[Chapter 33: Magical Potion]
It had been three days since John's breakthrough. In the underground boxing ring of the Black Vipers Club,
Whoosh... whoosh...
Two towering figures threw punches relentlessly, each swing cutting through the air with sharp whooshing sounds as they aimed to land hits on their elusive opponent.
There were three flickering shadows moving so fast that it was hard to keep track -- John and his two friends, Adam and Bob.
John faced off alone against both Adam and Bob, dodging their attacks gracefully. Surrounding them were a group of burly guys, all rooting for Bob and Adam.
Bob's skills had nearly caught up to Adam's -- after all, training every day alongside John meant that if Bob couldn't outmatch Adam, then John as a mage would be a failure.
Thinking about this got Adam a little envious...
Over the last three days, everyone had noticed John's rapid progress -- it was almost unbelievable. But when they learned John had just broken through a major physical limit, entering a consolidation phase, they snapped back to reality. They were also becoming increasingly serious about the fighting techniques John was teaching them.
Meanwhile, John had mostly adapted to his changed body. Handling Adam and Bob together was becoming easier. He had even taken some time during those days to test out the power of his magic in an isolated area.
Based on his memories, he had expected the results to some extent, but the reality still amazed him.
Don't underestimate the powers of a novice magician just because it's basic magic. In the mystical world of Alistair, where the magic god Einstein came from, basic spells might seem puny -- after all, John had just stepped over the threshold.
But here on Earth, in this ordinary mortal world, John was already adapting to a kind of minor superhuman status.
The physical enhancements were impressive on their own, but when it came to magic, he wasn't just throwing out a few tiny fireballs anymore.
Now that he officially promoted to a magician, his magical versatility started to show. In Alistair, the magic god's world, magic was dynamic and elemental, so mages focused on large-scale, devastating spells for warfare between races.
But on Earth, John realized he didn't need to focus on massive attacks -- there was peace here, no need for widespread destruction. Instead, he focused on increasing his own combat power.
For example, he could convert his water magic into ice magic and launch a single ice needle.
Within a 100-meter detection range, these magic needles flew extremely fast, far beyond what the naked eye could track. It was like his spiritual energy guided the needle wherever he wanted. These attacks were silent killers -- this wasn't just ice needles; he could do the same with gold or any other element he mastered.
According to his tests, he could control the flying needles for over 20 minutes straight before his concentration and magical power started to run dry. Don't think twenty minutes sounds short.
Without using high-powered weapons, he was confident he could face off against dozens, maybe hundreds, in that span. In dense environments like jungles, where he could recover while attacking, he could take down thousands easily.
So John started to get really interested in transforming his magic skills.
---
John had been spending all his time with Bob at the underground training facility, having a great time. On one of his rare days off, he received a call from Allen and followed him back to their hideout.
"Allen, what's so urgent?" John asked, seeing only Allen and Adam waiting.
"John, this time I won't sugarcoat it. Those New Yorkers we put away before have come back. Now they want to settle their claim to our territory with a boxing tournament," Allen said.
Adam and Allen had spent days thinking and figured only John and Bob were strong enough for this. So they'd called them over to discuss it.
"What? You want me to fight in your underground boxing matches?" John sneered.
He thought to himself, 'Yeah right, you guys wish. I'm not about to get labeled some gangster. I only got involved because you wanted to clean things up and had no one else. If I start mingling with gangs and fighting in illegal matches, I'd be throwing away my shot at being a future mogul. No thanks.'
"We know this puts you in a tough spot, John," Adam said. "But we've got no choice. We were planning three fights. Bob and I will cover the first two. If we win out, you won't have to fight. In this way, you'd be treated as a non-staff member," Adam proposed.
"I don't want my life tied to the mob and underground fights. I just want peace," John said firmly.
"If you're worried about being recognized, you can wear a mask or a head covering. Nobody will know it's you," Adam coaxed.
They were clear on this -- if John fought, victory was guaranteed.
With John teaching them his martial arts and breathing techniques, both Bob and Adam had already improved significantly.
Winning all three matches was very likely, so they kept persuading John to join.
"When's the tournament scheduled?"
"Before April. About ten days left," Allen replied, sensing John was softening.
"Alright then, I'll support you. You two go first -- if you can win, I won't have to step inside the ring," John relented.
Part of him was curious about the underground fight scene -- what kind of life lived beneath the surface? Maybe he could meet some of the real underground bosses, so if he ran into them later, he wouldn't be clueless.
"Alright, Adam and Bob will train with me every day. I'm going to amp up their regimen."
John thought it was best to monitor things and push their skillsets even further. To do that, he'd need some special help.
Just as he officially became a mage, he decided to try out some of his other ideas.
When Allen and the others heard John mention he could improve their physical abilities by 20% in a short time, they were stunned.
...
The truth was, John had been thinking about the magic-strengthening potions from the magic god's memories -- magical elixirs created by alchemists. The magic god himself was one of the top alchemists of his world.
Unfortunately, those magical experiments could only be carried out after becoming a true mage. Now that John had leveled up, he could try making a potion. Even if it failed, it'd be useful experience.
There were all kinds of magical potions in memory, including strength boosters graded as basic, intermediate, and advanced.
John wondered if he could set up a mini, improvised magic lab and brew some of these potions.
If he succeeded, that would be another ace up his sleeve. Of course, publicly, he'd just market it as a special herbal tonic inherited from old-school traditions to enhance physical fitness.
...
Sure enough, Allen and his friends were amazed by John's story of an ancient herbal strength-enhancing tonic. They couldn't help but praise the power of martial arts and immediately began following his instructions to buy equipment for experiments.
Modern technology did have advantages -- many of the magic lab devices could be replicated here. Maybe it was a meeting of different paths.
It was also a chance for John to build experience for creating a real magic lab in the future.
*****
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