Free Web NovelChapter 21: Simulation
Cole didn’t know about the mysterious old man, nor did he have time to care about anything else for the time being, as his top priority was to refine the Blood-Calming Potion as fast as possible.
Just a moment ago, when he was trying to open the abandoned laboratory door, he felt a sharp headache flaring through his entire body, as if somebody was trying to fill his body with nails.
Suddenly, Cole clutched his head, letting out a pained groan. The Lightning Worm bloodline had started flaring again.
I don’t have much time...
The pain was not constant, but came in bursts like waves. Slowly, it disappeared, but instead of relief, Cole only grew more tense. He had a feeling that once the pain returned, it would be stronger than ever, and he might not be able to bear it.
This is way out of my expectations...
Cole examined his hands, which had started to shine like gold. Faint threads of current had started to flicker across the surface of his skin.
This was the state he had reached after finally reaching the peak of the Nascent Trainee Realm. Suddenly, Cole felt grateful. If he had not refined his body back in the Saint Family compound, he might have already exploded by now.
Thinking of something, a sharp light flashed through his eyes.
"A.I., scan my body and tell me how much time I have left before the Lightning Worm bloodline overpowers my body."
[Request accepted! Creating task, scanning...]
[Based on the current situation, host has exactly eight hours to take another Blood-Calming Potion. Failing to do so will result in the Lightning Worm bloodline overpowering your body.]
The words were blunt and cold, showing no compassion, spitting those words out like a report, as if Cole’s life had nothing to do with it.
Damn it... eight hours? That is too little time...
Not even for a second did Cole doubt the A.I.’s words. The A.I. chip was fused with him at the cellular level. After training, he had a feeling the fusion might have reached the soul or consciousness level. If anyone knew just how severe his current situation was, it was none other than the A.I.
Without further delay, he headed directly to the central hall of the laboratory.
Unlike Cole’s main laboratory in the Saint Family compound, this secondary lab was only a single-story building, consisting of a main refining hall, a warehouse, and one other room meant for resting and meditation.
Once inside the main hall, Cole was greeted with a large open space, with a marble table at the center. Multiple test tubes and burners were already neatly arranged on top of it.
Cole moved swiftly, one by one emptying the entire wooden cart onto the table.
With rapid motions, he took out all the important ingredients.
Moonheart Lotus — a pale silver flower that blooms in tranquil lakes under moonlight, its roots thick as iron chains, absorbing all the morning lightning energy from the lake.
Second was Frost Vine Moss, another major ingredient that could help reduce the damage the Lightning bloodline was doing to Cole’s body.
Spirit Vein Dew, Crimson Vital Root, and finally the main ingredient: Blood of the Thunder-Calming Qilin, another mana beast of a tier higher than the Lightning Worm. Its blood essence was rumored to contain a lightning suppression essence, an innate power that absorbs, neutralizes, and pacifies violent energy before it can damage the bloodstream.
Without its blood, the potion could only calm ordinary blood frenzy. With it, the potion could temporarily negate the destructive effects of lightning-infused bloodlines, heavy tribulation rise, or lightning poison.
In a brief amount of time, the ingredients were all lined up on the marble table, their exciting smell filling the entire room. Just breathing it in caused some of the discomfort he was feeling to die down.
Cole took a deep breath and did not rush to refine the potion.
Before this, he had never refined anything close to a potion as complex as the Blood-Calming Potion, involving multiple intricate steps. Just one misstep could ruin the entire process.
If Cole had multiple ingredients lined up in the storage, he could afford to be careless and make mistakes, but not now. Here, one mistake would cost everything.
If he destroyed this batch of ingredients by mistake, not only did he not have the money to purchase a second batch, but there was also the fact that he might not even receive them in time.
This was not simply a guess, but a fact that hung over Cole’s throat like a sharp blade ready to strike at any moment.
Countless thoughts whirled through his mind.
First, the most important question:
How am I supposed to start?
Although this body of his was extremely experienced in these tasks, he himself was a complete novice.
Still, even though he knew this, Cole did not grow anxious.
He had a trump card left.
A.I. chip...
Taking a deep breath, Cole muttered something under his breath.
"A.I. chip, go through the memories of the original owner. Based on the data, conduct simulations and figure out what my chances are of successfully refining the potion."
[Processing request... retrieving memories, starting simulation.]
Following these strings of messages, Cole’s mind went blank for a moment, followed by him entering a lucid dreamlike state, where he started refining the potion.
He began the process by cleaning the ingredients to remove any bacteria and veins that might interfere with the process, then setting up the flame.
Cole followed everything down the line from the memories. Things passed without accident, but just as the liquid was about to connect—
BOOM!
The test tube containing the potion exploded.
Immediately, the dreamlike state returned to normal, and an A.I. chip message flashed in front of him.
[Simulation complete! Chance of refining the potion: thirty percent.]
Cole saw this message and sucked in a deep breath of cold air.
Thirty percent... that’s too low...!
"A.I. chip, create a new task. Based on the data, tell me where I committed mistakes!"
Cole’s face turned grim. Under the simulated environment, the A.I. had logged data of every step. He could somewhat tell which ingredients were reacting wrongly or where the process had gone wrong.
[Error! Not enough data to list all flaws.]
[Listing flaws based on the stored information.]
[Total number of flaws: 24.]
Following this, a list showing the stages and records of mistakes that Cole had committed started to appear in front of him.
That’s a lot of mistakes...
Cole’s lips twitched. Although he was already prepared, the sheer amount of mistakes caught him by surprise.
Then, after taking a breath, he asked,
"A.I. chip, if I fix all these flaws, what are my chances of successfully refining the potion?"
[Calculating... new chance: more than ninety percent.]
Looking at this message, joy instantly bloomed in his heart.
This was more than enough.
