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Chapter 25
🕑 Added 2023-11-07 03:00:01 +0000 UTC[Ding! You've received 10,000 skull coins!]
[Ding! You've received 10,000 skull coins!]
[Ding! You've achieved the title: [Master of Fraud]. You earn 500 Experience!]
[Master of Fraud: A special achievement, earned by making a one-time profit of over 300,000 skull coins through the sale of a single type of potion. Permanent bonus acquired: Potion sales income increased by 1%, Intelligence +1, Eloquence +1.]
Inside the store, Lynne bathed in delight (〒▽〒), and sat amidst a pile of coins, counting each skull coin meticulously.
"It feels wrong, taking advantage of them like this. But I swear I never deceived my customers. If the potion can double one's combat abilities, surely it boosts every aspect exponentially. Our Bloodsaw Potion Shop's reputation is top-tier. If hair loss is an issue, I'll concoct a batch of hair growth potions tomorrow, promising affordability! T^T"
...
Meanwhile, on a vast plain in the Dark World, rows of heavily armored dark elves stood in formation, their gaze fixed intently on the looming black fog ahead.
The leading elf, gripping his spear tightly, was ready for battle. This was the fifth day of the elven kingdom's stand against the abyssal insect swarm, a pivotal moment. If they could successfully defend against this ferocious onslaught, reinforcements would soon arrive.
From the shadows, faint roars echoed. Red eyes shimmered in the darkness, watching.
"Has our supply not arrived yet?!" The elven captain turned, a frown creasing his brow, looking at his subordinates behind him. Their situation was dire. All supply routes had been cut off. Their only means now was through Vision World. But the number of [Vision Stones] they had was dwindling. If they couldn't fend off this wave, their defenses would crumble by dawn.
"Captain!" A dark elf rushed over, panting heavily, pausing to catch his breath before saying, "I've established contact with the kingdom via Vision World. The kingdom has urgently sent us some supplies. But due to Vision World's transfer limitations, they've only managed to send a little over a hundred bottles of combat potions urgently procured by the kingdom!"
"Hopefully, they'll aid us!"
He promptly set down a box from his back. Upon lifting the lid, rows of assorted compound potions were neatly arranged inside.
"Half of these are emergency healing potions, two-thirds are auxiliary strength-type potions, and the remaining third consists of a few advanced combat potions urgently bought by the kingdom's supply team."
He picked up a poo brown-colored potion and handed it solemnly to the captain.
"Captain! Here you go!"
The elf captain took the potion with a furrowed brow, observing the murky and revolting liquid inside. "What kind of potion is this? It looks like... urine?"
The elf replied gravely, "The supplies for all our units are running critically low. The kingdom's stockpile is nearly empty. This newly procured potion varies in quality, but word has it that it can nearly double the user's combat strength. It's potent!"
"Double?!"
The surrounding dark elves expressed astonishment upon hearing this. They understood that potions capable of significantly boosting combat abilities in such short durations were exceptionally rare. Those that could amplify abilities by more than double were lifesaving ace potions in dire circumstances!
However, such potions typically come with severe side effects. Some left the user severely weakened for days after consumption. Regardless, the utility of such a potion was undeniable.
"Are there any side effects?"
"We're unsure due to the urgency."
"How many of these potions were sent?"
"Five."
The elf captain, with a grave expression, declared, "Distribute the potions. If they truly can double our strength for a short period, I'm confident we can defeat the aberration!"
Defeating the insect matriarch would substantially alleviate their defensive line's crisis.
At that moment, sharp roars pierced the darkness. Suddenly, the black mist churned, and countless massive insects surged from the ground, their foul mandibles emitting horrifying shrieks.
In the distance, a massive matriarch insect, the cause of their woes, made its appearance.
"It's here!" The elf captain lifted his gaze and roared, "Prepare to defend!"
The swarm, like a tidal wave, commenced its onslaught.
Leading the charge, the captain plunged headfirst into the swarm, brandishing his spear, fiercely tearing through insect after insect. His gaze immediately locked onto the enormous aberration deep within the swarm, orchestrating the attack.
His eyes sharpened. If this potion truly doubles one's combat prowess, He was certain he could navigate through this sea of enemies and slay the aberration plaguing them!
