Chapter 70: The Second New Alchemical Creation 2

The kobold mage standing beside Kent suddenly became so excited that he looked as though he had been injected with pure adrenaline.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled out a dagger—

And stabbed himself directly in the chest.

Pshh!

A stream of blue blood immediately sprayed from the wound.

But instead of falling to the ground, the blood behaved in an eerie manner.

It gathered above the kobold mage’s fingertip, suspended in midair as though held there by some invisible force.

The kobold muttered an incantation.

Then he flicked his hand forward.

A streak of black light burst from his palm.

The dark radiance wrapped itself around the floating blue blood and shot straight toward the red-hot telescope inside the magic furnace.

The moment the blood touched the Violet Gold—

It melted into the metal.

Almost instantly.

Kent reacted at once.

He shut down the magic furnace, reached inside with his tools, and pulled the telescope out.

Then he grabbed a handful of powdered Magic Silver.

With a sharp flick of his wrist—

He scattered it across the still-glowing telescope.

Flash!

A brilliant light flared.

The Magic Silver powder seemed to come alive.

It spread evenly across the surface of the Violet Gold tube and fused firmly into the metal.

When the light faded, Kent finally got a clear look at the finished body.

Silver-white flecks were scattered across the deep violet metal.

Purple and silver intertwined beneath the candlelight.

The entire telescope shimmered with a strangely captivating glow.

The monocular was roughly fifteen centimeters long.

The rear end measured about three centimeters in diameter, while the front widened slightly to around three and a half centimeters.

Its weight was close to half a jin.

A little heavier than Kent would have preferred.

But there was no helping that.

Violet Gold was simply too dense.

Still...

The finished telescope looked remarkably refined.

Along its metal casing ran an engraved scene.

Two warriors were locked in combat.

Nearby stood several trees.

Birds flew overhead.

The entire image had been created with only a handful of simple lines.

Yet somehow...

The warriors seemed almost alive.

Their movements were vivid.

Their weapons appeared to clash.

Even the tiny trees and birds gave the scene a surprising sense of motion.

As for the kobold mage who had just stabbed himself, bled all over the place, and cast the enchantment...

He was now sitting off to one side, stuffing food into his mouth as though he had not eaten in days.

Meat.

Bread.

Wine.

Whatever he could reach.

He devoured all of it.

Kent had promised him that if he cooperated with the experiment, he would receive good meat and good wine every day for ten consecutive days.

That promise alone had sent the kobold mage into a state of almost ridiculous excitement.

He had performed the bloodletting and enchantment without the slightest complaint.

The other kobold mages watched him with undisguised envy.

Their eyes practically glowed as they stared at the piles of food and wine.

Ironically...

The mage currently enjoying such luxurious treatment had once possessed one of the least respected talents among the kobolds.

Low-Light Vision.

Among kobolds, that ability had always been considered almost useless.

After all, kobolds were naturally capable of seeing in darkness.

Most of them might not possess vision nearly as sharp as this mage’s...

But underground, ordinary night vision was already enough for daily life.

So what was the point of awakening an ability that merely allowed you to see a little better in the dark?

Because of that, this particular mage had never been taken seriously.

He had spent most of his time doing menial work.

Carrying things.

Running errands.

Helping more important kobold mages with whatever they demanded.

No one had considered his talent valuable.

But now...

Things were completely different.

The very ability the kobolds had once dismissed as worthless had suddenly become exactly what Kent needed.

And because of it...

The former errand boy was now eating meat and drinking wine under the jealous gazes of every kobold around him.

Sometimes...

A useless talent only remained useless until someone discovered the right way to use it.

Once the Violet Gold had completely cooled, Kent slowly picked up the monocular.

He closed his eyes for a moment and carefully sensed the object in his hands.

There it was.

A faint trace of magical fluctuation.

Kent’s eyes immediately lit up.

Success.

Every step of the enchantment process had been carried out strictly according to the records in the laboratory.

As for why those steps could permanently bind a spell to an object...

Kent had no idea.

And frankly, he had no intention of wasting time figuring it out right now.

If it worked, that was enough.

Understanding the deeper principles could come later.

“Grrr...”

“Grrr...”

Just as Kent was about to head outside and test the monocular, a strange sound suddenly echoed through the room.

He froze.

Then gave a helpless smile.

It was his stomach.

He was hungry.

These days, Kent had grown particularly fond of the fruit produced by the Bread Tree.

It was sweet.

Fragrant.

And surprisingly filling.

One fruit was enough to keep him satisfied for almost an entire day.

In fact, Kent had gradually developed a rather simple routine.

Whenever he became hungry...

It usually meant it was almost time to sleep.

Kent casually picked up a Bread Tree fruit and began eating as he walked toward the laboratory door.

But tonight, hunger could wait.

He was far more interested in testing his new creation.

Did the Low-Light Vision enchantment actually work?

Could the monocular truly allow someone to see through darkness?

There was only one way to find out.

Kent pushed open the laboratory door—

And nearly dropped the telescope.

Something enormous was standing directly outside.

Or rather...

Someone.

“Little fellow.”

A deep voice sounded.

“You’ve finished your work?”

“I came to thank you.”

Standing outside was Keta.

Except now...

Kent barely knew how to describe him.

He no longer looked entirely like a tree.

But he certainly did not look entirely human either.

His body was something between the two.

A towering humanoid form of wood, bark, and living branches.

Before Kent could even respond, Keta raised one hand.

