Chapter 80: Mutation, Shining Like a Gem

“My lord, don’t lose heart yet. We can still think of another solution…” Leus tried weakly to comfort Nolan, though even he could hear how hollow the words sounded. He reached out and turned the dial on the magic heating furnace, and the orange-red flame at its core slowly died away. 

Since the experiment had already failed, there was no point wasting more expensive mana crystals.

Nolan nodded, his mood sinking as well.

He was about to go find Kayan and ask whether the Holy Mother Temple possessed any sacred hymns or blessing spells capable of purifying substances or enhancing activity. The chances were slim, but it was better than standing here waiting helplessly.

Yet the moment he turned around, a shrill cry suddenly rang out behind him.

“Ah! Th-this! What is this?!” Leus’ voice was filled with shock, confusion, and overwhelming ecstasy.

Nolan stopped immediately and turned back, following the direction of Leus’ trembling finger.

Inside the adamantine crucible, now cooled, an unimaginable scene was unfolding.

The dark-green sludge that had resembled swamp muck moments ago did not solidify after losing the catalyst of high heat. Instead, it began clearing up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The murky green impurities seemed to lose whatever force had been sustaining them and slowly sank to the bottom. Meanwhile, the liquid above changed color rapidly.

Dark green became pale green.

Pale green faded into faint gold.

And finally, once all impurities had settled at the bottom of the crucible, the upper layer transformed into a pure, profound crimson.

It was not the sharp red of fresh blood, nor the blazing hue of fire, but a restrained, elegant color with a strange warmth to it.

Under the soft glow of the laboratory’s mana crystal lamps, the entire liquid radiated a mesmerizing luster, as though the crucible contained not a potion, but a cauldron filled with molten rubies.

“How… how is this possible…” Leus muttered blankly, rubbing his eyes as if suspecting that exhaustion-induced hallucinations had finally overtaken him.

Nolan was equally stunned.

But the reason for his shock differed from Leus’.

Leus was astonished by a phenomenon that violated every principle of alchemy. Nolan, meanwhile, was staring because this thing looked nothing like the pale-blue Fervor’s Strength potion from his memories. In the game, Fervor’s Strength had been light blue with a sharp, irritating smell, closer in appearance to a solution of copper sulfate. But this…

This potion was deep crimson, noble and mysterious, radiating the beauty of classic fantasy magic. It looked less like a strengthening potion and more like the ceremonial blood used by vampire nobles to create blood thralls.

Nolan swallowed hard.

Could it have… mutated?

Wait. No way this thing turned people into servants of his bloodline, right?

No, no. I’m not a vampire!

“Hyper-catalyzation! This phenomenon only occurs when the catalyst’s activity exceeds theoretical values by an extreme margin, causing secondary purification through overwhelming catalytic force!” Leus finally snapped out of his daze. Letting out a scream of pure excitement, he practically threw himself onto the workbench, his face nearly pressed against the crucible.

Like a madman who had discovered the greatest treasure in existence, he observed the potion while shouting incoherently.

“So that’s it! So that’s it! The problem wasn’t insufficient catalyzation, it was excessive catalyzation! The concentration of ‘life essence’ in your blood is unimaginably high! Under high temperatures, that excessive activity actually destroyed the original medicinal structure, causing a state of ‘false death’! Only after the temperature dropped and the activity stabilized did its true catalytic power finally reveal itself!”

He spun around abruptly and stared at Nolan as though looking at some kind of monster.

“My lord! Your blood… this… I… I can’t even begin to describe it!”

The way Leus looked at him sent chills down Nolan’s spine.

At this point, he was one hundred percent certain that the 【Dragonkin】 label was no decorative gimmick. If anything, its effects were even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Dragon blood truly flowed through his veins.

“Master, calm down first.” Nolan forced himself to stay composed. “We still don’t know the effects of this thing.”

“Right! Right! The effects! I have to test them personally!”

Leus immediately regained the professionalism and sense of responsibility expected of a true alchemist.

Carefully, he retrieved a crystal long-necked bottle and a siphon tube from the shelf. With reverence bordering on worship, he extracted every last drop of the clear crimson liquid from the upper layer of the crucible.

After an entire cauldron of raw materials, the final refined product amounted to less than one hundred milliliters.

Leus raised the crystal bottle high beneath the light, admiring the red potion with obsessive fascination. He looked like a father gazing upon his newborn child.

Only after a full half-minute did he reluctantly lower the bottle.

Then he turned toward Nolan and gave a solemn nod.

Before Nolan could stop him, Leus yanked out the stopper, tilted back his head, and drank the entire bottle of crimson potion in one gulp.

“Master, you—!” Nolan’s expression changed drastically, but it was already too late.

This was an unprecedented mutated potion. No one knew what effects or side effects it might have. What if it was lethally poisonous?

Leus, however, paid it no mind. Wiping his mouth, he wore the resolute expression of someone prepared to dedicate his life to alchemy itself. “My lord, rest assured. I am an alchemist. If I cannot even be the first to taste my own creation, then I do not deserve that title.”

At the very least, the sense of responsibility he displayed in this moment truly lived up to the title of grand alchemy master from Nolan’s previous life.

After saying that, Leus closed his eyes and quietly sensed the changes within his body.

One second.

Two seconds.

Five seconds.

…

At first, nothing happened.

Nolan’s heart climbed into his throat, while beads of sweat slowly formed on Leus’ forehead.

Had it failed again?

Was this merely a beautiful counterfeit? Or worse… had it truly become some kind of blood-thrall conversion potion?

Just as tension began to build between them, the change finally came.

Leus’ face flushed red at a visible speed, like a shrimp dropped into boiling water. Moments later, sweat burst from his forehead, neck, and back in torrents, instantly soaking his robes.

Even more shocking, wisps of white steam began rising from the surface of his body.

“Urgh… ah…” Leus let out a pained groan. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging along his neck as his entire body trembled slightly, as though he were enduring immense agony.

“Master! Are you alright?!” Nolan was genuinely alarmed now. Leus absolutely could not be allowed to die here. He was already prepared to send a signal to Kayan at the first sign of disaster and have him use the highest-tier purification divine art available.

Leus did not answer. He simply gasped for breath, each exhale carrying scorching heat.

The process lasted for over a minute.

Then, at last, the terrifying heat seemed to find an outlet and erupted violently from within him.

Whoosh!

A visible wave of heat burst outward from his body and swept through the laboratory. The surrounding glassware rattled noisily under the impact.

As for Leus himself, after releasing that surge of heat, he collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat and panting heavily as though completely drained.

Yet the expression on his face was not one of pain. It was pure exhilaration. Absolute ecstasy.

“Ha… ha… I’m fine. Better than fine. I’ve never felt this good before!” Still gasping for breath, he let out a carefree, exhilarated laugh. “My lord… we… we succeeded!”