Marigold – A LitRPG

 

Aurum - Year 3     

 

In a large room resembling a laboratory, several boxes were stored in labeled drawers. These boxes contained everything from small white spherical eggs to various larvae of different appearances.

This place is known as the "Genetic Laboratory," where my team of scientists, magicians, and nurses have been conducting genetic experiments using life energy. The experiments involved animals—larvae, aphids, and fleas—as well as simpler life forms like plants and seeds.

This lab was responsible for producing the magical plant [Metal Tree] and creating some of the plants in my personal garden. I had never set foot here before, and to be honest, I wasn’t even aware of the existence of this very... modern room.

I usually know almost everything happening in the hive, but only when my mental secretary relays the information. Since I don’t have the patience to keep up with every little change, I ask to be informed only of major events. So, things like the construction of new sectors, expansions, or renovations aren’t mentioned unless they present a conflict of interest.

As soon as I entered the laboratory, I saw jars of wax with labels lined up on a wooden stand, wooden cages on tables, gloves and goggles tossed carelessly on a large table, and several life mana batteries stored inside a tank of life essence.

"This place feels... strangely familiar," I muttered as I scanned the room. I noticed a large blackboard with notes and theories, books scattered around, and numerous notes stuck to jars or strewn about.

"Apologies for the mess, Queen Mother! Normally, we wouldn’t leave this place in such disarray, but with the recent breakthroughs in genetic engineering, the laboratory has attracted many volunteers eager to help with the research. It’s been quite chaotic here lately," Keb said, looking embarrassed.

"Busy? It seems more... deserted now," I observed, noticing the room was empty except for me and a small group of diverse members.

"The room was purposely cleared today in preparation for your visit!" a scientist said proudly.

"Hmm..."

'For some reason, this whole place reminds me of a professional laboratory. The design is strikingly similar, but the technology... is archaic.'

"Alright then, shall we get started?"

"Certainly!" the scientists replied, excited.

---

 

In front of me was a large table with a small circular plate made of wax, inside which was a tiny egg of a spiny larva. Surrounding me were several scientists, nurses, and wizards equipped with safety gear, all watching my every move.

"Alright, in this first test, we need you to direct life energy into the egg and ensure the mana behaves in a stable manner," Keb instructed.

"Hmm... Let’s see what I can do."

The egg was so small it fit in the hands of a worker; to me, it was like a grain of sand. I carefully brought one of my claws closer to the egg and released just a single drop of energy into it.

As my claw neared the egg, I squinted in concentration and began to pour a tiny stream of energy into it. As the energy trickled from my claws toward the egg, I saw what looked like golden smoke trailing from my nails and drifting into the egg. Unfortunately, as soon as the golden aura entered, the egg began to turn gray, then black, and finally rotted before my eyes.

"Failure... This is harder than I thought. It’s like trying to fill a glass with a bucket."

"Hmm... Maybe we could use beetle eggs? They’re significantly larger and might be easier to manipulate," a wizard suggested.

"That might work, but we’re only authorized to work with spiny larva eggs," a nurse responded.

"Bring the beetle eggs," I said firmly.

"Really?!" the wizard asked, surprised.

"There’s nothing else to be done... This experiment has piqued my curiosity."

...

...

"Experiment number 42—all previous experiments ended in the death of the specimen," a wizard recorded.

I’d been at it all day, but each attempt ended in failure. My energy was simply too overwhelming for the eggs, and even when I managed to regulate the dosage, the life mana behaved chaotically, killing the embryo.

'One more time...'

As I began the process again, a delicate thread of mana flowed from my claws toward the beetle egg. The mana thread subtly wrapped around the egg before sinking into it. For a moment, the egg took on an orange hue, and I could see the small embryo developing rapidly inside. Just as it seemed the attempt might succeed, the embryo started to struggle before stopping altogether, and the egg began to rot quickly.

"DAMN IT!" I screamed, slamming my hands on the table, causing everything on it to shake or fall to the floor.

 

 

'The hell?!'

 

 

"I can't believe this! I gained a skill out of pity?!"

'I guess you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, the skill doesn't seem like much in itself... But I can clearly see its usefulness.'

Being able to control how much mana enters my body, or how much mana leaves it, is exhausting work if you try to do it manually. But having a skill do all the heavy lifting? It's just amazing. Instead of focusing on the intensity of each individual spell, I can focus on manipulating them effectively while the system takes care of the energy supply part.

'Damn! Was this skill given to me on purpose?! A way for the system to tell me "Suck it, you idiot!" I don't like the fact that the system is proving to be more and more useful.'

The system makes life 1000x easier, but it makes me totally dependent on it. I can't deny that the skill is useful, but it's like a crutch given to me by the system. If I don't use it, I'll be at a disadvantage against other people who use it. But if I do use it, I'll be in the hands of the system.

'There must be something wrong with it. There's no way the system would make all people's lives "easier" just out of goodwill. Does it have anything to do with the Gods? The system may very well be their creation to help the people of the world... But what if it isn't? What if it's some kind of mechanism created by a higher power? But what? Who? And why?...'

