Homunculus
Homunculus.
Actually, this guy was closer to a future android than a golem.
While ordinary golems were machines that only followed orders.
This one was a cutting-edge robot equipped with an artificial intelligence AI!
“From the specs alone, it’s worlds apart.”
Guld explained with sparkling eyes.
“It’s as strong as a golem, but its fine movements make comparing it to a golem insulting.”
It moves every finger and toe like a human and uses those skills freely for swordsmanship or magic.
Up to that point, it was similar to a high-grade golem.
“It has intelligence and can make its own judgments, plus absolute loyalty to its master.”
Moreover, Homunculi grow on their own.
Even if their owner logs out!
“This is the pride of our school. Other people have been dying to get their hands on this.”
The urgency in his voice was clear.
“Understood. Then let’s begin.”
“Yeah. If anything goes wrong, I’ll watch from the side. Do it however you like.”
Fafnir took the Homunculus Creation Skill Book along with the cauldron.
—I used Guld’s Homunculus Creation Skill Book.
The skill activated and Fafnir’s body moved on its own.
His hands automatically prepared the materials and used the right amount of dark mana.
‘The bones will be made from dark mana stones and dark mana… and when the Living Dead heart and Troll blood combine, I’ll add Chagar’s claw.’
Most users left it to the auto-generation of skills.
But at some point, someone said.
—You have to use the skill yourself! It’s much more efficient!
The first person to say that got his images taken on every humor site and had his ass kicked for it.
However, the situation changed when that person became the best blacksmith.
One of the named characters from the original novel.
The secret technique of the Steel King, Yeomcheon-su, the best blacksmith, who had pulled it out.
After that, many people started the habit of observing their own skills.
…That was what the novel said.
‘From now on, I’ll do the same.’
Before even that Yeomcheon-su appeared.
Fafnir stared intently at the process.
‘Hmm… Not bad.’
Memories of his first time cooking as a child.
Digging a pit and adding various weeds flashed back.
‘Sigh….’
Once he started concentrating, Fafnir fell into it with terrifying focus.
Guld, watching from the side, nodded his head.
“As I thought, my talented disciple. You need that much enthusiasm for creating a Homunculus.”
How much time had passed?
—Please insert the final material for the Homunculus.
Almost at the end of the work.
A single message appeared.
‘Final material….’
If the materials that had come out so far were the parts of the Homunculus.
Then the final material was none other than the Homunculus’s soul and identity.
Depending on what you put in, every kind of Homunculus would appear.
Of course, you could put in nothing.
But in that case, you’d have to give up on high expectations.
“Sigh…”
What to put?
Fafnir fell into thought.
The good materials had already been used in the Skeleton Knight.
What was left were things like Goblin bones and bat bones.
Guld, who had come closer, said.
“It’s time to insert the final material.”
“Yes.”
“Use your own blood. From a part near the heart, the neck, or the head.”
A Homunculus was a golem with artificial soul.
To always engrave the weight of creation, it was necessary to insert one’s own soul.
‘If I insert my blood, will a human-like Homunculus that thinks like me appear?’
A doppelganger-like Homunculus would be quite useful.
Use it as bait and have the main body slip away somewhere else or assassinate the enemy!
‘It’s like a clone technique.’
Fafnir without hesitation pressed the blade against his neck and sprinkled blood.
Guld let out a small exclamation.
“You’re not afraid to get hurt. That’s right, a Necromancer should be like that!”
—Guld’s affinity has increased by +1.
—Final material confirmed.
—Homunculus Creation Ritual has reached the final stage.
Bubbling. As the blood entered, an enormous amount of foam poured out from the pot.
“It’s complete! Well done, disciple!”
“……”
The historic moment of creating a Homunculus for the first time!
—Homunculus creation successful.
—Achievement ‘Artificial Life Creation’ achieved.
—New title ‘Creator of Artificial Life’ acquired.
—Intelligence stat increased by +1.
—Wisdom stat increased by +1.
—Committed a fatal taboo!
—Reputation with gods of the Sun faction decreased by 50.
