The spiritual reaction is within an acceptable range.
I'll risk it!
Looking at the potion in his hand, which emitted an alluring golden glow, Lorne raised the bottle, gritted his teeth, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Gulp."
The golden liquid flowed down his throat, slipped into his esophagus, and finally smoothly entered his stomach.
"Smack, smack––––" Lorne subconsciously licked his lips.
Honestly, this time the potion tasted quite good. It had a peculiar, indescribably sweet taste, and it was exceptionally mellow, giving him the illusion of savoring a top-tier wine.
It tasted much better than the Calamity Priest's potion, which was full of malice and ill omens.
Somehow, Lorne suddenly felt a pure sense of joy from the bottom of his heart. Even though he was still in an extremely dangerous situation, he had an inexplicable urge to laugh.
"Clang."
Lorne's hand loosened, and the empty glass bottle fell straight to the ground.
Almost at the moment the bottle hit the ground, the substantive feeling of the potion's integration began––––
He felt as if his soul had been drawn out of his body. Immediately after, the power of the potion began to permeate his entire body, seeping into every trace of his blood, every inch of his skin, and every cell.
This time, Lorne felt no discomfort. Everything felt so natural and logical.
However––––
Just as the potion's power was about to completely merge with him, something changed!
Lorne's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body instinctively leaned forward due to an indescribable sensation.
The feeling of digestion–––– it came!
It came very quickly, very fast––––
So fast that Lorne was caught off guard. Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
"Ah––––" He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
"!"
Bernadette immediately noticed Lorne's abnormality. She frowned slightly, curiously observing Lorne's current state.
"Hoo–––– hoo––––"
Lorne panted heavily. The feeling of digestion continued, and its speed increased, already approaching halfway!
"Buzz––––"
He felt a faint buzzing sound suddenly emanate from his mind.
That overwhelming sensation of digestion actually–––– came to an abrupt halt! As if a pause button had been forcibly pressed.
Lorne looked up blankly, meeting Bernadette's inquisitive, azure eyes.
Their eyes met.
Bernadette, unable to suppress her curiosity, subconsciously activated her "Eye of Peeping."
Unlike the previous situation where she couldn't perceive anything and everything was chaotic, this time, she seemed––– to be able to see something!
Just as she was about to increase her spiritual output, wanting to see more clearly and precisely.
"Don't do that––––" Lorne said in a low voice.
"What?"
Before Bernadette could react, her spiritual intuition began to warn her frantically!!!
The next second, her body suddenly trembled slightly, and her soul seemed to be hit by an indescribable terrifying impact from a higher authority! She wanted to close her eyes, but it was too late!
"Ah!"
A dazzling, extreme silver light, without warning, filled her entire vision, devouring all perception. Then, everything in her sight, including Lorne, the detention room, and her own magic barrier, completely disappeared, returning to a pure, disorienting silver-white.
With a "thud," her body went limp, and she fell to the ground, losing consciousness.
The detention room fell into a dead silence once more.
After an unknown amount of time, Bernadette slowly opened her eyes.
"An unfamiliar ceiling––––"
She found herself lying on an unfamiliar bed. Above her was a dark, mold-stained ceiling.
"What–––– happened to me?"
"Awake? Your Majesty." A voice with a hint of playfulness came from beside her.
I
Bernadette quickly sat up and saw Lorne sitting on a worn-out chair, watching her leisurely. She was lying on the cold, hard plank bed in the detention room.
"How long did I–––– sleep?" She rubbed her still throbbing temples, feeling a bit disoriented.
"About two hours." Lorne counted on his fingers and said, "To be honest, I just woke up not long ago, so the time might be slightly off."
"You fainted too?"
"Uh-huh." Lorne nodded.
"Did you–––– put me on the bed?" Bernadette asked curiously.
"I apologize, you were lying on the floor for over an hour." Lorne shrugged, his tone a bit innocent, "When I fainted, I happened to be on the bed."
"You're quite gentle, aren't you?" Bernadette said meaningfully, with a hint of playfulness in her tone.
"I've always considered myself a gentleman when it comes to women."
Although–––– you're a dangerous old woman who's lived for hundreds of years. Lorne muttered silently in his heart.
"Your magic is really good, it's still working." He pointed to the illusory vines around them that were still faintly glowing.
"Yes–––– good luck." Bernadette said thoughtfully, then spoke.
"I believe now that you indeed hide deep secrets."
She had thought that although the other party could block her Eye of Peeping, their overall strength posed no threat to her. The secret's authority might only be at the Angel level.
But that moment just now made her feel that she was terribly wrong; that oppressive feeling was definitely no less than the Hidden Sage's, and even more incomprehensible.
"Uh-huh."
Seeing that the other party seemed a bit exhausted, Lorne shrugged. He had already warned her. Moreover, judging by Queen Mystic's current reaction, she probably hadn't observed anything conclusive.
It was Queen Mystic's good luck that she didn't directly attract that terrifying lightning.
Speaking of which, Cattelya also seemed to like using her abilities to look around. So she learned this habit from Queen Mystic, Lorne mused inwardly.
"How do you feel? You should have–––– successfully advanced, right?" Bernadette brought the topic back on track.
"Yes." Lorne nodded slightly, "This feeling–––– is very strange."
The most direct change that the Winner Sequence brought him was that he could directly "see" what was called "luck." To say "see" isn't entirely accurate; a more precise description is that he could clearly "feel" the changes in luck. "Luck," or "fortune," in his eyes, was no longer an ethereal concept, but had become a tangible, physical concept that could be seen and touched.
From this, one of his new abilities, "Accumulation," also evolved.
Since "luck" had become something that could be "touched," he could, through his own restraint, actively suppress the Lucky One's luck effect, accumulating a portion of "luck" to be used at the most critical moment.
Secondly, he also gained some access to "misfortune." Although not as freely controllable as "luck," he could intervene to a certain extent, and even, to a limited degree, bestow "misfortune" upon enemies, making them unlucky.
In addition, his spiritual intuition was greatly enhanced. At the Sequence 5 level, it could definitely be considered far superior to others.
"By the way––––" Lorne suddenly asked, "Did you–––– notice anything just now?"
"What do you mean?" Bernadette was a bit puzzled.
"Did you feel–––– any special person, or gaze––––" Lorne hesitated with his words.
"No." Bernadette pondered for a moment and shook her head slightly. She had only glanced at Lorne and then fainted directly, unable to perceive anything.
"Why? Did you discover something?" she asked curiously.
"––––" Lorne fell silent.
To be honest, when he learned that the name of Sequence 5 was "Winner," he was mentally prepared. Although his fate had been bumpy and troublesome since he transmigrated, he had, after all, escaped death several times, so being called a "Winner" was not entirely inappropriate.
Therefore, he had some expectation for the digestion of the potion.
The only thing that surprised him was that this digestion was very strange. There was no feeling of power gradually depleting, weakening, and then disappearing, as with normal potion digestion. Instead, there was an illusion of momentum being at its peak, yet being forcibly cut short––––
Most importantly, at the moment of advancement, he once again felt a very similar strange sensation to what he had felt when he narrowly escaped death on the primitive island. And this time, the feeling was even clearer.
"Hmph––––"
The corner of Lorne's mouth suddenly curved into a meaningful arc.
"What's wrong?" Bernadette asked curiously.
"I don't know." Lorne shook his head, "I just suddenly feel––– that some people might be in for some bad luck."