Glorious Return(3)

The artificial monsters produced by inserting mana stones into the machine could be defeated to harvest custom-made essences, and from that, we noticed a specific pattern they all had in common.

The magic stone inserted into Device A determines the stat portion of the custom essence.

Device B handles the passives.

Device C is responsible for the active skill.

Ah and just to be clear I got this information through painstaking research, including feeding these essences to exploration team members who had gained at least one level after descending to basement floor 1.

Unlike the fixed stats and passives, tthe active skill was unpredictable. Perhaps that’s why the color of the essence also varied depending on the active skill.

“So, you’re saying that this one has the stats of a goblin, the passive of a troll, and, since it’s blue, it should have the Steelhill Chaser’s [Terrain Eruption] skill?”

Raven, who had been observing and recording each summon, briefed us on the details as soon as a new essence dropped.

And without even waiting for my permission, she placed the essence into a test tube and labeled it.

Unless it was for research purposes, there wasn’t a single member of our expedition who would want to consume this thing.

To begin with, only a handful of our members have been saved yet, and most of them had already filled up their essence slots due to testing. Once we go out, they will erase those essences first.

“All right, back to the search!”

Though we occasionally summoned monsters for research, this was the last one.

From now on, we focused entirely on finding our allies trapped somewhere in the conveyor belt maze.

Custom essences.

They were an incredibly attractive discovery for explorers, enough to make their eyes gleam with greed. But, to properly farm these custom essences, we first had to find our trapped allies.

There were several reasons besides just worrying about them.

‘With our current members, it’s too difficult.’

The difficulty level of hunting these synthesized monsters was extremely high.

Which made sense, as these monsters didn’t just have the stats of a single monster.

They possessed the combined stats of three monsters.

Their passives.

And all of their active skills…

A synthetic monster made from three Level 9 monsters was far stronger than a regular Level 9 monster.

Of course, their synergy decided how strong they end up getting, but…

‘Usually, +2 for the average ranks, and if their synergy is good it could go up to +3. Or even +4 in some cases..’

Well, in those cases, the obtained essence would be much more valuable, but…

‘This is such a shame.’

The discovery of these absurdly customizable essences had momentarily made us lose our minds, even stopping our search to devote myself ourselves to research However, the downsides helped bring us back to our senses.

It was undoubtedly a jackpot, but not to the extent that we’d abandon everything else just to farm the perfect essence in this place.

Even for a character powerful enough to open the Gate of the Abyss, taking down three level one monsters would still likely be challenging.

From what I could tell, even if the entire expedition gathered, hunting a synthetic Level 2 would be difficult.

A synthetic Level 3 might be doable, but…

‘There’d still be significant casualties.’

Ultimately, to obtain these custom essences, you needed specs far beyond the level of the essence itself.

Therefore…

It can be a core essence, but either as an enhanced version of a lower-level essence or one that allows you to free up an essence slot. That’s the true function of this device.

Well, we could also combine higher-level essences with lower-level monsters in creative ways…

‘The problem is the synthetic monsters themselves…’

Most of the monsters in the factory were low-level.

This wasn’t a huge issue in itself.

After all, this factory was a place where disassembly, combination, and decomposition were all possible.

By inserting the mana stones we already had into the device, monsters would spawn on the conveyor belts, allowing us to identify which monster the stone belonged to.

Also, the generated monster wouldn’t leave the conveyor belt unless it was attacked first. So, if we waited, it would eventually complete a full circle and return to the device, turning back into mana stones.

‘However, letting the conveyor belts run makes searching for our allies difficult.’

In any case, the priority was to wake up our allies.

One day, two days, three, four…

Time passed quickly, and finally, the news I had been waiting for arrived.

“We, we found them!”

A hidden room had been discovered.

***
The holding room, only visible through the control room’s CCTV.

By traveling against the conveyor belts and searching every corner of the building, we finally found the place where our allies had been trapped.

“Uh… where is this…?”

“W-we’re saved…!!”

Using the Crown of Torment, we woke everyone up one by one, and the room grew busy.

“What in the world is this headpiece? I’ve never seen anything like it…”

“…It’s a magical tool Mr. Jandel had. I don’t know the details. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Some mages asked about the crown, but I brushed them off with vague answers.

Since no one had been around when I got it, I could use it freely without raising suspicion.

What could they do if I just said it was something I’d always had?

“Mister…”

“Bjorn!”

After finding this room, I was finally able to reunite with my allies.

Anyway, I found this room and was finally able to reunite with my separated comrades.

“Are you okay? Any pain or abnormalities?”

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry. What about you?”

Though they had been unconscious for a long time, thankfully, none of the Clan Anabada members showed any physical issues.

But not everyone was so lucky.

“…One of my essences stopped working.”

“Huh? Me too! Same here!”

Some members of the expedition complained of abnormalities, and they all had one thing in common.

They had all been taken to the factory earlier, turned into mana stones, and then returned to their original state.

However, there was another strange detail…

“I-I’m completely fine, though.”

Some who had also been turned into mana stones showed no abnormalities at all.
So the mages gathered and ran full body checks…

“Their soul level has dropped by a level. That’s why their most recently acquired essence stopped working.”

“What about the others?”

“We suspect their contribution points were reduced. Those who lost their soul level had only recently leveled up.”

In fact, the ones who didn’t get the level down penalty were the ones who had leveled up a while ago.

“So it’s an EXP loss penalty…”

After a detailed analysis of the cause, the estimated loss of exp was approximately 1,000 points.

