Frighteningly Good Luck

I walked back to the Iconoclasm from Vesemir's lodging.

As he stepped onto the stairs, the Witcher deliberately closed his eyes and carefully sensed the sensation for a while.

The feeling of that sudden lightening of the load was as if it had never existed.

This means that there is no longer any Evil God's energy within him.

When Ianna checked in the morning, she also confirmed that the Evil God's curse had disappeared.

"But why hasn't the Mirage Pearl awakened yet?"

The Witcher probed deep into the mind, and found that everything was normal except for the Wolf Emblem link.

The thread connecting it to the mirage pearl was as thin as a spider's silk.

He summoned the Witcher's Handbook with his mind.

[Ding! The fragment of the Gate of Ad-Gates is being absorbed...]

"Has the Gaze of the Great Old One truly vanished?" The Witcher frowned as he returned to the icon room.

Under the dim candlelight, the three statues of the Goddess Meritellie remained holy and serene.

After gazing at the statue for a few seconds, Ailin shook his head and returned to his usual resting place.

"I'm not going to think about it too much. At worst, I'll just stay here a few more days as planned."

"Now that we've used up all the gains from the battle against the Giant Ghoul, improving our strength is the priority."

Having made the decision, I mentally transferred the Witcher's Handbook to my inventory.

[Use Giant Ghoul Heart Essence Fluid *1?]

With a thought, the icy liquid immediately surged into his throat.

As it slides down the esophagus, it is continuously absorbed by the inner wall.

Before it could flow into the stomach, it had already turned into a warm current that spread throughout the body.

[HP: 100%, Stamina: 580/580, MP: 570/570]

[Attributes: Strength 51 (+3), Agility 42, Constitution 58 (+3), Perception 47, Mysticism 59]

[Affinity: Water 11 (Magic Source - Water 1%), Earth 6 (+1), Wind 5, Space 2]

The attribute boost wasn't significant, but considering the Giant Ghoul's pathetic escape, it wasn't surprising.

Although it was tiring, at least we didn't encounter any danger.

Six attribute points plus one point of Earth affinity are enough to make a big profit.

After absorbing the Heart Essence Fluid, it's time for the treasure chest.

Ailin glanced at the statue of the Goddess Meritellie, then without hesitation focused his mind on the Ghoul's Chest.

[Ding! Ghoul Chest *5 opened]

Four white and one blue.

[Rewards: Rotten Flesh*4, Experience Orbs *1]

The Ghoul Chest performs consistently well.

The Witcher took a deep breath, reassuring himself that this was just @#￥%&'s Chest used to increase the odds.

Then grasp the Goddess Meritellie's Amulet around your neck.

"May the Goddess Meritellie bless me... Enhanced Necrophage Oil... Full Moon, Pure White Pharad... Honeycomb Bomb, Foehn Wind... Any Sword Oil, magic potion, or bomb will do..."

The demon hunter muttered incantations.

[Ding! Giant Ghoul Chest *5 opened]

Gold, gold, gold, gold, gold...

Five dazzling golden lights flashed by.

"Gurgle~"

The witcher, who should have been overjoyed, swallowed nervously.

A gold medal brings joy.

Two gold medals are a cause for great joy.

The three gold medals brought immense joy.

But four gold medals...

The fact that four out of five boxes contain gold is particularly frightening.

But this time, Ailin opened five boxes and they all yielded five golden lights...

This absolutely cannot be just good luck!

The Witcher cautiously peered at the statue through the semi-transparent panel.

Although he believed that Meritellie was real, the opening of the box and the prayer were just a habit left over from a previous life, a ritual that was better done than done, and not a real act of supplication...

Well, it's true that we're praying for good luck from the goddess.

But getting five gold items from five boxes is just too outrageous.

The probability is like wanting to borrow twenty yuan from your boss for dinner.

But the leader transferred 20 million yuan directly to your card without asking any questions, and said you don't need to pay it back.

You have to think about this carefully: is the money the leader transferred intended to buy someone's life?

Various thoughts flashed through the Witcher's mind.

I only glanced at the cutscene with the five golden lights a few times before moving on.

After thinking for a moment, he ignored the system's notification sound and walked to the statue.

Then, following the posture of those goddess devotees I remembered, I bowed to Him.

"Homage to the Mother of All Things, Goddess of fertility, harvest, and childbirth, eternal maiden, mother, and guardian of the old..."

The ceremony is over.

The Witcher bent down, looking at the ground, and remained in that position for almost a minute.

