Surviving Among the Entities

In order to learn the recipe for a homunculus, I searched online.

[That’s right, alchemist!]
[Wow! You know about homunculi!]
[King Bradley is so cool!]
[Ouroboros!]

The first results were comic stories.
Since homunculi and alchemy are such unique settings, comics with those themes were quite popular.

“In this case, it’s likely not just the theme but the comic itself being a masterpiece.”

This was mere fantasy, and the method of creating homunculi in the story was not revealed, so I excluded it.

‘Next is Paracelsus’ method of creating homunculi.’

The most famous alchemist who actually existed during the medieval heyday of alchemy, and the first to theorize about homunculi, his method was as follows:

[1. Mix a man’s semen with horse manure.]
[2. Place it in a sealed container and let it putrefy for 40 days at the same temperature as a horse’s body.]
[3. If successful, a small human will be created inside.]
[4. Feed it blood to raise it.]

Of course, I don’t think this is the real recipe. If homunculi could be created using this method, the world would be overflowing with little humans whispering truths.

“But then again, who knows.”

Perhaps the most important ingredient was not passed down to later generations, preventing their creation.

“Maybe the Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt can provide that ingredient.”

For now this was the only information I had, so I moved to acquire the materials.

[Comprehensive Experimental & Research Market]

First, I ordered various tools including a sealable flask.

‘This should work.’

Next, to obtain horse manure I took an early morning subway ride.

‘Horse manure can just be obtained from horses.’

There was no need to go all the way to Jeju Island. There were places to observe horses even inland.

[The next stop is Racecourse Station, Racecourse Station.]

A place inhabited by popular horses beloved to the point of ecstasy by people.

‘Quite crowded as expected.’

Upon arriving at the racetrack, there were people who had come to watch the races as well as families visiting for leisure.

“I wish our country would make a horse girl game like Uma Musume too.”
“A horse girl game? That’s gambling, anime, and games in one 3-combo package, you’d get summoned to a hearing once a month and beaten senseless!”

Ignoring the racetrack, I headed to the stables. Although there were many people around, I used my enhanced senses to slip past unnoticed and covertly collected a substantial amount of horse manure in the lunch box I had brought.

‘This should be enough.’

After returning home, I prepared the final ingredient.

“For the semen, I’ll just use my own.”

Two days later, the experimental tools I had ordered arrived. I mixed the pre-prepared semen with the horse manure in a sealable flask, then sealed it and placed it inside Mr. Ando Chef’s fermentation jar before setting the time.

[Temperature 38.2°C]
[Time: 40 days]

When I pressed the start button, a lively music track began playing from the mechanical jar.

[Ando ando ando, our Chef Ando! The chef responsible for your meals!]
[The world’s number one chef Ando! Anyone who eats Ando’s cooking will be totally smitten!]
[Ando ando ando can cook anything! Even bricks become ombomnom when Ando cooks them!]
[Human stew, demonkin tempura, elf skewers, orc sashimi, dwarf braised pork!]
[When An~do cooks, anything becomes a delicious meal in no time!]
[All gourmets in the world love him!]

After an hour the song ended, at which point the jar’s lid unlocked.

“……Incredible.”

If it wasn’t a sealed flask, this visual would have turned the living room into a biohazard wasteland from the stench.

‘I’ll have to do this outside.’

I went out to the yard and opened the sealed container. The stench from the flask spread through the garden like a biochemical weapon.

‘Maybe the Strengthen Potion will work?’

I immediately poured in the Strengthen Potion.

“!?”

At that moment, the flask shattered. Briefly closing my eyes from the glass fragments scattering in all directions, when I opened them there was a new lifeform before me.

“What are you looking at?”

A stubby worm the size of a slice of bread.

“Hey, I’m hungry.”

And the thing with a human face commanded me.

“Go get me an apple.”

“Seriously, just asking for an apple?”

I returned to the living room with that thing, uncertain if it was a true homunculus or not.

“You want an apple, not my blood?”
“Blood? Why would I eat blood when I’m not a vampire?”
“I heard homunculi live by eating human blood.”

Even after confirming again, it was a bread slice-sized thick and stubby worm with the cynical face of a middle-aged man in his 40s.

“That’s a normal homunculus. Do I look normal to your eyes?”
“This is my first time seeing a homunculus, so I don’t know.”
“Obviously I’m not normal! Where have you seen a homunculus that looks like this!”

It denied being a homunculus itself.

“The Golden Ability Company said if I want to know the recipe for creating homunculi, it would cost 100 billion tonnes of gold. That’s the value placed on the homunculus creation recipe, yet you think you can create a real homunculus using information you casually found online? Aren’t you being a bit of a thief?”
“Well, I did have some expectations with the help of the belt’s power.”

But its knowledge was immense.

