Chapter 35: Homunculation

Well played world, your perverted antics truly triumph over reason.

Perhaps this world should have been named Demented x Debauchery. It certainly seems far more fitting for the sheer girth of the tomfoolery this world is full of.

Breast milk is strong, like strong. It's like their very essence for some ungodly fucking reason.

I broke down the 4 most distinct alchemic values into these.

1- Fertility. Makes sense, Breast milk only appears and promotes childbearing. It only makes sense that it would increase fertility.

Also, on the topic of fertility, I am perfectly capable of creating fertility potions. Since my alchemy level was relatively high I could influence what my potion would do during creation.

I created a pair of potions, one for females, and one for males. Both drinking the potions would basically guarantee impregnation since both of these potions would be boosted by transfer.

Though I will need test subjects for it to see how it actually works, after all, if fixing the fertility problem was so easy I am sure Ajuka could have done it long ago.

...As morally flexible as I am... very reluctant to actually impregnate any of my prisoners or the fallen angels.

Sure, a little mischief here and there doesn't matter since they do not have any worth as people in my eyes but forcefully giving them a child is...

Yuck.

Just... yuck.

I refuse to forcefully bring a child into this world just because I wanted to see if my potion worked. And I also do not want to impregnate a test subject out of curiosity.

I know how it feels to not be wanted. How it feels to be brought into the world by someone who did not want to bring you into the world. How lonely and desolate it feels, the feeling that you are not a person or a child of your parents but simply their mistake they couldn't get rid of quickly enough.

...Anyway!

2- Nourishment. This one was big. Tremendous, probably the biggest I have found so far ever.

Why was it big you ask? Because this was different from the usual, boring mundane healing or vitality. Think of what nourishment truly means.

Nourishment represents a necessity for growth. What did that represent?

It allowed growth.

For example this potion.

[Boosted Intermediate IV Body Refinement Pill]

When consumed it puts the body under immense strain while providing for everything the body needs to improve, allowing the consumer to quickly improve their constitution.

Cultivation pills. I always had to option to make pill potions but I opted for liquids most of the time since I liked the flavours and they carried the alchemist vibe you know? This thing was rather expensive to make actually, breast milk, blood weed I had harvested from my yard which was made with general greens grown with pinnacle novice rank health potions and other miscellaneous materials.

3- Light. This wasn't simply Light Resistance or something. This was the most potent light element I have found in a potion ingredient, even more than blood somehow.

And since I had this I had to make it. If I did not I could not call myself a true person of culture after all.

_______________________________

[The Holy Hand Grenade]

A grenade of holy light filled with the righteous wrath of god. Explodes with the indignation of a thousand suns, annihilating any filthy ungodly abominations of the world with the all-mighty power derived from the subjects of god.

_______________________________

A demon-killing machine. This grenade was a very strong potion since I did not skimp out on materials when creating the potion. It took 10% of my current wealth to make but the meme is always worth it.

Plus this thing was strong enough to annihilate the entire school and reduce everything inside to ash. Especially the devils, with a well-placed grenade I could take out both Rias and Sona's peerage at the same time.

...Though I am pretty sure I am at a level of strength where I don't have to fear Rias or her peerage. I am too versatile and my magic was unmatched in efficiency. I am capable of calculating dozens of spells in a single second.

Although that, I prefer not to fight.

Just because you have strength does not mean you have to flaunt it. Just because you have muscles does not mean you have to brawl with them. Just because you can cast fireball does not mean you have to burn a forest down.

Am I afraid to fight? Of course not. But I do not like fighting nor am I a battle maniac. I was an ordinary person before coming here, if there is a scenario where I have to fight someone I much prefer to end it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

4- Unholy, this was a rather unique application. I could use it to for one example to weaken holy items and holy beings. Technically with a potent enough dose, I could theoretically make an angel fall forcefully but that is just asking to be brought the full force of heaven to be brought down on you.

And upon discovering all of these effects I was basically assured of my Alchemic Value theory. What was that? Basically nerdspeak for how I think my alchemy system works.

You see, my alchemy system does not seem to obey science or basic chemistry. Instead, it seems to follow a logic that is more themed around concepts.

How else can you explain breast milk having the light attribute? I shouldn't be able to create the holy hand grenade with only breast milk. Or the hyperacid I made with a lemon.

Or the Lemon Incindeary I made.

Gotta make Cave Johnson proud.

Sleep-deprived me has some very creative ideas.

Regardless, this meant my alchemy was way more versatile than I first thought. I want to get more ingredients to increase my range of potions so I am thinking about soon entering the wide market of Alchemy. But before I do so I have to make a way to mass produce potions right?

I am well aware that no one other than me can create the potions I can create. I don't know why it applies to Alchemy specifically but it feels like the most complex of the information-based abilities Iter Melius gives.

But. What if I could say create a being that is specifically made to be capable of creating the same potions I create and impart it the knowledge of potion creation?

Heheheh.

✧—•✦•—✧—•✦•—✧—•✦•—✧

"At last! My creation shall walk the earth!"

