Chapter 288: The Otherworld's Malice Towards the Human Race, a Permanent Angel?
"Arrow Volley!"
"Flowing Water Acceleration!"
*Swoosh!*
*Bang!*
The attacks from Leinas and Imina collided again in mid-air, creating a dazzling spark that flashed in the night.
Imina's long legs pushed off the lawn, re-establishing the distance between her and Leinas.
"Stop! Stop!"
"I'm not fighting anymore." Imina took a few breaths, raising her hand to signal a halt.
Leinas held her spear in one hand, its tip pointed at the ground, and revealed a brilliant smile. "Ready to admit defeat? Half-Elf."
"Admit defeat?" Imina scoffed. "Unless it's a fight to the death, a battle like this won't be decided in a short amount of time."
Seeing the two about to start bickering again.
*Clap!*
Tang Zheng raised his hands and clapped them together forcefully. "Alright, you two, how are you adapting to your newly increased power?"
The impending argument between Leinas and Imina came to a halt. They both looked toward Tang Zheng, a hint of a smile flashing in their eyes.
"Master, I have fully adapted. With my current strength, if I were to fight Gazef again, I'm confident I could defeat him," Leinas said with some excitement, weighing the spear in her hand.
Imina was happy about her own increase in power, but at the same time, she winced. "A potion that can make people stronger... if word of this got out, no one would believe it."
She knew Tang Zheng was called a "Genius Alchemist" and possessed technology far beyond that of ordinary alchemists, but she could never have imagined he could develop such a potion.
"That's right, Master."
Leinas nodded and spoke seriously, "The potion has no more effect on us. Please don't waste any more of it on us."
As users of the "Dragon Blood Potion," Leinas and Imina could clearly feel the immense increase in their strength in a short time, so they knew how precious this potion was.
To describe it as merely "precious" was to belittle it.
This was practically a National Treasure!
A National Treasure sufficient to drive everyone, especially the strong, into a frenzy.
If the world were to learn of this, the name "Genius Alchemist Tang" would be remembered by all, just like the heroes of legend.
Leinas and Imina couldn't fathom it, as it was far beyond their cognition, but they were certain of one thing: the materials for this potion must be exceptionally precious.
The thought that Tang Zheng continued to use large amounts of the potion on them even after their strength had stopped increasing pained them both.
"Potions are meant to be used."
Tang Zheng shook his head nonchalantly, then asked, "Describe your current power to me."
The cost of the "Dragon Blood" was actually quite high.
To produce a complete batch, he needed to use the "Magic Crucible," a Sacred Treasure of the Lizardmen, to refine and purify the "Dragon Blood," then use the blood of the lizardman Crusch Lulu to neutralize it.
Although only Imina and the other three were currently using the "Dragon Blood Potion," half of the ancient Fire Dragon's "Dragon Blood" had already been consumed.
The remaining blood, when made into the potion, would likely only be enough for another three to four people.
Additionally.
Following this line of thought, Tang Zheng had also created the "Sun Angler Potion," which had the effect of "detoxification" and "adding a Fire Attribute to attacks."
This should be a relatively practical and powerful potion for the people of this Otherworld, but it wasn't particularly meaningful for Tang Zheng. After creating a batch to check its effects, he had simply tossed it into his item box.
Imina and Leinas began to describe the changes they experienced while drinking the "Dragon Blood Potion," as well as the situation after they gradually mastered the Life Strength that had appeared out of thin air.
Listening to their descriptions.
Tang Zheng's eyes flickered, his understanding growing clearer.
Indeed, just as he had guessed, the Life Strength gained from the "Dragon Blood Potion" needed to be digested and absorbed by the user before it could be gradually converted into the power of a Class upgrade.
To step into the "Heroic Realm."
For Tang Zheng, he only needed to raise his Level by one, but for the people of this Otherworld, it likely required a kind of gradual accumulation and explosive release.
"In the end, it's still because the 'Dragon Blood Potion' isn't strong enough. The ancient Fire Dragon was only around Level 48. A potion refined from its blood will naturally have a limited increase in strength."
"If I were to use the blood of a True Dragon Lord like the Platinum Dragon Lord to make a potion, they could probably break through the Level '28' bottleneck with ease."
Tang Zheng thought silently to himself, then sighed helplessly.
The upper limit for a Human's level should be 42. Even if he really managed to raise the levels of Leinas and the others in the remaining two-plus years.
They still wouldn't reach the level of the Maid Squad, whose average level was around 50, let alone be comparable to the high-tier combat power of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
"Compared to Demi-human Races and Heteromorphic Races, the gap for the Human Race isn't just a matter of levels," Tang Zheng thought with a headache.
