Chapter 27: Five Changes

After waking in the gray mist, Lumian’s first reaction wasn’t to check his physical condition, but to sit up sharply and stare at the table by the window.

The three red chestnut flowers and the glass bottle filled with white poplar leaf powder rested quietly there, catching the faint light piercing through the thick high-altitude mist.

“She really did bring in the auxiliary materials…” Lumian exhaled in relief, rolled out of bed, and stretched his body.

He was delighted to find the pain in his neck and back had vanished completely, as had the discomfort within his body.

“Of course—when reality improves, the dream follows suit, though the injuries on both sides aren’t remotely balanced…” Lumian hurried to the wardrobe with the full-length mirror, shed his upper clothing, and examined himself thoroughly.

The five blood-stained fingerprints, the swollen black-and-blue marks, and the patches of bruising had all disappeared.

This made Lumian wonder if last night’s hunt of the extraordinary monster had merely been a dream.

Fortunately, the deep red object inside the cloth bag, the increased number of copper coins in his wealth, and the hunting rifle resting nearby all proved the experience was real.

Lumian’s heart settled. He took the cloth bag containing the deep red object, tucked away the large sum of coins, left his bedroom, rushed downstairs, fetched a bottle of red wine, overturned a beer mug, and retrieved a can of basil.

Of course, he didn’t forget to bring the measuring cylinder and small balance scale—teaching instruments his sister Aurora had bought for his lessons.

Gazing at the desk piled with items, he felt a surge of excitement, mixed with an uncontrollable touch of nervousness.

Everything was ready—only the potion preparation remained!

But this potion wasn’t a drink; it was more dangerous than alcohol, and any mistake could kill the drinker or turn them into a monster.

Lumian inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, and using the measuring cylinder, poured eighty milliliters of red wine into the beer mug.

He then added ten grams of basil, five grams of white poplar leaf powder, and one red chestnut flower in sequence.

The entire process showed no anomalies—the red liquid in the mug now held only a few sediment particles and a floating flower, nothing more.

Next, Lumian lifted the cloth bag beside him and watched intently as the deep red substance slid into the mug.

Without sound or warning, the deep red seemed to dissolve rapidly, yet also as if all the surrounding liquid had been sucked into its core.

Bubbles gurgled up, staining the entire cup with blood-red hue; the red chestnut flower had vanished without notice.

“This is the ‘Hunter’ potion?” Lumian swallowed hard and lifted the beer mug.

The extraordinary power he had long sought was now within reach.

Without hesitation, Lumian adjusted his breathing, calmed his emotions, tilted his head slightly, and drank the potion in one go.

Glug, glug, glug—he felt a pungent metallic scent pierce his nostrils, and heard faint auditory hallucinations at his ears.

Immediately after swallowing the potion and setting down the mug, he felt stabbing pain—sharp, piercing pain from every part of his body.

It was so intense that Lumian wondered if he’d swallowed a ball of fire, and that fire was now burning his esophagus, stomach, heart, lungs, small intestine, large intestine, and every blood vessel.

At the same time, a strong rust-like taste spread through his throat.

Remembering the woman’s words, he fought to control his mind, refusing to faint—because doing so would likely mean the potion had overwhelmed him, with consequences he could imagine all too well.

In a daze, Lumian lowered his head and saw the veins on his forearm protruding, crisscrossing densely, vividly crimson.

The stabbing and burning pain came fast and faded quickly; within two or three seconds, Lumian felt they were about to vanish.

At that moment, his head buzzed, and the mysterious voice—seeming to come from infinite heights yet also right beside him—returned to his ears.

The voice was like countless steel needles piercing his skull, twisting violently inside.

The near-death experience struck Lumian again; the fading burning and stabbing pain surged back with renewed intensity.

At that instant, Lumian’s eyes widened, his hands clenched tightly—he felt something was about to tear through his skin and emerge from within his flesh.

The gray mist around him seemed to thicken slightly.

The terrifying, indistinct sounds ceased; the writhing of his flesh and blood vanished like an illusion.

The agonizing pain and burning, the heavy rust and blood smells—all disappeared.

Lumian finally breathed air again, cool and refreshing, and regained full control of his body.

He bent forward instinctively, bracing his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

He now understood far more deeply the dangers his sister Aurora had warned him about in seeking extraordinary power.

Even a Sequence 9 potion had nearly killed him!

