The hidden passage was long and complex like a maze. Without the map function, we might have never been able to find our way out. Although frequently opening the menu screen slowed our pace, we steadily made our way deeper.
We encountered several Failed Homunculus along the way, but Karl defeated them all with an unrelenting fury. It seemed that after leveling up in the boss fight, he was eager to gain more experience points since he was on the brink of his next evolution. Unless we encountered a dangerously formidable foe, I decided to let Karl do the fighting on his own.
――――――――――
Isam discovered the hidden area “National Production Factory”.
10 SP is allocated as a reward for this discovery.
――――――――――
“What is this place? It looks like a factory…”
“Grrrrrr…”
After walking around for several minutes, we finally reached the end of the hidden passage. What lay beyond was a space resembling a factory that used chemical substances, named “National Production Factory”… It was undoubtedly a sinister place. Anyway, the reward for discovering a hidden area was quite a treat.
The walls and ceiling were chaotically covered with metal pipes whose connections were indecipherable, and large glass cylinders connected to these pipes were filled with fluorescent green and murky purple liquids. These chemicals looked obviously dangerous.
The pervasive stench was also terrible. In addition to the typical pungent smell of chemicals and the stench of rotten eggs, there was also a musty smell of mold and a strong animal odor. If this were in the middle of a city, it would probably make the news as a foul-smelling incident. Karl seemed to dislike it as well and he was furrowing his brow in disgust.
“If you think about it normally, it would probably be a production factory for Failed Homunculus … but it certainly emits a rather eerie atmosphere.”
The place was unlit, generally filthy, and very much like the secret factory owned by a villain. I loved it! The gloomy and unethical research vibe was just brilliant!
I decided to keep the hidden passage and transform the entire factory. Shiitake…. hasn’t logged in yet, huh? Neither has Iris. So, for now, I’ll focus on exploring this place.
By exploration, I meant that tampering with the machinery and risking an explosion was out of the question. Since it looked like a lab, I decided to search for documents like research reports that could explain what had been and was currently being conducted here.
I explored the factory with Karl, following the walls. During our search, we came across glass containers containing what appeared to be human fetuses, which confirmed without a doubt that this was a production facility for those Failed Homunculus monsters. It was not only the technology that intrigued me; I hoped to uncover the story behind how this place came to be.
“Uh, good, there’s a room. An office, or perhaps a research lab? What should I call such a facility attached to a factory?”
As we walked further, I found a room and peered inside to see a pile of what seemed to be documents and books. I wasn’t entirely confident in the exact terminology, but for now, I would refer to it as a research lab. Reading the materials here should help me understand the purpose of this place.
The door to the room was not large enough for Karl to enter, so I went in alone. However, I didn’t want to leave him waiting too long, so I quickly picked up a few important-looking documents to put in my inventory before planning to exit.
“Hmm, all these books seem related to alchemy. Interesting, though not something to read right now… Huh? What’s that on the floor… whoa!”
While I was sifting through the books and selecting based on the spine labels, something bumped against my left foot. I thought something must have fallen to the floor, but then, to my surprise, that something grabbed my ankle tightly!
The one that had grabbed my ankle was a skeleton wearing a robe resembling that of a mage… essentially, one of my own kind. I reflexively struck it with my staff and shattered it with a single blow. It seemed to be an unevolved, weak creature, but it had scared me enough to nearly stop my heart!
“You really gave me a scare… Whew, I really wish you hadn’t… But wait, why would such a weakling be here?”
The “Secret City of the Mist Weeping Princess” was supposed to only contain creatures of at least level 60. And yet, here was this weakling, as if it belonged in a beginner’s area? Something was clearly amiss. There had to be a reason.
I examined the area where the skeleton had been lying. A book had fallen between a desk and the floor. When I picked it up, the cover indicated that it was a diary. When I used [Appraisal], the result came back as the “Diary of an Old Court Alchemist”.
I had found a diary in Firth’s’ underground as well, so it made me wonder if mages or alchemists in this suspicious lab tended to keep diaries? Well, it didn’t matter. Gathering information was the top priority.
“Hmm, it seems that the owner was a researcher here… and this place was a facility for the production of homunculus. Homunculus? Not the Failed Homunculus?”
The first part of the diary was conspicuously reminiscent of an old man rambling about politics at a bar, complaining about the instability of the domestic situation, the lack of foreign diplomacy, and so on. Interspersed with these complaints were entries about his work, which indicated that this research facility was a pet project of the Duke of Septen, who ruled the Septen Duchy.
What was being produced here were homunculus…. not the Failed ones. Unlike the eerie monsters currently wandering around, these homunculus had the appearance of humans and were apparently used as obedient labor and military forces.
“Ah, there’s a skip in the dates… here we go. This is what I want to know.”
