Chapter 396: Tutkash Academy

Chapter 396: Tutkash Academy

"Thank you," Ren said with a smile as he took the documents.

"Hmm? The lava dragon 'Hemaodos'?"

The first thing Ren noticed was the top-ranked dragon slaying mission.

As he read, he immediately understood why Olenna had suggested he consider the later missions instead of this top-ranked one.

The word 'fire dragon' carried a lot of implications; fire dragons were a subspecies of red dragons with exceptional control over flame-based elemental magic.

Additionally, as a subspecies of the great dragons, their adult combat power was second only to the five-colored great dragons and far surpassed other dragonkin.

"A juvenile dragon resides in the Blade Volcano Crater of Mosel Province. A team of Elite Swordsmen from headquarters has already failed the mission. According to the report, the dragon's strength has reached the Legendary Peak."

"Especially in a volcanic environment, its power is comparable to an Epic-level intellect, making it difficult to lure it into a trap." Ren immediately studied the details.

Seeing that Ren didn't seem to be looking further and was instead intrigued by the top-ranked lava dragon mission, Olenna's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she thought to herself, 'Did I just say something wrong and end up goading Ren instead?'

Hesitating for a moment, Olenna politely added, "Lord Ren, the fire dragon's flame breath is incredibly powerful, and its extreme heat can instantly melt most metals."

"Thank you for your concern," Ren replied with a slight smile.

Of course, he understood Olenna's good intentions; she was subtly reminding him that his Metal Affinity Witchcraft might not be as effective against the fire dragon.

But Ren was more concerned about the concentration of dragon bloodlines, or rather, the purity of the dragon lineage.

Fire dragons typically had a higher concentration of dragon genes compared to the non-traditional dragons he had slain before, like the Rotten Dragon and the Ancestral Dragon.

In other words, if he successfully killed the fire dragon, the increase in his dragon bloodline concentration would be even greater.

This was why Ren had almost made up his mind to choose this mission.

However, the purge at the Swordsman Headquarters was nearing its conclusion but not quite over yet. So, although Ren had made his choice, he didn't plan to accept the mission immediately.

"Lady Olenna, let me know when the purge is finished. I'll keep these documents here and go through them slowly."

"Of course, Lord Ren," Olenna said, feeling relieved.

It seemed that Lord Ren had understood her intentions.

Over the next few days, his routine changed from two locations to three: the mansion, the academy's residence, and the headquarters of the Royal Alchemist Association.

Ren allocated most of his time to learning how to concoct advanced potions.

Although the advanced potions were only for ordinary people to enter the Extraordinary realm, the crafting difficulty was not low. It was no wonder that the potion he needed at the time seemed to have been crafted by a master from the Royal Alchemist Association.

Ren still remembered the name on the plaque of the potion he had consumed: 'Inigo Ophastine.'

Through Alisa, he had also inquired about this alchemist master.

As he had initially expected, these potion masters were all formal wizards, and some, like Master Inigo and Alisa's mentor, Master Kalvella, were even second-level Liquidation Wizards with considerable strength.

It made sense; when concocting potions, precise measurements were crucial, and only those with strong mental power could achieve this while making minimal mistakes during the lengthy process.

Otherwise, each failure would result in the loss of various rare materials.

Ren held a glass beaker containing a blue liquid, gently shaking it to mix it, while his other hand squeezed a pipette, continuously dripping a transparent liquid into the mixture.

"Lord Ren, your concocting precision is truly awe-inspiring," Alisa, the 'Genius Alchemist Maiden,' exclaimed in admiration.

Since the beginning of his potion-making journey a few days ago, Ren had demonstrated exceptional skills, but what surprised Alisa the most was his learning speed and extraordinary precision in concocting.

After Ren evenly mixed the liquid, he slowly poured it onto a semi-transparent object resembling a cow tendon, which was taken from the tendons of a Brutal Beast, the Shadow Panther.

