"Experiment subjects 29 and 48 have died. The remaining children number 72, with notable mention of subject 31."
Frowning at the unclear handwriting, it was impossible to discern the details of what had happened. However, what was certain was that an experiment had taken place where human lives were treated lightly. The brief mention of the deaths of two children in the writing elicited no discernible emotions.
If there are 72 remaining, how many were there originally, and how many have died?
Sihyun, lost in thought, was interrupted by Hayeok. As he turned his head, more documents, presumably dropped by the researchers, were extended before his eyes. Taking them, Sihyun rolled his eyes busily and opened his mouth.
"Anything else?"
"Well, it seems there's nothing in this room."
"Then let's go to another room. I prefer to check the discovered logs first, but can I go with the two fallen individuals?"
Hamin, Seowoo, and Hayeok did not want to know the details of the past day. Hamin was the only one who had divulged his past directly. As long as he could review all the research logs and data himself, he intended to discard unnecessary information and keep the important ones. Share information that needs to be shared and bury information that can be buried.
Seeing Hayeok's gaze, who might find such words arrogant, Sihyun, without saying a word, looked at Sihyun, and he stated that if the cost of acquiring Quadruple was only that much, he was willing to accept it.
"It's okay to see it first."
"What if I refuse to show you?"
"Well..."
"If you don't show it, what about the contract that says you belong to Redem for only a year?"
"You can burn the appropriate data."
He quickly changed his stance. As he nodded in agreement with the words implying that he would receive compensation for fulfilling the request, Hayeok took out his phone from his pocket. The phone did not have the common transparent case on the cheap smartphones. After tapping it, Hayeok smiled and put the phone back in his pocket.
"I contacted Hamin separately, so when you join from the next room, it should be fine. Is there anything else you need?"
It was a kind question. At the moment, he seemed kind like a friendly person, but judging by his attitude towards Hamin, he was undoubtedly a person who would not hesitate if provoked. Sihyun, who had not completely let his guard down, nodded hesitantly and read the next log. There was not much substantial content in this log either, just a mention of the deaths of experiment numbers. The children in the log were all identified only by numbers, making it impossible to distinguish who was who. However, it was possible to understand to some extent what Hamin had experienced. This laboratory had conducted experiments on all children in the same way, either proceeding to the next experiment for those who survived or increasing the intensity of the existing experiment.
When Sihyun read about experiments that forced children to kill each other for physical enhancement, the neatly written document was crumpled in his hand. It felt like the extinction of human compassion.
If they were going to do something, they should have done it to their own bodies.
Muttering in frustration, Sihyun followed Hayeok. Tasks like making people faint or checking surveillance cameras, Hayeok took care of such cumbersome tasks, so Sihyun walked while looking at the logs that Hayeok handed over. After searching one laboratory and moving to the next, he reunited with Hamin and his group.
Whether Hayeok had passed on the log or not, Hamin also received a bunch of documents. Most of it was filled with stories of someone dying or the researcher's mundane observations, so it was thrown to the floor. By that time, Sihyun began to question this research.
Why did they conduct experiments on young children? What was the motive behind starting this experiment?
The first proper information that Sihyun discovered came when he searched about five labs. It was the blueprint of the research facility and the research logs from 2005. The awakening individuals first appeared ten years ago. However, Hamin had mentioned that he entered the laboratory from the age of six, and Sihyun found it strange. Initially, this laboratory was a place researching illegal drugs. To accurately judge the effectiveness, human experiments were necessary, and children from orphanages or abandoned children without a trace were brought in, without any connection. However, when the outbreak occurred with the appearance of the Irregulars and awakened individuals, the direction of the research completely shifted towards the awakened individuals. What they were interested in was the reason why the awakened individuals could use superpowers. Looking at the available data, Sihyun chuckled bitterly. This laboratory was truly insane. It was strange that the government had not discovered it sooner.
Even if it was in the mountains, having such an illegal research facility was surprising.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Sihyun unfolded the blueprint. The laboratory had seven floors, from the second basement to the fifth floor, but no log mentioned where the subjects lived, making it impossible to know where Hamin was. However, that didn't mean there were no speculations.
