The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

squeak-

The rusty iron gate of the old dormitory emitted a piercing "shriek".

Led by Eric, the newcomers, including Eunicev, stepped into an incredibly thick darkness.

The sandalwood scent remains, but the putrid smell has become more pronounced—a scent reminiscent of overripe fruit with ethylene, mixed with a hint of burnt protein.

Yoniv wrinkled his nose and moved forward in the dark with the crowd, his boots treading on the dusty floor, occasionally audible as the tiles cracked.

Eric lit a lantern, and the burning flame emitted a sacred golden light.

The shadows cast on the wall stretched long.

He stopped at the crossroads and held the lamplight close to a sign covered in ivy.

"This used to be the purification corridor...it was forced to close down because students got lost."

The cold breath exhaled by the new students was extremely conspicuous in the darkness.

Yoniv squinted, using the light of his lantern to look at the wall where the notice board was hanging.

It is an alchemical rune... The materials used to carve it are almost identical to those used for wall paint.

But those idiots seem to have forgotten that wall paint will peel off over time.

The fine gray lines were largely obscured by the growing vines... making them resemble nodes used in large-scale synthesis.

There could be a traitor among alchemists? This didn't surprise Yunevo at all.

Eric eloquently proclaimed the miracle, leading the team forward.

Many half-closed rooms began to appear on both sides of the procession, and a ray of light flashed in Yonevo's peripheral vision.

Crystal prisms... are tools used to refract and concentrate the frequency of magical energy, but mages are usually reluctant to lend them out.

A three-way collaboration? Yunevo pinched his cheeks and followed Eric into the eighth room—a spacious foyer, like a "waiting area" specially arranged by the Enlightenment Society.

Several dilapidated benches were arranged in a circle, with mithril dust neatly laid out inside, the lines of which were no different from the church's prayer circle.

"Please wait here, brothers and sisters... God's grace will descend upon you equally."

Eric's voice echoed in the empty foyer, carrying a hint of authority, "I will pray to the gods in sacred rites..."

He carried a lantern, walked on the red carpet, and pushed open the oak door behind him, which was marked with a cross and studded with dark silver nails.

After the dull thud of the door hinges turning ended, all that remained were the new students looking at each other in bewilderment, and the heavy breathing that rose and fell.

Without a leader, the group naturally fell apart, and the freshmen, based on their familiarity with each other, formed several groups...

Trying to dispel the inexplicable sense of fear.

It's like encountering random religious elements in a bizarre place where ghost stories are born...

Taking this opportunity, Ionevoy quietly made his way to the shadowy corner of the wall.

His fingertips swept across his pouch, silently counting the order in which the potions were arranged, before he downed a potion with a strange hue in one gulp.

Invisibility Potion – The main ingredient comes from the Thousand Faces Stalker, which has excellent mimicry abilities.

In adult form, they can even alter the refractive index of light on their skin and hair, thus achieving a so-called "optical camouflage" effect.

This single bottle nearly emptied the savings that Yonivo had just managed to rebuild.

For the next fifteen minutes, he will be a resentful, black-robed ghost—because complete invisibility requires him to be completely naked.

As for a complete set of Thousand Faces Stalker armor, or even organs... he couldn't buy them, nor could he afford them.

On the other side, in a corner, several timid freshmen huddled together, whispering their fears of the dark and the unknown. Yunefu's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Have you heard of the Faceless Man?" He pulled down the brim of his hat and squeezed into the crowd, appearing like a normal person in the front hall where even moonlight could hardly penetrate.

"A...faceless man?" A chill ran down everyone's spine.

"The Faceless Man, a long-standing legend at Tircol Academy, is said to be a student who died in an alchemical accident."

Yunefu lowered his voice, pondering his memories of urban legends from his past life.

"Having lost his facial features, he'll attack students entering the old dormitory building..."

"Then, it will use its slimy, foul-smelling, yet incredibly sharp tentacles on its back, like those of a marine monster, to make you watch your own skin being peeled away bit by bit."

A faint sob came from a girl, because when she looked at her companion beside her... the companion's face seemed to blur for a moment.

"No...don't talk nonsense," her companion wasn't much better, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Senior Eric said this place...this place is sacred."

Ignoring the girl's interruption, Yonivore continued telling his little story.

"Some say that the Faceless Man has learned to disguise itself, allowing it to blend in with the students who come to visit the old dormitory building..."

"What...what will happen to it?" A boy's voice changed as he looked at Yonivo, who had his head down.

"We...we can use magic..."

"Magic? It favors magic apprentices...because their faces are preserved the longest,"

Yonivore's sudden laughter sent chills down everyone's spines, before he changed the subject.

"Actually, it's very lonely, so lonely that it wants to tell its story to every student and then watch them be dominated by fear."

The new students' hearts were pounding like drums, and their fear was almost at its breaking point.

"Only in this way...will I be able to taste the most delicious food..."

Yonivore abruptly ripped off his hood, revealing his hollowed-out face, and approached with a shrill, hoarse laugh that tormented his own voice!

"ah--!!!"

Fear... spread among every terrified new student. Cries and heavy footsteps mingled together as Yoni watched them tumble and crawl out of the "waiting area".

The new student and Eric hadn't established much trust between them, which is why the first thing the student did was to run away instead of seeking help.

Thanks to the residual effects of the "Thousand Faces Stalker" potion, Yunevo was able to slightly control the light refraction on his face... creating a "hole".

Very good, that saves a lot of effort... Yunevo smiled with satisfaction, picked up the second bright silver potion with a metallic sheen between his fingertips, and swallowed it.

The Iron Bones Elixir, derived from the Ironfeather Pelican, as its name suggests, significantly enhances bone density and muscle strength.

With the addition of the rubber skin... Yoniv felt a strange itch in his elbow joint.

The oak door was pulled open, and two church spies emerged, each holding a mithril dagger, clearly drawn out by the commotion.

Their sharp eyes instantly spotted the extremely unusual black figure before them, and their two daggers were poised to strike!

But Ionevoy's slaps and elbows came even faster; he struck from both sides almost instantly, smashing both men's jaws to pieces!

"Being young is great, you can fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow!"

Yunevo shook his slightly numb hands and poured the dizziness potion down their throats.

He then used the sacred cords he had found to tie the spies up tightly, and also gagged them with small pieces of carpet that he had torn off.

Now, it's time to reveal the truth... He took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy wooden door in front of him.