Year 2 — Deep within a secret underground laboratory of the Adhan Kingdom.
A man stood in front of a massive, complex machine, busily working.
He looked like a dwarf at first glance—but his height was that of a normal human. He was overweight, wore glasses, had missing teeth, and a dark mole on one cheek.
At that moment—
Footsteps echoed.
Deku entered.
"So… Keke," he said calmly, "how far has your work progressed?"
Keke immediately turned.
"My King… I've been waiting for you."
"I'm here now. Tell me—how far has the hybrid project reached?"
Keke adjusted his glasses.
"As you already know, a hybrid is a being born from two different races… or someone who carries the blood of multiple races."
"…Mm." Deku nodded.
Keke continued, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"But what if… we breed two powerful races?"
"Like a demon and a dragon… or a dragon and a human?"
"What kind of child would be born? How powerful would it be?"
Deku thought for a moment.
"A dragon and a human… we've already seen that, haven't we?"
"Bili… the child of a True Dragon and a human."
"Right," Keke nodded. "But in my experiments…"
"When I bred a male dragon with female humans and demons… the result was always the same."
"The father remained stronger than the child."
"I don't know whether that's because he's a dragon… or simply because he's male."
"But one thing is certain—"
"A hybrid born from powerful races will itself be powerful."
"…I see." Deku nodded slowly.
Keke leaned forward slightly.
"Now, what if… we inject monster cells into a human body?"
Deku's eyes narrowed.
"…Would that human become stronger?"
"Yes," Keke replied. "But not necessarily with all the monster's abilities."
"Still… which race do you think is best for hybrid creation, my king?"
Deku thought briefly.
"…Slime."
Keke smiled.
"Exactly."
"If you create a dragon-human hybrid, it will be powerful—but if its arm or head is cut off, it won't regenerate… unless it has a special skill."
"But a slime…"
"Even if you cut it apart—it doesn't die. It regenerates."
"To truly kill a slime, you need something like holy power… judgment… or burn it completely to dust."
"So if a child is born with slime abilities—"
"Even if its neck is severed… it could regenerate its entire body."
"…That would make it extremely powerful," Deku said.
"And if it also has resistance to fire or holy attacks…" he added.
"…Then it becomes even more dangerous," Keke agreed.
Keke began walking.
He stopped in front of a prison cell.
Inside—
Several female slaves.
"What do you think would happen," Keke said, "if we bred slime with other races?"
"…?"
"I've already tried it."
"With around thirty different races."
"Some died… some survived but became severely ill…"
"And only three types survived properly."
"Human females."
"Insect females."
"And mermaids."
Deku narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know if it's because only these races are compatible… or if the others simply couldn't endure the process."
"Even among the same race… most died during the experiment."
"…I see."
Keke's tone turned heavier.
"My king… this hybrid project is not something simple."
"It's a highly complex process."
"Finding a successful result is as difficult as finding water in a desert."
"…Then what if," Deku said, "we mix multiple races into a single child?"
"Human… demon… dragon… all together?"
Keke went silent.
"…I tried that too."
He walked to another area.
There—
Dead newborns lay scattered across the floor.
Beside them—
Their mothers.
Dead.
"…!"
Deku stared.
"If multiple races are combined," Keke explained calmly, "either the child is never formed…"
"Or it is born dead."
"And even if it survives…"
"It's so weak that it might as well be dead."
"In many cases, the mothers didn't even become pregnant…"
"Because the different cells killed each other before a fetus could form."
"And when children were born…"
"99% were stillborn."
Deku remained silent.
Keke gestured toward the corpses.
"And their condition… speaks for itself."
The bodies were small, fragile—
Covered in blood that hadn't even been cleaned.
"And the mothers…" Keke continued.
He pointed.
Their bodies were shriveled, darkened, lifeless—
As if drained of everything.
"This wasn't due to lack of care," Keke said. "They were treated well for the entire duration."
"But the moment they gave birth…"
"They died within seconds."
"…What… happened to them?" Deku muttered.
