The Rubber Human Project
Hersene was a renowned alchemist in the empire. In this world, alchemists were not people who turned lead into gold. Here, an alchemist simply meant—'one who creates something using magic.' Anyone who did that was called an alchemist. Among them, those who specialized in crafting high-grade magic potions were especially referred to as alchemists.
"I… Is this really possible?"
In the Armaments Bureau's development conference room, less than twenty-four hours had passed since the urgent mission from the prince had been issued. A group unfamiliar to Serian had gathered here. They were the members of the Armaments Bureau's Alchemy Research Team. In particular, their leader—Golden Hand Hersene, the youngest director of the Imperial Alchemist Association—had come in person.
And sitting across from her was Serian, currently one of the hottest figures in the entire Armaments Bureau, if not the whole empire. She sat with her legs crossed, an expression that suggested zero interest in the review, a cup of some unidentifiable black beverage in front of her.
She really must be a genius.
From what Hersene had heard, the mission had only come down yesterday. Yet somehow, this had happened. In front of everyone attending the development meeting sat a single document each. It was the proposal for the new project.
That's right! In just one day, she had developed a weapon capable of dealing with the enemy's high-ranking mages!
Huh…
Hersene kept flipping through the thick proposal, unable to contain her admiration. In truth, she had heard of Serian's fame even before joining the Armaments Bureau. In this world, alchemy was clearly a minor academic field. The reason was simple! It just didn't look cool at all.
Testing the efficacy of new herbs and monster parts, recording the compatibility and conflicts between hundreds or thousands of ingredients. If you asked a freshman magic student who had just entered the academy—Hey, wanna join the Alchemy Department with me?—the answer would probably be something like this:
Ugh… you like that kind of thing? What? Go gather herbs together on the weekend? Sorry. I… I really hate sweating! Let's hang out some other time!
So they would end up alone, stirring cauldrons all day in workshops filled with hot steam. It was a field that only the nerdiest of nerds enjoyed! That perception was widespread.
Because of that, noble children with any real talent all flocked to flashy majors like combat magic, elemental magic, or illusion magic. Alchemy became little more than a refuge for those without talent—the leftovers they had abandoned.
Yet the one called the unparalleled genius, Serian Elhardt, had suddenly declared a double major in Armaments Development and Alchemy. It was as shocking as someone with medical school grades choosing to study philosophy instead.
And shortly after entering the Alchemy Department, she had submitted several papers, each one leaving a significant mark on the imperial alchemy academic world. That was how Serian had already become a celebrity in alchemy circles.
Hersene had been waiting to work with her ever since Serian was appointed as Chief Development Officer here. She was thirty-five years old. As the youngest director of the Imperial Alchemist Association, she had once been called the greatest genius in the alchemy industry. But her brain had already passed its peak, and aging issues had begun to set in.
That's right! She wanted to work beside a young genius and rekindle the dying embers of her own passion. That was why she had longed to collaborate with this unparalleled genius.
I never thought the opportunity would come this quickly…
In fact, when she had vaguely heard about this mission yesterday, she hadn't thought she would need to step forward. After all, the idea of dealing with lightning magic using potions had never even crossed her mind.
The conference room fell silent. Everyone who had gathered had finished reading the proposal once and was now waiting for her opinion.
…Is this really possible?
She couldn't help but feel bewildered. Serian's plan clearly contained potion-making methods that Hersene had researched her entire life, yet every single one of them defied common sense.
Rubber? What is rubber? Is it some new magic theory? An insulator? What on earth is an insulator?
She was someone who often taught younger scholars at the Alchemist Association while continuing her own research. She had never once thought she had neglected her studies. Yet she couldn't understand even half of this proposal.
…Is it really time for me to retire?
For the first time since becoming an alchemist, Hersene doubted her own talent.
Serian had many aliases. The unparalleled genius. The youngest 4-star mage. The empire's flash of light. The blue meteor… And among them was another title that had followed her since her days at Cardinal Academy.
It was the title of genius alchemist!
As everyone knew, House Elhardt was one of the empire's five most prestigious magic families. Being a prestigious magic family meant that their bloodline carried inherited traits of brilliant minds and exceptional mana manipulation talent across generations. Moreover, as the sole heir of the Elhardt Duke, she had been blessed with an abundance of that talent.
From a young age, she had received high-level magical education from her family. By the time she entered the academy, she was already a 2-star mage… (The rest is omitted.)
Perhaps due to the influence of her past life as an engineering student, Serian had been good with her hands since childhood. The joy of creating something with her own hands. The sense of innovation! She had become completely captivated by it.
Serian yawned lazily and took a sip of her iced chocolate. Having pulled an all-nighter for the first time in a while, fatigue was hitting her hard.
…Hmm. They've all finished reading it, so why isn't anyone saying anything?
The proposal she had submitted this time was titled the Rubber Human Project.
