CHAPTER 125: THE EFFECTS OF DRAGON BLOOD

Sieg had many matters to attend to. When they parted ways, he handed Wang Yu another mana crystal card worth over a thousand gold coins—this was several months' worth of Wang Yu's salary, along with a bonus for his contribution during the demon invasion.

It was a hefty sum. Holding the mana crystal card, Wang Yu felt like a half-rich man again. But as always, money came quickly and disappeared just as fast.

By the time he returned home, it was still early and Avia wasn't yet back. The battle in the capital's shadow had cost Wang Yu little to nothing—his body was simply built that way. As long as he wasn't dead, he could rapidly recover from injuries and fatigue given sufficient nutrients.

Wang Yu placed the vial of dragon blood that Sieg had given him on the table and observed the liquid within. It was purer and much more transparent than human blood—it was hard to believe that this was actually blood in the first place.

According to what he had read, bathing in dragon blood could greatly enhance one's physical constitution. The exact mechanism was unknown given the rarity of dragon blood, and no one had been able to study the phenomenon in depth.

Since most dragons were innately attuned to magic, their blood contained immense magical energy. Some individuals without magical talent had gained surprising facility with magic simply by being exposed to dragon blood.

That was terrifying. If just a drop of dragon blood could grant someone magic talent, how much stronger would a whole dragon, brimming with dragon blood, be?

Using his ripples, Wang Yu scanned the vial of clear red liquid. As Sieg had said, it contained no magical energy. Sieg truly was a deficient dragon—he lacked the magical affinity typical of his kind.

However, Wang Yu had personally witnessed Sieg's formidable physique. A dragon's blood without magical properties might actually be more conducive to Wang Yu. The only problem now was figuring out how to use it.

Instructor Barrett's advanced body-tempering elixir hadn't had any effect when he applied it on his body, and ingesting it only provided decent nourishment.

If Sieg's dragon blood worked on the same principles, bathing in it as the historical record suggested might be completely ineffective. Did that mean he should treat it as an incredibly potent supplement instead?

Deciding to experiment, Wang Yu opened the vial and dipped his finger into the liquid. To his surprise, the dragon blood was incredibly thick—its consistency was more like honey than ordinary blood. The moment it touched his skin, a sharp pain spread across his fingertip.

"This stuff is still active? The sheer aggression of this blood is terrifying. As expected, every part of a powerful creature is formidable."

Wang Yu focused on the pain in his fingertip. Though the dragon blood showed no signs of movement, it was undeniably corroding his skin, slowly and methodically eating away at his flesh.

This should have been inert blood completely detached from its original body, with no guiding will whatsoever. Even so, it was still able to damage Wang Yu's skin—despite the fact that his physique was that of a full-fledged knight! For a simple drop of blood to bypass his natural defenses...

"But if it's this aggressive, maybe I can try to make my body ‘learn' something from it?" Wang Yu rubbed his chin, considering that possibility.

As a transmigrator, Wang Yu never saw himself as inherently superior, but he was acutely aware of his unique traits and took advantage of them. He had two major advantages: his original Earth-born body and his yet-unexplained spiritual and mental abilities.

The latter wasn't relevant to this experiment, but the former was key to his idea. When he had first arrived in this world, his body had been pitifully weak, far weaker than average.

That was because his original physique lacked any supernatural factors. He had no fighting spirit, no magic, no inherited bloodline abilities—nothing.

But once he arrived in this world, his body started adapting on its own, filling in those gaps and evolving for the new environment he had found himself in. His physique improved naturally alongside his training, allowing him to continuously grow stronger.

The ability to "learn" was the greatest unique trait of his body.

Upon reaching a certain threshold, he should have been able to develop fighting spirit, yet it didn't manifest. He had used his wizardry abilities to briefly create his own version of fighting spirit, allowing his body to experience it for itself.

After that, his body "learned" how to generate fighting spirit. It was unconventional—he didn't develop the usual whirlpool of energy in his lower abdomen like ordinary warriors—but an undeniable success.

He was certain that his body had an innate ability to learn autonomously. The same process had allowed him to absorb a weakened form of regeneration after contact with a vampire's blood.

The ingredients of the body-tempering elixirs he had tried out had been processed and rendered inactive, so all he absorbed from them were nutrients. Could his body learn something from this vial of dragon blood, an immensely powerful, seemingly active substance?

"It's worth a try. But I need to be careful—I can't just inject this stuff into myself. Judging by its aggressiveness, a direct injection could be catastrophic if I can't withstand it."

Wang Yu decided to proceed cautiously. He wouldn't recklessly introduce the dragon blood into his body; instead, he would let his own blood interact with it first.

He cut his fingertip and activated Blood Tempest, allowing a small amount of his own blood to flow out. He then extracted some dragon blood from the vial and let the two mix. Thanks to Blood Tempest, his blood had some level of autonomous activity as well.

The moment his blood made contact with the dragon blood, the latter's aggression became apparent. Wang Yu remotely controlled his blood using his ripples and immediately noticed that the volume he could control was decreasing—his blood was being "killed" by the dragon blood.

"As expected, injecting this directly into my body would have been a terrible idea. No wonder the records only mention bathing in dragon blood. Even a grand knight might not be able to survive this kind of internal destruction. Hm?"