Inside the cauldron, a black figure rose up.
‘Status window….’
At that moment.
Fafnir’s expression, which had been staring tensely into the pot, suddenly went blank.
“Wait, what is this?”
Guld beside him spoke in his stead.
“It seems like it’s not your blood, but some other blood mixed in.”
The appearance of the created Homunculus was quite different from what was expected.
If the material had been determined by Fafnir’s blood.
A man in his mid-twenties, the same as the main body Fafnir, should be inside the pot.
But…
[Fafnir’s Homunculus]
—Please set a name.
“A girl? I clearly saw that your blood was inserted, but how is this…”
“I don’t know either, Master.”
Fafnir said while making excuses and thought.
‘It’s like stepping on a falling domino.’
The girl in front of him looked almost identical to the Blood Magic General he had seen recently.
Meaning that the inserted blood had been recognized as the Blood Magic General’s!
If this thought was correct…
‘It’s a real jackpot.’
This Homunculus was a ‘no-daji’ even more than anything he had obtained so far.
It might even be on the level of Flush.
“Master, please give a name.”
“Right, I need to name it.”
Fafnir was about to say No. 4 but stopped.
It wasn’t out of affection or regret.
‘If I name it the same as the Skeleton Knight, it’ll be hard to tell them apart.’
After all, it was an efficiency issue!
The name would also be used when introducing it to NPCs, so it needed more effort.
‘What kind of name would be good?’
While Fafnir was pondering.
No. 1 approached the Homunculus girl.
Wiggling.
No. 1, swinging its legs, approached and the moment it opened its jaw wide…
Clang!
“Gross. Go wash up first.”
The black-haired girl hit No. 1’s skull and said flatly.
She was holding No. 1’s shin bone in her hand, having taken it at some point.
Fafnir said without thinking.
“Bell Sound!”
“Is my name Bell Sound?”
—Do you wish to set the name to ‘Bell Sound’?
Bell?
I had said it by accident, but it was a better name than he thought.
“Not Bell Sound, let’s call it Bello.”
“Understood, Master.”
The Homunculus Bello simply bowed and said.
“Command me.”
“First, put on some clothes.”
Before giving any instructions, there was one thing he needed to check.
‘Homunculus Status Window!’
[Bello]
—Race: Homunculus
—Level: 50
—Relationship: Servant
—Attack Power: 221
—Defense: 155
—Growth Rate: S+
—Loyalty: 100 (Fixed)
—Strength: 77
—Vitality: 65
—Agility: 212
—Dexterity: 96
—Intelligence: 235
—Wisdom: 163
—Luck: 20
[Equipped Skills]
—Vampire Blood
—Blood Weapon
—Devil Eyebid
—Blood Skeleton Knight Summoning
—Blood Arrow
—Blood Shield
—Blood Opening
[Equipped Equipment]
—None.
‘My thoughts were right….’
Looking at the skills, it was clear.
The blood inserted during the Homunculus creation.
Of course, it had mixed with Hemora’s blood.
It was hard to believe by common sense.
But the status window right in front of them was the proof.
‘I never thought it would open such an enormous no-daji.’
It wasn’t especially strong right now.
But with an S+ growth rate, it would become enormous if it grew well.
Of course, Hemora’s blood would be limited.
So this Homunculus was special.
Next time, it wouldn’t be as strong as this one.
‘Then should I head to the new hunting ground right away?’
With a new power joining, he could think more broadly.
Farther than the hunting grounds he had been going to so far.
Stronger and more threatening named monsters, or monsters gathered in overwhelming numbers, could all be hunted.
‘Since I’m here, I’d like there to be some people around here to think about the Necromancer a bit differently….’
People’s hearts wanted to show off new clothes!
Fafnir was an unavoidable average citizen in that regard too.
‘And he could grow that fast.’
Fafnir, who had been recalling several nearby areas, snapped his fingers.
‘Good, that should work.’
Looking at the strength of the new members, a place to accumulate group battle experience had come to mind.
