METAMORPHOSIS

«Why am I not affected by this slaughter?» Pearce said with a straight face as he stares at the two remaining trembling youths in the outside world.

«Thats because I am here» Pearce's replica said as he evily stared at the remaining two youths that was in the open at the dark alley.

«Why don't I kill this two remaining youths?» Pearce suddenly asked as he eyes shined.

«Really?» The replica said with a surprised expression on his face.

«Yeah»

«Ok then, they are all yours» The replica finally spoke as he closed his eyes.

"Do you have any idea where that guy is?" One of the youths asked the other in a trembling tone.

"No I don't, do you?" Asked the later youth back to the one who asked the question earlier also in a trembling tone.

"If I did, I wouldn't have asked you bonehead!!" Shouted the first youth still in a trembling tone as he now looked at the other youth with a slightly red eyes.

Whoosh!!

But right when he turned to look at his comrade, a dark line suddenly ran through the youth. When the other youth saw that dark line, he fell back into the despair as he ran 15 meters away from the first youth.

"Urgh…" The first youth muttered before his head slide down from his body which was spraying blood endlessly while falling flat on the floor.

"Now then, why don't you answer a few questions of mine" Pearce coldly said as he walked out from the dark edges of the alley with a single red colored dagger on his right hand.

When the last youth still alive saw Pearce, cold sweat suddenly came all over his body as he hurriedly said.

"Anything you want Honored Sir"

'What?' Pearce thought with a confused expression on his face. But he later came back to his cold expression as he asked.

"Who sent you?"

"It was Thomas Powell Honored Sir!!" The youth hurriedly spilled the beans with cold sweat all over his face.

'This guy must be scared shitless' Pearce thought as his cold face twitched a little.

«I knew it would be him!» The replica said in Pearces' mind while releasing a dense killing intent.

"Since I have told you who ordered us to follow you, can I go?" The youth said with a hopeful expression on his face.

"Hmm… let me think" Pearce thought as he kept a pondering expression on his face. But in the next moment.

Whoosh!

"I think I can't do that" Pearce coldly said while staring at the lifeless body falling flat on the ground.

After clearing up the dead bodies in the alley with slight difficulty, he came out if the alley and resumed his journey back into the new recruits dormitory.

"Huh?" Pearce muttered while staring at the girl who is currently standing right in front of his room.

«Ignore her» The replica suddenly said with a calm expression on his face. But what Pearce said made that calm face to twitch.

«Am sorry but am not as cold hearted as you»

«But you know we don't have much time for your qi and body tempering. It's almost midnight» The replica said hurriedly.

«I know. Besides, I already know what I should do» Pearce calmly said as he approached the girl in front of his room door.

"Excuse me" Pearce coldly said after arriving in front of the girl.

"Huh!?" Caroline muttered as she jolted awake from the trance she strangely got herself into.

'I never knew she can behave like this' Pearce thought as a fuzzy feeling arose in his heart. But he still asked coldly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Umm… I came to see you" Caroline said while lowering her voice to the sound of a mosquito.

"Am sorry but I don't have time for this" Pearce said as he opened his room door to get in.

"Wait!!" Caroline shouted while extending her hands towards the door.

"What is it now?" Pearce asked in an annoyed tone.

"I… I also came to tell you that Powell is planning something against you" Caroline said with a worried expression on her face.

"Don't worry, I have already dealt with it" Pearce calmly said as he quickly got into his room and closed his door.

When Caroline heard what Pearce said before he closed his room door, she quickly had a shocked expression on her face as she thought.

'What?'

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.

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.

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«So how did I do?» Pearce thought as he began to bring out the herbs from his storage pouch.

«Although that wasn't perfect, you passed the half way mark» The replica said with a proud look on his face.

«But I really don't get why I need to do this. I already love her and she seems to love me too» Pearce said with a confused expression on his face.

«She doesn't love you yet, right now she admires you» The replica said while keeping a calm look on his face.

«How did you know that?» Pearce asked with a doubtful expression on his face.

«Because I have experienced this situation way too many times» The replica said with a look of wisdom in his eyes.

«Ok my counselor» Pearce said as he rolled his eyes while laying the herbs on his bed.

«Ok so what next?» Pearce asked while staring at the herbs on his bed.

«Let me take over the body» The replica suddenly said

«But you said I will be the one that will experience the tempering»

«Yeah I said that, but I also said that I will do the Body Refinement Liquid that is needed for the tempering»

«Oh, you're right»

And so, The replica took over the body as he began to concoct the liquid in a strange way. The strange way was that he brought out a golden colored fire on his right palm while also putting the herbs into the fire.

'Isn't this the Alchemist Fire that was in existence in the early 18th century' Pearce thought with a look of disbelief on his face.

The Alchemist Fire is a kind of Fire that is used specifically to create liquid or a pill of various kind. These fires has grade which the alchemist use to grade themselves from the ordinary red flame to the legendary milky white flame.

Based in the golden fire Pearces' replica has on his right palm. He must be a Grade 2 Alchemist!

«All done» The replica said after staring at the brownish gold liquid which he carefully puts into a porcelain bottle.

«Now what next? Will I drink it?» Pearce asked with a curious expression on his face.

«No you dimwit!, You will soak yourself in the bathe where I will put this liquid into» The replica said as he got into the bathroom in his dorm.

When he got into the bathroom in Pearces' room, he only saw a toilet with a big baff beside it.

‹This will do› The replica thought as he started filling the baff with water. After that, he put two drops of the Body Refinement Liquid into the water.

«Now get in» The replica said as he transferred the ownership of the body to Pearce.

«Ok!!» Pearce said as he jubilantly got into the baff. Immediately after getting into the water, he began to meditate as he crossed his legs.

After a long time of meditation, Pearce began to feel a burning sensation all over his body. Although he could endure for a few moments, this sensation suddenly exploded all over his body.

"AAH!!" Peace screamed as he experienced his bone cracking and his skin along with his internal organs being hammered continuously.

«Endure it!!» The replica shouted with a solemn look in his face. He could also feel the liquid putting pressure on his mind.

«What is… happening… to my… body?» Pearce gruntily said while enduring the excruciating pain all over his body.

«Your body going through a metamorphosis» The replica said in a solemn and deep tone.