Blood Quintessence

"This is it," Bosain declared with unwavering determination, his words resonating with a palpable sense of impending action. "It has materialized! I'm going all out on the offensive!" His voice thundered through the cavern as his silver-armored form took shape once more, gleaming with ethereal brilliance. With a commanding flourish, he summoned a silver longsword, a masterpiece of craftsmanship that sent subtle ripples dancing along its edge.

His eyes blazed with an intense fervor, the irises turning a fiery shade as he strained his body to its limits, channeling every ounce of available Mana Energy. Ancient incantations flowed from his lips, and in a display of sheer determination, he bit into his own finger, allowing the crimson droplets to fall onto a badge he retrieved. This badge, unlike Jayden's, was adorned with a luxurious gold coating and studded with precious rubies.

As if responding to Bosain's unwavering resolve, the very earth beneath him erupted in a spectacular display of power. Countless vines burst forth, but these were unlike any seen before. They were a fiery crimson, and their reverse thorns appeared denser, exuding an aura of perilous energy. Before long, they ignited, filling the cave with scorching heat that seared the senses.

"Eat on this, fiend!" Bosain bellowed, his fiery vines launching a relentless assault from all angles, encircling and ensnaring their target, the Black Horrall Snake. Simultaneously, he charged forward with his elongated sword, a true Knight in every sense, unyielding and resolute.

Seeing the escalation of the battle, Leylin sprang into action. With a swift wave of his arm, a dozen fiery red potions emerged from his grasp, exploding into bright flames upon contact with the serpent's body. He wasn't finished; his hands conjured his trusty black longbow, which, with an incantation, was enveloped in a cutting wind energy, transforming its arrows into deadly bolts that raced forward at missile-like velocities.

"Let's bring it down, Leylin!" Bosain's fiery vines intensified, whipping up a fierce windstorm. In the blink of an eye, they ensnared the Black Horrall Snake, its struggles futile.

In that critical moment, a razor-sharp, green projectile surged past Bosain, finding its mark in the snake's right eye. The serpent's agony was palpable, its mouth ablaze and one eye grievously wounded, a torrent of iridescent fluid streaming from the socket. Its deafening screams echoed in the cave.

"Meet your death!" In a climactic burst of power, Bosain's silver armor flowed like liquid metal, converging onto his outstretched longsword. The blade, once ordinary in size, now stretched to an astonishing five meters, adorned with enigmatic runes that pulsed with arcane energy. The stage was set for a final confrontation, as Bosain and Leylin joined forces, their unity and resolve unyielding in the face of a formidable foe.

Bosain's muscles surged with immense power, their contours sharply defined, and the air around him crackled with the vivid flashes of arcane spells.

Leylin casually cast his gaze upon the intricate spell formations surrounding Bosain. What he found was a multitude of Rank 0 spells, carefully woven to temporarily enhance physical attributes, such as strength and vitality.

'Under the influence of these potent spells, Bosain's statistics must have surged beyond that of a Grand Knight. He's practically approaching the mythical realm of the Branded Swordsman,' Leylin astutely deduced, his analytical mind at work.

With precision, Bosain's longsword effortlessly pierced through the formidable defense of the Black Horrall Snake, targeting its vital organ—the heart. A torrent of fresh blood, tainted with a sinister black hue, gushed forth. The serpent writhed in agony, its desperate attempts at escape thwarted by crimson vines. These vines, as if guided by a sentient force, penetrated the wound with eerie intelligence.

The Black Horrall Snake's deafening howls echoed through the air, and the ground beneath it became a gruesome canvas of splattered blood. After a grueling struggle lasting several minutes, the snake's left eye dimmed completely, and it fell lifeless.

"Is it truly gone?" Bosain questioned with a hint of disbelief, his eyes still fixed on the snake's carcass, its form entwined with the persistent red vines.

[The target is severely wounded, with its life force steadily dwindling. If this continues, it will succumb to its injuries.] Aralis dutifully reported.

'I have no further interest in this creature,' Leylin thought, his gaze now shifted from the dying serpent to Bosain. 'I've gleaned valuable insights from Bosain's final moves and the snake's abilities. As for its organs, they likely hold little value, having languished in dormancy for millennia. Nonetheless, even in its decayed state, it might serve as an intriguing specimen for my experiments.'

