Chapter 69: The Formula Secured

Because the puppet was enraged, it poured all its energy into this punch. This strike was the strongest blow it had ever delivered in its battle against Rowland—its power and speed had reached the absolute limit a third-level puppet could achieve! With a loud bang, the puppet’s fist landed unrestrained upon its own chest. Instantly, a massive crater appeared, nearly splitting its body in two!

Such severe damage would be unbearable even for a lump of iron, let alone a puppet. The puppet crashed backward onto the ground. In its eyes, a trace of its previous fury lingered, but much more was shock and disbelief. Though it was only a low-level puppet, it possessed a rudimentary mind and could not comprehend why, after fighting such a weak opponent, it was itself that had fallen in the end.

Over these ten thousand years, it had battled nearly a hundred challengers, among whom several had defeated it—but every one of them had possessed formidable strength. Now, this youth who had vanquished it ranked among the weakest of those hundred; he had been knocked down countless times, but in the final attack, he managed to defeat the puppet completely.

In truth, Rowland’s last move had been a gamble. He had no certainty about the puppet’s attack strength, nor whether it could break through its own defense. Yet, facing an opponent whose attack and defense far exceeded his own, he could only take a desperate chance, guiding the puppet to “turn its spear upon its own shield.” Fortunately, in the end, the spear prevailed!

“Master Michius, have I passed the second trial?” Rowland turned his head with difficulty and spoke in a trembling voice.

“The timing was just right—exactly two hours. You defeated the puppet and have successfully passed the second trial!” Michius’s astonishment was beyond words; only when Rowland asked did he recover and announce the result.

Thud! Upon hearing he had truly passed the second trial, Rowland could no longer hold himself upright and collapsed to the ground.

During the two hours of battle with the puppet, his injuries had become severe—there was scarcely a part of his body the puppet had not struck. He wondered how, despite such grave wounds, he had managed to rise again and again to fight; perhaps it was the power of conviction. But now, he had no time to dwell on these thoughts, for his exhausted energy caused his consciousness to quickly blur.

Rowland dreamed—a sweet dream—in which he crafted a potion to cure his brother’s crippled leg. For the first time, his brother stood up from the wheelchair. His brother smiled, his father Gerjil smiled, and his mother Isha smiled as well. Seeing their joy, Rowland felt a deep, inexplicable sense of fulfillment.

…

When Rowland opened his eyes again, he realized the pain had faded from his body. He sat up, and saw beside him the smiling, burly, middle-aged man. He hurriedly said, “Thank you, Master Michius, for your healing!” He knew how serious his injuries had been; to awaken now nearly fully recovered, he naturally understood it was Michius’s doing, and thanked him without delay.

Michius waved his hand and replied, “It was not I who healed you, but yourself.”

“Myself?” Rowland was taken aback. He had been unconscious—how could he have healed himself?

Michius smiled gently, holding a small crystal vial in his hand. “This cured your wounds, but it’s all used up now.” As he tilted the bottle downwards, not a single drop remained inside.

“That—that’s the healing potion I made!” Rowland immediately recognized it. Earlier, when he collected the dozen or so alchemical potions he’d crafted, Michius had taken one as proof of his success. He hadn’t expected that, during his injury, Michius would use this very potion to heal him.

“My healing potion is so effective? Such serious wounds, yet I’ve almost fully recovered!” Rowland murmured to himself.

Michius, hearing this, replied with mild annoyance, “Do you know what an alchemical potion is? Even a three-star basic healing potion is more than enough to treat the injuries of a third-level junior mage like you!”

“Ah, yes, yes, you’re right. It’s my own ignorance,” Rowland hastily agreed, fearing to offend the rather fierce and eccentric-looking Michius. Yet, inwardly, he remained astonished; he knew well how severe his wounds had been—several ribs broken, for instance, which his fire healing spell could do nothing for. The miraculous effect of the potion gave him renewed confidence in curing his brother’s leg affliction.

Rowland’s thoughts quickly returned to the fact that he had passed the second trial. Eagerly, he stood up, rubbed his hands, and his eyes shone as he said, “Master Michius, may I receive the reward for passing the second trial now…?”

“You rascal!” Michius shook his head in amusement, and with a wave of his hand, several items appeared on the ground: three ancient-looking books, a dark red ring, and a black short sword.

Rowland immediately knelt down and picked up two of the books containing potion formulas, then began to read them eagerly.

Vitality Potion—Seven-star advanced potion, capable of stimulating life potential and healing congenital defects. The ingredients required for its crafting are…

Rowland’s eyes were fixed upon the formula—it was the very recipe for the potion he had sought for two years, risking his life in the Maya Mountains, nearly dying for it, the potion that could heal his brother’s leg!

At that moment, his eyes grew moist. After so much hardship, so many dangers, so many days and nights of longing, the recipe was finally in his hands. He felt that all the suffering he had endured had been worth it.

After a long moment of reverie, Rowland calmed himself, carefully stored the two potion recipes in his necromancer’s space, and then picked up the dark red ring from the ground. It was equivalent to a magical staff, and its conductivity was an astonishing ninety percent.

Rowland wasted no time slipping the magic ring onto his finger, silently chanting the incantation. His magical power and mental strength had already fully recovered, and he was eager to test the wonders of this elegant, high-grade magical equipment.