The light of the torch flickered in the corridor, stretching Rosie's shadow across the wall.
Unexpectedly, the environment on this floor was much better than the one above.
Although there was still moss on the walls, the floor beneath their feet was relatively dry, meaning they wouldn't slip.
Holding the torch, Rosie walked in front while the dwarf followed close behind, the two of them pushing open doors one by one to investigate.
Most of the rooms contained damaged, unrecognizable instruments, and thick layers of dust covered some of the laboratory benches.
A door at the end of the corridor was half-ajar.
Rosie pushed the door open, and the firelight illuminated the nameplate above the lintel: Third Biogenetic Laboratory.
She stepped inside.
The space here was larger than any of the previous rooms, with several oversized laboratory benches in the center, their surfaces fitted with metal restraint straps.
It was obvious that whatever creatures needed to be secured here were quite large.
Rows of display cabinets lined the walls, also made of that same unknown transparent material.
Inside the cabinets were all kinds of bizarrely shaped biological specimens:
There were fish-like creatures with two rows of interlocking teeth, four-legged reptiles covered in scales, and things whose original forms were completely unrecognizable.
They were sealed in the display cabinets, frozen in their final poses, completely motionless.
“Hey! There's something here!” the dwarf's voice called out from the other side.
Rosie walked over to take a closer look and saw three bottles of black potion inside the cabinet where the dwarf was standing.
There were no labels or written explanations on the outside of the cabinet, only the number 9.
Just as she was wondering what that meant, a line of translucent text floated before her eyes.
【Hidden Reward: Gene Potion. Drinking it will grant a random extra ability or attribute. Note: May cause side effects.】
Rosie's eyes widened.
This was good stuff.
Hard work really did pay off.
She completely ignored the final warning.
“What is this?” the dwarf asked.
Rosie withdrew her gaze. “It's a type of potion. Drinking it might turn you from a dwarf into a giant dwarf.”
“A giant dwarf? What kind of ridiculous name is that?” The dwarf looked utterly speechless.
“Probably just a massive dwarf?” Rosie said as she began looking for a way to open the cabinet.
The dwarf's face darkened with exasperation. If they were giant, how could they still be called a dwarf?
Rosie walked around to the back of the cabinet and found a small panel embedded in the rear wall. On the panel were three circular dials, each engraved with numbers.
It was clear that the cabinet was secured by a combination lock, using Ancient Gnomish numbers that resembled Arabic numerals.
While it seemed like there were only three digits to the code, there were actually thousands of possible combinations.
Furthermore, based on her general understanding of these ancient facilities, entering the wrong code a certain number of times would definitely trigger an alarm.
Rosie sighed. “What a pain.”
“Let me do it!” The dwarf raised his axe, preparing to chop it open.
Rosie was quick, grabbing his arm in a flash. “Did you forget what happened in the Exhibition Center? What if the defense mechanisms here are still active? We'd better be careful.”
The dwarf thought about it, realized she had a point, and lowered his axe.
Rosie continued inspecting the room with her torch.
There was more than one potion cabinet in this room.
However, none of them came with instructions or any clues like combination hints; they only had a single numerical ID.
With so many cabinets, how tedious would it be to open them all?
Rosie couldn't help but complain, “Why can't there be hints like in a game?”
“What did you say?” the dwarf asked, puzzled.
Just then, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Rosie.
Right. With so many cabinets, the codes definitely wouldn't be overly complicated.
Research Center No. 1... Third Laboratory... Cabinet No. 9.
She quickly walked back to the gene potion cabinet, reached out, and turned the dials.
She turned the first dial to 1.
The second to 3.
And the third to 9.
Click.
A crisp sound clicked from inside the cabinet door.
The door popped open slightly, leaving a crack.
Sometimes, combinations really were that simple.
“How did you know?” The dwarf leaned in, astonished.
Rosie smiled slightly. “Just a guess.”
She reached in and took out one of the potions.
The bottle felt ice-cold in her hand, and a gentle shake revealed the liquid sloshing inside.
She gripped the cap and twisted hard.
Pop!
A pungent odor wafted from the mouth of the bottle, rushing straight up her nose.
Watching her raise the bottle, the dwarf's eyes widened. “Are you crazy? You don't even know what that stuff is, and you dare to drink it?”
Rosie looked down at the pitch-black liquid. “Think of it as testing my luck.”
With that, she flipped up her visor, tilted her head back, and downed it in one gulp.
The liquid slid down her throat like a jar of super-spicy wasabi. An incredibly intense flavor shot straight to her brain, making her eyes water and her nose run instantly.
She coughed violently a few times, feeling as though her nose and throat were on fire.
Seeing her state, the dwarf lunged forward, raising his fist to give her some emergency vomiting therapy.
Rosie quickly waved her hands to stop him, tears and mucus streaming down her face as she wheezed:
“I'm fine, I'm fine... I'm okay... it was just a bit too intense...”
The dwarf stared at her skeptically, his fist suspended in midair.
