yakson had mentioned for taking the elixir was approaching.

In the darkness of Lennok’s home,

he realized that managing his recently increased assets had left him with enough funds to move, but unfortunately, there was no time.

He had heard that there were some decent studio apartments available near the 10th district, but it seemed he wouldn’t have time to look into it until after finishing this job.

Lennok thought this as he looked up at the full moon rising outside the window.

“Not a werewolf…”

This kind of sentiment seemed more fitting for Kilian, the werewolf, rather than Lennok.

But since Yakson had personally set the time for taking the elixir, he couldn’t argue.

Moreover, she probably didn’t even remember giving him the medicine.

Click.

He slowly opened the rough wooden box, hidden and protected by various barriers and magic.

He picked up one of the twenty elixirs, placed at the edge, and closed the box again.

The side effects of the medicine would last for three days.

Yakson had examined Lennok’s body and asserted this, so it shouldn’t be less.

He still didn’t understand what it meant to stimulate the entire nervous system to improve his constitution, but he would find out once he took the elixir, whether he liked it or not.

Even though he knew he was at a critical juncture, his hand holding the elixir hesitated.

At this point, Lennok was questioning whether he could trust Yakson.

“……”

It was a naive thought.

He could feel the comforting excuses echoing in his chest, overcoming his fear.

Maybe things were fine as they were.

Hadn’t he managed well until now?

He didn’t need to rely on others. He could handle things on his own.

Taking such a risky, unpredictable substance into his body was no longer—

Gulp.

Contrary to his echoing thoughts, Lennok’s hand moved.

He put the elixir into his mouth and swallowed it without chewing.

He grabbed the water bottle he had prepared beforehand and drank it down in one go.

He remembered the first time he had taken an elixir.

After teaming up with Mila to exterminate a contaminant, they had split the earnings and finally saved up 100 million cells to buy Stemonia, a type of elixir, from an online auction.

Even the medicine he now took occasionally for recovery and detoxification had made him tremble with fear the first time he had taken it.

Despite possessing the mental fortitude and rationality of a powerful mage, he still felt the same emotions and fear.

Knowing that his humanity remained, he didn’t hesitate for long.

He knew that if he didn’t act before everything he had built came crashing down, it would be too late.

Piiing-!!

The symptoms appeared quickly.

In the moment he felt a sharp pain in his temples, Lennok’s head was already slammed into the ground.

Kooong!

“……!!”

A hot current raced through his body—arms, legs, internal organs, head, and chest—without discrimination.

The sensations transmitted through his spasming limbs went beyond mere stimulation, turning into excruciating pain.

When he thought about moving his legs, his fingers twitched; when he tried to turn his head, his waist contorted.

It felt as if the connections between his body parts had been severed and then haphazardly reconnected.

Lennok’s powerful rationality desperately tried to remember and process even these misconnected sensations.

In the stark disconnect between his mind and body, he felt the small fox spirit, Davi, looking down at him with concern.