Chương 67: Reforging the Body; The Fruits of The First Plane

Maximus brought out some centipede meat for Silex and Vesper, while he purchased something simple for himself. The rest of the party did the same. The group ate and drank in silence, while the broken light crystals shone dimly over the cavern. They reflected on everything that had happened that day, from strangers to almost dying together, and unknowingly, they had all grown closer; even Lennox was noticeably warmer toward everyone than he had been when Maximus first met him.

Jane and Tereza fell asleep right there in the dirt after their meal, their minds and bodies completely exhausted. Even Vesper and Silex lay down to rest, while Embi coiled comfortably atop Silex's head. Only Sprout remained awake, sitting atop Maximus's shoulders, his small green legs dangling idly.

"When we were in the thick of things, you said that you were not planning to die again. What was that about?" Lennox suddenly broke the silence.

"I said that? I don't recall… People say the weirdest things when they are about to die, you know." Maximus shrugged before asking in return, "You know far too much for someone who has never entered the trials before this. You couldn't have learned all of this by just reading and talking with people; it's impossible. You must have some sort of precognition ability, right?" Maximus questioned.

"If I had one, wouldn't I have known about the barrier and then the second barrier? Do you think I would've risked my life and the lives of my party just like that?" Lennox shot back.

"Hmmm, true. But there is more to you than you are letting on." Maximus narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You are one to talk. You built a skill that even those who finished the trials would kill for, and you did it under these conditions as if it were the simplest thing imaginable. Just who are you, Maximus?" Lennox asked.

"I am exactly as you see, a simple red-haired human who has never experienced anything like this in his life," Maximus replied honestly.

"Simple? Haha, you are anything but… Fine, let's say that we both have our circumstances, but we can trust each other, agreed?" Lennox suggested.

"That works for me. Once we are closer, we may discuss these circumstances in detail." Maximus extended his hand, and the two shook on it. After their short conversation, Maximus attempted to sleep for a while as well, but the pain kept waking him over and over, refusing to let him rest.

Lennox, on the other hand, carried boulders as if they weighed nothing and built barricades in front of the entrance in case more ants decided to come, though the pain of their mother's death should have wiped out at least half of them and scattered the rest. Like that, another day passed.

Maximus woke after barely sleeping; everyone else was already up and finishing the barricades, Tereza's ants helping carry rocks while Sprout assisted with vines and built three rows of thick root walls.

"Red, we are done here. You can start when you are ready," Jane waved at Maximus energetically.

"Thank you. I will start the preparations," Maximus bowed slightly and noticed even more green veins slithering across his body, making him look like a plant being. I need to hurry up. He frowned and summoned a mug of water, moving to a small corner and chugging it down quickly. He opened the store and started purchasing everything he would need to cook the elixir and prepare the forging solution. First, he bought a large, heavy table and carefully arranged his pots on top of it alongside his cooking knives.

Then came cutting boards, four large ones, and a person-sized cauldron, along with the triangular frame from which it would hang, and three smaller ones for his pots. The cauldron only cost him 1, 500 tokens. Luckily, he had saved more than enough through the constant battles.

Then he took out his precious ingredients; Ruby Blood Orchid, Crimson Pitcher's Spirit Pump, a bowl of Nurturing Sap, Spirit Pinecone, Troll's Heart, Lunar Pathfinder Lotus along with its fruits and roots, the lunar mana-rich water where the lotus grew, Bramble Hollow's Spirit Core, four barrels of liquid mana water, large Coconuts, even body strengthening berries, Mana and Emerald Crystals, and finally the queen's core.

Now that I look at this stash, this is one of the rarest collections of ingredients I have seen in one place in quite a while. With this, I'll be able to prepare the best elixir possible at this stage, and with the enormous amounts of spirit currently stored within me, it should all come together nicely. Well, either that or I'll explode just like the queen. He exhaled meekly. He stared at the orchid. Shame I have to use it, but luckily, I've already grown quite a stash earlier.

He then took out his mortar and pestle and crushed the flowers until the bowl filled with sweet, tangy juice. He took out a sieve and drained the liquid into a separate mug while leaving the dense paste in another pot. He then did the same with the berries. Then he drained the Pitcher's Spirit Pump into a large bucket, the thick, viscous emerald liquid filling it nearly to the brim.

Once done, he chopped the leafy organ and tossed it into a pot with lunar water, which he set over the fire that Embi had already started for him. He ground half of the Spirit Pinecone seeds, storing the rest away, and added the paste into the simmering water along with the diced pump organ and coconut water, then cut up the lotus flowers and roots and tossed everything together to boil. In another large pot, he drained the troll's blood and heartblood and added crushed Hollow's Spirit Core.

Once the first pot had boiled long enough, he removed it and added the blood and core mixture, cooking it briefly so the energies would bind together properly. Then he crushed the large queen's core and mixed it with the lotus fruit, the Orchid's and berries' paste, and half of the nurturing sap. He cooked that mixture with liquid mana water until the liquid turned a rich amber hue. He then sieved all the liquids into clean, larger pots and began carefully mixing the elixir.

