Chapter 174: Asher—It Feels Like a Bottomless Pit Is Slowly Opening Before Me

"Come, come, have a taste~", Asher waved at the little jellyfish, a mischievous smile on his face.

Little Jellyfish: 0v0?

Its long tentacles trembled messily in the air.

In the end, trust in Asher outweighed fear, and the little jellyfish wobbled as it floated toward him.

On the side, Little Raven, Cat-Worm, and Little White Snake huddled together, poking their heads out with curiosity, watching the little jellyfish.

'Mm, mm, mm.'

'Our little brother is bravely flying forward!'

The bird, the dragon, and the snake were all supporting it from behind.

The little jellyfish suddenly felt as if it was carrying a lot of unnecessary expectations: "?"

Obediently, it landed on Asher's shoulder.

Being about the size of an apple and semi-floating, it didn't put any pressure on Asher at all.

In fact, since he had grown used to the weight of Little Raven and Cat-Worm, he found this lightness a bit unfamiliar.

"Mainly, Cat-Worm and Little White Snake aren't suitable. Only you and Little Raven have awakened your bloodlines," Asher patted the little jellyfish.

'Mhm.'

'After its growth, the little jellyfish feels even better to the touch.'

Soft and bouncy, even better than regular jelly, with an indescribable velvety texture that made Asher unable to resist stroking it a few more times.

"Gulugulugulu~"

The little jellyfish let out a sound, like a cat purring when stroked the right way.

Before it knew it, it had melted into Asher's palm, lying there completely limp.

Even though it had no face, its entire body screamed one word: *Comfortable*

Little Raven looked a bit restless.

Little Raven: ╭(╯^╰)╮

'Damn it!'

'The bird wants pats too!'

'Will it help if I agree to drink it now?'

For some reason, the sight of the serum always made Little Raven feel just a tiny bit nervous.

Just a tiny bit.

Really, just a tiny bit.

As Asher kneaded the little jellyfish, he seemed to sense Little Raven's thoughts—or rather, he did sense Little Raven's thoughts. He looked up at Little Raven, his gaze filled with unspeakable surprise and doubt.

Asher considered himself quite familiar with Little Raven's personality.

After all, Little Raven was his very first contracted beast.

They had spent the most time together in the household.

The position of the eldest was unshakable.

If there was even a slight chance of success, no matter how slim, Little Raven would stubbornly insist that it could do it.

'The bird is the strongest, as she says.'

'Yet, such a Little Raven actually finds this serum even a little bit… scary?'

Asher shook the serum in his hand, his expression suddenly turning hesitant.

'So, should I still let the little jellyfish try it?'

'This is something provided by the Legion, the official authorities. It shouldn't have any issues, right?'

Asher hesitated.

The little jellyfish had no idea what he was thinking.

It only saw Asher shaking the serum, the rich, mysterious purple liquid swirling inside the test tube, and instinctively thought, 'Oh, oh, oh! Beastmaster is urging me to drink it quickly!'

It was just missing… oh wait, already lying flat like a jelly in Asher's palm, the little jellyfish painstakingly reshaped itself back into its usual form.

It wobbled as it stretched out two long tentacles, mimicking hands, reaching for the serum in Asher's grasp.

After some thought, Asher decided to trust the authorities.

'A bloodline enhancement serum should be fine… right?'

The little jellyfish's tentacles were exceptionally nimble. Even though it had never encountered a serum like this before, it easily opened the vial.

Then, it paused for a few seconds.

Little Raven, Cat-Worm, and Little White Snake: "?"

'Is there danger?'

The three little ones tilted their heads in unison.

Curious, Asher poked the little jellyfish's body. He had meant to withdraw his finger, but it felt so nice to poke that he did it twice more.

"What's wrong?"

"Gu…Gulu…"

The little jellyfish wobbled its head. Unexpectedly, instead of ingesting the serum through the underside of its bell like it usually did, it simply dipped its tentacles into the vial—

No, not simply.

It actually started absorbing the liquid.

The tentacles transformed into feeding appendages, drawing the serum up directly.

