Chapter 42 - 40: The Elixir of Life
His mind raced with cold suspicion. The
Sovereign System had never failed to identify an item from the original novel. Even corrupted or ancient artifacts yielded basic descriptions.
Scan it again, Victor ordered sharply in his mind.
[Scanning target relic...]
[Error: Unable to analyze.]
[Data mismatch detected.]
Victor’s jaw tightened. A cold dread settled in his gut. This isn’t an error. The system can’t classify it because... it doesn’t match the database of the original novel at all.
Victor slowly turned his head toward the ancient Dryad standing nearby. His pitch-black eyes narrowed into cold, dangerous slits. "Elaria."
Elaria turned her green eyes toward him, her expression serene. "Yes?"
"What, exactly, is this liquid?" Victor asked, his voice dripping with low, dangerous demand.
Elaria looked at the shimmering golden-blue container, her voice smooth and matter-of-fact. "It is the Elixir of Life."
Inside Victor’s mind, absolute chaos erupted.
WHAT?!
The Elixir of Life?!
Are you out of your mind?! That’s not what this was called in the novel! It was supposed to be the Tears of Ancient Dragons,a high-tier dragon-attribute mana potion! Where the hell did the Elixir of Life come from?!
Victor’s cold, calculated composure threatened to break as his mind spun through endless possibilities. Did the original author deliberately lie in the web novel narrative to hide its true identity? Or has my interference in the timeline,bringing Garrick down here, altering Kael’s trial, changing the sequence of events caused the world’s reality to warp so drastically that the reward itself changed?!
Forcing his facial muscles to remain completely stone-faced, Victor looked back at Elaria. "The Elixir of Life... Describe its properties."
"It is a primordial divine potion created by the ancient architects," Elaria explained calmly. "It possesses the power to cure virtually any known disease, heal devastating physical trauma in seconds, restore destroyed organs, and completely regenerate damaged mana channels. It can bring a person back from the absolute brink of fatal collapse."
She paused, her green eyes shifting slightly toward Kael, who was standing nearby holding his heavy axe.
"However, there is a limitation," Elaria added softly. "It cannot completely eradicate the Berserker Trait from his blood."
Kael raised an eyebrow, listening intently. "It can’t?"
"The trait is etched into your very soul and bloodline," Elaria said. "However, if used gradually over time alongside your newly mastered trial seals, the Elixir can stabilize your body’s physical endurance, allowing you to eventually unlock the absolute full potential of your ancestral blood without destroying your heart."
She looked at Kael with a faint, knowing look. "The ancient dragon-slaying warrior of your line once used a similar divine essence to sustain his body through centuries of battle."
Victor stared at the crystal vial, his mind settling down into cold, pragmatic calculation.
A divine potion that can heal ruined mana channels, regenerate organs, and cure fatal conditions... Victor realized, his fingers twitching slightly. This is infinitely more valuable than a simple dragon-attribute mana boost. Leaving something this broken and dangerous lying around or letting it fall into the hands of the noble houses or the protagonist would be sheer suicide.
Without a word, Victor reached out and picked up the delicate crystal vial, securing it safely inside a cushioned leather pouch at his belt.
"I will be keeping the Elixir under my personal care," Victor declared smoothly, his voice leaving no room for debate.
Nobody in the party raised an objection.
Lyra merely nodded in agreement, considering anything Victor held to be in its proper place. Kael gave an understanding nod; he had received a legendary battle axe that resonated with his very soul, and he had no desire to hoard a divine potion he didn’t know how to use.
"It belongs with you, Victor," Kael said plainly. "You’re the one leading this party."
Victor pulled back his sleeve, checking his pocket watch. The silver hands pointed past eight o’clock in the evening.
"It’s approaching night," Victor noted, looking up at the high, shadowed ceiling of the vault. He turned to Elaria. "Warden, is this Lower Labyrinth safe enough for us to establish a camp for the night?"
Lyra stepped forward immediately, her brow furrowed with concern. "Victor, establishing a camp inside an unmapped dungeon level is risky. I suggest we push through the emergency exit immediately and reach the nearest human settlement."
"The nearest settlement is the town of Oakhaven," Elaria interjected softly. "However, to reach the roadway leading to Oakhaven from the emergency tunnel exit, you must cross the surrounding ancient forest."
She looked at the weary party. "I can grant you my Warden’s Blessing. The natural beasts and forest spirits will recognize you as protected travelers and will not attack you. However..." Her voice dropped slightly. "...demonic entities and corrupted abominations that wander the woods at night are entirely immune to my blessing. If you cross the forest in pitch darkness, you will undoubtedly face high-tier night horrors."
Lyra frowned, biting her lip. "Demonic night stalkers..."
As they debated, a soft, heavy thump drew their attention.
Kael quickly turned around, catching his sister as her knees buckled. Elena was leaning heavily against the ancient marble wall, her face sickly pale, her focus staff slipping from her trembling fingers. She was breathing in short, shallow hitches, her forehead slick with cold sweat.
Despite her agony, she tried to push Kael away, forcing a weak smile. "I’m... I’m fine, Kael. Really. Just a little tired..."
"You’re not fine," Kael said, his voice laced with intense worry as he held her up. He looked over at Victor. "Elena needs rest, Victor. She hasn’t recovered from Garrick’s shockwave earlier, and she used up all her remaining mana casting protective shields during the collapse. She can barely stand."
Victor walked over, standing above the trembling girl. His Fate-Shattering Perception scanned her body.
