“Master Leon, this way please.”
Without another word, Sebastian led Leon directly into the interior of the society.
As a scholar, the thing he loathed most was maintaining superficial pleasantries with nobles.
For Leon’s part, he was more than happy to oblige, as it saved him a great deal of trouble.
Following Sebastian inside, they passed through a corridor lined with various specimens before finally arriving at a laboratory filled with research instruments.
The turret monster lay on a dissection table in the center of the lab. By now, the creature had completely lost all signs of life, its body dismantled into over a dozen parts.
“Master Leon, look here. This is the Kama's barrel, and this is the internal chamber connected behind it...” Sebastian explained as he pointed out the parts to Leon.
Leon asked, “Kama?”
“Oh, that’s the temporary name our society has given this monster,” Sebastian realized and explained.
“Since you mentioned its cry sounds like ‘Ka! Ma!’, I’ve temporarily named this unknown creature the Kama.”
“Of course, according to academic tradition, as the first person to discover this creature, you have the right to give it a formal academic name. You could even name it after yourself, ‘Leon,’ if you wished.”
“I think I’ll pass...” Leon’s lips twitched. While becoming famous would help him gain more experience for his Divine Art panel, he didn't want to be famous for having a monster named after him.
He didn't want a situation where, while fighting these creatures in the future, his guards would be shouting things like ‘Disgusting Leon monster!’ or ‘Die, Leon!’
“Let’s stick with your name. Call it the Kama,” Leon said.
Sebastian nodded slightly, not particularly caring about what the creature was called.
He simply pointed at the dissected internal organs of the turret monster and said:
“Master Leon, look here. Normally, most living beings should possess a feeding mouth and a digestive tract.”
“But the Kama is different. It hasn't evolved a feeding mouth or a digestive tract. That barrel-like organ truly is a cannon barrel, not a nasal cavity or similar organ like an elephant's trunk.”
Leon looked in the direction Sebastian was pointing and nodded slightly. “Indeed, this long, cylindrical organ seems to serve no purpose other than acting as a barrel for artillery fire.”
“Furthermore,” Sebastian continued, “please note my choice of words. I used the term ‘evolved,’ meaning that from the moment the Kama species appeared until now, they have never possessed digestive organs.”
“This is highly unusual. If it lacks digestive organs, then what does this monster rely on to survive?”
“Even Gray Fog monsters rely on Gray Fog energy to live. It’s impossible for this creature to generate energy out of thin air or survive purely on energy dissipated in the atmosphere.”
Sebastian paused, then said:
“Thinking of this, I performed a more detailed dissection of the Kama and discovered that within its body, there is actually a specialized energy storage unit!”
Sebastian’s voice was filled with intense wonder as he pointed to an organ inside the turret Kama. “This is it. The Kama’s entire body is supplied with energy through this energy storage organ. And this organ...”
Sebastian went on to explain a great deal of biological knowledge regarding organs and the paths of energy transmission within a living body.
However, Leon wasn't interested in the technicalities. He interrupted Sebastian and asked:
“So, the conclusion you’ve reached is that the Kama isn't a naturally occurring organism, but is ‘manufactured’ by a mother entity through a modular biological design?”
“Yes, Master Leon.” Seeing that Leon wasn't interested in his lecture, Sebastian spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“While the way this mother entity produces offspring is somewhat similar to how a queen bee breeds worker bees in a hive, there are significant differences between the two.”
“In the realm of animals and monsters, a hive’s social structure is often called a ‘highly specialized division of labor.’ However, to us sapient beings, that level of division is far from truly ‘high.’”
“But judging from the dissection results of this turret Kama, we can infer that the Kama population possesses an incredibly sophisticated division of labor—”
“The complexity of their specialization even far exceeds that of most sapient societies.”
...
“This species is truly extraordinary...”
Walking out of the laboratory, Leon pondered what Sebastian had just said.
According to Sebastian, this creature possessed a high degree of specialization, had no need to eat, and maintained its life functions through energy supplied by a specialized storage organ.
Additionally, in the center of the turret Kama’s chest and abdomen, there was an organ that resembled a signal connector.
By the time Sebastian dissected it, the organ was completely damaged.
Sebastian speculated that this signal receiver was a tool for the turret Kama to communicate with other Kamas, or even a tool to receive signals and commands from the Kama mother from a distance.
“That explains why I couldn't get a Perfect grade when I used Divine Arts in front of the turret Kama later on...”
Leon mused for a moment before turning to Ratahn.
“Go to the Adventurer's Association and post a commission. Put out a bounty for information on the Kama.”
“Anyone who discovers the location of a Kama swarm can claim 100 gold coins once the information is verified.”
“For every live Kama captured and delivered to Scholar Sebastian at the society for research, the reward is 50 gold coins.”
“If anyone can find a Kama creature similar to a mother entity of the species, the reward is 10,000 gold coins.”
10,000 gold coins!
Hearing this, Ratahn’s heart skipped a beat. He never expected the young master to be so concerned about those invisible monsters that he would offer ten thousand gold coins as a reward!
“Furthermore, the commission must clearly state the characteristics and invisibility abilities of the Kama creatures,” Leon added. “I don't want any adventurers throwing their lives away because they didn't understand the true strength of the Kama species.”
“Yes, Young Master. I’ll head to the Adventurer's Association immediately.”
Ratahn committed Leon’s instructions to memory, turned, and left the society to post the commission.
With a bounty of ten thousand gold coins as an incentive, most adventurers would scour the entire Southern Border and the Dusk Sea just to find the Kama!
“High specialization means power, combined with invisibility and coordination... If they attack in swarms, even a peak Silver-rank expert would die at their hands.”
Leon thought to himself.
He felt he should show some respect to a monster that the panel deemed worthy of a 【Perfect】 evaluation.
Besides.
A single battle yielded a 【Perfect】 evaluation. If he could find the Kama’s nest and harass them every now and then...
Doubling the levels of all his current Divine Arts wouldn't be a problem at all!
...
The ox-horse carriage made its way back to Eldenborg.
As Leon stepped into his room in the back courtyard of the Rose Cathedral, his expression suddenly sharpened.
“Someone has been in this room!”
Hearing this, Alicia, who was by Leon’s side, instantly manifested her Blades of Hunger, scanning the surroundings with a wary expression.
Leon lit a Light Prayer Orb, his gaze sweeping over the room’s slightly altered layout.
Finally, his eyes came to rest on his desk, falling upon a leaf held down by a thick book.
“This is...”
Leon stepped forward and picked up the leaf. His expression instantly relaxed.
“No need to be tense, Alicia. The intruder meant no harm; they only came to deliver something to me.”
Rate on N.U.
