kscans

Chapter 152 - Boss Battle and Treasure, Part Two

A three-hundred-centimeter-tall human emerged from the flask.

Its appearance was similar to the homunculi we’d encountered, but the extraordinary presence it radiated was on another level entirely. As it appeared, the flask submerged, as if an emergency measure had been triggered to let it run rampant.

I activated Discernment.

Individual: Artificial Human.
Nature: Magic Stone Fusion, Magic Nullification.
Magic: None.
Skills: None.
Weakness: Command-focused.

This thing was seriously bad news.

"It has no reason!" I warned. "It will only do what it’s been ordered to! Which, I can only assume, is to kill intruders."

"Understood," Tina said. "I can tell it’s incredibly strong. I’ll provide support from a distance."

With that, she created some space between us.

I drew my sword and charged it with lightning. Just then, the homunculus—the Spagyrist—let out a roar. At the same time, lights flared to life on the surrounding walls.

Apparently, it had no intention of fighting in the dark. That was a relief for us.

The Spagyrist looked around, then charged straight at me, swinging its massive right arm. I dodged to the left. Its fist slammed into the ground, and a deafening crash echoed through the room.

Its physical strength was immense. A direct hit would mean instant death.

"Lightning Flash!" I shouted.

I swung my sword in a horizontal arc to my right.

The blade ripped open the Spagyrist’s stomach, and blue blood gushed out. But the wound regenerated instantly, healing as if nothing had happened. The Spagyrist, unfazed, threw a punch with its left fist.

I tried to dodge, but my right foot caught on something and I tumbled to the ground. The Spagyrist had stuck out its leg to trip me. The fist descended upon me as I lay there. I couldn't even defend, let alone evade.

Just then…

"Water Shot!!"

A volley of water bullets slammed into the Spagyrist.

The attack stopped. Its nullification meant the water did no damage, but it had been enough to make it flinch. I seized the opportunity to escape and regain my footing.

"Thanks. You saved me," I said curtly.

Tina’s expression seemed to say, Don’t mention it. The Spagyrist looked around, then leaped high into the air, landing near a shelf against the wall.

From there, it picked up two glass test tubes containing green and red liquids.

Then, it poured the red liquid into the green test tube and shook it a few times, as if conducting an experiment.

The Spagyrist then hurled the test tube with all its might.

But it fell short, shattering in the center of the room. A yellow mist began to spread from the spot. Anyone could see what it was: poison gas.

"Tina! Cover us with wind, now!" I yelled.

Tina reacted instantly.

"Tornado!!"

A tornado formed around us.

The mist couldn't reach us, but the surrounding shelves and desks began to melt.

Acidic mist. Without the wind defense, we would have melted and died.

On top of its physical strength, it had medical knowledge. What a ridiculously overpowered combination. I wanted to complain.

"Fire Shot!!" I roared.

I fired a volley of fireballs.

Not straight ahead, but up into the air. The fireballs flew over the top of the tornado and spread fire around the room. It was a meaningless attack—just a feint to buy time.

But the Spagyrist saw it and threw a test tube filled with a blue liquid. It shattered, and ice spread from the point of impact, extinguishing the flames.

Seeing that, I had an idea. "Alright. So that’s how it is. Tina, I have a plan."

I whispered it in her ear.

"Understood," she said. "Either way, I have no means of breaking this stalemate. Good luck."

She took her stance.

I leaped out of the tornado. The poison mist was still in the air, but I extended the sword in my hand toward the ceiling. With Matter Conversion, I stretched the sword like a whip until it pierced the ceiling.

Swinging like Tarzan, I moved through the mist-free space and landed near the Spagyrist.

The Spagyrist saw me and prepared to attack.

The next moment…

"Wind Disc!!"

A spinning disc of wind slammed into the wall of the room, leaving a deep gash with a deafening crash.

Seeing this, the Spagyrist shifted its gaze from me to Tina, as if changing its target.

The Spagyrist reached for a test tube from the shelf, but I closed the distance in an instant.

"I won’t let you!"

I poured magic into my sword, which had returned to its normal state, and slashed.

The Spagyrist’s torso was deeply cut, and a massive amount of blood spurted out. I continued my assault, showering myself in blood as I relentlessly slashed at it.

I severed its right arm, right leg, left arm, and left leg, then hacked its torso to pieces. Finally, I sent its head flying.

Covered in blood, I gasped for air. The Spagyrist’s body, mangled beyond recognition, dissolved into water like melting ice and vanished a moment later.