Alisa couldn't help but applaud excitedly when she saw Ren complete the final step.

"Ren, this Shadow Panther Potion is exceptionally well-made," Master Kalvella, who was overseeing the process, said, stroking his goat beard and smiling.

If it weren't for the fact that Ren was already an Elite Swordsman of the Empire, he would have tried to find a way to make him his disciple. But now, he could only keep this regret hidden in his heart.

Ren also smiled.

This was his second potion recipe, following the 'Black Crocodile Tail,' and he was just one step away from mastering three potion recipes.

"I have to thank Master Kalvella for his meticulous guidance and Miss Alisa for her invaluable assistance," Ren said, bowing slightly to both of them in gratitude.

That afternoon.

In the laboratory of Bius Armory School, Mogaro was accompanied by Ren, standing next to a massive metal puppet lying on the ground. Mogaro, with a hint of pride, explained, "Ren, this is the new golem I've crafted based on your request. It's a transformation of the Black Flame Cult's Great Axe Guardian Golem, made entirely from metal components."

"The golem is powered by a small furnace driven by Hellfire Crystals, allowing it to cast Shadow School and Flame School spells. Of course, this requires adding the appropriate Wizardry Sigils."

"For now, I've added the Shadow Arrow and Fireball Wizardry Sigils," Mogaro explained in detail, while Ren listened attentively, nodding frequently.

Ren hadn't expected that he hadn't even mastered the Fireball spell himself, yet his puppet had learned it. Ever since their return from Inferno Canyon, he had been pondering this matter.

With thirteen Hellfire Crystals in hand, he wondered if he could attempt to create a Great Axe Guardian Golem.

Upon further thought, he realized there were a few challenges to address.

Firstly, the Great Axe Guardian Golem was essentially a large-scale rock-based construct, made entirely from stone components, not metal, which didn't suit his affinity.

Therefore, the first hurdle was figuring out how to modify the design to replace all its construction parts with metal materials.

Only a metal-affinity golem would synergize with his supermetal affinity.

This way, he could not only change the War Golem's weapons but also alter the metal composition of specific golem parts. From another perspective, a metal-affinity golem became his 'weapon arsenal.'

Secondly, following the original design, the Great Axe Guardian Golem stood at a towering seven to eight meters tall. Once it moved, it created quite a ruckus.

So, Ren thought of the Iron Man's metal arm and asked his mentor, Mogaro, if it was possible to reduce the golem's size.

Ren's requests made Mogaro go to great lengths, even consulting several rock-based puppet masters and using his connections, to complete the final product.

"Ren, after precise machining and proportional scaling, this Steel War Golem stands only four meters tall, but its close-combat power remains undiminished, comparable to the original eight-meter Great Axe Guardian Golem," Mogaro explained.

"Thank you for your hard work, mentor," Ren bowed slightly, expressing his gratitude.

Recently, he hadn't had much time or energy to spare, nor could he afford to waste precious skill points on golem improvements. So, from the start, he entrusted this task to his mentor, Mogaro.

Ren was pleasantly surprised by Mogaro's dedication.

The crafted War Golem exceeded his expectations in every aspect.

"Mentor, have you named this new golem yet?" Ren asked.

"Not yet. I called you here to let you name it," Mogaro smiled.

"Is it appropriate, mentor? You've put so much effort into this; you should name it," Ren shook his head.

"Well..."

"How about Hellfire Golem? Its power source, the Hellfire Crystal, is the most valuable component," Mogaro suggested.

"Perfect! Hellfire Golem it is," Ren agreed with a smile, nodding.

Two days passed.

At the headquarters of the Royal Alchemist Association.

After Ren successfully crafted the advanced potion 'Brightscale Electric Eel Lung,' the system notification chimed in:

[Ding! Detected host's creation of three advanced potions, triggering the subsequent job change - Potion Master (Legendary) from Deadly Alchemist (Extraordinary)!]



