The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Seol finally found traces of her.

It wasn’t too difficult to reach, but that was only possible for Seol because he had a rough idea of how the laboratory was set up.

‘If she left a note here… does this mean that she plans on coming back?’

It also meant that Chao wouldn’t be here.

[ Adventure 5. ‘Griz’s Secret Laboratory’

You have found Chao’s traces here.

However, it looks like Chao left after fulfilling her objective. It seems like it would be difficult to find her here.

Nevertheless, you are still only near the entrance of the secret laboratory. Something more incredible than Chao’s traces could be hidden deeper in the laboratory. You must acquire them.

Objective: Investigate Griz’s Secret Laboratory.

- Tch, this is just a wild goose chase.

- It’s not, have you never heard of Griz?

- Of course, I don’t know them? How would I know them? Do you know them?

- I don’t know either. I asked because I didn’t know.

- There’s a short excerpt on him in the guidebook.

- What does it say?

- An incredible genius. And an incredibly weird person?

- LMFAOOOO so basically he’s a super unstable character.

Seol nodded after confirming the changed Objective.

‘I didn’t plan on stopping here either.’

Seol came here primarily to find Chao but also to hopefully find something that could be remaining here.

Griz was, in name and title, a virtuoso of Mechanical Engineering and was also the creator of inventions that could be considered treasures. If there was even a single invention that Griz created left behind in this laboratory, it was the correct decision to search for it.

‘But… what did Chao take?’

Not only did she discover the secret laboratory’s location by herself, she also stole an item from it. Seol could sense that she was an extraordinary person.

So what invention was able to catch her attention?

“Master, look at this.”

Karuna handed Seol a group of documents.

Seol skimmed through the documents and realized that they were about researching a specific invention as well as the research itself.

“Questions about death?”

Griz’s research normally started from ridiculous thoughts. And it was clear from the words written on the documents that this was once again the case.

- What is death? Would it hurt to die? Will I really decompose and turn to nothing when I’m dead? Or are the believers right about an afterlife? I’m curious, oh so curious. I’m so curious that I can’t hold it back anymore! That’s why I’ll find it out!

It was clear that Griz led this research from the document’s introduction as well as its contents.

- There is no one in this vast continent who has experienced death. Ah, there are undeads, but since they are those who have rejected death, they are exceptions. Therefore, I made an invention that would allow me to get a glimpse at death’s true face.

“An invention that would allow him to have a false death… he’s insane.”

An invention made to see what death would be like.

At the end of the record, written was this…

- It really… really is terrible! I should try not to die!

Lower…

Seol placed the documents on the ownerless table and tilted his head in confusion.

‘Chao stole this? Why?’

The invention might not be a horrible idea and the effects might not even be that terrible. Still, Seol was curious why she would steal this.

- I guess there’s a reason why the laboratory was a secret ^^

- What if it’s all just shit like this? Loooool

- They might all just be duds haha

“Still… I have to go deeper into the laboratory.”

There was nothing dumber than coming up with assumptions about something in its entirety after only seeing a portion of it.

It was no different from calling an elephant a pillar after touching its leg.

‘I’m sure there’s something left here that I could use.’

Griz, as expected from a fickle person, wasn’t able to research one topic for a long time.

That was why Seol was sure there would be an invention on another level from the one he saw so far.

Creaaaak…

Seol walked through the hallways once again.

The hallway was tiringly long and the more he walked, the further down he went.

* * *

- Lab 2

Before he knew it, Seol arrived in front of Lab 2.

[Insight activates.]

[You sense a presence behind the door.]

“Master.”

“Ah.”

Karuna must have also sensed a presence. He put his arm out to put Seol behind him.

And after that, he kicked the door open.

BAM!

The door was thinner than Karuna had expected and he kicked the entire door off its hinges.

“Error detected! Error detected!”

There was a machine golem in front of the door.

Seol became nervous because it was even bigger than Jamad.

“The door… destroyed…”

The machine wildly stuck its hands out and awkwardly lumbered over to Karuna.

Thud… Thud…

It moved way too awkwardly for its size and strength.

‘Something’s… off?’

The golem kept pausing as it moved. It was clear that there was a problem with it.