Confirming its demise, I said, "Looks like it worked. Just as planned, I guess."

I sat cross-legged on the floor with a wry smile.

Tina approached. "But why did it react that way just from damaging the wall?"

To her question, I replied, "The Spagyrist’s order was probably to ‘protect the laboratory.’ It didn’t react when the floor was destroyed or the equipment melted because there was no danger of the entire place collapsing. But when I set those fires, it rushed to put them out. It must have determined there was a threat to the lab. A powerful attack on the wall could have caused a cave-in, so it changed its target to you."

Killing intruders was synonymous with protecting the lab. That's why it had been trying to kill us. Tina still looked puzzled, as if to say, Is that really how it works?

Just then, the back wall rumbled and slid upward, revealing a door.

"Defeat the boss and a new path appears," I said, my voice dripping with exasperation. "What is this, a dungeon crawler game?"

It seemed the master of this place had a playful side. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made a setup like this. If they were serious about protecting their secrets, killing the boss would have just triggered the next trap.

I stood up and walked toward the door. Just in case, I activated Detection. No hostiles on the other side.

I opened it cautiously.

It was a study. Shelves were filled with various medicines and tools, and books were crammed everywhere. On the desk, five books were stacked high.

But what intrigued me most was a strange box on the desk.

It was a wooden box, about the size of one that would hold six pastries. I opened it to find only an LCD screen. When I used Analysis, it revealed a mechanical structure behind the screen.

Some kind of device? If so, there should be a manual.

I rummaged through the desk drawers. I found a bundle of papers, and on the cover was written, Instructions for the Monster Interpreter. The name on it was Paracelsus.

Paracelsus. Real name, Theophrastus von Hohenheim.

A Swiss physician and alchemist. He also had a vast knowledge of chemistry and was the researcher who discovered the four elements. According to some theories, he was the first to create a homunculus and was said to have made the Philosopher’s Stone.

I had figured out his identity from the homunculi. There are no records of him ever coming to another world, but he was said to have advocated for a philosophy of a terrestrial world, a celestial world, and a spiritual world.

Perhaps coming to this world taught him the true vastness of the cosmos.

"This isn’t what the nobleman wanted, but I’m taking it," I said. "It might come in handy."

I picked up the box.

A translation device. I had no intention of befriending monsters, but it had a high probability of allowing me to get information about ambushes or other attacks.

As I thought this, Tina spoke up anxiously. "But that would be embezzlement. Isn’t there something else we can find to distract him?"

"Don’t worry," I said. "When I used Detection on this place, I found a hidden room. Try moving that bookshelf over there."

I pointed.

Tina did as I said and moved the shelf. Sure enough, she found a door. I told her there were no enemies, and she opened it.

Inside was a dazzling hoard of gold and silver treasure.

Research costs money. He couldn’t have gotten the materials to build a facility like this for free. Researchers are generally bad at physical labor, so he probably left that and the fundraising to the homunculi.

Seeing the treasure, Tina’s face lit up in a wide smile. "With this much, the nobleman will surely be satisfied."

We grabbed as much treasure as we could carry and escaped the ruins.

Back in the royal capital, we submitted the treasure to the Guild.

The haul included golden pots and gold and silver bracelets—more than enough for the noble to brag about.

The other adventurers in the Guild swarmed us.

"Where did you get all that treasure?!"

"Was it an undiscovered location?!"

I answered their barrage of questions with a cool demeanor. "I’d advise against it. We found this in some ruins. We took care of some of them, but there are still plenty more. If you don’t want to die, you’d better stay away."

We’d encountered more homunculi on our way out of the ruins. Since our hands were full with loot, we’d had no choice but to flee.

Based on our exploration, I thought there were no other paths and that they were all created from that laboratory. I never imagined that the walls along the way would rise up to reveal more of them.

At this rate, there was a chance the Spagyrist had been recreated as well.

After all, the giant flask was still intact.

The adventurers quieted down, like a storm suddenly calming.

"Well then, the request is complete," the staff member said. "Here is your reward."

He handed me a bag containing thirty gold coins.

It was a small amount compared to the treasure, but I already had plenty of money. It wasn’t a problem.

"Let’s head back to Alum," I said. "We can rest there for a while."

Tina agreed.

The underground auction was coming up soon. I was curious to see how that gorilla would sell.

Several days later.

We were standing in front of the building that hosted the underground auction on Earth.