Chapter 247: Third Tier's plan, the bloody octopus, and the stitching amalgam monster

After opening the lid of the wooden box, what came into view were two bottles of black potion and a piece of specially treated cowhide paper.

【Third Tier Necromancer Potion】

Supernatural Grade: Third Tier

Effect: Upon use, one gains the supernatural sequence—Third Tier Necromancer, but there is also a certain chance of falling into becoming a soulless undead creature.

……

"Nice!"

Looking at the content displayed on the appraisal result, Su Hao's face broke into a brilliant smile.

With the Third Tier Necromancer potion, Su Hao's upgrade progress instantly completed about one-third.

He picked up the two bottles of potion from the wooden box, put one into his Storage Bag, and threw the other to Grandpa Andrew.

"Grandpa Andrew, after drinking this potion, you should be able to regain some of your strength."

"Thank you, Chosen One; after drinking this bottle of Third Tier Necromancer potion, my strength will instantly recover to Supernatural Second Tier, and over the next few days it will continue to rise, ultimately reaching Supernatural Third Tier."

Grandpa Andrew caught the bottle of necromancer potion, and a look of joy involuntarily appeared on his face.

Being resurrected personally by the Goddess of Night and Death already made him quite satisfied.

But if he could regain his former strength, that would be even better; even just recovering to Supernatural Third Tier would make him feel quite hopeful.

Especially within Su Hao's territory, he could also research and manufacture hellish creatures, giving him added purpose.

In his lifetime, Grandpa Andrew's greatest interest was conducting various research experiments on Stitching Monsters.

And hellish creatures are clearly a higher species than Stitching Monsters, making such research more challenging and thus even more intriguing to Grandpa Andrew.

However, because Grandpa Andrew previously had no supernatural power and was merely an ordinary undead creature, he could not even use the skill to create Stitching Monsters.

Thus he could only rely on his memories and experiences from life to conduct theoretical research on hellish creatures; even the formula for crafting hellish creature weapons was merely a theoretical study for him.

When he initially handed this formula to Su Hao, he felt quite apprehensive, worrying that the formula might have problems that would prevent it from being crafted.

Fortunately, the outcome was good: Su Hao successfully crafted the hellish creature weapon and was extremely satisfied with its effect.

However, the feeling of being unable to participate in the experiment and unable to confirm the results is extremely hard to accept for a researcher.

If he could regain even a little supernatural power—just one or two tiers—he could run a series of tests on the research data to verify the formula's accuracy.

And he could gain a deeper understanding of the hellish creatures he produces.

Having now received Su Hao's permission, Grandpa Andrew hesitated no longer and immediately opened the potion's bottle cap.

Since Grandpa Andrew is also a bodiless soul, he cannot consume the potion through ordinary means.

However, undead beings have their own unique method: pouring this potion into the core of their soul fire.

The next moment.

A mass of black mist enveloped Grandpa Andrew's entire soul.

Crack-crack—! A series of crisp sounds continually emanated from the black mist, and as time passed, the mist's volume grew larger, expanding from the size of a head to over half a meter tall.

Finally the black mist vanished, and a skeleton monster over half a meter tall appeared before Su Hao's eyes.

"I never thought I'd have a day to regain my strength..."

Grandpa Andrew looked at his hands, and a myriad of feelings welled up in his heart.

Although this body is still incomplete and his power pales compared to his prime, the difference is enormous.

Yet having a physical form and regaining some strength still moved him deeply.

"Thank you, Chosen One!"

Grandpa Andrew performed a respectful bow.

"No need for that; these things were originally yours, and I'm the one who benefited. If thanks are due, it should be me thanking you."

Su Hao stepped aside, smiled, and waved his hand, declining Grandpa Andrew's bow.

Even if Su Hao could conquer the Dark Forest, without Grandpa Andrew pointing out the direction...

... it would be unrealistic for him to find this thatched hut, discover the potion formula stored inside, and obtain these two bottles of Third Tier Necromancer potion.

On the other hand, without Su Hao, Grandpa Andrew couldn't even leave the dark dungeon, let alone obtain this potion—also unrealistic.

Thus, the current situation is a win-win outcome.

"Now that you've regained some strength, from now on the research and production of hellish creatures will be entirely in your hands, alright?"

