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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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“…”
Professor Praha’s face paled when she realized I was from the Titan family, her sponsor.
“J-just a moment…”
Her glasses slipped down her nose as she stumbled into the archive room.
The door closed, and sounds of rummaging echoed from within: papers rustling, books sliding off shelves, a distinct click of a lock opening.
‘A hidden vault?’
Surely, she wasn’t… running?
An Academy professor, fleeing from her sponsor?
It seemed absurd.
But her behavior… had been erratic.
Footsteps approached the door, then stopped.
Silence.
“…Seriously…?”
I waited, tapping my foot impatiently.
I tried the door.
Locked.
I twisted the handle.
It snapped off.
The door swung open, revealing… an empty room.
“Where is she?”
The room was a mess, books and papers strewn across the floor, evidence of a hasty search.
She had actually… run.
I should have known better than to trust an elf.
I rubbed my temples, surveying the room.
No windows, no other exits.
‘A hidden passage?’
Why would a research lab have a hidden passage?
I had to find her.
It was my family’s… my sister’s money… after all.
I couldn’t believe a seasoned Academy professor, over a century old, would pull a stunt like this.
I could easily tear down the walls, but that would destroy valuable research data.
I hadn’t even seen the results yet.
I had to search manually.
A thin layer of dust covered everything.
A clear sign.
A scuff mark on the floor, near the third bookshelf from the left, as if something heavy had been dragged.
She wasn’t exactly subtle.
I pushed the bookshelf.
It swung open, revealing a hidden mechanism, a heavy steel door behind it.
The vault.
I considered cutting through the door with my Aura Blade, but a polite inquiry about the wisdom of her current actions proved sufficient.
She opened the door, her face pale with fear.
She had realized the folly of her impulsive act.
“Why did you run?”
“I panicked… I’m sorry… I wasn’t trying to steal the money…”
She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
It was understandable.
An unannounced inspection… But running? Seriously?
“Your paper… it seemed promising… Surely, you have something to show for it?”
I had studied her paper extensively, desperate for any solution to my height problem.
It wasn’t a hastily written scam.
She had submitted regular progress reports to maintain the Titan family’s funding.
“I… I do… but… the results… weren’t as expected…”
“Then show me what you have.”
“Yes…”
She led me back to the lab, opening a large, refrigerator-like cabinet, an expensive artifact with built-in preservation enchantments.
Surely, she hadn’t bought that with research funds?
I hoped it was Academy property.
She retrieved a bottle filled with a viscous green liquid.
It resembled… pond scum.
“I… I tried my best… but… I’ve hit a wall…”
She looked dejected.
What could be so bad?
“All I managed… was a potion… that increases height… to about 180 centimeters…”
“180 centimeters…?”
Did I hear that right?
“The project’s goal… included growth acceleration… but the main focus was… enhancing physical strength… I’m still working on… bone density… muscle mass… immunity… This… this is just… a useless potion… that makes you tall and lanky… a fragile giant… I’m sorry… I’ll dispose of it…!”
She raised the bottle, as if about to smash it on the floor.
“Don’t you dare! Give it to me!”
The project’s original goal was to enhance physical strength, to help those with congenital disabilities who were too weak to train.
“Some elves… are born with such conditions… A long lifespan… makes it… unbearable… They’re like… living plants…”
“How long have you been working on this?”
“Since I got my medical license… less than a century…”
A century?
Two Emperors had reigned in that time.
A noble cause, helping those with disabilities.
“I understand… but this potion… it makes you taller, right?”
“Yes… It was the first thing I perfected… One of my students… volunteered…”
She showed me a photo album, filled with pictures of glum-looking students.
Volunteered? Or coerced?
The faded photographs depicted numerous… test subjects.
No wonder her lab was so empty.
But the before-and-after photos were impressive.
“They grew to about 180 centimeters. Is it consistent?”
“There are individual variations… but most men… reach at least 177 centimeters…”
A potion that guaranteed a height of at least 177 centimeters… It was a breakthrough.
I could barely breathe.
This potion… could fulfill my lifelong dream.
I could almost taste it.
The years of mockery, the pressure from my family, the constant reminders of my short stature… it could all end…
“Does it work instantly?”
“Yes… with this supplementary potion… it takes about five minutes…”
I snatched the bottles from her hands.
“Sponsor…?”
I knew I was being reckless, drinking an untested potion based on a few photographs.
But I couldn’t resist.
My lifelong dream… within reach…
I downed both potions.
“Gulp…!”
I felt a tingling sensation spreading through my body, a strange pressure, as if my bones were being stretched.
I channeled my mana, preparing for the transformation.
Minutes passed.
“This is garbage!”
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
I hadn’t grown an inch.
I had been scammed.
Again.
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[Your Text Here]
hmm starting to feel like there is world correction or a curse keeping MC short.
remember how he got inside?
he have a debuff with it