Chapter 16 Swindler_2

Aske was not a wealthy player in his previous life, able to smash his way through the Bloodline Path with stacks of RMB in hand. Therefore, he couldn't afford to forget any other Magic Potion Recipes, but he had to commit all the sequences of Weapon Master to memory. The recipe for the first magic potion, "Perfect Physique X," was:

-Ingredient-

One humerus bone from a Gaul Orc (Humerus_of_Gaul_Ogre)

One hind leg tendon from a Fenrisulfr Wolf (Tendon_of_Fenrisulfr_Wolf's_Hind_leg)

A portion of Phantom Remnant (Remnant_of_Phantom)

-Subsidiary-

Anhydrous alcohol 20ml (ethanol)

-Processing-

Use the Phantom Remnant to fully corrode the humerus bone of the Gaul Orc and the hind leg tendon of the Fenrisulfr Wolf, add in the anhydrous alcohol, stir evenly, then let sit for 24h before drinking.

The ingredients listed in this recipe are rather troublesome. Gaul Orcs live in both Inner and Outer Gaul, Fenrisulfr Wolves can be found at the northernmost tip of the Scandinavian Peninsula, and Phantoms skulk along the northern coasts of the South Continent (from Cairo to Tunisia). If one were to collect these by oneself, one would have to traverse the entire world from east to south to west to north.

However, Aske knew of a shortcut.

The three most common foundation Magic Potions of the Foundation Sequence are Strong X (which increases Explosive Power and Endurance), Agility X (which increases Control Power and Reaction Speed), and Wisdom X (which increases intelligence and Willpower). Their corresponding main ingredients are precisely the humerus bone of a Gaul Orc, the hind leg tendon of a Fenrisulfr Wolf, and the Phantom Remnant. Therefore, in theory, as long as one could get their hands on the potions or Extraordinary Traits of Strong X, Agility X, and Wisdom X, it would be possible to substitute the main ingredients for Perfect Physique X.

So where could one find these three cornerstone Magic Potions? Constantinople had them. As the Queen of Thousands of Cities, Constantinople's advantage lay right here—it was the trade nexus between East and West, situated at the junction of the North Continent, East Continent, and South Continent. Coupled with its developed commerce and trading businesses, nearly all the goods in the world could be found there.

Aske strolled leisurely to the slums of Constantinople, which were mostly inhabited by impoverished outsiders such as those from Anatolia and Thrace, as well as the Saxons and Yousi people. Of course, there was no escaping the presence of local gangs, a common issue for any city with a slum area.

At the intersection of two unnamed streets, Aske stopped at a street stall. After staring at the merchant's goods for a long time, he suddenly chuckled coldly,

"Heh, Gene Preparations?"

"Honored sir, your eyes do not deceive you," replied the merchant with the look of a hustler, a Yus person with a short mustache, as he clasped his hands together with a sycophantic smile, "These are the Gene Preparations straight from the Solomon Church. Body I can increase your strength and Endurance, Body II can increase your Agility and Reaction Speed, Spirit I can increase your intelligence and Willpower. Even more marvelous, after the scientific adjustments by the clerics of the Solomon Sect, all Gene Preparations are free of the risk of losing control inherent to Magic Potions, hence they can be taken repeatedly. The more you take, the stronger the Abilities you'll gain."

"Heh heh," Aske picked up a small vial and swished the liquid inside.

He knew that the contents were definitely not any Gene Preparations. This swindler named Helosoz had somehow acquired Strong X, Agility X, and Wisdom X Magic Potions. Instead of doing legitimate business and selling them, he diluted these three cornerstone Magic Potions to sell them under the guise of "Gene Preparations," swindling many novice players.

Game strategies were scarce during the public testing phase; a bottle of "Gene Preparation" likely contained only a drop of Magic Potion, the rest being plain tap water. Such a product, after consumption, could only increase one's Extraordinary Power by a slight amount, incapable of causing a qualitative change in Extraordinary Traits. But the rookie players didn't know that, so a great deal of the players' hard-earned money flowed into the pocket of this deceitful merchant.

It wasn't until a Player Guild took this guy down that the scam was finally exposed.

"How much?" Aske asked.

"Ten pounds a bottle," the merchant said.

"Give me a bottle of Body I." Aske took out a banknote and handed it to him, grabbed a bottle of "Body I," and drank it.

"No reaction, eh?" he asked knowingly.

"The gene preparation doesn't work that quickly," the merchant chuckled, "It needs to go through the digestion in your stomach..."

Before he could finish speaking, Aske had drawn Aphrodite and pressed it against the merchant's forehead:

"Tenfold compensation, understand?" Aske said icily, "One hundred pounds."

"This..." the merchant's eyes darted around, knowing full well that this was not a case of being duped but that the buyer knowingly targeted the problematic potion, deliberately trying to trap him, "My money's all at home, I don't carry it on me..."

That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say! Aske thought to himself, then said out loud, "Don't think you can slip away, I'll go back with you to get it."

That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say! The merchant also thought viciously, quickly agreeing aloud.

The usual day in the poor district didn't have police patrols, so Aske was able to unobtrusively hold the gun to the merchant's lower back all the way, unobstructed, arriving at the merchant's home.

Using the key to open the door, Aske saw five or six burly men with tattoos sitting inside, their eyes unfriendly as they looked over. At that moment, the hostage merchant skillfully executed a roll on the ground and yelled:

"Trouble's here! Beat this guy to death…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a blossom of blood sprouted from his body. Aske had accurately shot him as he rolled at high speed. This caused the gang members in the house to erupt chaotically, fumbling with their guns. Aske beat them to the punch, shooting dead two.

The remaining three gang members finally drew their submachine guns and sprayed bullets toward the doorway, only to realize that Aske had already dashed outside.

"Chase him!"

One gun-toting gang member rushed out the door first, quickly scanning left and right, but failing to spot Aske. Then another scream came from behind—it was Aske, who had circled to the side of the house, and shot two more through the window. Now, the only surviving gang member finally lost his courage, devoid of any will to continue fighting, and scrambled toward the distant street.

As he was about to pass the corner, a bullet burrowed into the back of his head.

These gangsters were accustomed to preying on the poor, thus Aske felt no psychological burden in killing them. He calmly entered the merchant's house, searched skillfully, and promptly found a hidden compartment behind an oil painting on the wall of the second-floor study.

Inside, there were three bottles of magic potion; the bright red was Strong X, the deep blue was Wisdom X, and the light green was Agility X. Each bottle of magic potion seemed to have been used by about a third.

After spiritual material is made into magic potion, the extraordinary trait that forms cannot be subdivided. If part of a magic potion is poured out, as long as it doesn't exceed half, the extraordinary trait will remain in the original potion, but the extraordinary power will flow away.

In other words, these three bottles of magic potion could be used as the main material for Perfect Physique X without any problems. But the extraordinary power was likely only two-thirds remaining.

Aske carefully stashed the three bottles of magic potion and left the house, only to see a large group of armed thugs rushing toward him.