Inside the Cave of Obscenity

Chapter Volume 3 8: Research, Experimentation and

"Kuaah..."

Kara woke up to the bright light coming through the window and stretched out on the couch she was using as a bed.

Her body was limp.

Her head was heavy.

It was not that she was sick, it was just that she hadn't been sleeping well.

It had been seven days since she got the slime's core.

The refugees from Fonteau and Jenna, as well as the bishops who promised to support them, had told her to find an effective countermeasure as soon as possible, and it was the result of working her head almost day and night without a break.

But, well, that was not so different from what she had been doing so far―― it was the usual thing, she thought vaguely, and Kara, the owner of the room, sluggishly raised her body.

Before she knew it, a white coat instead of a blanket fell on the floor.

"Hmm?"

It was a white robe that she didn't remember using. It was clearly bigger than her size.

Rather than wondering whose it was, she first got up from the couch and stretched her body.

Blouse on top, shorts and black stockings underneath, the usual outfit for ease of movement, was illuminated by the dazzling sunlight coming through the window.

The dazzling sunlight shone through the window and she could see her white blouse through her legs that was lacking of flesh.

The woman was in her twenties, but her breasts were small and she was short.

That was one of Kara's problems.

She had a talent for swords and became a warrior priestess but the reason she was now in a position to oversee the researchers in the tower was that she enjoyed experimenting.

The fact that she was able to draw out unknown effects from what was already there―― something that no one had thought of before―― was what made her twist her brain every day instead of swinging her sword.

And so she came up with new potions, tools, and weapons that may or may not be useful.

It was interesting enough when someone would use something that she had thought of.

The people around her think that she had a research-oriented way of thinking, but she also had her own problems.

(Because Jenna-sama said strange things...)

Kara stood in front of the only mirror in the room, shaking her sleepy head and bedraggled hair.

Her long hair hid her eyes, and it was unkempt. Even if she tried to comb it, it would get entangled and would not go through.

When she put on her favorite black-rimmed glasses, there was a woman standing there with a dull appearance.

But the other day.

It had been almost a week now, but Jenna, who had helped her for a little while, saw Kara like that and understood that she would be cute if she was well-groomed.

(Me?)

It was the first time she had ever received such an evaluation.

No, when she was still using the sword, she had kept her hair short because it got in the way and was easy to maintain, and she think she had taken care of her appearance that time.

She tried to remember herself back then, but it was many years ago.

"I wonder if I should cut my hair... but it's too much trouble."

It wasn't that it would interfere with her research.

Kara muttered as she plucked up a tuft of her bangs in front of the mirror, but then thought better of it.

As she said, it was just too much trouble.

It was the kind of thing that lead to Kara's reputation as a "beauty when done right" to this day, but she guessed that was up to the individual.

A dozen minutes later, Kara was thinking and looking at her usual self, assessing her appearance in front of the mirror with a simple touch up. She was calm.

"Well, it's research time again. Research."

She eventually settled down there and muttered that in a slightly lively voice.

There were times when she think she wanted to get married someday, but it was only "someday".

She thought that it didn't have to be now and didn't mind being single for a while.

Being alone had benefits.

She could wake up whenever she wanted, work whenever she wanted, and sleep whenever she wanted.

She didn't have to eat food she didn't like, and she didn't have to do things she didn't like.

That kind of relaxing way. Or should she say, not her body but her mind was relaxed?

Thinking about that, she combed her unkempt hair with her hand and picked up a document on the desk in her room.

It was a document containing a progress report on an experiment that was currently being conducted in the research tower that she managed.

"Hmm... after all, having a real, living monster made the experiments go much faster."

It was simply convenient to be able to conduct experiments that would normally take weeks or months to complete due to lack of materials, but with the infinitely multiplying monster cells at hand, it was possible to shorten the time.

It was visually unpleasant to have the slime as a material for the experiment, but there was a big difference between having the material and not having it.

She was researching tools and weapons that were effective against the bodies of monsters born from the Demon King's mana.

If it worked on the slime, she could try it on the cells of other monsters, or ask adventurers and warrior priests to try it on living monsters.

The most important thing was that it was a living monster, which pleased Kara more than anything else.

Even if she made a potion to disintegrate the cells of a dead monster, she didn't know if it would work on a living monster.

The fact that it was alive and active meant that it was resistant, just like humans were.

A dead piece of flesh could be destroyed, but a living cell may resist and endure.

There were warrior priests who had died in that way―― but what they were using now in the research tower was a living slime cell.

It was a rare existence that was imbued with mana and resisted magic and poison.

Kara thought that a tool or potion that could destroy that kind of monster would have a certain effect on any other kind of monster.

Originally, the demon king's mana―― monsters were born only from the demon king's mana, which no longer existed because it was defeated by the heroes.

