Citizen Production Factory

The hidden passage was long and labyrinthine. Without the map function, we might never have found our way back out. We moved slowly because I frequently opened the menu screen, but we steadily made our way deeper inside.

We encountered several Failed Homunculi along the way, but Kal slaughtered every one of them with kill-on-sight ferocity. It seemed to have leveled up during the boss battle and was now just one step away from its next evolution, so it wanted to earn as much experience as possible. Unless an enemy too dangerous for Kal alone appeared, I decided not to interfere.

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You discovered the hidden area 'Citizen Production Factory.'

You received 10 SP as a discovery reward.

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"What is this place? It looks like a factory, but..."

"Grrrrrr..."

After wandering around for ten-odd minutes, we finally reached the end of the hidden passage. Beyond it was a space resembling a factory that used chemical reagents. Its name was 'Citizen Production Factory'... There was no doubt this was a thoroughly shady place. At any rate, the reward for discovering a hidden area was pretty sweet.

Metal pipes ran along the walls and ceiling in such a tangled mess that I couldn't tell what connected to what. Large glass cylinders connected to the pipes were filled with fluorescent green or cloudy purple liquids. They were clearly dangerous chemicals.

The smell wafting through the place was awful, too. Along with the acrid odor peculiar to chemicals and the stench of rotten eggs, stale, moldy odors and the heavy smell of beasts hung in the air. If this had been in a city, the foul smell would have made the news. Kal also looked displeased, wrinkling its brow.

"By all appearances, this must be a production factory for Failed Homunculi, but... It sure manages to create one hell of an eerie atmosphere."

The place was completely unlit and filthy, giving it the feel of a secret factory owned by some villain. Nice, very nice! I loved the gloomy, decadent atmosphere of a place conducting forbidden research!

Let's leave this hidden passage intact and repurpose the entire factory. Shiitake still isn't logged in... Iris isn't either. In that case, I'll investigate this place for a while.

Investigating doesn't mean fiddling with the machinery. If I accidentally caused an explosion, it would be too awful to contemplate. Since this place looked like a laboratory, I would search for documents like research reports that explained what had been done here and what was still being done.

While exploring the factory along the walls with Kal, I found a glass container holding something resembling a Human fetus. There could be no doubt that this was a production factory for Failed Homunculi. It would be nice if the investigation also revealed how this place had been created, not just how its technology worked.

"Um... All right, there's a room. An office? No, a laboratory? What should you call a place attached to a factory like this?"

After walking for a while, I found a room. Peeking inside, I saw a large number of books that looked like documents. I wasn't sure of the precise term, but I decided to call it a laboratory for now. If I could decipher the materials here, I should be able to figure out how this place had been used.

The doorway wasn't large enough for Kal to pass through, so I entered alone. However, I felt bad about making it wait around again, so I quickly selected a few documents, put them in my inventory, and left.

"Hmm, are all of these specialist books on 【Alchemy】? I'm interested, but this isn't exactly the time to read them... Huh? What's that on the floor...? Whoa!"

As I chose books based on their spines, something struck my left foot. Just as I wondered whether something had fallen on the floor, something seized my ankle in a vice grip!

The thing that grabbed my ankle was an animated Skeleton wearing a mage-like robe—in other words, one of my own kind. I reflexively clubbed it with my staff, pulverizing it in one blow. Apparently it was a weakling that had never evolved, but it scared me half to death!

"That really startled me...! Phew, give me a break... Wait. Why is a weakling like this here?"

The 'Secret Capital of the Mist-Weeping Princess' had been home exclusively to monsters at least level 60. Yet a weakling like this, the kind you might find in Fars, was in a hidden area? That was clearly strange. There had to be a reason.

I examined the area around where the Skeleton I had killed instantly was lying. I found a book between the desk and the floor. When I picked it up, the cover said Diary. After using 【Appraisal】, the result was 'Diary of an Old Court Alchemist.'

I had found a diary in the underground area of Fars, too. Did mages and alchemists in suspicious laboratories simply like keeping diaries? Whatever. Information gathering took priority above all else.

"Hmm, so the owner was one of the researchers here... and this was a production facility for Homunculi. Homunculi? Not Failed Homunculi?"

The beginning of the diary was full of rants about politics, like an old man holding forth at a bar about the unstable domestic situation and incompetent foreign diplomacy. Mixed in with those rants were occasional notes about work, and according to them, this laboratory had been a project personally backed by Duke Septen, who ruled the Septen Duchy.

What had been manufactured were Homunculi—in other words, beings that were not Failed. Unlike the creepy monsters wandering around now, they apparently looked just like Humans and were used as obedient laborers and soldiers.

"Oh, the date jumps forward a bit... Good, this is what I want to know."

