Chapter 59
"I'll buy both of them."
Farenhof and Mokuru's eyes widened at Sung-jun Lee's unexpected response.
"What?"
"Both?"
Though it was a hefty sum of 30 billion won, Sung-jun nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, both of them."
Thinking about it, there was no reason to buy just one.
Initially, he had hesitated at the 19 billion price tag because his total assets were only 35 billion won, making it impossible to purchase both.
But due to their competition, the price dropped to the 15 billion range, allowing him to buy both elixirs.
'It's a bigger expense than I planned, but...'
It could be said he was making hundreds of billions in profit, so it was quite a pleasant expenditure.
"Yes, I'll buy both. With you two being so accommodating, there's no need to take just one."
Though there were a few uncomfortable points, it could be seen as a compromise where both sides could save face. Farenhof and Mokuru nodded in agreement.
"Ahem, if you insist."
"Well, I appreciate it."
Of course, this didn't mean the competition was completely over.
"Um... if you don't mind, could you tell us which elixir you'll consume first?"
"I'm curious about that too."
They were trying to determine a winner through the order of consumption, as a final battle.
However, the words that flowed from Sung-jun's mouth were something neither Mokuru nor Farenhof had expected at all.
* * *
"An unexpected harvest."
The meeting with Farenhof and Mokuru was quite satisfactory.
He had briefly thought he might get one at most, or maybe none at all, but he managed to obtain two elixirs.
It was truly a satisfying shopping trip and achievement.
With a bright smile on his face, Sung-jun opened the two wooden boxes that were tightly sealed with locks.
As a clear fragrance filled the room, the expressions of Farenhof and Mokuru from earlier flashed through his mind.
Their eyes were as round as full moons, and their gaping mouths wouldn't close.
An expression beyond shock, almost as if they had lost their minds.
He could fully understand their feelings.
'I guess they never expected me to say I'd take both at the same time.'
Elixirs, medicines with mysterious effects and a concentration of large amounts of qi, were essentially condensed qi.
Therefore, consuming an elixir meant forcibly pushing qi into the body, rather than naturally building internal energy through breathing and qi circulation.
'It could even lead to death if not careful.'
Absorbing an elixir meant forcibly circulating the pushed-in energy through the blood vessels, spreading it throughout the body, and blending it with the existing energy to create a unified whole.
Naturally, for these processes, the blood vessels expand excessively, unlike normal conditions.
Since it's such a burdensome task, a moment's mistake could lead to qi deviation.
In the worst case, the body itself could explode due to the amount of qi exceeding its limits.
That's why, no matter how good an elixir is, people don't consume two simultaneously.
Yet he casually said he would take both elixirs at once.
From Farenhof and Mokuru's perspective, it must have been extremely shocking and worrying.
In fact, they did their best to explain the absorption process of elixirs and recommended consuming them one at a time.
Despite these earnest efforts from Farenhof and Mokuru, Sung-jun's mind didn't change.
'There's no need to bother taking them one by one.'
The foundation of blood energy is blood, and those who have reached the peak of blood cultivation can perfectly control the movement of blood within their bodies.
This means they can prevent excessive expansion of blood vessels.
So Sung-jun picked up both elixirs simultaneously and pushed them into his mouth.
Gulp-!
As the clear condensed energy slid down his throat into his esophagus, Sung-jun's calm eyes began to waver.
"...?!"
This was inevitable because the amount of qi contained in the two elixirs far exceeded his expectations.
To be precise, it would be correct to say that the amount of qi had increased.
'The elixirs are fusing.'
Mokuru's Earth Dragon Pill, centered on physical enhancement, and Farenhof's Forest's Blessing, focused on qi, were mixing inside his body, complementing each other's weaknesses.
Naturally, the effects of the elixirs were maximized, and the energy contained within was explosively increasing.
It was a situation that could be called a miracle of qi.
Thanks to this, it was now filled with qi comparable to supreme elixirs like the Ten Thousand Year Red Sage Root, Sky Blue Stone Oil, and Thousand Year Snow Ginseng, which were called elixirs even within the Thousand Continent.
'Excellent.'
If he could absorb all of this without losing any, he could achieve a significant improvement.
With a smile curving his lips, Sung-jun immediately began to more actively utilize the energy of the absorbed elixirs, focusing all his consciousness.
Of course, as it was an unexpected situation, the process wasn't entirely smooth.
Psshh-!
Due to the excessive amount of energy rotating, the blood vessels couldn't withstand it.
Red blood spurted out from his back with a hot sensation.
It was a life-or-death situation where an ordinary martial artist might have fallen into qi deviation.
However, there was no major disturbance in Sung-jun's expression.
"..."
Originally, Sung-jun had risen to the position of blood demon and demon god, so it could be said that he handled blood energy better than anyone else.
And being able to handle blood energy well meant he could freely manipulate not only blood components but also body temperature, pulse, and red blood cell count.
