The Ruined Laboratory
As I yanked his hair and lifted him, his hollow eyes glared at me. What did he think he could achieve by staring me down like that? The look in his eyes made me want to end him right there, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
I needed to extract every bit of information I could from him about the ruined laboratory, as I knew next to nothing about it. I activated my third eye, focusing on him.
“The creature before you can be classified as a revenant. Unlike typical revenants, however, they possess both physical bodies and emotions. During the height of the ancient Hol Plain’s prosperity, its arrogant inhabitants conceived an experiment. They aimed to become gods and create a new form of humanity…”
After skimming through the information that surfaced, I gently released his hair. With a thud, his head hit the ground, and I slowly raised my foot.
“Vivian.”
“Yes?”
Vivian responded calmly to my call. Her gaze at the revenant was indifferent. Among our group, only Vivian had maintained her composure since we entered the dungeon. She had experienced her own share of life’s ups and downs, so this was nothing new to her.
“Do you remember anything about this laboratory? Anything at all?”
“Hmm…”
Vivian pondered for a moment, then glanced at the revenant before speaking.
“I don’t remember much, but it seems like these people were experimented on.”
“Experimented?”
She nodded a couple of times, and by now, everyone was focused on her words. The once menacing revenant had become a mere backdrop.
“Yes. There was a time when both magical engineering and alchemy were flourishing. I vaguely recall hearing about a laboratory established to create new humans.”
“And then?”
“I don’t know. For some reason, it was shut down and buried. I can’t remember well, but this creature might be one of the unfortunate humans sacrificed in those experiments.”
“I see.”
Vivian concluded her explanation succinctly. I brought my foot down hard. The sound of a skull cracking echoed, and the hallway was quickly stained with blood. I looked down at the creature, ensuring it was dead with no further movement.
The others wore indifferent expressions, but Jeong Ha-yeon and Shin Sang-yong, who had never seen this side of me, stared in shock. They were used to my quiet demeanor, so my sudden boldness surprised them. Ignoring their reactions, I turned to Sol.
“An Sol.”
“Yes…”
Sol replied in a timid voice, but when I frowned, she quickly raised her head. She knew from experience that I was different in combat situations.
“You’ve practiced holy spells, right?”
“Binding, protection, and healing…”
Her voice trailed off. If only she knew the Holy Striking spell, it would be incredibly useful. I clicked my tongue in disappointment and turned away. Sol seemed to want to say more, but I didn’t have the luxury to listen to her murmurs now.
“We’ll proceed further inside. Be prepared for any traps or ambushes. Our primary goal is to secure a retreat and explore the building based on the current passage. And Jeong Ha-yeon?”
“Yes.”
“Can you maintain the light spell continuously?”
“I can, but if I do, I won’t be able to use double casting.”
Double casting with rapid incantation. She’s learned almost everything a mage needs. Rapid incantation alone was sufficient. I nodded and moved forward, maintaining our formation.
“Come forth, Queritatus! Slayer of the 14th Legion!”
”───. Cone of Aqua!”
A deep, wailing sound filled the hall as a magic circle appeared, echoing from the abyss. This was Vivian’s chimera summoning. Simultaneously, cone-shaped, dark red water masses rose from the blood of the fallen revenants on the floor, a display of Jeong Ha-yeon’s skill.
The revenants, seemingly annoyed by the constant barrage of spells from the mages behind us, began to swarm. My defenses were so tight that some revenants started to flank us. I raised my voice immediately.
“An Hyun, revenants are gathering in your direction. An Sol, Shin Sang-yong, provide support.”
“Ugh, again? Damn it! What kind of creatures are these?”
“Understood, leader. ───.”
Amidst An Hyun’s furious shouts and Shin Sang-yong’s calm response, I let my sword flow to the side. I felt the sensation of slicing through something solid, likely a revenant that had tried to exploit my momentary distraction.
“Graaaah!”
I managed to make it stagger by slicing its shoulder, but it was relentless. Even with one arm nearly severed, the revenants kept coming at me. It seemed I needed to crush their heads to stop them, just like the deadmen we encountered in the initiation ritual.
However, targeting their heads was too much to ask of the others. Deadmen were slow compared to revenants, making it easier to aim for their heads, but revenants were different. With human-like forms and much more agile movements, it was still too difficult for them to target the head.
The formation where An Hyun and Yoo Jung were positioned was gradually being pushed back, but they held their ground. All the support from Jeong Ha-yeon, Shin Sang-yong, An Sol, and Vivian was focused on them. Meanwhile, I was handling a large number of revenants alone without any assistance.
My sword danced. Having reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, each movement carried a profound intent. I deflected an attacking revenant’s hand with the flat of my blade, causing it to strike another revenant’s face. I swiftly cut down the two, who stared at each other in confusion.
With each swing of my sword, two or three revenants fell, but their places were quickly filled by others. I had already taken down over thirty on my own, yet their numbers showed no sign of dwindling, which was starting to irritate me. We were fighting in the first-floor hall of the laboratory against a number of revenants that was at least twice that of the hundred landmoles we had previously battled.
”───. Shackles!”
At An Sol’s incantation, a crashing sound came from the left. I wanted to check on the others, but I had to prioritize thrusting my sword into the throat of a revenant lunging at me with its mouth agape.
“Hng! Ugh!”
I heard Yoo Jung’s voice, letting out a sound that seemed oddly suggestive, but whenever she made such noises, she always exceeded my expectations. In chaotic battles like this, Yoo Jung was more suited than An Hyun. As if to meet my expectations, her lively swordplay spurred me to quicken my own pace.
