Kanzaki Rei glanced again at the other potions floating beside him. At first, he hadnât paid them much attentionâbut now that he looked closely, he realized something surprising.
These seemingly common Tier 1 potions... actually had dozens of different formulas.
After a momentâs thought, it made sense.
This world was unimaginably vast. Each continent stretched across billions of kilometers, and from north to south, east to west, the available ingredients varied wildly from region to region.
An alchemist traveling across continentsâ
If they reached a place where certain ingredients didnât exist, they would naturally need to adjust the formula.
Over time, this led to an ever-growing number of variations.
Even though the ingredients differed, their underlying properties often overlapped.
It was like woodâthere might be countless types in the world, but in the end, it didnât matter what kind it was. As long as it contained the essence of "wood," it could be used.
Medicinal properties worked the same way.
Many ingredients could substitute for one another. As long as you extracted the correct component, it didnât matter which material you used.
With his God-Tier Talent â "Replication", Kanzaki Rei realized something profound.
He could completely ignore level restrictions.
As long as he possessed the necessary materials, he could perfectly replicate the entire crafting process of a potionâdown to the smallest detail.
Not a single deviation.
The only limitation...
He was performing a strict one-to-one replication.
If the original process took a long time, he couldnât shorten it.
Reducing crafting timeâthat required true understanding.
Still... it wasnât a bad trade-off.
Kanzaki Rei suppressed his aura.
The alchemist, Eukrin, stared at the golden potion in Kanzaki Reiâs hand, his pupils contracting slightly once more.
"Excuse me..."
"Could that potion be...?"
As a Level 7 alchemist, he could immediately tell that this was no ordinary brew.
Kanzaki Rei didnât bother hiding it.
"Ascension Elixir."
So it really was...
The legendary Ascension Elixir.
A divine medicine said to reduce the requirements for class advancementâand it was in the hands of this boy.
Just how many secrets was he hiding?
"May I take a look?"
"I wonât drink it," Eukrin added quickly.
Kanzaki Rei casually tossed it over.
"If you have the materials I need, I donât mind giving it to you."
"What materials do you require?" Eukrin asked.
Kanzaki Rei listed them calmly:
"Falling Dust Essence, Originless Bloom, Void Demon Eye..."
Each ingredient he named was a key component for crafting the Ascension Elixir.
Eukrinâs perception dove into his storage space.
He did have quite a few of them.
But... what exactly was Kanzaki Rei trying to make?
Even as a Level 7 alchemist, Eukrin couldnât deduce the intended potion from that list alone.
After the trade was completed once moreâ
Kanzaki Rei casually built a stable shelter in the wilderness.
Who knew how long he would be trapped here?
After advancing to a Level 2 alchemist, another day passed.
During that time, Kanzaki Rei replicated numerous new potions.
He even replicated Eukrinâs secret medicines.
Normally, secret medicines could only be crafted by alchemists who had personally comprehended their formulas. Others couldnât replicate them.
But Eukrin, as a Level 7 alchemist, had collected quite a number of secret medicines created by others.
He hadnât used themâjust stockpiled them.
Like Origin Magic, even if you couldnât learn someone elseâs version, studying it could still inspire new ideas.
And naturally, he had also stockpiled the corresponding materials.
Which... Kanzaki Rei promptly bought.
With both the materials and the finished secret medicines in hand, Kanzaki Rei now understood their formulasâand began replicating them.
This space-time...
Though the people here had no souls and existed only as a simulated constructâ
It still felt incredibly real.
Could physical objects from here be taken back?
If not...
Then it was better to convert everything into immediate combat strength.
[Tier 5 Secret Medicine â "Ultimate Perfect Clarity of Perception"]
Clarity of Perception.
This potion expanded the mindâs perceptual sea, sharpened awareness, extended sensory range, improved focus, and enhanced memory.
Among all the potions so farâ
This one had a relatively short crafting time.
So Kanzaki Rei spent the entire day replicating it.
Eukrin was completely baffled.
How had Kanzaki Rei managed to replicate this potion?
He was only a Level 2 alchemistâyet he had hand-crafted a Tier 5 potion?
It was like a Level 2 mage casually producing Tier 5 Origin Magic.
Noâ
Worse.
It was someone elseâs Origin Magic.
And an improved version at that.
Holding the "Ultimate Perfect Clarity of Perception" created by Kanzaki Rei, Eukrin felt his entire worldview collapsing.
Why...
Why was the replicated version more perfect than the original?
Had the world gone mad?
As compensation for providing the secret medicine and materials, Eukrin received the finished potion.
In exchange, his original secret medicine belonged to Kanzaki Rei.
On the surface, it looked like Kanzaki Rei had only obtained a standard version.
But what Eukrin didnât knowâ
Was that Kanzaki Rei didnât need to personally refine a potion to elevate it to its ultimate perfect state.
The following days passed.
During the day, Kanzaki Rei fought the golden dragon in brutal close combat, honing his martial techniques.
At the same time, he used moments of time-stasis to contemplate magic.
His Tier 5 Origin Magic fundamentally altered elemental essence.
Rather than combat, it leaned toward creationâ
Crafting spells that only he could wield.
At night, he studied alchemy.
Replicating more secret medicines.
He also produced multiple batches of Clarity of Perception.
As expectedâ
For now, potions with shorter crafting times and simpler materials suited him best.
Each bottle he drank expanded his sensory range by 1,000 kilometers.
Based on current resistance, effectiveness began diminishing after twenty bottles.
How many he could ultimately consume remained unknown.
Time flowed quietly.
The fallen had been buried.
Powerful figures arrived from afar.
Kanzaki Rei could feel their grief and anger spreading across the sky.
The ruins were cleared.
A new city was beginning to rise.
As for the golden dragon...
The matter was quietly buried.
Rumor had it that a powerful figure had defeated the dragon, taught it a lesson, and turned it into a mount.
And so, the matter ended.
What else could they do?
Seek revenge against a Tier 7 golden dragon?
Or provoke the being who had subdued it?
It seemed...
Kanzaki Reiâs thinking had been correct.
Once your strength reached a certain levelâ
No one dared trouble you.
A continent. A nation. A city.
Destroyedâso what?
Who would avenge them?
Who would seek justice?
Only strength mattered.
Another seven days passed.
Kanzaki Rei hadnât expected to remain here this long.
But within that timeâ
He successfully reconstructed two more secret medicines.
One of them was a Tier 6 secret medicine:
"Life-and-Death State"
After consuming it, the bodyâs latent potential would be violently awakenedâas if locked in a life-or-death battle.
Even at its weakest effect, it could push a Level 6 warrior beyond their physical limits once.
As for its deeper effectsâ
Many ultimate insights of powerful beings were born from life-and-death struggles.
This potion could simulate that state.
Its value was immeasurable.
And its crafting conditions were extremely harshâ
It could only be refined during a month of war, on an actual battlefield of life and death.
How Kanzaki Rei managed to create itâ
Eukrin had no idea.
But the result was undeniable.
In additionâ
Over these seven days, Kanzaki Rei produced numerous body-enhancing potions.
Combined with his own body-tempering techniquesâ
His physical strength skyrocketed.
Now, when facing the golden dragonâ
He no longer needed over ten minutes.
After just two or three minutes of warm-upâ
He could completely suppress it.