"This is the result of the experiment."
Keke then led him to another section.
Inside—
A few living children.
"…These are the 1% who survived," Keke said.
"Out of a thousand… only two."
The children looked extremely weak.
Pale skin.
No hair.
Even their cries were faint.
Their mothers—
Barely alive.
Too weak to even stand and feed them.
"…I still don't know why the mothers become this weak," Keke admitted.
"Perhaps something is missing in the child's composition…"
"But one thing is clear—"
He looked directly at Deku.
"A hybrid can exist."
"But it cannot contain more than 3 or 4 races."
"Beyond that, the different bloodlines cancel each other out… and the cells die."
Deku folded his arms.
"…Has there never been such a being in ancient times?"
"A child with five or more races?"
"…I've never found any record of it," Keke replied.
"But if such a being did exist…"
"And both the child and mother survived…"
"That would be nothing short of a miracle."
"…Or…"
His voice lowered.
"That child would be a true monster."
"One that even Primordial Demons, True Dragons, and Angels together couldn't defeat."
"Perhaps only by sacrificing countless powerful beings… to seal it in eternal sleep."
"And honestly…"
"I don't think such a thing is possible."
"If it were…"
"The world would already know."
"There is no being alive who can defeat all those entities alone."
"Not Titans. Not Devils. Not even Entities."
"Then how could a human do it?"
"…Fair point," Deku said.
"But if a slime hybrid is combined with another race?"
"It would still produce a powerful child," Keke replied, "but not one strong enough to surpass everything."
"…I see."
Keke returned to the center.
"Anyway, my king…"
"For now, our focus is on slime hybrids."
"I've successfully created three slime-human hybrids."
"The good news is—they mature faster than normal humans."
"Likely due to slime cells."
"This new race will be called—"
"Slimeta."
"They're easy to produce… and quite powerful."
"…But shouldn't we aim higher?" Deku asked.
Keke smiled.
"I already have."
He walked toward a large capsule.
Inside—
A figure floated.
"This is a new hybrid."
"It has the strength of a monster…"
"The intelligence of a human…"
"And the speed of a mermaid."
"Created from three bloodlines."
He placed his hand on the glass.
"I call it—"
"MEHUMO."
"Mermaid. Human. Monster."
"I used one monster for this… and created four more like it."
Behind him—
Four more capsules.
"But this one is special."
"It developed faster than the others."
"…How long until it awakens?" Deku asked.
"About one month."
"The others will take longer."
"Perhaps… because this one is stronger."
"…Why?"
"Because it's the original."
"The others are copies."
"…I see."
Keke smiled confidently.
"Don't worry, my king."
"I will create not just a few…"
"But an entire city—no… an entire army of hybrids and experimental creatures."
"For you."
"…Good."
Deku's eyes gleamed.
"I already have two Nicul Knives."
"I need three more."
"Then… I will free Gisaane."
"That's wonderful news," Keke said.
"Oh—right. One more thing."
"One of my students reported something interesting."
"A tower has appeared in Mount Land."
"And inside it…"
Deku narrowed his eyes.
"…Who?"
"An entire race."
"The Oni."
"…What?!"
"A race that was wiped out a thousand years ago."
"I don't know how they appeared there… or what they're doing…"
"But they could be useful."
"And I could even create a new hybrid using them."
"You should meet their leader and form a treaty."
"…No." Deku's voice turned sharp.
"I won't go to them."
"…Then how—?"
"They will come to me."
Keke blinked.
"…How are you so sure?"
Deku smirked.
"They want revenge."
"The ones who wiped them out… were the Ogres."
"So the Oni will definitely seek power."
"And for that—they'll need weapons."
"They'll go to the dwarves."
"And both the dwarves… and the beast kingdom…"
"…are under my control."
"So whether directly… or indirectly…"
"They will come to me."
"…I just have to wait."
Keke burst into laughter.
"Hahaha… Brilliant, my king. Truly brilliant."
Deku smiled faintly—
A cold, sharp smile.