He suddenly felt the malice this world held towards the Human Race.
In the game YGGDRASIL, whether they were Demi-human or Heteromorphic Races, as long as they reached the required Racial Level, they would obtain special skills on a racial level.
An ultimate "Ruler of Death" like the Bone King possessed the special ability to create four High-tier Undead, twelve Mid-tier Undead, or twenty Low-tier Undead per day.
This wasn't a big deal in the game.
It was merely a specialization in the Undead system, allowing one to summon more Undead at once. But in the reality of the Otherworld, this Special Skill had changed.
The Undead created by the Bone King's Special Skill could exist permanently!
They didn't just disappear after a set time like in the game or like the Undead summoned by the Tier Magic "Summon Undead."
This led to a problem Tang Zheng had to face.
Even without the vast resources of the Great Tomb to support him, given enough time, the Bone King could assemble an entire army of Undead.
"If only I could create Angels that could exist permanently, just like the Bone King," Tang Zheng took a shallow breath, steadying his emotions.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Leinas noticed Tang Zheng was distracted and spoke softly.
"It's nothing."
Tang Zheng returned to his senses and shook his head gently.
"Master, Renner has been researching information on the Holy Kingdom recently and says she has a new discovery."
Leinas stood up straight and spoke softly, "She asked this subordinate to tell you that she would like to meet with you."
"Heh."
Tang Zheng's gaze was calm. He could guess her true purpose was likely just to see him.
Otherwise, she could have simply told Leinas about her new discovery; he had told Renner long ago that Leinas was one of his own.
Huh?
Tang Zheng suddenly recalled something. His expression changed as he spoke to Leinas and Imina before him, "I have something to attend to. I'll leave things here in the Kingdom to you two."
The moment his voice fell!
Before Leinas and Imina could react, Tang Zheng's figure had already vanished.
Facing the empty wooden chair.
"He's always in such a hurry," Imina sighed and said faintly.
Leinas was silent, her pearl-white teeth showing as she suddenly smiled. "I don't know what Master is going to do, but I know that we still can't help him."
Imina crossed her slender arms over her chest, falling silent as well.
Even though their current strength placed them among the top-tier strong individuals in any country, and they would be Adamantite-rank adventurers, both Leinas and Imina always felt that the gap in power between them and Tang Zheng had never seemed to shrink.
Abelion Hills.
Castle.
The White Mist Witch was somewhat confused, standing respectfully before Tang Zheng. "Master."
"Do you remember the first time we met, when you used your special ability to blend into an Angel's body?"
Tang Zheng smiled as he looked at the White Mist Witch.
"I... I remember."
The White Mist Witch didn't know why her master would suddenly bring this up, and she spoke timidly in a small voice.
"Your 'Blend' ability not only allows you to blend into a living being's body, but you can even control them, correct?"
"Yes, Master. If I encounter someone with great power or an overly firm and strong will, it won't work."
"How long can you maintain it?"
"This subordinate isn't sure either. I was inside my sister's body before, and it could be maintained for a very long time."
"Do it again. Use your 'Blend' ability to enter the Angel's body."
Tang Zheng cut to the chase, waving his hand to summon a Third Tier Flame Archangel.
"Yes, Master."
Though the White Mist Witch was confused, she immediately did as Tang Zheng commanded, turning into a ball of white mist and surging into the Flame Archangel's body.
This Flame Archangel was not summoned with a scroll, but an Angel Tang Zheng had summoned by expending his own Magic Power.
The moment the White Mist Witch entered the Flame Archangel's body, Tang Zheng immediately noticed an anomaly. With his current spellcaster level, he could expel the White Mist Witch from the Flame Archangel's body with a mere thought.
However, Tang Zheng didn't do so, allowing the White Mist Witch to control the Flame Archangel.
Time passed, bit by bit.
The Flame Archangel remained suspended in mid-air.
An Angel summoned with a scroll could only exist for half an hour, while one summoned using Magic would last a bit longer, about 40 minutes.
"It's been an hour now."
Tang Zheng raised the Pocket Watch in his hand, his pupils dilating slightly.
Under normal circumstances, the Flame Archangel should have dissipated long ago. Yet now, under the "possession" of the White Mist Witch, it continued to exist!
Shock, astonishment, excitement!
A mix of complex emotions made Tang Zheng feel a sense of disbelief.
"If there are no problems, continue to maintain this state," Tang Zheng said with a grave expression to the White Mist Witch who had blended inside.
Since Angel-type monsters couldn't speak and their bodies were similar to Constructs, with faces covered by silver armor, it could only flap its wings twice in response.
A full day and night passed.
The Flame Archangel still existed. This allowed Tang Zheng to definitively confirm that the White Mist Witch's "Blend" ability could allow an Angel to exist for an extended period.
