“Was it… truly unavoidable?”
“Can’t you tell by looking around?”
The place was so messy that the word ‘ruins’ felt inadequate.
Even just looking at the chimera states of Bak Hyeok and Wang Sun, one could tell how fierce the battle had been.
“Even so… to think the person at the center of all these crimes has died….”
An Sang-ik let out a sigh; he and his adjutant were in a wretched state, and before long, Cheon Jong-un and An So-mi arrived as well, collapsing beside us as if they had used up every last bit of their mana.
“…I can’t fight anymore. There’s no end to this.”
“You’re right. Even though we set trap after trap, they kept rushing in endlessly, so we eventually had to destroy the magic circle. Just in case, there is a way out, right?”
I nodded at An So-mi’s question.
I had already identified the location of the exit.
Since it was a one-way passage, the exit and entrance were distinct.
The reason for such a design was simple.
It was because it was very convenient for security, but that wasn’t the only advantage.
‘Teleportation wouldn’t have been manageable. There would have been frequent movement for experiments, which would have caused massive mana consumption.’
In fact, this space itself would be maintained by utilizing the mana cost of a giant artifact called the Magic Tower.
Literally, one had to cross a boundary, so coordinate settings would be difficult, and because of the fluidity, teleportation would inevitably be unstable.
Therefore, it seemed they had chosen a one-way movement method.
“Rather than the exit, I think the priority should be to examine the interior further and identify those who can be rescued urgently, but are you that short on strength?”
“Do you want to hold my hand?”
“I won’t. For what purpose?”
“So you’ll know that not a single grain of mana remains in my body! You ignorant human!”
Go Yu-jin pulled back and restrained the convulsing An So-mi, and since everyone except Go Yu-jin and me was in a state of having exhausted their mana, An Sang-ik eventually spoke to me as the representative.
“Can’t we just bring people in anyway?”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to.”
An Sang-ik looked puzzled upon hearing my words, so I pointed to Cheon Jong-un and An So-mi, who were avoiding my gaze just then.
“It seems these two destroyed the entrance coming in. That’s why I’m telling you this, having judged that we need to look around the interior a bit more.”
“…Is that true?”
An Sang-ik asked while looking at Cheon Jong-un, and at the sight of him reluctantly nodding, An Sang-ik put his hand to his forehead.
“If… we cannot return to this massive experimental space…. What about the proof?”
This wasn’t a matter that could be resolved with simple proof alone. Therefore, I spoke quietly to the bewildered An Sang-ik.
“We just need to transform the exit into the form of an entrance. Then later, when we’ve finished all the work, we can transform it back into an exit and leave.”
“…That sounds like it means someone must be stationed here; is that correct?”
“Yes, a mage with the skill to easily transform the magic circle must be stationed here, but would such a person cooperate?”
It was an environment that was effectively no different from being isolated.
“…There are mages exclusive to the state, but most of them are very busy; they have research they are in charge of, too.”
“I have no intention of taking responsibility.”
“If so, would you give me a grace period of just one week?”
“I refuse. Do you know how much it costs to hire a 7th Circle black mage for a week?”
An Sang-ik cleared his throat.
In reality, the requests we handled were at a level where the payment was processed from fixed costs, but there was no set range for this task.
Furthermore, there was a reason I specifically mentioned a 7th Circle black mage.
It was because the magic circle was so complex that it was difficult to touch unless one was at the level of a 7th Circle black mage or an 8th Circle mage.
In terms of understanding and applying formulas, it was a part that was only possible by reaching a certain level of mastery, but the problem was that even if one understood them, they would get stuck at the application stage.
In the end, he would have to request one of the ten black mages in the country or one of the four remaining 8th Circle mages, but they wouldn’t all be cooperative, and there was no one who was the head of a group or as deeply involved with the government as to take on such a task.
If there was a person who could be resolved with ‘money’, it was me.
“If a sub-space of this size were to be closed, the state would suffer an enormous loss, but our position is that ‘it’s none of our business’. Moreover, there are traces everywhere that an 8th Circle mage spent years painstakingly renovating this space, and various facilities have been improved for research purposes. Compared to research facilities currently owned by the state, these facilities would be two or three steps more advanced.”
Even that was said while highly evaluating the government facilities.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to follow in its footsteps.
“What do you want?”
“Literally, ‘money’. You’re surely going to tear plenty away from the Magic Tower anyway, and you’ll collect an enormous amount of data from here under the pretext of various investigations, so considering that research performance and various materials, what do you think would be an appropriate value?”
“You spoke as if you were going to give an answer; why a sudden question?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know either. Even if it’s not my specialty, doesn’t chimera research, which falls under alchemy, eat up astronomical amounts of money?”
An Sang-ik nodded seriously. In fact, the government was also attempting to transplant partial chimeras into soldiers.
The reason was that when one suffered an injury on the battlefield, a part of a chimera’s body was easier to replace and faster to recover than a human body.
And because those who had experienced such circumstances preferred to survive somehow rather than die, it was frequent for soldiers closer to the battlefield to want partial chimerafication.
“I’ll try to negotiate with the government, so how much do you want?”
“Let’s go simply. 10 trillion to the Association, 10 trillion to the Black Tower, and 1 trillion each to old man Han Sang-gil, me, and Yu-jin; how does that sound?”
“Does that seem like a plausible amount?”
“Then just forget the whole thing. I won’t do it because it’s a hassle anyway.”
As I moved my feet, I spoke to Go Yu-jin, who was frozen in bewilderment.
“Let’s go. It seems there’s nothing more to see.”
“Wait!!”
