Chapter 25: The Second Sin (4)

But he was definitely human?

There was no confirmed information about Super, the Sin of Pride. 

So, after meeting him, Evan had conducted a simple analysis.

Name: Super

Age: 13  

Race: Human 

Gender: Unknown  

Notable Traits:  

– Eyes  

– Something seems sealed  

– Unknown what it is  

He’d cross-verified multiple times and checked the components forming his body.

Super was undeniably human.

But a chimera?

It was hard to deny reality when he’d seen it with his own eyes.

The scene of Super absorbing that black snake.

He even called it his brother.

“…Are you a chimera?”

Lapis asked, slightly crouching, ready to strike.

Her stance suggested she could subdue or behead an enemy at any moment.

It was understandable.

Chimeras were biological weapons.

Artificial lifeforms created by combining the powers of two beings, defying divine providence.

Yet, she hadn’t sensed anything off about Super.

Is there an alchemist who succeeded in human transmutation?

It wasn’t exactly taboo, but as a prerequisite for taboo, the difficulty would be immense.

“…I’m not a chimera.”

Super shook his head in denial.

Lapis pointed to where the black snake had been.

“Then how did you absorb that?”

“Because… it and I are brothers.”

Lapis frowned.

“What kind of… nonsense is that?”

“It seems like a chimera. Its mind must be unstable.”

Arthur drew his silver sword and pointed it at Super’s throat.

“Speak. What are you?”

The atmosphere between them turned tense.

A powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

“Stop for a moment.”

Evan spoke.

The tense atmosphere flipped with a single sentence.

All eyes turned to him.

His emotionless golden eyes stared back.

“Young Lord Evan Alkart.”

Arthur swallowed a groan.

To think he’d step in himself.

Was he protecting his test subject?

But this kid is dangerous.

Absorbing a chimera?

Whether he was a chimera or not, it was a problem.

If he grew unchecked, who knew what disaster he’d become?

He needed to be collared or killed.

One of the two had to be chosen.

“Even for you, a chimera is dangerous. I understand you might want to use it as research material, but…”

“?”

“This kid is dangerous. You know that, don’t you?”

Evan missed the chance to say, What nonsense?

It’s true he’s dangerous.

But pushing him now was even riskier.

As a transmigrator who knew the future, Evan understood what would happen if a Sin awakened.

His mouth went dry.

“Everyone has potential.”

Evan racked his brain.

He’d lived in an era flooded with information.

A time spent immersed in videos made purely for dopamine.

All sorts of trivial dopamine hits, even famous quotes, were stored in his head.

He’d piece something together!

“What someone becomes in the future is their choice. We can’t arbitrarily change that.”

“But—”

“Above all.”

Evan looked at Super.

“Super is human.”

“!”

It wasn’t a question.

A statement.

A tone that affirmed Super’s existence.

Super’s eyebrows twitched.

“…How do you know I’m human?”

“The components of your body, your voice, thoughts, ego, soul. They all prove you’re human. Or do you want to be something else?”

“That’s… not it…”

“No matter your status or where you were born. Humans are humans, beastkin are beastkin, monsters are monsters. That doesn’t change.”

Evan wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying, but he made it sound convincing.

“If you were born human and want to be human, you’re human.”

Super and Arthur fell silent.

Did it work?

“Evan.”

Lapis spoke in a low voice, then rushed at Evan.

“That was so cool!”

Ugh, damn it! You scared me!

Why’d she suddenly charge?

Lapis looked up at Evan with sparkling eyes.

“I’ve never heard such cool words…!”

“…Really?”

“Yes! Super, remember this! You won’t hear words like these anywhere else!”

Super, confused, covered his eyes with one hand.

A reaction unbecoming of the Sin of Pride.

Looks like it worked.

Saved!

“Super, I’ll give you time to sort out your confusion. Want to rest?”

“…No. I’m fine.”

Super lowered his hand.

“I’ll… think about it as we go.”

“As you wish.”

Evan respected Super’s opinion.

Right. 

At that young age, it’s natural to have an identity crisis.