"Mom?" the scientists around me called out.

"Oops, sorry guys, I got distracted again... But I think I now have a way to conduct this experiment successfully!"

As soon as I said that, I took a beetle egg from a basket and placed it gently on a wax plate, ready for my next experiment.

'Now... How the hell do I use this skill?'

Attempting to use the skill, I snap my fingers, producing a small spark of magical energy. Then I try to adjust the magical energy to make the spark between my fingers grow, and to my surprise, the spark actually grows.

Impressed, I try a few more times, adjusting the mana output a few times, producing sparks of mana in different sizes. Then, once I'm done adjusting the skill, I try to do something that requires more mana control and create a small thread of energy between my fingers.

'Impressive... It's incredibly easy to manipulate and adjust the concentration of energy with this new skill... This opens up a whole new avenue for many important researches, theories, and experiments...'

Without delay, I place my claw just above the small beetle egg and then begin to push a small stream of energy into the egg while maintaining my concentration to give a clear and objective purpose to the magical energy.

As the magical energy falls on the egg, it slowly begins to penetrate inside the egg quickly and precisely, mixing with the small embryo inside and causing the small creature to grow rapidly.

As I pour more energy into the small egg, the small beetle inside it grew and developed. The mucous membrane around the small embryo began to take on a vibrant golden coloration before the small beetle embryo began to grow rapidly in a bizarre way.

Its body was developing in a strange and unique way. Its back began to take on a metallic appearance with a golden color like gold, its small eyes began to glow with a strong white light, while the rest of its limbs grew and developed in a way that was evidently different from other common beetles.

In a few moments, the little beetle tore its mucous prison and slowly crawled out, revealing its unique and unconventional appearance. The little beetle had a metallic shell with a golden appearance, a green head, and limbs like a scarab, and deep black eyes.

"Wow! This is a great success!" said one of the scientists excitedly as he observed the little newborn creature.

"This was certainly much better than I initially expected..."

Curious about the little beetle that I had "created," I gently picked it up between my claws and raised it to my eye level, looking at it directly and analyzing it.

 

 

 

"I can't believe it!!! I'm the creator of this little thing?!" I screamed as I stared at the tiny insect between my nails that looked more like a gold nugget.

"Of course you're the creator, Queen Mother! It was your intervention that gave birth to him!" a nurse said happily.

"No... I mean, literally! My interference was so profound that this little guy created a spiritual connection with me... He's like Muck, I guess?"

"Seriously!?! This is incredible, Queen Mother! Can we have access to this creature? It would be of great academic value to be able to study him!" an excited nurse said.

"We need to document his actions and catalog his skills, then we can do a dissection to document this new species!" an excited wizard said.

"Wait a minute! Dissection?! No! I just spent over 8 hours trying to create this little guy, you can't dissect him! He's a unique species! We should keep him and try to create more of him, not dissect him and catalog him like a raccoon!" I said as I hid the little beetle in my hands.

The boys looked at each other, and then shrugged, as if it didn't really matter whether or not the beetle was dissected.

"Okay! We can create a small habitat for it and observe it. I wonder if it could reproduce with common beetles? It would be a good way to test the implications of 'genetic magic'," said a nurse.

While the boys talked and discussed, I opened my hands and looked at the small golden beetle. It looked fragile and tired, but it was also very beautiful. Then, as if responding to my gaze, it stretched, revealing its ethereal wings made of chitin that had a prismatic coloration, making me momentarily very happy with the creature's small gesture.

I couldn't feel the so-called "spiritual connection" between the two of us. It wasn't like the connection of the link I had with the hive, or the mental connection I have with Ciel and Muck. There was nothing apparent that connected us.

Irritated by this, I ended up activating my [Spectral resonance], and soon after, I opened my eyes to see a world full of balls of purple lights, black and brown with a putrid appearance. The air is filled with a rotten and poisonous aura mixed with a faint golden smoke, and in my hands... There is a small ball of sparkling lights, like a small orb of pulsating light that shines delicately. Coming out of the small ball of light, there is a small path in the form of an almost invisible line that connects directly to me. Touching this line, I can feel some sensations that are difficult to discern, but since I have experience with links, I can tell that they are things like tiredness, discomfort, and hunger.

'He he... How cute... I'll call you Nugget. My little golden Nugget, he he.'

---

 

"Very well, the tests seem promising. Keeping the energy stable in such a small runic formation is really challenging, but I believe I have reached a balance between functionality, cost, and stability." In front of me, I had a large box made of wood and wax. The inside of the box was completely lined with an insulating mixture of sap, crystal powder, and clay to serve as a magical insulator. Inside the box was a large, perfectly spherical ball made of some mysterious material encrusted with magical runes. Connected to this ball were tubes made of some semi-transparent vegetable matter filled with a strong golden liquid that ran throughout the box. Disconnecting the sphere from the center of the box and placing it on the table, it soon divided into several rings that made up the sphere. Inside each ring were runes and matrices of pure crystals similar to an electronic component. The entire item is called "Magical Manipulation Project 45-D", a prototype made with the best technology and workmanship the hive has to offer.

