Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Antiros's Hatchery
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Just as Kudo had said, the fourth room was a hatchery.
Its actual name was even [Antiros's Hatchery].
Antiros, who had built his laboratory in the Blood-Soaked Land of Kuberin and dedicated himself to chimera research, grew skeptical of his method of fusing different life forms after years of failure.
He had realized that such a method could only produce horrific and bizarre monstrosities, not 'creations' born from 'creation'.
This was because Antiros's ultimate goal was to invade the Creator's domain by bringing a new, non-existent species into being...
Instead, Antiros focused on 'hatching' new life forms using 'eggs'.
He intended to first create an egg, inject it with various germ cells, and then manipulate the genetic information using magical and alchemical knowledge to create a new species... Such was the backstory of this place, [Antiros's Laboratory].
“Wh-what in the world are these eggs?”
Russell, terrified, stared at the eggs with anxious eyes as if they were time bombs.
“Are they monster eggs?”
“One thing's for sure, they aren't ordinary eggs.”
Begman and Kudo offered their opinions.
“If anything tries to pop out, I'll shoot it immediately.”
Marder, perhaps eager to try out his newly acquired [Silent Arrow], had an arrow nocked and was aiming at the eggs.
“No.”
Carlyle said, gently pressing down on the arrow to stop him from shooting.
“There's nothing particularly dangerous here, so you don't need to worry.”
“Not dangerous?”
“Yes.”
Carlyle nodded.
“It doesn't seem like they contain any evil creatures. Everyone, relax.”
The senior soldiers, though they accepted Carlyle's words, couldn't shake their unease and remained on guard.
‘Well, it's a natural reaction, considering they were just fighting chimeras.’
Carlyle chuckled inwardly and examined the eggs.
There were about a hundred eggs in total.
Each egg varied in size and shape, suggesting that the creatures inside were all different as well.
‘A few of them have gone bad.’
Carlyle frowned as he scanned some of the eggs.
Some had completely lost their luster, and others even reeked of rot.
It seemed that after Antiros's death, the magic maintaining the hatchery's temperature had gradually weakened, affecting the preservation of the eggs.
“What in the world is inside them?”
“Hmm.”
Carlyle answered Begman's question.
“I don't know either. We'll have to crack them open to find out.”
“Crack them open?”
“We have to. It's the only way to know what's inside.”
The hatchery was the core content of [Antiros's Laboratory], a system where you could obtain a [Pet] by cracking an egg.
What came out of the eggs was completely random, so even Carlyle had no way of knowing what was inside until he cracked one open.
“You don't have even a rough idea?”
“Let's just say... they're somewhat special creatures.”
“Special creatures?”
“For example...”
Carlyle said, recalling the pets he had gotten in the past.
“A perverted cuckoo with nothing but mating on its mind...”
“Huh?”
“A talking frog, a bird with a body made of stone, a tap-dancing octopus, a winged serpent... things like that.”
“Are you telling me to believe that?”
Begman's face crumpled as if to say, ‘Stop talking nonsense.’
“...But it's true.”
Carlyle squeezed his eyes shut, recalling his own luck with the draws.
‘I've gotten all of those myself.’
Carlyle felt a sense of injustice.
Other players would get valiant, cool, and cute creatures.
For example, things like the [Three-Eyed Cat], a gray cat with three eyes, or the [Chimera], which had the head and body of a lion, the tail of a serpent, and wings.
But Carlyle's luck was abysmal, and as he told Begman, he only had memories of getting bizarre and grotesque creatures.
Moreover, those pets were far from helpful; they often caused trouble that embarrassed their owner, making them nothing but a nuisance.
It was so bad that, at a certain point, he had often skipped altogether during his playthroughs.
‘I'm not expecting anything.’
With that thought, Carlyle turned to the senior soldiers.
“Let's start cracking them open, one by one.”
“We're not taking them with us?”
“How are we supposed to carry all these eggs? Besides, you can't put living creatures into a high-capacity sub-dimensional inventory.”
“I-I see.”
“Would you like to go first?”
Carlyle picked up a small hammer that was lying in a corner of the hatchery and offered it to Begman.
“Is that really okay?”
“Why not? Let's take turns cracking one each.”
“I-if you say so.”
Begman, with a cautiousness that didn't quite suit him, took the hammer from Carlyle.
“Just strike it. Probably...”
“Probably?”
“It's my first time too.”
“Ah, I see.”
Following Carlyle's instructions, Begman struck an egg with the hammer.
*Crack!* The egg shattered into pieces, and from within...
“Ugh!”
Begman recoiled in horror.
*Gush!*
What poured out of the broken egg was not a living creature, but a thick, black liquid.
The stench was so foul it didn't just assault the nose; it was enough to make one's mind reel.
“Ugh.”
“Wh-what is that.”
Kudo and Marder grimaced in disgust.
“*Blech!*”
Russell, for a bedwetter, seemed to have a weak stomach, as he even started retching in agony.
Carlyle pulled a handkerchief from his coat, covered his nose and mouth, and said.
“It's a dud.”
“A dud?”
“It rotted because it's old. It failed to hatch in time.”
“I-I see. Ugh.”
Begman replied, shaking his leg to flick the liquid off his boot.
“Who's next?”
Having seen Begman get a dud, Kudo, Marder, and Russell were hesitant to step forward.
“If no one's going, I'll go first.”
Carlyle took the hammer and cracked the next egg.
*Crack, gush!*
The egg shattered, and a black liquid poured out.
‘Of course. I wasn't expecting anything anyway.’
