– Kugu-gung–!!
The loud sound of the shattered door fragments made Luke frown.
It was enough to make his ears feel numb.
When Luke shot a somewhat dissatisfied glance at Liv, who was slumped over like a scolded puppy, he couldn’t bring himself to blame the child any further.
After all, what was wrong with cutting the door after being told to do so?
This was actually his own fault for being caught off guard without considering his senses, which had become much more sensitive than before.
The sword’s blade of the Swordmaster, which sharpens even blunt branches, demonstrated absurd cutting power when meeting a modern combat knife made with contemporary steel processing methods.
That knife he had acquired seemed to be better than expected.
“Haah…”
Next time, he needed to either plug his ears or stay a little further away to prepare himself.
The space he entered through the door was filled with numerous shelves.
On the shelves, flasks, reagent bottles of various sizes and shapes, and sealed storage containers were stored tightly without any gaps.
“Hmm, this is…”
“…?”
Liv began to step forward, bewildered by the scene laid out before her.
Luke followed her and started checking the contents on the shelves.
Most flasks were transparent, and the labels described their contents with clear explanations and annotations, making it easy to understand what they contained.
‘Troll’s Tongue, Basilisk’s Eye, Kobold’s Fang…’
The contents of the flasks were filled with parts or organs of monsters.
Some flasks contained whole heads or hands, while others housed small animals, monsters, or insects in pristine condition.
It appeared that they had been preserved using modern methods.
Perhaps for that reason, they seemed vibrant enough to believe they had just been placed there; in fact, some flasks contained contents that wriggled irregularly as if they were truly alive.
The moving organs and body parts stored in the dark warehouse might be a place that would make ordinary people feel nauseous, but not for Luke.
‘The preservation state is good, and the variety is diverse. It’s a bit tempting.’
To Luke, who was a mage, these were not disgusting or horrific but rather an excellent resource.
So what were the dark mages intending to do with such high-quality resources?
Luke began to ponder.
‘If I were a dark mage…’
The first purpose that came to mind upon seeing the materials was the creation of a homunculus.
Homunculus, an artificial life form created through alchemy.
Using materials like these, surely, a high-quality homunculus could be produced.
Although he thought he might not be able to create a chimera due to the impurities in the materials.
However, there was a problem with that hypothesis.
‘If it’s a homunculus, then what exactly are they planning to do with these homunculi?’
Unlike a chimera, which is born anew through the fusion of the elemental properties of life, growing and developing, a homunculus is created by patching together the physical forms of various creatures, hence it does not grow, develop, or have a long lifespan.
Therefore, to put it bluntly, a homunculus is merely a byproduct inferior to a golem.
Thus, if they can obtain the necessary permits from authorities, homunculi can be legally created without needing to hide materials in such a secretive location.
Luke found it hard to believe that an organization capable of acquiring this level of materials and personnel could not obtain such permits.
‘Then, for now, let’s set aside the possibility of homunculi.’
If it wasn’t homunculi, Luke had nothing specific that came to mind right away.
Perhaps in modern times, new and innovative uses could be found for such things, but lacking social authority and having relatively limited knowledge from the papers he had read, Luke lacked the ability to deduce anything relating to modern technologies.
What could he do? There was no way to find out.
This was also the reason Luke was eager to graduate from the academy as soon as possible.
Well, actually, he was about to graduate soon.
As he walked slowly, examining the shelves again, Luke realized that this place was much larger than he had expected.
At this rate, the time for the other members of the family to wake up would draw near.
He had already given Yerna and Dayton a good sleeping tea beforehand, but the confirmed efficacy of that tea lasted only about 2-3 hours.
Once they started drinking it and falling asleep, they wouldn’t wake up even if someone shouted beside them for about 2-3 hours, but after 2-3 hours, they would wake up due to external stimuli.
This meant that if Dayton or Yerna woke up and, unfortunately, realized that he was not in his room, it would be a big problem.
Of course, he had Kate placed in his room as a stand-in just in case, but since Yerna and Dayton already knew that Kate could take on Luke’s appearance, it could not be guaranteed as 100% safe.
Moreover, if it were discovered that Luke had gone out while using Kate as a stand-in, he would be left with no excuse.
He would likely face a strict interrogation about where he had been.
‘Time is of the essence.’
Luke’s mind became impatient.
“Liv. For now, the place is spacious, so let’s split up and investigate. If you find anything unusual, come and call me.”
– Nod, nod.
Luke began to carefully observe the shelves once more.
And soon, he was able to notice something peculiar.
‘Isn’t it strange that all the materials are paired up?’
If there’s a left hand here, there’s a left hand on another shelf; if there’s a right ear here, there’s another right ear on a different shelf.
Just to be sure, Luke continued examining the shelves, but most of them were indeed paired.
Moreover, the subtle appearances were identical, as if they had been cut from pairs of twins.
If they really had selected only twins for dissection, it was indeed a morbid taste.
Or perhaps the person in charge of this facility was suffering from extreme obsessive-compulsiveness…
“Um?”
While making various conjectures and simultaneously inspecting the shelves one by one, Luke spotted Liv running towards him, waving her hand.
“Did you find something unusual?”
– Nod, nod.
Liv nodded vigorously, clearly brimming with confidence.
“Then, let’s hurry and lead the way.”
“……!”
——–
Upon following Liv, the place they arrived at was a wall.
However, there was nothing particularly special about the wall.
Even when using magic sight, no hidden magic was detectable.
“What are you trying to show me, Liv?”
“……!”
When Luke asked with a suspicious look, Liv began to sweep the floor with her foot as if to get his attention.
Luke frowned slightly at her actions.
Wouldn’t that only get the dust from the floor all over the doll’s feet?
Even if she used Clean, it would only kill various contaminants sticking to the fabric—such as microorganisms or fungi—not remove the toxins already generated by them, so using Clean afterward would still leave it dirty.
That’s why cleaning with water is necessary after using Clean.
So, if she wanted him to hold her when they returned, he hoped she would refrain from carelessly dirtying her body.
Luke, who had a unique sense of cleanliness as a mage, felt that way.
Knowing that, Liv had been trying to avoid getting blood on herself, but if she kept doing this…
However, a moment later, Luke’s frown returned to its normal state.
What Liv had discovered was that captivating.
“Some kind of scratch mark on the floor…?”
The traces covered with dust and stone powder had been revealed by Liv’s gestures.
The marks that curved toward the wall appeared to be evidence of a door that had been opened.
Unless someone had playfully drawn it, this was a clue indicating that there was a hidden door here.
“Hmm, interesting. Nothing appeared on my magic sight, but…”
A door disguised as a wall.
Could it truly be a mechanically operated secret door?
If so, it was indeed a remarkable concept.
Although the maintenance seemed a bit sloppy.
“Yes, it does seem like there’s certainly something beyond this wall. I could never have found it through my magic sight. Good job.”
“……!”
Liv nodded proudly.
“But how do we open this door…?”
Clearly, Luke and Liv had no knowledge of how to open it.
If it were magic, it could be figured out somehow, but if it were a mechanical locking mechanism, Luke had no way of knowing.
As intruders, they wouldn’t have any sort of key to open the hidden door.
If that were the case, there was only one method.
That was to use a key that could open any door, regardless of shape.
“Liv, you can do it, right? I’m counting on you.”
– Nod.
“…….”
Seeing the aura of the blade on Liv’s knife, Luke once again remembered to plug his ears well.
