The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

"Let's go then," Vilkin said, tossing the cold medicine bottle in his hand and glancing at Yunevo with a hint of hesitation.

The latter did not turn around, but simply uttered a sentence.

"This noble lord can't even endure this little hardship?"

Vilkin choked for a moment, then opened the bottle and drank the gray liquid in one gulp.

The bitter taste on his tongue made his eyebrows furrow almost into a single line, but the effect was obvious...

The resurrected forest is distancing itself from him, continuing to operate as if it were nothing.

"Mr. Zane, why aren't you drinking yet?" Yunevo's voice rang out again. "Are you trying to get us all killed?"

"No... I'm just surprised by its composition," Pastor Zane said, snapping out of his daze. He quickly pinched his nose and drank the potion, a hint of surprise still lingering in his eyes.

Yunevo nodded, no longer asking questions, and continued to grind the few common herbs he had picked up with a stone. Behind him, he could hear the footsteps of the four people walking away.

……

Walking along the twisted path, Virgin's fighting instincts kept screaming.

The vines snaked past his feet, and the wooden figure twisted aimlessly, then suddenly turned its face toward him, before blankly moving away.

"Those things are still moving, but they can't see us..." He broke out in a cold sweat.

What if the effects of the medicine suddenly disappeared...? Vilkin swallowed hard.

"This potion...is not a form of concealment in the traditional sense."

Zane spoke, stepping over a corpse covered in tree bark, "It's more like a confusion and distortion, blending everything about us into the forest."

Zane's perception of magical energy far surpasses that of ordinary people. He lowered his voice and said, "We're like... bumping into an acquaintance on our way home."

"Level 3 Alchemist..." Virgin parted the dense vines in front of him and carved a guiding mark on the conspicuous tree trunk.

"We can't make something like that."

"Quiet down, save your energy," Simon said in a hoarse voice. "The drug is constantly draining our energy."

"And this doesn't mean we're safe, because we're all 'impersonating' others..."

Zane nodded in agreement. "Indeed, any drastic or outrageous action... would likely attract attention."

He reached out and pointed to a elk monster whose body was wrapped around its body.

The vines pulsated like blood vessels, piercing the deer monster's vulnerable facial features with tiny barbs, and a sharp wail echoed in the ears of the four.

The monster was still struggling slightly, but its skin began to peel off in large chunks, replaced by tree bark, and even its antlers were not spared from sprouting pale new shoots.

After a brief silence, it suddenly roared in the direction of the four people, trying to struggle free!

But a few seconds later, his voice suddenly went hoarse, as if he had gone blind, and he lost all his strength...

"Is it going crazy?" Byron scratched his helmet. "The concealment potion shouldn't have such a short duration."

"It's also possible that the forest is adapting..." Zane brought his hand to his nose; the bitter smell had only faded slightly...

"If it's a regular concealment agent, we're in trouble."

"No, it's also possible that the tree-formed deer completely lost its sight," Simon said, looking at the deer-like creature that had emerged from the tree roots.

"It roars when the transformation is not yet complete."

Vilkin, who was walking ahead of the two, made a shushing gesture. "Better safe than sorry. I think Zane has a point."

"Hopefully, Yunevo and his men won't take too long."

The stench of decay filled Byron's nostrils. He shielded himself with his shield and led the way.

……

"Nolay, right?" Yunevo tore a piece from his newly bought robe, wrapped it with ground herbs, and tied it around the blonde girl's right arm.

"Can you cast spells without a staff?"

Nolay's eyelashes trembled a few times, and the numbness in his right arm seemed to spread throughout his body along with his blood. "It's very difficult; I can only use a basic-level spell..."

She gritted her teeth, raised her trembling left hand, and tried to pick up the silver wand beside her. After several unsuccessful attempts, she looked at Eunice.

"What are you looking at me for? I don't have that ability yet," Yunevo said, pursing his lips as he picked up Nolay's wand and held out his hand to her.

"Can it cast any basic spell?"

Nolay nodded and was helped to his feet. His exquisite robes were riddled with holes, and even the top of his mage's hat had "disappeared."

"Vilkin and the others drank the concealment potion and cleared the obstacles for us first," Yunevo reminded them.

Nolay nodded slightly and brought her nose to the bottle opening to sniff—she couldn't see even the slightest bit of magical energy fluctuation inside.

"How long will it last?"

"I don't know, it depends on how long their reaction time is."

Yoni stretched and yawned. "It's like a few unfamiliar but familiar people suddenly walked into my house."

"So... we have to catch up with them as soon as possible?" Barlow's hand swept over the pipe at his waist, picked up a cigarette, paused for a moment, and then put it in his mouth to chew.

"No, let's verify my conjecture first," Yonivo shook his finger.

He walked straight behind a bush and poked at a wooden dummy's face with an unlit torch.

The wooden figure suddenly turned its head to grab the torch, but missed, and then looked around helplessly.

Yunevo chuckled softly, lit the torch, and brought the outer flame close to the wooden figure's face—it began to struggle fiercely, trying to get away from this natural enemy and threat.

"Look, they're still so stupid," Yune said, beckoning to the two of them and teasing the wooden figures in front of him.

"No hearing, no smell, no sight, the only means of perception..."

"There is only 'aura,' which I call pheromones. Now we need fresh pheromones to achieve a new disguise."

Nolei and Balo stood there, stunned, listening quietly as Yonivo analyzed the situation word by word in a nonchalant tone.

There is a saying in the ancient Eastern country.

"Learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to subdue them," Yunevo put away his torch, snapped his fingers, and said, "Let's upgrade our tools first."

This alchemist's behavior is far too unconventional... What exactly are pheromones? Temperature? Scent?

Nolay fell into deep thought, while Barlow spoke up, asking, "What should we do?"

"Fight the things you've already seen, and then use their corpses to make new stealth potions."

"We'd better pray that the forest doesn't get used to our breathing rate, body temperature... or even the slightest friction and vibration too soon."

Yunevo was shaking a bottle of purplish-red potion in his right hand, while a bright red miniature magic circle symbol had been drawn on the palm of his left hand at some point.

"Wait! Just the three of us?! Facing those incredibly hard pieces of wood?" Noley was clearly anxious, and his voice rose involuntarily.

The rustling of leaves brushed against everyone's skulls, and the gust of wind lowered the bushes, revealing the puppet-like wooden figures behind them.

Several purplish-red thorny vines hang down from the trees, like snakes flicking their tongues as they coil around the trunks.

They welcomed Yunevo's fearless challenge. Without hesitation, the vines straightened up like javelins, their tips aimed at Yunevo's heart!

"Aren't the three of us enough?" He propped up his lips and grinned.