Karuna grabbed his Moonlight Sword to eliminate the threat but Seol stopped him.

“Karuna!”

“...Yes.”

“Don’t do anything for now.”

The machine golem took a few more steps before completely stopping.

“Critical… error…”

Creak… Creaaaaaak…

Seol checked the golem’s body.

If it was having this much trouble moving then the problem should normally be clearly visible on the exterior as well.

However, Seol couldn’t see any signs of rust. There were some vines on it, like the ones you’d see on the walls of an old house, but that was it.

‘Vines?’

Seol had a bad feeling that this could be it and gave Karuna an order.

“Could you cut the vines here?”

“Understood.”

Unsheathe…

Karuna’s mood had always changed whenever he pulled out his sword. Even though he was only using it to remove the vines from a golem’s body, he looked elegant.

Slice! Slice!

The vines on the golem’s body were completely removed.

Snap… Rip!

There was one last vine around the golem’s neck but there was nothing else that could restrain its movements. Seol gulped.

Jamad was on guard. He carefully observed the situation from Seol’s side since the golem could come charging toward Seol any time now with its vines removed.

Cut!

“Grrrrrrrrgh…”

Creak… Creak!

The golem raised its head with a strange sound. Its eye glowed red.

But then, suddenly, the golem’s eye changed from red to blue.

“It’s nice to meet you, human. This is Laboratory 81, one of Griz’s more recent laboratories, and I am the director. My name is Arta-2 but I would prefer you call me Arta from now on.”

“...What?”

“Thank you for visiting Griz’s laboratory. However, Griz is currently absent. Are you a guest who’s scheduled a visit?”

“What is this…”

The golem was acting completely different from before, almost like it had multiple personalities. Seol sighed a breath of relief knowing he didn’t need to reveal that he was an intruder anymore.

“I came here without contacting him beforehand.”

“Then there is unfortunately no way for you to meet Griz at this moment. But, it is possible to look around the laboratory. Would it be fine if I, Arta, give you a tour?”

“A tour?”

“Correct. This might be a smaller laboratory with less to look at but tours are always available to accepting guests.”

Seol thought for a second while rubbing his chin before nodding.

“Then I’d like a tour.”

“I understand. Have you already taken a look at Lab 3?”

“Yes.”

“I understand. Then I shall give you a tour of the remaining Lab 2 and Lab 1.”

[‘Is this dude for real lol’ has donated 300 Madness!]

[He’s being treated like a guest when he came here to rob?]

- Snowman! Why does your acting get better by the day?!

- He’s even fooling robots now? Who is he…

- He’s so bold for being a thief lol

- What kind of training did Griz give to his director? LOL

- Ah, are you a thief? Make sure to wipe your feet down before coming in~ hehe

- He must’ve mistaken him for Santa obviously.

- Does Santa tear down chimneys nowadays?

Arta started giving Seol a tour of Lab 2.

“This is Lab 2. It was mainly used to research ‘spirit containers’. This is also where we actually implemented a multiple-attribute spirit container after theoretical verification.

“ A multiple-attribute spirit container? You… actually made that?”

“Yes, it is a great accomplishment of Griz.”

Spirit containers were a tool used to transport or restrain the various spirits that existed in the world.

“That was possible?”

“It is. Spirits have the characteristic of attracting and repelling each other so oftentimes when they are put in one place, they crash into each other. However, Griz was able to solve this problem fantastically.”

“And how did he do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“...Huh? Weren’t you the director of this laboratory, Arta?”

“My title doesn’t mean much. All of the research was conducted by Griz himself. Everything here only exists to serve him as his attendants.”

There was a pile of documents in Lab 2 like there was in Lab 3.

Seol glanced through it. And as he was slowly reading through it, he saw a word he didn’t expect to see on it.

“This belt that’s mentioned here… Was that supposed to be the multiple-attribute spirit container’s transformation?” asked Seol.

“That was a theory that hadn’t been proven yet. However, the probability of Griz being wrong is extremely low. As such, it should be possible to imbue the multiple-attribute spirit container’s powers into a belt.”

“If that’s true…”

“Even if the wearer isn’t capable of using the power of various spirits themselves, they will become able to use the spirits’ powers indirectly while wearing it.”

