A few minutes later, Vivian slowly opened her captivating eyes and, with a gaze full of grievance, looked at Altair and reproached him: "You were far too flustered just now. You actually forced a recovery potion into me while I was meditating after drinking the potion."
"If I hadn't endured the agony of recovery and completed my meditation to suppress my spirituality, I'd probably have lost control by now."
As she spoke, as though angry, she kept gently patting Altair while scolding him:
"Tell me, were you trying to murder me so you could find someone new?"
Feeling Vivian's "complaints," Altair could only rub the back of his head awkwardly and stammer in his own defense: "I panicked because I care too much. I was mainly worried about you—your body was recovering far too slowly... I feared you couldn't bear it..."
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Before Altair could finish explaining, Vivian simply kissed him, sealing his lips with hers.
After several soft kisses, Vivian smiled at Altair and said:
"Of course I know you only panicked out of concern. I'm not blaming you; I was just joking."
With that, Vivian kept smiling behind her hand.
When the kiss ended, Altair stared unblinkingly at Vivian. At that moment she looked utterly alluring, and Altair instinctively swallowed, a muffled "mm" escaping his throat.
Sensing Altair's burning gaze, Vivian deliberately parted her legs in a seductive pose and said in a languid voice, "You can have me whenever you want."
...This time, by advancing to Demoness of Afflictions, Vivian hadn't merely gained disease-related powers. Her charm ability had strengthened further; if she continuously bewitched a specific person, she could make them truly fall in love with her!
Even total strangers couldn't resist this allure—let alone Altair, restless with adolescent desire.
When the two of them finished their battle and, supporting each other, left the underground laboratory, lunchtime had long passed and the clock had struck one in the afternoon.
At dinner, silver cutlery clinked softly, and to celebrate Vivian's promotion to sequence five, Altair had butler Hahn bring out a gift he had prepared days earlier.
It was a small sapphire tiara in Gothic design, brimming with romantic spirit.
The frame was of white gold, the whole piece set with diamonds that glittered like scattered stars. Delicate filigree traced exquisite scrolls and floral outlines; the crown's peaks rose in staggered spires, as if frozen moonlight.
Seven square-cut royal-blue sapphires formed the main stones, poised at the center of the band. Their rich azure hue danced with the diamonds' fire, deep as the night sky and regally imposing.
Around the larger sapphires, smaller round ones cascaded in layers, creating sumptuous depth. Every line was elegant yet stately, every detail carved with utmost finesse, displaying all the opulence and craftsmanship of fine jewelry.
When Vivian saw the gift Altair produced, her pupils widened and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.
She instinctively raised a hand to cover her lips, fingertips trembling, her gaze fixed on the tiara; panic and joy mingled in her eyes, forming a sparkling lake.
She threw herself onto Altair, unable to hide her surprise, her voice lilting: "Th-this is for me?"
Altair smiled and nodded. "It was prepared for you."
After his clear confirmation, Vivian, barely suppressing her delight, asked Altair to place it on her himself.
In this era, when a nobleman gives a woman a tiara, it symbolizes that she has officially become the mistress of his house; it is the most emblematic gift of status.
With Altair's help, Vivian set the tiara on her head. From the moment she received it, she moved with extreme care, afraid it might fall; even while eating she was cautious.
After dinner she still wouldn't take it off, only letting Altair remove it when they were about to rest.
The next morning, after a final bout of pleasure with Vivian, Altair stepped into the laboratory alone beneath her reluctant gaze, took out the materials he had long since prepared, and began to mix the potion for his advancement.
Main ingredient for 'Witch': all the blood of an Abyssal Devilfish, and the egg of an Onyx Peacock.
Auxiliary ingredients: 80 ml pure water, 5 drops of golden datura juice, three scales of a Shadow Lizard, 10 drops of daffodil juice.
Main ingredient for 'Vampire': the blood-source essence of a Sequence 7 Sanguine.
Auxiliary ingredients: 100 ml pure water, 5 g bat-wing powder, 8 drops of night-vanilla juice, 3 drops of black-widow venom.
Main ingredient for 'Psychiatrist': the brain of a Psychiatrist, the core fluid of a glowing jellyfish.
Auxiliary ingredients: 30 ml of the Psychiatrist's blood, 70 ml pure water, 5 g hyacinth pollen, 5 drops of black datura juice.
Main ingredient for 'Savant': brain tissue of an old sage, a pair of Astral World silverfish eyes.
Auxiliary ingredients: 70 ml pure water, 1 g each of seven powdered gems, 8 drops of silverleaf grass juice, 3 g ancient metal shavings.
Of the four potions, Altair had gathered the main ingredients for all except 'Vampire', so he would not need to advance using someone else's Beyonder characteristic.
While a Beyonder characteristic can serve as a main ingredient, such convenience comes at a price.
For instance, a Witch's Beyonder characteristic, if not split beforehand, still contains the lower Sequences 'Assassin' and 'Instigator'. The drinker would then have to perform both low-level acting again, wasting time.
That is the mildest cost; the most terrifying is 'mental contamination'. Few Beyonders die natural deaths—most are killed or lose control. Different manners of death leave different marks on their Beyonder characteristics.
The most famous example is our 'Salty-Fish' Miss Fors Wall. Though the original story never confirmed whether she used an Abraham family characteristic to become a Beyonder, it is certain that ever since she used a Sealed Artifact made from one, Mr. Door drags her off every month to listen to his rap.
But I digress. As for the 'Vampire' main ingredient, Altair had no choice but to use another's Beyonder characteristic, for a Vampire's essence is simply the whole of a Vampire itself.
Following the recipes, Altair added the main and auxiliary ingredients in order to four cups. One dreamy rose-red liquid, one scarlet, one pale gold like a shifting giant eye, one iridescent that changed color with whatever it observed.
Gazing at the potions, Altair felt the banter of his past life echoing in his ears.
'Want to be a beauty? Skip the gym and skincare—drink the Assassin potion! Sequence 7 throws in stunning looks plus black-flame and frost skills. Pure profit!'
'The taste of a Demoness really is something.'
'All you're giving up is a couple of ounces of flesh.'
'Life is short—why not give it a shot?' Shaking off the thoughts, Altair took the potion and stepped into the Spirit World's library.
Looking at the rose-red liquid, Altair hesitated no longer. He raised the glass and drank it down.
As the potion entered his mouth he tasted neither the expected burn nor bitterness, but a cool, moon-smooth sensation sliding down his throat, then bursting into thousands of silken threads of spirituality that drilled into every limb and bone.
In the depths of his mind a torrent of whispers erupted—soft women's sighs mingled with the crack of ice and the roar of black flames. His vision blurred beneath a haze of pink mist; every light and shadow turned bewitching and strange.
Then came bodily change. First a tingle in his bones: each joint was gently remolded, his frame growing slender and tall.
Next a scorching itch across his skin, as if countless petals brushed beneath the surface, turning roughness into jade-like smoothness, every scar and line erased.
His hair sprouted wildly, sweeping past his shoulders; the once-gold strands now shimmered with moonlit silver, every filament alive with light, grazing his neck with cool, ticklish threads.