A green light flashed.

Then shot directly toward Kent.

Judging from the magical aura around it...

It was clearly some kind of wood-element spell.

“Stop!”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Kent’s expression changed instantly.

He jumped aside.

Unfortunately...

The spell had already locked onto him.

The green light curved through the air as though it possessed a mind of its own.

Then—

Whoosh!

It plunged straight into Kent’s body.

Kent froze.

Completely.

For several seconds, he simply stood there in stunned silence.

Then he suddenly began patting himself all over.

Chest.

Arms.

Legs.

Waist.

Head.

Everything still seemed to be attached.

Nothing had fallen off.

Kent finally exhaled in relief.

Then...

His expression darkened.

His anger exploded.

You damned old tree!

You already got such an enormous benefit from me...

And now you come over here and scare me half to death?

This isn’t over!

Kent immediately stormed toward Keta.

If nothing else...

He was going to get an explanation.

And preferably—

Compensation.

“You...”

“You actually have the nerve to come here?”

Kent walked directly toward Keta.

But as soon as he reached him, he realized a problem.

Keta was simply too tall.

Kent had to tilt his head upward just to look at him.

The current Keta looked nothing like the ancient tree from before.

He had a humanoid shape now, but his entire body was still covered in green bark.

Fresh, tender branches extended from his body, and his skin seemed to be made of living wood.

He looked like a person...

But clearly not a human one.

Kent frowned.

Standing this close made him feel as though he had lost all momentum.

He had to look up too much.

There was no intimidation at all.

So he quietly stepped backward several times.

Only after creating enough distance did Kent point at Keta and begin his accusation.

His voice was loud.

His attitude was extremely confident.

The surrounding dark elves were completely stunned.

After all...

Even the dark elf elders treated Keta with great respect.

Before his transformation, when Keta had still existed in the form of an Ancient Tree of War, the elders had not been particularly afraid of him.

After all, a tree could not simply run away.

But now?

Things were different.

Keta could move.

He could leave.

If they treated him the same way as before...

Who knew whether the old tree might simply decide to leave one day?

The relationship between the Ancient Trees of War and the dark elves had always been one of equality.

Neither side ruled the other.

They simply cooperated and lived together.

As for Kent...

Although his alchemy was astonishing, it seemed unlikely that a being like Keta actually needed any alchemical creations.

So everyone quietly watched.

Everyone waited to see how Keta would react.

Most of them were secretly worried for Kent.

After all...

If Keta became angry and casually slapped him away, then the famous hero of Muan City might really be finished.

“Hehehe.”

Keta laughed.

“Isn’t this a little unfair?”

“Didn’t I already give you benefits?”

“Why are you still refusing to let it go?”

“I honestly didn’t expect something like this to happen.”

As he spoke, Keta raised one hand.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say a branch-like hand.

He rubbed the top of his head, where a cluster of fresh green leaves had grown.

His expression looked almost amused.

“Clang!”

A sound suddenly came from the crowd.

Kent turned his head.

A dwarf standing nearby had dropped the iron hammer in his hand.

His mouth was hanging open.

The others were not much better.

The dark elves all wore expressions as though they had witnessed something impossible.

Because everyone knew one thing very clearly.

Ancient Trees of War were extremely rigid creatures.

And extremely exclusive.

When they existed in their original tree form, only elves were allowed to approach them.

Anyone else who came too close would be treated as a threat.

The tree would instinctively attack.

But now...

Keta was laughing.

Talking.

Joking.

Arguing.

Could it be that evolution had changed not only his appearance...

But also his personality?

“Benefits?”

Kent stared at him.

“Where are these benefits you keep talking about?”

“You actually have the courage to say that?”

“The moment I walked out, you attacked me with magic!”

“If I hadn’t been lucky enough to survive...”

He gave a cold laugh.

“Who knows what would have happened?”

“Hahahaha!”

Keta suddenly burst into laughter.

And soon afterward...

The surrounding dark elves began laughing as well.

They looked at Kent as though they were watching someone who had completely misunderstood the situation.

“What are you laughing at?”

Kent’s expression became even darker.

“If you keep laughing, then our agreement is cancelled.”

“You can find someone else.”

“I’m not helping anymore.”

With that, Kent turned around and began walking away.

He still had something important to do.

He needed to test his new alchemical creation.

There was no point wasting time arguing with this old tree.

“Wait!”

“Wait, wait!”

Keta immediately became anxious.

He quickly followed after Kent.

“You can’t just go back on your word!”

Kent was furious.

You benefited from me.

You got stronger because of me.

And now you’re laughing at me?

Fine.

I’ll do everything myself.

I’ll study everything on my own.

He stopped walking and shouted loudly,

“Leave me alone.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“You got the advantage and still act like you’re the one being wronged.”

“Don’t follow me.”

“I said the agreement is cancelled.”

“It is cancelled.”

“I’m done helping you.”

“Wait!”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Keta was completely helpless.

After living for twelve thousand years, he had interacted with countless creatures.

But almost all of those interactions had been simple.

Respect.

Fear.

Obedience.

Few creatures had ever argued with him like this.

Especially not someone who was clearly far weaker than him.

Keta had no idea how to explain himself to Kent.

He wanted to stop him.

But he was also afraid that doing so would only make Kent even angrier.

So the newly evolved Tree Giant could only stand there.

Watching Kent walk away.

Calling after him again and again.

“Wait...”

“Wait!”

But Kent did not slow down.