Chapter 381

Chapter 381

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 381: Paracelsus’s Spirits (6)

“???”

What the…?

What in the world is happening…?

With a bewildered heart, I looked around the room once again.

The clean interior, not even a single brick broken. Only the artificial spirits were swept away by the magic from before.

…Okay, let’s say that’s possible.

Originally, projectile magic, once unleashed, is almost impossible to control, but with increased proficiency, some degree of manipulation becomes possible.

Like how a fireball normally flies in a parabola, but depending on the caster’s talent and effort, it can draw unnatural trajectories or be detonated mid-flight.

So, if I unconsciously made a precise adjustment to the trajectory of Starlight Ray, it would make sense.

A high-level magician’s mana control, the assistance of the Dragon Heart, and even using incantations; the possibilities are ample.

However, it’s a bit perplexing that all the artificial spirits were swept away by a single intermediate magic spell, not even a high-level one.

They don’t have a properly formed self-awareness, so they can’t fully control their own power… but they have at least basic instincts.

Like attacking an opponent who enters their territory, or reflexively defending when an attack flies towards their vitals.

Besides, aren’t they Paracelsus’s ambitious work? Even if they can’t use it properly, the power they hold should be close to that of a high-level spirit.

But they were killed by intermediate magic… a wide-area spell, not even a single-target attack? And not even in a dragonized state?

“Something… something is happening…”

As I muttered unconsciously, Carla, who was next to me, also stammered, then clapped her hands as if she noticed something.

Clap!

“Ah! Master! The staff! Look at the staff!”

“Huh? Why the staff…? oh?”

The staff, usually boasting a sleek shine, was now flickering with a dark purple aura.

“Could it be…?”

“I don’t know why, but isn’t the staff’s performance enhanced right now? That’s why your magic is different, isn’t it? This never happened when you practiced alone.”

“That’s true.”

It’s obvious, but this isn’t the first time I’ve used magic since acquiring the Dragon Heart. It was just the first real battle.

I’ve been practicing small-scale magic on my own, getting used to the drastically changed sensation.

“It’s a bit sudden. Why is the staff awakening, not me, who even got the Dragon Heart?”

As I shook the staff in the air, tilting my head in confusion, Faye, who had finished looting the spirit stones from where the artificial spirits had fallen, instinctively looked at me and held out her hand.

“Junior, can I have that for a moment?”

“Yes? Uh… here. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“A little. But even if not, I think we need to check this much.”

Leaving a cryptic answer, Faye took the staff and went outside. The dark purple aura disappeared as soon as she stepped out the door.

“Huh?”

“Hmm…”

With an expression that seemed to understand something, Faye took out a small test tube from her subspace pocket and went back and forth.

“I knew it.”

“What is it? Don’t keep it to yourself, Senior Faye.”

“It’s nothing much. It seems like the performance of alchemical items is amplified based on this door.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“Yeah, I can do something similar. What do you think is the reason alchemy costs so much money? It’s because of catalysts, Junior. The key to alchemy is amplifying reactions, minimizing side effects, and extracting only the desired effects. It’s easy to understand if you think about potion grades.”

“Ah.”

The recovery effect of the lowest-grade potion is only enough to seal wounds in an emergency.

If you move even a little vigorously, the wound will tear again, the lost blood won’t be replenished, and the side effects of pain are significant. It’s so bad that you might faint.

In fact, it’s only meant for emergency treatment.

Of course, the fact that it can somehow keep a seriously injured person alive is highly valued.

However, as the grade of these potions increases, the medicinal effects become stronger, and the side effects become weaker.

High-grade and top-grade potions, which we mainly use, can even heal severed limbs if they are properly aligned, and they also have significant effects on internal injuries.

The side effects are at most some lethargy and dizziness.

Considering that you’re being revived from a near-death state, it’s a very cheap price.

Well… we don’t use them much these days, thanks to Helena’s healing. Divine power healing has no side effects.

Anyway, I could roughly understand what Faye was trying to say.

