TLSL CH 47

Chapter – 47

Antiros was a sorcerer consumed by a forbidden desire—to trespass into the domain of the Creator Himself.

For that reason, he abandoned the continent and built a laboratory here, in this blood-soaked land called Kuberin. There, he devoted himself to researching chimeras, using every ounce of his magical and alchemical knowledge.

He had dared to lay hands upon the forbidden magic of creation itself—seeking to bring forth new life.

The results of that madness were the creatures now baring their fangs at Carlisle—monstrous chimeras of all shapes and sizes.

Beasts, monsters… even humans.

Antiros had combined the body parts of countless living beings to fashion his chimeras, and the result was grotesque—horrific forms that defied nature.

“One who… defied the Father’s domain…”

A chilling voice came from the mouth of a chimera that bore a human head.

“Shall be judged… by death.”

That was the signal.

“KYAAAAAAH!”

“GRRRRRRRR!”

All at once, the chimeras charged toward Carlisle.

“Ugh—!”

Without even glancing back, Carlisle sprinted toward the entrance of the laboratory, where his recon squad was waiting.

“Rookie!”

Begman shouted, startled.

“Faster! Hurry!”

Kudo’s voice joined in.

Swish, swish!

Multiple tendrils lashed out toward Carlisle’s back.

Whoosh—Thud!

An arrow whizzed past Carlisle’s shoulder, piercing the chest of the chimera that had fired its tendrils.

It was Marder, providing covering fire.

“Don’t stop! Keep running! I’ve got your back!”

Even as he shouted, Marder continued loosing arrows with unerring precision, holding off the pursuing chimeras.

Thanks to that, Carlisle was able to shake off the ones trying to flank him and safely reach the narrow passageway where his comrades waited.

Whirling around, Carlisle gripped Grimungand and took his stance.

“KYAAAAH!”

A chimera leapt into the passage after him.

Slash!

Grimungand traced a black arc through the air, and the creature charging at Carlisle was sliced cleanly in two.

“Let’s fight here.”

Carlisle said, turning to his squad after cutting the chimera down in one blow.

“In this passage, we’ll only have to fight two or three at a time.”

They would lure the chimeras into the narrow corridor and take them down one by one—that was the strategy for conquering Antiros’s laboratory with a small team.

After an hour of fierce combat, the expedition finally succeeded in annihilating all of the chimeras.

“Heh! And here I was all tense ‘cause they were chimeras—turns out they weren’t so tough after all!”

Russell grinned triumphantly.

A strong stench filled the air around him—one that no one could mistake.

Thanks to the rain before entering the dungeon, his pants looked wet anyway, but the smell made it obvious what had happened.

“Maybe change your pants before bragging, you coward.”

Begman scolded.

“You really soaked yourself good.”

“Sergeant Russell, what on earth do you eat to make it smell that bad? We all eat the same rations, don’t we?”

Marder and Kudo wrinkled their noses and stepped away.

“Anyway… are chimeras always this weak?”

“I’m not sure.”

Carlisle replied to Russell’s question.

“This is my first time seeing one too, but… maybe they’re failures.”

“Failures?”

“They seem too crude for something a great sorcerer would dedicate his life to creating.”

“Hmm…”

“Still, they’re his creations. Maybe he couldn’t bring himself to destroy them, so he just used them as guards for the lab.”

“I see…”

Carlisle’s words were merely a guess—but in truth, they were spot on.

The chimeras guarding the lab were Antiros’s early prototypes—experimental failures, to be precise.

Even a mage consumed by madness wouldn’t willingly create such lowly, instinct-driven abominations.

Antiros’s true masterpiece must be elsewhere.

Carlisle thought, stepping over the mangled chimera corpses and entering the inner laboratory.

“There’s a body here. Nothing but bones now, though.”

Kudo had found a skeleton—presumably that of Antiros himself.

The remains sat slumped over a desk piled high with magical research notes, still wearing a tattered robe. There was no mistaking it.

Though he had crossed into forbidden magic—creating chimeras—the sheer passion for his research was evident.

No one could have died like that unless they had worked themselves to death in pursuit of knowledge.

“Let’s gather what we can. These magic notes might not help us in battle, but the mages will pay good money for them.”

At Carlisle’s suggestion, Begman, Kudo, Marder, and Russell began sweeping Antiros’s belongings into their large sacks.

“Where are you off to?”

“I’m going to look around.”

“Could be dangerous.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Alright. Just don’t touch anything suspicious. You know better than any of us.”

Begman allowed him to go—he had no magical knowledge himself and had no choice but to trust Carlisle’s judgment.

Now, where was what again…?

Carlisle retraced his memories as he moved deeper inside.

There were five rooms in total besides the central lab.

This one’s the library.

He passed the library without entering; he already knew there was nothing special there besides magical texts.

This one’s the cold storage.

He also skipped the freezing chamber that stored the biological materials used in chimera creation—monster parts, animal carcasses, even human bodies. It was not a sight he wished to see again.

