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Chapter 16 : The Owner of the Laboratory
I opened the locked door and entered.
Inside the building, where the lights flickered, pitch-black darkness and bright light alternated.
It was an atmosphere where something would rush in as soon as you took your eyes off it.
For a normal person, it was a ruin that was scary to set foot in.
“This is creepy.”
Е n umǎ
Hella muttered, wiping away the dried blood that stained the wall.
“Be careful, you don’t know where the Corrupted might be hiding.”
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“Don’t worry about me, just don’t get in front of me. If you get hurt, I can’t save you.”
“I was planning on it anyway.”
I still didn't know much about druids, but it wasn't a profession that used its body like a knight or a warrior.
If anything, the request right before this, where I fought the goblins, was an exception.
Е̂n ũm̈а́ ..īd
When with a colleague, the principle was to act in the rear like a normal mage.
‘I’m more used to that.’
The profession I had played the most was a mage.
It was more comfortable to focus on support rather than fighting directly on the front lines.
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Thud! Thud!
The sound of footsteps echoed.
W ê b̃n̆о̊v̇ ël̊ È.nů m̄а̄
Even after passing the first floor and entering the second floor, I couldn't feel any presence.
Instead, only a space that was a mess, as if a thief had ransacked it, came into view.
It seemed that the city's cleaners had already gone through it once.
The research data left behind by the dark mage was a valuable item that mages and corporations alike would search for with their eyes lit up.
The gold rolling on the floor must have caught their eye more than the threat of the Corrupted.
Only when we approached the central laboratory did we finally face a different scene.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“You pig, you ate a lot.”
Hella frowned and kicked one side of the wall.
The pile of corpses, shaken by the impact, collapsed.
The large bite marks on the upper body were bizarre.
It wasn't the work of a person.
It was the gruesome scene of a Corrupted finishing its meal.
Ẁе̇b́ nо v̄е l̆ Е n um̌ a
“They haven’t been dead for long.”
I swept my finger across the floor.
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The blood that stained my fingertips dripped down.
It was proof that the meal had been recent.
“Wait, it seems there were a few guys who challenged this before us.”
Hella, who had been searching the corpses unlike me who had been looking around, said.
Ë ñ ǔ ma. і̌d̃
As she said, unlike the majority of the corpses in white coats, three of the corpses were peculiar.
They were dressed in armor and equipped with weapons.
They were closer to mercenaries or contract killers.
“Looking at these guys, they were taken down without even being able to resist properly.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I examined the corpse that Hella had dragged over.
I hadn't learned to perform an autopsy professionally, but I had the eye of a hardcore player.
Ẽ n̆ ü ṁа
I had a rough idea of what had happened.
“A surprise attack.”
“That’s what I think too.”
They had died without even being able to react properly to the Corrupted's attack.
Since Hella, a mercenary, and I had the same opinion, it was almost certain.
“Tsk, guys with no skills act up and get themselves killed.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Hella clicked her tongue, as if she was in a bad mood.
But in her eyes as she looked back, there was a clear sympathy.
Her two hands covered the eyes of the wide-eyed corpses and closed them.
“...This is strange.”
My eyes were momentarily captivated by her surprisingly gentle nature, which was unlike her fierce impression.
I felt a sense of wonder as I observed the corpse.
Еn̂um̊ а .і̀ď
“What is?”
“If one person was ambushed, can the other two usually not react?”
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“That’s true.”
Hella narrowed her eyes.
She also seemed to be suspicious of my question.
‘Were the three of them not a group?’
Éň ǔ m̃ а
But in my case, the office had arranged for a partner.
That's how dangerous the Corrupted disposal mission was for an individual to take on.
Let's assume it was a mission they had taken on individually.
If they were skilled enough to take on a mission alone in the first place, would they have been ambushed so helplessly?
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‘Then this is…’
I had a rough idea.
Ě nūm̃а̀_.і d
As a byproduct of various experiments, the Corrupted were diverse, but their behavioral patterns did not deviate from a few major categories.
One of them was…
‘There it is.’
A surprise attack from the darkness where it had hidden its presence.
[The World Tree is startled and on guard.]
Hella's shadow, which stretched far and led to the opposite entrance.
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Right above it, an unidentified silhouette flickered ominously.
Swish!
The moment I extended the World Tree's stem.
Swoosh!
And the moment Hella extended her weapon were simultaneous.
Crunch!
W̊ е̊b̌ n̊ о_v е́ l̈ Ӗ ńu m̌_ӑ
“Kiaaaak!”
The Corrupted that had been aiming for a surprise attack let out a ear-splitting scream.
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Hella approached the creature, which had been thrown into the air, unable to withstand the impact, in one go.
Whoosh!
A flash of light flickered in the darkness.
The long spear shaft held in Hella's hand cut through the air with a clean, unadorned trajectory.
Wе̄b̆ nоv̊ е̂l Еn̆ǔmа̃
Slice!
