Chapter 2: Recovery
Xia Zuo finished devouring the white bread, leaning against the iron railing, and then stuffed a few pieces of black bread into his mouth.
The abrupt change in flavors, from one to another, cascaded from his taste buds to his heart, weaving a tangy, bitter taste within.
"Xiao Nizi, do you want more black bread? I fancy a bit," a figure lying across the opposite cell called out.
Xia Zuo extended his arm, straining to reach the pieces of bread in the distance, mixing them with water before consuming.
He had to seize the moment to gain experience and level up quickly. Only then could he acquire new attribute points, increasing his chances of survival.
Clang! The iron gate at the end of the corridor swung open.
An elderly, sinister figure leaned on a cane, approaching the cell, keys jangling as he identified the corresponding cell for each.
"You two, come out and drink the medicine."
After unlocking Xia Zuo's cell, the old man turned away to open Xiao Nizi's door.
Xia Zuo squinted, fighting the urge to launch a surprise attack from behind, nearly allocating his free attribute points to strength.
He dismissed this reckless gambler's mindset and decided to observe further.
"Hurry up!"
The old man turned, spotting Xia Zuo's hesitation, raising his cane to point at him.
The cane, appearing to be just over a meter long, instantly extended to two meters, its sharp tip prodding Xia Zuo's shoulder socket.
A muffled groan emanated from the cell.
Xiao Nizi lowered her head, burying her face in her hair, too afraid to glance at the soon-to-be irate old man.
Xia Zuo clutched his shoulder, lowering his head to his chest. As he exited the cell, his eyes harbored suppressed fury.
This surge of dangerous emotions could alert the highly perceptive old man. So, swiftly conquered by reason, he buried them deep within.
Following Xiao Nizi's lead, he hung his arms low, eyes fixed on the floor, shadowing the old man's steps, appearing utterly compliant. Meanwhile, he discreetly cast the 'sensory skill' toward that cane.
"Retractable Cane, alchemical creation, usable as a weapon. Upon pressing the handle button, it extends to a length of 2 meters."
The trio reached the end of the corridor, entering an alchemy chamber.
Several candlesticks adorned the walls, radiating light. Half-melted candles dripped wax, obscuring the base of the candlesticks.
Along the chamber walls were desks, an alchemy workstation, with spread books and a set of glass instruments containing flowing liquids.
An iron door, impervious to light, stood on the opposite wall, supported by a massive desk, seemingly impossible to open from the outside.
At the room's center lay a large crucible.
A mechanical arm, linked with a spoon, stirred the liquid within the crucible, hovering and rotating above the water's surface.
The concoction inside emitted heat, producing tiny bursting bubbles, releasing a pungent odor throughout the room.
Seated on the lone wooden stool, the old man pointed to vials on the alchemy table, hoarsely commanding, "One bottle each, drink quickly."
Xiao Nizi hurried forward, grabbing a vial. As she opened her mouth, the pungent smell of the potion overwhelmed her, inducing coughs and teary eyes.
Xia Zuo used this opportunity to employ the 'sensory skill' on the old man.
[Character Name] ??? (Nickname: Evil Old Man)
[Identity] Rogue Alchemist
[Blood Level] ???
[Strength] 4
[Agility] 3
[Endurance] 4
[Vitality] 2
[Sense] 7
[Willpower] 5
[Spirit] 5
[Charm] 0
[Character Specialty] ???
Indeed, the old man's perception was remarkably high, the highest among all attributes.
Xia Zuo glanced at the vial in Xiao Nizi's hand, mentally invoking 'sensory.'
"Unknown potion, upon ingestion, inflicts bodily harm, an estimated deduction of 20 points within 60 minutes. Successful consumption grants experience."
20 points? How much blood do I have?
Summoning his personal template, Xia Zuo appeared stunned.
[Blood Level] 18/18 (Healthy)
By consuming food and rest, he had restored his blood from 15 points to full, changing from slightly poisoned to healthy. His headache was gone, and he felt stronger.
However, he was still short by 2 points of blood… No, it was 3 points to drink the potion without consequences.
Xia Zuo reread the 'sensory' result of the unknown potion.
"Deduction of 20 points within 60 minutes."
In other words, if he drank it and immediately ate and slept, he could recover a few points before the negative effects of continuous blood loss took over.
Vitality could enhance blood capacity and recovery speed, more reliable than the vague effects of willpower.
Xia Zuo promptly allocated his remaining attribute point to vitality.
The cheat system transmitted a message:
"Detected host's attribute allocation, calculating the specific data for increased blood capacity.
[Blood Level] 20/18+2→20 (Healthy)"
There was hope!
In this brief moment, Xia Zuo's palms were sweaty, his back drenched, his heart pounding, and his ears filled with the rushing sound of blood.
At the alchemy workstation, Xiao Nizi pinched her nose, mustering courage, tilted her head back, and gulped the potion. After finishing, she collapsed, retching on the ground.
"It's your turn." The old man glared at the other boy.
Approaching the alchemy workstation, Xia Zuo took a deep breath, held it, then lifted the vial, drinking the acrid potion while leaving a small residue in the container to minimize the blood deduction.
Immediately after, he pretended to stagger, falling to the ground, letting the remaining liquid spill.
"Wait here for ten minutes," the old man disregarded the boy's slight actions.
Lying on the floor, Xia Zuo shaded his face with the desk's shadow, discreetly spitting out the small portion of potion from the corner of his mouth.
This should stabilize things.
