NOVEL WEB Chapter 173: Henry Jekyll
[You are born, adventurer.]
[You are born into a wealthy London merchant family—cradled in a silver spoon, destined never to be troubled by money.]
[Your parents are wise and kind; their virtuous household grants you the finest education from the outset, ensuring you grow into an outstanding and upright person, never losing your way.]
[Even as a small child, you vaguely recall a sense that you were born for some important mission—an inner voice tells you something terrible will happen in the future, though the details elude your memory.]
[Nevertheless, that forgotten purpose leaves you with many other gifts: you brim with endless ingenious ideas, some so far ahead of their time they verge on genius.]
[In your youth, you display extraordinary academic talent—always top of your class, and mastering subjects at an age when most won't meet them until university. Everyone prophesies a bright future for you.]
[Yet despite these advantages, you do not lose yourself in praise. You know that physiologically you differ little from children in the slums; given the same conditions, they might even surpass you. This awareness keeps you humble and respectful of all, and the idea of universal equality takes root early in your heart.]
[Your family's wealth and your brilliant mind allow you to achieve success in any endeavor. By your early twenties, you hold multiple doctoral degrees and become a university professor, even joining the Royal Society. Among your many fields, your contributions to medicine and mechanics stand out.]
[For some reason, you seem innately adept at anatomy, and your hands‑on skills are exceptional—particularly in crafting complex machinery. These talents serve you well.]
[Thanks to your practical skill, expert knowledge, and endless ideas, you even help invent several clever devices after the steam engine's debut. These inventions greatly improve daily life and are easy to mass‑produce. Leveraging your father's connections, you promote them widely—and soon you can lie back and count patent royalties until your fingers cramp.]
[Meanwhile, your continual tinkering hones your Strength. Though your constitution remains average, your raw power far exceeds that of ordinary men.]
[You also become a renowned philanthropist. With wealth beyond need, your generous donations fund countless charities, and your good deeds frequently make the newspapers.]
[Yet you gradually realize a flaw: an insatiable desire for pleasure. Though lauded as a philanthropist, you know your motives are not purely benevolent—you seek the title of "philanthropist" and relish the praise and moral superiority it brings.]
[You deem such motives hypocritical and feel ashamed. Though not malicious—and unlikely to cause real harm—your strong moral conscience transforms into crippling guilt.]
[One day, by a chance introduction, you meet the great detective Sherlock Holmes. You volunteer as his aide, using your vast knowledge and connections to assist in his investigations. Earning his trust, you delve into society's underworld alongside him.]
[In that abyss, rampant crime mocks the law and tramples human decency. Yet you do not hesitate—your fierce sense of justice drives you ever deeper, relentlessly investigating and combating wrongdoing.]
[However, after one case after another, you fall into philosophical reflection on good and evil. You realize humanity is neither purely virtuous nor wholly wicked, but a complex whole—and even Holmes is not without his flaws.]
[You resolve to battle the evil within your own heart—and believe you can conquer it entirely.]
[You begin experiments in medicine and chemistry, attempting to separate out your inner malevolence.]
[But existing human science cannot achieve this. To succeed, you turn to the other side of knowledge—magic.]
[Through your criminal investigations, you learn of the hidden magical order, the Clock Tower. With your wide network, you acquire rare materials unavailable to science—at great cost—and enlist the aid of the Achellotte family (one of the Clock Tower's twelve houses, specializing in plant magic). Through much effort, you draw ever closer to your goal.]
[Yet in traversing both the criminal and magical worlds, you attract the attention of those with darker designs.]
[Finally, after countless trials, you concoct your elixir and—excitedly—drink it, determined to sever your evil half forever.]
[But no sooner have you swallowed the potion than you sense intruders in your home.]
[Before you can react, a heavy drowsiness overwhelms you; you lose strength and succumb to sleep.]
[Your last waking impression is of your assailant wearing a pale mask—nothing but a blank, white board concealing everything but cold, unseeing eyes.]
[When you awaken, you find yourself in a completely new place.]
[At the same time, some memories stir—you finally recall the troubling voice that haunted your life for decades.]
[Beyond Henry Jekyll, you bear another name:]
[Guine—]
[Import complete.]