by Yuri Ajin
Tassarion was silent. Partly immersed in taking notes of his memories, he suddenly saw a certain pattern in all the unsuccessful attempts and had an epiphany. His breathing quickened.
“That’s it!” he exclaimed. “In each of these one hundred and two attempts, the problem was the same part of the weaving. If we assume that this is a cardinally incorrect vector for this section of the scheme... Although... I need to double check... But what type of energy should I use? Or could there be an additional element? I don’t think I need to worry about that. The chance is too small... According to the principles of alchemy...”
Tassarion continued to mumble, pondering his new idea. A smile appeared on his face. He completely forgot about the girl hovering behind his back.
“Master.” After a minute, she reminded him of her presence.
“Let him in,” Tassarion ordered without looking up at her.
“Yes, master.” The girl bowed and then disappeared into thin air.
After a while, the door to the laboratory opened. Tassarion’s second cousin, who was also one of the leaders of his faction, entered.
“Elder bro—”
“Speak faster! I’m very busy right now,” Tassarion said, interrupting him. He began to frantically summon hundreds of scrolls from his Ring, throwing them onto the table. He wanted to go through them and find a solution.
“Recently, our Groundfloor intended alchemy began to sell too fast.”
“So what?” Tassarion asked, still turning over scrolls.
“It seemed strange, so I decided to check it out,” Halator continued. “As it turned out, someone on the Ground floor started selling a very effective purification potion. Thus, your plan for contaminating the foundation of the Ground floor trash isn’t working anymore...”
“That’s bad...” Tassarion said without hesitation. He didn’t seem to care at all about what his cousin was saying.
“Yes, elder brother. Therefore, I decided to send several members of the faction to investigate. It turns out that the new alchemist is supported by the Independence. His name is Kai Arnhard. And his helper is Shacks Eldivize. Both belong to the human race. And both were on the list for the factions, but didn’t join. Knowing how interesting humans are to you, especially those with such talent, I decided to report to you first, before I take any action, so as not to accidentally disrupt your plans.”
“I have no plans...” Tassarion continued to mumble, preoccupied with his thoughts. “But you don’t need to kill them... And stop distracting me... Tell Ranmaru to figure it out...”
“Can I join Ten on this mission?”
“No... Here it is!” Tassarion exclaimed, finding a scroll with a diagram he needed. “You need to gather a squad. Go to the Mirage Forest... I need Cavanda Flowers. Lots of them...” Tassarion smiled, finally realizing where he was wrong all this time. “Looks like I’ve been using the wrong ingredient...”
***
“How are you feeling?”
“Wonderful. Especially now that I can see your pretty face again.”
“That’s good.” Elea ignored the compliment. “But I still advise to take it easy for at least another week.”
“How can I disobey when you ask me so nicely?” Shacks asked.
“I hope you won’t.” Elea smiled sweetly, putting a cup on the table.
Today, she came to see Kai. Although the shop was already closed to visitors, he couldn’t refuse her. The three of them were now in the same guest room where the negotiations with the leaders of the Cloud Anarchists had taken place a few days earlier. She and Kai occupied the only two armchairs, and Shacks settled on a wide windowsill. While he talked with Elea about his health, showering her with compliments, which the girl seemed not to hear, Kai continued to examine her.
She was so much like his sister that he couldn’t stop staring at her. Her appearance even made him experience emotions that were close to real. They were dimmer than a long-smoldering fire, but they were still there. They weren’t suppressed by the Cold Void.
For the first time since his brother’s death, Kai felt alive.
“You surprise me. I didn’t think that this kind of tea could be brewed so well.” Elea turned to Kai.
“Thank you,” he replied, trying to smile a little. “I picked up a thing or two along the way.”
“I can tell.” Elea nodded.
“If I understand correctly, you want to buy something from me?” Kai got down to business.
“Yes. More precisely, I’d like to place an order. Like many others, your cleansing potion has helped me a lot. But that’s not why I’m here today. You see, when one of the factions started selling cheap drugs on our floor three years ago, it hit the local alchemists hard. We can say that they were ousted since competing against such cheap and high-quality goods became almost impossible. It was only later that some of the students were able to realize that the drugs weren’t good. But convincing the public without any evidence was unrealistic. Nobody tried, to be honest. Many alchemists closed their shops. Only the best and most experienced alchemists managed to stay afloat, as they were backed by the Independence.” Elea took another sip of tea and then continued, “For special orders, we either have to go to the Trade Pavilion, where prices are above average, or go and suck up to the factions’ private alchemists... But now, here you are.”
“I see.” Kai nodded. “But I’m not sure I know the right recipe. What drug do you need?”
“Purple Spirit Web Elixir. It’s a healing potion.”
“Hmm...” Kai thought. He didn’t know such a recipe. However, he could probably find a replacement. “Describe its properties to me. Better yet, tell me everything you know about this elixir.”
Elea did just that. After a few minutes, Kai realized that among the recipes that Rune’Tan had given him, there was one whose properties almost completely matched the Purple Spirit Web Elixir. Although the elixir invented in the Belteise Empire was probably even better.