Puberty hitting early?

That’s pretty tame for him.

Super quietly chose silence.

Arthur spoke.

“Is this part of your plan too?”

“What do you mean?”

Evan gave Arthur a look that said, What nonsense?

But his expression and eyes didn’t betray it.

Arthur continued with a serious expression.

“There’s no need to hide it from me. You already knew this kid’s true nature, didn’t you?”

How would I know that?

Alchemists aren’t omnipotent.

He was just an ordinary transmigrator.

A poor guy stuck in the body of Evan, the worst boss of Act 2.

How could he know something that didn’t come up in prior analysis?

Especially when the opponent was a Sin.

Their innate talent and destiny were on another level.

But Arthur was firmly mistaken.

He began leading the way.

“It seems you knew. As dim-witted as I am, I can’t fathom how far you’re seeing.”

“…?”

“Still, if it’s what you want, I’ll gladly play along. What’s next?”

“…Let’s head down slowly.”

No idea what misunderstanding he had.

He needed to figure out what the problem was.

For now, head down and think.

“Lapis, Super, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Arthur led the way, with Evan following.

Super watched Evan’s back with a complex expression.

***

The ancient dungeon lived up to its name—deep.

Too deep, isn’t it?

Almost annoyingly so.

Can’t we take a break?

Unlike Eugene, whose stamina was already drained, the other three were full of energy.

It’s all because his body was weak.

The only upside was that the path down wasn’t dangerous.

Kiaaaah!

Ah! That scared me!

His heart skipped, but Arthur appeared and slash! killed it instantly.

If it wasn’t a shadow creature, it took one second to deal with.

Arthur poked an unstable chimera with his sword tip and asked Super.

“Another brother?”

“Yes.”

“You have a lot of siblings. Multiple parents, perhaps?”

“?!”

They’d already hunted over ten chimeras.

An almost absurd number.

“I don’t have parents.”

Arthur’s innocent question stirred the mood, but anyway.

“…Stop. There’s something ahead.”

After a few more hours of moving, the end of the dungeon came into view.

Evan illuminated the path with a small golem holding a transmuted torch.

Whoosh—

No more paths.

A wall blocked the way.

Evan’s golem slowly scanned the wall with the torch.

A wall densely packed with countless drawings.

“Wall murals.”

A diary recorded on the wall, murals.

The sheer number of drawings gave off an eerie pressure.

This must be the main event.

Lightning striking from a stormy sky.

A monster screaming below.

It looked like a dragon, or perhaps a beast.

But something was odd.

Ugh, what’s that?

Something was emerging from the monster’s split back.

No way a monster like that lived here, right?

That’d be really bad.

Evan grimaced internally.

“This… depicts a myth? But it’s strange.”

Arthur frowned.

“It’s too grotesque to depict a god. More like a demon.”

The thing emerging.

It resembled a human but wasn’t.

Two horns on its head, wings on its back.

Closer to a demon.

It was even absorbing something from what looked like scattered corpses.

No wonder they call it an evil god.

The god the heretics worshipped was a blood god.

An evil deity that granted greater power for more and better-quality blood sacrifices.

Naturally, the empire branded them heretics.

Using humans as sacrifices was an instant disqualification.

“In my limited view, I can’t tell. Young Lord Evan, do you know what this means?”

“It’s certainly strange.”

Was there such a mural?

He racked his memory, but nothing came up.

How could you memorize every single drawing?

Even a genius couldn’t do that.

Maybe a similar one, but still nothing.

Instead, something came to mind.

Lightning falling from the sky, a life emerging from a split back.

Strange when viewed separately, but as one picture—

“The process of something being born.”

Super spoke.

“…This depicts the process of a god being conceived and born.”

Yes! That’s it.

“The process of a god being conceived and born? You mean a god is a living being?”

“Whatever the truth, some people believe it.”

“There’s something written below.”

Faint lines beneath the mural.

Countless lines and circles, like an ant colony.

Words written in each one.

[We failed.]  

[We cannot create a vessel to summon the god.]  

