It was born into an advanced society, and named No.4.
The name being a number meant there were as many as there were numbers.
They were homunculi, things created for a purpose.
There were over a hundred homunculi, ranging from feeble ones, to ones with beast characteristics, to ones that were big bugs.
When they were born, they had a certain degree of intelligence, and were given special abilities. Some showed that in their characteristics being more pronounced, some had powerful physical abilities or controlled nature, some could see into the near future.
No.4 was called a failure.
There wasn’t much difference in the innate intelligence, but the ability was weak.
It was the ability to put out a needle from the tip of the finger.
That wouldn’t do to complete the objective.
It would only be a bother, and wouldn’t achieve good results.
The ones who made that call decided to scrap No.4.
They took No.4 to a white bed that reeked of disinfectant.
It had been three hundred years since science advanced and the technique called magic was created. Meanwhile, this civilization achieved new heights, and so did its medicine.
But the method to scrap it was just to inject poison into it. Civilization advanced, and various methods of euthanasia were established.
No.4 was unaware of this, and laid on the bed awaiting instructions.
Homunculi were made to follow the directions of their creators. Because of this, it was rare for them to take initiative.
“Sorry, I’m going to use this syringe. Good night. And goodbye.”
The scientist injecting poison into No.4 muttered something as the needle was about to go in.
No.4 had no intention to resist. Maybe it reacted to the words muttered.
“Don’t resist, No.4!”
Suddenly, No.4 stabbed the scientist holding the syringe with a needle from a fingertip. The scientist yelled angrily as blood poured from the leg.
But that was all.
No.4 did not intend to resist, and stopped without any emotion.
In the corner of No.4’s vision, there was the scientist receiving treatment, but the wound was not deep, so some light Healing Magic did the trick.
The poison to take No,4’s life away was administered, and it was done without any further trouble. No.4’s vital activities stopped.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Strange things happen.”
Muttered the scientist No.4 stabbed in the leg.
That night, her existence disappeared, and No.4 took over her body.
It was unexpected.
No one imagined this could happen.
Was it possession? Did No.4 write over her consciousness? It was a mystery, but at the very least, the scientist’s personality was gone, and her body was No.4’s.
The scientist’s body reflected in the mirror was fine, and could be used without any problem. The scientist’s knowledge could be used too. In it, there was information about why homunculi were created.
Hundreds of years before, large-scale land development experiments were done.
This was done to expand living space in a world with too much life.
Technology of the time was used to create a new continent in the vast ocean. But many things caused it to fail.
The exact causes were still unknown, but it ended up erasing the need for new land.
As a result of the experiments, half the world was destroyed from where the new continent was to be made, and half of the planet’s life as well.
There were no survivors in the destruction.
Of course, not everything was investigated, but reports of the time said so.
The large-scale destruction took a lot from the world, but gave something new.
An entrance to a world with different laws, a dungeon was born into the destroyed world.
Many resources could be obtained from the dungeon. They also seemed to be infinite. Among them, there were medicine and weapons that even the advanced society could not produce.
Living beings, no matter the world, wanted a lot.
They kept spending resources. They produced medicine that brought back youth, treated any disease, and healed any problem with the body. Many people wanted them, and they were spent.
As a result, they sought better and more. If they went deeper, they could easily get more effective things, they thought.
But they could not advance past the forty-first floor.
Monsters became stronger and the environments become harsher, but the reality was that the world’s inhabitants were weak.
Homunculi were born for this. To conquer the depths of the dungeon and to serve as soldiers with tougher bodies.
They were only given the intelligence to fight and maintain their lives, all to accomplish this goal.
At the same time, anger rose.
Unlike an homunculus body with limited thoughts, No.4 was free to think in the researcher’s body. And that brought anger.
No.4 moved out right away. Moved out to liberate its ill fated brothers from the lab.
Security was killed, scientists were killed, locks were released, and the homunculi were freed.
And No.4 was killed by an homunculus it tried to save.
“W-why?”
“I’m a counter. I was created to eliminate spies and traitors like you that developed a sense of justice.”
Said the homunculus No.44 while putting out the rigid arm stabbed in the stomach.
There was a deep wound, and that body was beyond saving. But No.4’s vitality was not weak enough for an instant death.
Once the arm was pulled out, No.4 scratched No.44’s cheek with the claw on the fingertip. The scientist’s body fell limp, lifeless.
“Ah, ah, ah, aaah…!?!?”
With the death of the scientist’s body, No.4 went inside No.44.
No.44 yelled angrily as its mind was overwritten. Its life wasn’t in danger, but something that could be called a soul was closing in, erasing the thing that was itself. It was more frightening than death.
No.44 screamed for help, but the homunculi around only watched. The scientists never made it so they would save the others.
Eventually No.44 was completely taken over, and the body was No.4’s.
“Let’s go back.”
After taking over No.44’s body, its thought process urged it to bring the other homunculi back to the lab. No.4’s soul wanted to escape, but the body had control.
The homunculi were taken to the dungeon the next day by new scientists.
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