Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was November.
In his apartment living room, Pei Ze looked at the Ferocity Potions covering the coffee table, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
It had taken him a full seven days to use up all his materials, and he had created a total of 52 Ferocity Potions.
This was quite a bit more than he had originally expected.
As he grew more familiar with the alchemy process, his success rate had slowly risen.
It had now stabilized at around 60%.
This was, without a doubt, an incredible number!
Even a certified Alchemist wouldn't have a much higher success rate when making Ferocity Potions.
'Three superior-grade, 20 high-grade, 22 mid-grade, and 7 low-grade. If I sell them all, I should be able to get over five thousand Gold Coins!'
Pei Ze couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl up.
To create this batch of Ferocity Potions, he had spent nearly all of his contribution points and Gold Coins.
Now, he was counting on selling this batch of Ferocity Potions to recover his funds.
Finding a bag, Pei Ze gathered all the potions.
'It's a shame I don't have any Spatial Equipment. That would make things much more convenient.'
'After I sell these potions, I have to buy a dimensional bag.'
After muttering to himself, Pei Ze called out to Omniscience in his mind.
[Spirit: 26.06]
[Constitution: 11.91]
[Task 1: Analyze Will Rune No. 10. Estimated time remaining: 11 days, 18 hours, 12 minutes]
[Task 2: Improve Acid Splash Spell model. Estimated time required: 9 days, 6 hours, 44 minutes]
[Task 3: Improve Touch of Fatigue spell model. Estimated time required: 5 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes]
Over the past few days, Pei Ze had successfully constructed Will Runes No. 8 and No. 9. His Spiritual Power had skyrocketed, jumping all the way to 26 points.
Even his constitution had soared to nearly 12 points, firmly placing him at the level of a Middle Knight.
The improvements to the two spells were also nearly complete.
Looking at the data on the panel, a glint flashed in Pei Ze's eyes as he silently commanded:
'Omniscience, accelerate the improvement of the Acid Splash Spell.'
A large portion of his Spiritual Power was instantly drained. At the same time, a flood of knowledge poured into Pei Ze's mind.
The improved Acid Splash Spell's power had increased by about forty percent, and its corrosive properties were enhanced. Meanwhile, its cost had dropped from 1 point of Spiritual Power to 0.6.
'The Acid Splash Spell's power should be around 9 degrees now!'
Pei Ze had just tested the Acid Splash Spell's power yesterday; it fluctuated between 6.4 and 6.5 degrees.
A forty percent increase brought it to around 9 degrees.
This meant that he could take out a Peak Knight with a single Acid Splash Spell.
Even a Grand Knight, if hit head-on by a 9-degree Acid Splash Spell, would be gravely injured, if not killed.
This was the power of an improved Magic!
In contrast, the pre-improvement Acid Splash Spell was merely a minor threat to a Grand Knight.
Pei Ze smiled. 'And the cost of the improved Magic is very low.'
At full Spiritual Power, he could cast twenty to thirty Acid Splash Spells with ease.
'Omniscience, begin improving the Dizziness Technique.'
[Task created. Commencing improvement of the Dizziness Technique. Estimated time required: 25 days]
Pei Ze nodded to himself.
Previously, improving the Touch of Fatigue and Acid Splash Spell had both required over thirty days. Now, improving the Dizziness Technique only needed 25. The reason was simply that his Spiritual Power had increased significantly.
At this rate, once he finished constructing the last three Will Runes, improving a Zero-Circle Magic would probably take less than twenty days.
...
「Night fell.」
Pei Ze left his apartment, carrying the bag and heading north.
The streets were nearly empty late at night.
The old-fashioned streetlights along the road had flickered on, casting dim yellow light that pooled on the ground in large patches.
Beyond the reach of the light, the shadows were deep and shifting, looking somewhat eerie in the dead of night.
A breeze blew past, carrying a hint of a chill. Pei Ze was wearing only a thin shirt, but he didn't feel cold in the slightest.
With his current constitution, it was no exaggeration to say he was impervious to both heat and cold.
Before long, Pei Ze entered another district.
Once there, he found a secluded spot to change into the black robe he had brought with him. Then he put on a mask, completely concealing his face and figure.
Only after doing all this did Pei Ze continue on his way.
Compared to the district where he lived, this one was more remote and chaotic.
Shadowy figures lurked in the alleys on both sides, and numerous appraising and malicious gazes fell upon him one after another.
However, after lingering for a moment on his black robe and mask, the gazes quickly withdrew, as if their owners realized he was not someone to be trifled with.
Pei Ze paid them no mind and continued toward his destination.
The Black Market the Star Spirit Society had mentioned opened once every three days in a rather hidden location.
However, he had already scouted the location twice beforehand, so he was prepared.
In just a short distance, Pei Ze saw no fewer than five drunkards lying on the ground, stripped bare of all their possessions—cleaner than if they'd just taken a bath.
As he neared his destination, he even stumbled upon a scene in progress.
Three young men in leather jackets were gathered around, deftly stripping the clothes off a drunkard, occasionally stuffing small items into their pockets.
Hearing footsteps, one of them—a red-haired youth—turned his head. Catching sight of a lone figure out of the corner of his eye, he didn't even bother to get a clear look before shouting, "Get lost, or I'll gut you with my..."
WHOOSH!
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air, interrupting the red-haired youth's curses.
A small pebble shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, precisely striking his knee. A sharp CRACK echoed as the red-haired youth fell to the ground, clutching his knee and screaming shrilly, all his earlier arrogance gone.
Not far away, Pei Ze slowly retracted his hand.
With his physical constitution now nearly twelve times that of a normal person, a casually thrown pebble had more power than a bullet. Dealing with a petty thug who wasn't even an Apprentice Knight was trivially simple.
Seeing their companion's miserable state, the remaining two youths broke out in a cold sweat. They knew instantly they had messed with the wrong person.
Their faces turned deathly pale, especially after getting a clear look at Pei Ze's attire.
They knew there was a Black Market not far from here.
Every night the Black Market was open, many mysterious and powerful individuals dressed in black robes and masks would show up.
Most of them were Knights, and some were even Grand Knights or Wizard Apprentices.
Any one of them could crush the likes of them like ants with a single finger.
In that moment, both of them silently cursed their companion on the ground to hell and back.
'Damn it, if you wanted to get yourself killed, you didn't have to drag us down with you!'
To their surprise, after throwing the pebble, the black-robed figure didn't give them a second glance and simply strolled away.
Only after the black-robed figure was far away did the two youths' tense bodies relax. They let out a breath of relief, only then realizing their backs were soaked with cold sweat.
"Q-Quick, help me to the hospital! My leg is broken, it hurts so much..."
The red-haired youth's weak cry came from the ground.
The corners of the two youths' eyes twitched. They exchanged a look, then both lifted their feet and kicked the red-haired youth hard.
"Damn it! It's your fucking mouth that almost got us killed!"
"To hell with the hospital! I'm breaking both your damn legs tonight!"