I stood proudly in front of the vat of green liquid housing a humanoid inside it. I was in my Homunculus lab which looked just like an evil scientist's lair. Today was the day the hundreds of hours of research would bear fruit!

{You are being extra dramatic today, what is it?} Ddraig said languidly, half interested in what I was doing.

'Tsk tsk, Ddraig do you not understand the importance of this task? I am going to finally give life to my homunculi, my creations shall stand on their own two feet and peer above the clouds and into the heavens above!'

{So you finally finished creating your homunculi huh? Why did it even take you so long in the first place? I would have thought you would have created it much earlier.}

Well, I could have, but I am no third-rate alchemist popping out a 2nd rate Homunculus.

No, I don't want some mindless drone only capable of repeating a single task on repeat. That is a biological robot not a homunculi at that point. If you are making a homunculus you should create a homunculus right.

{I... fail to see the difference but go on.} This was to be expected I guess. For all their age and wisdom Ddraig was more of a raw power type fella. They had no interest in much magic when their breath far surpassed the might of all magic at the time.

'I am creating Homunculi with intelligence, but not free will. They will be able to act on their own and interpret my orders yet they will not have wants or desires, no ego, no voice to cry suffering.'

This was an incredibly hard feat, if it wasn't for the instruction already given to me that I could use as a half blueprint I also would only be able to create a 2nd-rate homunculus.

I had to edit a pre-existing brain to remove all the unneeded and redundant parts as well as the parts that included individuality and stuff. Keeping the brain alive during the process needed specialized and expensive potions annoyingly.

I went through so many textbooks and other such things that I am probably the most qualified human to perform brain surgery alive.

Regardless, the regardless the result was a homunculus brain. It was different from a human brain, the most important parts being the lack of ego and self-awareness. It can understand and interpret orders based on its knowledge but I wouldn't interpret an order based on something like "What do I want to do?".

{Well, that does seem rather impressive. You seem to be encroaching on the domain of god more and more by the day. Now you are creating life. Just like how God of Heaven created the Devils and Angels. I am really looking forward to what outrageous things you create next.}

'I look forward to it very much too partner. Couldn't have done it without you either. Without further ado!' I wasn't lying, the Boosted Gear was essential in basically everything I was doing now.

I released the Homunculus from the vat as it plopped down to the ground, then took a few seconds to recognize its surroundings and get up and start standing upright.

After a few seconds, it stood tall and saluted at me as I grinned.

It worked!

I looked over the homunculi I just created. This was the base prototype model, its body was completely androgynous without any reproductive organs but its build looked more masculine than feminine.

Why would I bother giving it a gender? It's not like it can reproduce, sexual reproduction is way less efficient than just creating another homunculus.

Of course, I will give later models genders, as open-minded as I am I don't really want to see genderless husks darting around my house. That would just be creepy.

I will just make them all female, why not? I want to have a full team of sharply dressed homunculus girls.

Anyway, now onto the features of my Homunculus model!

It featured an improved reinforced skeleton dozens of times more durable than the average human one that rapidly repairs itself. I call it Skeleton Mk. XII. I went through eleven iterations before I was satisfied with the design. Skeletons are annoying things to make.

Also, a special Homunculus core that is designed to hold tons and tons of energy inside it, redesigned from a Floxide crystal from the underworld that I paid Azazel a pretty penny for. The Homunculus naturally charges it through breathing and naturally drawing mana from the surroundings.

All in all, it was a way more efficient human around 10x better than the average human in all aspects other than intelligence.

The use of these bad boys was to mass-produce potions, sure, I could still make lower-rank potions myself but I cannot be bothered. Once I create an entire army of them I can mass produce so many things.

Perhaps thanks to Iter Melius I was actually able to impart my skills to the homunculi during the creation process, perhaps in the same way Iter Melius imparts knowledge to me.

Don't know, don't need to know. Maybe I will figure it out later.

As a first test, I made the homunculus now referred to as A-1 do a basic fitness that passed with flying colors. No stumbling or fooling around, just wordlessly executing the commands I gave it.

Oh yeah, it kind of can't talk, I saw no reason to give it vocal cords or even a proper digestive and waste system at that. I will probably work on that for the next iteration.

Shrugging, I sent off the homunculus to the specially designed cubicle I made for it as it got to work producing the potion recipes in its brain efficiently without complaint.

Waiting around a bit I watched it do its work before picking up the potion it created.

[Minor Healing Potion V]

A minor healing potion that has been mass-produced by a homunculus. It heals 20 Vitality over a short period of time.

This was good, not as good as me but good.

Very, very good.

A/N: The start of the alchemic empire is nigh. And Ddraig is right, Takumi is slowly dipping his toes into the territory of the likes of GOB(God of the Bible) creating life(not cloning like the Selzen's) is a very difficult thing to accomplish. That along with his ability to manipulate the world around him with Transmutation makes him seem a bit godly, doesn't it?

Takumi is shaping up to be a very, very terrifying individual.

What did you guys think about the chapter and the developments inside of it I would love to know.