Chapter 425 - 425 - Post-Battle Tally, Everyone's Favorite Unboxing Segment

Plopping down cross-legged on the ground, Leon unhurriedly pulled out two Drop Treasure Chests and set them down with a heavy clunk.

As for where these chests had come from...

Naturally, they were generous gifts from his "little buddy" Goliath and a certain "lucky star" from the Monster Party.

Beside him, Rose watched him produce the chests, the corners of her mouth curling up ever so slightly as she teased in amusement:

"This time you're not waiting until we get home first, then bathing, burning incense, and finishing the whole prayer ritual before opening them?"

Leon caressed the chests with a dopey grin, glanced at the pack by Aura's feet, then licked his lips in excitement:

"I figure... my luck's good right now, so I'm skipping all that superstitious fluff."

With that, he knelt on one knee before the chests, palm pressed against the latches.

"Drop Treasure Chests, let me see your limits!"

"Open up!"

With a click, two blinding golden lights erupted one after the other. The oblivious Laurier stared wide-eyed at Leon's movements, completely failing to notice that everyone else had long since shut their eyes or turned their faces away.

Naturally...

The next second, she let out an incredibly piercing shriek!

"Ahh... my eyes!"

Leon waited about three seconds before cracking his eyes open a sliver. Taking in Laurier clutching her face with both hands, tears streaming down, the grin of a successful prank spread across his face.

He was loving this...

But he didn't tease the little elf any further. His attention had already been completely captured by the bubbles floating up out of the chests.

"Two from the Monster Party chest, three from the Monster Rex chest... four in all, huh?"

"Fair enough."

Under everyone's curious gazes, Leon deftly scooped the four bubbles into his hands, then focused his mind with practiced ease and read the information within.

...

[Name]: Panacea (Orange Bottle: 2.0) [Origin]: System [Type]: Elixir [Effect]: A "legendary potion" brewed with the legendary herb Restoration Grass as its primary ingredient. Perfectly heals every injury and illness, including missing limbs, blindness, congenital conditions, and even terminal disease. [Side Effects]: While curing all injuries and illnesses, it also resets the drinker's body to that of a "healthy ordinary person." [Description]: Nothing in this world is perfect. If something is, it can only be a delusion of your own wishful thinking. [Note]: All of this was a necessary sacrifice.

...

Having skimmed the first item's description, Leon's mind immediately conjured up the vial from some long-ago unboxing, the one he had sealed at the bottom of a chest for ages, the one he only remembered again when a gravely wounded, dying Kureha was summoned: the Holy Elixir.

Elixir, Holy Elixir, Panacea. The three names differed by a single character, yet their effects were worlds apart.

The Elixir could heal wounds with near-magical results, but was powerless against trauma on the level of regrowing severed limbs.

The Holy Elixir went one step beyond the Elixir, able to cure grave injuries like blindness and lost limbs, yet unable to resolve terminal or congenital illness.

The Panacea, though it carried a side effect that barely deserved the name, could perfectly cure the congenital horrors and incurable diseases that would leave even a Super Saiyan helpless.

All those thoughts flashed through his head; in reality, only a single breath had passed.

Holding this "orange bottle" encased in lavish crystal, its glow quietly restrained, Leon finally let the name slip out softly:

"Panacea..."

"Not bad."

The others, busy setting up camp, crowded over curiously for a look, and a string of outbursts followed.

"Huh?"

"It heals everything?"

"Th-th-th-this..."

"Ridiculous..."

As the saying goes, laymen watch the show while experts read the craft.

As a descendant of the prestigious Einzbern family, a wielder of powerful healing magic and a deep stock of alchemical knowledge and technique, Iri felt the appearance of the Panacea shake her heart no less than an earthquake.

"A Panacea really exists in this world?"

"Isn't that one of the supreme ultimate goals of alchemy, ranked right alongside the Philosopher's Stone?"

Her ruby-like eyes flickered with a trace of bewilderment, her mind momentarily in complete disarray.

"Iri, it's just a Panacea, that's all, and only a finished product at that, no formula. Besides... it's not like the Philosopher's Stone doesn't exist in this world. If the Philosopher's Stone, one of alchemy's supreme goals, already appeared 800 years ago, one more Panacea or whatever is hardly a big deal, right?"

Right. With even the Philosopher's Stone in existence, there was nothing so strange about Leon producing a Panacea... right?

Still in a daze, Iri was towed off by Margaret and Aura to gather firewood near the camp.

Leon, meanwhile, turned his gaze to the remaining bubbles.

...

[Name]: Inscription: From Beginner to Buried [Origin]: World of Warcraft [Type]: Knowledge [Effect]: A foundational text of Inscription. Studying it grants basic inscription knowledge and the rudimentary ability to craft inscriptions. [Description]: Beginner-to-mastery Inscription that even a Kobold could learn.

...

[Name]: Advanced Inscription: Magic Scrolls [Origin]: World of Warcraft [Type]: Knowledge [Effect]: Magic scroll crafting from beginner to mastery; from knowledge to craft, a complete grasp of magic scroll creation. Requires mastery of at least one form of magical script, proficient inscription knowledge, and a basic understanding of magical materials. [Description]: Surely magic is not so inconvenient a thing?

...

After reading through the items in the first two bubbles back to back, delight spread instantly across Leon's face.

"After Pharmacology and Tailoring Craft, it's Inscription next!"

"Counting the Cooking I picked up at the very start, I'm about to hit four side professions I've touched and gotten through the door."

"Tsk tsk. Anyone else might choose to drop a few of these. After all... everyone's time is limited. Depth beats breadth; being passable at everything loses to mastering one craft."

"But I'm different."

"Hand of Omnipotence plus Scholar's Heart give me the power to make up for dullness with hard work, and to take multiple picks and advance them in sync."

At the thought, Leon split into a wide grin:

"Not bad!"

He set the second bubble down, and his gaze fell on the third.

"Advanced Inscription: Magic Scrolls?"

He sucked in a breath.

After a quick scan of the learning requirements, Leon did a tactical lean back, the corners of his mouth climbing wildly out of control:

"There's the third gold mine, right on schedule!"

But his grin had yet to fully bloom. The instant his gaze touched the contents of the fourth bubble, the smile froze stiff on his face.

"Holy shit!"

...

...

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