NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 50
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“Us?”
The tail fur tilted its head in confusion.
“What do you think this place originally was?”
With a raised tail, the question was met by the team leader, who cast a quick glance and replied.
“Probably where monsters were kept.”
“Correct~! I think so too. We’re on the same wavelength as Romeo~?”
An unclaimed restraining device. Although there isn’t a proper mage around, they probably wouldn’t have managed the animals so strictly. Most likely, it was a monster.
“Do you think it’s going to be a chimera?”
“Maybe?”
The team leader frowned at the fierce scent that pricked his nose.
“Smell of blood?”
As they turned around the opposite wall, they stumbled upon a room filled with the gruesome remains of bodies.
“Did we pass through here?”
“No? I don’t think so.”
The two exchanged puzzled looks. Surely neither of them had memory issues…
“Magic?”
The tail fur shook its head after a brief inspection.
“No, the magic belongs to these people.”
“…There are bite marks too.”
The team leader sighed.
He had an inkling of the situation. An unforgettable pattern of magic. Wounds reminiscent of an attack by a beast. Yet, it was restrained.
‘Tail. Prodigal. Threat.’
The three words the wolf had mentioned.
It wasn’t that he was entirely safe from suspicion. No, he had been suspecting as soon as he heard the name Tail Fur. But—he didn’t want to believe it. Logically, it made no sense for it to be in the city.
However, when he thought back, it did have a record.
It had previously attacked people in the city.
‘—Alpha.’
It was here. The team leader was now strongly convinced.
‘This place is already a massacre.’
The large laboratory was filled with blood and corpses. After a brief moment of shock at the horrifying slaughter, he noticed a faint scar as if someone had been stabbed with a thin sword.
‘The Team Leader.’
Though the smell of blood was strong, his sense of smell could vaguely recall scents he had encountered once before.
‘I thought it was all a farce.’
Upon hearing the term “Team Leader,” he had been skeptical, but it seemed he was right about Gu Jin-ha. Why was he here?
‘Wasn’t Gu Jin-ha involved with the blind spot?’
No. Gu Jin-ha would only later learn about the existence of the blind spot. Up to that point, it didn’t seem possible he was involved…?
‘Did the plot deviate from the novel?’
There was no other explanation. Had he leaked the information on the prodigals? Or was there another factor at play?
‘But that’s not the important part.’
He could think about that later; for now, escaping was the priority.
Unlike others, he didn’t trust his stealth against a skilled fighter like Gu Jin-ha. So, he wanted to rush to Building B as fast as possible…
‘Damn it.’
Some fancy navigation and he still couldn’t find his way.
He even tried using his detection skills to find a hidden path, but to no avail; running his tentacles along the walls didn’t reveal anything either.
‘What if Buildings A and B aren’t even connected?’
What if they were entirely separate buildings? If there were no underground connections?
‘Nah. The odds of that are slim.’
Recalling the conversation, it was said that he would “do his best to hold them off in Building A, but if they got to Building B…” That implied a route from Building A to B existed.
‘If there was no path, they wouldn’t say “hold off” but rather “escape.” Or better yet, he wouldn’t have called at all.’
There had to be a path leading to Building B. No, he had to approach the thought with the assumption that a path existed. But still, the path to B was absent…?
‘Ah.’
A sudden thought struck him.
When he first came down to the basement, he encountered the creature at the large iron door. It had attacked him immediately, after all.
Gu Jin-ha wouldn’t have let it go free, so it must have fled…
‘Where did Gu Jin-ha go?’
Following the scent of blood in decreasing intensity, the creature made a direct path from the entrance. Rather, it had just run straight.
‘……’
In contrast, he had been tracking the monster’s aura, heading into the left corridor. That left path had been barricaded, meaning no intruder or member of the blind spot could pass through.
‘Back then, Gu Jin-ha was here.
Right here in this vast laboratory. So, that means…
‘There’s a hidden path from the entrance to the central laboratory!’