“That’s insane. So where is the belt?”

“It should be here, in Lab 2… Huh? Where did it go?”

- Huh? Where the fuck did it go?

- LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

- Here, it’s one million dollars. Huh? Where did it go?

- Why the hell did it explain it when it’s not even here loool

- I don’t really understand what it was talking about but I got the impression that it was supposed to be a really cool belt…

- It was here but now it’s gone!

Seol really wanted the multiple-attribute spirit belt that Arta mentioned.

Since Seol had played The World of Eternity for a long time, he was able to get a general idea of how powerful something was just by the description of it.

“Are you saying the belt disappeared?”

“I am. And I do not know how.”

Arta looked surprised as it even made a scratching gesture in confusion.

Seol could sense that all of this was somehow connected.

‘Don’t tell me those vines were…?’

Arta acted strangely when it was covered in those vines.

Griz’s long absence being the sole reason for everything was starting to look too simple of an explanation.

“Arta, what is in Lab 1?”

“Lab 1 is a biology research complex.”

“How big is it?”

“Even if we combine everything that we’ve seen so far, it won’t be anywhere close to as big as Lab 1.”

“And by biology research…”

“It was research on future foods and a solution for the starvation problem in the Empire. We have cultivated strong plants that are capable of surviving even the harshest of environments there.”

“Is that everything?”

“The laboratory’s control center is also there.”

“Hm…”

“Do you wish to be guided to Lab 1?”

“Yes.”

Seol was confident that something happened there.

Whether it was the vines that caused Arta to break down or the missing invention from Lab 2…

It all gave him an ominous feeling.

Step… Step…

As they were headed to Lab 1, Seol asked Arta a question.

“Arta.”

“Yes?”

“Do you… perhaps know anything about ‘Milan’?”

“I do not know the word ‘Milan’. Is it perhaps someone’s name?”

“...It is a person’s name.”

“That name had never been inputted into my system.”

“I see. I understand.”

- What’s a Milan?

- This bastard Snowman is always talking about things that only he knows.

- Maybe he’s talking about A.C. Milan…?

Seol wasn’t asking Arta this for no reason.

Milan was the last game piece that Seol raised. And Milan… also spent a long time with Griz.

When Seol referenced meeting Griz before, he was talking about this.

- Milan, you really are a genius! I, Griz, am so incredibly inspired by you but you also give me a massive inferiority complex! You are practically all of the knowledge in the world materialized into one person. I can see why you are called the Great Sage, Milan. Am I sad? No, I am oh so happy! I am so happy that there exists someone in the world who can fully understand me!

Griz was extremely fascinated by Milan and followed him around because of it but eventually, Milan left Griz behind for his Adventure.

Seol could still clearly remember Griz’s last words for Milan before he left.

- Do you… Really have to go? I, Griz, think I need you. I don’t think I remember ever desiring something so much.

Seol did his best to start thinking about something else.

‘This isn’t the time to get swept up in my feelings like that. That was then and this is now.’

Seol was close to Lab 1 now after spending time remembering old memories. However, as he got close, he felt something strange.

‘Hm?’

“We’re here.”

“...Arta.”

“What is it?”

“Are you the only being in this laboratory?”

“I am not. There are over 20 attendant– I mean, researchers.”

“I see. I understand. But you were the only one I ran into in this massive laboratory. Do you… perhaps know why?”

“Huh? I do not. I cannot remember it. Do you perhaps know, guest?”

“I think I might.”

[Insight activates.]

[You sense movement behind the door.]

Slide.

Karuna and Jamad both positioned themselves in front of Seol and Arta. They then both broke down the door to Lab 1 at the same time.

Booooom!

Karuna and Jamad were pushed back from a massive blow that was as heavy as a blow from a steel bat.

The two of them were hit by the vines of a giant plant.

Seol looked at the vines with the golden Eyes of Perception.

“You ran away from here. Away from those monsters,” said Seol.

Beyond the vines were countless more vines and leaves that were as large as Seol himself. It was just like he had entered a giant’s garden.

Seol, using the effects of Eyes of Perception, looked at all of the new information that had entered his vision.