‘What is it?’
Evan swallowed hard as he stared into the eyes of the shaman, where nothing but her pupils could be seen.
Her eyes usually lacked any sparkle and showed no whites.
The word “ghost” came to mind rather than human.
No wonder the word “witch” had popped into his head.
How did things escalate so suddenly?
‘Could it be… because she’s too angry…?’
It was said that when people get angry, their eyes roll back.
Maybe the shaman’s eyes rolled back a little too much?
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
The shaman usually liked animals.
Even when reading destinies, she wouldn’t inform if an innocent animal would die.
Especially when it came to cute animals, she went absolutely crazy for them.
The nickname “Teddy Bear” she gave to No. 5 might have been due to some error or misunderstanding, turning into “Dead Bear,” but still…
She loved animals to that extent, yet now all the monsters were trapped before her eyes, each one in a terrible state.
Whether they were like this from experiments or originally thus, it was unclear…
‘Is this… not going well?’
Just as Evan gulped again…
…swoosh.
The shaman’s pupils returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened.
Blink, blink.
After repeatedly opening and closing her eyes, the shaman touched the corners of her own eyes.
“…Are you alright?”
“Huh? Yes… I’m fine.”
She didn’t seem fine.
She appeared quite confused herself, repeating phrases like “Eh? Why is this happening? It wasn’t like this before…”
Evan decided to give her a moment.
Maybe calming down would help.
As he tried to gently let go of her hand…
Gulp!
“?”
“…Ah.”
The shaman tightly gripped Evan’s hand.
Her grip was so strong it hurt.
Living Armor subtly expanded around his body.
Phew. He almost cried out in pain.
He was so startled that his face went numb.
Thanks to that, his surprise didn’t show on his face.
The shaman seemed more flustered.
Despite fumbling around, she didn’t let go of Evan’s hand.
“I’m sorry. Just for a moment…”
“Ah, yes.”
“Just for a bit longer, please.”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Lending her your hand for a moment isn’t such a big deal, right?
‘Ah.’
Evan wiped his face with his remaining free hand.
The sensation of his face being frozen was unpleasant.
But there was something even more uncomfortable.
“Hehe. Do you like it?”
The guide responsible for leading the way.
Don Quixote, grinning obsequiously while rubbing his hands together.
“These are perfect monsters to use as test subjects! Each one either has defects or is excessively savage!”
“…Why use ones with defects?”
“Because they’re not just defective! Look!”
Gulp!
Don Quixote pulled away the cloth covering the nearby iron bars.
It revealed a small giant whose one eye was grotesquely oversized—a mutant Cyclops.
Instead of being large overall, its body was small.
So small, it barely deserved the title of “giant.”
“This creature has a massive single eye but a smaller body! If we extract just this eye, it will make for excellent reagents!”
“…”
Dal-dal.
The shaman’s hand trembled—not out of anything else but anger.
She tightened her grip on Evan’s hand and glared at Don Quixote.
Misinterpreting her intent, Don Quixote grinned.
You’re gonna die like that!
“Haha! Looks like your lover appreciates it! If you’d like, I can offer you plenty! You could sell them for a higher price in the empire!”
At that moment,
“…Disgusting.”
A woman’s voice echoed.
Isis.
Without her usual cheerful demeanor, she observed Don Quixote with a deeply somber expression.
The sight of her cold expression sent chills down his spine.
Despite appearing bright and lively, she was an elder of the Alchemy Tower.
A genius among geniuses who had honed themselves amidst brilliant talents.
Would someone like that be careless?
“A den of garbage fitting for trash… how disrespectful towards life.”
Isis coldly looked down at Don Quixote.
“You’re a rebel, aren’t you?”
‘If she’s not a princess, her choice of words is…’
It might be a bit scary.
Don Quixote frowned.
“…And who are you? Can’t you see I’m talking to young master?”
Isis didn’t respond at all.
She merely stared.
Dal, dal-dal.
The ground began to shake around where we stood.
As if an earthquake had struck, the stones on the ground trembled.
“…W-what is this?”
Instinctively sensing danger, Don Quixote took a step back.
Evan realized what Isis was doing.
The process of alchemy was [Understanding], [Decomposition], [Reconstruction].
If she stopped at decomposition?
She could dismantle everything.
In an instant, she could collapse this entire underground space.
The reason why the Alchemy Tower had maintained its closed-off policies for so long was because of the sheer power wielded by a single talented alchemist.
“E-Evan Young Master!”
Don Quixote shouted urgently, instinctively sensing impending danger.
What’s he trying to cling onto?
No matter how cowardly I may be, this is unacceptable.
Evan firmly refused.
“I have no interest in such things.”
“…”
Don Quixote’s gaze faltered.
“D-do you know how valuable each of these monsters is? Even if you take them out of this arena, they’d fetch a fortune in the black market…”
“I have plenty of money.”
Didn’t you see the amount I bid?
“…Huh, huh.”
Don Quixote chuckled nervously, as if his jaw had gone slack.
Raising both his hands in surrender.
However, Isis showed no reaction and continued to stare.
Don Quixote, with his hands raised, was smirking.
“…Hmm. If you won’t cooperate, that’s problematic for me.”
“…?”
“I confirmed that you’re an alchemist. But if you destroy everything here, you’ll die along with us.”
Ting!
Don Quixote snapped his fingers.
As if responding to the sound, the heads of the monsters swiveled around.
Grrrrr-
As if their previous suffering was a lie, they bared their teeth, revealing hostility.
“Ah, maybe I won’t die, but you guys certainly will?”
“…”
“If you use your powers, all these monsters will die. If you want to watch these pitiful creatures perish, feel free to try.”
