I Became a Goblin Ancestor

In the dead of night when everyone was asleep.

At the exact time of 3 AM in the wee hours, I was walking down the corridor with Yeon-ah, leaving behind Neon sleeping in the hospital room.

Thud– Thud–

My and Yeon-ah’s footsteps echoing alternately in the silent corridor where no one was present.

And from above the corridor where not a single presence could be felt, I continued the conversation we had been having until just now.

“So… what was the total synchronization rate of the gene mana stones that you and your family members have implanted now?”
“Ah, the mana stones we’re using have a synchronization rate of 60%. That was the limit of what could be drawn out from the sleeping ancestor’s genes.”

The conversation I was having with Yeon-ah was none other than about gene mana stones, which could be said to have the highest value in the current world.

Among them, it was a conversation about my mana stone that Yeon-ah and her whole family were currently using, named the Goblin Clan Gene Mana Stone.

Therefore, after hearing about my gene mana stone that Yeon-ah said she was using, I quietly mulled it over and then opened my mouth.

“60%… As far as I know, that’s much lower synchronization rate than the average top-grade mana stone.”
“Yes… That’s correct as you say.”

Excluding how strong a race is, the only criterion for determining the quality and value of a gene mana stone is how much synchronization rate it has.

And naturally, the higher this unique criterion of synchronization rate, the higher the output and strength of the mana stone.

However, the 60% synchronization rate that Yeon-ah said she was using now wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t particularly good either.

It was a synchronization rate for a gene mana stone that would have been common if the owner of the genes wasn’t me, the great chief of the Goblin Clan.

“Well… I need to implant one in Neon and give you all much better mana stones too, so I should quickly learn how to make them.”
“Please don’t overdo it, Ancestor.”
“What else can I do when I’m the only goblin left? I have to use my power.”

Yeon-ah said with a worried expression at my words.

I grinned and waved my hand at her expression.

“……”

What is there to hide now?

The place I was going to at this late hour without sleeping was the laboratory for making gene mana stones.

Of course, the reason for going to the laboratory was to make new gene mana stones.

As I said I would fully support Neon, I was planning to implant my gene mana stone in her, and on this opportunity where high-quality gene mana stones were needed, I also wanted to make gene mana stones to give to Yeon-ah and her whole family.

And how long did we walk while having such conversation?

Finally, in front of a room we arrived at, I stopped with Yeon-ah.

“Here it is.”
“Yes, please come inside.”

Whirr—

As we entered through the door that opened with a mechanical sound, the lighting mana stone that had been off lit up brightly, illuminating the interior.

A laboratory of comfortable size, not as spacious as I had thought but not cramped either.

I looked around such a laboratory and approached the tank at the center, causing quiet ripples.

“Is this the…?”
“Ahaha… Does it look quite simple?”
“Yeah, to be honest, it does.”
“But still, it’s undoubtedly the device for manufacturing gene mana stones. It’s a tank filled with mana water from dungeons inside the Gate.”

I nodded honestly without any packaging at Yeon-ah’s words as she let out a light laugh.

A truly literal tank.

As Yeon-ah said, if it weren’t for the mysterious blue mana water inside, it would have been no different from an ordinary tank, so I swallowed a sigh.

But how could Yeon-ah lie to me?

I swallowed unnecessary doubts inwardly and approached in front of the tank, and Yeon-ah faced me from the opposite side of the tank and began explaining the manufacturing process.

“The method of making gene mana stones is as simple as it looks. When I put the prepared highest quality mana stone into the tank here, you will pour your blood into the tank, Ancestor.”
“And I gently emit the energy of the abilities I can produce. Right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

The 60% synchronization rate gene mana stone that Yeon-ah is currently using is a work completed by implanting a 20% synchronization rate gene mana stone made using only my blood at first, emitting energy instead of me, the race itself, and repeating that process.

In other words, it’s a product of repeated work raised step by step like climbing stairs.

However, if I, the original itself, directly played the role of emitting energy, Yeon-ah was confident that she could easily create the highest grade gene mana stone.

And now, the first attempt, was the stage of adjusting that output.

It was the stage of testing exactly how much energy I should emit, so I finished preparing with a small deep breath.

“Inhale… exhale…”

『Hmm! This body is ready for reverse diffusion qi generation!』

The energy of the innate abilities in my body is fine, and Hwa-gon hanging on my back is also overflowing with confidence outside its body.

It seemed that Hwa-gon also had quite high expectations for the production of this mana stone, so I listened to her confidence and said to Yeon-ah standing opposite me:

“Alright, I’m ready.”
“Then I’ll begin.”

Without any hesitation at my words, Yeon-ah picked up the mana stone that had been prepared and dropped it into the tank.

Plop—

The deep, transparent purple mana stone that fell from midair entered the tank, causing ripples.

And the moment I saw that, I gripped Hwa-gon transformed into a blade in one hand and lightly swung it towards the opposite hand.

“Shall we give it a try?”

Just how good mana stones could I produce?

For my precious humans under me.

Tinkle—

In the room where only the sound of the mana stone sinking into the tank echoed clearly.

