I decided to start by searching for any rooms where Annette’s sister might be held captive. Honestly, after seeing those children’s corpses, I knew this Research Institute was completely beyond saving.
Would it be okay if I just slaughtered everyone here besides that bald researcher? Yeah. I’m sure it would be fine.
Besides, who was the sicko who decided that human flesh should be on the menu? I’d definitely kill that person and turn them into my next meal. I just hoped they’d be easy to digest. I suppose I’d have to suck it up and eat an old man next time if I had to... yeah.
I wanted to wipe out everyone in this facility and scrub the place so thoroughly that their research could never continue. It was the right thing to do.
"Miti-chan, let's do our best and eat up, okay?"
"...Ai."
Did she just reply? Miti-chan actually answered me!
A menu window popped up right then.
[Additional Mission! Eat Humans: 2/25]
Oh, boy. So that was how it was going to be. Essentially, eating humans was a requirement for Miti-chan’s growth. Well, there was no helping it then. If the game said I had to do it, I had to do it.
Come to think of it, the count was already at two. Had that bald guy been tallied as well? Did that mean I didn't have to consume them entirely? Maybe just a few bites would suffice? I really didn't want to suffer any poor status effects from eating some villain’s head. I figured I’d know for sure if I kept a close eye on when the counter ticked up while I ate.
First things first: I needed to map out the institute, explore, and find things to eat to get stronger. I had to be careful not to make a mess, though; I didn't want anyone catching on to my presence. Oh, and I needed to bring Annette some food. Even if I found something, there was a good chance it would be human again.
"I want to find her sister first, but... damn. She isn't in this room either."
I peeked through the small holes I scratched into the ceiling space. I passed a room where magical beasts floated inside glass cylinders that looked like oversized pods. There was a laboratory cluttered with documents and chemicals. Another room contained a magic circle and an altar. I even found a storage room filled with various monster materials. In the food storage I’d raided the other day, the repaired walls and empty shelves stood out.
The place felt strangely ominous. The technology seemed quite advanced, yet it was interspersed with medieval elements, as if they were conducting forbidden experiments through alchemy and sorcery.
I eventually hit a dead end. Based on the signs I’d seen near the stairs, it looked like the rooms on the Basement 2nd Floor were a bust. She wasn't here.
There were floors further down, of course, but there were floors above as well. I decided to prioritize exploring the upper levels first to secure an escape route.
The layout was a bit strange. There were only two sets of stairs, one for going up and one for going down, located at opposite ends of the floor. There were also various hatches and shutters. You couldn't move between floors without physically crossing through the middle of the rooms. This kind of linear progression—not being able to just take a single staircase to multiple levels—felt very much like a video game. In the real world, a stairwell would take you straight to the top. Maybe it was designed this way to make it easier to isolate sections in an emergency?
Either way, Annette couldn't phase through walls like Miti-chan could. Escaping through a layout like this would be a nightmare for her. It would probably be best to wait for the right moment, wipe everyone out, and then make a casual exit. For now, this was the preparation phase. I wanted to at least have a map ready. Munch, munch. I snagged a passing rat. Gross. It tasted terrible.
I moved on to the Basement 1st Floor. The process was the same as before: crawl into the ceiling, scratch a hole, and peek inside every single room. Aside from the interrogation room where Baldy was being questioned, B1 housed security facilities. There were also solitary cells, though they were currently empty.
Wait, was that a security golem? That thing would definitely be a problem if we tried to run for it. I’d have to make sure to destroy it right before we made our move. The servants' rooms were on B1 as well.
I wasn't sure if I needed to eat the servants. They were just hired help, not researchers. Maybe I’d just avoid attacking them unless necessary? If I could hit my mission quota just by eating researchers, that would be ideal. I’d put that decision on hold for now. Regardless, I didn't see any beastman girl who looked like Annette’s sister.
Finally, I reached the 1st Floor. I was on the surface! Actual sunlight! My transparent slime body shimmered in the rays.
"So this is the sun..."
"...Ai."
Oh, Miti-chan responded again. Good.
Since I was already here, I figured I’d try climbing onto the roof. Outside, the facility was a massive red brick building about three stories high. It was enclosed by high gray walls with very few points of entry or exit. I’d definitely need to plan an escape route through those. Annette and her sister wouldn't be able to just scale a wall, after all.
I carefully made my way onto the roof, keeping an eye out for anyone watching. Ouch. The bronze roof was scorching. It didn't just hurt; it felt like I was being cooked. I couldn't even make it all the way up. My moisture was literally evaporating.
Yeah, I definitely needed to get the Heat Resistance skill. If I wanted to be useful and perform any monster actions outside, I had to find a way to acquire it.