'Approximately 5000 subjects are present and doing some tests.'

'3000 adults, 1500 youngsters, 500 children.'

'Immortality and Resurrection will be set as our goal.'

'Each individual manifests different ability.'

'Hard to say, only few selected.'

'Only few survived.'

'However, we still hope to pick some fresh ripe fruits from this very tree.'

'Though, as expected, most of them are failures.'

'Subject: F03
Ability: Telekinesis
Description:
Subject can move any object with their mind. They simultaneously improve their ability every day. However, side effect often occurs after three minutes using the ability.

Status: Failure'

'Subject: H11
Ability: Muscle enchantment
Description:
Subject can bulk up their muscle to strengthen their body. It develops tremendous power to the extent they could crush an ogre with only one hit. No side effect is occurred. Power can be controlled and stable. However, the ability only last for five minutes.

Status: Success'

'Subject: N07
Ability: Mimic
Description:
Subject can transform into any living creatures as they desire. Additionally, mimicking skills are born to be their specialty. Therefore, utmost care and top priority security are needed. Side effect is still being researched.

Status: Unknown'

'Subject: C15
Ability: Pyro kinetic
Description:
Subject can product fire from their body. The fire grows bigger each day. Matter of time, subject no longer has control of their power.

Status: Failure'

The lists were still going, but I already stopped. I was speechless.

'Failure… Does it mean they died?'

They were researching NPC, no… people with abilities. They thought they could evolve being a hero. NPC wanted to be like player? But wasn't this before players even come to this world? Still…

'This is insane… but it's also cool. Was Belgram doing all of this? No, he might be forced to do it by Alkronia.'

Players came to this world in 1600. I could only guess this experiment probably happened around 1000 or 1100. However, it was strange since Belgram's Journal mentioned a plague happened in 500. They could be totally different matters though.

Well, obviously the key was Belgram. He already lived for more than six hundred years as far as I knew, and that surpassed the human lifespan given by the elixir. If I knew more about him, then this riddle would be solved eventually.

There was still one paper on my hand. I read it for the last one.

'Subject: Origin
Ability: Evolution Aptitude
Description:
Subject can steal other abilities to be his own possession. However, for the ability to be working, the subject has to kill, and then learn the victim anatomy. Side effect is still being researched.

Status: Unknown'

'This kind of ability exists?'

The subject status was unknown. Did it mean they disappeared? Or it was still being researched? Well, this was hundreds years ago. Whoever it was, he or she might be dead already. Otherwise, the subject would be really dangerous if they were still alive.

I put the documents back to their shelf and, at the same time, Mirage came to me.

"Umm… Can you…take a look at this…?"

A cloth covered book with familiar symbol on it. It was the same symbol which engraved on the birdbath statue in Norwall Cave.

"This is…"

"I think it's my father's…" She replied. Then her gaze turned to the office table. "I found it inside the drawer."

"I see…"

"Please…" She paused for a moment while hiding her lips. And then she continued, "Can you please read it for me…?"

I nodded and began to open the book.

Soul Cubic.

It was what written on top of the first page. A picture of cubic was drawn specifically detailed yet somehow complex the more you look at it. There were lines on some parts which had names written at the end. To sum it up, it was exactly as following:

- Cubic Fragment: A cubic was split apart vertically.

- Astral Core: A round shape between the split cubic fragments.

- Soul Crystal: A crystal as big as the cubic was drawn beside it.

An arrow was pointed from Soul Crystal to Cubic Fragments and Astral Core then beside them another arrow pointed to Soul Cubic.

'Is this a blueprint? Does that mean I have to make this Soul Cubic?'

I had the cubic fragments from Halton, so I might have to find the other two parts as well if I had to make it.

I opened the next page and raised my eyebrows. I kept opening the page yet they were all same. Mirage who curiously saw it frowned. There was nothing else written on the book. The pages were blank. Oddly, some pages looked like being forcefully ripped apart.

"Strange… Why are they torn if there's nothing written on it?"

"Maybe the ripped pages are the only pages with the text?"

"Hmm… It could be…"

Mirage could be right. However, we couldn't do much about it since those pages already gone. Even though it was important matter. Someone, an NPC or player, was clearly one step ahead of us. Well, it seemed the only thing I could do was to make the Soul Cubic.

I gave the book back to Mirage and she put it inside her bag. A window popped out.

[Path of Astral Artisan Quest updated]

///////
Path to Astral Artisan
Quest: Find all parts of Soul Cubic.

- Cubic Fragment (1/1)
- Soul Crystal (1/1)
- Astral Core (0/1)
///////

'I have Soul Crystal?'

I opened my bag and grabbed the unknown crystal I took in Norwall Cave.

'Is it this thing?'

【Soul Crystal】

A strong aura can be felt leaking out from inside the crystal.

The name and description had changed. It was probably because of the quest progress.

'Only the Astral Core left then…'

There was no clue as to where I have to find it. It could be here somewhere inside the lab, but every door was locked and the only opened doors were the ones leading our way here. But then I realized there was one door I didn't open yet. It was right in front of this room. Well, we already searched the whole room, so there was nothing left we could do in Belgram's Office. Thus, we went outside and opened the last door right away.

<Area 10 – Incubation Room>

It was really chilly inside. The room was filled with countless tubes like the ones in science fiction. Also, there was something inside them.

"A-Are…they alive?" Mirage stuttered as she was anxiously following my steps.

The tubes were placed in rows, and a lot of them had a creature akin to mecoptera inside. Some of them had a shape I couldn't recognize. Strange and bizarre, those were the only words I could describe them.

"I don't know…" I replied. Then I continued my words to lessen her fear. "Probably not."

There was a steel double door at the far end of the right wall. I was guessing there might be nothing inside this room except those tubes, so I decided to go through the double door. I grabbed the handle and slowly pushed the double door.

At the gap of opened door, I saw tall winged figure standing inside the massive room. It was wearing dark brown robe with hood on. A pair of black wings was spread on his back.

The loud sound of fully opened door made him turn around. My face stiff as I expected his face. However, white mask with long beak was covered his face. Green lights were flickering inside the mask's hollow eye sockets as if they were looking straight at us.

A pressure, strong and absolute, was felt. Even though I was a distance away. Instead of flying, he slowly stepped his feet towards us. Each step was heavy as the sound echoing all over the room. When he was closer, I knew it right away. It was the same pressure that we felt before when we were in the ruin.

As if heavy air filled the room, my breath was stopped and I couldn't move my body at all. He was coming closer with his dominating presence. Using Observe, I could see his name floating on top of his head.