— Have you discovered anything relevant? — asked an elf appointed by Hambar, entering the lab with a serious expression.

— There’s no record of this creature in the Munkiridion — replied one of the elves, quickly flipping through the thick leather-bound book.

— And its blood doesn’t match any known monster types — added another, extracting a black liquid from the creature’s arm with a syringe.

The laboratory was spacious, clean, and filled with corridors and well-equipped rooms. Elven scientists and scholars moved back and forth, a mix of excitement and fear in the air due to the unknown creature — and the mystery of its existence remaining unrecorded for so long.

— This book lists the Zhantary skeletons, blue spiders, demonic ants, earth zombies... all known monsters. But nothing compares to this — said one of the scholars.

— Keep looking. Hambar wants answers — ordered the newly arrived elf, turning his back to them.

Everyone was so absorbed in analysis — extracting blood, dissecting parts of the monster, focusing on other research — that no one noticed a crucial detail: the creature wasn’t dead. Merely unconscious.

— Sir, perhaps we should remove one of its eyes to— — began one of the scientists, only to have his throat slashed in an instant.

The muffled scream and the sound of the body collapsing put everyone on high alert. For a moment, the entire lab fell silent. The elf writhed on the floor, choking on his own blood — until the creature suddenly rose from the surgical table.

But that wasn’t the moment that threw everyone into despair. The true horror came when they saw the monster standing... with no organs inside its body.

Panic spread. Elves ran frantically, shoving through the corridors, trying to lock themselves in adjacent rooms. The first to flee were the lucky ones. Those who hesitated — or those who ran to see what was happening — were brutally slaughtered: some beheaded, others torn apart, devoured alive, or even tortured.

The creature was unlike anything they had ever known. Alive despite having no organs — and even more terrifying: intelligent. Calculating. It hunted down those trying to hide with eerie precision. Only those who managed to escape the lab survived — at the cost of sealing all escape routes, leaving behind companions who still might have had a chance.

— S-someone call Hambar! — screamed one of the survivors, kneeling on the grass in front of the sealed lab entrance. — GO, DAMMIT!

— As if the water problem wasn’t enough... now we have a monster trapped in our village — muttered a researcher, laughing nervously while leaning against a tree.

— The water is the least of our problems — said another, trembling, slumped against a wall. — We lost scientists with consciousness cores at dark orange stage... some even at beige. They were walking gold mines. This will affect us directly.

— Not necessarily. They wrote everything down: formulas, medicines, breakthroughs... we can just replicate them — retorted the first.

— What’s your core stage? — asked the one leaning against the tree.

— Light purple. Why?

— I’m solid lilac. Only cores of the same stage as those scientists can accurately replicate the essential medicines and experiments for the village...

— Can we please focus on how we’re going to kill that thing? — interrupted another, in the middle of a panic attack, hearing muffled screams from inside the lab.

— We need to inform Hambar. He was the one who ordered that thing to be brought here — said one of the scientists, trying to pull himself together.

Only four scientists and two researchers had survived the carnage. Shaking with fear, they made their way back to the village — and eventually to the leader’s house.

— My god... — gasped his wife, covering her face upon seeing them covered in blood.

— Where is that thing? — asked Hambar, clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked.

— I-it's still in the lab... we sealed it inside — said one of the elves, nervous.

Hambar approached slowly, his gaze piercing the elf’s soul, his murderous aura forcing the elf to fall to his knees.

— Answer me truthfully... you didn’t lock the others inside just to save your own lives, did you?

— N-no... the monster was t-too fast. We escaped by... luck.

— Fantastic — said Hambar coldly. — I’ll gather the best archers. You’re coming with us.

— Y-you want us to go back in there? — asked one of them, laughing nervously.

— You know that place. We need the blind spots to avoid another massacre.

Shortly after, elven archers with red or higher consciousness cores formed an attack line in front of the laboratory. One of the scientists was chosen to accompany Hambar and guide them.

The metallic doors were deactivated. The sound of them opening echoed amid the rising tension. A body fell out—decapitated, limbs torn off, abdomen completely shredded by claws. Farther in, the floor was soaked in blood, with pieces of bodies scattered throughout the corridors.

— Stay sharp — warned Hambar, his voice betraying a trace of fear.

— A-are you sure about this...? — asked the scientist, trembling.

— Would you rather leave it there until it escapes and destroys the village?

Silence was the only answer. They entered.

The floor no longer felt solid, slick with the blood of their comrades. Boots sank slowly into crimson puddles. The group moved forward in silence, lanterns flickering and casting distorted shadows on the walls.

As they neared the room where the creature had awakened, the bodies became more numerous and the scenes more grotesque. Many had clearly been tortured. Some were still breathing, but with no chance of survival. Soldiers vomited, unable to hold back the nausea.

Hambar’s mind raced: how could a creature be so cruel, so methodical?

They advanced to the final rooms. One door was open, the other shut. Fearing a trap, Hambar split the group so both could be breached at the same time.

The open room was dark, empty. But when they turned on the lights, they found a scientist hiding under a table.

— G-GET ME OUT OF HERE! — he screamed.

— Easy now — said Hambar, gripping his shoulders. — Do you know where the creature is?

— N-no...

— Very well. You two, escort this scientist outside. And you? — he asked the other group.

— The... the monster, sir — answered a soldier, shaken.

The creature had been impaled by a metal table, pinned between a cabinet and the wall. Its claws still held the remains of the brain of the last elf who had tried to face it. Over thirty-five scientists were dead. Only seven had survived.

— The creature... it’s on fire — said an elf, confused.

— I know — replied Hambar, watching the sunlight stream through the window, illuminating the monster’s body. — Their deaths were not in vain — he knelt, paying his respects.

— What now, sir?

— We deliver the news — he answered, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. He knew panic would spread. — In moments like this, I wish I had a white perception core...

And with that, he stood up, walking away from the nightmare he had just witnessed, followed by his men.

‡