If some crazy strong electricity user shows up, just turn into a rubber human, right?
Isn't that common sense?
—That was the thought behind planning this project. Of course, her real goal was to come up with a plausible-sounding project, spend a massive amount of money on it, and make it fail spectacularly! That was why she had created this.
She already knew the shocking truth! While rubber was indeed an insulator, it would burn if exposed to electricity above a certain intensity! Yes! Even while watching those devilish bandits in her past life, she had always thought it didn't make sense. Rubber wasn't some all-purpose material. If it wasn't just a light lightning spell but actual lightning falling from the sky, there was no way rubber could withstand it.
Hehehe… Last time it was a failure(?), but this time I'll make sure it succeeds(?).
With that thought, the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.
The fact that rubber was an insulator was 'common sense' that even a small child would know. However—in this medieval-style other world, what about it? Naturally, electricity hadn't been developed here. Of course there were no light bulbs. Instead, mana was often used as a power source in place of electricity.
Not only that. The shocking truth was that rubber itself didn't even exist. Rubber hadn't been used during medieval times. In this world where the only electricity came from lightning falling from the sky, the concept of an insulator simply didn't exist.
Therefore, Hersene's confusion wasn't due to a lack of knowledge on her part. Those concepts only existed inside Serian's head.
Serian wasn't unaware of that fact, but she didn't particularly care. After all, she could just answer if they asked! Yet the person who seemed to be the top alchemist in the Armaments Bureau was sitting there with her mouth shut tight like a mute who had eaten honey.
That's right. Hersene simply couldn't bring herself to ask Serian what rubber was or what an insulator was. She was currently the highest authority in alchemy. And this conference room was filled with numerous alchemists. In front of them, she couldn't possibly admit, I don't understand a single thing written here! This fresh academy graduate knows more than I do!
Hersene's pupils trembled.
…Calm down. Just calm down.
Hersene began arbitrarily interpreting Serian's intentions. She knew full well that Serian was called an unparalleled genius. Yes, this had to be a test for her. She had deliberately brought in some ancient material or a brand-new theory from somewhere to test her.
That's it. This is definitely a kind of preemptive strike to show that I'm the real power in the Armaments Bureau!
Still, she was a veteran alchemist who had been through all kinds of battles. She wasn't an amateur who would show panic over something like this. She deliberately regained her composure and began rereading the proposal, inferring the context as she went.
…This substance called rubber is probably some new material she discovered that lightning magic doesn't work on.
From the context, an insulator must mean an object that doesn't conduct electricity.
But—there was a critical problem in her proposal. Yes! She understood that this rubber thing was an amazing material! But so what? If you boil it and drink it, does your whole body turn into rubber or something?
Alchemy wasn't that simple. Of course, drinking a broth made from the bones of a monster with strong bones would make your own bones stronger. Drinking something made from a monster or herb with good regenerative power would increase stamina and heal wounds. But! Turning your entire body into rubber was a completely different matter, wasn't it?
As Hersene continued reading, inferring the unknown knowledge, she arrived at the answer to this problem. She had found it. As expected, this proposal was definitely testing her.
The method to transform a human body into the substance called rubber. The answer was written on the last page of the proposal, in the core ingredients section.
'What did she just say?'
Hersene was shocked. A Mimic Slime. An ancient monster that had gone extinct hundreds of years ago, said to perfectly mimic the properties of any substance it absorbed. It was something that only appeared in fairy tales told to put children to sleep.
"Chief Development Officer."
Hersene tapped the last page of the proposal with her finger.
"Your theory itself is truly astonishing… but how exactly do you plan to obtain this material called a Mimic Slime? Does it even exist?"
Of course, Serian knew. Mimic Slimes had not gone extinct. According to her memories from the game in her past life, a Mimic Slime was merely a common early-game boss monster living in the tropical rainforest wetlands on the opposite side of the continent.
The Mimic Slime's core ability was its mimicry—temporarily gaining the properties of any substance it absorbed. If you cut off a portion of the slime after it had absorbed a specific ability and made a potion from it, you could temporarily gain that property. This was a common way to make potions in the game from her past life.
But to the people of this world, it was a creature from legend.
Hah! Go ahead and try to get it if you can.
Sending an expedition all the way there to obtain the ingredient would probably take a full year. Her plan was perfect. She could make the project impossible while not having told a single lie, so there was no risk of being accused of treason. It was a truly flawless stalling tactic.
Therefore, rather than being flustered by Hersene's question, she simply shrugged with a pure expression that seemed to say, Why are you asking me that?
And at that exact moment, the heavy door of the conference room opened.
"I'll get that slime for you."
Everyone's heads turned toward the door. There stood the empire's Second Prince, Kaion, with a cold smile on his face.
Hersene's mouth fell open.
And Serian screamed internally.
No way, why is that guy showing up here?!