Chapter 42: Dragonblood Potion
Lena waited a long while after Alistair had gone before peeking her head out from behind her fluffy tail.
She scanned her surroundings cautiously, as if to confirm something. Then she saw them—a group of beastkin standing outside her door, their faces etched with worry.
A blush crept up Lena’s cheeks. She quickly gestured for them to close the door, only letting out a breath of relief when they did. The tension finally seeped from her body.
She felt utterly drained, a weakness pervading her limbs. Face still flushed, Lena shakily pushed herself to her feet. Her long, slender legs trembled, forcing her to brace herself against the wall as she made her way to a cabinet. She pulled out a fresh pair of undergarments and changed, feeling much more composed afterward.
Slam—
The door was suddenly thrown open. Riven burst in, his face a mask of panic.
"Lena, are you alright? That bastard didn’t do anything to you, did he?"
"Get out!" Lena’s expression hardened. She crossed an arm over her chest and snapped at him.
"Lena, I..." Riven was taken aback by her sudden outburst, completely at a loss.
"I said. Get. Out!"
The fox-eared girl’s fists clenched. Her brow furrowed, her small face flushing red with anger. This was her private room. Riven hadn’t just disrespected her by barging in so recklessly; he had startled her.
What if she had been changing her clothes?
"Ah... sorry, I’m sorry... I’ll go right now."
Riven knew he had been careless and had offended her. He saw that her ceremonial dress was still perfectly intact, the room was tidy, and the air held no strange scents. A wave of relief washed over him.
He retreated from the room before the girl’s anger could truly ignite.
Standing outside, Riven thought of the massive fissure in the ground, a scar stretching for dozens of yards. He remembered his own breakthrough skill, now expended. A feeling of powerlessness and bitter frustration washed over him.
Adding to that, the girl he cared for had spent more than ten minutes alone with his sworn enemy and had just now lashed out at him.
The light in Riven’s eyes began to dim.
He stood there for a moment, stunned. Then, as if a thought suddenly struck him, a glint of light returned to his eyes. He glanced uncertainly at his hands, then at Lena’s closed door. Finally, steeling himself, he grit his teeth and left the mayor’s residence.
He made his way back to his own room with caution, ensuring no one was following him before carefully shutting and locking the door and windows. Only then did he furtively retrieve a small box from under his bed.
Riven stared at the box, his expression a mixture of fear and uncertainty. After a brief hesitation, he opened it with a trembling hand.
Inside lay a statuette: a skeletal figure with the head of a goat, the body of a man, and the wings of a bat. It rested silently in the center of the box. From within its hollow eye sockets, a terrifying crimson light flashed for an instant before vanishing.
*****
Meanwhile, Alistair and his forces had departed from Silversky Town.
As he was leaving, many players had expressed their desire to join Frostcrest, but he had flatly refused them all. It wasn’t because he thought the players were too weak or for any similar reason.
Primarily, there were a series of necessary events yet to unfold—the "Capture of Beastkin Slaves" and the "Proclamation of the Beastkin Slave Accords," to name a couple. Recruiting players now would only invite trouble.
Once he had completely crushed Riven and captured Lena, bringing her back to Snowmantle Citadel, he would welcome any players who still wished to join Frostcrest with open arms. Who could refuse such an eager, inexhaustible supply of cannon fodder?
Seated atop his loyal Drakeblood Steed, Alistair gave a grand wave of his hand and initiated the reward draw.
"System, the daily missions are complete. I want to claim my reward!"
[Detecting that the Host’s daily Villain missions have been completed. Drawing reward for the Host...]
[Drawing...]
[Congratulations! The Host has obtained an Evan Dragonblood Potion. Unfortunately, this reward did not trigger a critical bonus. Please continue to complete more Villain missions and become The Ultimate Villain!]
Alistair ignored the system’s empty platitudes. A crystal vial containing a purplish-red liquid had already appeared in his hand.
"What’s this thing for?"
[The Evan Dragonblood Potion is a body-enhancement potion created by the legendary Potion Master, Evan. Its primary ingredient is the blood of a red dragon.]