“You’re really trash, aren’t you?”
“Keh. If young master refuses to cooperate, there’s nothing I can do about it, right?”
Creak, bang!
The door through which we entered slammed shut.
Any retreat was blocked.
Anyway, it didn’t matter since she could decompose everything.
Don Quixote, however, looked smug.
“Alright, young master. Make your decision. Will you trade, or fight these monsters here?”
Don Quixote spread his arms wide.
“666 monsters! They all follow my commands!”
“Drugs.”
Isis spoke.
Her glowing eyes were evidence that she had used [Analysis].
“You’ve used drugs, haven’t you?”
“Oh. You figured it out, did you? I paid a hefty price for them!”
Don Quixote laughed proudly, as if boasting.
“A special drug called ‘Divine Grace’! It only works on monsters. With this, I can lead an army!”
“…Tch.”
Isis sighed heavily, stepping forward as if reaching her breaking point.
“Evan. Let me show you the power of the Alchemy Tower…”
“Hold on.”
Evan stopped her.
Was he worried she might get hurt?
That was partially true.
But…
‘Isn’t this something I can handle easily?’
Monster-controlling drugs?
They seemed familiar… After hearing the explanation, he was certain.
These drugs…
He created them.
Though slightly different from what Evan remembered…
‘Fundamentally, they’re still mine.’
There was no need for separate [Understanding].
‘[Decomposition].’
At the moment he channeled mana.
All the drugs dispersed in the air vanished upon [Decomposition].
Psssssss-!
Suddenly swirling dust filled the empty air.
Before Don Quixote’s eyes widened in realization…
Thud!
With a tap on the ground, Evan spread his mana, leaving not a single trace behind.
Even if it had mutated slightly…
It didn’t matter.
The key component controlling the monsters was enough.
Once that was decomposed, it was over.
‘Done.’
Evan nodded.
“It’s done.”
“What nonsense—Experimental Subject No. 11! Get up!”
That was the end of it.
“…?”
The monster looked down at its own limbs in confusion.
It shook its head left and right.
Realizing that the influence of the drugs had completely disappeared, it bared its teeth at Don Quixote.
Grrrrrr!
“W-what? Follow my command! Obey me!”
“The drugs won’t work anymore.”
Don Quixote’s distorted face.
Wow!
This feels great.
Fwip!
Don Quixote glared at Evan.
As if realizing something belatedly, his bloodshot eyes flashed with panic.
“S-so. Could that rumor be true?”
“?”
“M-magic d-rugs—”
“Lapis.”
Evan quickly cut him off.
“Shut your mouth.”
“Yup!”
Whirl!
A thread whipped like a lash, wrapping around Don Quixote’s body.
Don Quixote was fully bound.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“Hehehe.”
Lapis giggled.
“Evan finally allowed it after so long. Looks like you made him quite mad.”
One corner of her mouth stretched upward.
The sin of wrath, indeed.
Her eyes began to glow red as if preheating.
“I’m also pretty mad…”
“…!”
“You’re not going to die easily now.”
Lapis spat out a terrifying statement.
Evan subtly turned his gaze away.
I saw nothing.
I only asked her to stop him.
‘Phew. Almost exposed my dark past.’
How does she know about what I did in the underworld?
“W-what? How did you do that?”
“…I got lucky.”
It would be awkward to directly reveal the dark history.
Instead of explaining, Evan dodged the question.
“I saw something similar before.”
“That kind of drug? I’ve never seen it…”
“…I saw it in my family archives.”
“Ah!”
Phew.
Thankfully, it passed smoothly.
Evan sighed in relief and turned his head.
He was concerned about the shaman who still held his hand tightly.
“Shaman, are you alright?”
“…”
Hmm?
Evan involuntarily twitched his body.
The shaman…
She was staring at him intently.
“…Yes. I’m fine.”
That’s fortunate…
‘Why is she glaring at me so fearfully?’
At that moment,
Gee-gee!
A faint whimper reached their ears.
It was the cry of a newborn pup.
Evan slightly turned his head.
Ah, everyone seems confused after recovering from the drugs.
Some monsters even looked at them with friendly eyes.
Could that be… a Bicon?
Its horn was somewhat broken.
‘There are all kinds of rare animals here. I didn’t know such a place existed.’
Completely wasted?
Perhaps if they were players, freeing these creatures would have granted experience points.
Evan consoled his regret and spoke to the shaman.
“Wouldn’t it be better to help the monsters first?”
“…Ah, yes. That’s right.”
The shaman regained her senses late and released his hand.
Evan also turned his body to confirm the source of the sound.
‘Puppy?’
Interestingly, it had two heads.
It doesn’t seem to be Cerberus.
There’s no severed surface.
Half of its fur glowed bluish-black, and the other half reddish-black.
Despite that, it was surprisingly cute.
Except for one thing.
“…Does this wolf’s leg…?”
Excluding the fact that someone had cleanly sliced off its leg with something like a blade…
‘Hmm, it’s a monster I’ve never seen before…’
Its groaning, as if suffering from a fever, tugged at his heartstrings.
Should I check it out briefly?
You never know.
Perhaps I could raise a pet.
‘The missing leg… I think I can fix it.’
Not regeneration, but creating an artificial limb instead?
Just as Evan thought that…
Tick!
All the lights in the underground chamber went out.
The space instantly grew dim.
Isis frowned and snapped her fingers.
A flame synthesized and burned, faintly illuminating the surroundings.
A figure walking from beyond came into view.
“What is it?”
A man tilting his head emerged, relying solely on the light of the cigarette in his mouth.
“Visitor?”
‘What is this?’
Evan’s eyes slightly widened upon seeing the man’s face.
‘He was here too?’
