Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 94: The Neurolchemist

Petula blanched when the one and only path she possessed any knowledge of was pronounced unsafe by Daisuke. Along with the main path the man had taken to retreat deeper into the labyrinth, it appeared that all the other routes were rigged with traps as well.

Petula clutched her dress tightly with a frown of frustration. "Impossible. Why here... all of a sudden?"

"They're probably being remotely controlled," Daisuke informed in a monotone as the power of his eyes led him down a dark and narrow dead-end.

Petula was evidently concerned, but she held her tongue. A gasp did manage to slip through her lips, however, when Daisuke didn't show any signs of slowing, seemingly unfazed by the solid wall before him. She reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing against his garment, but before she could react—

PHSSH~

He vanished into the darkness, slipping through the wall like a ghost.

"What?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Like the mountain path leading into the Mhaledictus' hidden base, this passage was cleverly shrouded by a well-prepared magic circle. If not for the Eye of Verity, the route would've virtually been impossible to find.

Fearing that she might antagonize him, Petula didn't ask any questions; she simply followed close behind. The winding path eventually led to a dusty old chamber cluttered with storage crates, oversized scrolls, imposing metallic contraptions, and an array of other bizarre devices.

Petula's gaze darted nervously around the chamber, her mind racing with the grim possibilities of what the devices might have been used for. Meanwhile, Daisuke navigated the chamber like an arrow, the Eye of Verity already locked onto the target of a worthy interrogation.

The dimly lit passage twisted deep into the earth, leading to a subterranean laboratory concealed from the world above. The soft glow of crystals and flickering torchlight cast long, wavering shadows along the stone walls, lending an ancient and eerie atmosphere to the chamber.

Shelves stretched across the walls, crammed with vats holding grotesque monster specimens, their bodies suspended in murky, green-tinged liquids. Wooden tables were strewn with ancient grimoires, scrolls, and yellowed parchments, their faded ink whispering secrets long forgotten.

At the center of the room stood a raised platform, carved with intricate runes and symbols. Within the etchings of a large magic circle inscribed on the platform lay a diminutive woman, her form still and pale against the dark stone.

A grayed old man hovered nearby, jotting down notes onto a piece of parchment. "Are you the new assistant?" he asked by means of greeting, glancing from the silver-haired boy to Petula whom he seemed to be acquainted with.

"What happened to your previous assistant?" Daisuke interjected, smoothing out his temperament and his once hardened expression.

Petula glanced at him in surprise.

The man sighed heavily, shaking his head as he gestured toward a blackened stain on the wall in the shape of a man. "Ah, poor Waldo," he lamented. "He had a bad habit of touching or putting random things into his mouth. Poor kid. I hope he's in a better place now."

"That's horrible!" Petula recoiled in horror.

Daisuke regarded the burn marks with indifference before returning his gaze to the man who was obviously some kind of scientist. "I've heard remarkable things about your research," he praised enthusiastically, assuming another persona similar to Julian Nathaniel Langley. "Could you bring me up to speed on your current project so that I can better assist you?"