The flash of light that had split its snout in half drew a graceful semicircle and then came down vertically again.
The Corrupted's enhanced bones, which were known for their hardness, were cleanly severed in one slash.
It was a clean, unadorned finish.
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“Damn it, that scared me.”
Hella's belated exclamation fell on the collapsing body of the Corrupted.
Е ṅ ùm̀ а̄
Judging by her stiff face, it seemed to be an instinctive action rather than a calculated one.
‘Not bad.’
I was inwardly impressed.
Hella's counterattack was carried out at a speed that was difficult to even follow with the eyes.
Since there were no mistakes in her instinctive movements, it was right to call her a skilled martial artist.
‘She’s also skilled in handling mana.’
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The flash of light that had raced along the trajectory of the slash was a harmony of the mana she had emitted.
A technique of directly drawing out mana with a weapon, beyond just strengthening the body with mana.
It was the true value of a mercenary, who was guaranteed a certain level of skill on average.
“I thought my heart was going to drop. Where did it pop out from?”
“It was hiding in your shadow.”
“Really? The guys who came before us deserved to die then.”
Е ńu m̀ a
Hella frowned.
It was an ability that was almost impossible to avoid being hit by first.
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This was the reason why the difficulty of requests related to the Corrupted was set high.
‘She’s confident enough to handle it on her own.’
And Hella was a mercenary who had been entrusted with the job by her boss, even if it was a punishment.
She had aimed at the enemy with her animal-like senses even before I had warned her.
Еnǔ m a. і̄ d̈
Her reaction time was not much different from mine, who had already anticipated it.
A response made in the realm of instinct was easy to mistake for a lucky coincidence, but it was a skill in its own right.
‘She’s worthy of making a name for herself in the future.’
They say you can recognize a promising tree from its cotyledons.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Hella was definitely the mercenary I remembered, not a namesake.
“I’m one thing, but your skills are pretty good too. You definitely have the talent to stubbornly refuse my help.”
Ѐn̈ů m̌ а̄ .і d́
The gesture of tapping my shoulder was quite friendly.
Did her favorability towards me increase now that she had seen my skills firsthand?
It was just confusing.
“Stay alert. It’s not over yet.”
“What? We killed that one.”
“Not that one. There are more.”
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The veteran mercenary quickly understood my words.
“...Aha, so that’s why they all died the same way?”
At least one per person.
Then it could explain why the three who had died had all been ambushed in the same way.
“This is a headache. Do we have to check every single shadow?”
“There’s no need for that.”
Ŵ е̊b̈ n̂о̄v ēĺ Е nu_m а̄
I confidently stepped forward.
“What are you going to do?”
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“I’ll find them, and you cut them down.”
“Will that work?”
“It will.”
I wouldn't have even mentioned it if there was no way.
Е̌ n um̆ а̄ . і̌ d̈
‘Of course, it’s impossible with my detection ability…’
It was one thing to sense the sign of a surprise attack, but it was difficult to find a Corrupted that was deliberately hiding.
I knew methods using oil and torches, but they came with risks.
Fortunately, I was able to think of a simpler method.
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“It’s time to earn your keep.”
When I whispered softly, the spirit, understanding my words, moved forward.
Е̄ ň u m̌_a.і̃ d
Its flight, which drew an inefficient trajectory, fully expressed its fear, but my heart did not weaken.
I hadn't asked it to do something it couldn't.
The spirit was invisible to everyone except me, a druid.
The same went for the Corrupted.
Since there was no chance of it getting hurt, that was just an exaggeration.
‘As expected.’
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
And the search using the spirit immediately proved its effectiveness.
The spirits, who had detected the ominous dark magic everywhere, announced the presence of the Corrupted.
“One at the corner ahead.”
“You found it already?”
I told Hella the location of the Corrupted closest to her.
Hella, who was half-convinced, half-doubting, got into a half-crouching position.
W ĕbn̊о̂ v̄е̄l Е̊.n u m а̀
“I can’t see it. What if I miss because I don’t know the exact location?”
“I’ll hold its ankle, so just cut it down.”
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I reached my hand towards the floor.
In my eyes, the form of the Corrupted was clearly visible.
The faint light emitted by the spirit became a lantern and informed me of the enemy's location.
Swish!
W eḃ ń o ṽ е l Е̂ ṅůṁ a
Following my will, the World Tree's stem dug into the concrete.
“Kieek!”
The stem that had protruded from the blind spot grabbed the Corrupted's ankle.
At this point, it was like setting the table and even putting the spoon in its mouth.
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A long spear, with a shimmering heat haze of mana, pierced the body of the restrained creature.
The Corrupted couldn't even move and offered up its life.
Е ñ um̊a
“What, it’s real?”
Hella, who had easily disposed of another one, looked back at me.
A faint heat flickered in her blinking pupils.
“I don’t know what kind of ability it is, but this makes things easier.”
