Grisha released a profound sigh as she observed the peculiar scene unfolding before her.
“Of course, they would have prepared even for such an operation…”
“Let’s make it simple.”
Lennok immediately harnessed his mana and set his foot in motion.
The shockwave generated from his foot struck the steel door forcefully, causing it to vibrate. As a result of the recoil, the split man’s body was propelled forward.
Simultaneously, Lennok and Grisha maintained their distance from one another and employed distinct techniques.
The two men who were rushing towards them were defenseless against the techniques and disintegrated, but they promptly began regenerating.
Their regenerative ability was truly abnormal.
Considering their distinct lack of intelligence, it was a stretch to even classify them as human anymore.
“If you’re not going to eat… eat this in death…!!”
The man who struggled with stuttering raised his slender arm and threw a punch.
It was a plain punch with no magical aura.
Grisha couldn’t help but chuckle, but her expression quickly shifted when she heard the sonic boom emanating from the man’s fist.
Boom!
The man’s fist unleashed a mighty shockwave that shattered the ceiling of the museum, revealing the sky above.
“Insane, what power…!! It would have been impossible not to notice such strength before!!” Grisha muttered, slightly surprised. But then, she had an epiphany.
“No, someone from the outside is adjusting the output. From the beginning to the end, it’s a creation by someone’s hands…!!”
“That’s correct.” Lennok responded as he watched the man’s clone charging towards him.
The clone’s clenched fists emitted incredible power, causing shockwaves to continuously erupt from the ground, propelling it forward at almost imperceptible speed.
However, instead of dodging, Lennok swiftly reached into his coat.
He retrieved the artifact Compassion of Archangel, which briefly glowed.
At the same moment, Davi, who had revealed itself, manipulated the light and directed it precisely at the man.
In an almost surreal moment, the man’s body vanished and collided with the steel door of the exhibition hall in the opposite direction.
Boom!
As the man’s body crashed into the door, Lennok couldn’t help but smile faintly, seeing the door flung open from the force.
His initial probing had yielded better results than he expected.
Subduing the man and gaining access to the sturdy steel door was like hitting two birds with one stone.
While Lennok used his remaining mana to fully control the man, Grisha swiftly completed her task and approached.
“So, are you going to explain what’s going on now?” Grisha asked impatiently, stomping her foot, causing the man’s head to shake pitifully.
Before they knew it, the man’s limbs were tightly bound by strange green rings, rendering him completely immobile.
Grisha had discerned the man’s extraordinary regenerative ability and found it easier to restrain him rather than to kill him.
“What’s the identity of this monster, and why did that door open so easily?”
“…”
“Knowing the character of the drug lord I’m familiar with, things shouldn’t be this easy…”
“It’s simple.” Lennok said, slowly raising the man who had crashed into the door, his head bearing the brunt of the impact.
“This isn’t a human, and even more so, not a living being.”
Lennok had realized the source of the unsettling feeling in his mind.
“This is a homunculus.”
A synthetic lifeform created by alchemists who were once obsessed with the pursuit of transmuting base metals into gold—a long-forgotten art in this world.
“A homunculus?” Grisha inquired with a puzzled expression. “I’ve never heard of it. In which technique is this term used?”
“Hmm…”
Lennok had been on the verge of explaining further, but he hesitated, realizing that now wasn’t the appropriate time. Convincing Grisha about the alchemy he was acquainted with could lead to a lengthy conversation. This hesitation arose because the alchemy he was familiar with was the name of a forbidden technique that existed in WORLD 1.0.
Lennok, who had an exceptional memory for all the magic and techniques he had encountered, couldn’t quite recall the exact sequence he had observed. He only had a vague premonition. This memory wasn’t something he had experienced as Lennok; rather, it was a technique he remembered from beyond the confines of his monitor.
“It’s hard to explain here. Let’s talk after we’re done.”
With this statement, Lennok swiftly entered the vault.
Alchemy had existed in WORLD 1.0 but was unfortunately removed during the 2.0 update. At the time, due to its overly complex structure and limited accessibility, it hadn’t gained much popularity. In a world where mana was prevalent, there was a consensus that alchemy was redundant.
Nevertheless, Lennok still retained the memory of its name and skill composition because its remarkable efficiency had only been recognized and studied towards the end of the 1.0 era. It excelled in combining medicinal herbs in a manner different from conventional methods and in crafting dependent creatures like golems. Among the players, there was a belated sense of regret.
“…”
Back then, he had assumed it was just a part of a game update. But what if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if everything that existed in that world wasn’t merely a game construct?
Perhaps the so-called ancient relics, those enigmatic treasures of unknown origin, were, in reality…
Shaking his head resolutely, Lennok cut off that train of thought. This wasn’t the time for such contemplations. What mattered was that the presence of alchemy could potentially explain many of the drug lord’s mysteries.