[Prerequisites for Potion Master (Legendary): 1. Level 5 or higher in potion-related jobs; 2. 30+ Will; 3. Creation of three or more advanced potions. Current conditions met!]



[Note: Choosing Potion Master (Legendary) will overwrite the Deadly Alchemist (Extraordinary) job panel.]



Without hesitation, Ren selected 'Yes.'

[Ding! Job change successful!]



[Successfully changed job to Potion Master (Legendary)!]



[Constitution +3, Agility +2, Will +5!]



[Obtained core skill of Potion Master (Legendary): Potion Mastery Level 1 (Passive).]



[Potion Mastery Level 1 (Passive): Due to your dedicated potion research, your potion success rate slightly increases, and the effects of all crafted potions are enhanced.]



[Note: If creating poison, the potency of the poison is slightly increased, making it harder to counteract with antidotes or spells like 'Dispel Poison.']



"This new core skill, 'Potion Mastery,' is essentially an upgraded version of the previous 'Deadly Poison' skill from the Deadly Alchemist (Extraordinary) job, expanding from poison to all extraordinary potions," Ren mused.

"Additionally, the other skill from the Deadly Alchemist, 'Poison Resistance Constitution,' has already been integrated with my mutated dragon bloodline, so it's not entirely lost," Ren thought to himself.

That afternoon, when Ren returned to his mansion, he was greeted with a small surprise.

On his desk, a brown wooden box held three Soul Crystals, a remarkable sight.

In the western reaches of the Serendil Plateau, deep within a secluded underground cave, numerous figures clad in black robes with various skull and spider designs on their chests bustled about.

This place was the secret headquarters of the Tutkash Academy, a clandestine school specializing in necromancy.

In the depths of the cave, within an expansive stone chamber, a disheveled black-robed wizard hunched over a massive table, meticulously sewing something.

From a distance, one could see a colossal deformed creature laid out on the table.

The upper half of the creature was a muscular giant, while the lower half was a gigantic scorpion, seemingly forcibly conjoined by some dark magic.

Despite having only his upper body, the giant's torso measured over 1.5 meters in length, and his rugged face and chiseled muscles suggested he was a legendary Breton warrior.

The black-robed wizard, with a slight bend in his waist, held a large needle that glowed with intense black magical energy, swiftly stitching the flesh and skin at the junction of the two creatures.

"Master Stavven, the Grandmaster wishes to see you," a young male apprentice in a novice's robe appeared at the entrance, bowing respectfully.

The wizard named Stavven, engrossed in his work, heard the apprentice's words.

However, he showed no reaction, remaining fully focused on the deformed creature in his hands.

The apprentice, witnessing this, was unfazed and continued to stand respectfully at the entrance.

He knew that Stavven was one of the top experts of their sect.

Decades ago, Stavven had already reached the peak of Tier 3 Crystallization, excelling in creating mutated undead and possessing profound mastery over curses and shadow magic. His current strength was unfathomable.

After about ten minutes, Stavven finally set down his sewing tools and slowly turned around.

Under his disheveled hair, a pair of eyes filled with near-fanatical bloodshot veins revealed a hint of madness and obsession, conveying a sense of unwavering determination to any onlooker.

"Let's go!"

"Yes, Master Stavven. The Grandmaster awaits you. Please follow me."

Soon, Stavven followed the apprentice to a grand underground hall with a high ceiling of over ten meters.

A remarkably tall and corpulent black-robed figure hunched over a long table filled with experimental equipment, engrossed in his work.

However, as soon as Stavven appeared at the entrance, the black-robed figure became aware of his presence.

As he turned around, he revealed a pale, bloodless, gaunt face hidden beneath his hood.

But as he approached Stavven, the most horrifying aspect was still his lower body.

Although most of his lower body was concealed by his black robe, the exposed area, which should have been his ankles, now displayed four pairs of spider-like segmented limbs.

No wonder he appeared bloated.