A subtle indication from Aralis confirmed the demise of the giant snake, prompting Leylin to cast a series of detection spells. He couldn't forget that the Black Horrall Snake had once eluded Aralis's detection while invisible.

Leylin systematically employed his spells until he was certain: the snake responsible for the deaths of two of his comrades had indeed met its end.

Upon receiving this confirmation, Bosain withdrew his fire-tinged vines, which had now lost their incandescent glow, and sank to the ground, exhausted.

Notably, Bosain's complexion bore no trace of the fiery redness that had earlier permeated his features. Instead, he appeared pallid, a clear testament to the substantial blood loss he had endured. Even his magical artifacts, including his greatsword, had reverted to their base forms, unable to maintain their heightened states.

Leylin observed these subtle details, meticulously recorded by Aralis into its database. Additionally, Aralis had meticulously calculated the battle dynamics, providing Leylin with a comprehensive battle success rate for both Bosain and the Black Horrall Snake.

In the eyes of the haughty Bosain, Leylin was merely an acolyte of above-average talent. Apart from his exceptional skills in Potioneering, there was his Frost Alchemy Rune, the only aspect that could be considered somewhat decent in his repertoire.

This carefully crafted façade was the illusion that Leylin had painstakingly woven.

Without hesitation, Leylin turned his gaze toward the lifeless black serpent, its wounds still oozing with crimson fluid.

With practiced precision, Leylin began to weave a spell, conjuring faint, low-energy waves in the palm of his hand.

"What are you up to?" Bosain immediately edged away from Leylin, his gaze filled with suspicion.

As the perceived threat diminished, the allure of potential gains unwittingly sowed the seeds of mistrust among the party members.

"I'm merely collecting a few modest ingredients. Most of them are damaged or have decayed beyond any reasonable market value. Nevertheless, I am a Potioneer. Any ingredient holds value when in the hands of someone skilled enough to purify and utilize them," Leylin calmly explained as his harvesting spell continued its work.

"Blood!" After uttering a word in the ancient Byron language, Leylin expelled the word with a breath.

The diluted pool of blood on the ground, previously affected by Merlin's water spell, suddenly gained a sense of purpose, flowing toward Leylin's waiting palms along distinct crimson trails.

Countless droplets of blood hung in the air, steadily converging into a radiant, blood-colored sphere.

An invisible force, like a cosmic vice, pressed upon this amalgamation, compressing it until it transformed into a small stone, its hue a deep crimson mirroring the original blood.

The invisible energy was then channeled directly into the Black Horrall Snake's wound, drawing forth the very essence of its lifeblood.

Minutes passed, and the Black Horrall Snake seemed to have visibly shrunk, its scales paling as a result.

Leylin, in the end, held a dozen fist-sized, blood-colored stones in his hand.

All the blood essence from the several meters long Black Horrall Snake had condensed into merely a dozen stones, each resembling a deep well of crimson.

This was one of the Rank 0 spells that Leylin had mastered, designed specifically for extracting blood from large creatures.

Seeing the harmless effects of Leylin's spell, Bosain gradually let down his guard and focused on recovering his own strength, hastily consuming any remaining healing potions he possessed. However, a faint trace of wariness still lingered deep within his eyes, a testament to the subtle rift that had begun to form between the two acolytes, fueled by the allure of potential rewards.

"The Black Horrall Snake's blood, coveted by many, stands as a vital elixir ingredient, one that beckons my deepest desire. As for the other materials sourced from this enigmatic serpent, I am willing to part with a fraction of them, their worth crafted to mirror that of the precious blood." Leylin grinned, his explanation dripping with a beguiling charm.

Memories of the shattered journal from the Terrestrial Elves, seized within the confines of an experimental lab near the brooding Extreme Night City, resurfaced within Leylin's mind. The cryptic words, such as 'modulate' and 'bloodline,' awakened an inexplicable instinct compelling him to secure the snake's blood, even if it meant offending the young master before him.

"Blood?" Bosain tilted his head, his laughter erupting spontaneously.

