Sounds of metal clinking filled the dimly lit room as Victor began arranging the tools needed for the operations. With the tools came foul-smelling chemical concoctions and disinfectants to get rid of any diseases the corpse might have caught after death.
Next to the tools, many jars with organs were lined up in various cabinets, from eyes to livers to tongues and even penises. Every organ a living creature had was present in the operating room.
The operating table stood in the middle of the room, covered in old, dried bloodstains. On top of it was Adrian's lifeless and naked corpse, awaiting the doctor to work its magic.
Victor approached the table once everything was in place. He wore a tattered, stained lab coat that hinted at the countless experiments conducted within the walls of his workshop.
Activating the recording device with his gloved hand, Victor placed it atop a cabinet, ensuring every detail of the operation would be captured.
This age-old yet practical habit allowed him to document the procedure thoroughly, facilitating the recreation of similar chimaeras should a customer demand multiple variations in the future.
"Subject-17's skin had been damaged in multiple places, which could prove distracting throughout the operation if not addressed promptly," Victor remarked, speaking into the recorder.
He continued, "While I have a plethora of monster skin prepped up for operation, given Subject-17's frail appearance, I'll opt for Ogre's skin, as it provides robust reinforcement and little magic resistance to otherwise frail human flesh."
Saying so, Victor reached for a bundle of ogre skin patches, each carefully preserved and ready for use. He carefully applied them to the areas where the skin needed reinforcement, stitching them in place with delicate precision.
However, he left some for later as he would them after fixing the internal organs. For now, he was happy with the result as the gross patches of rotten human skin wouldn't distract him from performing essential surgeries.
Once the skin drafting was done, Victor made a six-inch long incision across Adrian's chest, opening the way to his heart and injured lungs. Once Victor got a proper look at the wound, he realised it was worse than he had expected.
Saving the right side of the pair was impossible, as it had collapsed for a long following the injury. Even though Victor had told Chubby that he would need to replace the lung, he was only fooling them to reduce the cost of purchase.
But this word turned true, and that's where the problem started. While Victor had no shortage of monster lungs, most were too big to be transplanted into a human body.
"Oh, I forgot about that!" Victor exclaimed as he rushed toward the morgue hidden inside his workshop.
It had been long since he had needed a Merman's corpse, so it took him a while to find it in one of the freezers. Thankfully, the creature's lungs were still intact and ready for use.
However, Victor hesitated before taking it apart. A merman's organs were quite expensive. On top of that, using the merman's lung would also allow the chimaera to breathe underwater, but did he want to provide the chimaera with more than one ability?
"Be as it may, I don't have a choice here," Victor sighed, extracting the lungs. "Besides, I know the client has a knack for expensive things. So it would be easier to sell subject-17 at a higher price."
Even after a successful implant, Victor didn't close the chest as he wasn't done playing around with it. But at the moment, there were more pressing matters to deal with, such as Subject-17's crushed skull.
He had a Blighted-Skeleton's skull ready to replace the original skull. Besides, the Blighted-Skeleton was a monster that closely resembled humans, so it was the go-to option for Victor as it would help the chimaera maintain a human appearance.
On top of that, since the bones of any Blighted creature were at least ten times stronger than an ordinary human's skull, it could also be considered a worth-it investment.
Victor carefully replaced the damaged parts of Adrian's skull with Blighted bones, giving the mashed head a new look.
"Now, for Subject-17's eyes..." Victor mumbled as he retrieved a collection of monster eyes from the cabinet.
He looked at his collection of eyes – some common, others rare and valuable. Victor knew that the eyes he chose would not only affect the chimaera's appearance but also give it a unique trait.
The first option that caught his attention was a pair of ghoul eyes – eerie and unsettling, with a sickly green glow. While inexpensive, they also lacked Victor's desired sophistication for his creation. Therefore, he dismissed them with a subtle shake of his head.
As he pondered, he considered the quality of the chimaera he was creating. Since he had already used a Merman's lungs, he thought it wouldn't harm him to go all-out, just for the sake of it.
'Hm... expensive set of eyes; I have too many either way,' Victor thought.
One of the expensive eyes in his collection belonged to Water Nymph. They possessed an otherworldly beauty, but their subtle enchantment was better suited for aesthetic purposes rather than providing the chimaera with a practical advantage.
'I need something special for these eyes. After all, The rest of the materials are pretty average, except for that merman's lung, and I don't want the client to think the chimaera is ordinary. It needs a standout feature.'
Then his gaze landed on the eyes of a kitsune, the fox-like spirit creature known for its illusionary abilities. But that wasn't all; the slitted white eyes with red iris enchanted those who gazed into the eyes.
"Hmm, these kitsune eyes are both expensive and unique. They can create illusions – a special trait that could be useful for certain jobs."
"Besides, it also adds a touch of magic to the chimaera. The client might appreciate the extra flair and even pay more than agreed." Victor nodded, satisfied with his decision.
With the organs seamlessly integrated, Victor shifted his focus to enhancing the corpse's magic affinity. After all, without enough affinity, the chimaera won't be able to utilise the power of Kitsune eyes effectively.
It was for this reason Victor wanted the corpse of a mage. He shook his head and decided to move on, as dwelling in the past wouldn't give him any money.
Instead, he moved towards the cabinet and retrieved a level 3 affinity magic core. This high-quality gem would impress the client and allow the chimaera to utilise Kitsune's eyes effectively.
Once all the components were assembled, Victor initiated the painstaking process of bringing Adrian back to life. He used a cheap, liquefied version of an elixir made from the Philosher's stone under the church's possession.
While the knock-off elixir was one of his creations, it was potent enough to resurrect a chimaera. Therefore, he used a drip to introduce the elixir into the chimaera's body.
The elixir didn't just fix the damaged DNA; it also healed the spinal injury, stopped the body from decomposition and improved the chimaera's physical aspects, granting it stronger muscles and faster reflexes for a start.
The elixir also played a crucial role in seamlessly integrating foreign organs into the body, which was usually the biggest reason for the failure to create Chimaeras.
As the elixir worked its magic, Victor monitored the process. However, the transformation could take hours, providing him ample time to update the client on the progress and hopefully secure an advance payment to cover the expensive materials used.
"While I'm at it, I should also commission a tamer to make a slave contract with the chimaera," Victor excitedly said, rubbing his hands together.
Slave contract was essential as it would ensure the chimaera's loyalty to its master and help Victor to transfer ownership of the chimaera without any hassle.
"I can't wait to have my name spread around the realms!"
Exiting the chamber, Victor locked the door behind him. Unbeknownst to him, a surprise would be waiting behind those closed doors upon his return.