Harley (1) – (Free Last)
“Kruruk, kruruk···.”
A gray-furred monster was breathing heavily.
A monster that barely supports its body with two arms that are developed so much that they resemble a gorilla.
The bastard was already covered in blood from the wounds all over his body, dyeing his whole body red.
“Kueuuuu—!”
The monster straightened its back and let out a roar of rage.
He didn’t know who had suddenly attacked him, but he was a local lord who had been around for a long time.
Even if this body becomes a rag, I will never give in easily!
But the pursuers in the dark were in no position to consider such a man’s resolve.
[Be careful not to get hurt as much as possible. You’ll get in trouble again.]
The undead appeared as if seeping out of the shadows of the forest and surrounded the monster.
Leading them was Malcolm, a death wizard under Hans.
[The bondage of the underworld.]
Sharp chunks of rock rose from the ground and bound the limbs of the monster, while the surrounding undead rushed at the monster all at once.
“Kuuuuuck!”
But he didn’t just sit there and take it.
In an instant, his arms, bloated with swollen muscles, cracked as the rock mass that bound them began to bind.
Quadduk—
After breaking the rock that was stuck to my arm.
The guy hit the floor and even ripped off the restraints that were holding his legs.
In the meantime, he was stabbed here and there by the undead that rushed at him, but he held on with the strong vitality characteristic of monsters and began to run wild.
And the fight was going on longer than expected.
[Careful. Careful! Don’t kill. Don’t get contaminated. ···It’s difficult after all. Rebellion is not easy···. The bonds of the underworld.]
It was entirely because of the Master’s orders.
Capture them alive, uncontaminated, and as intact as possible.
If they were going to kill him and take his body, Malcolm would have been finished off long ago by himself.
If it had been possible to capture them alive, they would have been easily defeated by the combination of black magic and the undead.
But they are undead.
He was born from death from the beginning, and the basis of his energy is black magic.
To the sick, just by existing next to them, they are a being that spreads deadly aura.
For them, who spread death and curses as easily as breathing, completely captivating an opponent was more difficult than expected.
Malcolm was restricted in his use of dark magic, and other undead were forced to suppress their energy as much as possible.
This was even more problematic because the target was a monster with tenacious vitality that was difficult to stun.
“Krrrrrrr···.”
After putting in all that effort and using magic that was as less affected by black magic as possible, and the undead not sparing their own bodies···.
Malcolm’s men barely managed to subdue him, preventing him from resisting.
A gorilla-like monster that struggles under the undead with its limbs bound.
[Success… Now returning.]
But incidents always happen when we let our guard down.
“Kuung—!”
Kkwaduk!
[ah.]
At that moment when he had let his guard down for a moment, the monster, which had begun its final struggle, bit the ankle of the skeleton knight who was holding it down.
Crunch! Crunch! Gulp—
Not only that, he put the torn off ankle in his mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and then swallowed it whole.
The undead that rushed in immediately subdued the monster once again, but it was inevitable that it had already been devoured.
Because we had to capture it as whole as possible, we couldn’t even cut open the ship.
[hmm···.]
The damage the undead sustained could be easily repaired with black magic, but that wasn’t the point.
Of course, parts of the undead’s body weren’t exactly healthy food.
[The monster is strong, so that might be okay···.]
Since the diet of monsters is to eat anything they pick up, undead would be nothing special.
Malcolm carried the neatly packaged monster to Hans’ laboratory with a glimmer of hope, but…
puck!
Of course, it wasn’t okay, so Malcolm, who had become sensitive due to repeated experiments, had to go out to hunt again.
While repairing the back of my head, which was slightly worn down from being hit too hard, with black magic.
***
Hans was meditating with his eyes closed.
Of course, since I had no eyelids, I couldn’t really close my eyes, but it was still the same state of being deeply immersed in my inner world and unable to perceive the outside world.
