The Bloody Alchemist

"Ka...ka..."

The red rock door creaked open, and the alchemist "Eden Gladstone," concealed in a black cloak, emerged. He had a weary and grim facial profile, his breath labored.

The two knights guarding the gate displayed a hint of fear when they spotted him and instinctively took a couple of steps back, hunching their necks. Eden Gladstone paid them no mind and headed straight for the nearest exit of the underground street.

During this round of the Ash Night, Eden had produced a significant quantity of potions and a small number of extraordinary items. Even as a member of the Cult, they needed a source of income.

Simultaneously, in the last round of Ash, several young female students from a college in Saint Rand had been trapped, becoming materials for the upcoming blood sacrifice. Prior to the ritual, Eden had not forgotten to indulge in the vitality of few of those young women.

In the tower, he was a peripheral figure who went unnoticed. Still, in the hunter gang, he was the dreaded Eden Gladstone"The Bloody Alchemist". Each blood sacrifice session brought forth the shrill cries of those young students, which resonated deep within his soul, providing him with indescribable pleasure.

Was there anything more euphoric than descending into darkness and giving in to one's desires?

The once silent underground corridor appeared even darker now, yet Eden Gladstone paid little attention. He channeled source energy into the "spell ring staff" on his wrist, conjuring a small flame elf, about the size of a fist, to lead the way.

Suddenly, two blood-red vines shot out from the passage's ceiling, causing a buzz and threatening to ensnare him. Despite their thickness and strength, Eden Gladstone's "Alchemy Robe" formed a natural shield, blocking the assault. As an alchemist, dealing with explosions was routine, and the "alchemy robe" was indispensable in gathering source energy to create a protective shield.

However, the vine quickly adapted, transforming into a python-like shape, coiling menacingly around Eden Gladstone. He sensed the unyielding force and realized he was facing a formidable opponent.

With a swift motion, Eden Gladstone clasped his hands together, creating a fiery burst. Sparks ignited from his body, transforming into a brilliant firework that quickly engulfed the vine, causing it to retreat.

A voice echoed from the depths of the crypt tunnel, "Your sorcery is not strong enough, young man."

Eden Gladstone extended his senses into an extraordinary storage bracelet, readily accessing specially crafted "alchemy bombs." Explosions were not only routine for him but also a crucial means of dealing with adversaries, as alchemists had fewer resources than wizards.

Not having sufficient magical abilities, they often relied on such tools to compensate.

"Buzz—"

Eden Gladstone remained vigilant as a golden divine aura emanated from the shadowy figure.

"Not good," he muttered. Through his time in the cult, Eden had been exposed to the power of the Dark Sun from another realm. The ecology of his alchemical tree had gradually descended into darkness, much like the Land of Ashes itself.

Descending into darkness wasn't the issue. The problem lay in his lack of time to develop a dark ecology after this transformation. If that sacred power struck him, it would certainly inflict devastating harm.

With no hesitation, Eden Gladstone hurled the alchemical bombs from his storage bracelet one after another. However, just as the alchemy bombs were launched and still very close to him, an incredible occurrence unfolded.

Boom... boom... boom...

The alchemy bombs erupted violently one by one, unleashing terrifying shockwaves and shards that forcefully knocked Eden Gladstone to the ground. The alchemy robe's protective shield shattered in the explosion, and he felt as if his bones were being torn apart.

"How could this be?"

"How could those alchemy bombs detonate so rapidly?"

Eden Gladstone, ears ringing, even thought he faintly heard gunshots. Exploding thrown bombs using shooting spells in such a dark environment seemed impossible. If his opponent were an intermediate wizard of level 40 or above, Eden believed it might be feasible, but this wizard was merely of low-level, with a level not exceeding 25.

"Escape!"

Injured and struggling, Eden Gladstone attempted to stand but stumbled and fell. Raising his hands, he realized one hand had elongated and the other had transformed into a thick, curly, white wool, a lamb's leg!

"I... baa..."

Eden Gladstone opened his mouth to speak but emitted a sheep's cry of "baa... baa..." An overwhelming sense of fear consumed him as he recognized that he had been turned into a white sheep like the the ones on Hegland Plateau Mountains.

"Baa... baa..."

The sheep's cry resonated through the passage, and Eden Gladstone soon identified the person responsible, a young wizard with fair, unblemished skin who appeared remarkably youthful.

"Although you're a second-order alchemist, your abilities are weaker than I anticipated," the young wizard remarked. "I heard that Nelson was terrified of you, so I prepared various methods to deal with you. Yet, you transformed into a sheep before I even exerted any force!"

The young wizard's smile was bright, while Eden Gladstone felt utterly disheartened.

"Baa... baa..."

Eden Gladstone exerted all his efforts to regain control of his "sheep body." Sheep were undoubtedly faster than humans, and he contemplated charging the young wizard, knocking him to the ground, and making a daring escape. However, the constraints of the young wizard's sheep transformation spell were more powerful than anticipated, rendering his struggles futile. The sheep increasingly behaved like a genuine one, even showing a penchant for green grass by gazing at a cluster of weeds in the corner.

"Damn bastard..."

"Yeah..."

Though Tucker didn't comprehend Sheep Language, he could make some educated guesses. To confront the leader of the hunter gang and their three core members, Tucker had methodically planned and prepared.

Eden Gladstone, a ruthless and bloodthirsty alchemist, was proficient in alchemical techniques, especially explosive ones. Tucker's initial strategy was to break through the opponent's alchemy robe's shield, then use ranged attacks to severely injure Eden, ultimately capturing him using the Sheep Transformation Technique.

However, the alchemical bombs thrown by Eden unintentionally aided Tucker and accelerated the transformation. The Sheep Transformation Technique's effectiveness exceeded Tucker's expectations, thanks to his SS-level [Accuracy].

This highly precise transformation granted Tucker a substantial advantage in "infiltration" and "suppression" against a Level 26 Eden Gladstone, who was left inexplicably transformed into a sheep.

"Adventurers will come to investigate soon. Let's make our escape."

Surveying the area, Tucker retrieved a pre-prepared rope. Despite Eden Gladstone's initial resistance, his sheep instincts forced him to follow Tucker. By the time adventurers arrived to investigate, Tucker had already disappeared deep into the dark passage with the transformed alchemist in tow.