It was because his lower body was no longer human, but had transformed into a spider-like, droplet-shaped abdomen.

However, judging from the faint, thick, and eerie aura he exuded, he was surprisingly an Epic-level strong practitioner of the Dawn Wizardry.

"Stavven, it seems your strength has improved again. It looks like you'll soon have the chance to enter the realm of the Dawn Wizards," he said with a smile, after sizing up Stavven.

"The experiment still hasn't succeeded," Stavven shook his head, seemingly disagreeing with Grandmaster Graham of the Twilight Sect.

"It's okay. If all else fails, you can choose to follow my path and perform the Spider God Prayer Ritual for assistance. It's also a shortcut to becoming a Fourth-level Dawn Wizard," Graham offered with a pale smile.

"Okay, I'll consider it if nothing else works," Stavven nodded after glancing at him.

"By the way, I called you here to ask you to kill a Golden Swordswoman from the Dragon Empire," Graham got down to business.

"I've been busy with experiments recently. Why not send Cyprian?" Stavven asked with a frown.

"There are two reasons. First, this request comes from the Isodre Academy of Wizardry. You know, being on the same plateau in Ceredil, if they turn a blind eye to some things, our sect can have a more comfortable life."

"The second reason is that according to intelligence, this imperial swordsman has the ability to transform through bloodline and has killed the legendary Breton warrior Greg, nicknamed the 'Corpse Splitter'."

"I know about your recent experiments. Although you obtained the corpse of this legendary Breton warrior, compatibility issues have been plaguing you."

"Since this imperial swordsman has the ability to kill 'Corpse Splitter' Greg, his strength is even greater than that of your current corpse. Perhaps his body will help you solve the compatibility problem."

Upon hearing this, Stavven's bloodshot eyes immediately lifted, fixing on the Grandmaster of the Twilight Sect.

"Alright! Give me a day. After forcibly fusing this Stitched Monster, I'll set off," Stavven agreed after a moment's thought.

"Hmm, the information about the target is here. It seems the increase in their combat power after transformation is significant. Here's a vial of Spider God Blood," Graham handed over a vial emitting a misty wizardry aura.

"I understand," Stavven hesitated for a moment before taking the vial of Spider God Blood.

Stavven was well aware that once he consumed the Spider God Blood, his strength would surge, and he might even enter the long-awaited Dawn Wizardry. However, it also meant a path of no return.

He would gradually fall into the embrace of the Spider God, Naiyu Brekan, just like the Grandmaster before him.

In his understanding, if he relied on this to enter the Fourth-level Dawn Wizardry, he wouldn't be a true Dawn Wizard, but rather a high-ranking priest of a cult.

So, for decades, he had persisted, trying to fuse two or more legendary creatures together using a special Necromancy Wizardry to create an Epic-level Stitched Monster.

If successful, he would not only gain an Epic-level Stitched Monster but also smoothly advance to the Fourth-level Dawn Wizardry.

This was one of the traditional promotion methods of the Twilight Sect, a school of Necromancy Wizardry.

Three days later.

In the study of Ren's mansion in the Imperial Capital, Tamriel.

"Lord Ren, Lieutenant General Tatia has asked me to inform you that the cleanup operation is complete, and you can take on the headquarters' task at any time," Olenna said, wearing black hunter pants and a white floral shirt.

"Okay, I understand. By the way, Lady Olenna, how's the recruitment of team members going?" Ren asked.

"I was just about to report on that. Claire and Bianca have been busy with this matter," Olenna smiled.

"Overall, there are too many people who want to join your team, and they're having a hard time deciding who to choose. They've initially selected four candidates, but the final decision is up to you."

Olenna handed Ren a stack of documents containing information about the four candidates.

"Why are they all women?" Ren asked, surprised after a quick glance at the documents.

"Didn't you tell them it's better to find two male members?"

For a moment, Olenna blinked her beautiful eyes innocently, unsure of what to say.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end