The Incomplete Artificial Human

It was a close call, but we managed to save him! Just in the nick of time.

I boosted Karu's Agility as much as possible and watched the ground while flying through the air. Then I spotted Setun-dono and the others, riding their mounts, throwing something at the disgusting monster.

Even from a distance, it was obvious the odds were against them. The monster was shaking the huge rock as though playing with it, showing no sign of being affected. So I dropped Eiji, whom Karu had been carrying, to launch a surprise attack from above.

Eiji's tremendous weight made his drop an even greater blow than expected. Apparently, he used a martial technique while falling, and the added speed of the descent produced such a tremendous noise that we up in the air instinctively covered our ears. This was truly the sheer violence of mass. The monster was blown apart by his strike.

"Whoa, it's still moving... Is everyone all right?"

"Y-yeah. No problem."

Eiji was checking on Setun-dono and the others as he climbed down from atop the monster writhing at his feet. He had come to their rescue from the sky and was worried about the people... He kind of looked like a comic-book superhero.

It seemed we'd saved them, but the monster was still alive. Whether we fought it or fled, we needed to know what we were up against. Time for 【Appraisal】 as usual!

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Race: Failed Homunculus Lv. 61–68

Job: Failed Product Lv-

Skill: 【Super Vitality Enhancement】

【Strength Enhancement】

【Super Intelligence Enhancement】

【Keen Senses】

【Pain Nullification】

【Ultra-Fast Regeneration】

【Physical Vulnerability】

【Fire Vulnerability】

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I-Incomplete Artificial Human...? You mean this thing, this monster, technically has the word 'humanity' in its name? That's far too blasphemous.

At first, they looked like a collection of severed heads, but now that the dust had cleared, their true nature was obvious. They had the heads of Humans and Elves, with arms and legs growing from the places where their necks would normally be. In other words, they weren't a collection of severed heads with limbs growing from it, but a collection of severed heads with limbs growing out of them.

Their overall levels seemed low, but perhaps they made up for that with stamina and numbers. No matter how much stronger their opponent was, overwhelming them with more than a hundred bodies could force the issue.

The number of limbs differed from one individual to another, and their lengths and thicknesses were all uneven. Eiji had forcibly scattered the Failed Homunculi. They seemed about to regroup, but instead, while still scattered, they all attacked the people on the ground at once. It was time for us to join in.

"Let's go too. They're weak to physical attacks, but apparently have high regenerative power. They're weak to Fire, so let's burn them to a crisp."

"Heh, don't let Eiji have all the fun!"

Jigorou leaped from Karu's back and plummeted through the air wrapped in flames. Just like Eiji, he used the speed of his fall to stomp one of the Failed Homunculi flat. Most of its head was blown away, but it was still flailing its limbs, so it seemed to be alive. D-Damn, they're tenacious!

"It has a weakness? Then I should use fire arrows, right?"

Shio nocked an arrow imbued with the Fire attribute and began shooting methodically. The precise aerial shots sank into the heads of the Failed Homunculi as if drawn there. Strikes against their weakness dealt considerable damage, and the individuals hit by arrows rolled about on the ground in a panic, trying to pull them out.

"Then I shall give them a hot stare."

When Mikelo said that, black beams shot out from the completely black eyeballs covering his body. According to Mikelo, they came from the 【Black Light Evil Eye】, an attack-only Skill that consumed magic power to fire beams combining the Dark and Fire attributes. Although “Light” was in its name, it wasn't a Light-attribute attack, which was a little confusing.

In any case, the power of Mikelo's Evil Eye was tremendous. The beams moved along with Mikelo's gaze, and the Failed Homunculi couldn't outrun them with their warped limbs. Mikelo complained that they consumed too much energy, but it seemed to me they were powerful enough.

"We can't just stand around watching. Karu, shall we go too?"

"Gwooooooooooh!"

It wouldn't look good if I merely watched my companions at work. I had to fight and do my part as well. I straddled Karu's neck, which had been carrying Eiji and Jigorou until now, and the two of us dived. At first, it had been frightening, like riding a roller coaster, but I had completely gotten used to it by now. I had grown, too.

When Karu landed, he trampled several Failed Homunculi and continued rampaging with a mighty sweep of his tail. They regenerated faster than even the Great Yuzu Pepper Salamander, no matter how much they were crushed or slashed, but this was where my new magic came in!

"This is as good a time as any to try it. Star Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Burnout."

I used my newly learned 【Fire Magic】, Burnout. A huge flame erupted from the magic circle for an instant, scorching away the grass along with the ground. Oh, this was quite flashy, and powerful too.

Burnout was high-powered magic that could also temporarily lower a target's resistance to the Fire attribute. Normally, it allowed me to deal a certain amount of damage even to an opponent against whom Fire attacks would have little effect. However, if an enemy had resistance, it would be better to use another attribute, so I might not often use it merely to lower their resistance.

But against enemies with 【Fire Vulnerability】, it demonstrated overwhelming power. They became even more vulnerable while being bathed in high-powered flames. The Failed Homunculi rolled about, screaming in filthy voices.

Beside us, Setun-dono and the others were skillfully working together to finish the monsters one by one. They might have been formidable when gathered together, but individually, they were merely gross monsters that were strangely tough. By piercing them with spears, trampling them with their mounts, and attacking without pause through teamwork, the warriors were able to land finishing blows even with their less-than-powerful weapons.