It was to examine the infinite knowledge contained in “Forbidden Knowledge” and apply it.
The results are derived by combining the chimera and other biological research data contained there with the experimental information of the Buncheonhoe and inputting the results confirmed directly.
Hans, who finally came to his senses, looked down at Harley lying on the operating table and fell into thought.
[Hmm, it seems like the dragon’s blood has properly settled into the body.]
Now, nearly three months after the experiment began, the cave’s scenery had changed significantly.
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Flasks containing unidentified drugs, living tissue preserved using preservation magic, and all sorts of bizarrely shaped experimental tools.
In addition, strange magic circles and magical tools located here and there flaunted their presence by flashing cool lights.
The laboratory itself is that of a scientist who has lost his humanity and fallen into madness.
Considering that it is mixed with occult elements, it can be seen as being of even worse quality.
“It’s a little sore? I guess I’m not fully used to it yet. But it’s not enough to kill me.”
[Let’s give it some time and watch a little more. The reaction is faster than I thought. It seems like it won’t be long before the results come out. It’s just this body after all. Hehehe···.]
The experiment went smoothly.
A day from that.
“Ugh, I feel like something is bubbling inside me···.”
[Hmm, is this a side effect? I thought I could handle it with “adaptation”. I guess I should tone down the intensity a bit.]
Three days later again.
“Keukkuk— Cluck! Ugh!”
[Hmm… I think I’ve exceeded the limit of “super recovery”. What a pity. If I could have just gone a little further, I would have succeeded right away. Let’s try adjusting it a little.]
After a week like that.
“······.”
[···My consciousness isn’t connected. I can’t lose Harley now···. Hmm, maybe I should take a gamble? I guess I should use up all my remaining Dragon Blood.]
It was a little over three months after Hans and Harley began their joint research.
“hmm?”
[Finally, the mind is connected! I’m glad the gamble was successful. I used up all of the Dragon Blood, but since it’s still in Harley’s body, I guess I can continue my research. Heh heh heh···.]
“···But my body condition seems a bit strange···.”
At that moment.
《The individual grows by achieving the conditions. The skill “Adaptation” evolves into the special skill “Mutation”.》
《The individual achieves the conditions and blossoms its potential. It acquires the special skill “Physical Mutation.”》
《The individual’s recovery power has exceeded its limit. The skill “Super Recovery” evolves into the skill “Regeneration”.》
“oh?”
[oh?]
The two simultaneously let out exclamations at the messages that came to mind one after another.
“If it becomes like this···”
[The experiment was a success.]
It was a feat accomplished in about 100 days in Auterica time, or ten days in Earth time.
Of course, it was quite different from the result they wanted, but in any case, they achieved their goal.
“Mutation” is a trait that allows one to evolve through external genes, so strictly speaking, it’s not that different.
‘In the meantime, getting ‘Regeneration’ was an unexpected gain.’
Perhaps the cause was the transfusion of blood from monsters with excellent regenerative powers for experiments.
It was the first achievement I got as soon as I acquired “Mutation”.
But the joy didn’t end there.
《Unique skills grow and their potential blossoms. The number of avatars you can have increases.》
Because now I can create one more avatar.
‘Hmm… I really didn’t expect this.’
Until now, the number of Avatars has only increased through strengthening the Karma Shop.
This was the first time that an avatar had grown through natural growth.
‘There have been a few small growths so far. But this time, what kind of critical point has been crossed?’
Well, it was a time when growth was gradually accumulating and some results were beginning to appear.
The fact that rapid strengthening is possible through the Karma Shop means that the same result can be achieved through natural growth at some point.
‘The fifth Avatar… I just made Harley usable.’
It was a time when we needed to think about how to utilize new avatars.
Of course, it was a fun worry, unlike before.
***
It was the fourth month since Heinrich became a knight.
His current duty station was the Glorious Guardian Knights who guarded the interior of the Rosellia Grand Shrine.