“Wait, what am I supposed to do now? I’ve already defeated all the monsters under rank-3…”

“Then you’ll need to start targeting monsters rank-3 and above.”

“But I’ve lost an essence slot!”

“There’s no alternative.”

For those aiming for the maximum rank, losing an essence slot was devastating, and their frustration was clear.

Even though it wasn’t the kind of thought I should have while watching them…

“Thank goodness.”

I felt relief deep in my heart.

That’s because Amelia was one of the kidnapped.

If she hadn’t woken up and escaped on her own, our entire plan would’ve been thrown into chaos.

Our goal wasn’t to just stay on the 7th and 8th floors and make money.

“Vice Commander, take the remaining group and head to the underground level below. Raven will tell you what to do.”

Once the chaos settled somewhat, I immediately began issuing orders.

“Emilie, go to the control room, reactivate the rails, and then return here.”

“Be quick.”

“Search Team Leader, you’ll stay here and lead the search team to investigate every corner of this room. If my instincts are right, there’s something else hidden here.”

“…Understood.”

Okay. That wraps up the immediate orders.

I grabbed one of the guys who was trying to blend in with the main group and go underground.

“Sven Parab.”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay physically?”

“Ah, yes… No issues at all.”

“Good. Follow me for a moment. There’s something I want to discuss privately.”

Since this wasn’t a conversation to have with others around, I pulled him aside to a secluded spot.

And…

“This is something only a few people know about. You must keep it a secret. Understood?”

I scared him before we even started talking, but it seemed to backfire because he looked flustered.

“Uh… then maybe I shouldn’t hear it…”

Tch, he’s already trying to weasel out.

This guy always backs out at the first sign of trouble.

“I need your opinion on this. That’s an order.”

Only after I used my “Barbarian Commander Mode” did he change his expression and prepare for the conversation.

Then I lowered my voice and told him about the research director I met in the control room.

Of course, I didn’t need to go into detail about Hamsiki or our entire conversation.

Just this part was enough:

“If we don’t leave this place within six months, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

“That… that bad?”

“Yeah. He said even five of us might not make it out alive.”

“I… see…”

With that explained, it was time to get to the real point.

“So, what do you think?”

“Pardon?”

“Now that you’ve heard everything, how do you feel?”

He paused for a moment, then suddenly looked like he realized why I had brought him there.

“Ah… so that’s why you called me…”

Seemed like he’d finally figured out why I’d pulled him aside.

Then again, we’d been through this situation enough times already.

“Speak up. What are your thoughts? No, how do you feel? Does it seem like we should leave this place, just like he said?”

Sven closed his eyes in concentration, then opened them and answered with an apologetic tone.

“…It’s too far off in the future. I don’t feel anything yet.”

“Didn’t you say during the Ice Rock Expedition that you didn’t want to join, even before we left the city?”

“Yes… that’s true, but…”

He trailed off, then explained more about his intuition.

Apparently, it only triggered during critical turning points or moments of decision.

“Then I guess we just do what we can for now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Anyway, if you ever feel something strange, drop everything and come find me. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll definitely tell you.”

And so, time passed again.

***

After my conversation with the goblin, I established a guideline.

[If you don’t leave within six months, you’ll be in serious trouble.]

Even if the director was telling the truth, I decided to move forward my way.
After all, hadn’t he said it himself?

[You’re not wrong. If someone proves themselves worthy, then it’s my duty to grant them that right.]

If I could earn that qualification myself beforehand, I wouldn’t need to take his shady deal.

So my actions were simple.

“Commander! We found this in the room where they were held!”

We continued investigating the lab.

The clues we found in the hidden room led us to new areas, and after further searching, we uncovered more secrets.

Along the way, we even raided the mechanical wolf that I had discovered when I first entered the lab.

When we hit a dead end, we went outside the temple to gather more information about the Rainbow Island.

And at the same time…

“Excuse me! You made a mistake. That monster turned into a stone just now wasn’t a regular drake, it was a Red Drake.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Please label the stones properly so there’s no confusion later. And if you’re unsure, ask me right away.”

While the exploration continued, I also deployed a sizable crew to the underground factory.

It served as a kind of insurance. While concentrating on digging a single well had its advantages, having a backup plan could sometimes be the key to avoiding complete catastrophe.

Even if the creature the director warned us about really shows up and we’re forced to flee, having stockpiled the necessary essences beforehand would minimize our losses.

“Besides, it’s not like it requires much manpower.”

For now, we just had to keep the conveyor belts running and label the monster stones. The actual hunting would happen later, once all members were gathered.

One day, two days, three…

As we kept ourselves busy, days slipped into weeks, and before we knew it, nearly three months had passed.

‘…Exploration’s hit a dead end. Maybe it’s time to start.’

I stopped the Rainbow Island exploration and returned to the lab.

Then, I gathered all members in the underground factory and inserted mana stones into the device.

Clink.

To start, I used the mana stone of Arbet, a Level 3 monster with poor skills but excellent stats, and placed it into the first machine.

Clink.

Into the second device, I added the mana stone of Uumdal, a Level 4 monster—excellent passives but otherwise too weak to be used in my shield-barbarian build, Just the right seasoning.

And then…

Clack.

For the active skill, I inserted the mana stone of an Orc Hero with [Gigantification] to complete the monster.

“Mr. Jandel, as I mentioned earlier, we can only perform this combination a maximum of twenty one times.”

“I know.”

Please, just work.

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