Of course, it shouldn’t have reached this level—it was merely dangerous, but at the critical moment, the mysterious voice from the special symbol on his chest had nearly shattered him.

Each breath seemed to restore a portion of his strength; soon, he felt utterly recovered.

Lumian clenched his fist, swung it through the air with force.

Thud!

He had actually produced the sound of bursting air.

He had never dared dream of possessing such power before!

More excited than ever, Lumian moved his feet within the small bedroom, practicing a martial art his sister had taught him.

Thud, thud, thud!

Each punch produced a crisp crack; in such a confined space, with such force, every step he took was perfectly placed, never touching anything.

After finishing the routine, Lumian felt no fatigue—only invigorated energy.

He immediately assessed his condition:

“Not worse than Aurora…

“Strength, speed, reaction, and bodily control—all greatly enhanced, almost inhuman…

“Combined the strength of a bear with the agility of a cat—roughly the sum of both…

“Without this potion, I’d never reach this level in my lifetime…”

Before he finished evaluating, Lumian suddenly smelled blood.

His heart tightened; he instinctively sniffed.

The next second, he realized he could pinpoint the source of the blood scent.

It came from his own body!

Lumian lowered his head and saw his forearm covered in crimson—like multiple pinpoint hemorrhages.

He went to the full-length mirror and saw blood smears across his face.

He wiped his face with his hand, removing some of the blood—but found no wounds at all.

After thinking for a while, he formed a hypothesis:

“Did taking the potion just now rupture all my capillaries, as Aurora said? And did the wounds heal instantly after absorbing the potion?”

Only the influence of the extraordinary could explain this.

Since there were no wounds, Lumian stopped worrying about it and focused instead on his apparently enhanced sense of smell.

As he concentrated, the scents in the air instantly “decomposed,” each type entering his nose distinctly.

“Blood, lingering wine, floral fragrance, dust…” Lumian identified them all, even the faintest traces.

Simultaneously, he “saw” the footprints on the floor invisible to normal eyes, “saw” the uneven distribution of dust in the bedroom, “heard” the beat of his own heart, “heard” the faint wind outside the house…

“The second change is a direct boost to sensory perception—my ability to detect traces exceeds normal human limits… No wonder that monster was so good at tracking…” Lumian was pleased.

More importantly, this enhancement didn’t interfere with daily life—it only manifested when he focused, otherwise existing in a weakened form.

After repeated trials and self-examination, Lumian discovered two more changes brought by the “Hunter” potion:

“The third change is, under detailed environmental observation, I can intuitively identify key points—like how to collapse a wall more easily. This lets me set traps better and faster… It also applies to humans, beasts, and monsters, letting me hunt more effectively…”

“The fourth change is I now possess knowledge of wild plants and animal organs—this helps me survive better in the wild, quickly find suitable ‘hemostatic herbs’ when injured, and more easily craft poison to coat my weapons…”

Having confirmed these preliminarily, Lumian felt a flicker of absurdity:

“I actually killed that gun-wielding monster?

“I’m now vastly stronger than before, yet it wasn’t much weaker than I am now…”

After careful reflection, he summarized two key points:

“Ability matters—but so does the mind!

“Using the environment effectively enhances one’s strength!”

After thinking a moment more, he added silently to himself:

“And never be careless or lose patience—ever.”

He walked to the window and gazed again at the dream’s ruins.

An indescribable pressure, fear, and sense of danger surged into his heart—something never present before, or never this strong.

“Hmm… the fifth change is an enhanced intuition…” Lumian nodded slightly.

He went to the bathroom, washed his body clean with water, changed into fresh clothes, took the money with him, and lay back on the bed.

He wanted to return to reality as soon as possible—to see if his “Hunter” abilities had carried over, and if so, whether they had weakened.

…………

At midnight, the village of Keldu was utterly silent; thick clouds obscured the red moon and stars, leaving deep darkness as the region’s ruler.

Lumian gazed at this night scene, feeling profoundly at ease.

In reality, he too had become an extraordinary being—and his abilities had not weakened one bit compared to the dream!

Guided by his intuition, Lumian unbuttoned his shirt and looked down at his chest.

The black symbol, resembling a thorned chain, was slowly fading.

“It appeared in reality too…” Lumian felt an inexplicable unease.

The bluish-black symbol that should have rested atop the thorned chain seemed still confined to the dream.

Suddenly, Lumian’s heart stirred—he lifted his head.

On the nearby elm tree, the owl of wizarding legend stared silently at him.

(End of Chapter)