"Please rest assured, Chosen One; I will definitely complete this task and not disappoint your expectations."

Grandpa Andrew nodded heavily, the soul fire in his skull flickering slightly, revealing a look of joy and anticipation.

Researching hellish creatures was already one of Grandpa Andrew's great hobbies; even without Su Hao's appointment, he would volunteer eagerly, and crafting hellish creatures would be a natural extension.

Afterward, Su Hao brought Grandpa Andrew to the T35 Experimental Base, granted him full usage rights to the Hellish Creature Three-Piece Set, then returned to the shelter, unfolded that cowhide paper, and examined the potion formulas recorded thereon.

【First Rank Warrior Potion Formula……】

【First Rank Healer Potion Formula……】

【First Rank Blood Mage Potion Formula……】

【First Rank Necromancer Potion Formula……】

【……】

【Second Rank Warrior Potion Formula……】

……

This cowhide paper bears many potion formulas—eight in total—and each formula corresponds to the Supernatural First through Third Tiers.

If a stable source of materials could be found, Su Hao could build a powerful force relying solely on these potion formulas on the paper.

All he needs to do is send a message through the communication bracelet to all survivors in the world.

Anyone who joins his territory, signs a contract, and makes sufficient contributions will have the chance to obtain potions ranging from Supernatural First to Third Tier.

Even if it's just an opportunity, a great number of talents will come to seek refuge.

Even in the end, their contributions would not be enough to exchange for a First Rank magic potion, yet they would still willingly join Su Hao's territory. The reason is simple: someone who possesses a large quantity of Third Tier magic potions has strength and influence that ordinary survivors cannot match.

Joining their territory would certainly guarantee safety, and perhaps the food problem could also be alleviated to some extent.

However, these are matters for later; Su Hao currently has no intention of recruiting too many people, nor does he want to reveal that he possesses the formula for a Third Tier magic potion.

Once there are too many people, disputes are bound to arise.

According to his current thinking, the future development of his territory will continue to focus on an elite approach.

As for the workers and combat soldiers, they can be completely replaced by robots, undead creatures, and plant warriors, which would lower the cost and improve the effectiveness.

As for these magic potion formulas, Su Hao intends to give them to the races or forces loyal to him for use.

Of course, this does not mean handing over the formulas themselves; rather, according to the contents recorded in the formulas, he will refine the corresponding magic potions and then give them to the other party to use.

For example, if the dwarf tribe is willing to pledge loyalty to him, he plans to have them search for the materials needed to craft warrior magic potions, refine those potions, and then hand them over to the other party to use.

While enhancing the other party's strength, it also allows them to work better for him, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Moreover, on this piece of parchment, what surprised Su Hao the most was that there was a formula for a Blood Mage's magic potion.

【Blood Mage's Magic Potion Formula】

Main ingredients: one heart of a Third Tier Bloody Octopus, and one drop of blood from any Supernatural Grade Third Tier being.

Auxiliary materials: 100 ml of uncontaminated pure water + 100 ml of pure blood + 10 grams of Blood Cry Grass powder.

……

"Bloody Octopus?"

Su Hao frowned slightly; in his previous life, he had heard of this monster, which lives in the Cataclysm Swamp.

The Cataclysm Swamp is even more dangerous than the Dark Forest, a vast forbidden zone.

It is filled with large amounts of toxic gas; even a First Tier Supernatural being would be poisoned to death in a short time if they rashly entered.

Besides the harsh environment, the Cataclysm Swamp also contains a large number of fallen monsters.

Monsters without ranks are everywhere, and there are also many First and Second Tier Supernatural monsters.

Moreover, they are extremely skilled at disguise; even a seemingly ordinary mosquito could possess the strength of a First or Second Tier Supernatural being.

Even some Third and Fourth Tier Supernatural monsters exist; most of them occupy a territory and hunt any outsiders daring to intrude.

According to Su Hao's memory, the Bloody Octopus is one of them.

The reason Su Hao recalls the Bloody Octopus so vividly is because its battle record is truly glorious.

As its name suggests, the Bloody Octopus is a gigantic octopus nearly a hundred meters tall, its entire body composed of blood, occupying a blood pool within the Cataclysm Swamp.