Yeon-ah closed her mouth and watched Shin-yeon cutting her hand and dropping blood in front of her eyes.

Plop, Shin-yeon’s blood falling into the tank.

Perhaps because she had never seen her injured even once until now, Yeon-ah couldn’t take her eyes off Shin-yeon’s blood seeping into the mana water in the tank.

Shin-yeon’s blood starting to dye the tank red like paint spreading in a pond.

And Shin-yeon, whose wound had healed at some point, brought her hand to the front of the tank and slowly began to draw up energy from within her body.

Woong—

For a moment, a gentle breeze swirling inside the laboratory.

‘…It’s beautiful.’

The energy Shin-yeon was emitting was an invisible, formless energy, but the ripples it caused were so harmonious that Yeon-ah muttered quietly to herself.

‘Quiet and clear energy…’

As Shin-yeon’s emitted energy reacted with the mana water, the mana stone submerged in the tank began to absorb Shin-yeon’s blood spread in the mana water.

Gurgle—

Shin-yeon’s blood being sucked into the mana stone without leaving a trace, like a whirlpool forming at the water’s edge.

At that phenomenon, which was the result of the mana water and mana stone resonating and was all too familiar, Yeon-ah recalled her past manufacturing experiments.

Unlike her own experiments that had stagnated in development, as was the natural result, Shin-yeon’s appearance of shattering all past experimental processes with just one attempt.

Swallowing cheers and admiration at that, Yeon-ah continued to watch the mana stone absorbing blood.

Float—

Then, eventually, the mana stone that had absorbed all the blood slowly changed to a red color and began to float up from the bottom of the tank where it had been sinking.

Seeing this, Yeon-ah called out to Shin-yeon, who was injecting energy into the tank:

“It’s almost at the final stage now…!”

The mana stone floating up meant that it had finished preparing to transform into a gene mana stone, so Yeon-ah fixed her gaze on the mana stone nearing completion with wide eyes.

And after about 1 second, 10 seconds… 30 seconds… 1 minute had passed, the mana stone stopped near the center of the tank.

Flash—!!!

Immediately after, the mana stone began to emit a light so bright it could blind.

“It’s so bright…!”
“Ugh?!”

The floating mana stone emitting light meant it was complete.

But at the light that was on a different dimension from the gene mana stones produced in experiments so far, Yeon-ah was greatly surprised and had no choice but to cover her eyes, and after several seconds passed with her eyes covered like that.

Flash…

As the light of the mana stone finally began to subside slowly, Yeon-ah lowered her hands covering her eyes and looked at the tank.

What came into view as she lowered her hands was a gene mana stone floating in the tank that could be called a jewel without lacking.

No, Yeon-ah couldn’t take her eyes off the gene mana stone completed so purely that even jewels couldn’t compare, only letting out exclamations.

“It’s truly a beautiful gene mana stone, Ancestor…”
“It is pretty.”

Perhaps because it was a gene mana stone she had made herself, Shin-yeon’s reaction was admiring but indifferent, but Yeon-ah was still so absorbed in the mana stone that she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

After all, Yeon-ah had never seen a gene mana stone with this level of completion in her life.

Probably even if any of the family members were brought… even if Seol, who had the driest reactions, was brought, even Seol would have opened her eyes wide while taking off her sleep mask, as the gene mana stone Shin-yeon completed was so incredibly beautiful.

However, the time Yeon-ah was so engrossed in the gene mana stone like that.

That time had to be cut short by Shin-yeon who moved in an instant.

Splash—!

“Ah…!”
“Now we should measure it soon. You can look at it later, right?”

Shin-yeon stuck her hand into the tank and pulled out the gene mana stone.

Yeon-ah let out a regretful exclamation at the gene mana stone that disappeared into Shin-yeon’s hand, but Shin-yeon patted Yeon-ah’s head and quickly walked to the front of the measuring device.

Indeed, as Shin-yeon said, it didn’t matter if they looked at its beauty later.

Now, measuring the completed gene mana stone was the priority, so Yeon-ah swallowed her regret and approached Shin-yeon’s side, and when Shin-yeon put the mana stone in the measurement compartment, the device began to operate.

“The results should come out soon.”
“I did my best, but I wonder how good it turned out…”

The device that started operating with an operating sound began to quickly raise and display the synchronization rate on the meter.

10%, 20%, 30%, the synchronization rate starting to rise quickly.

And the next moment, the completed synchronization rate was displayed on the meter.

“…Huh?”
“…Hm?”

Yeon-ah and Shin-yeon who confirmed it simultaneously burst out with questioning sounds and closed their mouths.

…What more was there to say?

Yeon-ah wouldn’t have been particularly surprised even if the synchronization rate had hit 80% or 90%, which was the highest expectation.

However, the synchronization rate displayed on the meter was undoubtedly.

[100%]

One hundred percent.

It was pointing to the highest number, so there was no way they could utter proper words.

In the deep dawn.

Only Yeon-ah and Shin-yeon’s short questioning sounds echoed through the tower.