After making the final adjustments to the magic core, I fit it back inside the structure full of tubes. Then, after connecting everything, gluing some things together, and screwing others, I closed the box that looked strangely like a wooden cube without any special features other than a semi-spherical crystal attached to one of the faces.

Starting with the experiment, I placed my hand on the crystal attached to the box and began to pour my energy into it. The box began to respond to my energy as it trembled slightly and began to emit small sounds. As soon as I finished energizing the prototype, I ran to a safe distance and activated my [Crystal Skin], closing myself in a wall made of bio-crystals attached to my body.

Soon, the magic box began to tremble and emit a noticeable wave of magical energy. Then, the machine began to float in the air as it began to spin as if it were in orbit. Soon, the box began to emanate black smoke and flash with bright lights, before suddenly falling to the ground like a ripe jackfruit.

"Damn! Another failure... What happened this time? I spent days programming these crystals so that there would be a constant and stable flow of energy to the core. Theoretically, this prototype should be able to function as a compact and more efficient version of Max's 'Magic Wand', a way to cast a constant spell on a specific area. But it all ended up in smoke."

Gathering the failed contraption and placing it on the table, I returned to the idea board. The recent encounter with humans made me even more nervous and terrified. I always thought that even if I couldn't be physically strong, I would still always be a good Support. After all, that's all I can do directly. But after seeing those mysterious wounds that wouldn't heal easily, my pride got a slap in the face so hard that it was ashamed to even look up.

I'm a healer, the best this hive has to offer. I'm a spellcaster, researcher, and inventor in my spare time too. But my [Affinity] and Skills put me more as a Healer/Support. But even with all these advantages stacked, I still needed to bring out the big guns to be able to heal the boys' wounds.

Normally, I can heal any physical damage that afflicts my boys (except death and lost limbs). Things like diseases, poisons, wounds, or infections aren't even worth mentioning to me. But for some reason, that attack was able to make my healing factor... obsolete.

I'm not as smart as the boys, because like, seriously? What kind of person can create a fully functional industrial/magical society by themselves?!? These guys have managed so well on their own that sometimes I feel like a statue fixed to the ground that people worship. They come up with that "Without you, the colony dies" talk, but living lying in bed laying eggs and watching time go by is no life for anyone! I still have ambitions and dreams. Just because I gave up some principles and started a hive doesn't mean I threw myself body and soul into the work of "Queen Mother."

I want, I really need, to do something besides laying eggs every day. I'm still a little lucky to be the only member of the colony capable of actively manipulating life mana, so I'm in high demand for experiments that require life mana. But these guys are almost entering the Bronze Age while I was banging crystals together and trying to create something new.

But all of this could still be overlooked, because even though there are a lot of [Healers] in the hive, I'm still the best, and I enjoy this job.

Potions? Forget it! There's an entire group led by Jasper and several other guys who are dedicated to exploring and classifying all the magical substances that can be manufactured. Magic? Max is taking care of that. That boy is like a fujoshi who is crazy about any magical experiment. Engineering? Have some patience. Levi is like a shy boy with a hyper-focus on engineering and construction. He has a workshop just for him that he uses to create various contraptions with gears, springs, and belts.

And not to mention, there's an entire crowd that is always giving suggestions about new dishes, combinations, and recipes for Jay and Ray to test. The creation of weapons is carried out by a specific group composed of members of several different clubs. Poisons is in the hands of Aldy. The bureaucracy—something I wouldn't do even if I could—is all managed by Steve and a whole fleet of other members specialized in communication and information management. Entertainment is run by the 1010 group, and things like exploration and information gathering are done by Matt and Trevis.

Sure, I can join any group at any time, but I'm not nearly as good or knowledgeable about the subject as they are. Each one chooses a single club in which they dedicate their entire lives to improving themselves and studying, so if I go there trying to do something, I'll end up getting in their way instead of helping them.

Leaving the hive is like asking for a family intervention with 100% certainty. Everyone starts complaining and whining when I bring it up, as if a meteor was going to fall on me the moment I set foot outside the hive. Fighting is out of the question. I have very high defense and vitality, but damage? I'm a joke in this field. I can only kill someone with magical attacks or over a long period of time using poisons and diseases.

But being a healer... That was my greatest strength. My skills are the best in this area, and unlike the healing of the [Healer], my healing does not leave scars or marks on the body. I can recover with 100% efficiency without leaving any evidence of what happened. But that attack by that woman... I could not heal the wounds, not completely. The injured took hours to heal, and in the end, they were left with huge scars that I cannot reverse.

Some soldiers like scars. They are like "medals," they say, proof of their deeds and achievements. So some soldiers prefer and like to keep the scars, even having the option to remove them, and the spies of Trevis are no different. When they saw the huge scars, they were not upset or sad, but rather proud and happy to have a "great story" to tell their peers.

But I felt like a real piece of shit. If I am not a good healer, a good inventor, a good researcher, or even a good mother... then what am I?

Just a weight to be carried?