06. Evolution?
06. Evolution?
+++
"What the? Why am I getting a boner?"
Nothing happened, no stimulation at all, yet suddenly an erection.
This was definitely a sign that someone was thinking of him and masturbating.
"As expected, the Chief Instructor? Or maybe our Elf-nim finally feels like doing it with me. Well, that kiss earlier was pretty intense. Heh heh."
"More like...."
Bari pulled him out of his narcissism.
"You seem excited looking at me. I guess I have to be pretty."
"Of course you're super pretty and hot, but this erection isn't because of that."
He shook his head cleanly.
Clearly, someone was fantasizing about him in their head; his dick was telling him that.
Currently, they were in the secret room within the Base.
After the confrontation with Ha Yeon-seo ended, Sihwan followed Yu Ina, who was striding away, back to the classroom.
The tournament match that had proceeded without Sihwan had Sasha of the Demon Race as the winner. The precious ability stat bead went into her hands.
He asked if he could still participate now and compete with Sasha just in case, but naturally, the answer was no.
After a brief and chaotic class ended, Sihwan, who had even handed out rebellion samples to the class kids, immediately dove into training with Yu Ina and Eleonore.
The usual training of getting beaten and rolling around.
It was quite a painful process, but since he was doing it steadily and quite diligently, there were some gains.
Having finished the Academy schedule like that, he finally returned to the secret room in the Base with Bari.
"But what's this about?"
"I used the DNA collected from the sample to start culturing."
"Huh? Culturing... you don't mean mass-producing clones? Noblesse?"
Was the analysis already at that stage.
Sihwan was newly surprised.
"No. That's too inefficient, so for now, just long-term culturing. But since a letter from the Jin Family arrived to the Chief Instructor, it might be okay to clone one complete body."
Saying that, she led him to another secret room within the secret room.
There, a scene straight out of a creature movie where a big corporation messes with weird biotech and unleashes an apocalypse was unfolding: dozens of human-height cylinders wrapped in front glass on one side, and on the opposite side, dozens of transparent cylinders about the size of two heads lined up like a display shelf.
The large cylinders had nothing in all but one, but the small cylinders had something heart-like connected to numerous hoses, pulsating.
That must be the organs Bari was culturing.
"When did you make all this? No, did we have these resources?"
"Every time Master increases resource facilities, resource production increases, right?"
"Yeah."
"In reality, those numbers can't just drop exactly as integers, the same every day. Yield varies day by day."
"Right."
"So to maintain game-like feel, I accumulate resources exceeding the daily minimum yield separately, and report only the rest to Master. That way, I can always show consistent numbers."
"Sounds like you're skimming off the top."
"Heh. You could say that."
"You sneaky little shit."
He lightly flicked her forehead.
"Anyway, this is the organ that produces Nobling. See the slight blue glow?"
"Yeah. That's Nobling?"
"Yes. At least according to what I've figured out."
She took out one organ.
It was pretty big, human head-sized, and she pulled out the squishy thing without a hint of disgust and split it in half to show him.
Bright red blood dripped down.
"It also serves as the heart, so definitely a Noblesse weakness."
"Aim there and instant kill?"
"Yes. Conveniently, the position isn't much different from a human heart. And actually, human and Noblesse DNA structures aren't that different. Whether they can produce Nobling or not is pretty much the only difference."
"Wow. So if I transplant that heart and can wield Nobling, genetically speaking, I'd be biologically a Noblesse?"
"Similar. If it fully adapts and leads to body enhancement later, perfect. But this Nobling is too low-grade for Master."
She tossed the split Noblesse heart roughly on the floor.
"Probably because it's from a male Noblesse, quality and output are lower than females'."
"You've never seen a female one. How do you know?"
Clearly, only Jin Seong-hyeon properly dissected and researched Noblesse.
"Woman's intuition."
"..."
"Kidding. Actually, I've felt it to some extent through the Chief Instructor or Yoo Tae-hee family head. And from what they say, males definitely have lower output and power."
"Yeah, I heard that too."
That's why Noblesse men usually stay cooped up at home, tightly controlled by their wives.
So pitiful.
"Anyway, can't apply something this low-quality to Master. First, edit the DNA somewhat, apply to me first, and if safe, then to Master."
"Phew. So I'm becoming a Noblesse too."
Even if excluding Nobling there's little difference, it's still becoming a different race.
In a way, discarding his human self up to now, but Sihwan felt no particular repulsion.
"It'll take quite some time. I'm so strong I could apply it now without issue, but Master is weak."
"Ugh. How long?"
"At least graduate the Academy."
"That long?"
"...This is already quite fast."
"Yeah?"
If Bari says so.
Sihwan nodded.