"All right, let's work hard today."

Every day was fun for Kara.

She was able to obtain new research material, which continued to multiply infinitely as long as she fed it.

She could do a lot of experiments with it.

How could she make the mucus body disintegrate?

How could they neutralize the magic it used?

How to find its nucleus efficiently? How to lure them. How to put them to sleep.

There were so many things she wanted to do.

Even though it was the one that destroyed a country, for Kara, it was only one of the research materials.

......Suddenly, she noticed a bottle mixed in with the documents.

It was a bottle that contained a light purple liquid.

At first, she couldn't remember what it was, but.......

"Ah."

Before... the priests who actually ruled the holy city Lishlua. One of them asked her―― it was a prototype of the "potion" she was asked to do.

A drug that would arouse those who would take it. In other words, it was an aphrodisiac that would force the user to go into heat.

Kara let out a sigh, remembering that when she had asked him why he needed such a thing, he had gone on and on about how it was necessary to have excellent offspring.

"That reminds me, I need to finish this one too."

She said that in a tired tone, a change from when she was thinking about the slime.

The reason was simple.

It was not fun.

First of all, there was no such thing as an "aphrodisiac".

It was a drug that was supposed to elevate one's mood and make them think that they were in heat unconsciously.

If anything, Kara thought it was more like a painkiller.

So, this "aphrodisiac" that she made was just a mixture of several kinds of herbs that sharpened the sensations, numbing the mind, slowed down the thinking ability, and by adding the divine power from the goddess Fasalina, it would enhance its effectiveness. It was just that.

It was not available anywhere, but anyone could make it if they want to. That was about all there was to it.

"Hmm......"

She scratched her unkempt hair wildly.

The scale in her mind was definitely tipped in the direction of the slime research, and to be honest, she didn't have the slightest interest in creating an aphrodisiac.

Theoretically, it was complete.

The only thing left to do was to test it on a human body―― of course, she had already tested it on a guinea pig, a laboratory animal, to make sure it was not life-threatening.

However, the guinea pigs got excited just by smelling it, and when they ingested the liquid, they were in heat for a whole day.

Kara had made it as a drinking potion, but apparently, the goddess' divine power had a stronger effect than she had imagined, even by smelling it...... injecting it was also effective.

If she was out on the front lines and made a blunder there, she could be disqualified from being a warrior priest.

Because the reason for her dislike―― being attacked by the slime and watching it prey on her companion would be painful for a normal human being―― Alp was still young. She was too young. Kara thought that she might be feeling pessimistic.

Well, that didn't mean that she would stop her research.

"Alp... -san? Can I call you Alp?"

"Ah, yes. Of course, Kara-sama."

"Alp, do you know the difference between this mutant and normal slime?"

While the slime took in the guinea pig and digested it, Kara, who was bored, spoke to the newcomer Alp.

"The difference, is it?"

"Yeah, the difference."

Alp didn't understand when she was suddenly told that.

In all honesty, she shook her head and replied, "No."

"First of all, they take in the abilities of what it took in―― this "abilities" is special...... I suspect that it also absorbed the "experiences" humans have such as the understanding of magic and swordsmanship."

"Experience?"

"I heard on the refugees from Fonteau that this slime used magic of various attributes and easily defeated a knight with excellent fighting skills. Humans can only use one to three spells, depending on their affinity. I remember hearing that even the Queen of Fonteau, who is a half elf, can use four or five."

"But" Kara paused.

"This slime is more than that. Moreover, it is said that its total amount of mana is different from that of human beings, and even the queen of Fonteau, a mage who was said to be comparable to the demon king, was defeated―― even though it is supposed to be a slime that cannot use magic. Based on that, we can expect that it has absorbed as much magic knowledge and even mana from the number of beings it has taken in."

She predicted.

"But there is no sign of this slime's nucleus using magic. Based on that, I expect that the amount of liquid in the slime is proportional to its mana―― in other words, the bigger it is, the more powerful it is, the more mana it can use."

As Kara finished speaking, there was a change in the slime inside the box.

To be precise, to the tentacles swallowing the guinea pig.

The guinea pig carcass in the mucus, its body hair melted and its skin exposed. Then its skin melted and blood began to ooze out.

"Then there's this growth rate. The mucus, which earlier was only thick enough to restrain the guinea pig, now wrapped around its entire body."

When Alp heard the explanation, she looked inside the box with a sense of dread.

The sight of the guinea pig melting―― while it was a nauseating sight, but certainly...... its mucus was increasing.

Fast enough that one could see.

"There is a limit to the amount of mucus a slime's nucleus can control. Until now, it was usually the size that fits in the palm of one's hand. And at best, it can attack livestock. It never grew much larger than that. But this mutated species is different. According to the refugees, some of the slimes are as big as a two-story house."

