Testing

To test the potion's properties, volunteers were naturally needed. Green had 99% confidence in the potion, but it still needed to be tested. Better safe than sorry.

In this medieval world, there was no shortage of people willing to sign up. In the slums outside the city, Green successfully found a group of people willing to take part in the experiment for one gold coin each. Upon hearing the offer of one gold coin, countless people wanted to participate, so Green specifically selected three of them: a boy, a young man, and a middle-aged man. As for why there were no elderly people, no one in the slums outside the city could live to old age.

Inside the manor, Green examined the three volunteers he had selected.

The child was named White. He had blond hair, but it was exceptionally messy from long neglect. His clothes were tattered as well, with holes here and there. Other than barely covering his body, they served little purpose.

The young man was named Aitel. His circumstances were not much better than White's, though the older Aitel was dressed somewhat better. However, the oversized clothes made it obvious that they probably had not originally belonged to him.

The oldest was a middle-aged man named Will. Of the three, he was in the best condition, with even a faint flush on his face. At least he did not have to worry about food and drink outside the city. In the slums beyond the city walls, surviving to his age was itself proof of ability. The occasional ambition flashing in his eyes also showed that he had not joined this experiment for money alone.

Green carefully looked over the three of them.

"You were told from the beginning why you were brought here. The potions before you are my work. Your task is to drink them. The potions may produce unknown effects, whether good or bad. You still have a chance to change your minds. Turn around and leave now, and no one will stop you." Sitting on the sofa, Green pointed at the three emerald-green potions on the table as he spoke to them.

Hearing Green's words, all three lowered their heads and began to think. Although Green had already explained this during the selection process, faced with the situation for real, they still hesitated.

Green watched the three thoughtful men without urging them, simply waiting quietly. During the selection process, he had used the Chip to conduct psychological analysis. Each of them bore some burden or harbored some ambition. They could not possibly give up this chance to change their fate.

Just as Green expected, one of the three soon stepped forward. However, what surprised him was that the first to move was not the ambitious middle-aged Will, but the youngest, White.

White stretched out his filthy right hand, grabbed one of the potions, shut his eyes, and drank it in one gulp. Seeing White's actions, Aitel and Will stopped thinking and focused their attention on him.

White had taken the potion first, so the other two could observe his immediate reaction before deciding whether to drink theirs. If the risk was too high, they planned to turn around and leave. But if the potion truly could give people stronger physiques, as the man before them claimed, then even with some risk, they would give it a try.

After drinking the potion, White stood quietly in place. But the Life Potion's effects soon began to take hold. His body temperature rose, and his entire body turned red. Sweat poured from him, blood vessels filled his eyes, and he fell to the ground, rolling around.

"It itches... it itches so much." White clawed at his skin, leaving streak after streak of blood across his body. As though he could not feel pain, he pressed his arms against the floor and rubbed them desperately, as if that could ease the itching. Even when his skin and flesh were mangled, he did not stop.

"Hold him down." Green frowned as he watched White continuously harm himself and gave the nearby guards an order.

The two guards behind Green immediately stepped forward and forcibly restrained White, preventing him from hurting himself further. Under the effects of the Life Potion, White's mangled wounds rapidly scabbed over and healed.

As time passed, White suddenly began to grow at a rapid pace. He shot up by half a head, and his clothes tightened from his body's swift development. His entire body grew a size larger.

[Life Potion effect detected: Provides a large amount of vitality. Excessive consumption causes premature development and promotes physical growth.]

[Optimization plan: First, dilute the Life Potion. Second, add more Black Centipede Fangs during the experiment to suppress the rate of vitality release and reduce drastic changes.]

White had stopped struggling, and the drastic changes caused by the Life Potion had ended as well.

Looking at White, who was still pinned to the ground, Green waved his hand.

The two guards immediately released White. By then, White had regained his senses. He hurriedly climbed to his feet and began checking his condition. Looking at his enlarged body, White broke into a delighted smile.

"My lord, I've completed the experiment, so can I..." White gestured with his hands.

"Take him to collect his money." Green ignored White's gestures. After giving the nearby guard the order, the guard led White away from the scene.

Green turned and looked at the remaining two with interest.

"Which of you is willing to continue the experiment?"

Subtle expressions appeared on Aitel and Will's faces. When White had been frantically mutilating himself, they had wanted nothing more than to run for their lives. If they had not feared the guards would kill them outright, they would have fled long ago. But as the Life Potion's effects continued to reveal themselves, the fear in their eyes was replaced by ambition. The Life Potion's ability to rapidly heal wounds and make White grow quickly was displayed right before them.

Aitel and Will exchanged a glance. Without speaking, they both stepped forward, picked up the potions, and downed them in one gulp.

Unlike White, neither of them frantically harmed himself. Their bodies had already matured, leaving them no potential for further growth, but this also allowed more of the potion's effects to be directed toward improving their physical qualities. The two men, who had suffered from long-term malnutrition in the slums, had their muscles swell wildly until they resembled bodybuilders from Green's previous life. The difference was that they possessed not only strength, but speed as well, nearly reaching the limits of the human body.

Green watched the two men swell into muscular brutes after drinking the potion and revealed a satisfied smile.

After having the guards take the two away, Green slightly adjusted the potion's proportions. The final version of the Life Potion was complete.

The final version of the Life Potion tested extremely successfully. Most of the guards who volunteered for the trials, combined with the Breathing Method obtained from the auction at Ellendal Harbor, broke through to become Knight Apprentices. Even those who failed saw a tremendous improvement in their physical abilities.

Green summoned Aishweil, Leila, and Mia, then had the three of them take the potion as well. They successfully advanced to Knight Apprentices. The three had already received training in the castle, and with the help of Green's potion, they naturally advanced to Knight Apprentices.

"The effects are good. Spend the next few days adapting to them. In another two or three months, you can use the potion I leave behind and attempt to break through to Formal Knights." As Green recorded the effects, he offered advice to the three who had already broken through.