***
In the western suburbs of Byron City, humans, thieves, and strong wolves were mainly seen.
But if you went a little deeper from there.
At some point, such monsters all disappeared.
—Entered the Revenant Highlands.
A vast land with red earth.
In this highland, there was only one kind of monster.
Blood-red wolves!
These level 53 wolf packs were the masters of this field.
‘Even without that, they used hit-and-run tactics, so I’d rather say it’s better to hunt other easy monsters.’
Because of this, even pretty good users didn’t step foot here.
In fact, it was a field that had been abandoned.
‘A perfect place to test the power of new Skeleton Knights and Homunculi.’
No people, so monsters overflowed.
Little chance of being bullied by others.
“The number of Blood-red Wolf individuals has been increasing lately, and I hear they’ve been raiding merchants and villages outside the castle walls. Kill fifty of them.”
“The lord told me to make a red carpet, but there’s no material and I’m in big trouble. If you have some Blood-red Wolf leather, I’ll pay a fair price.”
—Quest ‘Eliminate Blood-red Wolves’ accepted.
—Quest ‘Carpets Are Made of Wolf Leather’ accepted.
Fafnir, who received the related quests, immediately started hunting.
‘According to specs, the Skeleton Knights should have a slight advantage.’
The level was a bit higher than the wolves’.
But the Skeleton Knights had equipment and stat buffs.
Considering the strength of the materials, it should normally be overwhelming.
However, the moment the hunt started, it was surprisingly difficult.
Woof!
Clang!
The situation where No. 2 and No. 3 were surrounded by countless wolves and in danger.
It was thanks to No. 1 going crazy that helped.
If not, scenes where not a single one died and the Skeleton Knights lost would keep coming out.
‘This is strange.’
Clearly the specs of No. 2 and No. 3, made in the laboratory, were much higher.
But the moment they fought, it was inexplicably No. 1 that was ahead.
‘I wonder what happened? Let’s check with a replay.’
Soon the reason was revealed.
‘Combat experience is too lacking. It’s a level where he doesn’t even know how to fight.’
The battles of No. 2 and No. 3 were beginner levels where they had just picked up a weapon for the first time.
Meanwhile, No. 1 had accumulated training experience by accompanying Fafnir.
‘I guess I’ll have to teach them swordsmanship or spear techniques while accompanying them.’
Even if the specs were good, it couldn’t go beyond a meat shield in this state.
‘I’ll teach them a lot of skills too, so I need to fill all the slots.’
They’d have to think about coordinating the three after that.
‘By the way, on the other side….’
The side fighting against the Skeleton Knights.
Fafnir, watching the wolves gathered a bit away, let out a wry smile.
“Haha.”
The Blood-red Wolves formed enormous numbers and moved in packs.
A single pack had at least fifty or more wolves.
There were over a dozen such packs.
In other words, all the packs that didn’t go to the Skeleton Knights…
“It’s a mess.”
—Experience points acquired.
—Experience points acquired.
—Experience points acquired.
Bello, gripping the scimitar’s hilt covered in blood, went wild.
One after another, the experience points poured in!
Around the blood of the exploding wolves, red slime-like human figures rose one after another.
“……Is that a scam?”
The charging wolves were pushed back with blood shields, and they turned into bats and retreated when they tried to bite.
“Currently processed 27, remaining individuals 21.”
A robot horror movie from decades ago where robots massacred humans.
The robot in that movie felt exactly like this.
‘Clearly the stats should be a bit stronger than the Skeleton Knights’… but with the skill and AI levels high, it’s possible to do things like this.’
The more surprising thing was that Bello had just been created.
The level and skill levels rose, and with the effects of the growth rate, it was impossible to imagine what kind of monster it would become.
‘Hmph, I can’t just stand by either.’
Fafnir pulled out his sword and jumped to the rear of the wolves.
“Where do you think you’re going? You can’t go!”
Fafnir, who had joined the Skeleton Knights, narrowed the wolf encirclement.
To leave no one behind.
The completion of the Necromancer-style wolf trap.