Evan carried the exquisitely crafted wooden case back to his quarters. Gary showed little interest in what was inside and conscientiously returned to his own room.
Several months of tempering had been enough to teach a reckless, naïve country boy to suppress his nature and understand the ways of the world. Perhaps that was the price of growing up. It was true for Gary, and it was true for Evan as well.
He opened the wooden case, and it was just as he had expected.
A fist-sized, partially crystallized heart that had been specially preserved lay quietly atop a silk cushion inside the case. A faint reddish spiritual glow flowed across it, giving it an almost mystical air.
"Was it from a Blue Flag Demon Shark?"
He picked up the label inside the case. It clearly recorded the origin and capture location of this Extraordinary material: a Blue Flag Demon Shark caught along the Headwind Route.
It had been captured only a little over half a month ago.
Blue Flag Demon Sharks were Demonic Creatures that lived in the Black Sea Waters. Their swimming speed and endurance were both astonishing. In the oceanic food chain, they ranked below only the sea monster clans and various colossal demonic beasts, making them highly adaptable Extraordinary predators.
Born into the Garratt Family, an Extraordinary Knight family with a heritage spanning more than a century, Evan was no stranger to knowledge related to knight transformations.
During an Extraordinary Transformation, the source of the Extraordinary main ingredient would directionally guide the Savage Body Transformation of the Knight Tier. Some excelled in strength, some in speed, and some in constitution. Choosing the wrong material could adversely affect one's future path.
Evan's primary attribute was agility, so this speed-specialized Blue Flag Demon Shark was an excellent match for him.
Moreover, even among agility-type Extraordinary materials, the Blue Flag Demon Shark was among the finest raw materials.
Of course, this was not because the Demonic Creature itself was especially powerful. Rather, it belonged to the category of materials most suitable for an Apprentice Knight undergoing an Extraordinary Transformation. It offered the best effects with few side effects.
Demonic Creatures and the savagely transformed animals Evan had encountered before were fundamentally similar. The latter had originally been ordinary creatures that underwent some sort of transformation after being affected by mysterious factors. Demonic Creatures, however, were born Extraordinary and could already reproduce normally, forming stable populations.
Whether Demonic Creatures or human Extraordinary persons, once they advanced into true Extraordinary Creatures, they would form their own "Extraordinary Organs."
Yet these "organs" were not bodily organs in the ordinary sense, such as eyes, arms, hearts, livers, and so on. They were conceptual existences.
While an Extraordinary Creature was alive, this "Extraordinary Organ" could never be found within its body.
But once an Extraordinary Creature died, there was a certain chance that its Extraordinary Characteristic would condense within one of its physical organs and remain behind.
In other words, even after going through great hardship to find a suitable Extraordinary Creature and risking one's life to hunt it, there was no guarantee of obtaining what one wanted.
In fact, successfully condensing into a material was the less likely outcome. More often, the Extraordinary Characteristic dissipated upon its owner's death and returned to the cycle of the Spirit World. That was why fine quality materials with Extraordinary Characteristics were so scarce; no matter how highly ranked or wealthy someone was, they would never think they had too many.
"It's far too precious!"
At least, Evan felt that the few thousand Gold Lions he had saved up were nowhere near enough to pay for it.
Warmth surged through his chest.
Uncle Gell had considered everything so thoroughly. Evan had originally planned to discuss the matter of an Extraordinary Trait with him after returning from his trip, but Uncle Gell had already arranged everything.
From that failed interception, Evan had already learned just how difficult it was to obtain a suitable Extraordinary Trait. Even within a major force like the Kingdom Navy, people had resorted to underhanded methods for one.
Without Gell, Evan could not imagine how much time he would have wasted before finding suitable material through his own efforts. Even if he had eventually obtained some, it could never have been of this quality.
All of a sudden.
After acknowledging Gell as family, the faint trace of utilitarianism Evan had carried in his heart largely vanished. He had been an orphan in his previous life, and after losing all his family once more in this life, his drifting, rootless heart finally found a place to belong here and now.
Only those who had lost something could understand how blissful it was to have a family member who cared for you without weighing gains and losses. And that made it all the more worthy of cherishing!
Whew—
He patted his cheeks and softly told himself:
"Time to get to work!"
He had no intention of picking an auspicious day. Both the keen senses granted by his Spirit Power and the constant readings from Data Vision indicated that his physical condition had reached its peak.
Today was the day he would advance!
After telling Gary not to disturb him, Evan entered the apothecary room converted from the attic and took out the magic potion ingredients he had prepared long ago, one by one.
He began brewing the "Black Sea Magic Potion."
The curtains were drawn tightly shut. Under bright yellow lamplight, as ingredients were added one after another to the crucible, bubbles gurgled up through the dark green broth.
Pop—
Pop—
If an outsider saw this bizarre sight, he would never be able to shake off the label of "evil wizard."
Though it appeared to be a magic-potion-grade concoction, this kind of potion used for advancement was actually very simple to brew. Its main purpose was not to harmonize the medicinal properties of the various ingredients, but to maximize the effects of the Extraordinary Characteristic.
Even if a novice handled it, it would not matter if he added too much of a certain ingredient or added it too early. The wondrous properties of the Extraordinary Characteristic would resolve everything!
Not to mention that Evan had extensive potion-brewing experience at White Stone Apothecary. Until the final supplementary ingredient, Iron Reef Moss, was added to the crucible, he controlled the entire brewing process perfectly.
Gulp!
The most crucial moment had arrived, and Evan nervously swallowed.
He carefully took out the precious demonized heart of the Blue Flag Demon Shark. Without making any further preparations, he dropped the entire thing into the crucible.
Puff—
After a soft sound, the potion finally underwent a wondrous change with the addition of the Extraordinary material.
The dark green liquid began to boil violently, and a tiny vortex formed in the center of the crucible. Then, beginning at the outermost edge, the potion gradually turned clear and transparent from the outside inward, as though all its color and essence were being drawn into the central vortex.
One minute, two minutes... Evan carefully kept the flame steady.
Only when the changes completely ceased had the entire crucible returned to perfectly transparent, clear water.
And within the crucible, a small blue-green fish swam back and forth through the boiling water, as though it were a true living creature.
While marveling at the wonders of the Extraordinary world, Evan scooped up the little fish with a ceramic spoon and swiftly poured it into a glass containing half a cup of ice water.
Hiss—
After a faint, almost imperceptible roar, the little fish turned into a cup of brilliant blue potion together with the ice water, as beautiful and mysterious as the deep sea.
He reviewed every change in the brewing process once more. Each one matched the Garratt Family's records of the "Black Sea Magic Potion."
Evan studied the beautiful magic potion for a while. Then, without further hesitation, he raised it to his lips and drank it in one gulp.
Then.
The Extraordinary Transformation began!!!
Before you continue