This was a place where only those with proven faith and high divine power among the knights could join, but thanks to his superiors who noticed his potential, he was able to enter for training.
Heinrich’s divine power, which had grown steadily over time, was now at the top even among high priests.
The one who guided him was the blue-haired female knight, Lord Lyrin, a member of the Guardians of Light.
“Even if it’s called internal security, it’s no different. As you’ve probably seen elsewhere, there are several layers of defense from the outside. And this is where the knight commanders and archbishops also stay…”
Further inside there are saints, cardinals, and even the Pope.
Of course, it is unlikely that they will step forward themselves.
‘The saint who wanders around here and there is second to none.’
“Still, security is absolutely necessary. In particular, it is necessary to block the paths leading to important bases to prevent accidental entry.”
“If there are any important strongholds… where are they?”
It might be a place like a high-ranking official’s residence or a secret vault, but to be sure, I asked Lyrin, who was in charge of the tour.
A question asked without any particular meaning.
But she just looked at Heinrich with a worried expression.
“Hmm… I think this level of divine power should be okay… But still, rules are rules. Come this way.”
Following her lead into a corner of the main temple, Heinrich found himself in a place he had never been before.
A place where there are few people and I have never been before even though I have been working as a guard.
To be exact, it was a place that didn’t need security.
dripping-
“I’m from the Light Guardians. We have a new recruit and we need an oath.”
The door slid open with a light knock.
A man came out from inside and quietly guided them inside.
‘The Inquisitor.’
Black priest’s robes, a hood pulled down, and a mask covering the mouth.
This was where the heresy inquisitors of the Jushin Church worked.
I followed the silent man through a hallway that felt somehow dark and entered a windowless room.
“You can just sit in front of him and read the document in front of you.”
There was a document on the table where I was guided, and an inquisitor was sitting in the chair across from me.
I carefully sat down and checked the contents of the document with the words ‘Guardian of Light’ written on the top. It was a security pledge with nothing special about it.
A memorandum swearing to remain silent about matters learned during one’s work.
The moment I tried to read it.
Swish—
The person sitting in front raised a hand and placed it on Heinrich’s forehead.
I flinched for a moment at the sudden situation, but tried to ignore it and recited the contents of the document as if nothing had happened.
“······Accordingly, I swear to remain silent under all circumstances.”
After the reading of the document is finished.
Divine power emanated from the hand placed on the forehead.
“······.”
“······?”
And the inquisitor in front of him quietly put his hand away and said nothing.
“It’s finished. Let’s go.”
From then until I was led out again by Lyrin, I never heard another voice besides theirs.
“···Is it always that quiet there, without a single word?”
“Well, it’s better not to hear it again. Raising your voice means that the situation is not good.”
There’s no need to ask what that bad situation is.
“So what did you do? A ban to keep secrets from being revealed?”
“Haha… A ban? It’s a blessing. A blessing of silence. The effect is to prevent certain information from being leaked, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Isn’t it amazing?”
It’s forbidden!
It was no different from other gold items, except that it was based on divine power.
‘But since it’s a blessing in name, I don’t think they’ll do anything like blowing the person’s head off, right?’
“Haa···, so what is that important stronghold that needs to receive this ‘Blessing of Silence’?”
“Hmm, just wait a moment. I too have to follow the procedure and be silent before I can speak. It will only take a moment.”
The time spent waiting was definitely not a short moment.
But the information I learned after going through that complicated process was enough to understand why they placed such importance on security.
“······Because the important ceremony being performed must not be interrupted. And the saintess’s quarters······.”
Information about the residences of important people or secret safes was trivial.
“···Lastly, there is something you absolutely must know.”
In the heart of the church.
“A place that must be protected at all costs, even at the risk of one’s life, in case an emergency arises.”
‘That’.
“The last fragment of the Immortal King···.”
Compared to the fact that it is sealed here in the Roselia Grand Shrine.
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