I Became the Wrong Race

8 – Fall (8)

I ran, breaking the stone floor beneath me. No sound of pursuit was heard, but I had to hurry.

The opponent was a magician, an extremely wily one, at that.

Even in the game, it was a boss who had to be sent off tepidly despite being given as an early sub-quest. If I chose to fight, I would inevitably lose.

Even using cheats or an innovative plan, or leveraging the game system to maximum effect, could only change the reward obtained, not truly defeat Beort.

Beort would give up neatly and choose to run when it seemed like his strength was waning and reinforcements were arriving.

The Descent is a game with a max level of 20.

In such a game, meeting a magician over level 10 in the early stages was unavoidable.

If he had only been a magician, there might’ve been a chance to defeat him when the distance was reduced, but Beort was even a War-mage of the Empire.

Physically robust and perfectly prepared for close combat. It’s only natural that he can’t be defeated under normal circumstances.

That’s even the case now. There’s a way, but I lack the ability to realize it.

No matter how monstrous my physicality and mourner abilities are, I couldn’t defeat him upfront.

Therefore, I was running away.

But it wasn’t aimless fleeing. I had a perfect understanding of the format of the dungeon.

“Sleep, I… If I defend in that one-way corridor…”

“No, ‘Empire’s field’ comes, we all die.”

And the performance of this body was certainly good. Though not a mourner, basic high health delivered stamina that felt unlimited.

On top of that, the power in my legs let me speed through the corridors, and the agility that surpassed humans provided reflexes and senses to either avoid cannibals appearing anytime, anywhere, or suppress them first.

So there’s no problem with running away.There was nothing. It was perfect. I just couldn’t rest, I had to keep running.

Because the opponent was a magician. It’s a rule not to play in the opponent’s stage. I kept running to deter an extremely crafty war magician.

Around the time when Isla, who was perched on my shoulder and had been shaking here and there, finally wrapped her tail around my side and gnashed her teeth, groaning in agony, I finally decoded the structure I had been aiming for.

A long corridor with pipes, stairs in a straight passage tidily arranged rather than twisted and entangled.

As soon as I stepped on the first step of the stairs, I kicked a closed heavy door.

Two brass doors, tumbling with the sound of the breaking, slid on the floor, indiscriminately smashing accumulated gears in the process.

Slipping on the floor with my ruined boots, I barely managed to set Isla down when the shock completely subsided.

Great, perfect.

“What on earth are you trying to do?”

Isla glares at me full of subtle dissatisfaction under her expressionless face, kicking with her buttocks. I picked up a piece from the door that was sliding on the floor, nodding at the woman.

“Just kneel.”

I actually didn’t have the confidence to explain.

Even though I was a monster, how could I convince her that I was a dungeon expert?

Especially when it was the dungeon of a newly discovered continent, left untouched by anyone?

So I gave up explaining and just took action.

[Respite]

[Remaining Time: 2 seconds]

The semi-transparent window blinking on the edge of my field of vision, I hear a cacophonous sound from afar. The sound of Beorut and his daughter coming.

Clenching my teeth, I ruggedly swung the door, now two people high, back to its original position.

With a thunderous sound, the door flew off my hand. For a brief moment, it seemed to fit perfectly into the brass colored trace it left in its wake.

That moment though was just a phenomenon.

When a brass door was horizontally stabbed, cracks began to spread from the center like an ax that had struck a tree.

“Back!”

It’s collapsing. No doubt about it. Only the part where the door was inserted is collapsing cleanly as if it’s been carved out.

Relieved that my thoughts about the dungeon exploration I once read perfectly fit, I caught Isla and started running again.

At that moment, thunderous sounds overlapped.

The stone where the door used to be was neatly blocked.

Along with the magic that was targeting us just now.

In the scattering dust and darkness, I took a breath.

*

Normally, this situation would be lamentable.

If you don’t know the dungeon well, you would think that.

Even Isla, who is now improbably tugging at my cheeks with her hands, thought so.

“If you break the door, what will you do?”

Her tone sounded a bit weird, as if angry. It wasn’t a high voice, but since I had never seen Isla scream, It was okay.

Was it laryngeal nodules?

I’ve never seen or heard of someone with laryngeal nodules, so I didn’t really know, but I decided it was possible.

Beyond my thoughts, Isla pointed her tail at the debris.

“I would only wait and starve to death in front of that debris. They’ve taken all our bags and baggage.”

“You don’t have to wait, do you?”

“Even if we don’t wait, there’s a problem. If they start digging from the other side, do you know how long it will take?”

I was not a miner. There were quests in the game that involved miners digging mines, but I didn’t know exactly how much difference in scale or equipment there was.

So… it’s better to say I don’t know.

Eventually, when Isla couldn’t grasp my cheek, she let go of it in annoyance and poked my face with her tail.

So she hits with her tail.

“You should have asked me at least.”

“…Asked what?”

“The escape route.”

As soon as I brushed her tail away because my nose was tickling, I found Isla looking at me with her hands on her waist.

Although it was nearly expressionless, it was definitely a disgruntled look.

“Do you know? Have you ever been there before?”