Suddenly, Rosie's vision went completely dark.
Startled, she thought she had gone blind and quickly closed her eyes, rubbing them vigorously.
When she opened them again, the world was no longer just illuminated by the torchlight; she could see everything normally.
She could see everything nearby: the green moss, the dust-covered cabinets, and the skeptical expression on the dwarf's face...
【Acquired Talent: Darkvision. Grants 30 meters of normal vision in darkness. Beyond this range, vision will gradually fade into dark.】
Rosie extinguished her torch and tossed it aside.
“Huh? Why did you put out the torch?” the dwarf asked, bewildered.
Tears and mucus still stained Rosie's face, but she grinned. “No need for it anymore. I have night vision now.”
With that, she picked up the second bottle of potion and downed it without hesitation.
This time was far more intense than the first.
Not only did her eyes and nose run, but drool even began to spill from the corner of her mouth.
She was forced to remove her helmet and lean against a nearby bench, covering her mouth with her left hand, but drool still seeped through her fingers.
A bloated sensation washed over her abdomen, as if something was churning in her stomach.
Pfffft—
Thud!
A long, drawn-out sound of flatulence echoed off her plate armor, ringing exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
The dwarf subtly took two steps back, and then another two steps.
Rosie gave an embarrassed smile, wanting to say something to break the tension.
Pfft! came another.
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!
The flatulence was endless, like a raging flood that couldn't be stopped.
The highly pungent gas blasted out from the seams of her plate armor.
“I'll go check things out over there!”
The dwarf, usually fearless, fled in absolute terror.
His footsteps quickly receded down the corridor.
Thoroughly marinated in her own fumes, Rosie stood frozen in place. It wasn't until a new prompt appeared that she finally snapped out of it.
【Acquired Talent: Poison Resistance. You possess immense resistance to toxins. Side effect: When your body is attacked, you may experience feelings of pleasure.】
“Poison resistance? And getting hit feels good?” Rosie instantly burst into laughter through her tears.
How was this a side effect? These were clearly both positive effects!
Wiping the tears and mucus from her face with her gambeson sleeve, she grabbed the last bottle of gene potion from the cabinet. Picking up her helmet, she chased after the dwarf, leaving a trail of "fragrant" air in her wake.
The dwarf was standing at the corner of the corridor. Seeing Rosie approach, he began, “Are you okay... gag...”
Before he could finish, the oncoming stench hit him, making him dry-heave. He pinched his nose and retreated several steps.
“Wait... how about you go air yourself out first?”
Rosie leaned down to sniff her sleeve. “There's no smell...”
She looked up and held out her hand, revealing the final bottle of black potion in her palm.
“This is yours. Drink it, maybe you'll get some kind of ability.”
Pinching his nose, the dwarf looked at Rosie, then at the bottle of black potion, shaking his head like a rattle.
“I think I'm doing just fine as I am. I don't need to change. Not even a bit.”
“Are you sure?” Rosie asked.
“Absolutely,” the dwarf said resolutely.
“Alright then.” Rosie withdrew her hand, popped the cap, and downed it.
The liquid slid down her throat, and the same burning sensation welled up, but it felt much milder than the first two times.
Of course, it was also possible that she had simply grown accustomed to the irritation.
“I'll wait for you upstairs.”
Without waiting for Rosie to react, the dwarf sprinted back to the upper floor in one breath.
It was spacious enough up there that even "toxic gas" would dissipate quickly.
This time, however, Rosie didn't feel any obvious abnormalities.
There was no sudden blackout like with the darkvision potion, nor was there any stomach-churning flatulence like the second bottle.
【Constitution +1. Side effect: You have consumed too many gene potions in a short period of time, causing a mutation in your body.】
Rosie quickly looked down to check her body, searching for anything strange.
Aside from a slight warmth radiating through her body, she felt a bit more energized, but nothing else had changed.
Rosie let out a sigh of relief.
She picked up her helmet and headed to the upper floor, planning to call the dwarf to continue their exploration.
To her surprise, the moment she walked upstairs, the dwarf froze upon seeing her.
“Lass Rosie... what did you go through? How did you end up like this?” the dwarf asked in shock.
Rosie was utterly confused. “What do you mean 'like this'? I'm fine!”
“Why is your hair completely white? And how did your eyes turn blue?”
“If it weren't for your face and voice remaining the same, I would've thought I had the wrong person.”
The dwarf rattled off Rosie's changes rapidly.
“Ah!—”
Rosie finally realized what the so-called "mutation" was.
She pulled out a dagger and walked outside, using the reflection off the crystals to barely make out her own face.
Her short hair, which had been dyed chestnut and then faded back to black, was now a silvery white, and her eyes shone a clear, brilliant blue.
Her facial features hadn't changed, but the transformation of her hair and eye color made her look like an entirely different person.
Rosie stared at her reflection for a long while before suddenly saying, “Damn, I look good.”
The dwarf's lips twitched violently.
Rate on N.U.
