Chapter 512
Chapter 512
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 512
Chapter Title: Mad Scientist (1)
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Doctor's secret laboratory, a separate dimensional space distinct from Earth.
In truth, the only beings with self-awareness wandering around inside weren't just Doctor and Howard.
"I've brought your meal, Sir Howard."
"Oh, yeah. Thanks as always."
"No need to mention it. Please feel free to let me know anytime if there's anything else you need."
The man, over two meters tall with a gaunt build and an excessively large head, bowed deeply at the waist.
Then, his figure vanished quietly as if he'd used stealth magic.
"......"
Howard stared in the direction he'd disappeared, holding his meal tray with a subtle expression on his face, then shook his head.
That being who'd just left wasn't any ordinary human, despite appearances.
Homunculus.
An artificial lifeform born from experiments.
And he wasn't the only one.
Robots busily checking and repairing complex machinery, automatons handling all household chores like cooking and laundry, artificial spirits and golems assisting with research by taking over simple experiments that required time, a Master AI overseeing the entire facility...
Countless entities were diligently carrying out their assigned roles in this secretive laboratory, which no one could invade recklessly.
They hide their presence so well you barely notice them, probably to avoid interfering with the experiments.
Doctor wouldn't handle chores like preparing meals or cleaning himself in the first place.
Yet he couldn't just let anyone into such a remote place, so it was only natural he'd make full use of the creations he'd made himself.
This was only possible because this space operated under laws different from the outside world.
If this were Earth, it'd be unimaginable. ...Though that guy might've found some way to circumvent the laws, efficiency would've still suffered.
Living in this lab, Howard could truly feel how dangerous a place it was.
It was literally a dungeon, and each of those entities was no different from an elite monster.
If an intruder ever appeared, this space would instantly transform into an impregnable fortress, exterminating outsiders by any means necessary.
Most enemies would be slaughtered at the intermediate checkpoints before even reaching Doctor's lab, the dungeon master.
Even if that enemy was one of those so-called transcendents.
Well, none of that concerns me anyway.
The dwarf Howard, a prisoner who'd infiltrated this perilous enemy stronghold without a single casualty, shrugged lightly.
Not even hostility toward him—he was greedily devouring the steak provided for his meal.
"Gulp gulp— Kah! This hits the spot! This is living!"
He polished off the food in an instant, downed his beer refreshingly, and looked straight ahead.
There stood Mecha Demon, an existence that looked especially massive to his small stature, exuding a majestic aura.
Due to the "reinforcement work" Howard had been leading until moments ago, its entire armament was disarmed, fully exposing its grotesque biological organs and central core.
For a split second, as his gaze—obscured by the transparent beer mug—locked onto the core...
A sharp, cold light flashed through his eyes.
Doctor... I knew he was a madman, but I didn't expect it to be this bad.
Doctor of Bancheonhoe and Howard of Masquerade.
They were in a completely antagonistic relationship, polar opposites.
Yet they shared one undeniable commonality that no one could refute.
They were both specialized in support fields rather than direct combat—particularly in technology and creation.
Of course, objectively speaking, I'm still far inferior to him.
Unlike Howard, who was specialized solely in crafting special items as an artisan, Doctor had mastered every field, from science to the mystical. It was only natural.
The guy's reached the level of artificially creating beings that touch divinity. That says it all. Though the price he paid in the process seems steep.
Doctor knew full well how exceptional he was.
That's why he allowed someone else—Howard—to touch one of his carefully crafted "masterpieces."
Even if things went wrong, he had the confidence he could control everything himself.
"Alright! We've rested a bit, so let's wrap this up."
However, there was one thing Doctor had overlooked.
Howard was no pushover in his own field of expertise.
...No, his abilities—now even more evolved thanks to Doctor, with skills like "Understanding of Creation" and "Path of Engineering"—had already surpassed what Doctor had anticipated.
And thanks to the support from my magic-type avatars, I don't lag in mystical knowledge either.
The reason Doctor, who prided himself as history's greatest genius, had gone to such lengths—even straining himself—to capture Howard.
The ability that had shocked the world by breaking through limits even he couldn't surpass, one he'd always had to beware of.
The potential he'd tried to control using specially crafted restraints, fearing it might be damaged if mishandled—
He trusts those restraints I made him like they're ironclad, huh.
—had become a lethal dagger.
And finally struck home.
Let's see how it feels to chop your own foot with the axe you trust.
Into the secret black box containing all of Doctor's accumulated knowledge, insights...
And even a fragment of his soul and essence.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Recently, Doctor had been in an exceptionally good mood.
"Kyah~ As expected, nothing beats a cool mint chocolate latte for dessert! The sweet refreshment that invigorates your tired brain and the crisp freshness that lingers faintly before fading away! Isn't this the true drink for intellectuals?"
He'd finally landed a solid hit on Masquerade, whom he'd always been on the receiving end from.
On top of that, his other planned projects had progressed smoothly, as if blessed by tailwinds.
Especially the fact that preparations for his ultimate project were complete filled him with immense satisfaction.
Now that I'm ready to proceed with the 'New World Plan,' I can finally dive into the research I want without restraint! I wonder how far the Mecha Demon reinforcement has gone... I left it to that friend Howard, but I hope he's doing it right.