“So, you’re saying the entire workshop is like a giant catalyst?”

“Yeah. But I’m just talking about the principle. Realistically, it’s close to impossible. Not all substances react to the same catalyst, right? Except for one thing.”

“…You mean the Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Exactly. The Philosopher’s Stone is a concept that came from an attempt to create a universal catalyst.”

A dreamlike substance that can react to all materials, amplifying or reducing their properties as desired.

But if you think about it carefully, you’ll realize this is nonsense.

First of all, reacting to all substances is impossible, and even inducing reactions as desired?

Such a substance doesn’t exist, and even if it did, it would have reacted with surrounding substances and disappeared long ago.

A story that could only be made possible by making the impossible possible and bringing the ideal into reality.

That’s why it’s called the Philosopher’s Stone.

Because it was believed that only a sage who had mastered the truths of the world, comparable to an archmage, could create it.

“But Paracelsus was the first and last great alchemist in history to create the Philosopher’s Stone, right, Junior?”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

“After Paracelsus disappeared, everyone searched for the whereabouts of the Philosopher’s Stone, but all failed.”

“That… is right, isn’t it?”

“You know, maybe…”

Knowing what she was about to say, I swallowed hard, and Faye’s eyes sparkled through her disheveled bangs.

“Isn’t the Philosopher’s Stone here?!”

“Ah, that’s probably not it.”

“Eh.”

Faye froze at my firm answer.

But it really wasn’t there. At least, not in H&A.

It wasn’t just that I couldn’t find it; even veterans who had played much longer than me, and even those who had analyzed the game scripts, asserted it wasn’t there.

Everyone had searched extensively, thinking it would be there…

“Well, it might be hidden somewhere, but… in the information I saw from Fafnir’s arrangement, it wasn’t there, no matter how much I looked.”

“Why?! Alchemical items are reacting regardless of type!”

“This phenomenon itself is something I didn’t expect. Perhaps we activated something in the workshop without realizing it.”

“…Okay. That activated something could be the Philosopher’s Stone, right? I’ll look for it! Even if it’s not, I’ll find the cause of this phenomenon, so leave it to me!”

“I wasn’t going to stop you, but as I said earlier, something we don’t know might pop out, so let’s be cautious and swift.”

After saying that, I looked at the others. Everyone nodded, weapons in hand.

Very reliable.

The following events proceeded as I said, cautiously but swiftly.

First, we opened the hidden real workshop entrance with Faye’s alchemy, and Helena gave everyone the maximum buffs.

Then, using Full Divine Possession, we borrowed Solari’s power and took the lead, with Helena, who had become quite accustomed to the Saintess’s power from fighting the Grotesque Proliferation, bulldozing through all obstacles like a mad bulldozer.

Of course, I wasn’t just standing by. I supported Helena in my dragonized state, giving various orders.

Carla and Iona followed us, protecting Elisha and Iris, who hadn’t fully recovered their strength, and Faye, who had no combat ability.

Once we started attacking the dungeon in earnest, we were unstoppable.

Elite golems, much stronger than the ones we fought outside, and golem knights, enhanced for some unknown reason, were shattered into pieces (Faye took one as a sample).

Traps made by mixing all sorts of unique alchemy and magical tools were brushed aside by my mana, and if something was too tricky, Faye quickly reverse-engineered a countermeasure.

Helena and Solari, who were happy to be rampaging at full power after a long time, me, excited about an unknown hidden piece, Iona, who had received the promise of free vampire use for the first time since getting the Dragon Heart, Carla, who had received a day of exclusive rights, the enthusiastic Faye, and Elisha and Iris, who were cheering from behind.

Nothing Paracelsus had created could stop us now!

How long did we repeat smashing everything in sight as we advanced?

The moment we finally entered Paracelsus’s real workshop, which could be called the final destination of this dungeon.

Following my instincts, I stabbed a dagger into the heart of a golden spirit.

“Gah!”

“Oops.”

Who did I just kill?