Chapter 44: I'm Good for One Serving. Just One of You, Come at Me!
The deal would officially begin as soon as we left this experimental prison.
There was no need to search for chimeras as the means of transportation—they were everywhere, like fish in a barrel, filling the space before us.
However, I needed to prepare a few things before moving.
‘I’m not giving up on these free mana stones.’
I rummaged through the corpse of the serpent chimera that Fenry had sliced apart earlier. A precious purple mana stone was right in front of me, something that was typically hard for me to obtain, so I had to grab it while I had the chance.
I glanced over at Fenry, just in case, but she was busy examining another chimera corpse and didn’t seem to mind.
“This bodily fluid has such a troublesome composition.”
She was doing odd things, like tasting the fluids and sniffing them. But it was all to help solve a problem I had requested.
‘I need some kind of magic or object to protect me from the chimera’s bodily fluids.’
After two encounters, I had learned that the chimeras’ bodily fluids contained a special poison.
The fluid paralyzed any test subject they swallowed, so if I wanted to use a chimera as a vehicle, I had to neutralize that poison first.
Considering we didn’t know how long we’d be inside, relying solely on mana was not an option.
Judging by her reaction, she seemed close to finding a solution. In the meantime, I located the mana stone and pocketed it.
‘That makes two now, right?’
I hadn’t been sure I’d get this chance, so I was pretty lucky to have collected two mana stones so far.
Maybe things would turn out well for me, assuming I could endure the pain and side effects.
“You seem to understand the risks of mana stones well enough. Or am I wrong?”
So she’d been watching me this whole time? I hadn’t noticed.
I chuckled awkwardly as I stood up, but she just kept staring at my pocket as she spoke.
“That stone carries an energy that defies the order of the living. It’ll destroy you.”
Being an elf, highly attuned to energy, Fenry instantly recognized the mana stone’s harmful effects. She’d even warned the ruler of Beneta about it, which was why Beneta hadn’t reacted as explosively to the rumors as Etor had.
“I have a use for it.”
“As long as it doesn’t interfere with the plan, do whatever you want.”
“It won’t interfere. This plan is crucial for me as well.”
“Oh? Do you actually value your life?”
I was confident in this gamble, so I wasn’t particularly worried about survival.
But our goals for this mission were different, so I had to tread carefully.
While her objective was to rescue Sharbadin, my aim was the Heart of the Immortal—Retonicalus.
The Mark of Life was just one of the steps necessary to achieve that goal.
As she returned her focus to examining the fluids, I crushed the two mana stones into powder and stored it in a small pouch. All that remained was to take it at the right time and place, which I’d already decided on.
“Here, take this.”
After a while, she untied her hair and handed me a necklace.
It was adorned with a blue stone and was something she’d been wearing until just moments ago.
“It’s my prized charm, imbued with a blessing. It’ll protect you from the bodily fluids.”
“A blessing…?”
“Why do you look so ungrateful? Don’t get any ideas—it has a tracking spell on it.”
“…….”
She was frighteningly perceptive.
Trying not to show any disappointment, I nodded and put the necklace on. Immediately, a warm sensation enveloped me.
The blessing of the World Tree.
Its effect was incredible.
This necklace, one of Fenry’s treasures, was well-known in the novel too.
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Just that we need to move quickly, before the chimeras retreat.”
“In that case, let’s get going.”
With Fenry capable of handling the bodily fluids on her own, I didn’t need to worry about her.
With a snap of her fingers, she cast some spell, and her pipe vanished into thin air.
That was her signal that she was ready to get serious.
“Hmm, which one should I pick?”
I scanned the area with her, looking for a suitable chimera.
The field was packed with chimeras. There were no giant ones left—only regular-sized chimeras, fewer in number than before.
If Dominic could churn out giant chimeras like cookies, then he, not Kamel, would be the protagonist of this story.
Fenry stepped toward the chimeras, and I followed her gaze past the edge of the forest.
‘Elton should’ve found his way back by now.’
Since there hadn’t been any commotion, it seemed like he’d successfully rejoined Kamel’s group.
I thought about Kamel’s next moves.
‘Does this mean that the villain’s ally, Karl Bastain, will disappear?’
In the novel, after Kamel’s group left the forest, they established a secret base in Etor, which led to their fateful encounter with the Mad Butcher and set Kamel on the path to becoming a villain’s aide.
‘But this time, things should go differently.’
With my interference, that fateful encounter had been disrupted.
Instead of becoming a villain’s aide, Karl would now be my advisor and a force to counter the Mad Butcher.
‘And if this plan succeeds?’
My alliance with Fenry was starting to influence the bigger picture.
If we rescued Sharbadin and neutralized Arena Huaton, who would awaken with a hundred hearts, then we could prevent the downfall of Beneta.
If Beneta remained intact, it would seriously hinder Kamel’s plans to swallow up Tobaron. This would buy us time to counter him.
‘Even with all this meddling, I’m only buying time. The novel’s reality feels all too real.’
In the novel’s world, everything revolves around the protagonist.
Unlike side characters, who could be discarded in an instant, the protagonist always had the strength and resources to overcome crises.
The difference between a protagonist and an extra.
To bridge this gap, the future was critical.
“That one will do.”
“…What’s your selection criteria?”
“Something that looks the most like an animal?”
“Fair enough.”
She pointed to a chimera and stared at me, indicating I should go first.
