When Zhang Ruofeng slowly woke, he found himself lying in a stone bathtub in the bathroom, his upper body bare. The water was very cold, and Kao Flowers, used to calm the mind, floated all over the tub. His upper body was clean, and he still had his pants on, but a faint red tinge drifted through the water. He remembered how, at the worst of the pain, blood had started seeping from his body, his capillaries bursting and healing almost instantly. Even thinking about it now sent a shiver down his spine. The sensation had been so unbearable that it had even made him consider suicide.
"Hahaha... I was wrong, I was wrong." A voice sounded from outside, but Zhang Ruofeng felt completely drained. Even the slightest movement brought intense soreness, so he couldn't get up from the tub.
Just as Zhang Ruofeng was thinking about it, the bathroom door swung open, and a small figure darted inside. In almost an instant, she was standing on the edge of Zhang Ruofeng's bathtub. "You little devil, I can't believe you actually used that stuff. You two really give me a headache. I gave you the highest-grade Dragon Blood, but I never thought you wouldn't mention it to your goddess. She knows about Dragon Blood, so if you'd told her, she would've had you dilute it or apply it externally. I can't believe you drank it. You really... You're lucky to be alive, kid." Perman finished, then squeezed Zhang Ruofeng's muscles. His face twisted in pain, and Perman frowned.
"One of the ingredients in Dragon Blood is the fruit of Dragon Saliva Grass, which grows in the habitat of elite monsters on the eighth floor. Those monsters have a little dragon's blood in them and can breathe fire, so the medicinal effects are extremely potent. You're the third person to take this medicine orally before your body had finished developing after joining a Familia, and the first to do so this early. It hasn't even been a month, and you dared to drink my Dragon Blood." Perman looked at Zhang Ruofeng's upper body. Since it was almost entirely free of external injuries, she knew he hadn't suffered much harm. Using her own unique method, she also confirmed he had no internal injuries. Apart from severe muscle strain, he was in no danger.
"You've got some nerve." Evan grabbed Perman by the collar from behind and set her down on the floor. "Which of the first two adventurers you mentioned didn't die because you wanted to test its effects? You persuaded the first one to drink a whole bottle of Dragon Blood, and he bled from every orifice and died in the Dungeon. It was a gruesome sight. The second drank a quarter-bottle of the potion you gave him for free, went wild in the Pleasure District for a night or two, and literally worked himself to death." Evan didn't know how she'd ever fallen for Perman, who had once been a Witch and was practically the opposite of her in personality. Perman was even her Familia's leader. Evan found herself exasperated with her several times a day. Perman sneaking into the rooms of the female members of her own Familia to sleep with them—and sometimes doing even more outrageous things—was a regular occurrence. The women in their Familia had all said they'd never be able to get married.
"When I made this potion, I felt its effects couldn't possibly be so simple. It couldn't just be a high-grade healing potion, so I found two people to test it on. But adventurers at level 4 are worldly enough to refuse my experiments. Even if level 3 adventurers take it orally, it barely has any effect, while level 1 adventurers simply can't withstand it. So I had no idea what it actually did," Perman said helplessly. "Then, one day, I saw Zhang Ruofeng come into my shop. His internal organs were trembling, and he was bleeding internally, yet he acted as if nothing was wrong and went shopping with Xin Mu. As soon as they parted, he rushed over to me, choking on the blood welling up in his throat. I knew his capacity for endurance had to be far beyond that of any newcomer I'd ever met. But I still didn't dare try it on him. I really did give them the medicine as an investment. I told them that. I just never thought he'd actually drink it."
Goddess Evan's expression darkened. She swatted Perman on the head. A god's strength, no greater than an ordinary person's, felt like a punch made of cotton against a level 1 adventurer, but Perman still crouched down as if it hurt. Her own goddess could only shake her head.
"Have some water first. Give him the salt water I mixed up—the bowl right there." Seeing that Zhang Ruofeng was too weak to speak, Perman told Xin Mu and the goddess, who had been standing behind her, to pick up the salt water she'd just prepared. The goddess supported Zhang Ruofeng while Xin Mu slowly brought the bowl to his lips. Though he was terribly thirsty, Zhang Ruofeng made himself drink the water slowly.
"I added some stamina-restoration potion to the water, so you should feel a little better after drinking it," Perman said from beside them. "Oh? Xin Mu, why is your face so red? Could it be...?" Perman smiled slyly and gave the blushing goddess and Fura a mischievous look.
"N-nothing!" Xin Mu was flustered for once, but quickly tried to compose herself. She didn't want Perman leading her around by the nose again.
"Hm?" Zhang Ruofeng tested his voice. It was a little hoarse. "What time is it?"
"It's probably the middle of the night. You've been asleep for a few hours," Xin Mu replied. Zhang Ruofeng guessed that Xin Mu and the goddess had been worried about him and had called the goddess Evan and Perman Aisilusi over in the middle of the night.
"I never thought you two, who always seem so level-headed, could be so reckless," the goddess scolded them beside Zhang Ruofeng. "Do you think a fruit given to you by a Witch is safe to eat?"
"All right, I was wrong. I was wrong, Fura." Perman raised both hands in surrender. It seemed she and her goddess were on very good terms. "I suggest you update his status now. He's the first level 1 adventurer to survive Dragon Blood. I have no idea what changes it might cause, but that's what you're curious about, isn't it?" Perman dangled the greatest temptation imaginable before the gods, then turned and left the bathroom.
"I'll step out too, though I'm curious myself." Evan adjusted her glasses. "People from another world are fascinating. As the Medicine God, I'd very much like to study him, but I have to honor the agreement between the gods. If you think it's all right later, tell us what changes Zhang Ruofeng has undergone." With that, Evan also turned and left the bathroom.
"Um..." With only the three of them left, an awkward atmosphere suddenly filled the bathroom. Sitting in the bathtub, Zhang Ruofeng was confused. Both women wore strange expressions. Had something happened while he was unconscious?
"Did I lose control after I passed out?" Zhang Ruofeng asked. A powerful wave of guilt exploded inside him, and the pain nearly made him faint.
"No, no. You didn't do anything." Fura noticed something was wrong with Zhang Ruofeng and quickly supported him from behind, reassuring him.
"Then what's going on?" Zhang Ruofeng took a breath and asked.
The two women looked at each other, both blushing. Zhang Ruofeng grew even more curious. "Well... how do I put this?" At last, the goddess began to explain slowly. "After Xin Mu knocked you unconscious, you were still giving off heat and bleeding. We had no choice but to carry you to the bathroom and put you in cold water." Zhang Ruofeng understood that part perfectly, but still couldn't figure out why the goddess was hesitating again. "Um... Then we saw that the blood had soaked through your clothes, so we helped you take them off. And then... then..." The goddess glanced at Xin Mu, whose face had turned bright red, stamped her foot, and continued, "We were going to take your pants off too, so we could wash them and help you cool down better."
By then, Zhang Ruofeng understood. "Well, it wasn't our first time seeing one. Every child is born covered in grime, but... Ruofeng, you're really... quite impressive." The goddess blushed too. She had never said anything like that in her life, despite having lived for tens of millions of years.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Once he understood what had happened, Zhang Ruofeng let out a cry of utter shame, even more agonized than when Dragon Blood had tormented his body.
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