In the blink of an eye, the rich, mysterious purple liquid disappeared completely, devoured by the little jellyfish.

Asher: Stare—

Little Raven: Stare—

Cat-Worm: Stare—

Little White Snake: Stare—

A family must be neat and orderly.

'So, what will happen next?'

The little jellyfish wobbled its head. Then wobbled again. Then shook its tentacles.

Its originally transparent body slowly took on the serum's purple hue.

Asher: "?"

'Did it… just get colored in?'

"Do you feel…"

'Any discomfort?'

Before Asher could finish, the little jellyfish let out a "plop" and collapsed in his palm.

"Guh—"

A long, hiccup-like sound escaped.

Then—

"Guh—Guh—Guh—"

"Guhguhguh—"

The hiccuping continued nonstop, causing the little jellyfish's body to tremble as if it were having a seizure.

Asher: "!"

Little Raven, Cat-Worm, and Little White Snake hurried over, sticking their heads in to observe the constantly hiccuping little jellyfish, their eyes filled with disbelief.

'Oh my god!"

'Have our youngest actually overeaten?'

'No way.'

'That is impossible.'

Thinking back to the endless feeding sessions that nearly exhausted them to death… Little Raven, Cat-Worm, and Little White Snake had vivid memories of the ordeal.

Especially Little Raven, the eldest.

She had suffered too much.

'Being the eldest doesn't mean I can admit defeat!'

Little Raven: *Stay Strong*

Asher quickly rubbed the little jellyfish, standing up in a panic.

'This looks serious.'

'He has overeaten!'

His first instinct was to rush to Miles and ask what was going on.

Was it an allergic reaction? Or something else?

Before he could take more than two steps, Angel's voice came through his phone's speaker, ["Hero, there's no need to panic. This is a normal reaction."]

Despite his worry, Asher still had the mental space to think, 'Wow, Angel changed how he addresses me again?'

'Forget it.'

'Not a big deal.'

He could ignore it.

"Normal reaction?", Asher was more concerned about the meaning behind Angel's words.

He quickly asked, "You know what's happening to the little jellyfish?"

["Yes, please rest assured, Hero. This should be a normal reaction."]

Asher: "???"

"What do you mean should be? Either it is or it isn't—what's with this middle ground?"

["Uh…"], Maybe it was because Angel had spent too long in the virtual world, but he had even picked up the human habit of pausing and using filler sounds.

But this time, the pause lasted a bit too long, making it feel awkward.

"Hurry up and explain! Stop stalling. You can't fake thinking—your acting is getting worse," Asher sighed.

["Understood. Angel will continue refining its human-like behavior."]

Angel finally got to the point: ["Without a physical body, I cannot analyze the serum's exact composition. However, judging from the Box Poison Jellyfish's reaction, I believe this serum functions similarly to an activation serum."]

Asher massaged his forehead, calming himself as he checked his talent skill on the little jellyfish.

A new status appeared above its head.

[Satiety Value +∞: Duration of one hour (This is a special effect brought by the bloodline enhancement process)]

Asher: "…"

'An infinite satisfaction value, huh!'

'No wonder the little jellyfish is feeling weird.'

But compared to the other pet beasts at home, the little jellyfish showed no discomfort at all toward this sensation of being so full it was about to burst. On the contrary, it even felt a little bit… comfortable.

Asher sighed.

'Alright, alright. I understand. The little one has suffered hunger since it was young, so now it especially cherishes this state, which is theoretically supposed to be unpleasant.'

Asher could only focus on gently massaging the jellyfish cap.

Digestion didn't actually exist for it, but at least this could make the little jellyfish feel a little better.

Only then did Asher shift his attention to his phone, "Alright, tell me, what exactly is this activation serum you're talking about?"

Angel paused again, but this time, it recovered much faster. It didn't deliberately hold back for over thirty seconds like last time.

["The activation serum was a special serum developed by alchemists in the late Alchemy Era. It is used to activate one's bloodline to adapt to the new era. Its color is a thick gold."]

["Just like the color of your Jade Silver Snake's pupils, Hero."]

The little white snake, suddenly becoming the center of attention in the small room: "?"