At An Sang-ik’s urgent shout, I turned my head slightly, and he let out a sigh before speaking.
“…Give me one, no, two days…. I’ll somehow try to negotiate!”
“It’ll be problematic if you change your word later, so please swear. A Knight’s Oath.”
“You’re telling me to risk my life on an uncertain matter; this facility isn’t that great to me.”
“If that’s the case, we can all just leave together. Is there anyone here to whom this facility is important?”
No one raised their hand.
At that, I smiled at An Sang-ik, and An Sang-ik, whose expression crumpled, snapped at me.
“Wipe that face off; I feel like I’m being mocked. Two days. Two days! I’ll somehow finish the business and come back.”
At his words, I pushed Go Yu-jin and An So-mi’s backs while saying I understood.
“This isn’t a place for ladies to be, so please go out with Captain An Sang-ik and cooperate with the external business. Let’s try to tear away a huge amount this time.”
Go Yu-jin had an absurd expression, but An So-mi nodded her head fiercely with a face like a fan who had met her favorite character.
My feelings were complicated because it felt like An So-mi was increasingly becoming obsessed with money.
Afterward, while checking the interior, I dragged out all those who were hiding and moved busily to rescue the people who had been captured for experiments, and after working hard for a while, I ended up sending everyone away as if pushing them out.
Before long, in a situation where I was left alone, the reason for remaining in the sub-space was simple.
‘Because there is an object I must look for here….’
I moved my feet toward the destination.
After moving to the lowest floor, the place where the most important experiment—the true purpose of this facility—was being conducted, I examined the magic circle that was holding out without having completely disintegrated and moved toward the wall where that magic circle was connected.
‘Rather, it would be correct to say it was confirmed because most of the magic circles were ruined.’
After reaching out and infusing mana into the magic circle, I began to undo the ‘locks’ while shaping patterns in various forms.
I clearly felt that something great was hidden inside. And remembering Pi Jin-hyeok’s unique mana pattern, it was when I changed the pattern, judging that it might be the final password.
[ User’s mana pattern has been confirmed. ]
[ Opening the Private Laboratory door. ]
With a small mechanical sound and a ‘creak,’ the space widened enough for one person to pass through.
‘A private laboratory…. This experiment itself is private, yet he hid it even more secretly in here….’
What on earth was Pi Jin-hyeok trying to hide by conducting experiments through such multiple layers of concealment?
Being so curious about that part, I moved inside.
Then, my speech was cut short by the interior facilities, which were nothing short of flamboyant, and the countless large flasks.
‘He was really committing something enormous.’
Chimeras of all kinds existed; they were full of things difficult to describe in words, and I confirmed that most of them were in a sleeping state after completing full transformation.
As I walked through the interior and examined the state of each test subject, there was one subject that particularly caught my eye.
‘Was he doing an experiment to merge a Lich and a Death Knight?’
I thought it was a very interesting experiment, and I proceeded to examine the experimental process one by one through the device attached to that flask.
As a result, a surprising fact was revealed, making my heart throb.
-Year XX, July 13th, Experiment Number 1331. I will induce mutation synthesis by turning the Lich of Li Hai-rak of China, who was a 7th Circle Black Magic Master, and the body of Japan’s Sword Saint, Soichiro Kanjiro, into a Death Knight. –
-Year XX, August 7th, the synthesis of the two test subjects is not difficult. If the mana patterns are properly engraved, the problematic mutation process can be omitted as much as possible for synthesis. I see it as a definitely good sign that the part where conflict occurs was offset and guided to the point where they coexist. –
-Year XX, October 30th, I eventually achieved a perfect synthesis of the two test subjects and was able to find a miraculous result. My heart still feels like it’s trembling to the point of madness. –
In the video, Pi Jin-hyeok was seen leaving a record with a face full of excitement, and just then, the voice of a woman was captured in the video.
-Are you still obsessed with those measly videos? –
-Measly videos? This is a sublime record that captures a historical moment, literally a recorded heritage for future generations. It’s to the point that I feel sorry because ignorant humans can’t understand it. –
‘Who is it?’
It was an unfamiliar voice, yet it felt familiar. I was confused because it was a memory of having heard it somewhere, but this day’s record was the last, and the next day’s record was contained therein.
-Year XX, October 31st, they say miracles occur in trivial parts, and it seems those words are not wrong. The mana of the two test subjects who completed synthesis yesterday has become one. Until now, experiments would have ended in a form where one side was lost. However, their mana merged and resonated, and one should note the fact that 1+1 became 3, not 2. I intend to call this a miracle, considering it a reaction for transcending a certain limit. –
It was a surprising story.
I pride myself on knowing a bit more than basic knowledge about chimera research, but there had never been a case like this.
No, to induce such a situation, one would perform chimera combinations by finding the same species or species with matching attributes.
However, in no experiment had a result like this ever come out.
I will move toward the next step using this test subject as a stepping stone. Although it seems to be a situation limited to black magic, I believe the possibility is sufficient because I gained the realization from my Master that a mage can also master black magic for whatever reason. –
‘…?’
It was the last video, and the date was the last record from three days ago.
I noted that Pi Jin-hyeok had discovered something great and tried to attempt it, and the fact that Bak Hyeok had learned black magic and the mention of him mastering it amplified my anxiety.
‘The woman and Bak Hyeok; there must be a connection. Moreover…. this laboratory might not have been operated for a simple purpose.’
Something beyond Pi Jin-hyeok’s capability was visible.
‘I feel like the clues for raising my level and the grudges I need to find are becoming further entangled; it’s unpleasant.’
My sense of unease pierced the sky.
