Chapter 510: The Research Institute
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 510: The Research Institute
He was an innocent, naive child, his large, adorable eyes brimming with tears of fear—a sight that would stir pity in anyone.
Yet, the lower half of his body was a hideous, terrifying monster. Six spider-like limbs scraped against the floor, leaving deep, visible gouges in the hard stone.
One of those limbs was a razor-sharp scythe. Though the boy was merely flailing it about as if trying to grab onto something, Muen’s pant legs had already been shredded, and the blade had grazed his skin several times, leaving behind streaks of blood.
The little boy seemed unaware that he had become "different." Driven by instinct, he continued to plead piteously with Muen:
"Big brother... I’m hungry... I’m hungry..."
Muen’s pupils continued to tremble. As he looked at the poor child, images flashed through his mind in rapid succession: the simple townspeople whose brains had been devoured by insects, Emily, who had lost her only relative, the gang members who had turned into monsters...
Finally, the images settled on the half-human, half-monster boy before him.
"..."
Muen took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions deep within his heart. He knelt down and pulled out some food he carried with him.
Seeing the food, the boy quickly broke into a joyful smile. However, he was clearly unaccustomed to his new limbs; he clumsily used the tip of his scythe to skewer the food Muen offered, carefully bringing it to his mouth.
He began to wolf it down.
"Eat slowly. I have more."
Muen didn't know what else to say. He simply stroked the boy’s head and turned to meet Celicia’s gaze.
Celicia’s brow was also furrowed deep in a frown.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know."
"Is there any way to treat him?"
"What do you think?"
Celicia spoke without expression. "Setting aside the possibility of a cure, haven't you realized that he—"
She suddenly went silent.
Looking into Muen’s eyes, she read what was hidden beneath those azure depths. She realized he wasn't ignorant of the truth; he was simply clinging to a one-in-a-million hope by asking.
Muen silently turned his head back.
The eating boy suddenly went into convulsions. His expression twisted into something hideous as he threw away the normal food. His eyes, now turned a deep crimson, locked onto Muen, who was standing right in front of him.
The innocence and cuteness vanished, replaced by nothing but savagery and violence.
The boy finally succumbed to the temptation of blood. After a few low growls, he lunged at Muen.
With a flick of his short blade, Muen flipped the boy over and pinned him to the ground with the back of the knife.
"So hungry... it hurts..."
"So hungry... it hurts..."
The spider legs thrashed. From his crimson eyes, tears of red blood flowed. The boy’s face flickered between monstrous rage and sheer terror.
"His consciousness is being overtaken by his body... and is that a rejection reaction?"
Muen quickly analyzed the boy's condition. In truth, he had seen the boy's fragility from the very first glance. His skin was as tender as an infant's, and he reeked of the pungent odor Muen and Celicia had smelled earlier. It was as if he had been submerged in some kind of liquid until now, never having touched the air.
"Put him out of his misery," Celicia said.
"I know," Muen replied.
Muen still had a vivid memory of the agony caused by a rejection reaction. He knew that for this child, who perhaps had never even had a proper look at the world, death was the kinder choice.
After a moment’s thought, Muen pulled the Goddess Statue from his robe. A holy glimmer spread outward, washing away the boy’s pain.
"So warm... so comfortable..."
Bathed in the Goddess’s light, the boy smiled once more.
Then, a cold blade pierced his chest, ending his life in an instant.
"I may not believe in the Goddess, but I still hope she watches over you."
Muen mimicked the gestures he had seen Liya perform and offered a silent prayer, watching as the boy closed his eyes with a smile.
The prayer finished, Muen stood up.
"That Goddess Statue..."
Celicia’s gaze fixed sharply on Muen.
"Now isn't the time for that," Muen said, quickly stowing the statue away to change the subject.
"Hmph."
Celicia didn't press him further. She merely narrowed her eyes as if committing something to memory before turning her cold gaze to the side.
"The appearance of one boy suggests there are likely more than just one here."
"Yeah." Muen nodded. "Judging by the facilities, this is a research institute."
"Heh, a research institute."
Celicia placed her palm against the glass wall beside them. It was a thick, dark, floor-to-ceiling pane that was completely opaque.
Yet, she seemed to see through it.
"Freeze."
Crack, crack.
A layer of ice spread across the glass and shattered instantly. The flying shards were caught by the ice and swept to the sides.
A vast space opened up before their eyes.
Beep... beep... beep...
The room was dim, devoid of light save for the rhythmic sounds of machinery.
A stench so pungent it was nauseating wafted toward them. Celicia had to use magic to churn the air and disperse the smell just to breathe.
Muen’s expression was grim.
He raised his hand, and motes of light flew into the room, brightening until the entire massive space was revealed.
Rows of cultivation vessels, equipped with precision instruments, sat like oversized ant eggs. Intricate networks of wires coiled in the dark corners like nests of snakes, occasionally flickering with the glow of flowing mana.
The cultivation vessels were all shattered—broken by hand. The emerald liquid inside had spilled everywhere; that was the source of the stench.
As for the occupants of those vessels... some were deformed embryos that had died inside. Others had grown grotesque limbs that hung limply from the jagged holes in the glass. Most, however, had left crawling trails on the floor, as if they had been chasing a light they had never seen, only to die before they could reach it. Some even had their hands outstretched toward what they likely hoped was an exit, though they never lived to find out.
Occasionally, a few more mature individuals like the boy from before would appear. The moment they sensed fresh flesh, their sanity was instantly consumed, and they lunged at the pair with guttural roars.
Muen used the Goddess Statue again to summon the Holy Light, granting each of those poor souls peace.
"Those... absolute bastards."
Even though he had seen many things far more horrific and cruel by now, Muen found it difficult to control his emotions. He slammed a fist into the nearby wall.
The wall dented, and his blood-stained arm trembled slightly.
Though he had expected the worst, he had still underestimated how low those monsters could sink. There were hundreds of cultivation vessels in this room alone. How many innocent people had died here, in this sunless research institute, amidst agony and despair?
Celicia took the lead and stepped inside.
She examined the instruments closely, took a sample of the emerald liquid in a vial, sniffed it, and carefully sealed it. She knelt to inspect the state of the corpses, occasionally turning one over with her own hands without a hint of revulsion.
Her eyes remained cold, her face expressionless.
It was as if she were completely unaffected by the tragic, horrific scene.
But when Muen looked down, he saw the floor where Celicia had walked. Every footprint she left was coated in a layer of frost.
With her mastery over her power—a level of control that even Muen envied—there was no reason for her energy to leak out unconsciously.
It meant she was angry.
Furious.