It had to be the only explanation. Just as he began to retrace his steps back towards the entrance, a sound caught his attention, making him turn his head sharply.
‘Is that—?’
A walled-off area, a restroom. Yet, if his ears hadn’t deceived him, the sound he had just heard was definitely…
‘Could it be…?’
A pulley. He was compelled to enter the restroom, almost in a trance. It was a little dirty since it was underground, but it wasn’t an ordinary restroom…
‘What a surprise.’
Beyond the partition in the restroom, there was an elevator.
‘Is Building B referring to the basement?’
It was a path leading down, rather than one connecting to somewhere else. He thought he had checked every possible wall, but he hadn’t checked the restroom. After all, he hadn’t paid much mind, assuming that nobody would be inside when he used detection.
“Crick.”
He let out a hollow laugh. The psychological blind spot was effectively hit.
‘It does warrant the name blind spot.’
To have an elevator in the restroom. It was a wisdom shared among mages—desperation leads to ingenuity.
‘Carefully…’
He cautiously opened the door, trying to make no sound. Beyond the tightly closed door lay an empty space, and as he brushed his tentacles against the wall, he gradually descended. Of course, he could have used the elevator, but that thought didn’t cross his mind.
‘They’re probably waiting for me.’
Wouldn’t they be guarding the only passage, the elevator? They would undoubtedly be glaring up from below. As he descended, a sense of discomfort washed over him.
‘Magic power?’
There was a thin barrier made of magic power. If he hadn’t touched it directly, he wouldn’t even have realized such a barrier existed—it was so subtle.
‘So that’s it.’
Other hunters weren’t simply incompetent for not chasing the blind spots or prodigals? This magical barrier was likely the way to avoid detection skills.
As he passed through the barrier, he finally felt an aura.
‘As expected, they were waiting.’
Just as he anticipated, they were set up around the elevator. Each of them was of a level higher than the mages he’d encountered upstairs, but their numbers were few.
[Derek Clark (Human)]
[Height 177.6cm] [Weight 56.4kg]
[Strength 125] [Agility 116] [Endurance 115] [Magic Power 401]
‘A proper mage.’
Of course, he couldn’t compare to monsters like Hong Yu-ri, but he was a mage of a distinctly different quality than the petty ones he had faced upstairs. Was he a mage who had been expelled from the Square like Agail?
‘This feels a bit burdensome.’
He had no idea what methods or preparations they had made. It wouldn’t be a problem if he were alone, but he was wary of the other mages being there too.
‘Rather than risking it.’
He decided to find out what on earth they were hiding in Building B.
He quietly descended onto the ceiling of the elevator, making no sound.
On the ceiling of the elevator, there was a small ventilation shaft. It was small enough for a pup to pass through.
‘With this size.’
Carefully prying off the metal grate blocking the vent, he slid inside cautiously.
‘Generator room?’
The large room was filled with generators, wires, and switches. Suddenly, two mages rushed in.
‘…!’
“Is that it?”
“Yeah. Just that. Don’t touch anything else.”
As he pressed the button, a sound echoed as if something powered down, and they exited back outside.
‘I thought I’d been discovered.’
Surprised by their sudden entrance, it seemed they hadn’t seen through his stealth.
‘There’s no need to stay here.’
He opened the door opposite where they had left. The barricades were still down, suggesting they didn’t think an intruder had reached Building B yet, and stepping through the door revealed a spacious room.
‘What is this?’
The room was filled with unfamiliar machinery. The labs upstairs looked laughable in comparison to this intricate and seemingly vital setup. On one wall, there were vials brimming with various substances, most of which were blood from animals or monsters.
A room filled with blood samples—an idea naturally formed in his mind.
‘This can’t possibly be…’
He stared blankly towards the center.
“Derek, is help on the way? Or… what about Agail?”
“He’s coming, so let’s wait a little longer.”
Even saying that, the mage named Derek was in silence. Whether it was Agail or not, the delay in news from the prodigals was too long.
‘What if he abandoned us?’