The Septen Duchy had prospered thanks to the Homunculi it manufactured. However, it was invaded by the Lichtesburg family, who sought to seize the technology and usurp the throne. The Septen forces fought desperately, but a surprise attack annihilated their army and the capital was occupied.

But the Septen Duchy did not fall without a fight. They activated a large-scale emergency teleportation spell in the castle and escaped with the palace, the treasury beneath it, and the production factory.

At the moment of teleportation, soldiers from Lichtesburg damaged the magic circle in an attempt to stop it, causing the coordinates to shift wildly. As a result, they were sent as far as the Timbrica Continent, a demon realm also known as the Dark Continent, along with everyone who had remained in the palace.

"Setting aside the claims that the Lichtesburg family was evil and vicious, since those were completely subjective... I see. So that's why only the palace was strangely clean."

The people who had remained in the palace continued fighting after being teleported to an unexpected location, and apparently the Septen side won. However, they certainly hadn't escaped unscathed. Everyone in the royal family except Catherine had died, and few of the others remained.

Even so, they apparently struggled to rebuild their nation, but adapting to a different environment proved difficult. They died one by one, until they were eventually struggling to secure even that day's meals.

Then tragedy struck. Catherine, the last surviving member of the royal family, died. She had apparently been frail to begin with, and the mental strain had compounded the problem.

The loss of the royal family, the symbol of the nation, plunged the survivors into deep despair. Furthermore, the Homunculi manufactured as labor for rebuilding the nation suddenly went out of control. The diary ended with a note saying the cause was probably the difference in climate... leaving bloodstains behind.

"So afterward, they came back as Undead... Though I don't know if that's the right way to put it. Anyway, they started moving again. I don't know why. ...But I suppose it couldn't be helped, since this one died first."

I recovered the diary, left the laboratory, and rejoined Kal. I decided to leave the factory for now. I liked the atmosphere, but I didn't want to stay in a place where Failed Homunculi might attack at any moment.

The other members had logged in as well, but I had decided to spend today as a team of two with Kal. So we'd continue on our way.

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I sent everyone an email about the factory, along with the map data for the passage, and we headed out into the field. The fog outside the palace was as annoying as ever, but I rode on Kal's back so we could get out of it quickly.

"Let's cut down the giant tree producing this fog."

"GROOOAR."

Kal gave a single cry as if to say it agreed. Apparently, dense fog blocking one's vision was a nuisance to everyone. For Kal's sake too, let's turn it into lumber as soon as possible.

All the Fog-Spitting Ash Oaks besides that giant tree had already been cut down, so there would be no problem once we left the capital. After getting outside the fog's range, we searched for prey from above and spotted a lone monster trudging along.

"Was that an Armored Poison Panther?"

The Armored Poison Panther was a formidable foe, combining the defensive power of metallic fur, the offensive power of venomous fangs, and a leopard's speed. I remembered struggling when I fought one before. I finished it off with magic while Jigoro kept it occupied, but its speed had allowed it to slip past Jigoro and come at us, giving me quite a scare.

And we had been caught off guard at the time, making it even more dangerous. Now, however, it looked as though we could ambush it instead. Shall we give it a try?

"The enhancements are complete. Kal, charge as soon as my spell hits."

"GROOOAR!"

"Good boy. Star Magic Circle, activate; Spell Adjustment, Burnout!"

"Yelp!?"

A top-tier burst-damage spell struck the Armored Poison Panther's exposed back. The ambush succeeded, substantially reducing its health while also lowering its fire resistance. An excellent start!

"GROOOOOAAAR!"

Kal charged while firing a succession of fireballs from its mouth. The panther dodged the fireballs with its incredible speed, but it couldn't escape Kal as it closed in. Kal and the Armored Poison Panther became locked in a fierce grapple, biting and clawing at each other.

At this point, the opponent was practically checkmated. Kal's stats had been enhanced by 【Enhancement Magic】, and I could heal it whenever necessary. Its venomous fangs were terrifying, but I could cure the poison at any time. It might hold out for a while, but there was no chance it would turn the tables.

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You won the battle.

Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.

Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.

Your tamed monster, Karnagtur, has reached the required Race level. Evolution is available.

Izam, master of your tamed monster Karnagtur, please initiate evolution.

Your tamed monster, Karnagtur, has reached the required Job level. A Job change is available.

Izam, master of your tamed monster Karnagtur, please initiate the Job change.

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"GROOOOOOOOAAAR!"

Without any dramatic reversal, Kal won the close-quarters fight. At long last, it had reached level 30. What a long road! And what a momentous occasion!

I had a fairly good idea what its evolution options would be, but I couldn't help getting excited at times like this. I eagerly navigated the menu to have Kal evolve and change its Job.