Chapter 83
“At this rate, everyone should be able to fight!”
Despite the general’s confident declaration, I shook my head.
“There’s a world of difference between simply exerting your strength and using it ‘well.’”
How did I know?
I didn’t want to know, either.
Not until I had to listen to Strongest Senior’s ‘muscle lecture’ in surround sound for three days and four nights.
“The glucose will only give them the bare minimum strength they need to lift a spoon and recover from their current awful condition. They’ll need to regain their muscle strength to wield a weapon—or even pick up and throw a rock—and that means they need meat.”
“B-But there’s no way to get meat right now...”
“Then we’ll make some.”
No, there was no need to look at me like I was some kind of god.
“You’re going to show us another miracle!”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a miracle.”
It was science.
... Come to think of it, didn’t someone say that sufficiently advanced science was indistinguishable from magic?
“Let’s go to the manure storage yard.”
“Pardon? Manure? S-Surely you don’t mean... You said you were going to make meat...”
“Don’t worry. You don’t think I’m going to make meat out of poop, do you?”
I’d heard about some crazy Japanese mad scientist trying that once.
Uh, no. Not that.
“R-Right?”
The general gave an awkward chuckle.
The general had it easy.
... Then again, even if I were starving, I wouldn’t exactly want to eat meat made from poop.
There’s such a thing as human dignity, you know?
What I planned to use wasn’t the feces—in other words, the manure itself—but the methane produced in it.
“Damn, now that I think about it, I can’t use methanogens either.”
I couldn’t use the methanogens I already had. Did I really have to modify Pride for this?
I’d think about that later...
The process was a little... No, it was incomparably more complicated than making glucose.
First, I had to use methanogens to produce methane, then convert it into methanol with bacteria from the methylotroph group. After that, I needed a yeast called ‘Pichia pastoris’ that used methanol as an energy source.
It wasn’t the kind of yeast used to make bread or alcohol.
You inserted the genetic structure for the desired protein into the yeast cells, created an environment where they could multiply in large quantities, then had the proliferated cells metabolize methanol to produce protein.
... Naturally, it was Gyuseon’s work.
Apparently, cultured meat was a key industry of the future, or something.
It still felt a little unsettling to eat, so there was a psychological barrier...
Still, when they cultured the protein structure of that famous ‘Wagyu’ or ‘Hanwoo’ beef, the taste was surprisingly similar—not perfect, but pretty close.
If you were hungry enough, you could eat it without noticing the difference.
“Phew. So, to sum it up...”
The methane produced by methanogens...
was converted into methanol by methane-oxidizing bacteria...
Then it was cultured with methylotrophic yeast that used methanol as an energy source, after genetically modifying the yeast to carry the desired protein’s genetic structure.
“... This is fucking complicated.”
Now that I thought about it, this was a lot of work.
I only needed roughly three types of bacteria.
In a lab, there was no need to make methanol separately—you could just buy it and use it. But in the wild, I had to make every bit of it myself? Was this for real?
“First, the methane...”
Fortunately, when I opened the door to the manure storage area, which had been left sealed for a long time...
“Ugh!”
The smell inside was... insane.
And it wasn’t just foul-smelling.
There was so much methane inside that my eyes stung.
One spark and this place could blow up.
“... It looks like they didn’t even have time to ventilate it. They must have just abandoned it.”
“Phew, that works out.”
Fortunately, I wouldn’t have to make the methane myself after all.
“Tell them to bring over some barrels, like wine barrels.”
“Wine barrels, sir?”
It wasn’t because I planned to brew wine.
Or... maybe it was, in a way?
Methanol was alcohol, too.
It was a type of alcohol, after all.
The only problem was that drinking it would kill you.
The general tilted his head, but still had the soldiers fill the storage area with empty barrels.
At this rate, he’d do whatever I told him.
Well, after I’d fed them honey made from wood, I suppose they had to listen.
Then I lined the barrels with Pride individuals modified into methane-oxidizing bacteria.
Fortunately, methane-oxidizing bacteria had relatively simple genetic structures, so they were easy to create.
The methane-oxidizing bacteria I’d placed inside the barrels began reacting as they came into contact with the thick methane gas.
They forced oxygen to bond with the methane, producing methanol and water.
The general’s eyes widened as he watched liquid suddenly form in midair and drip down.