"Ggeh! Geh-heh!"

"Gyuoooooooooh!"

The Failed Homunculi didn't seem particularly intelligent, but they apparently understood that they were at a disadvantage. When one of them cried out, every surviving individual gathered in response. They returned once more to a cluster of heads.

"It'll be convenient if they've all gathered. Magic Circle, Remote Activation, Burnout... What!?"

I used Burnout again to wipe them all out at once. As expected, the sphere formed by the gathered Failed Homunculi was engulfed in flames.

But something completely unexpected happened. The Failed Homunculi moved the burned individuals to the inside, while the individuals from the inside came out. It might be a difficult comparison to follow, but it was as though the outer skin of an onion and its inner layers had switched places.

The individuals that had been hit by the flames were probably recovering their Vitality even now. Tch, what a troublesome opponent!

"Then I'll just burn them again and again... Gah!"

I was about to burn them once more, but apparently the Failed Homunculi had been especially wary of that. The instant the inner and outer layers switched, they sprouted limbs and charged furiously toward the rock they had first been shaking.

Kilde wasn't anywhere visible now. That meant he had to be hiding, and the only likely place was behind that rock. Since the Failed Homunculi had ignored Setun-dono and the others to toy with them, I could safely assume my deduction was correct.

The Failed Homunculi ran by flailing their randomly sprouted limbs, and they were faster than expected. If I set them ablaze, Kilde might be in danger. They didn't know about our circumstances, of course, but what a nuisance...!?

"Bwooooooooooooooooo!!!"

Is that Eiji!? Eiji threw himself between the rock and the Failed Homunculi and caught their charge on a shield strengthened by Iris.

Eiji was pushed back about ten meters, but he somehow managed to stop their charge. In their contest of strength, it seemed Eiji had come out on top.

"Guh!? You bastards...!"

Though Eiji had stopped them, the Failed Homunculi stretched their limbs around the shield and reached for him, trying to kill the eyesore. Huh? Hadn't something like this happened before...? Still, having their charge stopped would be their final struggle.

"Don't you run!"

"The target's bigger now."

"How cold."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Because we'd caught up with them. Jigorou punched them from behind with a flaming fist, Shio turned them into porcupines with Fire-attribute arrows, and Mikelo's Evil Eye burned through them. Karu bore down on them and tore them apart with his claws, fangs, and tail, while I burned them to ash with magic.

Setun-dono and the others were attacking with spears and hand axes as well. To them, the chieftain's son they needed to rescue was in danger, so they were fighting desperately. Their motivation was entirely different from that of us hired hands.

"Hng! Hyaa!"

Although Eiji was holding them down, he calmly chopped off the limbs that came around the shield with an axe. It wasn't his usual axe, but a smaller one concealed behind the shield. He must have developed it as a countermeasure against anyone trying to tear away his shield.

The Failed Homunculi had continued fighting thanks to their nature as a collective and their terrifying regenerative ability, but at last, every individual ran out of strength. Their pure strength wasn't anything special, but they had been enemies well worth analyzing. Once we stripped the materials from them, we would depart as planned.

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Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.

Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.

Your 【Magic Circle】 level has increased.

You learned a new Ritual Circle spell.

Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.

Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.

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"Sorry for putting you through all that, Izamu."

"No, Muno-dono. We gained something from it as well."

"...Are you really going to the Black Wall?"

"Yes. We all discussed it and decided together."

After escorting Kilde partway with Setun-dono and the others, we discussed the matter and decided to go to the Black Wall the Nadeus clan had mentioned. At first, we had planned to casually travel upstream along the great river, but our battle with the Failed Homunculi had changed things. In other words, we figured that the Black Wall had many fascinating things lying dormant within it.

It was certainly a dangerous region, since the locals avoided it, but players went wherever there was a high chance of treasure. We weren't the type who had to be more advanced than everyone else, but we couldn't simply leave unexplored a place right in front of us that apparently no one had ever seen. In the end, we were players.

"Are all Wayfarers this reckless? Do your best, at least. And this is to thank you for saving Kilde."

With that, Muno-dono handed me something resembling a wooden plaque covered in intricate patterns. What in the world was this? I decided to use 【Appraisal】 on it.

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Nadeus Clan Insignia Pass, Quality: Superior, Rarity: S (Special Class)

A pass made by the Nadeus clan of the Scars.

Its unique pattern signifies those they trust.

It was carefully made and designed not to break easily.

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"This means I'm vouching for your credentials. Even people living on this continent who aren't Scars will understand it. Well, those without reason probably won't, though."

"Th-thank you very much."

I thanked her, but Muno-dono merely waved her hand and walked away. Through our actions this time, she seemed to have become our patron. Despite all her harsh words, she clearly cared deeply about the chieftain's son. She was probably just awkward about showing it.

"Well, then. About time we got going. Shiratsuki, launch!"

We had already said our goodbyes. All that remained was to fly to our destination. Shiratsuki, which we had boarded, slowly rose from the river and took off toward our destination.

Apparently, those who had come to see us off hadn't expected Shiratsuki to fly, because their eyes opened as wide as saucers. Even the normally composed Muno-dono stood there with her mouth hanging open.

Meanwhile, little Alvie cheered and waved with all her might. She had been crying just a little while ago, so how had Eiji managed to cheer her up? It was a mystery.

In any event, we were about to enter a new danger zone. Let's stay alert, but enjoy the adventure while we're at it!