"Good. Then where's that guy?"
"Lolling around in his usual spot."
Usual spot.
Jin Seong-hyeon was still trapped in the small Dimension Glass.
"Gonna do it with our Yuna soon, so treat him well for a few days. Feed him properly."
"Got it. Oh, when making the corpse, how about putting this guy in front?"
"When making the corpse?"
"Yeah. Like the Chief Instructor said, if the Committee investigates, it's a headache, right?"
"Right. If we have resources, let's do that."
"We have plenty for this. Since it came up, let's do it now."
Bari led Sihwan to the large cylinders.
Already in progress? Unlike the empty ones, one had a naked male Noblesse submerged in strange liquid.
Obviously Jin Seong-hyeon's clone.
Sihwan shook the Dimension Glass he was holding vigorously to wake Jin Seong-hyeon.
"Hey, wake up. Gonna show you something amazing."
[Ugh... ugh....]
Even the groan when waking was full of despair.
Just over a week, but he was already completely broken, a withered bag of bones with no will to live.
No significant reaction even when stimulated by Sihwan or Bari.
That's why he was more curious.
Whether he could stay sane seeing the scene in front.
"Oh. Master, how about staging it as suicide?"
"Oh?"
Come to think, only Bari and Sihwan know exactly where Jin Seong-hyeon is.
Others only know Yu Ina burst his arms, and he was expelled from the Academy by instructors.
I.e., don't know if he's dead or alive, much less how.
"After losing Lee Yu-na to Master and being strongly rejected on top, he was so heartbroken he ended his own life."
"But how does a guy without arms commit suicide? A Noblesse at that."
For humans, head against tree or rock, but Noblesse bodies are tougher than trees or rocks.
"Just have him bite off his own tongue."
"Aha."
Answering Sihwan's question simply, she opened the cylinder where the clone was sleeping.
Psshik!
Sound as liquid drained somewhere, and soon the glass separating inside and outside opened.
Plop.
As soon as cables connected to various body parts snapped, the clone collapsed, unable to support itself.
But neither Bari nor Sihwan had any intention of helping it up.
"Hey. See that? That's your clone."
Instead, Sihwan chuckled and placed the Dimension Glass right in front of the fallen clone's face.
Except during torture, it was compressed very small, so the clone's face width was larger than current Jin Seong-hyeon's height.
[...!!!]
Jin Seong-hyeon was shocked.
Glanced thinking another trick... but holy shit, a being identical to himself right in front, like a mirror!
[Do, doppelganger...?]
"Nah, idiot. Told you, it's a clone."
[...Huh?]
Couldn't comprehend.
Clone?
What?
Me?
By his common sense, cloning lifeforms was absurd.
Cloning Noblesse, noble and precious by existence? If possible, why still struggling on 27th floor?
But believe or not, what he saw was reality.
"Listen well. Here's the plan: first, burst this clone's arms. Then make it bite its tongue for suicide disguise, dump it roughly in the forest near the Academy. What do you think your family will think?"
[St, stop... don't... please...!]
Can humans be this cruel?
Where did these demons come from?
"Oh, can't mimic your arms burst by Nobling? Don't worry. We have plenty of organs to handle your Nobling. Bari's a bio-android that can control immune and rejection responses, so she can apply it right away."
After Bari gets Nobling, use it to Reading the clone, then smash the code enough to burst arms with Writing. Done.
And coding work is Bari's specialty.
One worry: Noblesse use different Nobling lines, but luckily Jin Seong-hyeon and Yu Ina both use coding line.
I.e., method similar, even if power worlds apart.
"Then Master, watch my evolution."
"Oh. Calling it evolution?"
"Of course. Nobling has interference power to access the 'Server'. Maybe I'll... become a real god here. Kuhuhu."
She laughed.
And activated the room.
Kugung!
Dozens of culturing organs simultaneously emitted blue light.
Started faint, then blinding.
Light faded, but this time Sihwan felt the bizarre movement.
Meanwhile, Bari printed something on her palm.
Probably device to receive Nobling power.
Sure enough, the blue light dying the room blue got sucked into what she printed.
Kuaaaa!
"Wow... I vaguely thought since it looks like a heart, they'd just shove it anywhere, but... using all of them?"
Yes.
Bari was using ALL culturing organs to supply Nobling.
A feat only possible because she's an android, AI.
"Aah... this is... the 'Server' guy..."
She made a face like a fanatic receiving god's grace.
"Unfortunately, still... can't touch much. But... this is enough. Time is always on my side."
Feeling enlightened bliss for a moment, she looked indifferently at the clone.
Puhak!
As soon as her gaze touched, the clone's arms burst helplessly.
Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere.