Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Paracelsus's Flask (2)
Translation: godtl
The single eye and mouth floating atop the crimson current inside the flask.
The large eyeball and slit-like mouth looked utterly grotesque, but...
Swish.
The strikingly handsome young man expressionlessly lifted the round flask.
And then—
"Wake the hell up."
He shook it violently.
—Aaaah! S-stop! Oppa! Stop!
The crimson current's single eye, which had been oozing a sinister smile, was now bouncing around like a rubber ball inside the flask as if trapped in a prison.
—Oppa! I was wrong! I won't do it again! I promise!
The Philosopher's Stone, now reverted to a childlike voice, desperately waved its white flag in surrender.
Si-mun chuckled and carefully set the flask down.
—Tch! I was just trying to scare you a little!
The single eye within the crimson current—the Philosopher's Stone—glared at Si-mun with tearful eyes.
—How did you figure it out?
Si-mun pointed triumphantly at the center of his own chest.
"Your presence is still radiating from here. Did you really think I'd fall for that?"
—Right... Even as a homunculus, my bond with you doesn't change.
The single eye inside the flask drooped dejectedly.
—Tsk! And here I thought I finally had a chance to mess with you!
"You little..."
As the Philosopher's Stone whined in disappointment, Si-mun smirked at its childishness and carefully held the flask again.
"But Philosopher's Stone... isn't a homunculus forbidden alchemy?"
—Yep.
One of the taboos of alchemy he had once seen recorded in the Emerald Tablet.
Creating a homunculus was listed alongside human transmutation as forbidden practices.
—So what? The god who forbade it is already gone. We just recreated a homunculus using that very god's artifacts.
"Well, that's true, but..."
—And you've already broken the taboo of human transmutation. What's one more?
Hadn't Si-mun already violated the taboo of human transmutation?
Besides, there was no longer any divine authority to punish or reward him for breaking taboos.
Was that why the Black Goat had sponsored him with 1,000 Achievement Points?
As Si-mun nodded unconsciously, the Philosopher's Stone spoke up.
—In this state, I can do a lot more things, you know.
"Yeah?"
—Mhm! Most importantly, I can make things way easier for our busy Oppa!
The Philosopher's Stone inside the flask winked one eye and continued.
—Oppa, you said you can sense both me in the flask and my main body, right?
"Yeah."
—Then that means there are two of me, doesn't it?
"Uh... I guess?"
Si-mun's expression turned slightly uneasy.
—Hey! Why that face? Two of me should be twice as good, shouldn't it?!
"I'm happy about it."
—Hmm...
The Philosopher's Stone squinted suspiciously at Si-mun before shrugging.
—Well, fine. Anyway, that's not all.
Tilting his head in confusion, Si-mun's eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait. Don't tell me you can perform Multiple Transmutation now?"
Multiple Transmutation.
Si-mun, who possessed his main body, and the Philosopher's Stone inside the flask—a kind of avatar.
Though calling it an avatar didn't quite fit, since the Philosopher's Stone in the flask felt just like the main body.
This meant he could perform two transmutations simultaneously, even with Mythic-grade weapons.
But.
—Close, but wrong.
The Philosopher's Stone shook its head.
—You can already transmute multiple things at once as long as Equivalent Exchange holds. That's nothing new.
"Huh? It's possible?"
-You didn't know?
The Philosopher's Stone was even more surprised than the astonished Si-mun.
-Brother, you've already performed simultaneous human transmutations, haven't you?
"That's true, isn't it?"
-Then of course it should be possible to transmute multiple Mythic-grade Equipment at once too, right?
"Oh, yeah, you're right?"
-Aigoo! This brother of mine!
If it had hands, it would've grabbed its own forehead in exasperation.
The Philosopher's Stone inside the flask sighed deeply and shook its head side to side.
-I really can't take this! Brother needs to become more aware of his own talents. The fundamentals of transmutation are the same anyway...
Though its earnest, heated explanation was utterly adorable to watch.
'If I let it keep going like this, I won't get to hear about the ability today.'
Anticipating how the Philosopher's Stone would fly into a rage asking what nonsense he was talking about if he spoke seriously, Si-mun quietly closed his mouth.
-Anyway, the idea of doing two simultaneously was good. It's not entirely wrong.
The Philosopher's Stone in the flask tilted slightly in one direction.
Recognizing this as a signal to move, Si-mun followed its guidance.
The place it led him to was the spacious room designated as their laboratory.
Thanks to the twins diligently crafting tools with the material items they'd provided all this time,
the spacious room was now filled with enough alchemy equipment to truly deserve being called a laboratory.
The Philosopher's Stone settled into position at the largest workstation among them.
-Put me here.
It took its place at the potion and Spirit Elixir preparation table.
The stone, now positioned on the potion rack, gazed at the bottles that had contained the medicine made for their aunt.
-Brother, I'm going to use some Transmutation Power.
Along with those words came a subtle vibration from the core within Si-mun's chest.
He could feel an equally subtle flow of Transmutation Power transferring to the Philosopher's Stone in the flask.
Above the preparation table crafted from A-grade Ant carapace,
Tsutsuk-
Wooden arms of the same material as the table sprouted upward.
Then-
-Mix~ mix~ stir, and mix!
They moved like someone's actual arms,
grabbing empty bottles from around them and shaking them vigorously this way and that.
"My god......"
Si-mun's jaw dropped at the sight.
How could it not?
The Philosopher's Stone in the flask was borrowing his Transmutation Power to perform independent alchemy,
which meant-
"P-proxy manufacturing?!"
Didn't this mean they could save all the labor that would go into mass-producing medicine?
And in an extremely groundbreaking way at that.
-Ahem! How about it? This one's proxy alchemy! Pretty damn awesome, huh?
Having even transmuted small arms onto the flask's surface by now, the stone placed its hands on its hips (or where hips would be) and puffed up proudly.
Before Si-mun could question where it learned words like "damn awesome,"
"Aigoo! You little treasure!!"
-Heyy~ I'll get squished between those amazing pecs and di- I mean! B-brother calm down! You'll break me!!
Si-mun hugged the Philosopher's Stone in the flask tightly.
Rank Palace.
The most expensive building in South Korea, so famous no Korean wouldn't know it.
A woman who had tilted her head all the way back to scan the towering skyscraper murmured quietly.
"This is the place......"
White vapor streamed from her red, shapely lips.
The frigid temperature was typical for Seoul in early February.
With a cap pulled low and black hood over it, the woman shoved her hands into her pockets and headed for the entrance.
"Hold up."
A man naturally stepped forward to block her path.
A security guard.
"Hey miss. What's your business here?"
"My business? Ah, I'm here to meet someone."
"Meet someone?"
The guard tilted his head and looked her up and down.
"Sorry miss, but there's no one here who'd be meeting someone like you?"
"What was that?"
The woman's voice rose a notch.
Though it carried a distinctly threatening edge, the guard didn't even blink.
"Raising your voice won't get you anywhere here. Turn around and leave."
"Excuse me, mister. Aren't you a guard here?"
"That's right."
"Then why are you talking like that? If you're going to stop me at the entrance, shouldn't you at least ask who I'm here to see first?"
"Pfft—HAHA!"
The guard burst into laughter.
With an expression of sheer disbelief, he replied,
"Hey, miss. Just looking at the way you're dressed, don't you think I can already guess?"
"The way I'm dressed? What's wrong with it?"
"A saggy hoodie, a cap covering half your face, and on top of that, shabby jeans. You're practically wrapped head to toe in knockoffs."
"Fuck, this is ridiculous. Who even cares about brands these days? And you don't exactly look like you're wearing designer either, old man."
"Good grief! I thought things had been quiet lately..."
The guard openly displayed his annoyance as he scrutinized the woman.
Then—
"Ah, so that's what this is?"
The corners of the guard's lips curled into a sleazy smirk.
At that, the woman's voice rose even higher.
"What the hell? What's with that disgusting look?"
"Honestly, you people keep getting worse. Why drag it all the way here when you could just go enjoy yourselves somewhere else—"
"Hold on. Are you having some filthy thoughts right now?"
"The weird one here is you, miss. And the filthy one too."
"You old bastard, are you out of your mind?!"
Her fury erupted with such force that her hood was nearly flung off.
"Gah! Sh-she's an Awakened...!"
The guard froze stiff in that instant.
Just then—
"What's going on here?"
A man's voice came from the entrance.
A refreshingly handsome young man—one no Korean would fail to recognize—stood there, his presence alone making eyes widen.
"T-the Sword Saint!"
The guard's frozen expression visibly brightened.
As if clinging to a lifeline, he scurried over to Kim Si-hyeok's side.
"Threatening a civilian as an Awakened is a crime. Didn't you know?"
Kim Si-hyeok's voice, unusually subdued, turned toward the woman.
Then—
"Huh? You're..."
Her hood had slipped from her outburst.
Though she still wore her cap,
the pale, sharp face beneath it and her cat-like, upturned eyes marked her as a striking beauty.
But Kim Si-hyeok's surprise wasn't due to her looks.
"Go Mal-suk, right?"
At his question, one of Go Mal-suk's brows twitched upward.
"Well, well! How does the great Sword Saint know my name, I wonder?"
"I saw you on a broadcast. Your combat sense was incredible."
"Broadcast? Whose broadcast?"
"Well, uh..."
Kim Si-hyeok glanced sideways at the guard.
Then—
"Let's just say... a friend's broadcast."
Smoothly dodging the question, he flashed a refreshing smile.
"You must be here to meet someone. Come in. I'll guide you myself."