He hesitated to mention the Team Leader’s presence…
‘No. He wouldn’t abandon us.’
[Secondary Achievements] were here. It was unlikely they’d abandon that place. Something about the delay had them uneasy, however…
‘For now, we have no choice but to endure.’
“What about the barrier?”
“It’s intact. It won’t be easy to find.”
“The power must have been cut off.”
“Yeah. I just cut it off.”
Then the elevator wouldn’t be operational.
“Got it.”
Amidst his anxiousness, the mage bit his lip. Ideally, they would stay undetected and return at once. But if they did happen to come down here,
‘No. That absolutely cannot happen.’
Even if it was incomplete products, they could not be found with completed products here.
‘That Tail Fur, that damned bi—!’
Though he had no idea how she found this place, there was no time for fighting now.
‘Of all times to bring the Team Leader along…!’
Even if he couldn’t find Building B, they needed to abandon this one. The mage gritted his teeth. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t realize something had already passed him by since coming down from Building A.
“No matter where I look, it seems there’s no way out.”
“Strange…”
“What’s strange?”
Gone was the playful demeanor, and Tail Fur was now fidgeting anxiously while chewing her nails. After pondering, she sighed heavily and said.
“Derek isn’t here.”
“Derek?”
“Derek Clark. The leader of the blind spot… and his companion.”
Her revelation prompted the Team Leader’s expression to harden.
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“…I just thought it was obvious he would be here.”
“Are you joking?”
At the reprimand from the Team Leader, Tail Fur sighed.
“I’m sorry. But just as you didn’t fully trust me, I couldn’t entirely trust you either. How would I know where they were hiding?”
“Ha. You planned for every contingency? But it seems you were the one doubting me.”
“Mages are naturally suspicious.”
Tail Fur said self-deprecatingly.
“I’m really sorry.”
At her continued apology, the Team Leader glanced up at the ceiling.
‘After all, we weren’t in a place of trust.’
Trust was never between them in the first place—just a temporary alliance.
“Aside from that, is there anything else you haven’t mentioned?”
“…Nothing.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Gu Jin-ha’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Do you know what that means?”
“……?”
Seeing the puzzled look on Tail Fur, Gu Jin-ha smirked.
“It means you haven’t said anything at all.”
With a furrowed brow, Tail Fur asked back.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t even know your name.”
“…….”
“You’ve deceived me twice.”
Gu Jin-ha made it clear with a frosty tone.
“Now, is there any way I can trust you?”
It was an ultimatum. A strong will that if she deceived him again, their alliance would end. Tail Fur pondered for a moment, sighed deeply, and raised her arms in surrender.
“Alright. But remember, this must be kept a secret.”
“…….”
“This is no joke. You absolutely must keep it a secret.”
“That’s not your call to make.”
Chewing her lip, Tail Fur tightly closed her eyes.
“My name is Anela.”
“…….”
“Anela… Anela Morest.”
Anela Morest… The Team Leader felt a strange sense of déjà vu at that name. It was certainly the first time hearing it, but somehow it felt familiar.
Then he realized that what seemed familiar wasn’t the name “Anela,” but rather the surname “Morest.”
“Could it be?”
The Morest… Whose surname was that again?
As he finally recalled the name of the Butterfly of Covenant, the Team Leader looked at her in shock.
[Incomplete Product of Secondary Achievement] was the name of the substance that Gu Ma-jun had consumed.
‘Of course, he wouldn’t turn into something like Gu Ma-jun.’
No one could tell what miracle took place, but that one had become a dreadful embodiment of the “Awakening Evil.” Naturally, the incomplete product of the secondary achievement wouldn’t yield such an effect. Even if it were a completed product, it wouldn’t replicate that kind of power.
However—
‘…It has value beyond that.’
Prodigals had continuously experimented to create an elixir, making substances that came incredibly close to it.
‘Imitation Elixir.’
With an even superior imitation elixir, wouldn’t they be able to create a real elixir? Such thoughts drove the endeavor, but in the end, they could only produce incomplete replicas of the imitation elixir. They couldn’t even make an elixir, let alone the imitation.
