[The Test Subject #5 has died.]
[The Test Subject #7 has died.]
[The Test Subject #13 has died.]
It had been two months now since Grey reincarnated as an unidentified alien race, and the modification of the unfortunate selected intermediate-rank monsters finally came to an end as every subject lost their lives due to the cruel nature of the experiment.
[The desirable results of Test Subject #1 have been stored in Anon Folder: RMC-Operation Project.]
[The desirable results of Test Subject #4 have been stored in Anon Folder: RMC-Operation Project.]
[The desirable results of Test Subject #13 have been stored in Anon Folder: RMC-Operation Project.]
Even then, although the twenty (20) subjects of the RMC-Operation Project all perished in agony, the Monster Cores were still procured. In other words, these were more than enough of a bargain just in case Grey and Princess Quintella decided to make contact with this world's civilization, specifically to the nearest ones—Earthfolks—based on their current location.
What's more, some results of the Reduction Monster Core Project were thoroughly analyzed, which could be utilized as scientific references for future and further experiments.
"Send the copy of these files to Princess Quintella's Pseudo-Archive." Sitting on the dark green metallic chair, Grey ordered Krishnaya.
[Yes, Master.]
[Genetics Laboratory, Experimental Sector RMC-Operation Project results have been delivered to the Pseudo-Archive.]
Throughout the month since the punishment for the Troll Chieftains, Orc Chiefs, and Goblin Chiefs as experimental subjects began, many significant things transpired.
To begin with, under Princess Quintella's practical suggestion, a few hundred abducted low-rank monsters were transported down to the surface, randomly so. The reason for this was to avoid the suspicions due to the sudden disappearance of twenty monster villages just in case several adventurers treaded near the borders of the Earthfolks.
In addition, the thirty-six (36) collateral and injured adventurers—all asleep and healed—had been thoroughly profiled by Krishnaya through the Alien Archive: Devourer Dimension.
The youngest one was a little girl around thirteen (13) years old, while the oldest among these groups were roughly thirty-five (35) years old—a man from the Adventurer's Guild who was a proctor of some newbie adventurers, but were unfortunately caught off-guard by one of the three Troll Chieftains.
But then, upon seeing everyone's information, those that were crucial at the very least, Grey could not help but remind the crimson-eyed little Princess.
"Sometimes, humans are more dangerous than the monsters of the Dark Lands."
Without knowing what to do yet with some troublesome adventurers, whose deep intentions were to kill and hoard some others similar to them, Grey did not wake them up within the laboratory tank filled with smooth gray liquid.
With that said, some of them were already awake and eventually teleported below to the place where Grey declared his Alien Village—the previous Goblin Undeads' crude abode.
It had taken some explaining about their current predicament, especially when Grey temporarily hid Princess Quintella after learning through some of the adventurers' memories that she already had a bounty on her head and was accused of desertion within the holy army of the Holy Empire of Lumenasia.
"When the right time comes, we need to discreetly send some of the asleep ones back to their homes since their loved ones are waiting," Grey muttered, his purple eyes while donning his human form fixated on multiple holographic screens.
After some time, upon checking the ceaseless functions of the Anon Oriken, he retrieved a medium-sized silver syringe from the Alien Archive: Material Dimension—it was one of the three rewards he received from establishing his Alien Village.
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[Anon Serum]
Alien Archive Description: [A syringe that contains Anon Blood, which allows the Anon Scientist to inject it into the skin of the desired subject. It will make the said subject's existence similar to the unidentified alien race.]
Krishnaya's Reminder: [Upon injection, the subject will undergo a deep slumber. This engineering of existence cannot be reversed.]
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Reading this for the first time, Grey was reminded of the so-called [Paths] that he had seen when he first modified Princess Quintella's Soul Core, which manifested to her body and saved her from the brink of death.
[Paths] were in a sense one's [Race], but not similar to what he knew like Job/Class in his previous life, something that could be seen or read in various fantasy novels with VRMMORPG genre.
In this world, the [Paths] basically referred to the path a person wanted to traverse throughout their life. For a Human like Princess Quintella, the path for her was decided to become a Knight or Mage, which also must correspond to the color of her Soul Core.
In other words, if the Soul Core's color was different than what was socially accepted, then it was entirely possible for someone to change their [Race] at the expense of abandoning their homeland.
This prompted Grey to open the information that the Alien Archive had gathered within Count Gildeus' memories.
Ding!
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[Soul Core—Socially-accepted Color and Indication]
[] Humans — Gold or White [Allows its possessor to wield Divine Power.]