Slice. Slice. Slice. Slice.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
But it was only for a moment. I continued to swing my sword with a bored expression. With each strike, a revenant’s head was severed, falling to the ground. It was inevitable. My current level of swordsmanship and abilities were so high that I couldn’t fully utilize them.
In the latter part of my first cycle, I lived each day intensely. In battles where a moment’s carelessness could lead to death, there was no room for boredom, only thrill and tension. Having grown accustomed to such a life, the battles I faced now felt like child’s play in comparison.
After this expedition, I planned to apply for official clan registration once we regrouped. The fact that a group of zero-year users had discovered and conquered two dungeons in less than two months was already noteworthy.
I intended to leave the city immediately after applying and embark on one last expedition. I expected the approval to come through while we were exploring the Cave of Wails. Even if it didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. The chances were slim, and I was confident that adding the Cave of Wails to our achievements would guarantee approval.
When the time came, hiding my abilities would be foolish and cowardly. Everything has its time. Instead of hiding indefinitely, it was more advantageous to reveal my skills while riding the momentum, enhancing the clan’s value and attracting talented individuals.
“Uh…?”
Lost in thought, I realized my sword was slicing through empty air. Startled, I looked up to see the revenants, who had been relentlessly charging at me, hesitating and retreating. It wasn’t unusual for them to feel fear, given they had emotions, but why now…?
I suddenly realized my mistake. Bored by the monotonous battle, I had been distracted, thinking about future plans, and hadn’t been paying attention to my swordsmanship. I had been pretending to fight while holding back, leaving room for improvement. But lost in thought, my body had instinctively reverted to my original swordsmanship.
As a result, a pile of revenant corpses had accumulated before me, each with clean, precise cuts. I worried they might find it suspicious, but fortunately, my concerns were unfounded.
“Phew. Thanks to Vivian, we survived.”
“Hehe…”
Yujeong and Ansol wiped the cold sweat from their brows, staring into the void. Following their gaze, I too looked up and saw a terrifying presence exuding an overwhelming aura. It was the Screaming Executioner, summoned by Vivian, ruler of the 14th Legion. This beast, commanding the 10th Legion, seemed to wield considerable power.
The others might have thought the undead were terrified of the Executioner, but most of their eyes were fixed on me. Thanks to Vivian’s timely intervention, I let out a sigh of relief and regrouped.
“Pant… Pant… Sol, can you heal me now?”
“Heal? Just take a potion for now.”
Anhyun, struggling with close combat, panted heavily as he clung to Ansol. Sol quickly handed him a potion and began muttering a spell.
The battle entered a brief lull. Jeonghayeon seemed fine, though her face showed signs of fatigue from casting numerous spells. Her move to entangle the undead’s path with Cone of Aqua was a brilliant strategy.
I hadn’t seen Shinsangyong fight, but since Yujeong remained unharmed, his support must have been commendable. I chuckled at the thought of what might have happened if I had come here with just the kids, without meeting these allies.
Vivian, who had been watching me, spoke up softly.
“Suhyeon. Suhyeon.”
“What?”
“What should we do?”
She pointed into the air. She was also capable of wiping out the undead in an instant. Before leaving the city, I had advised her not to intervene too much, allowing the others to develop their skills. Only if things got truly dire should she unleash her full power.
Her judgment this time seemed different from mine. I thought we could still handle it… But since she had already summoned it, I nodded slightly. Vivian’s face brightened, as if she had been unsure herself.
With a chilling smile, she commanded her summoned creature.
“What are you waiting for, Queritatus? Wipe them all out. Leave none behind.”
In response to Vivian’s command, Queritatus let out a scream that resonated through its entire body. I watched with interest as it emitted a dark mist. As a class that didn’t appear in the first round, it piqued my curiosity. If nurtured well, two Chimera Alchemists might rival the powerful secret class of Spirit Summoners.
While I pondered these thoughts, the mournful cries of the undead filled the hall. The kids seemed to have adapted, no longer flinching at the gruesome sight. Anhyun, with his fierce nature, even cheered on the summoned creature at times.
It took less than two minutes for Queritatus to sweep away the remaining undead.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Royujin.
Ah, why does today feel so exhausting? Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but my body isn’t what it used to be. I’ve been feeling stiff all day. I must avoid going out late at night from now on. Ah, I’ve updated the 85th episode’s afterword. I’ve also added new replies. I was outside at the time, so I couldn’t ask a friend to write replies for me. Haha.
『 Replies 』
Saramin: Congratulations on being first. Here’s a reply disguised as a heal. I hope you recover quickly. :)
Suya17: I also get surprised sometimes. I post and immediately click, and suddenly there are comments pouring in. Wow?
dddfaaaf: Oh, I had many concerns while writing, but I’m glad it resonated well. Thank you. :)
Rati Doll: Yes, with high-level insight, you can even gather information from a pebble on the road. Haha.
GradeRown: In the Hall Plain, there is indeed an underground space called Hell. In the first round, the protagonist fell into that hell due to certain circumstances. Our Suhyeon is a tough one who climbed back out. Hehe.
Cheonjipae Hwang: Indeed. The ghost was unlucky. Of all people, it had to mess with Suhyeon… ㅜ.ㅠ
Face Value: Thank you. I’ll continue to provide even richer content. Thanks for the coupon. (__)
3d33d: Rather than a sequel, I’m planning around 600 episodes. Considering the first part is expected to be 600 episodes, is there a possibility for a second part? Haha. I’ll think about it when the time comes.
Amish: Yes, it grabbed the lower jaw and tore it off. From the ghost’s perspective, it was a bolt from the blue. ㅜ.ㅠ
Because I’m This Kind of Man: Yes, I hope you enjoy this episode as well. Thank you for the comment.
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I always read all the comments repeatedly.
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With that, I’ll take my leave for today.
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