Episode 14. Lab (3)
The Cayley family was a family that produced prominent scholars for generations.
Grace’s father, Fred Cayley, was the head of the antidote laboratory and the most accomplished researcher in the laboratory.
Level 4 sample room.
Grace briefly explained to Dante.
“Level 4 contains a deadly poison for which antidote development has been unsuccessful for a long time.”
“It would be fatal to meet such a monster on the battlefield.”
The two of them walked along the path between the showcases. Dante was not at all anxious while walking through a space filled with deadly poison.
‘This is what the world’s highest level is like… … .’
A frog named Charlie, who was trapped in a narrow well, comes out and faces the bigger world.
Was it in the second grade of elementary school?
A classmate once said this to the teacher.
“Teacher, when I grow up, I will go to Central Agras. I won’t live like a frog in a well! 」
The teacher replied:
“Hey. Do you know what happens when a frog that lives only in a well goes out of the well? 」
「How is it? 」
“I was eaten by a snake. Outside the well is full of enemies. Nowhere in the world is there a better place to live than Charlie’s base. 」
I remember the child who heard those words cried for a long time.
It was an environment that you couldn’t have if you had big dreams. Each base did not want to leak talent, so they were brainwashed from an early age. Our base is the best.
Dante thought that too at one time.
Eco Base is a collection of garbage, I thought the tramps wandering outside the base were bugs.
But I thought that maybe not.
Outside the base, he met a talented wizard named BS, and the world’s most advanced facilities were located at Echo Base.
‘I want to visit the Old Town once again… … .’
Although dirty and dangerous, Old Town had a color. Unlike the one-size-fits-all Charlie base, it was a colorful city.
“You know how often there are poisoning accidents these days, right?”
Grace’s voice woke Dante from his thoughts.
“yes. I saw it on the news.”
“You can feel safe inside the academy, but you have to be careful with the food outside. It is also the reason why superhumans only take capsules. In particular, the ones I saw here don’t have an antidote, so you should be careful, right?”
“yes.”
“Then take a look around. I won’t disturb you.”
“thank you.”
[ Detect Mana Pattern ]
“and… … .”
Dante let out an exclamation involuntarily.
Grace was about to ask something, but kept her mouth shut. I just followed Dante and observed the child.
‘Can you distinguish between thousands and tens of thousands of poisons just by looking at them? He is the right person for our laboratory. Sure, write the contract first when you don’t know anything?’
Thinking of such a terrible thought, Grace smiled lightly. It would never really happen, but it was certain that Dante was a coveted talent.
In the meantime, Dante began to identify patterns in the samples.
‘All the poisons I’ve seen so far have been green patterns. do you have other colors? that’s interesting… … .’
In addition, there was also a poison component that was very pale in color.
Dante stood in front of that pattern for a very long time.
‘It’s not necessarily strong just because the color is dark.’
The sample in front of me had a very complex pattern instead of a pale color. It seemed that it was a synthetic poison that was made by combining the poisons of several monsters through dozens of generations.
“Here, Doctor.”
“huh?”
“Here is this sample. Is it true that no antidote has been developed?”
“that’s right. why?”
“You went to the sample room in the basement of the slaughterhouse yesterday. It is a form in which the four patterns I saw there are intertwined. Would it be helpful if I could tell you?”
“Is it really?”
Grace couldn’t believe it even after hearing it.
All of the things in the slaughterhouse were samples from which the antidote was developed, and the ingredients that researchers were threading.
“Tell me.”
“Longhorn Cobra, King Frog, Giant Tuna, Two-Face Rabbit. It is a combination of those four patterns.”
‘Nonsense.’
This sample was poison from a swamp moss monster. What about Tuna? tuna?
‘How did the poisonousness of the marine monsters combine with the swamp monsters?’
Grace asked in an exasperated voice.
“Does it seem that simple?”
“hmm… … It’s not that simple.”
For example, let’s say there is toxicity in triangle and inverted triangle patterns. When the two toxins combine, they do not form a star-shaped pattern, but rather a composite pattern that is ten times more complex.
However, Dante had the ability to find the main patterns hidden in the complex patterns.
In fact, the sample pattern in front of me was at a level that others could see as a huge tangled skein of thread.
Researchers face similar challenges in their research. When two or more monster venoms were combined, they were often transformed into completely different molecular structures.
Grace’s expression becomes serious.
“Dante. You can’t leave the lab as of today. You must become my slave.”
“… … yes?”
Grace immediately giggled and patted Dante’s back lightly.
“It’s a joke. Have you decided on a career path?”
“Not yet.”
“hmm… … The way I see it, I think the Superman Investigation Bureau would be a good fit.”
Superman Investigation Agency.
An agency that investigates crimes against superhumans.
“Of course, this place, which is the world’s best antidote laboratory and has the director who will lift you up to your soul as my father, wouldn’t be a bad choice either. right?”
“ah… … yes! I’ll think about it. Thanks for the advice.”
“And I have a request… … .”
“After looking around the sample room, I’ll organize it and send it to you.”
“Oh my, boy!”
Grace gently hugged Dante with a thrilled expression and let go.
“I won’t starve to death anywhere.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Instead, our lab will do what you absolutely need. sponsor. do you need it?”
‘sponsor?’
I remember what Ray briefly mentioned before.
He said there will be someone to help you at Echo Base.
Was it this?
“From admission to the academy to graduation. It means that our laboratory will take responsibility.”
“… … really?”
“of course. You did a very, very big job.”
Isn’t it a place where a research center digs the ground and sells it? The Antidote Lab was operated with the support of the Mage Tower and the government.
What to do to squeeze the budget?
Must have performance.