[] Demons — Dark [Allows its possessor to wield Dark/Demonic Power.]
[] Mutants — Dark or White [Allows its possessor to wield Dark/Unnatural Power.]
[] Witches — Dark, Purple, or White [Allows its possessor to cast Ritualistic Spells.]
[] Magi — Dark, Dark Green, or White [Allows its possessor to cast Dark, Neutral, and Unnatural Magic.]
[] Earthfolks — Brown or Green [Allows its possessor to wield the power of nature.]
Krishnaya's Reminder: [White Soul Core indicates Absolute Neutrality—it means that any race that possesses this kind of Soul Core can once perform Racial Transformation.]
Krishnaya's Reminder: [With their existence tied with nature, the Earthfolks cannot possess a White Soul Core. They also are not permitted for Racial Transformation or they will be deemed as Cursed.]
Krishnaya's Reminder: [Racial Transformation, according to the memories of Count Gildeus, can be performed only once throughout one's lifetime. This arduous process can only be done upon securing a (Blessed Heart)—a mythical heart of this world's any dungeon's Boss Monster—and during the evolution of one's Soul Core from Novice Soul to Blessed Soul.]
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"Blessed Heart... I wonder where can we get one for the little royal blood? I mean, she's still at Novice Soul, so I might as well help her to raise its rank." Grey whispered, recalling Princess Quintella's Dark Soul Core and the Extraterrestrial System's [Paths] recommendation for her.
His gaze was then again fixated on the Anon Serum before muttering, "Krishnaya, I remember the Hidden Path you've showed me before. How do we achieve that?"
[There are two ways, Master. First, it is to modify Princess Quintella's Soul Core so that she can wield Divine Power despite having a Dark Soul Core, and second, it is to inject an Anon Serum into her body or directly into her Soul Core.]
"Directly, you say? That's dangerous." Grey instinctively said; he remembered the deaths of the intermediate-rank monsters for having their respective Monster Cores removed.
Even though a Soul Core and Monster Core were not similar, it could still be said that these two were the heart of the soul, the vitality of one's existence.
[It is, Master. However, it is a possibility with Alien Skill: Beyond Sense, which is something that only activates when you are directly performing the modification.]
"Is that so..?" Grey pondered for some time until something struck his mind.
"Wait... If the so-called [Paths] are basically one's race, does it mean–"
Before he could finish his words, Krishnaya interjected.
[Yes, Master. With your permission, we can make the First Special Subject, Princess Quintella, become a new race in this world.]
Grey's purple eyes widened.
However, he began consulting the process of this possibility that would become a major change stemming and looming from the shadows in this world of Magica.
***
Candela, Capital of the Holy Empire of Lumenasia.
"Glory to the Hero!"
"Glory to the Hero's Bloodline!"
"Victory for Humanity!"
On a wide paved road, shouts from tens of thousands of humans reverberated throughout the capital of the empire as the parade of victory was celebrated upon the widely reported retreat of the Death Lord.
Clap!
Tut–tururut!
The seemingly ecstatic shouts continued as though there was no tomorrow.
"Death for the Death Lord!"
"Glory to the Blessed One!"
"Praise to the Lumen Goddess!"
The current Hero, Kindred von Lumen, who was donning a white-golden armor while riding a white pegasus waved to the crowd with a smile of hope painted on his countenance.
'That's right. I deserve such praise! Praise me more!' Kindred inwardly thought.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally found himself at home...
Slap!
A well-built man with short golden hair and fierce golden eyes retracted his right hand upon hitting Kindred, who was standing in front of him.
"If not for that moment of distraction, you would have died!"
Hearing his father, the retired Hero known as Arthur von Lumen, who received the initial report about the battle result before the victory parade, Kindred was reminded of the split-second odd behavior of the Death Lord during the arrival of his Destruction Slash.
Kindred could not open his mouth; he clenched his fists as his golden eyes were fixated on the Patriarch's room's brown floor.
"If you cannot even defeat the Death Lord, whose weakness is us, what's holy and divine, then stop being my splitting image in front of many. Get out of my sight." Arthur coldly said before going back to his seat in his study.
Turning around, Kindred thought of one thing...
'That damn warrior! How dare he report me to Father!'
***
Somewhere in the Dark Lands, Reverse Abyss, Castle of the Death Lord.
Genuflecting in front of the gravely wounded Death Lord were the Four Death Kings—an armored skeleton, a fluid shadow, a virgin succubus, and a little girl holding a doll.
Then, without further ado, the former commanded everyone under his rule.
"Cease every operation outside of my domain and lie low until my very order!"