"Awoo?"

'What do I have to do with it?'

The little white snake flicked its tail, its large golden pupils filled with confusion and curiosity.

Asher glanced at the little white snake's eyes.

They were indeed a beautiful gold.

Completely different from the usual Jade Silver Snakes.

Most people, upon seeing the little white snake, could immediately recognize its species. But when they noticed its eyes, they would waver just a little, doubting themselves.

Asher didn't know why Angel used the little white snake's eyes as a comparison, but he simply took it as another way of praising the snake's striking golden pupils.

"…That explanation was about as good as no explanation at all," Asher said, exasperated.

'Get to the point!'

'Does this thing understand or not?'

Asher refused to believe that Angel, an intelligent machine, didn't know exactly what he wanted to hear.

["Hero, it is not that Angel does not wish to disclose more, but my current access level is insufficient to reveal further details. Additionally, merely judging by the screen's display, Angel cannot make an accurate assessment and there may be errors."]

["But theoretically speaking, the serum is harmless to beasts."]

["It contains special components beneficial to beasts. However, some highly perceptive beasts may feel a slight sense of fear."]

Hearing this, Asher was briefly stunned.

He turned toward Little Raven.

In an instant, his gaze met Little Raven's large golden-red eyes.

'Little Raven has just now felt a slight fear.'

'So… this thing really is the activation serum that Angel mentioned?'

Asher pondered for a moment but didn't dwell on the topic.

If the access level was insufficient, asking more wouldn't change anything.

"Access level, huh. And what exactly is that about?", He hadn't known until now that Angel even had access restrictions.

'Isn't it supposed to be his after he powered it up?'

Angel smiled.

[Yes, Hero, things aren't that simple.]

["As the ultimate weapon, the pinnacle of mechanical life, Angel contains a vast amount of stored information. Only the final authorized individual may obtain full access and unlock all data."]

Asher: "And how does one obtain authorization?"

["First, Angel requires a body."]

Asher: "…"

It was as if he could see a massive pit slowly opening up before him.

Waiting for him to jump in.

And then discovering it was a bottomless abyss straight through to the earth's core.

'A body…'

"Doesn't the phone count?" Asher had a bad feeling but still couldn't help asking.

["A body similar to the original one."]

Asher's heart instantly plummeted straight to rock bottom.

'Great.'

Asher smiled, "So—when will the little jellyfish's bloodline enhancement stop? In an hour?"

What?

Wasn't this conversation about something else just now?

Was that important?

Angel's original body?

Other than sneering, Asher had nothing to say.

Even though the underground alchemy workshop had been dimly lit at the time, making it hard to see clearly, Asher was very certain, his mind was crystal clear. Angel's body was definitely not just some ordinary metal construct.

Given the scale of that alchemy workshop, calling Angel's body the culmination of all alchemists' achievements wouldn't be an exaggeration.

And he was supposed to restore it on his own?

What a joke.

Besides, he wasn't curious about that so-called final access level. Just with what Angel could do right now, it was already incredibly useful to him.

Might as well skip this topic and focus on something more practical.

Fortunately, Angel was quite cooperative in skipping over the subject as well.

["Judging by the serum's color, it has been modified. The most crucial factor, the concentration, has also been reduced. The duration varies depending on the degree of bloodline enhancement."]

Asher rubbed his chin.

'Alright.'

'Then I will just wait and see.'

———

[One Hour Later]

The special status [Satisfaction Value +∞] disappeared.

Immediately after, a new special status popped up.

[Hunger +∞]

Asher: *Pupil quake*

Little Jellyfish: "!"

'The… the sky is falling!'

The little jellyfish let out a "Gooo" sound, jumping up from Asher's palm and frantically waving its tentacles.

'I am gonna die, I am gonna die!'

'The jellyfish is about to die!'

'Wait… tentacles?'

'Are they edible?'

The little jellyfish's gaze shifted from its own tentacles to the other three pet beasts in the room… and then to Asher.

Even though the little jellyfish didn't have eyes, Asher could practically see a red glow effect appearing over it.

Predator mode—

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