With a twist and a pop, the potion's cork was removed. Gritting his teeth, the captain downed the entirety of the potion in one gulp. In that very instant, a torrential warmth, indescribable, surged from his stomach, flooding every fiber of his being.
His pupils dilated, "This... this power..."
His expression was one of utter astonishment. He felt his strength exponentially rising as if the potion was a potent catalyst that instantly magnified his power to unthinkable levels.
In the very next moment, he let out a thunderous roar. The armor encasing his body burst asunder. To the astounded gazes of the fighting elves, their captain revealed a physique of rippling, bulging muscles that pulsated with fervent energy.
"Captain?!" Their astonishment mingled with elation.
For they too, in that split second, felt the surge in their captain's aura, seemingly becoming much more potent. However, another explosive sound echoed, their captain's luscious, long black hair, much like his armor, exploded away, revealing a glistening, bald scalp.
Ping—
A glint of light reflected off his smooth forehead, momentarily blinding all the onlookers.
The gathered elves exclaimed, "(ΩДΩ)!!"
"So shiny! Why did his hair explode off?!"
Almost simultaneously,
Boom—
Boom—
Explosions resonated in the distance.
The elves, gripped by panic, quickly turned to find that the other four of their ranks who had ingested the potion shared the same fate as their captain. Their clothes had exploded off! And along with the rhythmic pulsations of their exposed muscles, their hair too was blown clean off. Multiple gleaming reflections danced around, turning them into the most dazzling figures on the battlefield.
"They've gone bald too (ΩДΩ)!!"
The elves were taken aback. Although they'd gone bald, it seemed they had suddenly grown immensely stronger! Could this be the side effect of that potent potion?
In the next moment, amidst that surging power, the captain clenched his spear and roared, pointing towards the monstrous aberration deep within the swarm of insects.
"Prepare to charge!!"
Under the astonished gaze of the elvish troops, the five elves who had consumed the potion brandished their weapons, raging like primeval behemoths, and with unimaginable speed, charged at the aberration. Countless insects on their path were effortlessly cleaved apart, as easily as chopping vegetables.
"They're so strong! The captain and his team suddenly became so powerful!"
"What in the world is that potion? To think it could boost one's combat power to this extent in such a short time!"
"But Captain! At least wear your armor! Don't charge into battle with your rear exposed! (ΩДΩ)!"
"Captain!!"
Under their astonished watch, the five bald and bare-backed warriors, emanating formidable power and akin to incarnations of war gods, fiercely charged into the very heart of the insect swarm like bulldozers.
Meanwhile, across various parts of the Dark World, one after another, bald and bare-backed warriors were similarly showcasing their dominance in various realms.
…
Vision World.
[Breaking News: In the Sinful City, a ten-year-old from the Blood Demon Clan suddenly went bald and saw a surge in power. He singlehandedly defeated fifteen tentacle demons in a trial, breaking a century-long record of the Blood Demon Clan!]
[Breaking News: The shipwrecked Unicorn Ghost Clan fleet was successfully rescued in the Desolate Sea. It's believed that the sudden high-frequency shine from a first mate's scalp acted as a beacon, guiding passing ships to their location!]
[Breaking News: A werewolf from the Sinful City was besieged by the Blood Clan. After transforming and bursting out of his clothes, he suddenly went bald, his power immensely amplified. He managed to singlehandedly defeat over a dozen vampires and successfully escaped their pursuit!]
…
Potion Shop.
[Ding! Your fame in Sinful City +10]
[Ding! Your fame in the Dark Elf Kingdom +5]
[Ding! Your fame among the Succubus community +10]
As Lynne was busy preparing a Flesh Regeneration Potion, his ears were constantly filled with various notifications over the past few hours. Clearly, all these fame points were garnered from the 30 bottles of Critical Strike Potion he sold earlier.
Yet, Lynne paid them no mind. At this moment, he was deeply focused, a stern expression on his face as he stood before a large cauldron, observing the viscous red liquid within. Bubbling sounds emanated from the mixture.
"Add a piece of Blood Demon's flesh. Pour in one liter of Composite Slime's secretion. Add one tail of a Demon Gecko. Include 1 gram of Dark Bat's excrement. After thoroughly stirring, add a tiny bit of Headhunter's dental calculus..."
Wearing a mask, Lynne meticulously began crafting his potion, strictly following the Flesh Regeneration Potion formula.
