9 Chapter9-The New Protagonist, A Mysterious Book as a Cheat
Presently, in the Stin Empire, Norton, on Kalkus Street, the young man Modi, having purchased all the necessary ingredients, headed towards a secret hideout.
This was an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city.
Once, an earl had settled here, but after a mishap, the manor was attacked and destroyed by a subdragon species from the nearby Boren Island.
The earl's family suffered severe casualties and eventually vacated the place.
Now overgrown with wild grass and bordering a graveyard, the old manor site served as Modi's base and a magic potion lab.
As a transmigrant and a "protagonist" in this world, Modi felt that although his background was not extraordinary, his "cheat" seemed quite remarkable.
This cheat was a special book without words.
The book could autonomously inscribe content, offering various peculiar recipes.
Using these recipes to concoct "luck potions," Modi successfully earned a substantial amount of money, which he then used to buy stronger magic potion ingredients.
With these materials, he could brew "class potions" to elevate himself from his "commoner" status.
After all, in this world, besides those born with innate talents and special energy like fighters, maguses, Druids, and others, many are talentless commoners.
Now, with his extraordinary book, Modi could drink magic potions to transform himself into a special class player:
An "acrobat."
Once he becomes an acrobat, he will gain incredibly agile movements and the ability to perform magic tricks, allowing him to gradually move from small towns to big cities, and perhaps even to courts!
The different magic potions can provide varying strengths and numbers of abilities, and their complexity in recipes also varies.
"Acrobat" is just the first identity he aims to achieve.
After that, he plans to concoct another Ascendant being mentioned in the book, achievable through magic potions: the "Magus of All Elements."
This path is exceptionally rare.
It's somewhat similar to a paladin, where elemental maguses are mostly those naturally sensitive to elements.
From a young age, they can manipulate and move natural elements around them through meditation.
Moreover, these talents, once discovered, are usually sent to royal magic academies for training, and almost inevitably become court maguses.
To become one through acquired skills is nearly impossible.
However, the mysterious book in his possession provides a recipe for a magic potion to become a "Magus of All Elements."
The recipe includes a drop of dragon blood, a core crystal from a two-headed gargoyle, Hocklap juice, fierce hound leather, celery juice, and so on.
The most challenging ingredient to acquire is the dragon blood, but perhaps subdragon blood could suffice.
Modi has a clear understanding and plan for his path of growth.
First, become an "acrobat," then earn money while gathering materials and mingling with nobles.
Next, consume the Ascendant magic potion to transform into a "mind magus."
This Ascendant Class is also very rare and, while not as powerful as the "Magus of All Elements," can secure him a high status in the kingdom.
As a mind magus, he could evolve into a soothsayer or a Soul Shaper, proving valuable to royal families and the elite.
After achieving this, he plans to become a "Magus of All Elements."
Furthermore, crucially, the book revealed that all Ascendant Magic Potions provided have effects that can be permanently retained and stacked.
Modi arrived near the manor.
After ensuring no one was following him, he swiftly climbed over the rusty iron fence and crawled through a collapsed stone cave entrance.
He then meandered through the disordered rooms, eventually finding an old, toppled bookshelf.
Pushing it aside, Modi entered his private "domain."
On the floor lay a heap of glittering coins – his reserve funds.
This room was special, connected to the manor's underground passages, meaning that if the manor was ever bought and scheduled for reconstruction, Modi could quickly relocate everything.
Beside the pile of coins were several jars and bottles on an iron rack, along with a crucible and a small furnace.
Humming a tune, Modi poured the Ascendant magic potion ingredients into the crucible, following the sequence and steps described in the mysterious book.
He stirred, ground, and baked the ingredients accordingly.
Soon, he carefully portioned out the processed magic potion ingredients.
He then brought over a homemade scale, using Stin Empire coins as counterweights to measure the ingredients.
Following the approximate ratios, he mixed the prepared materials, heated them, and brewed them.
Finally, he drank the concoction in one gulp.
Soon after, a special power surged within Modi.
He felt a significant enhancement in his senses, and his agility improved markedly.
He could effortlessly perform feats like throwing knives blindfolded, running upside down, and scaling walls swiftly.
He possessed the skills of a magician, craftsman, and knife-thrower – all attributes of an acrobat.
After completing his advancement, Modi felt a substantial increase in his strength.
According to the mysterious book, he had reached the level of a 1-star Elite-tier, far surpassing ordinary civilians and regular soldiers.
His abilities extended even further.
Modi tried moving his hand near the small furnace under the crucible.
Instantly, the flame quivered and then, unexpectedly, leapt onto his hand.
"Success!" Modi exclaimed excitedly.
Watching the flame dance on his hand, moving and floating with the motion of his hand, he felt a deep sense of pride.
"Fire control" – this was also one of the abilities of the acrobat Ascendant path.
Immediately, Modi pulled out his mysterious book, opened it, and began to flip through the pages.
He quickly found the section he was looking for.
Fire magic potion recipe: sulfur, saltpeter, guncotton...
He promptly gathered these ingredients from the leftovers of his magic potion materials and successfully concocted the potion.
This fire magic potion, unlike the previous luck magic potion or Ascendant Magic Potion, wasn't for consumption.
Instead, with just a bit of friction or a heat source, it could ignite fiercely, even potentially causing an explosion!
Pondering this, Modi carried the fire magic potion to another room – a spacious hall.
The floor, once laid with exquisite marble, was now fractured from the earlier collapse of the manor.
However, it was the perfect place for practice.
Modi had placed several wooden dummies in the hall.
"Boom—"
As he threw out the fire magic potion and used his acrobat "fire control" ability, the potion ignited upon friction, turning into a fire serpent that shot forward.
It instantly set a dummy 5 meters away ablaze, reducing it to ashes.
Modi felt very satisfied with the outcome.
He then started another experiment, creating a different mix of fire magic potion.
As he threw it, the potion ignited and transformed into another fire serpent.
Modi manipulated the serpent as it twisted through the air, soared upwards, then descended, landing atop another dummy's head.
The next moment, an explosion occurred, shattering the dummy and cracking the wall behind it.
"Excellent!" Modi exclaimed, thrilled by his creation.
His mysterious book was indeed extraordinary.
With further development and utilization, he could rapidly advance his abilities from the Elite-tier and ascend to the General-tier without much difficulty.
However, unbeknownst to Modi, his actions were being closely observed by a paladin, who quickly reported back to Alan in Beaconburg.
"Interesting," Alan remarked with a smile.
"Are you sure this young man is using a book that automatically inscribes text, following its guidance to concoct potions that grant him special abilities? And his previous luck with dice was also due to a 'luck magic potion' from the book?"