After comparing the information and studying the biology of the slime, Kara's words sent a shiver down Alp's spine.

An unpleasant sweat flowed down her face.

She was aware that her cheeks were twitching.

"Now, how to get rid of such slime――? It's not just about defeating the slime. This might be the one that we have to destroy."

She then put on a pair of gloves made of thick leather.

She then proceeded to collect the newly multiplied liquid using a metal spoon, which the slime's mucus could not dissolve.

"According to the information, this mucus should have absorbed the "Nest Killer's" poison―― Alp, do you think it's possible for slimes to kill each other?"

Alp couldn't answer.

A mutant slime that multiplied, grew and absorbed without limit. It was all she could think about.

"I don't think it's possible with this poison. Slimes absorb each other. And they share information. A good example of this is when countless slimes use multiple spells. I believe that whatever poison is mixed in there, they will deal with it."

"Then, isn't this research meaningless?"

"No. Research is a process of eliminating possibilities one by one and arriving at a few correct answers. It's not pointless―― we'll gain some information even if this poison doesn't work."

Kara laughed with some sense of accomplishment.

The eyes peeking out from between her unkempt hair were serious though, not smiling at all.

"So I'm going to flip that. To be precise, I will mix the slime's cells with the power from its natural enemy and turn it into something it can't absorb."

"Unabsorbable?"

"It's the power of the goddess Fasalina. There is no greater poison for monsters than that, but there is a limit to the miracles of the goddess that an individual can use. It's our job to make up for that."

Monsters were born from the power of the Demon King, and the Demon King and the Goddess were opposites.

The power of the goddess was poisonous to the demon king's monsters, and the power of the demon king was also poisonous to the human race, the goddess' children.

An existence that repelled each other.

That was why Kara's experiment could be the only natural enemy of the slime.

Thinking that it was the way to break through, Kara dripped a few drops of beautifully clear liquid into the slime's cells she had just collected.

"That is......?"

"I dissolve the herbs that can only be found at the top of the sacred mountain, and squeeze out a small amount of juice from them―― This herb contains the divine power of the goddess, and only a few drops of the liquid from the herb can modify the effects of a mere poison to a deadly poison against monsters."

"???"

Alp, who was not familiar with research, tilted her head, but she sensed something in the liquid that was even more powerful than the miraculous power of the goddess used by the priests.

"I think this will prevent the mutants from taking in their own cells....... At least, the poisons we developed until yesterday have been reported to have some effect on the slimes surrounding the Goddess's barrier. Now, all we have to do is try out some new poisons."

Inside the metal box, the little guinea pig was already dissolved to nothing but bones, with pieces of flesh floating in the tentacles of the slime.

It would only be a matter of time before it was completely melted.

"How many times did you turn over the hourglass?"

"It's four times."

"It was slow to stretch its tentacles earlier, but the melting time is the same as before"

Kara said and filled a test tube with the liquid she had collected.

She gave it to one of the warrior priests who was watching them.

"Give this to the front lines. When they use it, tell them to keep an eye on the mutant for a full day to see if there are any changes."

"Understood."

"Well, then. Next―― let's use guinea pig number 36."

Not paying attention to the warrior who hurriedly left the lab, Kara gave the next guinea pig to the slime.

The next thing she knew, another warrior entered to replace the one who left. Then, Alp and the two warriors tensed up, wary of the slime while Kara experimented on it.

It was repeated.

The guinea pigs that died from poison were absorbed and the slime's cells were harvested to produce a poison against the mutant slime, the Black Ooze.

Until they created a "poison" that was truly effective to the slime.

For the slime, the act was not painful.

It was only natural since it didn't have any sense of pain in the first place.

Trapped in a metal box, fed, deprived of its cells, and then trapped in a metal box again.

The cycle repeated.

There was one thing that Kara and her team, who were experimenting with the slime, were not aware of...... If they hadn't missed it, the research would have been completed.

If she was intelligent enough, she could have created a poison that would kill the Black Ooze.

Because it had already ingested a poison that was effective against the Black Ooze.

It just took a while for the effects to manifest themselves, and the information from the front lines had not reached them.

That was why.

With a few more days, Kara and the others would have known about the "poison".

From there, they could have mass-produced it.

If only...... they had known that these slimes had wisdom.

"Next, guinea pig number 19."

"Yes."

The slime was listening to the voice.

A female researcher named Kara.

The woman who created the "poison" that stimulated the instinct of the Black Ooze. The woman who made "something" that the monster's instinct could not go against.

Her name, her appearance, her information. The slime was sharing it.

A young warrior named Kuryuel and a middle-aged warrior named Oteria, who had been taken in the other day. It was the information it had gotten from the two of them.

The slime was looking up at the woman through the small nucleus.

It was looking up at her.

It was looking up.

It was looking――.

It was――.