The Duchy of Septen flourished thanks to the homunculus it produced. But then it faced an invasion by the Lichtenburg family, who wanted to steal the technology and the throne. They fought desperately but were overwhelmed by a surprise attack that resulted in the destruction of their army and the occupation of their capital.
But the Septen Duchy was not to be subdued so easily. They activated a large-scale emergency teleportation magic located in the castle, escaping with the castle, its underground treasure room, and the production factory.
At the moment of teleportation, a soldier from Lichtenburg damaged the magic circle of the teleportation spell, causing the coordinates to go wildly off course. As a result, they were then transported to the continent of Timbrica which they also called the Dark Continent, along with those who had remained in the castle.
“It’s completely subjective to criticize the Lichtenburg family for being evil or malicious, so I’ll set that aside… I see, so that’s why the castle alone seemed oddly beautiful.”
Those who had remained in the castle continued to fight even after landing in this unexpected location, and it seems that the Septen Duchy eventually claimed victory. However, they were far from unscathed. All the royal family members except for Catherine had perished, and the survivors were few in number.
Despite their efforts to rebuild the nation, they found it difficult to adapt to the new environment. One by one, they died, and it seems they even struggled to find enough food for daily meals.
Then tragedy struck. Catherine, the last surviving royal, also died. She had been frail to begin with and the added stress proved too much for her.
The loss of the royal family and the symbols of the nation deeply disturbed those who remained. In addition, the homunculus that was supposed to serve as a workforce for the nation’s reconstruction suddenly became uncontrollable. The diary ended with a note saying that the cause was probably a difference in climate…. leaving traces of blood.
“After that, they came back as immortal undead… I’m not sure if that’s the right way to describe it, but they began to move nonetheless. Why this happened, I do not know…They died first, so it can’t be helped.”
I collected the diary and left the laboratory to meet with Karl. We then decided to leave the factory for good. Although I liked the atmosphere here, I didn’t want to stay in a place where I didn’t know when those Failed Homunculus would attack.
When I checked again, other members were also logged in, but today I decided to work with just Karl. So let’s just continue like this.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
I sent a message to everyone with the map information of the factory’s corridors, and then we left for the field. As usual, a dense mist enveloped the outside of the palace, which was irritating, but I quickly rode on Karl’s back to escape it.
“…Let’s cut down the large tree that generates this mist.”
“Guoo.”
Karl let out a cry as if to say he agreed. The dense mist that obscured visibility was a nuisance for everyone. So let’s shatter this tree into pieces as soon as possible for Karl’s sake.
Since all other misting ash trees had already been cut down, there would be no issue once we stepped outside the city. Once out of the mist’s range, we searched the skies for prey and spotted a lone monster striding boldly along.
“That must be the Armored Poison Panther, if I remember correctly.”
It was a formidable foe, combining the defensive strength of its metallic fur, the deadly power of its poison fangs, and the speed of a panther. I remembered the fight during our only encounter. We had managed to defeat it with magic while Jigoro distracted it, but it had been a close call when it slipped past Jigoro’s flank and almost reached us in the rear.
Moreover, it had been particularly dangerous then because we had been caught off guard. But now, it seemed like we might have the advantage of surprise on our side. Should we go for it?
“…The enchantment is complete. Karl, as soon as my magic hits, charge!”
“Guoo!”
“Good boy. Star Magic Circle Activation, Spell Adjustment, Burnout!”
“Gyyain?!”
One of the most powerful instant spells hit the Armored Poison Panther squarely on its unprotected back. The surprise attack was successful, significantly reducing its health and lowering its resistance to fire attacks. It was a great start!
“Guoooooo!”
Karl then charged while continuously spewing balls of fire from his mouth. Although the panther was quick enough to dodge the fireballs, it couldn’t escape from Karl’s close pursuit. Karl and the Armored Poison Panther became entangled, fiercely biting and clawing at each other.
At this point, the enemy was almost certainly doomed. Karl had his stats boosted with [Enchantment] and I could heal him at any moment. The panther’s venomous fangs were dangerous, but I could cure any poison instantly. It might hold out for a while, but it was unlikely to turn the tables on us.
――――――――――
You have won the battle.
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
The race level of your familiar Karnaghtul has reached its growth limit. Evolution is possible.
Karnagthul’s master, Isam, must perform the evolution.
The job level of your familiar Karnaghtul has reached its growth limit. Job change is possible.
Karnagthul’s master, Isam, must perform the job change.
――――――――――
“Guooooooon!”
Without any surprising turnarounds, Karl won the close combat battle and achieved victory. Finally, it seems he reached Level 30. It took so long! And it was indeed a joyous occasion!
I have a pretty good idea of what he could evolve into, but still, I can’t help but feel excited. I happily navigated the menu screen to start his evolution and job change.
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