He personally opened the entrance for her.
"...Thanks."
Go Mal-suk offered a small word of gratitude and stepped toward the entrance.
Of course—
"Hey, guard bastard. Who's the weird and filthy one now?"
"Eh? N-no, that's not—"
"Before you look down on others, take a good look at yourself, you piece of shit. Fuck! Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"
She couldn't resist landing one last verbal blow before leaving.
As she entered and the gate closed behind her—
"Guard Kim, what was that all about?"
Kim Si-hyeok turned to the guard, his refreshing smile still perfectly intact.
"Ah, well... that was..."
The guard stammered, his eyes darting nervously.
Kim Si-hyeok's smile deepened.
"Well, well. The Association pushed so hard for us to hire you, and yet you go and offend a guest like this?"
"Oh, m-misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding! I'll explain everything!"
"Of course you should. But you'll also have to give a separate explanation to the person who just went inside."
At those words, the guard's face turned deathly pale.
As if he'd been waiting for this exact moment—
"Shall we meet later at the Association?"
Kim Si-hyeok grinned at the frozen guard.
Creak. Cre-eak.
Clank.
From the ceiling to the walls, even the floor—
Mysterious mechanical arms positioned throughout the laboratory never ceased moving.
"W-what in the world...?"
Go Mal-suk blinked dumbfounded at the bizarre spectacle.
"Amazing, isn't it? You wouldn't believe how shocked I was when I first saw it too."
Kim Si-hyeok, who had escorted her all the way to the laboratory inside Si-mun's penthouse, smiled brightly as he spoke.
There was an inexplicable pride mixed into that smile.
"I-it is pretty amazing."
Go Mal-suk was too busy looking around at the automated processes occurring throughout the lab.
"Judging by the sounds coming in, I think my brother will—"
"Si-hyeok, why'd you come without notice?"
Before Kim Si-hyeok could even finish speaking—
A man who resembled him but had more sharply defined features entered the laboratory.
"Hyung."
It was Si-mun.
"I thought you had a guest coming, so I brought them in."
"My guest?"
Si-mun blinked at his younger brother's words.
Then—
"Yeah, right. This noona's here."
Go Mal-suk, who had been frantically scanning the laboratory, removed her cap and swaggered over.
"Go Mal-suk? What brings you here without calling first?"
"Yah, you told me to come when I had time!"
Si-mun blinked for a moment at her words before letting out a small sigh.
"Ah! Right, right. I've been so busy lately I completely forgot."
"Busy my ass. Looks like those arms are doing all the work for you."
"And who do you think made those arms? Even automated factories need initial setup."
"Ooh, you've worked so hard~"
"Damn right, thanks."
"Ugh! That wasn't a compliment!"
Not getting the reaction she wanted, Go Mal-suk grew heated.
But Si-mun, who had been dealing with her antics since their past lives, wasn't about to be outmaneuvered.
"If it's not a compliment, then what is it? Don't tell me... you were about to curse at me? Right after arriving?"
"What kind of nonsense is that! What do you take me for! I've just never seen anything like this before, so I was amazed and—"
Naturally, Si-mun skillfully backed Go Mal-suk—who had been trying to seize control from the start—into a corner.
Watching their bickering, a meaningful smile curled at the corner of Kim Si-hyeok's lips.
"Well, it's no surprise someone like hyung would have this. Yu-jeong's gonna lose her mind when she sees it, huh?"
"Huh? Si-hyeok, what did you say?"
"Nothing at all. I'll be going now."
Still wearing that meaningful smile, Kim Si-hyeok exited the laboratory.
"Then I'll take my leave since I have matters to attend to. You two enjoy your time together!"
If Si-mun felt there was some misunderstanding mixed into his younger brother's parting words—was it just his imagination?
He wanted to grab the kid right then and there to clarify properly, but—
"Yah, teach me that technique quick. I climbed all the way up here after hours of effort."
A friend who had come from afar.
Moreover—
[The Constellation Heavenly Demon observes the area with twinkling eyes:"Hoho! To think even the Heaven-Slaying Star? Perfect!"]
[The Constellation Black Goat watches this place with keen interest.]
Since he also had the Heavenly Demon's quest to complete—
"Follow me. I'll teach you right away."
For now, Si-mun guided Go Mal-suk to the training room.
As she followed Si-mun out of the laboratory, Go Mal-suk—as if seeking revenge for earlier—began muttering with a peculiar tone:
"Yah, you're not planning anything weird, are you? I'm not some easy woman, you know? At the very least, you should crack open some expensive liquor before—"
Thud.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Si-mun pinned Go Mal-suk against the wall.
Trapping her between his arms, he gazed down intently at her.
"Mal-suk-ah..."
"Y-yah! What the—!"
As her ears flushed red from the abrupt situation, he brought his lips close to her ear—
And whispered softly:
"Shut the f*ck up."
"......"