Hella chuckled.
The work order we had chosen for the difficult Corrupted extermination was simple.
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It was a repetition of accurate searching and a single blow that took a life, simple labor.
***
Thwack!
The sharp spear blade pierced the Corrupted's crooked head.
The monster's body convulsed and then went limp, and a silence fell in the room.
Hella pushed back her sweat-soaked bangs and asked.
E n̆ ům̈ а̊
“This is the last one, right?”
“Probably.”
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“Hoo, there were so many. What kind of experiment were they doing?”
We had killed nearly twenty Corrupted in the laboratory.
Even if it was a repetition of simple labor other than the first battle, it was enough to get tired of.
It was also the first time I had exterminated so many Corrupted in one place.
Ẃ.е̃ b̄ǹо̃ v̌еl Еnu̇m̂ а̄
The Corrupted were a byproduct of dark magic research, and the number of individuals depended on how terrible the dark magic they had researched was.
And the dark magic researched in this laboratory boasted a considerable level of contamination, as far as I knew.
“Chimera research.”
I answered, skimming through the torn documents that were trampled on my feet.
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The artificial life form, the chimera. It was one of the main subjects that dark mages were eager to research.
It was not a common research.
Ӗ n ü m_а̀
This was because there were many difficulties in securing the necessary facilities, drugs, and test subjects.
As such, once a research was started, it left many aftereffects, as they did not want to leave any regrets.
“They researched something so damn crazy. But how do you know that?”
“You can get a rough idea if you read it.”
Although mainstream mages did not acknowledge it, dark magic was also a school of magic.
Thanks to the knowledge of a great mage that remained in my head, I could grasp the outline of what kind of experiment it was just by skimming through some of the data.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“You have a lot of talents. Are you sure you don’t want to come to our office?”
“I remember you saying you wouldn’t ask twice.”
“Take it as a sign that your abilities are that attractive.”
Hella was serious.
“If I were alone, I wouldn’t have been able to dispose of the Corrupted so easily. With that eye and reconnaissance ability, you’re more than capable of pulling your own weight anywhere.”
I inwardly let out a dry laugh.
Е́n ǔḿä .īd
‘What a thick face.’
I thought she would shut up if I showed her my abilities, but instead, she was shamelessly enthusiastic about her recruitment offer.
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But it didn't look bad.
A mercenary should have this much shamelessness.
It meant that I had proven my abilities, so it was quite pleasant.
“Not yet.”
Е̃ n ů m̂ ā
“Not yet? You said you were just refusing before.”
“That was when you were joking. But you’re not now, are you? If it’s a good office, there’s no harm in knowing about it.”
In any case, from a general standpoint, a mercenary's status was much better than that of a contract killer.
Since I didn't know how my circumstances would change in the future, I judged that it wouldn't be bad to maintain a connection if she thought well of me.
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“Alright, I’ll tell the old man in advance, so come find me if you feel like it.”
“Okay.”
W̆ ëbnо̄ v е̊l̆ Е numа̄
“Then let’s go back now. We have a lot of time left, how about a drink?”
I didn't answer Hella's suggestion, which she had made with a whistle.
I was tired of ignoring her subtle advances.
It seemed that this face didn't only have advantages.
“……”
I couldn't readily turn my steps.
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The disposal of the Corrupted was finished.
But apart from the request, there was a lingering feeling of unease that had not been resolved.
‘I haven’t confirmed where the sense of the magic that was heading inside was connected to.’
Wasn't the dark mage still here?
“What are you doing?”
“...Just a moment.”
Ẁе̃ b̈n ǒ v̀ěĺ Еnŭm̊а̌
I suddenly realized.
‘The spirit I dispatched earlier hasn’t returned.’
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The behavior of the World Tree, which was still holding its leaves upright, caught my eye.
Was it warning me?
Its body tilted and pointed to a corner.
“Break that wall over there.”
Ẃеb̂ ǹ о̃v̀е̌ ĺ En u ḿа
“What?”
“Just do it.”
Rumble!
The spear blade cut through the wall and broke it.
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The revealed scene was not the outside.
“...So you were here.”
Еňǔ m̃ ӑ . ĩ d
The sense of magic that I had felt heading inside was not wrong.
Had they distorted the space?
In a laboratory that was twice as large as the central laboratory, an old robed figure stood up.
“If you had just left quietly, you would have died peacefully, consumed by the curse. You are foolishly hastening your painful demise.”
Long, flowing hair and a short-cut beard.
The blackened eye sockets and gaunt frame gave a haggard impression.
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Hella poked my side.
“...Who’s that?”
“A dark mage.”
That appearance, close to a ruin, was a typical portrait of someone engrossed in dark magic.
“The owner of this laboratory.”
The dark mage faced us, exuding a cold, murderous aura.
Ẃе̇b̊ n̊ о̃ v̂ е_l̈ Е́n ū m̈а̊
(End of Chapter)
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