Chapter 79: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Leus jerked his head up as though he had just heard Nolan announce that he planned to take on Demont’s entire army by himself. “What? My lord, you… what did you say?” He dug at his ear, suspecting that days of sleepless nights had finally made him hallucinate.

Looking at his stunned expression, Nolan repeated himself, this time with even greater certainty, “I said, use my blood in place of Elfin drake blood and see what happens.”

Now Leus heard him clearly. His first reaction was not shock, but helpless amusement.

“My lord, please don’t joke around.” He waved his hand dismissively, assuming Nolan was merely trying to comfort him. “You may be an extraordinarily powerful warrior, but you are still human. Human blood, let alone serving as a catalyst, doesn’t even qualify as ordinary alchemical material. Using human blood as a catalyst fundamentally contradicts the basic principles of alchemy. If human blood were useful, I would’ve drained myself dry long ago instead of sitting here worrying myself sick.”

To him, Nolan’s suggestion was as absurd as saying one could get drunk on water instead of liquor.

The lord had always possessed startlingly original ideas and an uncanny instinct for seeing straight to the heart of alchemical problems, but after so many sleepless nights, it seemed even his mind had grown muddled.

Understandable enough, Leus thought.

“I’m not joking.” Nolan’s expression showed neither confusion nor humor. “Give it a try, Master Leus. We don’t have any other options anyway, do we? That encounter with the dragon girl gave me some… unexpected gains. Even if it fails, we’ll only waste a few drops of blood. We lose nothing.”

Leus stared at the weary but resolute Nolan, momentarily unsure how to respond.

He knew Nolan was no ordinary man. His transcendent swordsmanship, his strength and physique far beyond that of normal humans, all proved that his true power was not to be underestimated. But immense combat ability and possessing highly concentrated dragon blood were two entirely different matters.

Dragons were legendary creatures that stood at the pinnacle of the world, their bloodlines noble and overwhelmingly powerful. Even drakes carrying only a trace of dragon heritage were terrifying magical beasts. Humans, meanwhile… in the eyes of dragons, humans were little more than ants.

A human possessing dragon blood comparable to that of a pure drake?

It was pure fantasy.

And as for the “unexpected gains” Nolan mentioned, what could that possibly mean?

“But, my lord… this goes against common sense. It’s best not to expect too much…” Leus tried to persuade him once more.

“Common sense?” Nolan cut him off. “Master Leus, you’re an alchemist who pursues innovation. You should understand better than anyone that so-called ‘common sense’ exists to be broken. If everyone rigidly followed convention, alchemy would never progress.”

Leus froze.

That was right. Hadn’t he always prided himself on challenging tradition and overturning convention? Wasn’t that exactly why his alchemy shop was called Counterpoint? Because he constantly researched techniques the mainstream alchemical world dismissed as heretical nonsense.

Yet now, when faced with an idea even more unconventional than his own, he was the one shrinking back and hiding behind “common sense.”

Heat rose to his cheeks. In terms of conviction, he had fallen short of his lord.

“You are absolutely right, my lord.” Leus took a deep breath, and sharpness returned to his eyes. “I was narrow-minded. Any unproven theory is merely a hypothesis. Practice alone is the true test of truth!”

In that instant, he once again became the passionate alchemical fanatic he had always been.

“Good! Then let us put it to the test!” Leus slammed the table. “Apprentice! Clean the crucible and prepare for a new experiment! Use the highest-grade materials for everything!”

The apprentice outside jumped at the sudden roar but immediately hurried into action. Before long, a brand-new adamantine crucible, polished until it gleamed, was brought into the room.

Leus personally took over, skillfully and precisely adding one precious ingredient after another into the crucible.

Extract of Matona Grass, green as polished jade. Crystallized lizard saliva, thick and transparent, shimmering with rainbow light atop the fusion array.

…

Every step was performed with meticulous care, his expression focused as though he were conducting a sacred ritual.

Nolan stood nearby in silence, watching.

Truthfully, he was nervous as well.

Although his system interface clearly displayed the label 【Dragonkin】, the system had never actually explained what it did. He only knew that his physique, strength, and recovery speed far surpassed those of ordinary warriors. Whether 【Dragonkin】 merely granted him numerical enhancements through the system, or had genuinely transformed his bloodline, even he could not say.

This was a gamble.

If he won, the road ahead would open wide before him.

Soon, the experiment reached its most critical stage: the addition of the core catalyst.

Leus stopped moving and raised his head, staring intently at Nolan. His eyes held both anticipation and unease toward the unknown.

Without a word, Nolan stepped forward. He drew The Mountain’s Resonance from his waist and, without the slightest hesitation, lightly sliced the tip of his left index finger.

A thin cut opened, and crimson blood immediately welled out.

【-1】

【-1】

【-1】

…

A string of negligible damage notifications flickered across his vision, ignored completely by Nolan.

He held his finger above the crucible and allowed drop after drop of blood to fall into the faintly boiling liquid below.

Leus held his breath, eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the changes inside the crucible.

One drop. Two drops. Three drops…

Nolan carefully controlled the bleeding, counting silently in his head. According to their theoretical formula, they needed roughly twenty milliliters.

Yet when the blood touched the liquid, nothing dramatic happened. The crimson droplets were quickly swallowed by the emerald potion and vanished without a trace.

The light in Leus’ eyes dimmed visibly.

So it still wouldn’t work after all?

Nolan’s heart sank as well, but he did not stop. He maintained his position and waited patiently.

As the furnace temperature continued to rise, the liquid inside the crucible began to churn violently, bubbles erupting across its surface.

Then the familiar, nauseating dark green color appeared once again.

The potion grew thicker and darker until it became a swamp-like sludge.

Failed.

A complete and utter failure.

The reaction was even worse than when they had used inferior drake blood.

“…Sigh.” Leus let out a long breath, as though all strength had drained from his body. Leaning weakly against the workbench, his face was filled with disappointment. “It seems human blood truly cannot replace dragon blood. I… I was far too fanciful.”

Nolan remained silent as well. Looking at the finger that still bled faintly, he felt a tangle of emotions.

Could it be that the [Dragonkin] label was merely a system-imposed stat bonus? Or perhaps the dragon blood concentration within him was even lower than that of inferior drake blood?

But Evelyn, the one who had given him all this, was a noble crystal dragon. He also possessed the trait [Source of the Dragon], a name that sounded overwhelmingly powerful despite its unclear purpose.

This shouldn’t be happening…

Both men sank into disappointment.

As Leus absentmindedly shut off the furnace, the temperature within the crucible slowly began to fall.

And within that pot of seemingly “dead” dark-green sludge, a subtle and mysterious transformation quietly began while the two sat in dejection.