The wound from that warrior who attacked her from behind, her severely depleted mana channels, and internal bruising near her ribs from the atmospheric pressure of Garrick’s Tier 8 attack... Victor analyzed coldly. She is currently the weakest link in our party. If we get ambushed by demonic beasts outside, carrying her will compromise our movement speed.
Victor reached down to his belt, unbuckling the leather pouch and retrieving the crystal vial containing the Elixir of Life. He uncorked the delicate glass stopper, letting a rich, fragrant scent of ozone and sweet starlight fill the air.
"Kael," Victor commanded quietly. "Take one drop of this and apply it to her injuries."
Kael stared at the vial in absolute shock. "Victor... this is a divine relic! An Elixir of Life! You can’t waste something like this on basic exhaustion!"
"I don’t waste resources," Victor replied coldly, his pitch-black eyes unmoving. "We need to test its actual efficacy, and she is currently a liability to our travel speed. Put one drop on her wound."
Reluctantly, Kael tipped the vial with extreme care, allowing a single, shimmering golden-blue drop to fall onto Elena’s exposed, bruised collarbone.
The moment the single drop touched her skin, an extraordinary reaction occurred.
FLASH!
A radiant, golden-blue wave of light erupted from her chest, instantly wrapping around her entire body. The severe, purple bruising along her collarbone and ribs vanished in less than a second. Her pale, sickly skin flushed with healthy, vibrant color. Her shallow, ragged breathing instantly evened out, and the exhausted, depleted mana channels in her core refilled with pure, crystal-clear mana!
"Ah...!" Elena gasped loudly, her eyes flying open as she sat up straight.
She looked down at her hands, completely stunned. The heavy, bone-crushing fatigue that had been suffocating her for hours was completely gone. She felt more energized and alert than she had in her entire life.
Lyra and Kael stood frozen, staring in absolute disbelief.
Victor re-corked the vial with a soft pop, securing it back on his belt. A single drop completely restored a Tier 3 mage’s damaged channels, stamina, and wounds in less than three seconds... Victor confirmed internally, his suspicions validated. This isn’t a normal healing potion. It’s a localized reality rewrite for the physical body.
Kael let out a massive sigh of relief, looking at his fully recovered sister, then turned to Victor with immense gratitude. "Victor... thank you. Should we... should we use a few more drops to heal your core and Lyra’s injuries too?"
"No," Victor answered flatly, without a moment’s hesitation.
Kael blinked. "Why not?"
"The Elixir is an irreplaceable emergency reserve, not a luxury beverage," Victor explained coldly, turning his back to them. "My core damage is stable, and Lyra can recover naturally with rest. I only used a drop on Elena because her physical condition was holding back the entire group’s survival chances. If she collapses in the forest, we all suffer."
Elena, who was just standing up while brushing dust off her skirt, froze completely upon hearing his words. Her cheeks suddenly flushed a bright, burning crimson.
She looked at Victor’s tall, dark silhouette as he walked toward the center of the hall. Beneath his harsh, brutally pragmatic explanation, her heart skipped a subtle, rapid beat.
He... he noticed how much pain I was in, Elena thought, her chest feeling strangely warm. He acts so cold and heartless, but he used a drop of a literal national treasure just so I wouldn’t suffer... He saved me.
She quickly bit her lower lip, turning her head away to hide her blushing face from her brother, desperately trying to keep her fluttering heart under control.
Victor stopped in the center of the marble vault, turning back to face the group.
"We are staying in the Lower Labyrinth tonight," Victor announced, his decision final. "None of us are at peak combat efficiency, and fighting demonic entities in an unknown forest at night is an unnecessary risk. We will take turns keeping watch and leave through the emergency exit at first light tomorrow."
He looked around the party, assigning watches with cold efficiency:
"I will take the first watch."
"I’ll take the second watch," Lyra volunteered instantly, her hand resting on her rapier.
"I’ll take the third watch before dawn," Kael offered, leaning his heavy new battle axe against his shoulder.
Victor looked at the ancient Dryad. "Elaria?"
"I do not require conventional sleep," Elaria replied serenely, floating toward a pillar of living moss. "I shall remain nearby and monitor the spatial anchors of this chamber."
Within half an hour, a quiet, simple camp was established in the corner of the grand subterranean vault. A small, suppressed magic lamp cast a soft, warm amber glow against the ancient dragon pillars.
Kael lay down against a stone pillar, placing the massive Dragon Slayer Battle Axe right beside him. As he closed his eyes, the dark metal of the weapon gave off a faint, comforting crimson pulse, harmonizing with his breathing.
Beside him, Elena curled up under her traveling cloak. For the first time since entering the nightmare of the ruin, she fell into a peaceful, deep sleep, free from pain and fear.
Across the camp, Lyra sat cross-legged on the cold marble, her silver rapier resting across her knees. Her icy eyes remained quietly fixed on Victor, watching his every move with unyielding devotion.
Victor sat alone near the edge of the light, resting his back against a dragon-carved pillar. He pulled the delicate crystal vial from his pouch, holding it up to the amber light of the lamp, watching the golden-blue liquid swirl silently within.
His pitch-black eyes narrowed in deep, silent contemplation.
The Tears of Ancient Dragons were never supposed to be the Elixir of Life... Victor thought, his mind piecing together the fragmented narrative of the world.
If the fundamental rewards of this world are changing... if the timeline is twisting this drastically... then what else from the original story has been rewritten?
Victor closed his hand around the glowing vial, staring out into the dark depths of the ancient vault as the night wore on.