The two sorcerers secured the split man next to the vault.
Grisha appeared to be attempting a spell on the unconscious man’s head, but her frustration became evident when her efforts yielded no results.
“…He has a strong mental resistance. None of my techniques work on him. It’s going to be hard to keep him restrained for long.”
Given that even sorcerers of Lennok and Grisha’s caliber could only subdue him, it was apparent that he would be impervious to minor shocks.
With his extraordinary regenerative abilities, physical strength, immunity to mental attacks, and the ability to multiply based on the opponent’s numbers, he made for the perfect guardian of the warehouse.
Yet, Lennok reached into his robe and retrieved another item.
“This should do the trick.”
It was a twisted dagger he had used to subdue Byzen. It possessed a cursing technique, although it wasn’t of a very high level.
However, the moment Lennok plunged the dagger into the split man’s body, its effects were swift and dramatic.
“Grrr…!!”
“Ugh…”
As the curse technique permeated his body, the man convulsed and writhed. Grisha watched in bewilderment.
“Why is his resistance to curses so weak when he has such a strong mental resistance?”
“Because it’s not a well-made entity. Considering his low intelligence to the point where he can’t even speak properly, his intelligence was likely lowered intentionally to increase his mental resistance.”
Lennok explained that a homunculus was not a genuine living creature and, as a result, virtually lacked the typical resistance to techniques possessed by living beings.
To counteract this issue, one would need to use high-quality materials when creating a homunculus. But from the drug lord’s perspective, there was no need to invest that much effort into a mere warehouse guard.
“Let’s go in. Quickly gather what we need and let’s get out.”
Leaving the convulsing homunculus behind, Lennok promptly entered the exhibition hall.
As he stepped inside, the atmosphere took on a distinctly different feel.
Given that it was a storage facility created by the drug lord, the interior was a stark contrast to the primitive exterior; it was refined and delicate. Instead of various artifacts typically displayed behind glass cases, the space housed devices to control humidity and temperature. The floor was covered with soft soil.
Atop this soil, thousands of different herbs and medicinal ingredients were stacked in piles resembling mountains. Sprinklers attached to the ceiling operated at regular intervals, showering an unknown liquid over the extensive collection of medicinal ingredients.
Grisha, who followed Lennok inside, couldn’t help but marvel at the interior.
“For a psychopath who turns humans into monsters, he sure knows how to store things well. The humidity here is comparable to my hometown… and the temperature is remarkably consistent.”
“He probably poured in all sorts of techniques and money to protect his assets.”
“Thousand-day army, White Lilies, Hori Bottle Liquor, Telebia, Bynas… These are rare herbs that are hard to procure even with money. If I can identify this much with my knowledge, the value of the items gathered here must be unimaginable.”
Considering this was probably just one of many storage facilities scattered throughout the continent, one could hardly estimate the drug lord’s wealth. The concealed assets here alone appeared sufficient to surpass the resources of any average corporation.
“The strange thing is, I don’t see as many ingredients typically used for drugs… Usually, when we think of expensive drug herbs, we consider things like Kangsan Thistle or Call 19. Oddly, I don’t see any of those here.”
As Grisha muttered, Lennok promptly began to sift through the neatly piled medicinal ingredients.
He had received a brief description from Yakson, but it was challenging to confirm Malabest without seeing it firsthand.
Grisha was likely searching for some ledger, leaving Lennok alone to sip a potion while carefully examining the mound of herbs.
“Whew…”
Moving his body rapidly after such a prolonged period of inactivity brought a sudden warmth.
He had initially believed that searching through a pile of herbs was a straightforward task, but delicately sifting through the ingredients without causing any damage proved to be more physically taxing than he had anticipated.
Using magic or mana in this delicate environment risked altering these sensitive herbs unpredictably.
Lennok thought he had prepared adequately, but he couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh.
No matter how one strives for self-improvement, there are moments when they are reminded of the inherent limitations of their physical form.
That’s why he needed Yakson’s assistance to create a new potion.
Ultimately, to ascend to greater heights.
To step into the realm of the transcendent, beyond human limitations.
Even if the solution lay in a potion, Lennok couldn’t afford to hesitate when there was no other choice.
“…”
Meanwhile, Grisha diligently searched for the ledger, occasionally glancing at Lennok’s intense concentration.
‘Found it.’
A root splitting into five strands converged into one towards the end, forming the shape of a flower.
Malabest, also known as the ‘underground blossom.’
Once considered a coveted ingredient in the drug industry, this rare component, valued for its unique properties, had become scarce due to advancements in potion-making.
Was it appropriate to call this the drug lord’s herb warehouse? The sight of dozens of Malabest roots, a rarity virtually unobtainable elsewhere, naturally caused Lennok’s hands to tremble with anticipation.