‘So this is.’
[Imitation Elixir]
His eyes turned red, blood vessels bulging, and his body trembled. With D-rank insight, he could hardly process—there was simply too much information flooding his brain, threatening to burst.
‘……!’
When he forced himself to stop the insight, it felt as if he had been hit with a wave of mental fatigue.
‘This is… real.’
There was no doubt it was a completed product. A miraculous serum that could revive any living being if not for its death—mimicking the blood of gods. The pinnacle of alchemy and magic, existing solely in this world.
‘Why is this here?’
There was no need for further thought. It was here to be observed and imitated.
‘So this facility itself is?’
It wasn’t a new experiment to create chimeras. Chimeras were merely a part of the ongoing experiments. The true target was this.
‘I must take it.’
[Storage (E) Lv.1 skill acquired]
He immediately gained the skill. The space was tiny, yet enough to store the imitation elixir.
‘Done.’
An unanticipated achievement. His body trembled with excitement, his heart raced.
‘Just this alone.’
Was more than enough. How many merits could he rack up? Had he killed Gu Ma-jun? Had he killed Lee Baek-seom? Such trivial matters were incomparable to this grand achievement.
‘Calm down.’
He took a deep breath and steadied himself. The time for celebration wasn’t now; he needed to think of what came next.
‘First, calm down and look around some more.’
There might be further achievements hidden here, aside from the imitation elixir. Choosing a different path from the one he had come in through led him to a corridor.
‘First, somewhere devoid of their presence.’
As he walked through the corridor, he found an enormous laboratory. No, it felt more like a torture chamber. There were blades and machines that seemed to pile upon one another.
‘They were already at it.’
Then he grasped how members of the blind spot were becoming stronger. Simultaneously, he pieced together why Agail had been expelled from the Purple Square.
‘Human experimentation.’
He ground his teeth.
It was almost shameful to even call it an experiment. They were physically grinding humans to extract magic power.
To them, people weren’t people. Just mere materials, mere resources.
They were probably just engrossed in finding the most efficient methods to extract even more magic power.
‘Filthy bastards…!’
Rather than the thrill, his heart calmed, and his mind turned cold. As he glanced around the room, he sensed a presence.
‘Ha… they really have no limits.’
There was another space beyond the laboratory.
Through the gap, a horrific stench of blood flowed out. Most likely, they had imprisoned people here.
‘…….’
Steeling himself, he opened the door. What lay beyond surpassed mere imagination.
‘…….’
For a moment, he lost his words and stared blankly.
It was beyond imagination, drenched in blood and filth, yet still writhing.
Stuffed together like trash, they were struggling through the narrow gap.
“Ugh… ah?”
People crawling on the ground, moaning like beasts.
Their hollow eye sockets were bloated with maggots, and some appeared so gaunt and hollow-cheeked that their insides were visible from their mouths.
A sight so horrific that simply observing it felt like slowly wearing away at his sanity.
He stared blankly, in shock.
Lost in a horrid stupor, he remained immobile.
After a moment, one of them reached out and touched his leg, making him flinch.
“Ugh, ah?”
A person without eyes, with no tongue, looked up at him.
Rather than trying to threaten him, they struggled even to breathe.
And yet—why did he back away?
‘Damn.’
A feeling that he might vomit at any moment made him grit his teeth.
‘…….’
This wouldn’t do. Was it allowable for people to be like this?
Could a person do this to another person?
It was a breeding ground—there was no other way to put it.
‘—I’ve decided.’
He had no desire to risk his safety.
Fighting a mage was a huge gamble.
He had no idea what dangers lurked in the hideout of those madmen.
He had no idea when Agail might return.
Perhaps Euna might be pursuing him too.
Gu Jin-ha and Tail Fur might also come down to the lower levels.
He had obtained the imitation elixir and grasped what they were doing.
It would be wise to leave this place at once—that line of reasoning shattered completely.
‘I will kill them all…!’
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