There was no divine revelation or sacred sound suddenly appearing.

"That should be enough, right?" The Witcher breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, it would be a good thing if Ms. Meritellie really needed his help.

A gentleman judges by actions, not by intentions.

This principle also applies to deities.

According to Ianna's account, the temple's various manifestations, and the background from the original story and the game...

From any perspective, the possibility that Meritellie is an evil god is very low.

So, if this hardware deal really is something Meritellie needs from him, or if it's just an opportunity, then it's not.

Thinking of this, the Witcher breathed a sigh of relief.

He sat back down in his original spot and opened the Witcher's Handbook with a thought.

[Obtained: Giant Ghoul Decoction Recipe *1, Moon Dust Bomb Recipe *1, Blizzard Potion Recipe *1, Enhanced Necrophage Oil Sword Oil Recipe, Dragon's Dream Bomb Recipe]

Upon seeing the system notification that popped up, the Witcher almost forgot to breathe.

Decoctions, potions, bombs—this wave of acquisitions covered almost every recipe available in the Witcher's original world.

The monsters eliminated by using these recipes were only about thirty Ghoul and one Giant Ghoul that could only run away.

In a state of excitement.

The Witcher immediately teleported to his inventory.

[Name: Giant Ghoul Decoction Recipe]

[Type: Potion Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV2]

[Recipe: Dwarven Strong Alcohol *1, Giant Ghoul Bone Marrow*1, Lesser Red Mutagen *5, Rhamnus*1]

[Function: Adrenaline is produced faster than usual until the enemy hits you!]

[Note: The meaning of "hit" is broad; here it refers to the appearance of a wound!]

"Adrenaline..."

After opening the Giant Ghoul Decoction recipe, the Witcher immediately looked at the function bar, and then became somewhat confused.

In the game, adrenaline is a versatile "energy" similar to a gas pump.

It can not only replace the release of signs in the form of vitality, but also increase weapon attack and sign damage. Even more exaggeratedly, after maxing out certain talents, it can even revive with full health.

In reality, however, witchers can manipulate and stimulate these hormones secreted by the human body.

But all it can do is accelerate blood circulation, provide more energy for physical activities, and improve strength, agility, and perception to a certain extent, and the effect is very short-lived.

This has a similar effect to adrenaline in the general population.

The most similarity to the game is that it can stimulate Mutated Organ to squeeze out more magic power.

Its other uses don't seem to be as significant as they are in the game.

"Hmm..." The Witcher looked up again:

"Dwarven Strong Alcohol, Giant Ghoul marrow, and buckthorn are all here..."

"The Swamp Hag Mutagen Inducer also produced a considerable number of Lesser Red Mutagen..."

"Um..."

"We have all the ingredients. We'll see how to refine a bottle tomorrow and try it out to see what effect this decoction has."

Use your mind to access the next recipe.

[Name: Moon Dust]

[Type: Bomb Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV2]

[Ingredients: Saltpeter*1, Mercury solution*1]

[Function: Contains silver threads, which can temporarily prevent monsters from transforming and regenerating]

[Note: Still bothered by the invisibility and afterimages of ghostly creatures?]

Moon Dust is perhaps the most useful item in the game besides North Wind.

It's not just effective against the ghostly creatures mentioned in the notes; it's also surprisingly effective against vampires and cursed monsters, especially werewolves.

Unless there is a level or equipment advantage, Moon Dust is basically essential for fighting these types of monsters.

[Name: Dragon's Dream]

[Type: Bomb Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV2]

[Ingredients: Saltpeter*1, Phosphorus*2]

[Function: Releases a gas that explodes when ignited]

[Note: At least it's cheap, isn't it?]

Well...

He barely used Dragon's Dream in the game.

They would only throw one at most, to save bombs like the Beehive, the Foehn, and the Dancing Star, which can destroy Monster's Nest.

Furthermore, he couldn't recall any monster whose weakness was Dragon's Dream.

So let's skip that for now and see its actual power once it's manufactured.

It might be very useful.

After all, as the note says, Dragon's Dream, which only requires saltpeter and phosphorus, is indeed very cheap.

and...

As long as you're not afraid of being blown up by an accident.

The ability to make as many bombs as you want is one of the few advantages that exists in reality compared to the game.

After watching the bomb, the Witcher, who likes to save the best for last, skipped the potion "Blizzard" and went straight to the upgraded version of the Sword Oil.