“Th-That...”
“Yes, that’s... methanol...”
[Legendary Achievement! You brewed a liquor that kills both people who drink it!]
[An item has been awarded as a reward.]
I’d wondered if it might count as liquor, but seriously? Even this counted?
And what was the item?
When I checked what had appeared in my inventory...
“A necklace?”
I was currently using a necklace of translation, not one for combat.
It’d be nice if this were a useful combat necklace. I could switch to it when needed.
What could it be?
[Eternal Inebriation]
Grade: Relic-grade accessory
Description: A necklace born from the yearning of a drunkard who never wanted to lose the feeling of being intoxicated, even for a moment.
Details: The wearer enters a state of inebriation, and the necklace cannot be removed for 30 minutes after being put on. The intoxication from all alcohol consumed while wearing this necklace is stored and can be converted into maximum mana. The converted mana disappears when the necklace is removed.
... A trash item—no, a troll item?
Damn, how could something like this be relic-grade?
The only useful part was that it could convert the intoxication from alcohol consumed while wearing it into maximum mana.
The problem was that the wearer stayed drunk.
Being drunk was an enormous debuff.
Especially since it interfered with concentration, it was poison for classes like mages.
It was practically impossible for me to use this item.
Seriously... I’d finally gotten a relic-grade item for the first time in ages, and it was trash.
I suppose that was just my luck.
Maybe someone out there needed a troll item like this...
I shoved it into my inventory and refocused.
While I’d been distracted, dozens of barrels had filled with methanol.
“Is that... liquor?”
The general tilted his head as if he’d vaguely caught the smell.
There’s one of the two doomed drinkers right here.
That’s a dangerous thing to say.
“Don’t even smell it unless you want to go blind.”
“Pardon? Y-Yes!”
The general awkwardly scratched his head and backed away.
They were both alcohol, so of course they smelled somewhat similar...
Methanol has such a pungent smell—how could he smell that and think of liquor?
Still, he wasn’t the only one.
The soldiers swallowed at the faint smell of liquor, too.
“S-Sorry. It’s just been so long since we’ve had a drink.”
“... Once this war is over, I’ll make sure you get to drink some proper liquor.”
Would the Gate even be cleared before then?
Who cared?
I had to boost their morale somehow, even if it was like this.
“N-No, that’s not necessary. You’ve already shown us such incredible kindness. How could we ask you for liquor, too...”
“Of course, you’ll have to eat some meat first.”
“Y-You mean meat can come out of this... poison liquor?”
Not only had poisonous liquor so pungent it stung the eyes appeared out of thin air...
Now they were being told meat would come out of it.
Well, of course they couldn’t understand.
I gave up on trying to explain.
“Just... go outside, everyone.”
“... Yes! We won’t disturb you! Everyone, out!”
Perhaps because they knew peeking at a mage’s secret arts was a grave crime, the general hurriedly fled the storage yard with the soldiers.
And yet they’d meddled with my research materials. Tsk, tsk.
“Now this is where the problem starts...”
I’d seen Gyuseon conduct the experiment once...
But could I reproduce it properly?
After talking things over several more times through the Ansible Earring...
“Phew.”
(2) Pride (Pride) (Transformed)
Description: A form modeled on a new yeast created by SG Bio Inc. by inserting Hanwoo cattle genes into ‘Pichia pastoris’ for protein recombination. Its traits have been enhanced by Pride, allowing it to produce more protein of higher quality.
Fortunately, I succeeded.
As expected, it was a cheat code.
As it broke down the methanol into carbon dioxide and water, bubbles began to rise.
Then, as the expressed protein was secreted from the cells, it floated on the surface of the water.
Once it had used up all the methanol in one oak barrel, it had produced about 50 kg of protein.
Naturally, it wouldn’t normally be this efficient. This was the result of the synergistic effect between Pride and my control.
The barrel now contained only water and clumps of protein, the methanol having been metabolized.
All I had to do was squeeze out the water, and I’d have meat with traits remarkably similar to beef.
Well, it was lean meat, closer to a completely fat-free round cut...
But for people who were all starving, wasn’t that more than enough?
When I started cultivating it in the other barrels, I got a whole ton of meat in just an hour or two.
At 100 g per person, that was enough for ten thousand people. At 200 g, it would feed five thousand.
