Free Web NovelChapter 60: Chapter 56: Guilty for Possessing a Treasure
After just a few simple procedures, a bottle of bloodline purification Magic Potion, specially crafted for Barrett, was complete.
Barrett stared at the materials shimmering under the lamplight on the table and swallowed hard.
A look of mingled unease and anticipation crossed his weather-beaten face. freēwēbnovel.com
Velin pushed the dark golden Magic Potion in front of Barrett, his voice devoid of warmth.
"Barrett, do you know what crime it is to artificially modify a bloodline under the ’Bloodline Purity Act’?"
Staring intently at the Magic Potion, Barrett swallowed. "I know. Blasphemy against divine grace, and the purifying flame."
"The purifying flame," Velin repeated, gazing calmly at Barrett. "If you regret this, it’s not too late to back out."
"Regret? Sir, I wonder if you’ve ever smelled it." Barrett gave a self-deprecating laugh, his long-dead left eye cracking open a sliver.
"I have," he squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.
"In the Northern Territory, my best friend... he wanted a better life for his wife and kids. He was desperate to become Extraordinary. He spent all his savings on a tattered notebook about bloodline modification from the black market..."
"...The hounds from the Judicial Court found him in a single day. When they lit the pyre in the square, my brother didn’t scream. He just looked at me."
His right hand, gripping his sword hilt, was white-knuckled from the force of his grasp.
"Do you know, Sir? To this day, I can’t forget that smell. It wasn’t the savory scent of roasting meat. It was the smell of fat and despair, rendered out bit by bit by the flames of divine grace. They called it purification. I called it... slaughter."
"Sir," his voice trembled, but it was laced with a desperate resolve, "we who are just mud without a bloodline spend our entire lives being tormented by an invisible fire. Rather than be burned to ash so wretchedly, I would rather choose this light you’ve personally ignited—even if its destination is a fiercer hell!"
"Good." Velin nodded. This was the resolve he needed.
He said no more and handed over the Magic Potion.
Without the slightest hesitation, Barrett seized the Magic Potion and downed it in one gulp.
The moment the Magic Potion went down his throat, the burning sensation didn’t come from his esophagus but exploded directly in his bone marrow!
He didn’t scream. His knees buckled and he slammed heavily to the ground, the impact actually cracking the hard floor! The muscles in his face stiffened, and his skin rapidly lost its color, turning a deathly, stony gray.
But in his mind’s eye, the purifying flame that had burned for three days and three nights ignited once more! He again saw his brother’s twisted silhouette in the fire and smelled that unforgettable, acrid, burnt stench.
CRACK—!
The bones beneath his skin grew savagely, cracking his flesh, yet the excruciating pain of his body tearing apart brought him a sliver of twisted pleasure! He wasn’t passively enduring; he was actively embracing this power, using it to crush the flames in his memory!
This wasn’t Divine Punishment, this was his rebirth!
Barrett clenched his jaw tight. What escaped his throat wasn’t a groan of pain, but a suppressed, low roar. Every inch of his flesh and blood was locked in a brutal struggle against his despairing past.
Velin stood perfectly still, a flicker of approval in his eyes. Not only did he not back away, but he moved closer, his nose twitching slightly as he calmly jotted down notes in a notebook.
The painful reconstruction lasted for ten minutes. As the final suppressed roar faded, Barrett, soaked in sweat, collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion. He gasped for air, each breath releasing a cloud of hot, white vapor.
He struggled to sit up, feeling the changes within his body. An unprecedented sense of power was surging from the depths of his bone marrow—heavy and solid.
"I feel..." He clenched his fist, and his knuckles crackled. "I could kill a Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile."
Velin opened the system panel.
[Barrett]
[Level: Level 3 Warrior]
[Bloodline: Rockwall Barbarian (Black-Iron Grade) 42%, Mixed Bloodline 58%]
[Abilities: None]
[Overall Evaluation: A Warrior whose bloodline purity has met the activation requirements, but with low bloodline potential. His internal injuries have partially healed, and he possesses decent combat strength.]
The Magic Potion’s purification was a success. His bloodline purity had leaped from 18% all the way to 42%!
Velin took a palm-sized black Blood Heart Stone from a drawer—a portable model with only a few uses left—and handed it over. "Place your hand on it."
Barrett did as he was told, pressing his palm against the stone.
HUMMM—!
The once-dull stone suddenly erupted with a solid, heavy, earthen-yellow light! Above Barrett’s head, it coalesced into the phantom image of a barbarian holding a giant axe!
It threw its head back and let out a silent roar, yet the very air trembled.
The fury of the earth and the barbarian!
Barrett stared blankly at his hand, then felt the immense aura behind him, connected to his very blood. This iron-willed tough guy, who had never shed a tear even in the most brutal border conflicts, now found his one good eye turning slightly red.
He suddenly spun around and, without the slightest hesitation, dropped heavily to one knee before Velin, bowing his head low. His voice was firm.
"Sir, this life of mine... you picked it back up from the ashes. From this day forward, I will fight only for you!"
Velin looked at Barrett kneeling before him, the phantom giant gradually dissipating behind him, his eyes profound.
’My first "creation" is complete.’
He helped Barrett up, the phantom giant behind him gradually dissipating.
"A Level 3 Warrior is just the beginning. Barrett, are you confident you can push for Level 4 in a short period?"
Barrett was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily, a ruthless glint in his eye. "I can! But... I need to make a trip back to the Northern Territory. I have a few old comrades there. To reach Level 4, I’ll need their experience. Besides, there are a few blood debts I need to settle personally."
As he spoke, he hesitated and glanced towards the door. "It’s just, Sir, if I leave, the territory might be..."
He lowered his voice. "Something’s been off with Shiyan Town lately."
Velin’s eyebrow rose.
"Ola Stonebeard?"
"That’s right, Sir." The ferocity Barrett displayed when mentioning the Northern Territory faded, and his seasoned expression returned.
"The volume of goods we’ve been moving these past few months has been too large. It was bound to attract the greedy eyes of others."
Velin understood. He was being targeted.
An innocent man becomes guilty by carrying a treasure.
But then, he smiled.
"Your mission is to become a Level 4 Warrior as quickly as possible—to become stronger. Your value doesn’t lie in guarding this small territory right now."
Velin walked up to him and patted his solid shoulder. "The territory... I have my own ways of protecting it. To put it bluntly, Barrett, as you are now, you are not yet the key to deciding a battle. So, go without worry. Obtain your power as quickly as you can."
After a pause, Velin added, "I’ll give you 10 Golden Suns for your journey. You have one foot in the Extraordinary realm now, so don’t be too strapped for cash on the road."
Having said that, Velin made a mental note. ’I’ll add it to the accounts later—a new special operations expense for the Origin Association.’
"Yes, Sir!" The light in Barrett’s eye grew even more fervent, all his worries and hesitation completely shattered by Velin’s words, replaced with a yearning for the future and absolute faith in the man before him.
He knew he had chosen to follow the right person.