If the Underground Spirits, who had been residing in Level 4 for a very long time, were expelled, they would be able to pass the budget review without difficulty.
Dante happily toured the rest of the sample room.
before leaving the lab.
Grace caught Dante.
“Here, Dante.”
“yes?”
“Is there anything unusual about the samples you saw today? There was a familiar toxicity or something.”
“There was nothing familiar. What’s unusual is… … It was all unique, what. I saw Monster Dog for the first time after coming here.”
Grace smiled and nodded.
“okay. And if I have to say one more thing, it’s better not to give or receive favors for no reason.”
hmm… … .
I can see why you wouldn’t accept it.
“Why are you giving?”
“It is possible that only your backbone is pulled out and eaten for the rest of your life, and then abandoned. So I’m not saying don’t look easy. got it?”
“Yes, Doctor. Then, we will deliver the pattern summary after reviewing the spawn contract.”
“huh?”
“If you don’t like the terms of the contract, there is no summary. Are you okay?”
“Ugh, yes. me really Are you using it like this again? Then go.”
“Yes, thank you in many ways today.”
Dante joined the track and started running.
Grace thought as she watched Dante walk away.
From noble mtl dot com
‘I’m a bastard… … . Well, BS Kids are not just anyone. Since he’s a child chosen by the great demon king Kkondae, he must be handsome.’
She called the warden right away.
“Daddy. I think this girl will be able to pull in next year’s budget. Would you like to negotiate my salary again?”
Money has always been a great motivator for Grace.
* * *
Even in midsummer, it was always cool inside the city.
Cool in summer and warm in winter. It could also be seen as the only advantage of the underground city.
And Dante celebrated his sixteenth birthday at the slaughterhouse.
[ Hamel: Livestock ]
[Me: ㄱㅅ ]
Starting with Hamel,
[ BS: Happy birthday. I want Prince to say congratulations too. ]
[Me: Thank you! But maybe Grandpa’s third main magic… … Communicate with animals? ]
[ BS: ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗ How did you know? month! ]
BS,
[Uncle Ray: I’m going to blow some birthday cake soon. ]
[Me: It’s okay. ]
[Uncle Ray: Congratulations. ]
to Ray Schultz.
The Smiths and Grace even threw a small birthday party. Dante tried fresh cream cake for the first time.
It was a birthday celebrated by the most people in my life.
A few days later.
Grace called Dante into the office.
“Have you looked at the contract?”
“yes.”
Grace detailed the financial gains the lab would gain from Dante’s pattern analysis.
“When you simply look at the amount, you may think it is a loss. But do you know Companies never do business at a bottom.”
“Roughly.”
“We’ll get about 3 trillion more thanks to you. You’ll spend tens of billions of won at most until you graduate, right?”
“… … Hundreds of billions?”
It was an unheard of amount.
The cost of living for a family of three was 3 million won a month. A college student spends 10 billion a year?
Why do students need so much money?
Grace continued.
“But the important thing is this. You are the first scholarship student at our institute.”
The Versailles Research Center is the world’s largest research institute with the world’s best brains.
Research director Fred Cayley always said:
Talent is enough for us. Talent of the future? What kind of money is money to kids who haven’t even made it yet? If I had the money, I would bring in more monster corpses.
Declaring a sponsor in such a conservative institution was a bigger deal than I thought.
Of course, Grace had to go to war with her father. In the end, the warden had no choice but to acknowledge Dante’s talent.
“It may not come to you now, but the day will come when you will know. What does it mean to be the first scholarship student at the Versailles Antidote Lab?”
“You don’t have to explain this in detail. I think the conditions right now are too much for me.”
“Anyway. Try your best. Don’t be burdened.”
One-sided relationships don’t last long.
It was for this reason that Grace decided to support Dante at the laboratory level.
‘When it comes to money, even BS has plenty of it, but… … One day, you may approach your child as a burden. Then it might be ruined.’
Dante replied.
“Honestly, I don’t mind too much. It’s a give-and-take relationship, right?”
Grace smiled at the bold boy’s words.
There are also people who take it for granted. But Dante didn’t have that kind of personality.
“Yeah, that’s a good attitude. Let’s do well in the future.”
“yes! Doctor.”
“Call me Grace.”
Grace smiled and offered a handshake.
The sixteen-year-old boy came to understand the grown-up world a little more.
so in late August.
It was time for Dante to leave the Versailles slaughterhouse.
Ray went to the slaughterhouse to take Dante and Alicia. He had a short chat with Grace and Karum.
“You’re going to support Dante at the lab?”
“huh. You got something, but you can’t wipe your mouth, can you?”
“No, because Dante is already supposed to receive BS support. I also have a trust my parents left me with.”
At Ray’s words, Grace raised her voice in frustration.
“So what’s wrong! ok? Don’t you know that the more spawns you have, the better?”
“Oh, what a temper. I just said yes. good job.”
“I will say so right away. Why do you attach useless sajok?”
Carum, who was listening, spoke to Ray.
“Explain it to Dante on the way. spawn. If it’s that guy, sponsors will line up in a year?”
“I guess so. Spawns are everywhere… … .”
Then, Grace interrupted.
“So I added it to the contract. You must consult with the Institute before signing with another sponsor.”
The two men patted Grace on the back at the same time and talked.
“Okay, well done.”
“I know. When I was young, I suffered because I was not good at spawning contracts. That’s when I realized for the first time Oh, there are times when listening to adults is helpful, right? do. anyway. I have to go, I have a lot to do. Well done!”
There was a boy running away carrying a backpack.
It was Dante.
‘Central Agras!’
It is the only one of the six countries built on land.
The place where all the power and money in the world gather.
“mister. I am ready to go.”
“Okay then let’s go!”
Dante took a brisk step.