It was still nowhere near enough, but I could just keep making more...
And unlike the glucose, I didn’t need to feed the meat to every single person in the castle right away.
I could start with the key people needed for battle.
They needed enough strength to wield a sword or spear, didn’t they?
“All right! Come in and take this! Give it to the soldiers and those who’ll be fighting right away, first!”
The soldiers and generals came in at my words, looking doubtful.
Their eyes widened when they saw the clumps of protein submerged in water.
“You mean this is meat...?”
“Just squeeze out the water and cook it over a fire. That should do it.”
It didn’t look very appetizing for something that was supposed to be meat.
I’d vouch for it.
It tastes like meat, I swear!
Dozens of oak barrels were placed in the barracks of the soldiers who’d barely regained their strength.
They took the clumps out, roughly cut them into steak-shaped pieces, and began grilling them over an open flame.
And the moment the meat touched the fire...
They knew.
“M-Meat...”
“It’s meat!”
“Good heavens! This really is meat! It is!”
That distinctive, savory smell of meat as its proteins changed in the heat.
Even if it was a pure lump of protein with not a trace of fat or marbling to be found...
Would Strongest Senior have said, ‘Even better’?
Either way, for people who hadn’t eaten properly in months, meat was a blessing from heaven!
“It tastes like meat, too!”
“It’s delicious! Really delicious!”
“Beef steak!”
The soldiers devoured the meat, nearly in tears.
Hmm, it was heartwarming to watch.
Was this what it felt like to be a mother?
“General, why don’t you go have some, too?”
“Yes! Listen up, everyone! This meat was made by the mage here!”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
He... made meat?
At first, they seemed unable to believe it. They looked back and forth between the meat and me, then...
“Well... he made honey out of trees, too.”
“There’s no reason he can’t make meat.”
They soon accepted it.
The meat feast went on for nearly half a day.
There was only so much space to eat, and the city had around thirty thousand soldiers.
So I had to keep making meat as fast as I could.
Methane was running low, so making more as I went made it twice as much work.
But since I’d started, I had to see it through.
“Phew, this should be enough...”
At that very moment.
From beyond the gorge...
With the sound of a horn, a torrent of white light covered the entire city.
A magnificent shower of light enveloped me.
At the same time, it enveloped the Pride individuals that had been making meat.
Then...
“Aaargh!”
An immense pain swept through my entire body.
[‘Consecration of Gregorian Chant’ is affecting your undead legion!]
[Approximately 1.8 trillion ‘Pride’ individuals have been forcibly unsummoned!]
[You recover 25% of your mana through the feedback effect!]
“Cough!”
Those crazy bastards... They made the first move?
Right. This was normal when a necromancer went up against priests or Crusaders.
Unless they gained the ‘Divine’ attribute like Gluttony...
They ultimately couldn’t overcome the limitations of being beings contrary to the natural order.
“Damn it...”
For now, I chugged several internal-injury potions from my inventory.
Potions worth hundreds of millions of won disappeared in an instant, but I didn’t care.
Healing my internal injuries came first.
Good thing I’d stocked up on a lot of them...
Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too severe.
But if they hit us with that consecration several more times...
“Damn it.”
I didn’t think I could hold out.
If I could’ve used Gluttony, I could’ve just wiped them out.
This was really irritating.
“... Pride alone won’t be enough.”
Since Pride hadn’t gained the ‘Divine’ attribute, it was helpless against holy power.
Just as I was wondering what to do...
The general rushed over in alarm, supported me, and helped me to my feet.
“A-Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
For now, anyway.
As I was thinking that...
I felt another massive surge of mana from far away.
Tsk. I need to gather up the Pride individuals for now...
Just then.
[Numerous intelligent lifeforms have made the entity ‘Pride’ and its caster, ‘Kim Segyun,’ objects of their faith!]
[The entity ‘Pride’ has gathered sufficient faith.]
[A god takes up residence in ‘Pride.’]
“... What?”
If Gluttony had gained the power of a god by ‘devouring’ ‘Nectar’...
Then Pride...
By being so grandly ‘revered,’ it had gained the power of a god...
“It gained it...!”
At the same time...
The second strike of Gregorian Chant’s Consecration swept through.
And this time...
...
Nothing happened.