Monsters in the Lab #3

 

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All the materials in the lab were secured with a security spell.

Even when I unrolled the thick scroll, it just looked like a blank sheet of paper, and I couldn’t even open the lid of the magic potion.

“Estelle, I feel like I’ve wasted my time. There’s nothing to be gained from this.”

Jonathan said, his disappointment evident.

“The elders were like that too. Long ago, when Kamula explored this place, he returned empty-handed. It seems those words were true⋯.”

“That’s right. This lab is for the exclusive use of only one person: the lab owner.”

“Then why did you come all the way here? Even though you knew this, why did you insist on coming?”

Jonathan asked, puzzled.

Well, why would that be?

I smiled leisurely.

“Because I am the master.”

“⋯What?”

“This lab is mine.”

That’s right.

The exact name of the secret laboratory is “Rich Frostwind’s Laboratory”.

This is the laboratory that the infamous Lich has secretly hidden in the northern polar regions of the continent.

Many years passed, and after Richie was defeated by Michael and sealed away, no one set foot in the laboratory.

At this very moment, the rightful owner has returned to the laboratory.

“But this lab was built decades ago. You’re only a little over ten years old at most…”

“Jonathan, what’s wrong? You heard from your grandfather. I’m much older than I look.”

“No, so it was true? Estelle, you really were a richie! I thought you were just bluffing—”

“Do you know I am you?”

Jonathan’s mouth fell open.

This guy said he’d believe everything I said before, but apparently he didn’t actually believe everything.

I was annoyed, but I decided to let it slide. Of course, it would be hard to believe me outright when I say I’m rich.

“Okay, what are you doing? Give me that scroll.”

I took the research materials from Jonathan’s hands, who was standing there dumbfounded.

The security magic embedded in the data compared my magic power with the pre-registered magic power.

Soon after, the security was lifted with a soft light.

—I have confirmed Estelle Frostwind’s magical power.

As I read, scrolling through the pages, a massive amount of experience I had never seen before came rushing in all at once.

“I’ve read the secret research on necromancy. Old, forgotten memories have been restored.”

“The experience gained from command magic increases significantly.”

‘Free experience is so sweet.’

I’d only read a few pages of research paper, but I’d gained enough experience to spend over a week hunting demons in the snowy fields.

I came here from the beginning with that in mind, but the experience efficiency is beyond my expectations.

And, there are still dozens of research materials scattered here.

“Gather all the materials here. If they seem plausible, bring them all to me. Got it?”

“Whether it’s a scroll or a potion, is that all?”

“Everything!”

Jonathan and the orcs scattered in unison.

If I had come to the lab alone, it would have taken ages just to go around and look for everything, but it’s nice to have people to work with.

The orcs brought me research materials tirelessly, like bees gathering nectar from flowers.

“I’ve read the secret research on cold magic. Old, forgotten memories have been restored.”

“The experience gained from cold magic increases significantly.”

⋯

⋯

⋯

“The experience gained from command magic increases significantly.”

“Experience gained from Destruction Magic increases significantly.”

“The experience gained from command magic increases significantly.”

“Experience in dagger skills increases significantly.”

Like a private server in an online game with an experience multiplier set to 100, experience points increased indiscriminately.

The growth rate has been so steep that I don’t even have time to check how strong I have become.

“Estelle, are you okay? Your eyes are shining! It’s scary!”

“It’s okay. Don’t tell me to do it, just keep giving it to me. I’m feeling incredibly high right now.”

“What is this, like a drunk person. I don’t know if it’s okay⋯.”

Jonathan tilted his head and disappeared into the hallway of the lab.

For a moment, an ominous feeling flashed through my mind.

‘But why doesn’t that guy show up?’

The so-called ‘lab monster’.

I had completely forgotten. I was so intoxicated by my own strength that I didn’t even pay attention.

My heart started pounding and pulsating.

“wait for a sec.”

As I stood up, the orcs all turned to look at me.

Jonathan tried to say something, but my expression was so serious that he kept his mouth shut.

“There’s Jonathan. There’s Wild. There’s Buffalo…”

One, two, three.

There is not a single one.

Mark. Why can’t I see Mark?

“Where’s Mark?”

“Mark went to find research materials. He said he’d taken almost everything he could find nearby and was going to look around to see if anything was left behind.”

I didn’t wait for Jonathan to finish speaking and ran into the inner area of the lab.

I heard Jonathan shouting from behind me, but I paid no attention.

Knock, knock—

A dim light flickers as if it could go out at any moment, illuminating the hallway.