“Aigh, my hopes were too high. I apologize for this failure in being born.”
“Rather, the apple?”
“No, in the second bottom shelf of the fridge there are still some apples left from the bundle you bought for 10,000 won at the traditional market two days ago. Those will do.”

It was as if it knew everything in the world.

“You sure know a lot.”
“I may not be a true homunculus, but I do know the truth.”

When I brought the apple, it opened its mouth.

“Hand-feed me a bit. My hands are like this, you see.”
“You even know movies?”
“I’ve never watched them, but I do have that knowledge too. Ah, hurry and feed me. I can’t eat by myself without hands.”
“Got it.”

It ate the apple quickly.

“Hmm, so this is what apples taste like?”
“You’re supposed to know all truths?”
“Knowing and experiencing are as different as heaven and earth.”
“I suppose so.”

After finishing the apple down to the core and seeds, it happily rolled around.

“Well, anyways thanks for feeding me. I’m nice and full now. As repayment, I’ll answer any questions you have.”

And despite seeming quite cynical to the point of being difficult to converse with, it was unexpectedly willing to listen.

“Do you really know all truths?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what existed before the universe was born?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you said you know everything?”
“I know, but I have to actively recall that knowledge. For me to recall knowledge is like, well, you know how to lose weight but don’t actually do it.”
“So it’s too much trouble.”
“Alternatively, it’s like knowing how to get into Seoul National University but absolutely never doing it.”
“So it’s really too much trouble.”

It was unexpectedly rather endearing.

“Knowing the truth, you should be able to tell me what kind of existence you are. Tell me that.”
“I’m exactly as I appear. A failed homunculus born from incorrect methods, that’s me.”
“But you’re still a homunculus nonetheless.”

However, our meeting was fated to be brief.

“What’s your lifespan?”
“One week. I die after that.”
“Is that all you can live?”

“What more can you expect? From a failed lifeform born of semen and horse manure paste? Isn’t that too greedy?”

And yet, I liked it.

“Aren’t you afraid? Of death?”
“Not at all. How I was born, how I die, none of that is important. Being born wasn’t something I could decide, and what happens after death has nothing to do with me.”

Its…

“What’s important is how you lived. If I can live the remaining week more meaningfully than someone living 100 years, isn’t that a valuable enough life?”

No, this attitude toward life it possessed.

“Don’t you agree?”
“I do.”
“Then what shall we do?”

It rolled its body and settled on my knee.

“Let’s go out.”

I cradled it in my arms.

“It’s time to make my life worthwhile.”

As we headed outside, I asked:

“What should I call you?”

It answered:

“Just call me Homun for short.”

A cynical yet friendly response.

“For a name I’ll only use for a week, that’s fitting enough.”

“We might as well take a taxi. Too many prying eyes on the subway.”
“Do you dislike others’ gazes?”
“Not at all, I just hate crowds because there are too many smells. I have a rather sensitive nose, you see.”

We took a taxi toward the location it specified.

“Bongcheon-dong, please.”
“Heheh, understood.”

The taxi driver kept curiously glancing at Homun while driving. Homun courteously remained silent until we reached our destination.

“You can get off here.”
“Yes, thank you. Ah, but sir, that doll is quite peculiar.”
“Not a doll?”

Only after arriving at the destination did it speak.

“Hong Cheol-jung! Still frequenting gambling dens!? Your mother pleaded with you so much to stop gambling! Shall I chop off your wretched hands!? Will you quit now or not, huh!?”
“Hieek!”

The startled taxi driver immediately fled in panic.

“What was all that just now?”
“That guy squanders all his money gambling at dens every time. His habit has gotten so bad recently that he was about to drain even his children’s tuition funds.”
“So he won’t gamble anymore?”
“Who knows? Even if I know the truth, human insanity is something I can’t comprehend.”

Following Homun’s directions, we found a small used computer store in Bongcheon-dong.

“Over there.”
“What’s over there?”
“An entity that could destroy human civilization.”
“But……”

Homun let out a snort.

“Sephiroth is not omnipotent. Let’s just go in first.”

Abiding by its words, we entered the store.

“Welcome, customer! What are you looking for?”
“Let me look around first and I’ll let you know.”

Though the store owner stuck close for quite a while, the moment I said I would look through everything before deciding he promptly replied “Just let me know when you’re done browsing” and left me be.

“Hmm.”

Diligently examining the used computers, I stopped in front of an old, outdated desktop model.

“What about this one?”

An all-in-one computer with the monitor, main unit, keyboard, and mouse all bundled together.
The moment I saw it, my right eye activated.

“You see it?”
“Yeah, I see it.”
“Told you I was right?”
“You were right, but……”

I witnessed humanity’s future that even Sephiroth could not block.

“Some might actually prefer such a future.”