Once, an elite unit from the Beautiful Country, carrying many supernatural items, mistakenly entered the Bloody Octopus's territory, and the result was that only two people fled in a sorry state after being slaughtered.

According to the information relayed by those two survivors, the Bloody Octopus is completely an unkillable monster; neither physical nor magical attacks can kill it.

This is not because the Bloody Octopus has astonishing defense, but because its regenerative ability is extremely strong.

Even if its tentacles are destroyed, in the next moment it can absorb blood from the blood pool to regrow its tentacles, making it essentially an unkillable existence.

The statements of these two individuals were also confirmed in subsequent explorations by various countries.

In his previous life, Su Hao coveted this ability of the Bloody Octopus endlessly; he thought that if he too could be unkillable like the Bloody Octopus, he wouldn't have to hide in a shelter waiting to die.

"The ability to recover from injuries by absorbing blood fits quite well with the Blood Mage."

Su Hao nodded slightly, somewhat understanding why the main ingredient in the Third Tier Blood Mage's magic potion formula is the heart of the Bloody Octopus.

With his current strength, dealing with the Bloody Octopus is not particularly difficult.

Whether using Bloodthirsty Red Fire to completely burn dry the blood pool and then exhaust the energy within the Bloody Octopus's body to kill it.

or directly wielding the Death Scythe to shatter the Bloody Octopus's soul in a single blow, which can easily kill it.

After all, Su Hao's current strength has reached Fourth Tier Supernatural, so dealing with a Third Tier Supernatural monster is certainly no challenge.

The only troublesome aspect is that there is a considerable distance between the Cataclysm Swamp and the Dark Forest.

Even by boarding a mechanical transport warship, it is estimated to take two or three days to fly from the Dark Forest to the Cataclysm Swamp.

Upon reaching the Cataclysm Swamp, it is also estimated to take about half a day to locate the Bloody Octopus's position.

The heart of the Bloody Octopus is crucial for Su Hao's advancement; even if going to the swamp is troublesome, he must find the time to make the trip.

Moreover, all the places worth exploring in the Dark Forest have already been surveyed, the tasks in his territory have been assigned, and there is nothing left for him to handle.

Even if going to the Disaster Swamp for ten days or half a month, it would not have a major impact on his territory.

However, Su Hao's situation is somewhat special; to maximize the benefits after raising his Supernatural Grade, after synthesizing the Necromancer's magic potion and the Blood Mage's magic potion, he still needs to take a third magic potion as well.

As for how to choose this final magic potion, Su Hao looked at the parchment in his hand, pondered for a long time, and ultimately chose the Third Tier Healer's magic potion as the third potion for his advancement.

【Third Tier Healer's Magic Potion Formula】

Main ingredients: one tendril of the suturing nerve from a Third Tier Stitching Gathering Monster, and one drop of blood from any Supernatural Grade Third Tier being.

Auxiliary materials: 100 ml of uncontaminated pure water + one strand of the Stitching Monster's suturing thread + one Cutting Person Grass.

……

Whether it is a First Tier Supernatural flesh-and-blood controller or a Second Tier Supernatural Crimson Bone Demon, both possess extremely strong survivability; therefore, regarding Third Tier Supernatural abilities, Su Hao still chooses to prioritize enhancing his own survivability.

After all, only by surviving can one be qualified to discuss other matters.

Unfortunately, this parchment lacks a Supernatural sequence for strengthening the soul; otherwise, that would have been a better choice.

However, a sufficiently strong physique can also better protect the soul; given Su Hao's current physique, there is no need to overly worry about soul injury.

However, to refine a Third Tier Healer's magic potion, besides those common auxiliary materials, one also needs a suturing thread from a Stitching Gathering Monster, a creature Su Hao has no impression of.

But he is not overly worried about this; as long as he provides sufficient resources, people all over the world will help him find this monster.

Furthermore, with the mechanical transport warship, gathering the materials is merely a matter of time.

Afterward, Su Hao stopped thinking about it, returned to his room, and intended to use today's final synthesis opportunity first.

The target of this final synthesis is an item Su Hao has always wanted to synthesize; the result is swollen muscles, and no man can resist the temptation of becoming bigger.

(End of Chapter)