Just as Wang Yu marveled at the dragon blood's sheer hostility, he noticed something unusual—the golden-red Banner of Triumph hovering above him flickered to life. This peculiar curio had activated, but instead of sending life energy into Wang Yu's body as usual, it was directing it into the portion of his blood that had mixed with the dragon blood.

He watched closely as the originally bright and translucent pool of dragon blood surrounded a small portion of his own, which remained opaque. At first, there had been much more of his blood, but the dragon blood had devoured most of it, leaving only this stubborn fraction behind.

Despite the relentless attack of the dragon blood, this last portion of Wang Yu's blood refused to be destroyed.

Through Blood Tempest, Wang Yu could sense a fierce struggle—his blood was resisting the dragon blood's invasion, even though it remained at a disadvantage.

Though it had initially been completely overwhelmed, it had gradually developed some resistance. However, it was still being worn down, its size dwindling.

But then, something changed. As Wang Yu's blood managed to "kill" a portion of the dragon blood, the Banner of Triumph triggered—a supposedly useless curio that Wang Yu had been trying to find some use for.

The dragon blood that had been destroyed counted as an "enemy," so its life energy—its vitality—was transferred into Wang Yu's remaining blood. His blood was absorbing the dragon blood's strength.

After receiving a boost in power, Wang Yu's blood managed to reach a certain degree of equilibrium with the dragon blood. It remained at a disadvantage, but the curio did seem to bolster its strength somewhat.

As Wang Yu's blood killed off the dragon blood, it was simultaneously restored by the Banner of Triumph's continuous support, leading to a prolonged standoff. Wang Yu watched with great interest as the small basin of blood seemed to move with a life of its own, spreading, converging, and pulsating. The sight gave him an odd sense of amusement, like watching ants battle each other.

Over time, Wang Yu began to notice a change—his own blood was evolving. Originally, the activity of his blood was merely a result of Blood Tempest. It did not possess any inherent vitality. However, through constant confrontation with the dragon blood, which did possess this unique trait, his own blood was undergoing a transformation.

It was learning vitality—or, in a way, learning life itself. Wang Yu's blood began exhibiting the same active qualities inherent to dragon blood. Empowered by the energy spontaneously generated by the Banner of Triumph, it launched a counteroffensive.

When the battle reached a stalemate, the side with external aid became the dominant force. Wang Yu's blood began its counterattack, accumulating vitality at an increasing rate. It exhibited an almost sentient hunger as it started to devour the dragon blood in return.

The Banner of Triumph continuously triggered, providing an endless stream of reinforcement. Wang Yu's blood grew stronger and stronger. Moments later, he lifted the small dish, noticing that the liquid inside was no longer clear.

This signified the complete eradication of the dragon blood. What remained was far less in quantity, yet it had transformed—Wang Yu's blood now pulsed and trembled as if alive. Even the sample he had used for testing had gained vitality.

"Fascinating. Let's see what you've learned." Wang Yu grinned, genuinely surprised by the immense change in his own blood. The very concept of life had now emerged within it.

He placed his previously cut fingertip into the dish of blood. Even without actively channeling his Blood Tempest, the blood instinctively crawled up his finger. Then, with the aid of his technique, it flowed back into his body.

As the blood reintegrated, Wang Yu immediately sensed changes within himself.

His transformed blood was transmitting what it had learned to the rest of his body. His entire circulatory system was undergoing a metamorphosis. This process should have been silent and undetectable, yet Wang Yu could clearly feel it happening.

His perception of his own body was shifting on a fundamental level. He could now sense the texture of his muscles, the gaps between his bones, the tiny ridges in his blood vessels—anywhere his blood flowed was now vividly perceptible. He no longer needed to rely on his ripples—everything was laid bare before his consciousness.

"Is this the feedback from my newly vitalized blood?" Wang Yu closed his eyes, immersing himself in the heightened awareness of his own body. He felt the surge of vibrant, life-filled blood coursing through him. A transformation had taken place, but what it would ultimately bring him remained uncertain.

However, as he watched a tiny tendril of blood sprout from the wound on his fingertip, then weave itself into delicate strands to seal and cover the injury before retracting, Wang Yu had a feeling—someday, this change would either become an incredible surprise... or an absolute nightmare.

"It looks like this is as much as my body can get out of the dragon blood," Wang Yu murmured to himself. "But with such powerful blood at my disposal, it'd be a shame if I didn't experiment a little. My hands are itching—I have to try it."

Wang Yu was in a great mood after his newfound transformation. Looking at the nearly full jar of dragon blood that remained, he rubbed his hands together eagerly. Though he referred to himself as an amateur herbalist, Wang Yu had always enjoyed the craft, which felt somewhat like chemistry to him.

The idea for a new potion idea had been simmering in his mind for a while. With this energy-rich dragon blood, he might just be able to realize it.

When inspiration struck, Wang Yu wasted no time. His workshop was just a small room in his home on Redmaple Street. Unlike alchemists, who required complex setups, potioneers—practically chemists in their own right—got by with rather simple equipment.

When Avia pushed open the door, she was greeted by the sight of Wang Yu—his face covered in soot, his clothes stained with strange liquids—grinning while holding up a small vial of golden liquid.

"Avia! I did it!" he exclaimed excitedly. "That potion I told you about? I actually pulled it off! Recaptured Glory! This can be my new trump card!"

Avia sighed. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up first."

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