I've Gone Bald, and Grown Stronger

He trembled as he looked at his own arms and stood up abruptly. He had felt it. He distinctly felt the power within his entire body roaring! This potion was like a wild, aged lady, dancing seductively and fervently within his body, causing his blood vessels to burst open in exclamation!

"Roar——"

He howled in ecstatic pain, head raised towards the sky. The armor upon his body shattered explosively with a bang, hairs were swirling in the air, revealing the pale and explosive tendons and muscles beneath. He struck the air with a fist.

Boom——

A sonic boom exploded forth directly from the air. He was astounded by his own power, feeling as if each of his attacks could land a massive critical strike on the enemy, wildly incomparable.

"What a potent potion!" He gasped, saying: "I've traversed through hell for many years, never have I stumbled upon a potion that could elevate my combat power this much! Too powerful!"

[Ding! Crisis Level reduced to 0%]

Suddenly, he turned, his eyes ablaze as he looked at Lynne and said: "What is this potion? Its effects are so explosive?!"

Lynne, with a faint smile and a thumbs up, said: "Our shop's specialty! Critical Strike Potion!"

"Critical Strike Potion..." The Black Knight murmured the name of the potion again, his eyes progressively turning more fervent. "Remarkable... I never thought that there would actually be such a high-intensity potion in this godforsaken place. With this potion's aid, I should be able to crush that demon hunter..."

He vowed this was absolutely the most explosive potion he had ever consumed. Such a genuine enhancement to combat power was an unparalleled pursuit for a warmonger like him!

Lynne, with a serious expression, hesitantly said: "Sir, although the effects of this potion are indeed explosive, in a responsible manner, I still have to remind you that this potion might actually produce some minor side effects... But what type of side effects specifically, remains to be investigated."

In the end, Lynne decided to remind the Black Knight once more.

"Side effects?" The Black Knight snapped back to reality, the corners of his mouth curving into a cold smirk, and said, "Heh heh, indeed, a potion capable of nearly doubling my combat power instantaneously is bound to come with some adverse reactions! But it matters not! Can any side effect be more dreadful than death?"

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly upward. It was at this moment, a gust of wind blew in from outside the door. His extremely attractive long hair began to dance wildly with the wind. And then... It flowed smoothly from his head, drifting away.

"..."

"..."

Lynne's gaze became vacant instantly, saying, "Sir, it seems like the side effects have already appeared..."

The Black Knight raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Lynne stared, "Your head..."

The Black Knight raised an eyebrow, subconsciously reached out, and touched the shining white beautiful long hair on his head.

Swish——

An incomparably smooth sensation. The pupils of the Black Knight instantly contracted. A surge of immense unrest rose swiftly in his heart.

Could it be...

He subconsciously looked towards the mirror beside him.

Hum——

His gaze instantly became hollow. In the mirror, a shiny, glistening bald head brightly appeared in his vision. The smoothness of the light, the completeness of the light, the brightness of the light.

Ding——

A trace of a dazzling halo even flashed on that bald head.

"..."

"..."

An eerie silence unscrupulously spread around.

"Where is my hair?" The Black Knight said blankly.

Lynne, with wide eyes, said, "On the ground..."

"Is this the side effect you spoke of?" The Black Knight muttered.

Lynne, with wide eyes, said, "It seems so..."

"..."

A brief silence.

"I'll kill you!!" The Black Knight, in an instant, grabbed Lynne by the collar, humiliated and furious, his anger reaching the crown of his head.

Ding ding ding——

The smooth bald head, along with his movements, flickered with waves of halos.

Lynne became frantic as well, saying, "You said you're not even afraid of death, so what's to fear about this minor side effect?!"

The Black Knight's eyes were nearly bursting with rage, "But you never said it would cause baldness!!"

Lynne stared wide-eyed, "Though you indeed have gone bald, you've also become stronger! It's merely a small price to pay for power!"

The Black Knight, gritting his teeth, let go of Lynne's collar, breathing heavily in quick succession. His gaze was intensely flickering, a struggle ongoing within his heart.

Indeed, for a warrior in pursuit of formidable power, baldness really wasn't something unbearable.

Ding——

The effect of this potion was indeed astonishing; the almost doubled boost after consumption was absolutely a top-notch potion.

Ding ding——

And even if he's bald, so what? As a Black Knight, would he care about these?

Ding ding ding——

Right! It's just hair loss, right? Compared to true power, what is this?

Ding ding ding ding——

But... He pointed furiously at the constantly shiny, ding-ding-dinging bald head in the mirror and roared: "I can tolerate being bald! But why does it have to shine!! A light bulb?! Have you ever seen anyone's head ding-ding-ding and flashing lights at you?!"

On his smooth, glistening forehead, it seemed to have some sort of special effect. Every few seconds, a streak of bright light would flash by. Extremely eye-catching. This really was something that messed with one's mind!

Lynne wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and calmly said: "Sir, please keep calm; this might be one of the side effects as well. And it's just flashing, isn't it? Adding some special effects, doesn't it make you stand out even more?"

The Black Knight kept grinding his teeth, clenching his fists crack, his gaze flickering intensely. Corresponding to this, were the flashes of light shining every few seconds on his shiny, gleaming forehead.

"How much per bottle!" he gritted his teeth.

Lynne immediately raised a finger solemnly, "1000 skull coins, absolutely worth the value."

"How many more potions like this do you have?"

"Including the one you've drunk, a total of ten bottles."

"I'll take them all!"

The Black Knight slapped the counter, his expression gloomy.

Lynne was taken aback. "Weren't you extremely disgusted by the side effects of this potion?"

The Black Knight grabbed Lynne's collar in a whoosh, his eyes nearly bursting as he roared: "I'm already bald like this, do you think I would be afraid of getting even balder?! Pack them up for me! If you dawdle, I'll kill you!"

...

A few minutes later.

[Ding! You've completed the task, and you've received the task rewards: 200 Skull Coins, Experience +200, Black Knight's rate of turning back +1]

Lynne stood at the entrance of the potion shop, waving at the Black Knight who was galloping away on his horse, shouting: "Sir, welcome to visit again! If you need similar potions next time, I can give you a 1% discount!"

The sound of horse hooves gradually distanced within the dark mist. But one could faintly see that every one or two seconds, a point of light would flash with a ding in the depths of the dark mist. Extremely striking.

...

Dozens of minutes later, in the dark and desolate hell wasteland. A demon hunter wearing a high hat slowly walked out of the darkness, the muzzle of his gun slightly tipping the brim of his hat. The wild wind was whipping his robe.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Black Knight." The demon hunter's mouth curled up slightly, saying deeply: "I thought you had fled in fear, daring not to come to fight."