Kaijin Fighter: So I Have to Make Monsters, So What?-Chapter 1293: Malevolent Machinations, Centuries in the Making
"People often say that they are products of their environment. What they neglect to mention, is that people tend to change the environment around them."
—The words of a naturalist, arguing with an industrialist.
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About ninety percent of the [Mines of Malevolence] was objectively terrible.
Terrible sleeping conditions.
Terrible food quality.
Terrible sanitary conditions.
It was the kind of place dictators and ruthless capitalists would dream of whenever they needed somewhere to send upstarts, political rivals and the poor.
Especially since that remaining ten percent, the private abode of the mine's owner was the embodiment of the word, "luxury".
Carved out of the remains of an abandoned marble quarry, every single inch of wall was covered in a highly detailed mural depicting scenes of debauchery, violence, beauty and peace in equal manner.
The size of this abode was absurd, to the point that it could comfortably house ten people in a single room. Unfortunately, it only housed a single man.
The floors were polished to a mirror finish and covered with skin rugs harvested from all sorts of exotic aether beasts. Skin rugs that could've been better used to make aether treasures or medicines.
Several pieces of masterfully made and handcrafted furniture decorated the space in an attempt to appear more accommodating.
Each of the pieces were made from materials that could only be sources from rare and ancient plants, some of which could only be found once in a lifetime.
For example, there were several bookshelves that were carved from the wood of an [Eternal Life Teak] and filled with times of knowledge that had been lost to the ages. However, judging from the dust that had gathered on the covers and edges of the bookshelf, not a single one of these tomes had been used for a long, long time.
As the crowning "masterpiece" for this entire den of unnecessary wealth, was a portrait.
A portrait depicting a man of Dozing Salamander descent, dressed in luxurious robes and surrounded by a horde of chimeric monsters. The man was posed in such a manner that he appeared to be a savior or noble figure. However, the monsters surrounding him gave off the impression that he was truly an emissary from the darkest pits of hell.
This depicted man was none other than the "Kaijin Lord" of the [Mines of Malevolence], and as of this moment, he was simply...waiting.
Surrounded by the finest luxuries and countless little activities that could either occupy his time or improve his cultivation, the Kaijin Lord chose to do nothing but wait while laying on a couch like a bored and overly privileged prince.
As for what he was waiting for, well...
[Kaijin Lord.]
Yes?
[The latest cores from the smelter has arrived. They appear to be of higher quality than what was delivered last week.]
Excellent, let me see.
[At once, my Lord.]
He was waiting for the main reason why he was sticking around this accursed mine in the first place.
Entering from the only door in or out of this private suite was a cart, carrying a dozen or so golden orbs, being pushed by an incredibly humanoid owl-like kaijin dressed in a butler's uniform.
This particular kaijin looked fairly weak in comparison to the galumphing brutes that regularly victimized the slaves of the mine. However, if one were to honestly analyze this well-dressed bird, they would realize that this butler was at the limit of the Aether King rank.
An appropriate cultivation level for someone who had managed to swallow the cores of twenty-seven other kaijin.
Once the cart has been fully pushed into the abode, the Kaijin Lord finally got off from his couch...and stopped reinforcing his voice with [Chaos].
[My Lord, here are fourteen brand new Cores. As you can see, they're of higher purity in comparison to last week's batch.]
"I can see that, Delictum, but there's noticeably fewer from last week. Why is that? Also, how many times have I said that you could refer to me by name when in private?"
[Apologies, Master Quijano,] the owl Kaijin known as Delictum apologized with a bow. [I'll refer to you as such until our business has concluded.]
"Hmmm."
...Flashback Begins...
Dante Quijano.
That was the true identity of the "Kaijin Lord" that controlled the [Mines of Malevolence].
Centuries ago, the man had once been a normal aether warrior from a small family that was part of a small yet hardy empire. But that all changed after two little events in history.
First off, his family and his home state fell to ruin.
When the warrior known as the Meteor Overlord rampaged through Stampeding Bison and began to make his way to the Dozing Salamander continent, Quijano's family was caught up in his invasion.
Heavens know that they tried their best to resist and fight back against the invaders, but alas, it was for naught.
In an instant, in a single attack, an empire that had lasted for six generations was wiped out, with its survivors scattered to the four winds.
Dante was the only one left in his family to survive.
Survivor's Guilt was a hell of a motivator for self-harm and depression, and Dante had both in spades
Shortly after failing to die multiple times, Dante wound up in a volcanic jungle region that was said to be cursed, figuring that the best use of his life at that point was to simply die and allow his nutrients and energy to cycle through the great circle of life, while his remaining days up until that point could be filled with the wondrous, torturous pain that came with being cursed.
But life and fate had other ideas in mind.
Right when he was about to bury himself in the dirt, allowing it's cursed energies to flow through him unimpeded, he saw a strange little girl exit from a cave he had never seen before.
This girl was no older than the sister he had lost to the invasion, but had this strange aura to her.
It was like a part of the night sky had been ripped out and reshaped into this girl who walked through this cursed land like it was nothing but a springtime stroll through an urban garden.
From the way she was moving, Dante assumed that she wouldn't be returning to this cavern anytime soon. Therefore, he figured it would be a good idea to check on what exactly this strange warrior decided to give up on.
Dante had hoped to find a powerful weapon or some ancient, lost technique that could help take back what he had lost from the cruel nature of the world.
What he found instead was what he could only describe as a monument of hope...and he hated it.
Dante had no way of describing this monument, identifying anything he recognized, but he could feel that it was built with so much hope, so much happiness that it was saturated in its entire structure.
This aura was so dense and diffifrom the surrounding cursed environment that it was like a beacon of light in a dark ocean.
He hated to stare at this strange structure and its absurd aura of hopefulness and optimism that made him believe that the world could be better.
Because where was this hope back when his family was alive?
Where was this optimism when the Overlord's forces came knocking down the city gates?
Where was this feeling when he had to bury his sister and her husband-to-be, a day before they were to be married?!
This burning hatred, these strong emotions, raged through Dante's mind and soul and seemed to react with the cursed environment around him.
And as this interplay of cursed energies and negative emotions continued, something...odd happened.
A strange energy, left behind by that young woman, reacted towards Dante's emotions and suddenly infused itself into the raging man.
At that exact moment, something in his mind...clicked.
How interesting.
Enraptured by his newfound power of [Chaos], Dante suddenly blasted the monument of hope standing before him in a torrent of cursed flames.
The monument didn't explode upon contact, but was simply engulfed in the miasmic blaze.
Need things.
As this fire burned and a sinister aura filled the cavern, Dante left and returned with two items in tow.
Well, one item and a creature.
Like this?
In one hand was a chunk of raw [Malevolent Gold], that began to melt and reform into a semi-perfect sphere.
In the other hand, an Ember Mouse, a first tier aether beast that many Aether Novices would fight to improve themselves.
Needless to say, the Ember Mouse didn't look the least but comfortable in this strange burning cavern.
Hold still.
Before the Ember Mouse could even attempt to escape though, Dante had shoved the golden orb deep inside of its stomach, piercing through fur, skin and guts.
The mouse released a horrible screech that seemed to grow deeper and deeper as it grew to the size of a human.
This was the first "Kaijin" made by this strange fake lord.
And from there, things got...worst.
Much, much worst.
