Six months passed as they continued hunting for more and more alchemy ingredients, hoping to gather everything Leon needed before he could begin creating the new potion recipe.
"Another failure," Leon sighed as he let the murky, poisonous liquid slip through his fingers. Without even looking back, he tossed the failed mixture behind him, where it landed in the dustbin placed specifically for his many unsuccessful attempts. At this point, this had beco the only skill he had mastered—throwing away failures.
"Relax," Roselia said, watching him with crossed arms. "Creating a new potion formula is incredibly difficult. Even experienced alchemists spend years perfecting a single recipe."
She leaned against the table, studying the ingredients scattered across it. "The problem isn't just the ingredients. You're trying to make a potion that doesn't exist yet. That ans there's no blueprint to follow—only trial and error."
Leon rubbed his temples. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But at this rate, I'll spend a lifeti just making one damn potion."
Millim, who had been lounging nearby, suddenly sat up. "Then why don't we change our approach?"
Leon glanced at her. "What do you an?"
Millim said thoughtfully "Instead of just mixing ingredients randomly, why not break down the potions that already exist? Study their core properties and see how they interact. That way, we can build sothing from the ground up, instead of blindly guessing."
Leon's eyes widened slightly. "That... actually makes sense."
Roselia shrugged. "Of course, it does. That's Alchemy 101."
Leon groaned. "And you're telling this now?"
She shrugged again. "I figured you needed to suffer a bit first."
Leon sighed but then smirked. "Fine. Let's do it your way. We'll deconstruct existing potions and find a new path forward."
Leon and the group wasted no ti, diving headfirst into their new approach. Instead of randomly combining ingredients, they spent days breaking down existing potions, isolating their core properties, and studying how different elents interacted.
Their workspace soon beca a chaotic ss of glass vials, bubbling concoctions, and stacks of notes filled with scribbled formulas.
Roselia held up a flask containing a glowing blue liquid. "This is a standard Poison Resistance Potion. Its core components are Nightshade Essence, Lunar Dew, and Purified Etherleaf. If we analyze how these work together, we might be able to enhance its properties or even alter them entirely."
Leon, taking notes, nodded. "Right. But we need more than just resistance. The potion I'm trying to create should either completely neutralize poisons or—" He paused, thinking. "—or even turn poison into a weapon."
Millim grinned. "Now you're thinking like a real alchemist."
Naval, who had been flipping through an ancient alchemy to, suddenly pointed at sothing. "What about this? There's an old, forgotten formula in the Ancient Alchemist's Codex—the Venom Conversion Elixir. It was said to grant temporary immunity to poison while allowing the user to store toxins within their body and release them at will."
Leon's eyes widened. "That sounds exactly like what we need!"
Roselia frowned. "It does, but look at the downside—high instability and mana overload. If we don't refine the process, whoever drinks it could end up with their mana circuits completely fried."
Leon nodded. "Then let's refine it. I got the potion I need to create."
For the next several weeks, they experinted tirelessly, adjusting ratios, testing different catalysts, and combining unconventional ingredients.
One day, after countless failures, Leon carefully poured a pale purple solution into a flask. The liquid shimred, shifting between dark violet and translucent blue.
Roselia leaned in. "This... this might be it."
Leon held his breath as he dipped a small tal strip into the potion, then placed it against a drop of lethal wyvern venom on a plate.
The reaction was instant—instead of neutralizing the poison outright, the potion absorbed it, turning the tal into a deadly, venom-coated blade.
Leon's eyes glead with excitent. "We did it... We actually created sothing new!"
Millim whistled. "That's not just a potion—that's a whole new type of alchemy."
Roselia grinned. "We'll call it... the Venom Assimilation Elixir."
Leon held up the flask, watching the swirling liquid inside. "Now, we just need to test it."
Naval smirked. "Who's going to be the lucky test subject?"
Leon chuckled. "I think we all know the answer to that."
With their breakthrough complete, the only thing left was to see if the potion truly worked—or if it would be their just another failure.
Leon sat cross-legged in the dimly lit alchemy chamber, staring at the Venom Assimilation Elixir in his hands. The swirling liquid held imnse potential, but also unpredictable risks. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire
Roselia, arms crossed, gave him a sharp look. "Are you sure you want to be the first test subject? We still don't fully understand the long-term effects."
Leon exhaled slowly. "If we don't take risks, we'll never make progress. Besides, I trust our work." He uncorked the flask, the faint scent of herbs and magic wafting out, mixed with a sharp tallic tang—a sign of its venom-binding properties.
Millim smiled sowhat dangerously, leaning forward. "If you drop dead, can I take over your research notes?"
Leon rolled his eyes. "Try it and I'll haunt you."
With one last deep breath, he downed the elixir in a single gulp.
The mont it touched his throat, a wave of heat spread through his veins, like molten fire mixed with ice. His mana flared, clashing wildly against an unseen force. He clenched his fists as a dark energy surged within him, his body reacting violently to the potion's effects.
Naval's eyes widened. "Leon! What's happening?!"
His vision blurred. His Sage Eyes activated involuntarily, revealing layers of swirling mana patterns surrounding him. His veins glowed faintly as the potion's effects rged with his body, shifting, adapting, and stabilizing.
Then, suddenly—silence.
Leon exhaled sharply, feeling a strange new awareness in his body. He raised his hand and focused. A small drop of translucent venom ford on his fingertips, but instead of being harmful to him, it felt like an extension of his own mana.
Roselia's eyes sparkled with fascination. "Leon… I think it worked."
Leon smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Not just worked—it's perfect."
Millim clapped. "Then I think it's ti for a real test."
Naval grinned. "Agreed. And I know just the place—The Venomous Abyss. If your potion can withstand the toxins there, it's truly one of a kind."
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