Chapter 381: Paracelsus's Spirits (6)
Chapter 381: Paracelsus's Spirits (6)
“???”
What the...
What on earth just happened…?
With a dazed heart, I scanned the room once more.
The interior was pristine, not a single brick out of place. Only the artificial spirits had been swept away by the magic from a moment ago.
…Fine. Let’s say that much is possible.
Normally, projectile-type magic is almost impossible to control once it leaves the hand, but as one's proficiency increases, a certain degree of manipulation becomes possible.
A fireball usually flies in a simple parabola, but depending on the caster's talent and effort, it can be made to follow unnatural trajectories or be detonated mid-flight.
So, if I had unconsciously fine-tuned the trajectory of the Starlight Rain, it would make sense.
Given my mana control as a high magician, the assistance of the Dragon Heart, and the fact that I used Spirit Language, the possibility was certainly there.
However, it was a bit disconcerting that every single artificial spirit was wiped out by a single mid-tier spell, not even an advanced one.
Even if they were creatures whose self-awareness hadn't fully formed and who couldn't even wield their own power properly… they should have had at least a shred of instinct left.
The instinct to attack an intruder in their domain, or to reflexively defend when a blow is aimed at a vital spot.
Besides, weren't these Paracelsus’s ambitious creations? Even if they couldn't use it properly, the power they held should have been at the threshold of a high-rank spirit.
And yet, they died to a mid-tier spell… and an area-of-effect one at that, not even a single-target strike? And I wasn't even in my Dragonization State?
“Something… something is happening….”
As I muttered those words unconsciously, Carla, who had been stammering beside me, suddenly clapped her hands as if she’d realized something.
Clap!
“Ah! Master! The staff! Look at the staff!”
“Huh? What’s wrong with the staff…… Oh?”
The staff was boasting its usual sleek luster. But for some reason, a dark purple aura was now shimmering over it.
“Could it be…?”
“I don’t know why, but I think the staff’s performance has been enhanced. That’s why your magic changed. This never happened when you practiced alone, did it?”
“That’s true.”
It goes without saying, but this wasn't the first time I’d used magic since obtaining the Dragon Heart. It was just the first time using it in actual combat.
I had been practicing small-scale spells on my own whenever I had the chance to get used to the drastically changed sensations.
“It is a bit sudden, though. Why is the staff awakening instead of me, especially since I’m the one who got the Dragon Heart?”
I tilted my head, waving the staff around aimlessly in the air for a moment. Fay, who had instinctively finished looting the spirit stones from where the artificial spirits had fallen, watched me closely before reaching out her hand.
“Junior. Can you let me see that for a second?”
“Huh? Oh… here. Do you have an idea what’s going on?”
“A little. But even if I didn't, I think I’d need to check this much at least.”
Leaving behind that cryptic answer, Fay took the staff and walked straight outside. The moment she stepped out the door, the dark purple aura vanished.
“Eh?”
“Hmm….”
With an expression that suggested she was onto something, Fay pulled a small test tube from her subspace pocket and paced back and forth across the threshold.
“I knew it.”
“What is it? Don't keep it to yourself, tell us, Senior Fay.”
“It’s nothing major. It seems that, starting from this doorway, the performance of anything made through alchemy is being amplified.”
“…Is that even possible?”
“Mhm. I can do something similar. Why do you think alchemy costs so much money? It’s because of catalysts, Junior. The core of alchemy is using catalysts to amplify reactions or minimize side effects to extract only the desired results. It’s easier to understand if you think about potion grades.”
“Ah.”
The healing effect of a lowest-grade potion is barely enough to seal a wound in an emergency.
If you move even slightly violently, the wound tears open again, the lost blood isn't replenished, and the side effect of pain is considerable. It’s enough to make someone faint if they’re unlucky.
Essentially, they should only be used for first aid.
Of course, I still value the fact that they can somehow keep a critically injured person alive.
However, as the grade of these potions increases, the medicinal effect becomes stronger and the side effects weaker.
In the case of the high-grade and top-grade potions we usually use, not only can they heal a severed limb if you align it and stick it back on immediately, but they also show significant effectiveness in healing internal injuries.
The side effects are, at most, a bit of lethargy and dizziness.
It’s a very small price to pay for being brought back from the brink of death.
