Chapter 487 – Improvement Spell Experiment (One)

At dawn, all was silent as the sky began to brighten. The darkness was receding, and the breaking dawn slowly awakened the slumbering creatures…

As time passed, the sky in Gray Rain Country gradually approached daybreak. The land was hazy, and the entire Grey Mire Swamp appeared blurred as if shrouded in a silver-gray veil. Beams of sunlight streamed directly into the windows of the mage tower, each ray resembling a shimmering golden thread. The countless sunbeams wove together like golden silk, gently enveloping the various tools on the laboratory table.

Amid the silence, a pale finger lightly tore through the golden silk. Neat nails brushed over several metallic-hued blades, the cold edges reflecting sharp glimmers on the mirror-like nails. Energy-circulating runes flowed slowly between the blade gaps, accompanied by the soft hum of the activated magic circle…

Without a doubt, the set of alchemy tools placed on the experiment table was exquisite and beautifully crafted. Even a seemingly ordinary complimentary scalpel was equipped with a cleaning spell matrix and virus-eradicating protection. This small detail alone highlighted the vast difference between high-grade and low-grade products.

These excellent alchemy tools were acquired by Punk overnight from the Thought of Truth auction house. It had to be said that having strength made things easier. After all, besides Punk, there were six other Master-Level powerhouses in the Gray Rain Country branch of Thought of Truth. Originally, obtaining this Master-Level alchemy set would have required competing in wealth with at least two or three Master-Level experts.

However… when Punk unabashedly revealed his Level 19 Caster soul level… the other two Master-Level Casters, merely at levels 15 or 16, silently withdrew from the bidding—antagonizing a Level 19 mage with a notorious reputation (from inexplicable rumors!) over a set of alchemy tools was unwise. Moreover, everyone could see that Punk was eager to begin his experiments. Even Kirk Weilen dared not interrupt Punk at this critical moment!

Thus, Punk managed to acquire this valuable alchemy equipment at nearly the base price!

“Formal-Level Conjuration Spell—High-Frequency Ray Sterilization”!

“Master-Level Alchemy Magic—Zero-Point Extreme Edge”!

Standing in the laboratory bathed in rippling morning light, Punk calmly cast two spells. As the glow of “Zero-Point Extreme Edge” traced a silver border along the edge of the alchemy scalpel, Punk’s expression grew serious and focused.

Holding the sleek, sci-fi-inspired scalpel with meticulously precise gestures, Punk slowly approached his experiment table.

The experiment table was anything but calm at this moment. Within the alchemy circle on it, a carapace worm the size of a large dog was frantically writhing every muscle in struggle. From a frontal view, one could see the worm’s dozens of blood-red compound eyes and its desperate attempts to gnaw at the brownish-yellow restraint circle with sharp teeth.There was no doubt that this massive, “plump” worm futilely struggling was Punk’s experimental target—the Ferocious Corpse Worm!

As descendants of the ancient “Aikoni Worms,” Ferocious Corpse Worms were far inferior to their ancestors in terms of power level. These enormous creatures, devoid of any intellect, only possessed Apprentice-Level strength. Their sluggish mobility even placed them at the bottom of the magical beast food chain.

However, low strength did not mean they lacked value. In fact, if someone were to hand Punk an ancient “Aikoni Worm” with Master-Level strength, he would be at a loss for how to study it. The soul lineage and solidified spells of Aikoni Worms were far too complex—such research typically required the aid of Legendary Spells, and the difficulty was on an entirely different level compared to the “Ferocious Corpse Worm”!

After all, the flawed ancient spell model of the “Soul-Eating Worm” was a simplified version of the Aikoni Worm’s soul and physical structure, and the current Ferocious Corpse Worm was also a “simplified version” of its ancestors. Using a simplified version to study another simplified version… Well, it made perfect sense.

“Alright, now let me uncover the secrets hidden within this ancient species. I hope its potential isn’t as simplistic and chaotic as the spell model of the ‘Soul-Eating Worm’… Oh, right, Vector, go fetch the ‘Element Separator’!”

While carefully observing the internal state of the Ferocious Corpse Worm using the “Eye of Scrying,” Punk, holding a knife in his right hand, issued a command to the Magic Raven perched on his shoulder.

“Caw, caw! Are all Bosses these days so adept at ordering birds around? This is clearly exploitation of labor, and without even a hint of wages! And the tasks assigned to this poor little bird are all trivial chores like fetching tea and water. Vector feels his dignity as a Legendary creation has been insulted, caw, caw!”

Although Vector obediently flew off to retrieve the “Element Separator,” the chatterbox raven immediately began an incessant stream of complaints in his youthful voice. It was clear that this fellow was quite dissatisfied with having received nothing but “menial treatment” under two consecutive Bosses.

However, Punk paid no heed to Vector’s protests. His experiments absolutely could not involve any apprentices “helping out” with trivial tasks. As for using temporarily created golems or summoned creatures… How could any of those compare to Vector’s usefulness? As far as Punk was concerned, this Magic Raven had nothing better to do anyway.

If he had the time, Punk even planned to teach Vector some alchemical knowledge. He wanted to see if he could train this foolish bird to assist with minor tasks or perhaps make it a bit smarter.

Placing the “Element Separator” handed over by Vector to the side, Punk began to carefully wield his knife over the worm on the Experiment Table.

Neither spell-based anesthesia nor drug-induced anesthesia could be used, as both would interfere with the Ferocious Corpse Worm’s bodily energy composition, ultimately affecting the precision of the observations! So… this large worm was truly unfortunate—it would have to endure a “live” dissection.With a silver-glinting scalpel, Punk swiftly slid it along the carapace seam of the “Number One” Xiong Qu Worm. The blade, enchanted with alchemical spells, sliced through the worm’s steel-tough hide as easily as cutting tofu. In less than a second, under the nimble movement of Punk’s fingers, one of the seven carapace segments on the worm’s back—the “neck armor”—was cleanly excised.

“Screeeeeech!!”

As the blood-beaded carapace was carefully removed by Punk, a piercing shriek filled with rage and agony instantly echoed throughout the laboratory.

It had to be admitted—aside from its two or three mediocre innate spells, the Xiong Qu Worm’s terrifying cry was quite the offensive weapon. This high-frequency screech, akin to sharp nails frantically scraping a chalkboard, was absolutely enough to drive most people to madness!

“What an annoying creature. I suppose I ought to quickly remove its vocal organs, and preferably locate its pain nerves to sever them in one cut. Damn it! This noise is truly unbearable!”

Listening to the Xiong Qu Worm’s incessant, frenzied shrieking, the Magical Raven Vector had already buried its head entirely under its wing. Punk, who preferred quiet, was also deeply irritated by the shrill noise. Frowning slightly, he promptly used the scalpel to make a swift incision into the worm’s neck!

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(End of Chapter)