The three liquids blended in precise ratios he had developed from multiple recipes, and with the help of the Heavenly Body scroll, which outlined what types of energies were required and in what balance, he extrapolated the final formula, comparing it with his prior knowledge until he formed what he believed to be a perfect new elixir.

Once all the liquids were prepared, he had Embi use spirit flames to refine them, not ordinary fire but flames infused with pure numina from the ethereal realm to achieve the highest possible quality. Half an hour later, the sweet scent of ripe fruit drifted through the chamber, drawing everyone closer as they watched in curiosity. Maximus ignored them all, his focus locked in entirely on his creation.

The fragrance signaled that the inner elixir was complete, and now came the final stage, the outer elixir he would need to bathe in. He used a whole barrel of liquid mana mixed with lunar water and the remaining troll's blood and half of the queen's core, blending them before grinding down Emerald Crystals and adding the fragments along with chopped pieces of the troll's heart and the leftover refined liquids. Then he crushed mana crystals into fine dust and carefully stored them inside a large pouch.

He mixed that dust with a small portion of liquid mana to create a thick paste, which he used to draw intricate runes over the surface of the cauldron and across the ground surrounding it. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"There… ready!" he clapped, exhaling slowly as the formation pulsed faintly with power.

"Red, how the hell did you just do all of this?" Jane gasped.

"Read it in a book?" Maximus smiled, making Lennox burst into loud laughter.

"This damn bastard."

"Boss, if anything goes wrong, I am taking you out!" Vesper growled.

"Are you sure? We could try cooked Max, though it would probably be disgusting," Silex joked.

"Vesper, leave me in, whatever happens. It's that, or I die in a few days anyway!" Maximus said seriously, making the two beasts snap their maws shut in unease.

"Alright, Embi, once I am inside, ignite the runes on the ground with spirit flames. Everyone else, wish me luck and do not touch anything!" Maximus said firmly and chugged the elixir before stripping off his clothes and climbing into the cauldron, pulling the lid shut behind him. Tereza and Jane averted their eyes, their cheeks flushing faintly. Once he was inside, Embi hovered over the cauldron and, after a brief hesitation, spat an ethereal flame that struck the runes and ignited them.

The runes burst into spectral fire, burning in shifting hues: blue, emerald, black, white, then gold and crimson, casting dancing light across the chamber. As the flames awakened, the runes carved into the cauldron itself began to glow, and golden veins spread slowly across its surface, sealing the lid completely. Within, Maximus closed his eyes and took a deep breath before crouching and submerging his entire body into the elixir.

The elixir he had drunk flowed through him gently at first, until it reached the first of his spirit roots. As if starving, the roots devoured it greedily, dragging the energy deep into the seedling. The moment the elixir settled within the seedling, the spirit energy inside him ignited violently, and excruciating pain surged through his entire being. Inside the cauldron, the surrounding liquid began to boil, seeping into him through his pores as the emerald veins across his body pulsed like a beacon.

Maximus tried to focus through the pain and guide the raging energy through his body, just as described in the scroll. He directed the power into his bones first, the searing liquid penetrating deep within and purging his marrow, replacing it with the elixir's essence, a fusion of spirit, mana, numina, and the immense vitality of the troll. His bones creaked and cracked under pressure, each strain threatening to break him, yet Maximus pushed forward, forcing control where there was none.

He then guided the liquid further into his organs, through his bloodstream into his heart, and onward into his channels and roots, while from the outside his skin, hair, and even his senses felt as though they were being boiled alive under the overwhelming surge of energy. Maximus released a ragged scream, accidentally gulping down more of the surrounding elixir. He tried to lift his head toward the sealed lid in a desperate attempt to breathe, but his body refused to respond.

Suddenly, his lungs began to burn, both from the lack of air and the violent purging of foreign fluids. He screamed again, involuntarily swallowing more of the elixir… and then the hallucinations began. Before his eyes, which snapped open wide, a massive tree appeared.

From its branches hung human-sized fruits that ripened and drifted gently to the ground, where they split open, and from them emerged nude elves, perfect and flawless, their skin pale like Luna and their hair shining like Sol, and within their bodies the warmth of the Mother herself flowed. The scene shattered like broken glass, replaced by the image of an elven woman embracing a human man, her belly swollen with life.

The vision shifted again, showing the man cradling a newborn who, by all appearances, was a pure elven child, but that alone was an impossible rarity. The elves did not reproduce as humans did, even though they had all functional organs; they were all instead grown from the Mother Tree, and the only elven children that existed were all halves, marked as outcasts and despised by their own race as tainted.

With a scream, the scene fractured and changed into that of a solitary elven child sitting on a hanging bench, behind him a dark and empty home filled with books, a single sword leaning silently against the wall. The child cried himself to sleep that night, and the next morning, he took the sword and disappeared into the woods. Maximus watched as the child grew, alone and painfully lonely.

