Chapter 61 New Threat

Card: Grand Alchemist

Picture: The man stands before a large alchemy workbench, holding a chromatic stone with a mysterious glow that seems to contain unimaginable power.

Rarity: Epic Rare

Type: Enchantment - Profession

Mana Cost: 1 Wood, 1 Holy, 1 Water, 1 Fire, 1 Dark

Description:

Level 1: Creatures you control get +0/+2.

Pay 3: Create an artifact called "Longevity Elixir" with "Tap" and "Sacrifice" to gain 5 life.

Pay 1 Wood and 1 Holy: Upgrade to Level 2

Level 2: Pay 3: Give a target Artifact with 2 Strengthen counters, then it becomes a creature. If it's a Philosopher's stone, transform it into a 5/5 Human Creature called "True Homunculus" instead.

Pay 1 Wood, 1 Holy, and 1 Water: Upgrade to Level 3

Level 3: Pay 1: Choose an element of your choice. Spells of the chosen element will require 1 less elemental mana to cast until you make another choice.

Pay 1 Wood, 1 Holy, 1 Water, 1 Fire, and 1 Dark: Upgrade to Level 4

Level 4: Pay 3 Non-Element: Create a Token named "Philosopher's Stone" with

Tap and Sacrifice: Gain 5 Mana of the chosen element

Tap and Sacrifice: Draw 3 cards

Tap and Sacrifice: Gain 5 life.

Pay 1 Wood, 1 Holy, 1 Water, 1 Fire, 1 Dark, and 2 Non-Element: Upgrade to Level 5

Level 5:

Pay 3: Sacrifice a Philosopher's Stone and search your deck for a creature card to put onto the battlefield.

Pay 5 and sacrifice a Philosopher's Stone: Create an Artifact token call "Elixir of Immortality" that grants 5 life at the end of each turn.

Flavor text: The Grand Alchemist is the pinnacle of elemental and material transformation, unsurpassed in the art of elixir creation, and the only profession capable of creating the powerful artifact, the Philosopher's Stone.

Upon seeing the card, Daniel's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. If he remembered correctly, this card should be from the same set as the Greek hero-themed card that he couldn't quite recall the name of.

A thought occurred to him. Could he bluff his way into convincing others that he was an alchemist, especially those powerful people such as Ragnar? Would this lead to recognition and perhaps even unlocking the Greek theme set?

Daniel kept that thought in the back of his mind and proceeded to check out the other rare cards in the same booster pack, but nothing else caught his attention. He then opened a second pack and struck gold.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!" he exclaimed with excitement as he laid eyes on a card he never thought he would get.

Card Name: Angelic Essence

Picture: The image depicts a female saint kneeling on the ground, as two majestic angelic wings sprout from her back.

Rarity: Legendary

Type: Spell

Mana Cost: 1 Non-Element, 3 Holy

Description: Return the target creature from the graveyard to the battlefield with 2 Strengthen counters on it. The creature gains "Angel" as a sub-type.

Upon obtaining the Angelic Essence card, Daniel realized he could use it to resurrect Murphy's daughter and repay his debt. However, he also realized that this would mean she would be reborn as an angel instead of a human. Before using the card, he knew he needed to have a conversation with Murphy about this matter.

Once the cards had transformed into light particles and fused with his body, Daniel bade farewell to The Keeper and left the shop. He made his way to his artifact workbench, determined to craft the two artifacts he had on order.

_________

— Royal Palace - Training Room —

The training room was a spacious hall filled with workout equipment and magic training gear for mages to use. They had everything from mana meters that checked the power of a mage's mana every time they cast magic to mana dampeners that simulated environments or situations where a mage was restricted from using their mana.

All of this equipment was top-of-the-line, and an average mage would never be able to afford it, even after working for the Hightower for a hundred years. The equipment and other luxury goods, including vehicles such as cars, personal jets, and even a personal Boeing airplane, were purchased with taxes paid by the people of Tessia Kingdom.