It wasn't difficult to heal such wounds.
In fact, the quickly mobilized blood energy enveloped the areas that had been torn and expanded, rapidly repairing the wounds.
But the earlier outburst was just the beginning.
Tut-tut-tuk-!
As blood vessels burst all over, red blood flowed from his entire body.
At the same time, a dizzying pain that made his mind blur swept over him, but Sung-jun didn't stop circulating his qi.
To be precise, he couldn't stop.
If he failed to absorb it, the condensed qi in his body would explode, leading to death.
'I must endure. I must endure to achieve.'
Rather, this could be seen as an opportunity.
'Blood vessels are also like muscles.'
No, it could be said that all human flesh is the same.
By constantly pounding and training, one could continuously surpass limits.
This meant that even just by repeatedly tearing and regenerating blood energy, one could further strengthen the physical body.
In fact, as the torn blood vessels regenerated, they were becoming thicker and stronger, able to handle the massive amount of energy.
Therefore, Sung-jun continuously operated the Blood Shadow Asura Art to rapidly circulate the energy of the elixirs.
'Faster, faster, faster!'
After about an hour of such circulation, it happened.
Woong-!
Blue energy flowed out with a resonant sound and began to swirl.
Then, the blue energy became a streak of light, flashing before being absorbed into Sung-jun's body.
At the same time, the blood vessels that had been constantly bursting quickly stabilized.
He had finally surpassed his limits.
In fact, the massive amount of energy spreading from the lower and middle dantians throughout his body was racing through at an incredible speed like an eagle swooping for its prey, yet the blood vessels were not bursting.
Finally, feeling a tingling sensation throughout his body, Sung-jun opened his closed eyes.
A cheerful sound rang in his ears, and a green hologram window began to appear before his eyes.
Ding-!
[Having perfectly absorbed Mokuru's masterpiece, the Earth Dragon Pill, your Strength, Agility, and Constitution stats increase by 3 each, and your Blood Energy stat increases by 1.]
[Having perfectly absorbed Farenhof's masterpiece, Forest's Blessing, your Blood Energy stat increases by 4, and your Strength, Agility, and Constitution stats increase by 2 each.]
[As the energies of the Earth Dragon Pill and Forest's Blessing harmonize within your body, additional stat increases occur.]
[All stats (Strength, Agility, Constitution, Blood Energy) increase by an additional 5.]
[As your blood vessels have been strengthened, the efficiency of all internal energy use doubles.]
[Stats]
Name: Sung-jun Lee
Job: Mystic Mage
Title: Lower, Survivor
Level: 68
Strength: 29, (+16) Agility: 28 (+17), Constitution: 29 (+16)
Blood Energy: 34 (+24)
Available bonus points: 8
He had achieved a growth of 40 points in total, which could have taken years to achieve through level-ups alone.
"...This is beyond expectations."
As the elixirs harmonized, he achieved an effect of 3 rather than 2 from 1+1, truly an incredible result.
Moreover, in the process, his blood vessels became more robust, making the circulation of internal energy even smoother.
He had gained a physique that any martial artist would covet.
In his current physical state, even if he were to face a boss monster like Eliorusus alone, he wouldn't have to consume blood due to lack of blood energy.
'Now I can say I've truly reached the peak realm.'
This meant he had become what would be called an S+ rank hunter by Earth standards.
'If I use all my power... I might be able to exert even greater strength.'
Of course, he wasn't just boasting.
With the power of the system and skills from jobs like Mystic Mage, he was much stronger now compared to his time in the Thousand Continent at the same level.
Therefore, he could boldly declare:
'Supreme... Even if I face SS-rank hunters by Earth standards, I wouldn't be inferior.'
This meant he had become a powerhouse who could rank among the top in Korea, not just a rookie with potential.
Naturally, a smile curved Sung-jun's lips.
'Not bad.'
Of course, he had no intention of being satisfied with just this and settling for the current reality.
Rather, this could be said to be just the beginning.
He planned to keep running forward quickly to regain the power of those days when he was hailed as the greatest of all time, no, as a demon god.
Of course, this didn't mean he intended to run forward looking only ahead.
'I mustn't let the means become the end.'
The reason he gave up the honor and powerful strength of being hailed as a demon god and returned to Earth was to spend happy times with his family.
'So, for today, this is enough...'
Moving to Dongmyo, purchasing the elixirs and returning home, and finally consuming the elixirs...
As it was a schedule that inevitably consumed a considerable amount of time, the hands of the clock hanging on the wall were approaching 7 PM.
It was nearing the time for dinner with his family, which could be called the most important daily routine.
This was a precious time that couldn't be exchanged for anything in the world, where he could share emotions and feel affection with his family. Sung-jun absolutely didn't want to miss this time.
Therefore, Sung-jun suppressed the rising elation of growth and prepared for dinner with his family.