I guess it was hard to believe without seeing it in action.
I took a deep breath and began running.
Ahead of me was a chimera with the body of a bull, sporting two thick horns and a terrifying mouth like a crocodile’s. With no more giant chimeras around, this one seemed like it would offer a smoother “ride”—if you could call it that.
Of course.
Kieeeek—!
The “ride” I’d be experiencing was inside its mouth, not on its back, which was a rather horrifying thought.
As the camouflage spell wore off, the chimeras all locked their eyes on me at once.
It was a truly terrifying sight.
Kieeeek—!
Kaaargh!
Like they’d made some agreement, all the chimeras opened their jaws wide and charged toward me.
“Sh-shit! I’m good for one serving! Just one of you, come at me!”
I leapt toward the one that looked the “gentlest.”
A mass of hundreds, maybe thousands, of gaping mouths was before me.
Why did I suddenly think of the piranhas from that horror movie?
Out in the open, I’d be ripped apart like the poor victims in Piranha. But here—
“Uaaagh!”
Darkness enveloped me instead of pain.
And the stench was a free bonus.
***
This marked the third time I’d been swallowed by a chimera.
It was a testament to my terrible luck. But having been through it before, I was able to keep my composure inside the creature’s stomach.
The interior was so tight that there was no room to move. The sticky pressure felt like I was trapped inside a stifling cocoon.
After a moment, a hot, viscous liquid drenched my body. I recognized the smell and texture—chimera bodily fluids.
As soon as the fluid touched my skin, a warm light began to emanate from my chest.
It was the necklace Fenry had given me.
With my newly brightened vision, I wiggled around to assess my senses.
‘It’s working.’
I didn’t feel any paralysis setting in.
As I waited within the chimeric darkness, I concentrated on the subtle vibrations around me.
How much time had passed?
‘Is it happening?’
Focusing on the tremors, I noticed that the once irregular movements were becoming rhythmic.
It felt like the chimera was heading in a specific direction.
We had left the magic circle and, at last, exited that damned experimental prison.
But I couldn’t celebrate just yet.
‘We’re heading somewhere far worse.’
Our destination was none other than Dominic’s laboratory.
It was practically a nest for creating chimeras.
Thanks to the light from the necklace, I could see, but in hindsight, it might’ve been better if I couldn’t.
The undulating mass of organs around me was revolting.
If only I’d been rendered unconscious by the venom, I wouldn’t have to endure this sight. But the blessing from the necklace kept my mind sharp.
No, it wasn’t just sharp—my senses were heightened. Every breath I took intensified the stench to the point that my head throbbed.
‘That damned elf…!’
I’d felt uneasy when she handed me her precious necklace, but could it be that it also enhanced my senses?
If that were the case, she was truly a devil.
A sudden urge to escape flared up, but since there was no way back out, I had to endure it.
‘She’s following me, right?’
I thought briefly of Fenry.
I hadn’t told her exactly how long I’d be inside the chimera, but she was probably expecting a day or two at most. Given her sharp and impatient nature, it would likely be a grueling wait for her.
‘She’s probably grinding her teeth, thinking about me right now.’
Fortunately, humans are creatures of adaptation. I could feel my initially heightened sense of smell dulling as time passed.
It felt like quite a while had passed, and all I could feel was the constant motion.
Was it time to make my move?
I wriggled around slightly, reaching into my bag and slowly rummaging through it.
Then I found a piece of dried jerky and let out a soft groan.
I’d forgotten to give her any food.
‘Elves can go a few days without eating, right?’
In a place like this, her appetite would likely be suppressed anyway.
Reassuring myself, I pulled out the pouch and opened it. Inside was the purple powder of ground mana stones.
I hadn’t planned on just zoning out in the chimera’s belly.
My goal was to absorb all of the mana stone powder here and now.
‘3-star.’
My objective was to ascend to 3-star level before reaching the lab.
The difference between 2-star and 3-star was immense.
It was the stage where a trait could fully bloom.
If I could awaken as a trait-wielder, my survival odds would increase drastically.
It was worth the risk.
‘I just hope I don’t end up with a dud trait.’
I’d lived with rotten luck my whole life, but I pushed those negative thoughts aside as I reached into the pouch.
A coarse, grainy texture.
It felt like swallowing it would be as painful as having fish bones stuck in my throat.
But this energy that defied the order of life—this damned power—I had to crush it and devour it to grow stronger.
Without the mental fortitude granted by the ancient glyph, I wouldn’t even be attempting this madness.
And I had to do something even crazier.
‘I need to activate the glyph subtly, just enough to avoid alerting the chimera.’
Ever since I’d reached 2-star, I’d gained the ability to control the light from the glyph to some extent.
‘One mistake, and it’s over.’
If the chimera spat me out, there’d be no turning back.
I had to take it slowly, patiently, enduring the pain.
This was going to be a torturous experience.
But to survive, I had no choice.
A moment later, I shoved the gritty, filthy powder into my mouth in that sticky, revolting space.
“Grrk!”
A searing pain surged through my mind.
Swatting away the fear of death and the desire for power, along with the mixed emotions that flooded my mind, I slowly closed my eyes.
Training inside the belly of a chimera.
As the energy from the mana stone began to boil within me, I bit down on my lip.
The taste of thick, iron-rich blood.
One day, as I looked back on this moment, I might remember this hellish experience and say:
“Ascending to 3-star was the shittiest thing I ever did.”