No matter that the 'New World Plan' was Bancheonhoe's long-cherished ultimate goal.
The situation, forced to rush due to Outer Gods drawing nearer, had caused him considerable stress.
Doctor had an impulsive nature, choosing research based on his interests at the time.
Of course, he'd squeezed in time here and there for Mecha Demon and other projects amid it all, but that wasn't enough to fully satisfy his urges.
"I really would've struggled without mint chocolate. And yet, so many foolish masses stubbornly deny the truth and refuse to acknowledge mint chocolate's perfect harmony. It's utterly lamentable!"
Doctor clicked his tongue sympathetically, thinking of Oracle, the leader of Bancheonhoe's anti-mint-choco faction.
As he frowned and sipped his drink, a brilliant idea struck him, and he grinned wickedly.
"Come to think of it, with the New World Plan, I might even turn all of humanity into mint chocolate lovers!"
Spreading the correct ideology to the ignorant was a duty for any enlightened being!
Feeling dopamine explode from the sudden inspiration, Doctor rapidly expanded his thoughts.
Preparations are already done, so tweaking such details shouldn't take long... A intense push, and maybe two weeks?
Honestly, even that wasn't short, but it was tolerable.
With his mind tilting toward just doing it, his thoughts soon stretched even further.
"While I'm at it, erasing pineapple pizza from the world wouldn't be bad either. That abomination is a sin just by existing!"
According to his personal research, Hawaiian pizza increased global human conflict by 33% and slowed civilization's progress by about 45% simply by existing.
As the research of history's greatest genius, it was indisputable truth.
For humanity's greater good, he believed he had to make the call here.
Of course, the fact that his research was heavily biased had already vanished cleanly from his mind.
He was a true scholar who always gave his all in any research, pursuing only truth.
"Heh heh heh! It's for everyone's sake, so even the Chairman will understand! I need to get moving right now. Let's see, first things first..."
Seized by the conviction that he must guide the world to the right path, he rose to begin work immediately.
Without so much as a word to Bancheonhoe's Chairman, the planner, sponsor, and executor of this entire scheme.
After all, it was easier to seek forgiveness than permission.
"Hm?"
But in a stroke of extreme misfortune,
The mad scientist's nefarious plan to turn all humanity into mint choco fanatics hit a reef before it could even start.
"...This is?"
Doctor rose from his seat, sensing something, and his body stiffened.
His smiling face turned icy cold and began twitching.
No, it wasn't just his face trembling.
"M-My... What the hell..."
His creaking body, lost eyes, quivering voice.
Doctor's breathing grew ragged—even at the moment of his own death, he hadn't cared—and uncontrollable emotions boiled in his pupils.
And finally.
"You filthy, barbaric dwarf bastard! What the hell are you doing in my lab, you son of a biiiitch—!!"
The emotions erupted all at once.
His true feelings, never revealed until now, exploded without filter.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The moment he faced Mecha Demon and sensed the soul dwelling within.
Howard immediately grasped how Doctor could endlessly revive.
The resurrection mechanism was simpler than expected.
This lunatic. How many pieces did he split himself into?
The Doctor Heinz 2nd first encountered in Romania, the one indirectly met through Hesperon's hack, and the current one who'd kidnapped Howard.
None were 100% the real him—they were mere fragments constituting his existence.
Yeah, thinking back, there were too many odd things.
Right after handling Doctor in Romania for the first time.
Heinz 2nd had acquired his spilled blood.
Blood handled by a Sacred Blood vampire at level 10, who had even sprouted divinity.
Normally, he should've instantly located the revived Doctor with it...
But it was a bust.
Time had passed since then, but Heinz hadn't tracked Doctor even once.
Even though he hadn't been holed up solely in this dimensional space.
The Doctor back then and the later ones were completely separate entities. No idea how he transferred memories and abilities, but...
In a way, it resembled "Avatar."
Unlike Howard, who could endlessly duplicate himself via his unique skill, Doctor had shattered his accumulated essence and karma into pieces using unknown tech.
Normally, attempting that should've caused instant annihilation. A soul takes fatal damage from even a tiny wound, yet splitting it into multiples and distributing into prepared bodies...
He'd even used some fragments to create the monster called "Mecha Demon."
Considering what he'd done so far, who knew how many more insane things he'd pulled with those self-fragments.
For research, he'd even use his own existence as material.
A level of madness that made his head spin.
As long as not every prepared body was destroyed, Doctor would keep reviving.
Finding those spares wouldn't be easy, of course.
Killing Doctor once was hard enough—doing it dozens of times was near impossible.
But where there's a will, there's a way.
Yes, the moment Howard saw Mecha Demon.
More precisely, the fragment of Doctor's soul within...
He instantly thought of a brilliant solution.
Conveniently, Doctor—the biggest obstacle—had barely shown his face after the first few days, as if busy elsewhere, making preparations easy.
After meticulously preparing over time.
The day to set it all off finally dawned.
🚨 ALERT 🚨 WHEEEENG— WHIIING—!
BEEEEEP——!
Harsh sirens blared throughout the secret laboratory as dazzling emergency lights flashed.
Thus began the hacking of the Master AI overseeing the entire facility.
Operation name: 'Mad Scientist' was underway.