=+=
"Are you ready?" Jin asked me after everyone had gone to their rooms to rest, his face showing a hint of hesitation.
"Do you still remember how to do it?" I asked, remembering his previous explanation about the
"I can still recall the information about the healing part well enough, but you'll need to transfer the destructive part again. Are you ready?" Jin asked, but I didn't respond immediately.
I needed a moment to gather the information in my mind, clearing away everything unrelated.
Focusing after all those events was difficult, and my mind was still extremely exhausted, but I didn't have time to rest, unfortunately.
It took a few minutes, which felt really long in my mind, and I barely managed to calm myself from everything and remember only the necessary details.
"I'll do it now," I said, and Jin quickly responded.
"Okay." He closed his eyes as he said that, and I did the same.
***
It took a few hours and several uses of the skill, but we managed to finish it in time.
After our minds got used to the headache-inducing effect of the skill, using it became much easier, and we no longer felt the third-hand effect. It was somewhat easier for me, as I only faced difficulty in clearing my thoughts and focusing on the necessary information.
But for Jin... I can't imagine the headache he's feeling now...
"Here are forty fruits." I took out enough from my stock and placed them on the table in front of Jin.
"Start when you feel ready," I said, looking at his face. His eyes were still closed, and the veins on his forehead were very prominent.
Even though his wisdom stats were very high, the amount of information wasn't small. The concept of the sacred fruit itself was one of the most complex things my mind had thought about.
I searched for material beyond human scope for two weeks and transferred the information to Jin's mind in less than a few hours.
Anyone else in his place would have probably collapsed or given up, asking for a break at least, but he didn't.
"I'll start," he said, then began to handle the fruits one by one.
{Transformation}
{Transformation}
{Transformation}
{Transformation}
{Transformation}
***
Hours passed again, and I began to feel like the Transformation process would never end. I still hadn't bathed or worn the clothes I got from Lucas. We needed to finish quickly so I could do all those things…
I couldn't appear in the palace again looking homeless; that wouldn't support my cause.
Jin finally interrupted my thoughts, leaning back and panting heavily, his massive mana reserves completely drained. For the second time in the same day… Jin had reached his limits, something that would discourage many warriors and soldiers.
Each time Jin used Transformation on a fruit, he transformed it into two types of liquids and placed them in separate containers.
A green liquid and a red liquid, both in equal amounts.
One would destroy my muscles to the maximum extent, and the other would restore everything to its ideal state. I took out the ambrosia liquid from my inventory and poured it all into the red liquid container, the one meant for destruction.
"The energy in this fruit is incredibly pure… Nothing can reach this level of purity…" Jin said as he watched me.
I was a bit surprised by his words. It seemed his knowledge about this fruit had increased significantly after using Transformation on it for a long time.
"I'll use it in the bathtub," I said, packing the containers and heading straight to the bathroom.
I didn't forget to give Jin the control pad.
"You can let Killian drive the vehicle if you want to rest. That's what I would do if I were you," I said before closing the door.
"Okay," Jin replied, and that was the last thing I heard from him before I started undressing.
Fortunately, the walls of this carriage were soundproof, or I might have had to suppress my voice.
Although I mixed the ambrosia liquid in the concoction, the amount was far from enough. At best, I might feel the same pain I felt when my mind was broken in the Puppets Society.
But even if that happened, it would be okay… I could use some regular painkillers after completing the process, or sedate myself with some means.
The important thing was that the pain I would feel during the process wouldn't drive me mad; that was all that mattered. I checked the water temperature in the bathtub, then entered.
I took out the red concoction from my inventory, which seemed to have mixed perfectly with the ambrosia now.
Ambrosia… a legendary fruit shaped like an apple. What we got from Eldrick was just its juice. The reason my phone raised the price of ambrosia so much is simple.
The anesthetic effect of ambrosia is only secondary; its effects cannot be priced.
First, it has a near-legendary level healing ability, but above the fourth level.
Second, it has the ability to extend lifespan.
Third, it directly increases wisdom stats by one level.
Ambrosia can only be used once in a lifetime for each person. Accumulating all these effects in one dose made the phone raise its price significantly.
The best anesthetic, a great healing potion, a means to raise wisdom stats, and extend lifespan. How could it be cheap? If its use wasn't limited to once, its price would be much higher.
I swallowed hard, feeling some fear as I looked at the red concoction under my mouth. 'Do I have the courage to expose myself to the pain of this concoction?' Before I could answer the question, I drank the concoction entirely against my will.
I can't be weak now… not when I'm about to face the most talented and genius humans… not when I'm about to meet the most dangerous humans to me right now…
If I become weak, I'll lose everything… whether in this era or the previous one.
I'll lose my last chance to return to my real family and escape this cursed era.
The reason for doing this isn't power, f*ck it. What I want is peace for myself, to escape that damned demon who seeks to spread pain and nothing else.
I took a deep breath, then my bones began to tremble, and my muscles turned to jelly. Before I completely lost my strength, I placed the green concoction at my mouth.
Unfortunately, the healing effect isn't immediate; the destructive concoction must perform its role first.
Due to my lack of advanced equipment, I didn't know how long that would take. Minutes, hours, or even days. I didn't really know. I clenched my teeth with all my strength, blood oozing from all the openings on my face. Red steam spread in the room, the reason obvious.
'Pain, pain, pain…!!' Only a few seconds had passed since the process started, and tears were already escaping my eyes.
If this was the pain after using ambrosia, what would it have been like originally? I felt the pain intensify just thinking about it.
"Stop, stop!" I couldn't restrain myself and started screaming loudly, trapped between four soundproof walls.
Maybe the idea of doing this in the bathtub wasn't the best…
I writhed inside the bathtub, choked for a moment, and my body's convulsions caused the water to spill out. It didn't take long before I trapped myself inside the tub without any water left.
At that time, I began to feel complete paralysis, as my body no longer obeyed my commands. My muscles had no strength to move.
But despite my weakened state, the destructive effect continued spreading destruction within my body, quickly reaching my bones.
"The bones too?!!" I screamed loudly, the situation had long since gone beyond my expectations.
I should have expected something like this! I didn't even have any advanced equipment, why did I think I knew everything about the process?!!
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" My screams kept getting louder, maybe even surpassing the soundproof walls.
'To feel all this pain… what did I do in my life anyway?'! After the helplessness came regret.
Why did I sleep after killing the Yeti? Was going to the Mountain of Fog the right decision?
Was the decision to inherit the StarHold family correct? Should I just give up and let the Demon King do what he wants?
But I want to return to my family… What can I do to hide this pain?
'Should I just give up and lose consciousness?'
I thought, but the sound of bones breaking echoed in the room a moment later, driving away all the sleepiness I felt.
"More painful than the muscles even!" I gritted my teeth when my eyes became dry, the tears had run out and no longer flowed.
"When will it end?!"