These properties... Kai suddenly realized. It’s a powerful drug that helps heal spirit trauma.
“I can prepare a replacement, but...” His gaze fell on Elea’s astral body. Or rather, on her spirit wound.
“But what?” she asked. “I have money if that’s what worries you.”
“No, that’s not it.” Kai shook his head. “It’s just... May I take a look?”
“Take a look? What are you talking about?”
“Seven inches to the right of your navel.”
Elea fell silent for a moment.
“How did you know?” she asked, her voice slightly trembling. Even hearing about the injury hurt her.
“I’m familiar with the Forces of the Path of Soul.”
If Elea could see, she would notice how Shacks’ face changed. He looked at Kai in bewilderment, but he didn’t say anything, even though he knew that his friend was lying.
“If you let me do this, it may help me prepare the elixir better.”
Lightly biting her lower lip, Elea was about to say no, but she changed her mind at the last moment.
“All right...” She sighed heavily, turning her head. She didn’t want anyone to see her face.
The two of them went upstairs to the workshop, where she lay down on the bed. Trying to calm down, she held her breath.
“I’m about to start,” Kai said, noticing the change in Elea’s behavior.
She shuddered as she felt that Kai’s hand was almost at her stomach.
“What do you think?” Kai asked Rune’Tan.
“Eh...” He sighed. “What can I say? Damage to the astral body of the highest degree. Besides the hole, there are many cracks spreading from it in all directions. The spirit structure around the wound dried up. It seems that the damage wasn’t done with a spirit attack, but with a sword. Even at the peak of my strength, I wouldn’t be able to heal something like that. The most I can do is to put a temporary patch on the wound to avoid energy leakage. This is what the elixir would do... Perhaps there
’s a way to heal this. But, unfortunately, I don’t know such a recipe...”
“Thank you.”
Kai removed his hand.
“Are you done?” Elea asked.
“Yes. Thank you for letting me do this.”
But before Elea had time to answer, the building was covered with an unnaturally large aura.
Who’s that!? Kai thought.
And in the next moment, the shop was destroyed by a large-scale explosion.
Chapter 13
KNOW YOUR WEAKNESSES
The ice dome, formed just in time, disintegrated into pieces. It was no longer fit for protection, but it had fulfilled its task.
“Are you okay?” Kai asked, looking at Elea.
“Yes.” She nodded. Although she didn’t have time to react to the explosion, she managed to keep her composure.
Nearby, Shacks emerged from the fog. He wasn’t hurt either.
“It got hot in here.” He grinned, looking at the burning remnants of the shop under his feet.
Kai surveyed the area. The first person he saw was a bald sylph kneeling near the destroyed building, holding a damaged artifact in his hands. Probably something disposable. He must’ve used this thing to attack, because his strength alone clearly wasn’t enough.
Kai doubted that an initial-level Exorcist with a six-point foundation could even activate this artifact on his own. However, judging by the unnaturally inflated aura, before the attack, he had taken some very powerful and probably life-threatening potion. His astral body was beginning to crack.
What prompted him to act so desperately, Kai couldn’t tell. All he knew was that the sylph wasn’t acting on his own free will. He wore a slave collar.
But who’s behind this then?
The sylph was slowly dying. However, before the potion killed him, something else happened.
“The Second Law of the Cloud Abode has been violated,” a menacing voice rang out across the entire Ground floor. “The punishment is exile!”
In the same instant, the sylph’s body glowed and he disappeared.
Using energy vision, Kai saw five figures through the walls of the nearby houses. They were quickly moving toward the destroyed shop. Apparently, these were the real threat.
Soon, five cultivators in wide cloaks and unusual masks that distorted their auras appeared. Neither Elea nor Shacks could determine the race and strength of their opponents. However, such items couldn’t deceive Kai’s energy vision. In front of him were five peak-level Exorcists. All dorgans.
Their student marks were hidden. But Kai could see them. All five of them belonged to the Seventh Faction, and their foundations didn’t exceed seven and a half points. Their rank was between six and seven thousand, so the outcome of this battle would be decided by brute force.
Kai swallowed several Azure Crystals and opened all the Body Gates. Two swords appeared in his hands. A surge of power burst from his body, creating a sudden gust of wind.
“Shacks, take care of our guest for now.”
The next moment, Kai vanished.
Three quick jumps and he was already near one of the students, swinging his blade at him. The dorgan managed to block and counterattack with a dagger. Kai dodged.
At that moment, another dorgan approached them. Kai blocked his first attack. He dodged the second as well, but the first opponent managed to take advantage of the moment, leaving a shallow wound on Kai’s chest.
They’re strong. Though they’re probably using some kind of body strengthening technique. The Wind Element? But why is the effect so weak? Ah, I see. They’re afraid to hurt me with the energy of the Wind and violate the second law. Their aim is perfect. Just enough to avoid killing me, but enough to incapacitate me. And they’re so synched. It won’t be easy to deal with them, but I have to try. I still have a few tricks of my own...
The dorgans, meanwhile, were in no hurry to attack. They stared at him for a few seconds, after which the first dorgan spoke in a distorted voice.