The treasure vault. This one’s worth checking.

Carlisle stopped at the third door.

Click.

When he opened it, rows of neatly arranged treasures greeted him—gold bars, gemstones, and various artifacts.

Ignoring the gold and jewels, Carlisle walked straight to the artifact display.

Money? Sure, it was important—but at the moment, utterly useless. You couldn’t fight the Butcher Tribe with gold.

Let’s see what we have here.

His eyes swept over the items on the shelf.

Even he didn’t know exactly what would appear here—because in the game Overlord, the items in Antiros’s lab were entirely randomized.

This time, the list was as follows:

• Fortress Wall

• Large Spatial Inventory

• Silent Arrow

• Ranger’s Spirit

• Mutant Camouflage Suit

• Lesser Magic Amplifier Bracelet

“Huh?”

Carlisle’s eyes lit up.

“They’re giving out Fortress Wall and Silent Arrow? And even the Camouflage Suit?”

The items far exceeded his expectations.

[Fortress Wall]
A mysterious brick infused with ancient magic.
Type: Blunt Weapon (Brick)
Grade: Legendary
Durability: 10 / 10
Effect: Absolute Defense

In Overlord, [Fortress Wall] was an A-tier defensive item specialized for sieges—specifically for defense. Though passive and situational, when defending a stronghold or fortress, it was unmatched.

For a place like Bowden Fortress, now on the brink of collapse, such an item would be worth an army.

Weight limit… one ton, huh.

The Large Spatial Inventory allowed the user to carry up to one ton of items regardless of volume—a supremely useful tool.

“I can’t believe Silent Arrow and Camouflage Suit appeared together in a low-tier dungeon.”

Carlisle muttered in disbelief.

[Silent Arrow]
Silent as the grave.
Type: Weapon (Bow)
Grade: Legendary
Durability: 8,000 / 8,000
Effects:

• Rapid Fire

• Silence

• Snipe

Note: Has one-third the range of a normal bow, making it less effective in mid-to-long-range combat.

Though a bow, [Silent Arrow] was specialized for close-range encounters. Its [Rapid Fire] effect drastically increased firing speed, while [Silence] muffled the sound of shots, allowing for silent assassinations.

And with [Snipe] activated, the user could fire three long-range arrows like a normal bow—partially offsetting its short range.

[Mutant Camouflage Suit]
A mystical uniform that blends perfectly with its surroundings.
Highly valued by scouts, spies, and thieves whose missions depend on stealth.
Type: Armor (Full Outfit)
Grade: Mystic
Durability: 500 / 500
Effect: Environmental Blending

What are the odds of both appearing as a set…?

Even on Overlord community boards, Carlisle couldn’t recall anyone ever finding [Silent Arrow] and [Mutant Camouflage Suit] together.

These will make perfect gifts for Evangeline.

Smiling faintly, Carlisle picked up the Lesser Magic Amplifier Bracelet—a fitting return gift for the Whisper of the Earth he’d received.

[Ranger’s Spirit]
RAN! GER! POW! ER!
Type: Footwear (Combat Boots)
Grade: Mystic
Durability: 3,818 / 5,000
Effect: Mountain Mobility

[Ranger’s Spirit] increased movement speed in mountainous terrain—ideal for a recon soldier like Carlisle.

Judging by the wear, the aging Antiros must have worn them himself.

Kinda gross to wear secondhand boots, but…

Despite his misgivings, Carlisle took off his standard-issue boots and slid his feet into the Ranger’s Spirit.

The boots tightened slightly, fitting perfectly and offering surprising comfort.

Two hundred years old—any athlete’s foot fungus must be long dead by now.

He prayed silently that Antiros hadn’t had foot disease, then called to his comrades.

“Put everything in here.”

He opened the Large Spatial Inventory wide enough for them to dump their sacks in.

“So this is that… space-expanding thing?”

“Yes.”

“Magic really is incredible.”

Begman shook his head in awe.

“And Sergeant Marder?”

“Yeah?”

“Take that bow and the camouflage suit.”

“Me?!”

“They’re made for scouts like you—nobody else will use them better.”

“Shouldn’t we report to Dame Helen first?”

“This place was discovered through my intel. The rights should be mine.”

“You sure?”

“Who’s going to check? No one else even knows this lab exists. As long as we keep quiet, it’s fine.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“Then take them. You might never get another chance to own artifacts like these.”

“…Alright.”

Glancing at Begman, Marder reluctantly picked up the [Silent Arrow] and [Mutant Camouflage Suit].

Carlisle gathered the remaining gold, jewels, and miscellaneous items—junk loot—and dumped them into the inventory before heading to the fourth room with the others.

Now this… this is the real one.

He turned the knob.

Click.

The door opened.

“What is this… some kind of hatchery?”

Kudo asked, eyes widening.

Inside the fourth room lay countless eggs—of all sizes—carefully stored and preserved.