After imbibing a small portion of the potion and having just enough blood, upon returning to the cell, he consumed the remaining bread of the other two boys.
About five minutes passed, the potion heated within his stomach, transitioning from warmth to a searing sensation, spreading from his belly to his limbs before surging toward his head, leaving his entire body feeling as if immersed in a scorching hot spring.
The waves of heat emanating from the potion grew increasingly intense. Xia Zuo writhed in agony, and Xiao Nizi was no different.
As the ten-minute mark approached, the scorching sensation abruptly vanished.
"Successfully consumed unknown potion, gained 1.33 experience points, current upgrade progress 1.5/10."
"Influenced by unknown potion, the body has suffered damage, entering a mild poisoning state. Estimated blood loss of 18 points within 60 minutes."
Two consecutive pieces of information floated into Xia Zuo's mind.
His heart swelled with joy at not only gaining experience but also avoiding a deduction of 2 points of blood. This experimental potion consumption suddenly seemed somewhat promising.
However, the realization that these potions were growing more toxic darkened his expression, returning it to a numb state.
"Get up, back to the bedroom," the malicious old man beckoned the boys with his cane to follow.
Passing by Xiao Nizi's cell, Xia Zuo quickly glanced at the scene inside and out. The figure inside seemed motionless, and the black bread under the iron bars was only a few pieces lighter.
With a flick of his foot, he kicked the remaining bread into his own cell before the malicious old man locked the cell door and returned to his alchemy room.
Xia Zuo immediately picked up the bread in front of the cell door, rinsed off the dust in the water, and devoured the softened black bread hungrily.
On his personal template, a negative effect of continuous blood loss had appeared.
【Health】19/20 (Mild poisoning: blood loss of 18 points within 60 minutes)
Finishing the bread, Xia Zuo promptly rolled up his bedding and slept. In his dreams, he felt extremely cold, but once the blood loss effect had passed, his body temperature returned to normal.
...
In this lightless place, days were uncountable.
Xia Zuo could only estimate the passage of time by the appearances of the malicious old man, marking the start of a new day with the distribution of bread.
In the past few days, the malicious old man separately brought Xia Zuo and Xiao Nizi, Fatty and Skinny, to the alchemy room for potion trials. Xia Zuo had consumed six bottles in total.
With each potion, his gained experience increased, and the toxicity became stronger. The searing sensation filling his body became increasingly unbearable.
Today, after consuming the potion, he was on the verge of leveling up.
【Experience】9.98/10
Just 0.02 more.
"Xiao Nizi, can I have two pieces of your bread?" Xia Zuo finished his own bread and reached for Xiao Nizi's.
His cellmate, accustomed to Xia Zuo's increased appetite, gave a slight twist within the grass mat as consent.
After devouring the two pieces of bread, a surge of information flooded Xia Zuo's mind.
"Gained 0.02 experience points, current upgrade progress 10/10, currently upgrading…"
【Level】LV.2
【Experience】0/15
Disappointingly, Xia Zuo discovered that his health hadn't replenished with the level-up, crushing his hope of using leveling as a means to heal.
Fortunately, when adding points to vitality, the current health would increase along with the maximum health, serving as a means of survival.
"Upgrade successful, currently calculating free attribute point rewards… Calculation complete, awarded 1 free attribute point."
The increase in maximum health when adding points to vitality was calculated.
The number of free attribute points given during the upgrade was also calculated.
Curiously, Xia Zuo asked in his mind, "What are the rules for calculation?"
He didn't expect a response, but contrary to the usual indifference, the guiding voice offered an answer this time.
"The number of free attribute points awarded during an upgrade is calculated based on specific rules. The higher the level, the more free attribute points are gained during upgrades. More rules require exploration by the host."
"Well, at least there's more to look forward to in leveling," Xia Zuo muttered, shifting back into bed for sleep.
...
Several more days passed. Apart from the potion trials, some subtle changes occurred.
The malicious old man grew increasingly irritable, his temper worsening. His attitude toward the boys shifted from indifference to disdain, resorting to using his cane to strike even when they hadn't done anything wrong.
In the worst instance, after tossing a white bread to Xiao Nizi, the old man ruthlessly stomped on it, venting an unnamed fury at the rare delicious food.
Even when thoroughly crushed, the white bread was better than the black bread.
Xia Zuo took out half of his own white bread and exchanged it for Xiao Nizi's soiled bread, repaying the favor for the black bread.
One day, Fatty and Skinny returned from the trials.
The sound of shattered glass vials echoed from the alchemy room, awakening the boys from their slumber in the several-meter-long corridor.
Xia Zuo walked to the iron bars, gazing down the corridor.
Under the candlelight, a twisted figure cast its shadow on the wall, viciously smashing another glass vial with a cane.
This time, the sound of shattered glass woke Xiao Nizi on the opposite side.
The two locked eyes across the corridor, sensing traces of fear in each other's gaze.
"What's wrong with the old man?" Xia Zuo whispered.
"I don't know," Xiao Nizi weakly replied between coughs. The past few dozen days of potion trials had left his body extremely frail. He probably wouldn't survive the next trial.
"Quick, lie down again," Xia Zuo said with concern.
Nodding, Xiao Nizi laid back down.
During the first trial, 1.33 experience points were gained. In the last trial, it was 1.7 points. Over ten trials, the potion's toxicity had increased by at least 20%.
If not for the chance disposal of the potion and the ability to eat and rest well, Xia Zuo might not have survived.
But the next trial…
Xia Zuo looked at the shadow on the corridor wall, a growing sense of unease enveloping him.