There was no strength in Pelerian's muttering voice.
We'd returned to the entrance of the circular corridor.
In the first tank was a mass of flesh with an unbearable appearance.
Random arm and leg-like things protruded from the round mass of at.
'This is a chira too?'
"Yes, it's a chira."
'It's terrible compared to the chiras you made before.'
Chira Fafnir.
The first of Pelerian's chiras that I fought and defeated.
No, it seed terrifyingly strong at the ti, but thinking about it now, it was weak.
Still, at least it had a proper appearance.
By proper, I don't an good-looking, but that its body functioned properly.
In contrast, the chiras here didn't have normal appearances.
'I guess you didn't have the technique yet back then?'
"What nonsense..."
Pelerian gave an unexpected answer.
"The chira creation technique would have been far more advanced when this dungeon was made."
'...Then why?'
"Let's look at the next one."
We went to the next tank.
The tal plate there read:
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[Test Flesh, No.02]: One Leg
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The second chira, nicknad One Leg.
It has one leg, so One Leg, right?
For reference, the first chira's nickna was at Lump.
It was clear that Pelerian's naming sense wasn't that good either.
But why "Test Flesh"?
"Next."
I went to the next one.
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[Test Flesh, No.03]: Three Eyes
──────────────
A creature with three legs and three eyes embedded.
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[Test Flesh, No.04]: Blood Scales
──────────────
A creepy chira with scales sprouting here and there on its skin.
The statent that chira production technique was more advanced than Fafnir's ti.
I seed to understand what that ant.
The chiras here were developing by converging certain characteristics as experints progressed.
Even I, an outsider, could tell.
First was 'smooth skin.'
The chiras' skin, which had been furry and bumpy, beca increasingly smooth as the numbers went up.
Second was 'proper limbs.'
Limbs refer to pairs of arms and legs.
In other words, evolving to have both arms and legs.
This must have been quite difficult. There were chiras with three or four legs, or tentacle-like things instead of arms.
A chira that appeared to have proper limbs didn't appear until number eight.
──────────────
[Test Flesh, No.08]: Dancer
──────────────
I could imdiately understand what that nickna ant.
Its legs were beautifully and smoothly extended.
Though white like a plaster statue, its legs and arms seed aesthetically flawless.
Real dancers' toes would be more rough and grounded in reality.
Would it be too harsh to say this naming seems fitting for Pelerian, who probably only researched in his room?
The smoothly extended arms were also elegantly draped like a ballerina's.
However, I quickly noticed its unnaturalness.
'The hands...'
The arms seed a bit long, and where hands should have been were feet instead.
In other words, it had four legs jutting from its body, but no arms whatsoever.
Not only that, but the face was just as bizarre, with features that seed fundantally wrong.
It had no eyes or nose, only a mouth.
"Next."
Pelerian said in a tired voice.
Tank number 9.
What was inside looked similar to a person.
'This is...'
Yes.
More precisely, it resembled a fairy.
Long, slender limbs.
Above all, long ears.
The last remaining tank contained a chira with fairy characteristics.
──────────────
[Test Flesh, No.09]: Undecided
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A chira without a given na.
The reason for not naming it 'Fairy' or 'Elf' was clear.
"How hideous."
Just because it has limbs.
Just because it has long ears, does that make it a fairy?
Of course not.
Even without looking closely, there was no way to mistake that chira for a fairy.
Its skin was damp and pale like a frog that only grows in caves, and its murky eyes protruded sideways like a fish's.
A chira imitating a fairy.
What was the purpose of creating this?
The purpose could be guessed from the scribbles next to the plate.
It read:
「Too ugly and inadequate to transfer into.」
Pelerian trembled.
His main body.
The Mage of Heaven Defiance had planned to transfer to another body before dying.
Even making chiras resembling fairies himself.
"This, this can't be... possible."
Pelerian spoke like a wounded animal whimpering.
What hollow shell would remain if you stripped away his pride and dignity, leaving only the raw essence beneath?
He would have desperately clung to the belief that although only a withered, shabby body remained - worn and frail as autumn leaves - at least his own spirit still burned noble and bright within.
I felt guilty, sick with sha, like I had stolen into soone's room at midnight and read their most private diary by candlelight, eyes devouring secrets never ant for .
Or as if I had pressed my ear against the confessional's wooden wall, overhearing whispered sins and regrets that should have dissolved into sacred silence.
Afraid of death's cold embrace yet unable to fade peacefully as a fairy should, caught between two worlds but belonging to neither.
The once-mighty Mage of Heaven Defiance, who in his desperation tried to escape mortality by transferring his essence into the hideous porcelain doll he had crafted with trembling hands - his final masterpiece and prison.
"..."
I was witnessing the mont Pelerian's dignity crumbled.
What broke that terrible silence was an alarm.
Beeeep-
A siren sound like so DEFCON had been activated.
Red lights also flashed everywhere.
And then, the voice of the magic spirit I had heard in Pelerian's previous dungeon rang out.
"As defense level 4 has not been cleared, entering incineration and demolition procedures."
"Incineration procedure will begin in 30 seconds."
'What!'
30 seconds?
Even though I have high heat resistance, would I be fine if incineration starts?
No, probably not.
Uh, uhh...
In 30 seconds I can't escape, and there's nowhere to hide either.
"G-good!"
But Pelerian suddenly shouted that.
I listened hoping he had so solution.
"Let's all burn to death together! Perfect!"
'N-no way!'
"Burn everything cleanly!"
I don't want to die yet.
"25."
But it seems the countdown has already started.
"24, 23, 22..."
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