Chapter 7

The next morning, it was not yet bright.

Luo En was sleeping soundly when he was awakened by a knock on the door that was not very forceful but extremely urgent.

He was almost immediately awake—this was a conditioned reflex developed at the Ralph Manor; after all, no one knew when his father would suddenly visit.

"Luo En, are you up?" Andre's slightly hoarse voice came through the door panel.

He was about to answer, but heard the other party lower his voice and continue:

"Don't make a sound; the madman next door, Dalunde, has been studying sonic spells, and the movement is too big, which will disturb him."

When Luo En quietly opened the door, he found that Andre's state was quite bad.

This prince who had always paid attention to his appearance was now disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and even his always neat apprentice robe was stained with several scorched marks.

"Your Highness, this is..."

"Shh." Andre reached out to stop his inquiry, signaling the two to leave the dormitory area first.

Until walking a distance away, Andre let out a long breath:

"Don't mention it, something went wrong when studying enchanting last night."

He took out magic stone fragments and gestured:

"Blasting a hole in the wall next door cost me ten fragments to repair the rune. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would probably have been sent to the laboratory as material by now."

Luo En heard the implication—in the Black Fog Jungle, any form of "accident" could become a reason for wizards to requisition experimental materials.

Andre took out a crumpled notebook from his bosom and flipped through it quickly:

"But this incident reminded me that the location is very important for the first use of scorching essential oil."

He looked up at the sky: "Now the sun is just about to rise, which is the best time for body tempering."

The two walked along a remote path.

The cold air in the early morning was mixed with a faint smell of rot, which was the unique smell of the Black Fog Jungle.

Passing by a cluster of fluorescent fungi, Andre deliberately slowed down his pace:

"These are markers left by pathfinders; they will fade in the sun, so they are used by wizards to guide the way."

Ten minutes later, the two came to an open space.

Several broken stone pillars stood crookedly, with some blurred runes carved on the top.

Andre patted the nearest stone pillar, stirring up a cloud of dust:

"The Black Fog Jungle is not big, so there are often experimental fields abandoned by wizards; this kind of place is generally safe as no monsters or distorted bodies dare to approach."

In the morning light, those runes occasionally flashed with faint light.

"And although those runes are broken, they can still play a role in isolating magic power fluctuations."

He squatted down and carefully checked the ground: "I don't know how many experimental products died here back then; the floor tiles were dyed this color by various energies."

Luo En noticed that the ground was indeed showing a strange blue-gray color.

Those colors were not painted on, but permeated from the inside, as if the floor tiles themselves carried some kind of curse.

"But precisely because of this, this place has become a safe place for us instead."

Andre stood up, patted the dust off his hands, and signaled Luo En to sit on the blue-gray stone platform in the center: "Take off all your clothes, down to your briefs."

"What?"

Luo En froze for a moment; the cold air in the early morning made him subconsciously wrap his clothes tighter.

Did he hear wrong? Before in the kingdom, he hadn't heard that this Thirteenth Prince had a hobby of being gay?

"Don't think too much." Andre rolled his eyes:

"I'm not one of those perverted mentors who like to attack pretty boys; scorching essential oil needs to be applied directly to the skin, especially some important..."

He suddenly paused, seemingly weighing his words: "According to the wizards, it should be called acupuncture points."

"Are these knowledge all passed down from another world?"

Luo En asked while unbuttoning his clothes.

Many mysterious knowledge here has extremely complex origins, the main reason being that wizards particularly like to absorb extraordinary knowledge and training systems from other worlds.

"Not clear." Andre shook his head:

"The classics of our royal family say that this set of breathing methods is the revelation of the Sun God, but in my opinion, rather than worrying about its origin, it's better to care about the important things at hand."

He opened the notebook and carefully checked something:

"According to the records, the first stage of body tempering must choose important positions such as the heart, spine, and limb joints. The order is very important; a slight mistake..."

Just at this moment, the panel suddenly popped up a prompt:

【Extraordinary item - Scorching essential oil detected

After use, it will start the first body tempering and enter the profession change process for Combat Profession - Knight Attendant】

【Combat Profession - Knight Attendant (One Star)

After changing profession:

1. Attribute Growth:

Magic Power Growth (One Star)

Physique Growth (Two Stars)

Spirit Growth (Half Star)

2. Open professional skills - Basic Sword Art, Breathing Body Tempering】

3. Special Bonus:

Martial arts-related skill experience acquisition speed slightly increased

Body tempering efficiency slightly increased】

【Profession Change Conditions:

1. Physique attribute reaches 0.5 √

2. Complete one breathing method body tempering】

【Warning: First body tempering will determine the basic attributes of the Knight profession】

【Prompt: Potion Apprentice profession detected, can trigger profession linkage, obtain extra gain】

"Sure enough, there is profession linkage..." Luo En lowered his head, showing a smile.

This kind of linkage bonus effect is precisely the most attractive part of that game.

Players are willing to spend a lot of time and money just to find the most perfect profession combination.

And he now has infinite profession slots; what does this mean?

Attribute stacking, skill complementarity, growth bonuses between different extraordinary professions... these will all become his exclusive advantages.

Back in the game, players could only possess at most three professions at the same time, but his potential now is infinite.

As long as he is given enough time, he can bring the effect of this profession linkage to the extreme and build a perfect growth system.

This might be his greatest reliance in this dangerous world.

Luo En ended his thoughts and glanced at Andre; the other party was focused on studying the notes, seemingly confirming every detail.

This caution reminded him of the accident last night that "almost blew up the dormitory."

In this dangerous world, any tiny mistake can be fatal.

"Okay." Andre finally closed the notebook:

"I need you to listen to every word I say next with full concentration; during the process of applying essential oil, you may feel a strong burning sensation, or even have hallucinations..."

His voice suddenly became exceptionally serious:

"No matter what happens, don't struggle or move. Once the essential oil penetrates the body, it will begin to affect your meridians. This process must be carried out completely, otherwise..."

Luo En nodded; he could feel the solemnity in Andre's words.

This is not just a simple body tempering, but an important choice that will determine his future path.

"To prevent you from being unprepared, I'll tell you first, I'm starting."

Andre picked up the bottle of scorching essential oil and poured some into his palm.

Luo En noticed that those pale golden liquids began to emit a strange light the moment they touched the air, and at the same time, a faint smell of sulfur came.

(End of chapter)