"That's enough," Tang Zheng said. After waiting an entire day to get this result, he didn't feel any fatigue at all. Instead, his mind was exceptionally clear.
White mist drilled out from the Flame Archangel's body.
*Bang—*
The instant the White Mist Witch left the Flame Archangel's body, the Angel turned into light sparks and dissipated into the air.
Tang Zheng's brow furrowed.
"Master," the White Mist Witch said respectfully, her expression relaxed.
Within the deep, verdant Forest.
Sharp cries rang out from time to time.
Kaleb and the young man were drenched in blood, running for their lives while several Iron Ratmen gave chase from behind.
The aura of death was closing in.
Kaleb and the young man could no longer afford to conserve their stamina. They had to shake off these Iron Ratmen as quickly as possible, otherwise, the longer it dragged on, the more enemies would be drawn to them.
"These Demi-humans actually teamed up!"
Terror filled the young man's eyes, his previously composed expression long gone.
They had captured an Iron Ratman a while ago and, after much effort, had managed to extract a good deal of useful information from its mouth.
The Blue Maggot Tribe, the Pandas Tribe, the Magen Tribe, the Iron Ratman tribe, and the Ogre Race—five Demi-human Races had actually formed an alliance.
This was completely beyond what Humans understood of the Demi-humans in the hill region.
They had learned from the Iron Ratman that their tribe had been conquered by the Ogre Race in a single day.
They had now submitted to the Ogre Race.
Such information made the young man and Kaleb realize that an abnormal change, far beyond anyone's expectations, had occurred in the hill region.
This crucial information had to be delivered!
As Kaleb ran, he glanced over his shoulder at the relentlessly pursuing Iron Ratmen, who were even closing the distance. He realized that if this continued, neither of them would escape.
"You go first, I'll hold them off!"
Kaleb licked his dry, pale lips, a fierce glint in his small eyes as he growled at the young man beside him.
The young man's face paled in alarm. "How can I do that!"
"Stop your damn nonsense and go! We can die here, but the information must get out!" Kaleb skidded to a halt and turned to face the Iron Ratmen.
"No, we can both escape!"
The young man also hurriedly stopped and grabbed Kaleb's arm.
"Get lost!"
"I don't want to die with you."
"No, I'll stay and hold them off. You're stronger, you have a better chance of escaping the Hills."
"You idiot! So now you admit I'm stronger? It's because I'm the strongest that I'm the one who can hold them off!"
Seeing the approaching Iron Ratmen and the hesitant youth, an anxious look appeared in Kaleb's eyes.
"Escape?"
"None of you will escape, Humans." A muffled, malicious voice suddenly rang out.
The hairs on the bodies of the young man and Kaleb stood on end, their skin uncontrollably breaking out in goosebumps and a cold sweat.
The voice was extremely close—right beneath them!
Kaleb reacted first, lifting his foot and kicking the young man forcefully in the chest, sending him flying.
*Bang!*
The ground exploded.
Earth Glide!
The massive figure of an Earth Elemental Ogre burst out from underground, its thick, earth-brown hand grabbing for the closest Human.
Kaleb's face changed drastically as he rapidly retreated, but one of his arms was still caught. A powerful force surged through his arm, pulling him back toward the Earth Elemental Ogre that had just emerged from the ground.
"Damn it!"
Kaleb drew the Short Sword hanging at his waist, swung it hard to sever his own arm, and rapidly retreated again as blood sprayed out.
"Mr. Kaleb!" the young man cried out.
"Go! Hurry!"
"For the Holy Kingdom, and for Her Highness the Holy Princess!"
Kaleb roared, charging toward the Earth Elemental Ogre with the resolve to die.
The young man bit his lip, quickly turned, and continued to flee.
"You lot go and capture that Human. Leave this one to me," the Earth Elemental Ogre said to the Iron Ratmen, watching the charging Kaleb with great interest.
In less than a moment.
More than half of Kaleb's body had been turned into a pile of mangled flesh, his life completely extinguished.
"Not very durable. Boring."
The Earth Elemental Ogre grabbed his head and lifted it from the ground, a large amount of blood flowing down.
*Thump!*
*Thump!*
Heavy footsteps approached from behind. "Is this the batch of Humans that snuck in?"
"Yes, King. It's these weaklings. One of them got away," the Earth Elemental Ogre said, turning his head and grinning broadly at Gagaran.
Gagaran watched the scene with a cold face. He looked down and noticed something reflective on the ground. He walked over and picked it up.
It was the potion bottle that had fallen from Kaleb.
"Is this... a Regeneration Potion?"
Gagaran's eyes went wide with shock.
(end of chapter)