Years passed by as he learned both magic and swordsmanship, the few lessons of his father etched deep into his mind, while the teachings of his mother guided him through even the darkest of nights. Centuries slipped past, and the boy became a man, surrounded now by companions of different races and callings. They traveled together, fought side by side, laughed, and wept beneath distant skies. Some became his lovers. The others, brothers and sisters.

Time claimed them as well, and the elf eventually found someone of his own kind, a woman of breathtaking beauty, beyond even mortal comprehension. The night she died, he burned his entire clan and laid waste to half a human kingdom. Years passed once more, and he remained alone, taking on students here and there, but none could ever replace what he had lost in his youth. Then he died. The same being that had birthed his mother ended his life, and he dragged her down with him.

A scream, raw and soul-shattering, tore out from the cauldron, forcing Jane and Tereza to shed tears with him, while Lennox clutched his chest as if struck. He knew all too well what kind of anguish that sound carried. Silex and Vesper, alongside the two spirits, remained silent, their eyes fixed on the ever-burning flames.

Within the cauldron, the visions faded as Maximus continued guiding the liquid, now a violent current of spirit, mana, and numina, through his bones, organs, heart, channels, and finally his senses. He forced the energy along the path described in the scroll, and then the surging streams intertwined and rose, piercing into his mind. An image of a small red-haired child dressed in black appeared, standing before a grave.

Beside him stood a large, muscular man with the same red hair, a deep scar cutting across his left eye, where a feral, feline-like eye now glowed in place of his missing one. The man wiped away a single tear before grabbing the crying child and dragging him away. The sorrow clenched around Maximus's heart just as the troll's blood began devouring his own, while the vicious essence of the Devourer's Pump crushed it piece by piece.

Maximus vomited blood as the scene shifted again, now showing him as a red-haired youth wielding a simple bat, smashing a goblin on a black hot road, a tiny orange kitten trembling behind him. The youth struck again and again until the goblin fell, and then he grabbed the kitten and ran. Then pure mana surged into his channels and enveloped the roots, while his seedling absorbed the core dust of the queen and the Hollow, and a surge of spirit of the highest order erupted within the roots.

The colored leaves of the seedling continued feeding on the elixir, and with each drop absorbed, they released a droplet of pure elemental numina. Fire, water, earth, and air began swirling around the cauldron as more runes ignited, pouring raw elemental forces into the elixir bath. Then the scene of a grown red-haired man appeared, sitting behind an odd desk, and something Maximus figured was a mana screen shone before him as the man tapped over keys, and characters on the screen moved and fought.

Suddenly, the same large red-haired man barged in and started shouting, even grabbing the youth by the neck. The red-haired young man stared into the burly man's eyes fearlessly, yet a deep, unyielding hatred surged within his gaze. The larger man tossed him to the floor and smashed his 'mana screen'. The orange cat, now grown, leapt forward and hissed at the man, who clutched his feline eye before turning and leaving.

The scene shifted to the young man moving elsewhere, men in black clothing standing before him and a large blonde man shaking his hand. A sudden pain in his back flared as the scene twisted and words appeared before his eyes: You have been chosen as Astrae's Champion. Just as the message settled, something stabbed into his back and crushed his skull as Astrae's pull claimed him. As the scene faded, a heavy numbness took hold of him, and then his body began to shapeshift.

His form twitched violently between lupine, ursine, crocodilian, insectoid, simian, centipede, and avian shapes, even his feline and dinosaur forms flashing only for brief moments. Then it all crumbled, his entire old form finally fully broken down, dissolving, leaving behind only the seedling and the spirit roots, now wrapped within newly formed mana channels. Aurelius's old elven body appeared, layered over the web of roots and channels, and then Maximus's body, transparent, layered over it as well.

The two fused, and suddenly the elixir began to shine, flowing together into the shape of a skeletal frame curled in a fetal position, as dark green bones formed slowly around the roots, followed by verdant organs taking shape, then lungs, pale as moonlight, rippling into life before a crystal-like heart, etched with rows of intricate runes, emerged and filled with crimson, almost molten blood.

The nervous system followed, woven from liquid mana, and a new brain formed and connected to it, flaring with flashes of emerald and sky blue. Then pale white skin grew over the new creation, flawless and smooth, the remnants of old scars completely erased. Crimson hair grew long, thick, and flowing, and through it a new set of ears sprouted, pointed and unmistakably elven.

Lastly, two runes descended: a pitch-black coiled centipede landed on his stomach and engraved itself deeply into his flesh, and an emerald fern wreath wrapped around his left wrist and etched itself there. Within him, his seedling expanded, its leaves unfurling further, and the numina within them began to manifest small phenomena: ethereal flames, drifting winds, falling droplets, and fragments of stone, all swirling gently above them. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

The new heart began to beat, and Maximus finally opened his ocean-blue eyes and smiled. The cauldron cracked open and shattered as he stepped out, his body bare and perfect.

"Hey guys, what's with the frowns?" He smiled brightly, his very expression carrying the gentle calm of nature and the quiet warmth of the sun.