"Arrrrrrrrgggg! Why!" a frustrated roar echoed through the room.

It was Victor Justius, the current king of Tessia Kingdom, huffing on the ground in his sportswear, feeling weak. He was as weak as he had been when he was still a mundane man, without magical abilities, powerless, and spineless.

"At this rate… At this rate…. If those old foxes know that I've lost my power… They will… They will…" Victor uttered in horror.

He thought back to the days when he was still a normal prince and didn't have magical powers. At that time, his father, a ruthless king, used his influence and political maneuvering to protect himself and the royal family from the many greedy hands that wanted his throne.

In those days, there were many who coveted the bloody throne and held great influence, whether it was the army general, the chancellor, or even the underworld boss. In a race for power and influence, his father became more and more ruthless, eventually gaining control of the underworld. Living in a gentle and naive world, Victor was always at odds with his father's methods.

"You've changed," a clear and beautiful voice echoed through the training room.

Victor turned towards the voice and saw the only woman who had the privilege of seeing him at his weakest and most vulnerable.

It's the homunculus who have the same face as Wrath, but the things that set them apart are their hair and eyes. The homunculus has the same face as Wrath, but their hair and eyes are different. While Wrath has black hair with fiery red highlights caused by the Witch's magical mutation, the homunculus has silky black hair and pale red-glowing irises.

"I presume it's changing for the worse," Victor said, scoffing at his own misery.

"No, you're changing for the better. Despite your lack of power, you've become more of what we yearn to be," the homunculus said as she knelt on the floor, gently touching Victor's face with love and care.

"You've become more human," the homunculus said before planting a kiss on his lips.

The two share a kiss for a few moments before Victor slowly rests his head on the homunculus' lap as she sat on the floor.

"It's true... I don't know why, but my head feels clearer. I haven't felt like this in a long time. There have always been extreme emotions building up inside me, such as lust, hate, and anger," Victor says.

"But... if I haven't regained my power, at this rate... I'll lose everything within weeks, if not months, if those greedy old men find out," Victor adds, turning to face the homunculus.

"I might even lose you, Yuki," Victor says as he touches the homunculus' face.

"No... no matter what happens, you won't lose me," the homunculus reassures him, leaning in to kiss Victor's forehead.

But before the kiss could happen, Victor's smartphone rings, and he checks the message with a sullen expression. The ringtone was a special one he set for a specific number that had either dialed or sent a message to him.

The message was from his master, the mage from the Hightower who had opened the door to the Curtained World for him and trained him to become the mage he is today, through the trade of the lives of some of his less desirable citizens sent to him every two weeks.

The message conveyed his master's fury at the halting of the sacrificial material and his intention to visit him, as he had heard of some problem. His master had already arrived at the royal palace waiting room beside the throne room.

"Shit!... It's because of Magitek, he took my dock and released all that sacrificial material," Victor cursed. Then turned toward the homunculus.

"Go! Run or hide, just don't go anywhere near the throne room! No! It would be better if you leave the palace altogether," Victor panicked, speaking to the homunculus.

The homunculus obediently ran to the door connecting to Victor's room and used a secret passage to slip into the basement. Victor smiled in relief as he saw the one he cared about running to safety. He then changed his clothes and prepared himself to meet his master.

— Royal Palace - Throne Room —

The spacious and opulent throne room was the setting for the meeting between Victor, dressed in grand clothing befitting a king, and his Master. He nodded in the direction of his aide signaling for the meeting to start.

"His Eminence, Damien Blackscar, may appear before the king!" called out the aide loudly.

In a moment, an old man in a black robe with a hood that created an air of mystery walked through the large double doors on the red carpet and approached the king, bowing gracefully at an appropriate distance.

"Greetings, your Majesty," said the old man with a friendly smile that only Victor knew was a facade of civility before the impending storm.