Well… even then, we haven't had much use for them lately thanks to Helena’s heals. Divine power healing has no side effects.
Anyway, I could more or less understand what Fay was trying to say.
“So you’re saying the entire workshop is like a giant catalyst?”
“Yes. But I’m only talking about the principle. Realistically, it’s close to impossible. Not every substance reacts to the same catalyst, right? …Except for exactly one thing.”
“…Are you talking about the Philosopher's Stone?”
“Exactly. The Philosopher's Stone was originally a concept born from the attempt to create a universal catalyst.”
A dream-like substance that could react to any material to amplify desired properties or, conversely, diminish them.
But if you think about it carefully, you’ll realize how nonsensical that sounds.
First of all, reacting to every single substance is impossible, but to then guide the reaction exactly as desired?
Such a substance doesn't exist, and even if it did, it would have long since reacted with the surrounding materials and vanished.
It’s a story that’s only possible if you can make the impossible possible and bring ideals into reality.
That is why it was named the Philosopher's Stone.
Because it was believed that no one could ever create it unless they were a sage who had mastered the truths of the world… someone on par with an archmage.
“But Paracelsus is the great alchemist who created the first and last Philosopher's Stone in history, right, Junior?”
“He is.”
“And after Paracelsus disappeared, everyone searched for the Philosopher's Stone, but they all failed.”
“They… did.”
“You know. What if….”
I swallowed hard, sensing what she was about to say. Behind Fay’s messy bangs, her eyes sparkled.
“What if the Philosopher's Stone is right here?!”
“Ah, it’s probably not.”
“Eh.”
Fay froze at my blunt answer.
But it really wasn't there. At least, it wasn't in H&A.
It wasn't just that I couldn't find it; even the veterans who had played far longer than me, and even those who had literally torn apart the game scripts, declared it didn't exist.
Everyone had searched high and low, thinking it would be there….
“Well, it might be hidden somewhere. But… in the information I saw from Fafnir’s arrangements, it wasn't there no matter how much I looked.”
“Why?! Alchemical items are reacting like this regardless of their type!”
“This phenomenon itself is something I didn't expect either. Maybe we activated something in the workshop without realizing it.”
“…Fine. Then that 'something' that was activated could be the Philosopher's Stone, right? I’ll look for it! Even if it’s not, I’ll find the cause of this phenomenon, so leave it to me!”
“I wasn't going to stop you. But as I said before, something I don't know about might pop up, so let’s move cautiously and quickly.”
Having said that, I looked back at the rest of the group. When our eyes met, everyone nodded, weapons already drawn.
Reliable as always.
From then on, things proceeded exactly as I’d said: cautiously but quickly.
First, we opened the entrance to the hidden true workshop using Fay’s alchemy, and Helena cast every possible buff on the entire party.
Then, using full Spirit Mediumship to borrow Solari’s power, Helena took the lead. Having grown much more accustomed to her power as an Apostle while fighting the Ugly Prosperity, she began clearing all obstacles like a crazed bulldozer.
Of course, I didn't just stand around playing. I assisted Helena in my Dragonization State while issuing various orders.
Carla and Iona followed us, protecting Elisha and Iris, who hadn't recovered their strength yet, and Fay, who had zero combat ability.
Once we set our minds to clearing the dungeon, we were truly an irresistible force.
Elite golems, far stronger than the ones we faced outside, and Golem Knights that were even further enhanced for some unknown reason, were smashed to pieces (Fay kept one as a sample).
I used raw magic power to crush and shrug off traps made with all sorts of peculiar alchemy and magical tools, and for those that were too tricky for that, Fay immediately reverse-engineered them to create countermeasures.
Helena and Solari were in high spirits from going all out for the first time in a while; I was excited by a hidden piece I knew nothing about; Iona had been promised a free blood-sucking pass for the first time since the Dragon Heart appeared; Carla had been granted a full day of exclusive rights; Fay was overflowing with motivation; and Elisha and Iris were cheering us on from the back.
Nothing Paracelsus had made could stop us now!
How many times did we repeat this cycle of charging forward and smashing everything in sight?
Finally, the moment we entered Paracelsus’s true workshop—the final destination of this dungeon.
Driven by momentum, I reflexively plunged my dagger into the golden spirit's heart.
“Gah…!”
“Ah.”
Wait, who did I just kill?