[We lack the power to create life.]  

A record of failures and successes.

[It’s unstable.]  

[There are no alchemists left on the continent capable of ‘human transmutation.’]  

[Change direction.]  

[If we strengthen existing life, it might become the god’s vessel.]  

[Modified a unique specimen with red fur.]  

[Success.]  

[Altering existing life isn’t difficult.]  

[Change direction again.]  

[Failure.]  

[Failed again!]  

[The chimeras escaped the lab. Capture them!]  

Countless lines drawn downward, like an ant colony.

At the very end.

The final note, in a space with no room left to write.

A single phrase.

[We succeeded.]  

[Life creation.]  

[Though we modified existing life, it’s a feat akin to creation!]  

[We finally birthed a vessel with our hands.]  

[Not a chimera, but a true human!]  

[He will accept our god and bear a destiny grand enough for it!]  

…This.

A true human, not a chimera.

A successful experiment.

Even mentioning a grand destiny.

Evan had a gut feeling.

Is this about Super?

All evidence pointed to Super as the subject of this story.

To think he had such a past.

Super was an experiment.

It made sense.

It was a bit absurd to think he was born with such power naturally.

A backstory like this was plausible.

Does Lapis have something like this too?

Her real name was Ira.

The Sin of Wrath.

In terms of physical ability, Ira was far superior.

Maybe she had a hidden secret too?

“Success? They created a human?”

“They failed to create a human directly.”

Super spoke in a calm voice.

“Instead, they began modifying and altering fetuses. Countless mothers died, and many failures—chimeras—were born.”

His emotionless eyes stared at the mural.

“My poor siblings… were nothing but countless prototypes to create me.”

“Super.”

Super clenched his fist.

“I have to destroy this place today.”

“I still don’t trust you. But I can’t disagree with that.”

Arthur raised his aura.

“This place must be destroyed.”

“I’m grateful to you, Evan Alkart.”

Super looked at Evan.

“I was confused earlier… but you intended all of this, didn’t you?”

“?”

“Bringing in the heretics’ demon, Arthur, and leading me to this dungeon… I don’t know what you’re after, but I hope you get it.”

“???”

I didn’t do anything?

Evan felt a wave of unease.

But denying it now felt wrong with the serious atmosphere.

Hmm, I’ll clear it up later.

Evan escaped reality.

A wise choice.

“Everyone, step back.”

Arthur gripped his sword with both hands and swung downward.

[Full Moon Style, First Form – Downward Slash]

BOOOM!

The silver aura exploded, shattering the mural.

A new chamber was revealed.

Though no torches were lit, a red light from a single egg in the center illuminated the entire chamber in red.

[Welcome, Super.]

A voice came from the egg.

[It’s been a while. I never thought you’d come with allies, not your kin.]

“You.”

Super was visibly shaken.

Who was that voice?

“Bishop Blake.”

The answer came from Arthur.

“You’re alive?”

Bishop Blake?

Oh, I remember.

The de facto boss leading the heretics.

Stronger than his bishop title, the master of the Green Mountain.

Bishop Blake, thought to have been defeated by Arthur, had survived with only his heart, waiting.

Waiting for them to arrive.

Why?

“Alive?”

[Fortunate, isn’t it?]

Thump, thump, thump.

The egg pulsed like a heartbeat.

As his vision adjusted, Evan saw it clearly.

An egg.

More precisely, a heart.

[Forgive me for meeting you in this pathetic state. I don’t have much time.]

“We’re in the same boat.”

Arthur’s body was enveloped in silver light.

“I let you slip last time, but this time I’ll kill you for good.”

[That won’t do.]

Bishop Blake remained calm despite seeing Arthur.

What trick was he playing?

As Arthur frowned, Blake spoke.

[To the master of this scheme who led us here, I offer my reverence. Now, Super.]

The moment Bishop Blake spoke, the air grew cold.

[Kill him.]

“…?”

“???”

And then.

Nothing happened.

After a brief silence, Bishop Blake let out a dazed sound.

[…Huh?]