The system's analysis revealed that the bone statue still contained dried bone marrow, a unique ingredient.
Alan inserted a needle into the statue's earhole.
Without damaging the statue, he plucked out a trace of powder.
It was dark brown, with no odor.
This was the dried bone marrow.
He placed it in his mouth and savored it.
It still had no flavor, like a tiny bit of dirt.
Fortunately, the system's prompt comforted him.
"Consume unique ingredient: Divine Power-Infused Bone Marrow!"
"Potential +2!"
"Spirit +1!"
Gain two potential points at once!
In fact, Alan had long since discovered that unique ingredients came in different grades.
Higher-grade ingredients, such as the statue's bone marrow, yielded more potential points upon consumption.
After increasing his Spirit by one point, Allen's current attributes are:
Constance 21, Agility 18, Spirit 22
Spirit once again surpasses his Physical attributes.
In addition to the bone marrow, this statue of the Plague God, prized by the Beast Cult, is itself a rare treasure.
After in-depth research, aided by the system, Allen finally deciphered the Plague God Statue's two special uses.
First: If the holder converts to the Beast Cult, kneels before the statue, and devoutly prays to Squark, the "Plague God," for protection, they may receive divine revelation, gaining the power to cure the plague and control rat swarms.
Second: If the holder is a sorcerer with beastly blood, carrying the statue close to them during meditation for a cumulative seven days can purify their beastly blood by 1%. This can be repeated, up to a maximum of 7%.
What the future holds, Allen cannot predict.
At least for now, as a student at the Warlock Academy, he certainly couldn't join the rival Beast Cult.
Therefore, the Plague God Statue's first function was of no use to him for the time being.
The second function, however, was quite valuable. He didn't need to worship the evil deity; simply placing the statue nearby during meditation would purify his beastly bloodline.
In addition to his Poison Demon bloodline, Allen also possessed a beastman bloodline.
The purity was very low, less than 1%.
Conventional bloodline testing methods couldn't detect it at all.
Beastly bloodline, though rare, did exist.
Meditating with the Plague God Statue could increase it to a maximum of 7%.
A bloodline purity of 7% was considered superior!
If necessary, the beastly bloodline could be awakened at any time.
Those who fail to plan for the future will inevitably face immediate worries.
Alan was currently focusing on the Poison Demon bloodline. If one day I can't make it in the Warlock Academy and am forced to join the Beast Cult...
Fusing my beastly bloodline could be a way out!
...
The next day.
Alan received the reward Marvin had asked Tanya to pass on.
This was the reward he received for selling his spot in the secret realm.
Frankly, it was a good price!
Marvin's thank-you gift included enough magic stones for Alan to meditate for a year, as well as two bloodline awakening potions.
The first potion.
After the injection, there's a high probability of awakening the first-level supermagic skill "Spell Shaping."
Spell Shaping: Spends 2 extra mana points when casting a spell, allowing you to fine-tune the range of a spell or magical martial art.
For example, changing a self-centered explosion into a cone-shaped eruption.
The adjusted spell range must not be larger than before.
Based on this, any shaping is permitted.
Supermagic skills are a crucial component in increasing spell power.
Under normal circumstances,
The total mana consumed in a single spell, including supermagic, does not exceed the caster's mental attribute.
The mental limit is like maximum output power.
For Allen, the current limit is 22 mana points.
The spell Allen masters, "Thunder Wave," consumes the most mana, but only 4 points.
Including shaping supermagic, it's only 6 points.
He's still far from his maximum power.
Thunder Wave + Spell Shaping: This is a classic combination.
When casting Thunder Wave, using shaping supermagic can help avoid accidentally injuring nearby companions.
Alan guessed that Marvin had chosen this thank-you gift specifically because he had seen him perform "Thunder Wave."
The second injection was even more remarkable!
After receiving it, Alan would be able to comprehend the second-level body-refining secret technique, "Copper Skin and Iron Bones," in advance.
Alan had seen his senior sister perform this difficult technique before, and it had shocked him slightly at the time.
Now that he had the reagent and had it verified by the system, he had a deeper understanding of it.
…
Copper Skin and Iron Bones: After activation, it consumes 1 point of magic power per minute. Muscles and bones become as hard as steel, reducing some non-enchanted physical damage.