“No. But I know.”

I didn’t ask any further questions like why she knew or how she found out.If I had enough time, I could have found an escape route, too. After all, homunculi have the best senses among all races.

Even Isla, a snow leopard beastman, was a skilled hunter in her own right.

But, I didn’t voice these thoughts.

Even if I knew an exit, it didn’t seem likely that I would leave.

This place was a dungeon.

A place with definite rewards and the only place filled with information about the universe and the three races.

The laboratory of the three races.

As soon as I realized that this place was a dungeon, I considered this plan because,

I am a homunculus, a living sample, a food source of the three races.

There had to be something here for homunculi like me.

It was information that almost no one else in this world knew.

Only the existence of the main character of the story, and his companions.

Therefore, this unexplored New World must still have countless rewards. I got up.

“Where are you going? I’m not done talking.”

“I have my reasons. I’m not a good explainer.”

“You’re beating around the bush.”

Even while saying that, Isla gets up. Her footsteps are silent as she follows me.

We head deeper into the dungeon together.

Whether it’s because the clearing was over, or because it’s that kind of dungeon, the long hallway, without any traps, leads to the reward room.

The room, once a part of the laboratory, is filled with items such as an emergency elevator and empty boxes.

Surrounded by experimental equipment that’s impossible to identify and completely shattered, I wade through it.

It’s my first time visiting this dungeon. I should not be able to know what is where…. I guess I have skill.

While calculating how long it would take for a magician to clean up the debris at full power, I look around.

Debris and empty boxes, and a platform that seems to be a huge table.

That’s exactly what I was looking for.

“I don’t think anything is left here. Even to use as a weapon….”

Isla says and looks around. It was a reaction as if she didn’t know what to look for.

It’s understandable. I didn’t expect it to look this way either.

I looked at the machine device that the residents of the medieval dark fantasy genre would normally pass by.

A device made up of buttons and levers. One that can’t be operated.

The magician who saw this device, and the cannibals, would have done the same. They could not operate the device and open the reward.

Like a monkey with infinite time and a typewriter might write down all the manuscripts in a library, it’s not impossible.

But the reward didn’t open. I knew.

That’s why I pulled the lever without hesitation and pressed the button.

Creak, screech!

The loud sound that immediately rings out. Isla, who was looking around, is startled and jumps up and then sits down again. A beastman looking at me with wide eyes. But instead of looking at her, I was looking at the platform.

The platform opened.

And beyond the opened platform was a strange glass bottle.

There was something in the bottle that looked like a fuse I once saw in a game. A black, glistening liquid.

As I reached out to it, a translucent window overlapped.

[Sacred Blood]

“Why have you abandoned me?”

-???

It is a fake made by three races and was the most sacred, but now it is a failed attempt to reproduce the ‘Father’ who has disappeared.

But it’s still poignant.]

[It is automatically applied to the weapon you wield and the product is treated as a magic item.

Add 1 point to the hit roll and damage roll, and the weapons damage, breakup judgment is postponed.

When the coating is discontinued, all effects disappear and return to their original form.]

It was a strange name. A type I’ve never seen before in a game.

But the entities mentioned were somehow familiar.

The father. An existence often mentioned when an item related to the three races appeared.

I don’t know what or who it is, but one thing was clear.

Homunculi and the dungeons created by them are all related to him.It existed.

All the madness and atrocities were committed for the ‘Father.’

This seemed to be the case as well.

I frowned at the impression and held the glass bottle filled with holy blood, and turned my gaze toward the back of the platform.

There was a space to place the hand.

Without hesitation, Isla, who had been stiff in the sudden situation, moved with caution.

“…Is that it?”

I nodded and lifted my hand.

Suddenly, a sharp needle pierced my palm.

The simultaneous feeling of intense pain and something rushing in was an undeniable sensation.

This was what made Homunculus special.

Homunculus was a multi-purpose artificial human.

Simply put, they were the blood bags of the vampires who made up the majority of the three races, and the food source for the shapeshifters that required high calories.

They were also the subject of research for the command spellcasters who held a seat among the three races.

Due to this, Homunculus was deprived of many things.

Normal social reputation, magical power, appeal to attract Transcendants, and their inspiration to feel them.

But in return, there were a few advantages given.

Superior physical abilities and regenerative abilities, tenacious life that wouldn’t die unless the neck was cut off.

And this.

[Inject Holy Blood]

[This is a prototype created by the three races to connect with ‘Father.’

It is a testament to the attempt to recreate ‘Father’s’ body in order to reach ‘Father’. It can only be injected into the most outstanding artificial humans.

But could it really substitute for the ‘Father’?]

[Upon injection, the item ‘Holy Blood’ is linked. You can apply to larger weapons and the ‘Homunculus’ can apply the holy blood to its own body.

The coated body immediately acquires all kind of damage resistance and is treated as a magical item during unarmed attacks.

Also, to the dice roll of accuracy and damage for the unarmed attacks, add two points.]

Homunculus could strengthen their own body with a specific part and modifications, as an additional reward in the dungeon.

I had a way to overcome this situation in my hand.

And then, starting from my fist, it was covered in black metal.