[Ding! Alchemy Experience +1]
[Ding! Alchemy Experience +1]
[Ding! You've mastered the Intermediate Alchemy Technique. You gained Intelligence +1, Experience +200]
Notifications from the system kept ringing in his ears. After a full half-hour, Lynne meticulously decanted the freshly brewed potion into individual bottles.
"Mission accomplished!"
With a smile, Lynne wiped the sweat off his forehead.
This was one of the two formulas the system had rewarded him. Unlike the Critical Strike Potion, the Flesh Regeneration Potion was a supplementary healing potion. As the name suggests, it could rapidly regenerate flesh and heal injuries.
[Flesh Regeneration Potion: A top-tier potion that can quickly heal external wounds and regenerate severed limbs. However, it might have some minor side effects...]
He had crafted a total of 17 bottles of this potion. Not because he didn't want to make more, but because he had run out of the key ingredient, the tissue from an Origin-level creature. Such materials were truly rare and hard to come by.
Returning to the front hall, Lynne placed his meticulously crafted potions on the counter, closing his eyes as he awaited customers. However, having witnessed the effects of the Critical Strike Potion, Lynne was quite curious about the side effects of this new potion. Still, there shouldn't be any overly bizarre reactions, right? Now, all he needed was a test subject.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
A knocking sound came from outside the door.
Lynne immediately stood up, displaying a professional smile, saying: "Welcome to Bloodsaw Potion Shop, where we sincerely serve you."
Standing at the entrance was a fairy with a pair of jet-black moth wings. She gracefully landed on the ground.
She appeared to be less than fifty centimeters tall, clad in black knight armor covering her entire body. Her chest was puffed out, and a miniature longsword hung from her left waist.
However, the right side of her body was bloody and mangled, her arm appearing as if it had been torn off by something, dripping blood.
With a small hand, the fairy pushed up the mask of her helmet, revealing a pair of beady black eyes. She spoke in a childish tone: "I need surgery, koli!"
Lynne's Vision World was instantly filled with her status panel.
[Black Moth Fairy]
[Level: 88]
[Age: 99]
[Race: Fairy]
[Alignment: Chaotically Friendly]
[Combat Ability: Small but mighty, the essence is concentrated.]
[Description: Originally hailing from the surface world, a subset of fairies was banished to the Dark World ages ago. They evolved over time to adapt to the environment of the Dark World, turning into dark fairies. They possess strong mobility and night vision. However, due to their inability to match other races of similar levels in combat, they are often kept as pets...]
Lynne was taken aback. He had never encountered such a species before.
[Ding! Task activated: Arm Regeneration. Rewards: Skull Coin +200, Experience +200, Special Reward x1]
"Come in!"
Lynne greeted her with his usual professional smile. His gaze immediately fell upon her torn arm.
Swish-swish—
The Black Moth Fairy fluttered to a chair in front of the counter. However, because of her short stature, even standing atop the chair, she barely reached eye level with Lynne.
"A monster ate my arm koli!"
The Black Moth Fairy pointed at her mangled left arm, and pushed her mask back up, revealing a pair of deep black eyes. She looked earnest.
"I need treatment, or I'll die. It took me so long to find a potion shop. Can you heal me koli?"
She looked naive as if she was easily fooled.
A kind smile spread across Lynne's face. Adjusting his monocle, he said: "Don't worry. The Bloodsaw Potion Shop is the best within a hundred-mile radius of Wandering Soul Lane. We have an excellent reputation. Not just an arm, even if you were reduced to ashes, we have potions to bring you back!"
The Black Moth Fairy stared intently at him.
"Really?"
Although she wanted to believe, why did she sense a hint of deceit behind that seemingly kind smile?
"You aren't planning to drug me, tie me up, and stash me in the attic for some nefarious deeds, are you?" She asked seriously.
"…"
Her direct question caught Lynne off guard. Was this a characteristic of her race? How could she brazenly pose such a question? And even if one had such intentions, he certainly wouldn't admit to it when asked directly!
"No, I won't," Lynne replied earnestly.
"That's good then." The Black Moth Fairy relaxed, letting out a small sigh from behind her mask.
[Ding! Black Moth Fairy's Favorability towards you +10]
Lynne: "???"