"Indeed," Leylin affirmed, his voice taking on a hypnotic cadence. "For Potion Masters of repute, the essence of potent creatures' blood is an indispensable elixir ingredient."

Throughout the annals of history, numerous ancient creatures had perished, their legacies fading into obscurity. Within the confines of the Magus World, mere echoes of their existence lingered.

The elusive extraction of these ancient bloodlines had fascinated countless magicians, yet they remained ensnared in an unyielding conundrum. The notion of extracting a gene fragment from blood and transmuting it into a quintessential essence eluded the grasp of most magicians.

Only legendary rank 4 Magi or those of even higher standing held a glimmer of hope for such a feat, though even a rank 4 Magus on the south coast remained an elusive myth.

Regrettably, the concept of bloodlines and their intricacies remained utterly alien to Bosain, who remained blissfully unburdened by scholarly pursuits. A pampered scion of wealth and privilege, his focus lay solely on treasures, artifacts, and the like.

"This Black Horrall Snake's components may possess modest quality, but they command a valuation of no less than 100,000 magic crystals... This alone speaks volumes about the rarity of this species," Leylin's eyes glittered with avarice, his countenance betraying a cunning resolve.

Amidst the enchanting presence of these mystical serpent beings, the most coveted treasures lay concealed within their scaly exteriors, their intricate innards, and even their enigmatic brains. These invaluable components often served as the essential alchemical ingredients for crafting potent magical artifacts.

As for their blood and other esoteric substances, only Potioneering Masters and Alchemists, on rare occasions, found any practical use for them. Beyond these select circles, the mystical fluids held little significance.

In the aftermath of Leylin's decisive action, Bosain made a pragmatic choice by invoking a preserving Rank 0 spell. He planned to return later to collect the most precious ingredients from the serpent's remains. At this moment, the snake's spoils merely represented the outermost layer of the remnant's treasures. Bosain harbored no intentions of selling these parts, for, as Leylin had noted, their condition rendered them worth no more than 500,000 coins—an inconsequential sum to him. What he sought within this ancient site was a unique, irreplaceable treasure. However, this did not imply that Bosain would readily yield every part of the snake to Leylin.

"This remnant site appears to be of extraordinary quality," Bosain assessed the cave, scanning for additional clues. "It deployed a sentinel mechanism from the very beginning, even allowing such a perilous creature to roam freely... A tragic end for Roth and Merlin..."

Leylin, on the other hand, briefly feigned a somber demeanor in response to the demise of their two comrades but swiftly regained his composure. Truthfully, his attachment to these acolytes, with whom he had spent only a few days, was minimal. The loss that affected him more deeply was Shaya's, yet he endeavored to keep his emotions in check.

Magicians, as a rule, were often characterized by their emotional detachment. In no time, the trio refocused their attention on the enigmatic remnants before them.

Leylin pondered the situation and offered an observation, "It appears that during the Kukeral era, employing formidable creatures to safeguard remnants was a prevalent practice. Their architectural designs were rudimentary, and even their alarm systems were relatively simplistic, typically consisting of just two stages."

"Indeed, once we navigate through another mechanism, we shall find ourselves approaching the heart of the enigmatic remnant!" Bosain's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "So, what are we waiting for?"

For him, the quest for information to ascend as an official Magus was of paramount importance. While gathering advanced ingredients held its own allure, it paled in comparison to the prospect of inheriting the mantle of an official Magus.

The two dedicated acolytes diligently employed various Rank 0 spells to probe the cave's interior, eventually discovering a concealed crevice nestled in the corner.

This concealed orifice, shrouded in absolute darkness, was now adorned with a peculiar layer of verdant rust, hinting at its metallic composition.

Suddenly, a green eyeball emerged from the recesses of the hole. With swift reflexes, Bosain snatched it and repositioned it firmly in its socket.

"There don't appear to be immediate dangers ahead," he reported, his voice tinged with relief. "Nevertheless, some five thousand meters further in, my spells encounter a mysterious barrier, as if a verification process must be passed before proceeding."

On the opposite side, Leylin enlisted the assistance of his alchemical Negative Energy Crow to scrutinize the cave's interior, ultimately yielding identical results.