“The poison didn’t work. Let’s move on to plan B. Cut off his limbs. And the limbs of his friends, too,” he ordered. “Two of you, come with me.”
The cultivators nodded in unison. Two of them rushed toward Shacks and Elea. Kai wanted to block their path but was immediately attacked by the rest of the group and forced to fight back.
Block. Dodge. One more unsuccessful counterattack. Retreat. Repeat.
The only reason why they hadn’t yet defeated Kai was that he was faster.
Meanwhile, Shacks had to deal with two opponents, whose physical stats were clearly higher than his. And because of the Laws, he couldn’t use his strongest skill — archery.
Summoning two daggers from his Ring, he fought back. Fortunately, the fighting style of the Bright Moon Clan, which he was taught from childhood and which was preserved from ancient times, surpassed everything that his current opponents could demonstrate.
“Don’t worry about me,” Elea told Shacks, creating a powerful barrier around herself.
If a barrier contained Forces or energy and someone touched it, then its creator would be punished for the violation of the Second Law. If it weren’t for this restriction, strong cultivators could easily trap weaker ones inside barriers and, for example, deprive them of oxygen, which wouldn’t be considered outright murder.
Elea’s barrier, Cover Expansion, didn’t contain any Forces or energy, as this ability was a manifestation of her soul, like Kai’s Ultimate Focus. However, while using it, she could neither move nor attack.
An attempt to hit the barrier with a technique would be considered an attack on Elea, which would mean a violation of the Second Law. One of the attackers stopped abruptly, sensing that there was no energy in the dome. He still tried and punched it with all his might, without using energy or Forces, but it had no effect.
Realizing the futility of his attempts, he was about to turn to Shacks, when he sensed danger. The archer got to him first and pushed his dagger through the dorgan’s abdomen.
Grabbing the wound, the Exorcist looked around. Seeing his partner lying motionless, he narrowed his eyes.
“What, you didn’t expect that someone else could use poisons?” Shacks grinned.
But he wasn’t done yet. He remembered the conversation from the beginning of this battle. Now, he was going to cut off the opponent’s arms and legs.
But before he could, he was thrown back by the sudden strike from the dorgan who had previously fought Kai.
“You bastard! I’ve just healed...” Shacks grimaced, glancing at his right hand.
His recent opponent began pouring an extremely expensive elixir into his poisoned comrade’s mouth.
A few dozen feet away, another dorgan was doing the same, bringing back the one Shacks had poisoned.
Both fighters began to recover.
“Deal with the Exorcist first,” the leader shouted.
“Bad for Shacks, but great for me,” Kai whispered when he saw there was only one opponent left in front of him.
He simultaneously activated Life Rampage and the Field, making the dorgan feel like he was stuck in something very viscous and sticky.
Easily dodging a swing, Kai raised his swords to attack.
Seeing such fast movements, but not having time to do anything about it, the half-wolf dorgan used his trump card. His body transformed in an instant. His skin became completely covered with dark gray hair. His claws grew. The muscles swelled, tearing his clothes. He became taller and much larger.
He used the main ability of his race — Partial Transformation. It increased his physical stats by more than one and a half times. Also, he summoned the Combat Gloves Artifact from his Ring.
After the first attack, Kai flew back as if he had been hit by a car at top speed. Crashing into a small house, he broke through the wall and flew inside.
“The target turned out to be much stronger than we expected,” the dorgan growled, summoning a special potion from his Ring. “Secrecy is not important a
nymore. Use all your strength!”
Hearing the leader, the rest of the group also activated Partial Transformation. On average, they could maintain this form for about twenty seconds, but by using combat alchemy, they were able to increase this to two minutes.
“That’s not good,” Shacks commented.
When the opponents rushed at him, he realized that he had no chance of winning.
We need to drive them away from here, he thought, jumping aside and activating a bunch of techniques at the same time. He turned invisible, and his clone kept running from the transformed dorgans.
Meanwhile, the two cultivators who had just recovered were about to finally break through Elea’s barrier when they heard a cry. Turning around, they saw their leader with a sword in his leg. Kai had managed to catch him by surprise.
Previously, he increased the flow of energy into Power Gates and Speed Gates to the limit, but after his opponent transformed, he had no choice but to go beyond this limit, making his flesh crack, barely withstanding such a load.
But even after that, Kai couldn’t surpass his opponent’s stats. He could only rely on speed, which, thanks to the activated Five Weightless Steps Technique, at least made him faster.
Dodging the extremely powerful attacks, he tried to hit the most vulnerable places. Eventually, he managed to carry out a successful attack and take advantage of the dorgan’s brief confusion. Kai aimed for his opponent’s groin, wanting to inflict colossal damage and cause severe pain, but the dorgan somehow managed to miraculously react at the last moment, stopping Kai’s attack with his leg.
Hearing their leader’s painful roar, the remaining two dorgans decided to split up. One, as planned, went to Elea, and the second rushed to the leader’s aid.
In the next moment, Shacks appeared directly above him, dispelling his invisibility technique (so he wouldn’t violate the Second Law during the attack). This clan trick of his was just as good as most techniques found on the fifth floor of the Abode.