[Name: Enhanced Necrophage Oil]

[Type: Sword Oil Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV4]

[Ingredients: Bear fat*1, Necrophage Oil *1, Rotfiend blood*1, Dandelion*1, Flea stalk*1, Hundred-curing herb*1, White Myrtle Cap *1]

[Function: Applied to weapons, greatly increases damage against ghouls]

[Note: Using @#￥%&'s Chest opened by ghouls to fight ghouls is a recipe for disaster for them!]

There's not much to say about Enhanced Necrophage Oil.

It is more difficult, the materials are more expensive, and the damage is greater.

It is obvious that its main purpose is to deal with Giant Ghoul and Rotfiend.

However, it may not be as useful as ordinary Necrophage Oil for Ailin.

After all, Ailin already has the Demon Hunter and Elsa, and now they've added the Divine Sword Balmor.

For ordinary ghouls, it's just a matter of one or two sword strikes.

Like the Giant Ghoul he faced today, with his [Witcher] skill, he didn't need to worry about not being able to break through its defenses like a regular Witcher.

Therefore, if the formula is too expensive or too complicated to prepare, the ordinary version will definitely be used normally.

"We should still prepare one or two bottles..." Ailin hesitated for a few seconds.

After all, the increased damage from Sword Oil will also increase the speed at which the [Demon Hunter] fills up its progress bar.

The greatest significance of this potion to him was that it proved that the potions, Sword Oil, and decoctions found in the Witcher's Handbook all had higher-level versions.

After all, ghouls are generally weak, but their damage is excessive.

However, for certain other types of monsters, higher damage is definitely better.

in addition...

For the school of thought as a whole.

Other Witchers from the School of the Wolf don't have the [Witch Hunting] skill, so Enhanced Necrophage Oil is most useful to them.

The effects of Enhanced Necrophage Oil have been largely considered.

Ailin took a deep breath and shifted her gaze to the most precious and useful formula of the day:

"Now, let's get to the main event of today..."

Yes.

In his mind, even a high-grade Sword Oil like Enhanced Necrophage Oil was far inferior to this final potion.

A thought arose.

[Name: Blizzard]

[Type: Potion Recipe]

[Refining Requirements: Alchemy LV2]

[Recipe: Dwarven Strong Alcohol *1, White Oleander Petals *5, Golem Heart *1]

[Function: Time slows down when in danger]

[Note: Bullet time?]

As soon as the recipe panel popped up, Ailin immediately turned her attention to the function section.

"Phew~"

Seeing that the potion's effects were exactly the same as in the game, Ailin breathed a sigh of relief, and then his heart began to pound excitedly.

snowstorm.

The ultimate potion in the game.

This potion is indispensable for almost every Witcher faction, and can even be considered a core element of that faction.

But to be honest.

This bullet-time-like effect is considered a top-tier ability in almost any work.

With this magic potion...

The next time you encounter Greater Griffin, the difficulty of killing it will be reduced by at least half.

"Dwarven Strong Alcohol, White Oleander Petals, I have them in my saddlebag..." The Witcher seemed eager to try them out. "As for Golem Heart ..."

He placed the candles and walked to the other side of the icon room.

He carefully searched through the Magic Material Vesemir had left behind.

"As expected!"

With a gleaming look in his eyes, Ailin took out a stone that radiated an earthy yellow magical glow, like amber, from an exquisite black oak box.

"Lady Vesemir is indeed reliable; she can find all sorts of precious materials here..."

The Witcher was overjoyed.

But he soon discovered that all the tools around him were instruments used to assist in the ritual; alchemical vessels such as crucibles were with Mary.

"Forget it, let's rest today. There's no rush to refine the potion tomorrow."

Ailin sighed and carefully put the Golem Heart back in its place.

"Da da da~"

Footsteps echoed once more in the empty iconostasis.

As the Witcher's joy gradually subsided, a sentence suddenly came to mind when he passed by the Goddess Meritellie.

Every gift bestowed by fate comes with a hidden price tag.

Giant Ghoul Decoction, Moon Dust, Blizzard, Enhanced Necrophage Oil, Dragon's Dream...

It would almost require a Witcher to fight at least three large monsters like Giant Ghoul and Greater Griffin to unlock them all...

So...

This may be a precious gift from a goddess, so what should he give in return?

"Phew~"

With a gentle blow, the candle flame went out.

The icon room was plunged into complete darkness.

The Witcher gazed at the statue of the Goddess Meritellie in the darkness, and unknowingly drifted off to sleep once more.

Then.

He heard someone calling his name.

"Ailin..."

"Ailin..."