“mark!”

I called out loud, but there was no answer.

‘Can’t it be already⋯?’

My heart felt cold.

Was I being too complacent in a lab where monsters roamed?

I stopped myself from banging my head with my fist. There was no time for this.

Dararak—!

The door wouldn’t open easily, so I had to force it open, almost tearing it off.

Mark was crouching in a dark room with no lights.

“under.”

My mind was blown and a sigh escaped me.

“Estelle?”

Mark looked back at me with dumbfounded eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, Estelle, look! I found it again. I found a ton. What do you think? This is beyond compare to the others, isn’t it? I’m truly the most capable.”

Mark proudly held out the bundle of papers he was holding in his arms.

I looked over the things Mark had found, feeling a little empty from the sudden release of tension.

“⋯Well, it was hard work, but⋯.”

“Mark did a great job. He’ll be a great help to Estelle, don’t you think?”

I couldn’t tell the truth to the orc whose eyes were sparkling like a baby bird looking for praise.

—Research lab supplies inventory settlement

—April. 10 rolls of toilet paper, 30 sticks of coffee x 2 boxes⋯.

—The toilet is clogged. It’s not flushing. Instead, it’s backflowing. You need a special tool!

There was a reason why it was tucked away in a corner that was almost impossible to find.

What Mark found was not research material, but merely a document containing trivial internal records.

“⋯Okay, good job. Let’s go back now.”

“i get it!”

I took Mark’s hand and helped him up. Mark followed me, clutching a wad of papers in his arms.

That was the time.

“Estelle.”

“why.”

“But who is that standing behind Estelle?”

Mark narrowed his eyes.

“It’s my first time seeing you. You’re not an orc. Are you a friend of Estelle’s?”

Mark tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

For a moment, my vision narrowed to the eye of a needle.

A chill runs down my spine. If there’s one complete stranger you encounter in this lab, there’s only one.

“Two intruders confirmed. Begin exclusion.”

A dry, emotionless voice came from behind me.

As I turned my head halfway, I saw the figure of a stranger staring at us indifferently, like a robot.

And when I took that shape in full view⋯

rustle—

“⋯!”

It’s already too late.

For a brief moment, a girl in a maid outfit appeared.

And then I saw the ceiling. I also saw Mark’s face, still not fully grasping the situation.

The world is turned upside down. Maid, ceiling, Mark.

Mark again, maid, ceiling.

My vision was spinning wildly, up and down, like when I was on a roller coaster.

Not only that, but my body in a cloak was also visible.

Standing there blankly, with his head blown off—

“Wow! Estelle!”

Mark screamed a moment too late.

My torso is over there, but the sound is coming from my head. It’s a really strange feeling.

“calm down!”

“Estelle, your head is flying off! How can you calm down?”

Mark dropped the wad of paper to the floor and pulled a hatchet from his waistband.

The maid stared blankly at the mark and took a step forward.

A blade with a cold light dangling from the maid’s arm.

No, to be precise, it had grown. A blade that tore through the maid’s clothes and skin, becoming a part of her body itself.

“You fucking bitch! Revenge, revenge!”

“Mark, I told you to calm down. There’s no point in fighting back. My head comes first.”

“What, your hair?”

“Paste it again!”

“Estelle, does that mean it sticks if you stick it on?”

Mark muttered with a confused look on his face, but he didn’t act frustrated and kept asking questions.

Mark exquisitely caught my head as it was about to fall to the floor and lifted it high.

This guy’s rebounding skills are quite impressive. If basketball existed in the world of “Nine Stars,” he might make a great power forward.

“Stick together!”

Crunch.

Mark hit my head with all his might.

There’s no need to stick it that hard…

Anyway, it’s not too late.

As soon as the power of “Instant Resurrection” was activated, life returned to my body, which had been dead for a few seconds.

“Oh, it’s stuck! As expected from the God of Death! Wahaha! Estelle, the mark has stuck!”

“It’s good that you put it on, but next time, pay attention to the direction of your face.”

Crackle, crackle.

I grabbed my head with both hands and turned it one hundred and eighty degrees. The skin tore, the bones shattered, and my head, which had been stuck in the wrong direction, snapped back to its original position.

‘That guy doesn’t even care.’

The maid just watched my actions without any change in expression.

Even though his neck is cut off and then reattached and he is resurrected, he is not surprised at all.

This is the protagonist that the elder warned so much about and who easily wiped out Kamula’s expedition team.

A monster has appeared in the lab.