303 Prelude

[Name: Mutated Raging Blood III]

[Type: Blood]

[Rarity: Great]

[Attributes: Power Rage]

[Prerequisites: Constitution E+]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: Crafted by a third-generation alchemy enhancer. Tremendous power is hidden inside it!]

...

[Power Rage: Strength +3, Agility +2, Constitution +2, Spirit -3, Intuition -4 for 15 seconds (When Spirit is lower than E, the user will lose their sanity upon consuming it). After its duration ends, there will be a Constitution authentication. If Constitution is over D+, the user will be Weak for 30 seconds. If it’s lower, they will be Weak for 60 seconds. Then another Constitution authentication will take place. If the user’s Constitution is over E+, they will recover in 4 hours. If it’s lower, they will suffer Lethal Damage plus maximum Constitution -1.]

[Notes: If the user’s Constitution is higher than B+, they will be immune to all debuffs.]

...

The 10 ml test tube with the purplish-red blood looked bewitching under the sunlight.

The remarks about the vial made Kieran ponder the matter.

A failed authentication would result in a worse state, but this was not a problem for him. His attributes were high enough for him to be immune to all debuffs.

[Mutated Raging Blood III] might not even be useful to him, but its existence gave Kieran another ace he could hide up his sleeve...

Kieran added the vial of blood to his arsenal, right beside [Devil Transformation] and [Desire Summoning], which were both his go-to weapons.

If it was not for the 30-second Weakening Effect, this would automatically have been Kieran’s weapon of choice during a battle. However, this was not the reason Kieran was thinking about it.

He was staring at the remarks on the blood, thinking silently, "It's already the third generation?"

Rosland had not revealed much about alchemy transformation. He had just told him that he would see with his own eyes.

Kieran knew what had happened in Tally’s office. There had been mentions of the Blood Moon War in Nikorei’s books, but he knew nothing about the government’s experiments with alchemy and human transformation.

The remarks on the blood made Kieran connect more things.

"This was planned beforehand!" he commented.

Why would the government be interested in alchemy and human transformation?

The transformed subjects possessed formidable strength. That was the only reason the government had had the subjects bound to them.

Kieran recalled the ring on Tally’s hand. The ring had been modified. Its unmodified version would have granted absolute control over the transformed subjects.

Compared to the mystics, who were wild and had their own traditions and secret rules, thus posing a potential threat to commoners, the transformed subjects were exactly what the high-ranking officers and political figures needed.

The practice of alchemy and human transformation needed to be kept a secret though. A lot of time and money had been spent on the project. According to Kieran’s understanding, Marco had been a third-generation alchemy-transformed subject, but his form had not been the final one.

The masterminds behind this had been anxious about their little project.

Nikorei and the five major societies’ disappearance had been a great opportunity for them to turn the tide in their favor. That was why they had sent Marco out, or rather some transformed subject with Marco’s face.

"Those transformed subjects must be quite a lot… At least 100, if they were to pose such a significant threat!" Kieran guessed silently.

The speculation made him shiver. A hundred alchemy-transformed subjects were not just a number. This was technology maturing at exponential speed, which would only mean more sacrifices.

"Those people managed to shift the government in their favor under the fierce gaze of the mystical realm. Even though the Blood Moon War weakened the West Coast mystical forces, their power is still not to be underestimated!"

Kieran took a deep breath. Before the Blood Moon War, the mystics had reigned even higher than the king. Every single mystic out there had been feared and respected.

No society leader had ever lost to a noble. Some had even been from noble families.

If it hadn’t been for the Blood Moon War, from what Kieran had read, the mystics would soon have overthrown the king and replaced him, becoming the true lords of the West Coast.

In fact, such an event really had occurred, but it had been further back in history.

Kieran had no more spare energy and attention to go through the thick books.

He focused on "Paths of Stars and Destiny" again while he was in the car.

By the time Schmidt stopped the car, he had finished the book. As he had expected, a long-awaited notification popped up.

[Astrology experience increased through reading…]

[Astrology experience has reached the maximum for its current level…]

[Level up!]

[Mastered Skill: Astrology (Basic)]

[Name: Astrology (Basic)]

[Related Attributes: None]

[Type: Ancillary]

[Effects: You have started to understand the stars.]

[Consumes: Nothing]

[Prerequisites: None]

[Remarks: You can easily recognize constellations in the sky, but don’t expect that seeing the stars and their paths will determine a person’s destiny. You still have a long way to go!]

[Notes: You have acquired this skill through learning, not through a Skill Book. Therefore, you cannot upgrade it with Points and Skill Points. If you want to level it up, you will need to continue learning or acquire a Skill Book!]

...

A mixture of knowledge was transferred into Kieran’s mind as those notifications appeared.

Kieran closed his eyes slightly, helping his body cope with the synchronization process. He knew it was going to happen after all.

The whole process felt like it took several seconds, but from someone else’s point of view, it was just a flash.

By the time Kieran got out of the car, Schmidt was ringing the doorbell of 1st Black Street.

"Huh?"

The moment Kieran stepped out of the car, he picked up the smell of blood. This was not unexpected, considering that he had left Louver behind. What surprised him was that someone had been spying on them on their way back there. It was not some common John Doe either!

"Still haven’t given up, huh?"

Kieran smiled coldly.

The next moment, he vanished on the spot.