…
Exactly how much damage can be reduced?
It depends on the practitioner's physical attributes, and the two are directly proportional.
One more thing, please note!
Copper Skin and Iron Bones can only protect against ordinary fists and kicks.
Against magical weapons, such as Pamela's electric sword, it's useless.
Alan now has three potions in his possession.
He dared not inject them all at once; that would be tantamount to risking his life!
There are two major risks associated with sorcerer training.
The first is atavism.
The second is bloodline collapse.
Bloodline collapse is most likely due to excessive injections.
Exceeding the body's tolerance limit triggers an immune response.
Every injection of a bloodline awakening potion is a gamble.
If the gamble fails, the bloodline collapses, and even if not death, the outcome is ruined.
Based on the statistical results of countless past experiences, there is a rule of thumb:
The total number of injections a sorcerer receives in their lifetime should ideally not exceed their physical or mental attributes.
Before exceeding the threshold, the risk of the injection is relatively low, making it worth the risk.
Exceeding any of the warning thresholds increases the probability of bloodline collapse dramatically!
Each additional injection from then on...
It's like playing a game of "Russian Roulette," but with five bullets loaded.
Alan must overcome his impatience and impatience.
Develop a safe injection plan.
First, inject the "Shaping Super Magic" reagent.
A Level 1 Super Magic technique has relatively few side effects, and the body will adapt after a period of recuperation.
If all goes well...
Alan plans to get the second injection, "Bronze Skin and Iron Bones," in three months.
Finally, he'll wait for his cultivation to reach another breakthrough.
Upon reaching the late stage of Level 1, he'll receive the final and most dangerous injection—Level 2 Meditation.
...
Six months later.
Meditation World.
Alan was dead.
Died at the claws of the green dragon, Krosir Mountain King.
To be exact, he perished alongside the dragon.
This was the best result Alan had achieved after rereading the disk over thirty times.
Regardless.
It was nearly impossible for the Poison Demon he portrayed to escape unscathed after slaying the overpowered Krosir.
This ending, while imperfect, fulfilled the Poison Demon's ancestor's wish.
Alan no longer had to reread the disk again.
…
The meditation ended.
Alan felt a surge of excitement.
After expending so much effort and resources.
Finally, his cultivation had achieved another breakthrough.
Successfully advanced to the late stage of Stage 1!
After the promotion, the Poison Demon Bloodline's benefits remained the same.
Physical Attribute +1.
Spiritual Attribute +1.
Natural Armor +1.
Alan's current attributes are: Physical 22, Agility 18, Spirit 23
Magic Points: 92
Natural Armor Level 4.
Virus Resistance Level 4.
Sadly, the Atavistic Transformation... didn't change much, it's still Level 1.
The bone spur on the palm of his left hand has undergone a significant transformation!
The bone spur's extension limit has increased dramatically from 1 meter to 3 meters.
Even more amazingly...
This bone spur has become both flexible and hard!
When hard, it's like a steel spear.
When soft, it's like a whip.
It's a perfect blend of hardness and softness!
Alan can switch between soft and hard modes at will.
No matter which mode, this bone spur is equivalent to a level 1 enchanted weapon!
Similar to Pamela's electric sword and Andy's blazing knife.
Although it lacks elemental enchantments, it can easily penetrate a level 2 body refining secret technique!
For example, Alan himself is currently cultivating "Copper Skin and Iron Bones."
This time, Alan only awakened one spell.
…
Level 1 "Shield": Consumes 3 mana points to create an invisible force field shield, increasing defense by 4 levels. The shield lasts for up to 1 hour.
…
Alan's poisonous demon bloodline grants him level 4 natural armor.
In his atavistic transformation form, he gains an additional 2 levels of natural armor.
Add the "Shield" spell to his spell.
Comprehensive defense, reached level 10!
Level 10 defense, what does that even mean?
Even naked, Alan's defense is equivalent to that of a heavily armored knight in full plate armor!
This doesn't even include the 0-level spell "Blade Guard" or the physical training skill "Bronze Skin and Iron Bones."
With fully stacked armor...
Alan felt like he was not far from becoming a "Humanoid Gundam."