Alistair raised an eyebrow. It sounded impressive. Making a potion from dragon’s blood was one thing, but a Potion Master was not a known profession on the Continent of Destiny. Here, potion-making was merely a secondary skill for Alchemists.
He had always assumed the potions he’d draw would be useless temporary aids like recovery potions or stat-boosts. It seemed he had misunderstood the system. He never expected to get something so remarkable from a potion draw.
Then again, the system’s rewards had always been quite good.
He thought of the Hero-grade armor he wore and the formidable Ironhorn clan at his command. Even the curio, Source of the Wild, which was of little use to him personally, was an incredibly precious item. After all, the system had described it as unique in all the world.
Considering all this, Alistair suddenly felt that the system he so often cursed was perhaps being treated a bit unfairly.
He smiled wryly. "You shameless system. I’ve misjudged you. You’re actually merciful!"
[System: ...]
"So, if I drink this Dragonblood Potion, will I turn into a red dragon?"
[System: No. This is a body-enhancement potion, not a transmutation potion!]
Alistair could feel the deep-seated resentment in the system’s tone.
He rubbed his nose awkwardly and continued, "Alright, then will I be rolling on the ground in agony, my body swelling and breaking apart, breathing fire?"
[System: No. The body enhancement is a gradual process that will take approximately three days.]
[System: The Dragonblood Potion was crafted by the legendary Potion Master Evan. He used precious ingredients and masterful techniques to render the normally volatile red dragon’s blood exceptionally gentle. Even a three-year-old child could absorb it perfectly.]
[System: Please use the Dragonblood Potion immediately. The potion’s efficacy will begin to degrade once it has left the system space.]
Already rushing me?
Alistair pursed his lips, but the system’s explanation had put him at ease. He uncorked the vial and held it to his nose. A faint scent of sulfur drifted out.
"Yep, smells like a red dragon."
Alistair nodded in satisfaction. He opened his mouth, tilted his head back, and downed the contents. A torrent of heat slid down his throat and into his stomach, where it quickly began to boil, igniting a fire within him. The searing warmth spread through his limbs, a sensation akin to sinking into a hot spring.
"Not bad! Now that has a kick to it."
"System, are there any side effects?"
[System: As the Host’s body will perfectly integrate a trace of the red dragon bloodline, the probability of the Host producing offspring will decrease. Inversely, the Host’s capabilities in the act of procreation will be enhanced.]
Alistair paused, then considered the known traits of such legendary creatures—siring offspring far and wide while having an exceptionally low fertility rate. A side effect like this for a Dragonblood Potion was perfectly logical.
From a certain perspective, perhaps it wasn’t a side effect at all, but an enhancement of a different sort.
[System: Reward distribution complete. A new system function has been unlocked.]
[System: Now introducing the new system function.]
[System: After this function is enabled, the Host’s villainous acts will grant a certain amount of Villain Points. The awarding of Villain Points is determined by the system.]
[System: Villain Points can be used to exchange for items in the Villain Shop. The Villain Shop refreshes once a week. This week’s Villain Shop has been updated. The Host may view it at his leisure.]
"Villain Points?"
Alistair grew thoughtful. It seemed the system was determined to push him down the path of villainy with no turning back, tempting him to commit evil in ever more creative ways.
He opened the Villain Shop. There were no world-shattering artifacts or divine decrees. Instead, it was filled with rather practical-looking items. Furthermore, some items had weekly purchase limits.
The most expensive item currently available was a Sky Knight Breakthrough Potion, priced at ten thousand Villain Points, with a purchase limit of one this week. Alistair’s eyes lit up. If he could acquire that potion, it could not only help Thorne break through to the rank of Sky Knight but also significantly extend his lifespan.
The cheapest items in the shop were sets of Excellent-grade Knight Equipment and Excellent-grade Mage Equipment, both priced at 500 Villain Points. These could be used to arm his troops and, perhaps in the future, to fleece the players.
Beyond those, there were mounts, siege engines, and weapon schematics. However, Alistair wasn’t yet sure how efficiently he could acquire Villain Points, so he refrained from judging the cost-effectiveness of these items for now.