The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 60: Homunculus (Part 1)

Homunculus.
An artificially created lifeform, born through alchemy and magic.

Its origin traces back to Arkanis Rilsayn, the one hailed as the First Mage.
It was based on one of the 23 philosophical dilemmas he proposed while contemplating the future of magic:

—Are life and soul one and the same, or are they separate entities?

In their quest to resolve this enigma, mages eventually dragged the domain of life’s creation—once solely the domain of gods—into the realm of human intellect.

Thus came the birth of golems and homunculi.
However, in the modern age, homunculus synthesis has become a forbidden act.

The reason? Explained perfectly by the words of the Archmage, hero of the Allied Forces:

—You need human DNA to create a biological-type homunculus.

Golems, synthesized using inorganic materials like soil, stone, metal, or wood.
Homunculi, synthesized using organisms—humans.

Both are artificial lifeforms.

But golems simply follow set commands.
They possess no sense of self, no emotions—because they’re created from the inanimate.

Homunculi, on the other hand, can carry out complex instructions.
They possess self-awareness. They feel.
Because they’re crafted by grinding down living beings—humans.

And now, new information floated before my eyes.

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Entity: Altheron de Benneron
Classification: Artificial Lifeform-Class / Synthesized Animalia-Type / Mimic-Subclass Homunculus
Gender: Male
Age: 1 year
Trait: Clone-Type Homunculus

Altheron, walking away in a huff, wasn’t human.
Hence the information that surfaced wasn’t about a person—it was about an entity.

And depending on its intended use, homunculi fall into various categories.

◆ Clone-Type Homunculus (Homunculus Simulatus)
: This entity was created to imitate a human’s appearance and body. Its replicated exterior is extremely difficult to distinguish from the original. This entity retains 30% of the original’s memories via Memory Transfer Magic.

‘That thing’ was a homunculus, artificially created to replace Altheron.
In other words, a homunculus synthesized by grinding down the real Altheron.

The reason it didn’t recognize me—only 30% of Altheron’s memories were preserved.
Given its age of one year, it was clear the real Altheron had died more than a year ago.

That’s why the synthesis of homunculi is taboo across the continent.

And to my knowledge, there’s only one person twisted enough to do something like this continent-wide—

The Dark Merchant Group.

More precisely, one of the inner circle of the Dark Merchant Group—worshipers of corrupted souls.

“Avarus.”

The Forger of Greed—Avarus.

At the mention of Avarus, Altheron’s eyes trembled violently.
No—that wasn’t Altheron.
Just a homunculus shaped like him.

“You… how do you know of him…?”

It was eerie—how closely it resembled a human.
Not just resembled—it was Altheron in every visible way.

Even I wouldn’t have noticed if not for [Predatory Instincts S].
I would’ve thought it was just the same rude Altheron.

Which means—

‘Have they been replacing people like this…?’

That might explain how the Dark Merchant Group embedded political sponsors and noble supporters in every kingdom.
Even took control of royal armies.

At the root of it all, homunculi.

I didn’t hesitate. I charged at Altheron.

Homunculi have different weaknesses from humans.

But this one—this Clone-Type Homunculus—was a perfect mimic of Altheron.
Which meant its weakness was exactly the same as a human’s.

Crack—!

[Dragon’s Claw A] tore into Altheron’s chest.
I grabbed his heart.

Altheron’s eyes begged for his life.

Without delay, I ripped the heart out.

◆ You have defeated a Clone-Type Homunculus!
◆ You have gained 10 Combat EXP!

A translucent message floated up, confirming the homunculus was truly dead.
In my hand—the heart of the homunculus.
Still pulsing with life, but [Predation S+] would gain nothing from it.

“What are you doing?!”

Kai screamed in shock.
Bernard, too, was wide-eyed with disbelief.

Of course.
To them, it looked like I had just killed the heir of House Benneron.

Killing a noble is a serious crime, even if I myself am nobility.
And House Benneron would never let this slide.

I knew that.
But there was no time to explain.

Clang—! Clink—Clank—!

Metallic sounds echoed from the end of the corridor.
There, soldiers were clashing violently—
Count’s forces against the Viscount’s.

Sensing the commotion, Benneron’s soldiers had taken action.

I activated [Predatory Instincts S], and the information of the incoming soldiers streamed before my eyes.

◆ Battle-Type Homunculus (Homunculus Bellator)
: This entity was designed for combat and guard duties. It possesses enhanced musculature, accelerated regeneration, and high resistance to magic.

They, too, weren’t human.
While the one I killed earlier was a Clone-Type, these were Battle-Type homunculi.
They weren’t created to imitate Altheron—thus, their combat prowess was far superior.

These things had no sense of self, no emotion—
Pure killing machines, surgically designed for war.

Each of them had strength comparable to an Aura Knight.

Yet the Count’s soldiers held their ground.
They weren’t Frost Legion veterans for nothing.

Still… they wouldn’t last long.

I pulled a flask of oil from my inventory and gulped it down.

Right then—

A golden flash shot across my vision.

Golden hair, flowing in the frostwind.
A blue sword, slashing through the air.

Sching—!

The blade sliced through the homunculus’s neck in a single stroke.

Translatin_Otaku

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