"The pattern is truly mysterious and unpredictable!"
Roy discovered that [Mana Return] could be used in conjunction with the [Alchemy Machine] he had previously obtained. Not only did it reduce the consumption of energy and stamina, but it also returned half of the expended mana.
This significantly lowered the cost of basic alchemy and enhanced his ability to sustain continuous refining.
Unfortunately, like [Proficient], it had a limitation in its scope of effect, restricted to the "apprentice level."
This was one of those very basic, yet solidly useful minor talents in daily alchemy operations.
However, it wouldn't bring about any substantial transformation.
Roy pondered more about the essence behind this.
"How did this talent come about, and why does it manifest in such a state?"
He had a vague feeling that understanding and clarifying this issue...
Would be the truly important gain!
...
Several hours later, after handling the Mana Mud in his hands and placing all the large barrels inside, Roy nodded with satisfaction.
"There will be plenty to do when I get back!
But all of this is worth it. Just by proceeding with the next step of refinement, I can produce Magic Stones in large quantities!"
Admittedly, such rough processing would inevitably waste a lot of mana.
But he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
Just this haul alone made the trip worthwhile!
At that moment, Roy turned his gaze to the blackened pool where the monster had melted and suddenly noticed something inside.
After draining, only a small amount of the Blackened Original Soup remained in the pool, revealing a grayish-white object that was faintly visible.
"Something that wasn't corroded?"
Roy's expression shifted slightly.
"That must be a treasure!"
The Blackening Art he currently possessed, though only at the apprentice level, was still quite potent.
"In the Wizard World, there are many magical materials and peculiar objects, but they generally rely on the effects of Wizardry Energy.
The Blackening Potion provides the power of the 'Blackening Art,' which has a dissolving property.
In a sense, it can be understood as a weakened version of the law of force.
What can resist its power is either something with sufficient mass, where a large amount of material dissolves within it, neutralizing the potion's effect, or a force of the same level!"
Roy walked over to take a closer look. Seeing that the nearby flesh chunks were still sizzling and dissolving, while this object remained unmoved, he immediately guessed it was the latter.
He used his sword to fish it out, rinsed it with clean water, and examined it carefully.
The object was about the size of a fist, an opaque waxy lump, somewhat resembling amber but also like a grayish-white calculus.
"Why does it feel a bit like ambergris?
But it has no fragrance..."
He tried scraping it lightly, but no powder came off.
Roy concluded that it was formed from the condensed flesh of the monster. Probing it with his mental strength, he could faintly sense an immense amount of Life Energy within.
When he truly grasped its scale, he was deeply shaken, his eyes filled with profound astonishment.
"How could it be so vast! It must contain the life force equivalent to over a hundred people!
I had underestimated that monstrous insect before!"
If the creature had intelligence...
The consequences would have been unimaginable!
But beyond the fear, there was even greater excitement.
Because Roy suddenly realized that this object, resembling a Blood Soul Stone, could be called a Life Energy Crystal!
The Life Energy it possessed was undoubtedly far beyond that of an ordinary Wizard Physique!
...
A few hours later, Roy retraced his steps and regrouped with Sophia, Olen, and the others at the initial entrance, where they exchanged information.
They had roughly surveyed the surrounding area of several dozen kilometers, which they named the Faded Desert, mapping out its general terrain, resource distribution, and potential dangers.
"We can roughly determine that we are at the southern edge of Chalkland, near the Boundary Wall.
This area is part of Chalkland's outer ring, covering more than half of its total area."
"Since it's already a fringe area, there aren't many man-made facilities or resource points."
"It seems we can only scavenge some things left behind by the explosion…"
Roy silently thought to himself, "Not necessarily. The powerful Wizardry Energy from the core region has caused many original plants and animals to mutate due to radiation contamination…"
He speculated that the large chunk of flesh he had seen earlier was a result of this.
"From this perspective, there are only a few confirmed points of interest so far."
As they discussed, the magical quill beside Olen swiftly recorded everything automatically.
The large chunk of flesh discovered by Roy, suspected to be a slime-like creature born from the activation of Chalk Soil…
He reported the basic situation as per the alliance agreement but concealed the existence of the Blackening Potion, thus assessing it as a low-level threat.
Melina found a damaged Construct, suspected to be a patrol guard created by a Mechanical Wizard, assessed as a medium-level threat.
Olen discovered the corpse of an unidentified creature, highly decomposed and turned into a zombie, assessed as a high-level threat.
Balu found nothing significant but explored the northern edge, presenting some alchemical photographs as he explained.
"That area is a Flesh Swamp, where much of the Chalk Soil has been activated into flesh by Wizardry Energy but wasn't maintained in time, leading to decay…
You can imagine the scene—mountains of corpses and rivers of blood."
The group was horrified upon hearing this.
Looking at the photographs, they indeed saw a swamp of rotting flesh, with rivers turned into blood.
Even the haze formed by Wizardry Energy had taken on a bloody hue.
Perhaps, in the eyes of tiny ants, a human slaughterhouse would appear just as terrifying—piles of corpses and flowing rivers of blood.
"To reach the core of Chalkland, we might have to pass through there."
As the group shuddered, Sophia reminded them.
"Actually, I was planning to enter the core as quickly as possible, but I stopped upon arriving there.
Because I sensed terrifying Wizardry Energy radiation, and there were several figures moving within the blood mist. Look…"
She also produced a few photographs.
Indeed, deep within the hazy mist, there were several faint figures.
She and Celine didn't dare to get too close for the shots, so the images were somewhat blurry, but they still conveyed an eerie and terrifying feeling.
"Chalkland was originally an Experiment Zone for Genesis Studies, so the appearance of second-tier, third-tier, or even higher-level terrifying monsters is entirely possible!"
Even Olen looked grave after seeing this.
"Alright, we'll deal with what comes later when it happens. For now, let's discuss the alliance agreement.
As agreed before we set out, the spoils of exploration will be divided fairly, with each taking what they need."
After a while, Sophia proposed.
Roy pondered for a moment. The Mana Mud wasn't convenient to display, and strictly speaking, it fell under the category of miscellaneous recycling, which wasn't covered by the contract.
So he hid it away, only revealing the Life Energy Crystal.
Y
ou can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child.
He was willing to go all out for the Inherent Essence.
When this item, brimming with immense Life Energy, appeared, everyone's attention was instantly captivated.
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