Intermediate Knight

This thing, at first glance, looked like a tube of freshly drawn blood, the vibrant color of arterial blood, but as if a bit of fluorescent agent had been added, it emitted a faint, ethereal blue glow.

A rich aura of life energy swirled within, radiating brilliance alongside the energy of Apprentice-level Magecraft.

"Neanderthal Bloodline..."

Roy murmured to himself.

This was a primitive, cave-dwelling human subspecies, belonging to an ancient barbarian lineage.

Wizards, through some special method, extracted hematopoietic stem cells from its bone marrow blood and combined them with witchcraft energy to create this Bloodline Potion.

It could grant ordinary humans corresponding bloodlines, thereby acquiring certain bloodline traits.

In essence, it was an acquired Sorcerer!

This was fundamentally different from those innate Sorcerers in the outside world, yet in its final manifestation, it bore a striking resemblance.

"There might be various inexplicable negative side effects due to bloodline conflict.

However, low-level bloodline modifications rarely have such issues, and even if they do, they aren't difficult to handle.

The reason I chose this human branch, rather than types of demonic beasts or even strange creatures, was for better compatibility."

Roy briefly reviewed the knowledge he had gained in the library before filling the liquid into the injection device and beginning his basic bloodline modification.

As the needle pierced his skin, the internal mechanical auto-injector activated, slowly pushing the Bloodline Potion in.

At first, he only felt a cold current join his circulation, and his body grew slightly chilled.

But soon, an inexplicable heat emerged.

Late that night, he developed a fever, much like a cold, which only began to subside the next morning.

Roy got up and went to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red, with dark circles, giving him a haggard appearance.

But the restlessness within him was real and substantial. In his normal state, he now possessed a physique three times that of an ordinary person.

This was equivalent to the strength of an Intermediate Knight!

A short while later, in the training room.

Bang bang bang bang!

Roy swung his mace, striking the wooden target with a power that was completely disproportionate to his size.

In an instant, it was a destructive force, shattering the target repeatedly.

The targets, made of solid pine and fir, seemed like foamy cardboard boxes in the face of his weapon.

And he didn't even feel like he was exerting much effort.

"As expected, my strength has increased significantly! Combined with Adrenaline, it's comparable to an Advanced Knight!"

Immediately after, Roy began to run rapidly around the training ground.

It felt as if an invisible force was propelling him, allowing him to move with incredible speed.

He ran for several kilometers straight before he started to pant slightly, sweat beading on his body.

"My stamina has also been enhanced!"

Only at the very end, when he attempted a sprint of a thousand meters, did he suddenly feel dizzy and nauseous.

Roy quickly slowed down, pulled a pre-prepared piece of candy from his pocket, and popped it into his mouth. Only then did he recover.

"It's basically confirmed that I now possess the strength of a normal Intermediate Knight and an Advanced Knight in burst mode.

If I go all out, I might even be able to push this body further, reaching a true berserk barbarian state!

However, the consumption has also clearly increased."

Having basically confirmed this, he left the training room and returned to his residence to continue his work.

In fact, bloodline modifications at the Apprentice stage were generally superficial. Apprentices had limited knowledge and resources, often relying on Bloodline Potions refined by others.

But upon reaching the Formal Wizard stage, one's bloodline began to become complex, and each Bloodline Potion needed to be custom-made.

This would allow others to glimpse the secrets of one's body, or even gain control of fatal pressure points.

Wizards more often preferred to refine them themselves, or abandon this path altogether and switch to modifications that suited their own practiced Magecraft.

It was precisely because of this that Roy wasn't too worried about the various after-effects and negative conditions of this body.

After all, it wasn't his original body, and he would eventually replace it with a better one if the opportunity arose.

The key was having sufficient capital; with capital, one had choices.

"Next is the Hair Ghost Witch Body that I modified earlier.

If the Neanderthal Bloodline is a fundamental physical enhancement rooted in the flesh, then this hair, carrying Law Residue, is rooted in the soul!

This is a long-term investment in the truest sense!"

It is said that extraordinary power returning to oneself is true strength.

The physical body, in many cases, is also illusory, belonging to the category of "external things."

For many Advanced Wizards, the spirit and soul are the true essence.

This is also why the Hair Ghost Witch Body is considered a long-term investment.

Last time, Roy had already started researching Aquena Magic Gold, but was limited by resources and couldn't successfully refine the Law Residue.

But this time, his hands were suddenly full.

He spent over 1000 Magic Stones, buying various materials and potions to continuously experiment.

While waiting for his bloodline modification, he had already seen initial results.

That afternoon.

"Finally, I've refined it!"

Roy, with a hint of joy, poured the solution containing the Law Residue into a beaker. After several filtrations, he mixed it into a hair conditioner and recited the Animate incantation.

"..."

Just like when he refined the Hair Ghost Bloodline Potion before, the hair conditioner writhed as if alive.

Roy grabbed the paste-like substance and applied it to his hair. His already dark and lustrous hair became even more radiant.

In the evening, he called a servant to bring a basin of fresh sheep's blood. He impatiently closed his door and urged his hair to grow.

The hair, like black tentacles, stretched into the washbasin.

Instantly, a faint red mist diffused, barely perceptible, and silently merged.

His originally black hair surprisingly gained a hint of golden-green color.

"It really succeeded.

This is the characteristic of Aquena Magic Gold!

From now on, it will be able to absorb the mysterious energy from fresh blood and bestow metallic properties!

Moreover, it can freely switch between softness and hardness, making the hair strands even tougher and stronger!"

Roy tried to pull his hair, and with a slight tug, it broke in the middle.

But the resistance was clearly greater than before.

This was exactly the growth potential he needed!

He then activated the Hair Ghost Witch Body again. His hair, like a surging black cloud, grew wildly with a golden-green malevolent aura.

A moment later, it reached 3 meters in length, like a black python suspended in mid-air, trailing behind his head.

As his mental power surged, his hair suddenly tensed, and the front half-meter shot out in all directions like thousands of iron spikes!

Pffft pffft!

Tables, counters, and bed boards were all pierced.

Even the walls were pocked with many clearly visible deep craters.

"Pretty good!"

Roy smiled with satisfaction.

"I just don't know how many enemies I'll have to kill and how much blood I'll have to absorb to reach the true strength of Magic Gold.

That's when it will reach its mature form, right?"