So, even though I was fired up, what should I actually do?
Before, the growth response came to me on its own.
Will it come again?
If it doesn’t, then waiting for it would just be in vain.
Since I don’t understand the rules, I think I should actively explore this.
I turn my consciousness inward.
Then, I can feel that familiar, hot flow shaped like a triangle within me.
Unlike when it was flailing around, it seems stable in that shape now.
If I can manage this, maybe…
I decide to concentrate my awareness on that flow, just like I did before.
Immediately, the sides of the triangle curved slightly as if responding to my will.
Whoa!?
Something is reacting.
It only moved a little, but I can clearly tell that my consciousness is linked to it.
If I modify the triangle using this method, something might change.
Shall I try pulling one of the sides?
I concentrate my awareness even more.
Then I imagine pinching the base of the triangle and pulling it downward.
Suddenly, it began to stretch like rubber…
Uh…!?
At that moment, the world around me warped.
I was hit with a severe dizziness.
My consciousness felt like it was being dragged far away.
Could it be… I’ve touched something dangerous!?
In a panic, I stopped pulling, and the dizziness immediately subsided.
That alone made it clear that this triangular flow is closely connected to my body.
Huff, huff… I thought I was going to die.
This is tough…
If I’m not careful, it might even be a matter of life and death.
That said, there’s nothing else to do in this empty, narrow place.
I might have overdone it earlier, so I’ll try again but much gentler this time.
Thus, I decided to touch that triangle daily while gauging my limits.
And what do you know?
By pushing my limits just a little, I started to get used to it, and after about a month, I could pull a bit stronger without getting dizzy.
I feel like I can do this…
With renewed confidence, I focused my awareness and pulled one side with all my might.
As a result, a new angle formed at the point I pulled, and the triangle became a square.
Moreover, it seems stable in that shape.
And for some reason, I feel like my body has grown larger.
My once pudgy limbs feel a bit more toned, and sensorially, I feel like I have the body of a one-year-old.
So, is this a success?
I’ve triggered the growth response myself and achieved about a year’s worth of growth in just one month.
Plus, unlike before, I didn’t lose consciousness.
I believe this is thanks to gradually testing my limits every day.
I’ve got the hang of it.
If I keep growing at this pace, it seems I could leave this place in less than three years.
Besides, my parents say I apparently don’t have any magical power.
If that’s the case, I need to build a body that won’t be defeated by monsters as soon as possible.
After all, there’s no guarantee this place won’t be attacked by monsters.
I’m going to grow as big as possible.
Just after I resolved to do so, a clattering sound echoed through the room.
A wooden tray rolled on the floor near the door.
Looking up, I saw my mother staring at me in shock.
Huh…? This reaction… Could it be… I messed up?
While I was feeling a bit flustered, my mother hurriedly ran outside and soon returned with my father.
“Indeed… you’ve grown…”
My father said, gazing intently at me.
“Is it really possible to grow this quickly…?”
“No… I’ve never heard of it… A homunculus… only experiences rapid growth during the initial growth response when its body is being formed. After that, it grows at the same rate as an ordinary human…”
Huh? I feel like I just heard a very important word.
Homunculus, that’s the term for artificial humans created through alchemy, right?
I understood that my origin was unusual, but… am I a homunculus…?
“I don’t know why, but this is amazing…!”
“Yes, it is! If this continues, we might be able to take you out sooner than planned. If that happens, I want to hug you right away.”
From the looks of them, they don’t seem to find this alarming.
Rather, they seem to be happy about this situation.
I’m relieved. This means I can focus on growing without any worries.
“Nero’s vitality is remarkable.”
“Really, I’m glad you’re such a lively child…”
As she looked at me, my mother’s face showed a slight hint of sadness.
And there’s a reason for that.
From what I’ve learned over the past month, it seems there were a few others created in the same way before I was born.
To me, they are like older brothers…?
They couldn’t overcome the growth response and disappeared without ever being born into this world.
Even with an unusual origin, I must be an irreplaceable child to my mother.
Additionally, through continued observation from the incubation tank, I learned something else.
That is, I was created from my parents’ magical powers.
In this world, every human possesses some level of magical power, and each individual has unique characteristics in their magical power.
These are the genes that exist within magic—magical genes.
By pouring my parents’ magical power into a cultivation tank filled with a special liquid, cells inheriting both of their magical genes are formed.
When these cells surpass the growth response that occurs only once, they are born into this world in human form.
I only just learned that this is what the term homunculus refers to…
So, while I am a bit different in form due to inheriting my parents’ magical genes, I am still undeniably their child.
However, there’s a significant drawback to being a homunculus; it seems that they are born without magical power, without exception.
You might wonder how something created from magical power can lack magical power itself, but that’s just how it is.
Furthermore, there’s the low survival rate until infancy.
This is the life-or-death selection caused by the growth response.
Given such adverse conditions, most people would likely opt for conventional child-rearing. After all, they could inherit magical power as well.
Yet, why did my parents choose this method to achieve the goal of having children?
That part remains unknown.