As Carlyle, with an indifferent expression, was about to hand the hammer to Russell, the previously silent notification window popped up.
[Notification: Dud!!!]
[Notification: Oh dear! You were unlucky!]
[Notification: Better luck next time!]
“You son of a b...”
A curse escaped Carlyle's lips.
***
Overall, the expedition team's luck was not good.
Having cracked nearly two-thirds of the eggs without a single person getting a pet, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were a bunch of unlucky souls.
With so many duds, how could the hatchery not reek of rot?
‘Or maybe not.’
On the other hand, he thought it might have nothing to do with luck.
‘If the preservation magic weakened, wouldn't it be natural for the eggs to rot?’
He had come here with the attitude of having nothing to lose, and since he hadn't expected anything, Carlyle mechanically swung the hammer and cracked eggs without much thought.
[Notification: Dud!!!]
[Notification: Oh dear! You were unlucky!]
[Notification: Better luck next time!]
It was unpleasant every time the notification window appeared, but perhaps because he lacked the passion he once had when fervently playing [Overlord], he didn't get particularly angry.
Just obtaining the [Iron Fortress] and [Guerrilla Spirit], items specialized for defense, had made the trip worthwhile...
‘I should just finish cracking these and head back...’
Just then.
*Flash!*
A brilliant flash of light erupted from the egg Marder had cracked.
“...!”
All eyes were fixed on the egg Marder had cracked.
“Cheep, cheep!”
What emerged from the egg was a falcon with feathers as blue as the sky.
“You've got to be kidding me.”
Carlyle refused to believe it.
Getting a blue-feathered falcon from [Antiros's Laboratory] meant only one thing.
‘That's a Hugin.’
The [Hugin] was a three-eyed falcon and a very useful pet.
Furthermore, unlike ordinary pets, it was a growth-type with a long lifespan, making it a rare pet you could keep for a lifetime.
In other words, Marder had just obtained a high-tier pet, the kind you might not get even after cracking thousands of eggs.
“Cheep, cheep!”
The Hugin chirped, gazing at Marder with its third eye.
“This little guy... what's it saying?”
Marder asked Carlyle with a bewildered expression.
“It's probably imprinting.”
“Imprinting?”
“It recognizes the person who broke the egg as its master.”
“So I have to raise it?”
“Hmm.”
Carlyle said with a slightly sullen expression.
“I think it's less about raising it and more about serving it...”
“Hmm?”
“It's nothing. Just try to raise it well.”
Carlyle gave a bitter smile.
The feeling of watching someone who had no idea how lucky he was...
“Anyway, congratulations. Let's keep cracking.”
Until that moment, Carlyle had thought that Marder was just exceptionally lucky.
But thirty minutes later, with almost no eggs left, Carlyle had to admit he was wrong.
“...Is this some kind of hidden camera show?”
“Hidden camera? What's that?”
Begman tilted his head, stroking the scruff of his wolf-like pet.
The [Silver Wolf] that Begman had gotten was a pet that, opposite to a werewolf, was normally a wolf but transformed into a beastman when excited.
Perhaps because the hatchery's preservation magic had faded, it looked a bit old and sickly, but it was a pet favored by many players for its high intelligence and combat prowess.
“I was just talking to myself, don't mind me.”
Carlyle replied curtly.
“This little one is quite cute.”
“*Yip yip!*”
To everyone's surprise, Kudo had gotten a red fox with nine tails.
A [Fire Gumiho].
It was a pet beloved by countless players because it would eventually grow into a nine-tailed human.
The probability of getting one was also extremely low, making it even rarer to see than a Hugin.
“Ugh! Why is this thing so strong!”
“*Sha sha! Shashasha!*”
Russell's pet, which resembled a white weasel, was a [Forest Maniac].
At first glance, it looked no different from an ordinary weasel, but it was incredibly strong and could cast buffs to strengthen its owner.
Following Marder, Begman, Kudo, and even Russell had all obtained rare pets that were highly rated by players.
Meanwhile, not a single pet stood by Carlyle's side.
That was right.
The only unlucky person was Carlyle.
***
‘This has to be some kind of joke.’
Carlyle had to struggle to suppress an emotional shift he hadn't felt in a very long time.
He knew his luck with draws was bad, but who would have thought it was *this* bad.
Being compared to others right in front of him made it clear that his luck was even worse than he had imagined.
“Don't be too disappointed. There are still three left.”
“Private Carlyle will surely get a cute companion too.”
“That's right, that's right.”
The senior soldiers offered Carlyle words of comfort and encouragement.
“I'm perfectly fine. So stop worrying about me and take care of your own pets.”
Carlyle snapped curtly and turned toward the remaining eggs.
Normally, it would have been insubordination, but given the circumstances, none of the seniors took issue with Carlyle's attitude.
‘So what if I don't get some stupid pet? They're just a hassle anyway.’
Carlyle swung the hammer at one of the three remaining eggs.
*Crack, gush!*
Black, rotten water poured out.
[Notification: Dud!!!]
[Notification: Oh dear! You were unlucky!]
[Notification: Better luck next time!]
The next egg was the same.
[Notification: Dud!!!]
[Notification: Oh dear! You were unlucky!]
[Notification: Better luck next time!]
One egg remained.
The size of an ostrich egg, it gleamed with a black luster, as if carved from obsidian.
*Crack!* The hammer swung by Carlyle struck the last remaining egg.
*FLAAAAAAASH!*
A black flash of light erupted from the broken egg, engulfing the entire hatchery.