Sihyun, holding the blueprint, threw the log he had in his hand to the floor. Since he had memorized it, these documents were no longer needed. Rather than telling everyone to read the seemingly useless papers, it seemed better to summarize and tell them.
"This training facility has been around longer than I thought. The earliest log is from 2005, and it seems they were manufacturing illegal drugs and conducting human experiments for them. Then, after the outbreak, they shifted their focus towards researching awakened individuals. Regardless of the specifics, experimenting on human beings hasn't changed, whether in the past or now."
The words spoken with an indifferent tone were interrupted momentarily by the groans of a researcher, as if he were a murderer looking down at a fallen researcher without any concern. Haehyuk described it as the gathering place of trash in a soft tone, and Sihyun quietly agreed while reading the data handed to him by Seowoo. It seemed there was no specific place to store all the data here; each lab stored different information, and it was unnecessarily complicated.
"But the emergency sensors aren't ringing. It feels like we've been here for quite a while."
"They probably disabled them in advance."
"Ah...."
Sihyun blinked his blue eyes at Haehyuk's casual remark. Meanwhile, the raid on the first floor of the lab was over. Sihyun looked at the three men who had brought him to the elevator at the end of the corridor. Despite people collapsing behind him, they looked perfectly fine and unaffected.
"Where to?"
At Seowoo's question, Sihyun, recalling the layout, confidently pressed the elevator button.
"Underground."
The real secrets were usually hidden deep. Considering all the clichés in novels, an underground location was a likely candidate. As the elevator descended from the 4th floor with a ding, Haehyuk took the lead again, incapacitating the researchers, and Sihyun received the documents they provided.
As Sihyun passed by the collapsed researchers with his fists clenched, something caught his foot. Looking down, he discovered a notebook. He picked it up. While flipping through it, he realized that despite the hot weather outside, the lab was surprisingly cool. He shivered subtly as he clutched the lab coat draped over his shoulders, the same ones the researchers were wearing. Glancing at Seowoo, he saw the guy who casually stole someone else's clothes smiling lightly.
"It'll get colder if we go down to the basement, so keep it on."
It felt like they were whispering some significant secret in his ear for no reason. Sihyun shook his head, put on the lab coat properly, and as he did, the elevator arrived at the underground. This time, Haehyuk disabled the surveillance camera inside the elevator, pulling out a dagger from his pocket and throwing it.
Hearing the sharp, breaking sound, Sihyun pressed the button for the 2nd basement level and leaned against the cold wall. It was surprisingly cool inside the lab despite the hot weather outside. He clutched his fists, feeling a subtle chill, and the lab coats draped over his shoulders added to it. Looking at Seowoo, Sihyun, who had a gut feeling that this notebook was important, put down the documents he was holding and turned the pages of the notebook.
"What are you doing?"
Hamin asked as Sihyun suddenly stopped. Turning around, Seowoo and Haehyuk stared at Sihyun with serious expressions, watching him examine the writing on the notebook with busy blue eyes. Sihyun flipped through the pages, looking for information he wanted.
"If the mark appears around the age of seven, I captured orphans with the mark and observed and experimented on them for years. As a result, I found something common to them that didn't exist in me. Each Awakened individual has an energy organ in their heart, similar to the one that makes up the heart of an Irregular. Before the mark, they couldn't use the power, but after the mark, a passage opens in the organ, and mana is supplied to the body. I decided to call this phenomenon a gateway.
All Awakened individuals can use their abilities after the gateway is formed. Mana circulates through the Awakened individual's body with blood and automatically replenishes when depleted. The speed at which mana fills seems to vary from person to person.
I decided to call this organ the core."
Core.
It was the most important information among all the information gained in the lab. Suddenly, Sihyun remembered Haeun's words that the fantasy species fed on their mother's mana as a substitute for a meal.
The doubt was resolved, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Realizing that the information in this notebook was not something to be overlooked, Sihyun turned to the next page.
"If the core is the source of mana, can't it be artificially created?
Perhaps I can create a Dual."
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
