Mimic

On Thursday, Lynch arrived at the security company early in the morning.

He brought a huge pile of breakfast for Rozanne, which startled her so much she nearly thought it was a full day's worth of food for her.

Fortunately, Lynch promised that he would eat whatever she couldn't finish, as he hadn't eaten anything that morning.

He was too excited; not only could he not eat breakfast, but he hadn't even slept the night before.

"There's an extra portion of my breakfast here; I'll eat it after I consume the potion."

Lynch's face was full of joy.

Rozanne, however, looked a bit worried. "Do you really have to become a Beyonder? Isn't it fine the way things are now?"

She had already heard about what happened yesterday and was truly terrified; Lynch had nearly died, and she hadn't expected him to still want to become a Beyonder.

"You know about what happened yesterday, and I experienced those things firsthand. If I had the ability, I could have protected the captain instead of using my own life to help him. I feel that becoming a Beyonder will make me safer, don't you think?"

"Perhaps, but..."

Rozanne wanted to say more, but Lynch covered her mouth.

"Alright, I've already made my decision, and I won't regret it!"

After saying this, he hurried down the stairs to the basement to find Dunn.

Dunn was on duty at the Chanis Gate today, so he certainly wouldn't be in his own office.

Sure enough, when Lynch arrived, Dunn was already in the small office next to the Chanis Gate.

Seeing Lynch approach, he extinguished the cigarette in his hand.

"Sorry, I'm just used to it."

Lynch waved his hands quickly. "I don't mind, really, Captain. You go ahead and smoke."

Dunn laughed.

"You don't need to be so reserved, Lynch. You know, you've already become one of us. We are teammates; if there's anything you're uncomfortable with, you can just ask."

Lynch insisted he wasn't being reserved, but Dunn didn't believe him.

He felt that Lynch was always selfless, and that he only said he didn't mind because he didn't want to make things difficult for his teammates.

In any case, Dunn had never seen anyone who had quit smoking be able to tolerate others smoking around them.

"Captain, I really don't mind... fine, I mind a little bit. I was just so focused on becoming a Beyonder that I overlooked it."

Lynch didn't want to argue with Dunn anymore, so he quickly stated his true thoughts.

Saving Dunn yesterday was a matter of necessity. If that man in the black robe hadn't attacked Dunn, he certainly wouldn't have interfered. But since the man attacked Dunn in a dream and practically served himself up to be caught, Lynch naturally had to find a way to let the man know the situation.

Otherwise, if that guy were caught by Dunn and accidentally blurted out their plans, wouldn't he be finished?

It was just that he felt Dunn and the others' attitudes toward him had improved even further.

Before, they treated him as a decent teammate, but now it felt like they were treating him like a younger brother.

Lynch felt a bit guilty.

However, he immediately cast that guilt aside. Thinking of the Beyonder he was about to become, he excitedly rubbed his hands together.

"Captain, when can I consume the potion?"

Dunn's expression turned heavy. He looked at Lynch for a long moment before asking seriously, "Have you really decided?"

Lynch nodded vigorously.

He couldn't be more serious.

"Alright, I'll have Brazier come to guard the Chanis Gate for a while. Follow me; I'll prepare the potion for you. Old Neil is on leave today."

Lynch: ...

What the hell?

How could Old Neil be on leave?

He had originally intended to use this opportunity to expose the fact that there were eyes on Old Neil's back!

Also, could Dunn really prepare a potion?

Wouldn't he mess it up?

Lynch's expression might have been a bit too obvious, as Dunn noticed it immediately.

He shook his head, caught between laughter and tears.

"Preparing potions below Sequence 7 is quite simple; you could even prepare it yourself. I'm just worried that your nervousness might cause you to mess it up. Don't worry, I've consumed potions before; I know the process."

Lynch: ...

Just because I've eaten pork, does that mean I know how to slaughter a pig?

Those are two different professions, aren't they?

"Of course, you can also wait until tomorrow and let Old Neil prepare the potion for you when he comes in."

Dunn said with amusement.

Lynch thought about it seriously for a second and then refused.

He could not wait until tomorrow.

"Come on! There was one portion of Sleepless potion ingredients left, so I found them for you last night and took them out this morning. We can start right now."

Dunn opened the box and took out a piece of parchment.

He unfolded the parchment and placed it to the side.

Lynch immediately leaned over to take a look.

Memorize the Sleepless potion formula well; whether you go to the Tarot Club or other Beyonder gatherings in the future, you will be able to sell it.

Main ingredients: one Midnight Beauty Flower, one pair of Six-legged Owl eyes.

Supplementary ingredients: 80 milliliters of spirits, 10 drops of Night Fragrance Herb essential oil...

Lynch recited the ingredients back and forth in his mind, especially the main ingredients; he absolutely could not forget them.

Of course, he shouldn't forget the supplementary ingredients either, as forgetting them would mean losing a lot of money!

As he recited, Lynch watched as Dunn placed the ingredients into a large pot one by one, stirred it a few times, and then poured the concoction into a cup.

"Just about right. My potion back then was this exact color."

Dunn sighed with emotion and pushed the cup, which was emitting a dark, foul stench, toward Lynch.

Lynch's face was full of horror.

Are you sure this stuff is drinkable?

"It's drinkable. Give it a try. The taste shouldn't be too bad, right?"

Then why are you using a questioning tone?

Lynch really wanted to smash this cup of potion, but he couldn't bear to waste it. He could only endure the nausea and pour the liquid into his mouth.

Ugh!

This stuff tasted like swill.

It was also exceptionally sour and bitter.

At the same time, the potion that had entered his stomach began to seep into his limbs and bones. He could feel lines composed of various colors appearing before his eyes.

The lines could not be touched, and they quickly faded into mere colors.

Simultaneously, his vision rose, and he saw his own hunched figure on the ground, Dunn's worried gaze, and the Stone of Myriad Phenomena floating before his eyes.

He reached out to touch the Stone of Myriad Phenomena and immediately felt a more intimate connection emerge.

Previously, he and the Stone of Myriad Phenomena seemed to be partners, but now he sensed a hint of control over it.

He blinked his eyes and looked back at Dunn.

Mimic: can simulate a Sequence 9 ability that one has been in close contact with, and may also pick up the habits of the person who provided the pathway.

Currently, he could only mimic one pathway, which was Sleepless. This was obviously Dunn's. Mimic!

Lynch closed his eyes and quickly opened them again.

He reached out and touched the Stone of Myriad Phenomena, his gaze turning gentle.

The Stone of Myriad Phenomena rubbed against his spirituality before diving into the center of his brows.

The colors before his eyes quickly dissipated, and Lynch's consciousness returned to his body. The scene in the alchemy room returned to normal, and he suddenly felt a sense of refreshment flooding his entire body.

His previously somewhat exhausted spirit became full. He looked toward the darkness, and the areas that were originally blurry quickly became clear.

He looked toward the Chanis Gate again and could feel that danger was hidden within.

This was a given; many Sealed Artifacts were stored inside, so danger was normal. It was just that he hadn't felt it at all before, and its sudden appearance made him a bit unaccustomed to it.

Fortunately, he would soon be able to control this feeling freely.

Lynch turned his head again to take a quick look at the Sleepless potion formula.

Oh no, he had forgotten the entire formula.