Lysander walked out of the cabin, leaving the bickering girls behind. He took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, finding a quiet spot near the edge of the clearing to inspect the changes.
"System," Lysander commanded internally.
"Break down the new features. What changed in Version?"
Ding!
A sleek, black holographic menu expanded in front of him, listing the patch notes in crisp blue text.
[Global Shop Upgrade: The Shop has been upgraded]
[Unlocked: High-Grade Healing Potions & Mana Elixirs]
[Unlocked: Fresh Ingredients Tab (Includes Magical Fruits and Rare Herbs for Alchemy/Cooking]
[Loyalty Status Window]: You can now view the Live Health Bars and Status Conditions of individuals who have sworn absolute loyalty to you
[[Mission Board Update Dungeon Conquest Missions are now available]
Lysander rubbed his chin, analyzing the list.
"Shop upgrade... this is a massive
advantage," he muttered, his eyes lingering on the Consumables tab.
He scrolled through the new items. The Greater Sun-Fruits he had used yesterday were powerful, but they were technically ingredients meant for curing diseases or permanent stat boosting. They were too slow and expensive for the chaos of battle.
"Fruits are fine for recovery after a battle, or for curing sickness like the Black-Vein," Lysander reasoned. "But in the middle of a fight, I can't force-feed someone a fruit and wait for it to digest"
He tapped on the [High-Grade Healing Potion].
"This is what I needed. Instant liquid recovery. If Seraphina or Elara gets slashed by a monster, I can splash this on them and close the wound in seconds. It allows me to be more aggressive without worrying about them bleeding out"
He looked at the [Loyalty Status Window]. He could see two small bars in the corner of his vision.
[Seraphina]: HP 100%
(Status: Flustered/Determined)
[Elara]: HP 100%
(Status: Jealous/Enraged)
Lysander sighed, shaking his head.
"At least I'll know if they are in danger instantly"
He closed the window. The tools were ready. Now, he just needed the army to use them on.
"System, claim Mission Rewards"
[THE SSS-RANK REWARD]
"System, claim Mission Rewards"
Ding!
[MISSION COMPLETE: THE GUARDIAN OF THE FORGOTTEN]
[Objective: Protect the Demi-Human Village from the Rank-B Threat]
[DISTRIBUTING REWARDS...]
[SP: +15,000] (Already processed)
[SPECIAL REWARD: Origin Bloodline Awakening Elixir]
Flash.
A heavy, reinforced wooden crate materialized in Lysander's inventory. He didn't take the whole crate out; he just withdrew a single bottle to inspect it.
It wasn't a normal potion. The vial was made of unbreakable crystal, and inside, a thick, crimson liquid swirled like a living nebula. It pulsed with a faint, heartbeat-like rhythm, glowing with a dangerous, ancient power.
Lysander held the vial up to the sunlight, his sensors scanning the liquid.
"Identify"
[ITEM DETAILS]
[Name: Origin Bloodline Awakening Elixir]
[Quantity: 30 Bottles]
[Rank: S ](Peak Grade)
[Type: Consumable / Evolution Material]
[A forbidden alchemical miracle lost to time. When consumed, this elixir scans the user's genetic code for the faintest trace—even as low as 1%—of an Ancient or Mythical Ancestry]
[It does not simply buff the user. It hunts down that dormant 1% trace, purifies it, and forcefully amplifies it until it overwrites the user's current weak bloodline. It turns a dormant spark into a raging fire, granting the user the powers of their forgotten ancestors]
Lysander stared at the description, his eyes widening behind the mask.
"This... this is insane"
He gripped the bottle tightly.
"Most people in this world have diluted blood. Over thousands of years, the blood of ancient Heroes, Demon Kings, and Mythical Beasts has become weak, hidden deep in their DNA"
He looked at the crimson liquid swirling.
"But this bottle... if someone has even a single drop of a Dragon's blood or a High-Elf's blood in their ancestry from 500 years ago, this elixir will find it. It will drag that power to the surface and transform them."
He calculated the possibilities instantly.
Seraphina she was called "Trash" because her mana channels were blocked. But she was a Valerius—a noble family. Somewhere in her history, there must be a powerful ancestor. This elixir wouldn't just fix her; it would turn her into a prodigy.
Elara she was a Cat-Kin. But what were her ancestors? Were they simple wildcats? Or did she have the blood of a Shadowstalker or a Divine Beast flowing faintly in her veins?
"Thirty bottles," Lysander whispered, a terrifying ambition rising in his chest.
"I can't just heal them. I can evolve them"
He put the bottle back into his inventory, his mind racing.
"I won't just have a party. I will have a squad of Mythical beings"
He turned back toward the cabin, his voice projecting power.
"Seraphina! Elara! Get over here!" Lysander shouted. "Stop fighting. I have a gift for you"
Elara and Seraphina walked toward the center of the village clearing, but the atmosphere between them was freezing cold.
They looked like two sulking children who had been forced to apologize but didn't mean it.
Seraphina stood on the left, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her cheeks puffed out in a pout. She refused to look at the "savage cat."
Elara stood on the right, her tail twitching irritably behind her. She glared at the "shameless human" for a split second, scrunched her nose in disgust, and then snapped her head in the opposite direction with a loud, dramatic "Hmph!"
They stood back-to-back, radiating waves of annoyance, refusing to acknowledge each other's existence.
Lysander ignored their childish cold war. His shout had done its job.
From the surrounding tents and makeshift huts, the rest of the villagers began to emerge. The children, still rubbing sleep from their eyes, held onto their mothers' hands. Miko, the little fox-girl, peeked out from behind her mother's leg, her ears perking up when she saw the tall figure of Lord Zero.
The women who had been healed yesterday looked healthy and strong, their skin no longer grey. They gathered in a semi-circle, whispering nervously.
"What is happening?"
"Why has the Lord called us so early?"
"Is there another monster?"
The air was filled with tension. They respected Lysander, but his iron mask and robotic voice still intimidated them.
Elara, sensing the seriousness of the situation, tried to compose herself. She smoothed down her leather armor and stepped forward, though she made sure to keep a wide distance from Seraphina.
"Lord Zero," Elara said, her voice respectful but still carrying a hint of her earlier frustration. "You called for us? Is there a problem?"
She looked up at him, expecting him to give orders about defense or food gathering.
But then, her golden eyes froze.
Her gaze locked onto the object in Lysander's right hand.
He was holding a crystal bottle. Inside, a thick, crimson liquid swirled slowly, glowing with an inner light that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. Even from a few meters away, Elara's instincts screamed at her. The mana coming from that small bottle was dense, ancient, and terrifyingly pure.
It smelled like... power.
"Lord Zero..." Elara whispered, her pupils dilating as she stared at the mesmerizing liquid. "What... what is that in your hand?"
The bickering stopped instantly.
Seraphina turned around, her violet eyes widening as she felt the mana pressure radiating from the vial.
"This?" Lysander asked calmly, lifting the Origin Bloodline Awakening Elixir so everyone could see the ruby light reflecting off his mask.
"This is the future."
Both girls looked at him with confusion written all over their faces. They had expected weapons. They had expected a harsh training regimen—running up mountains, swinging swords until their hands bled.
But a potion?
"You said you wanted to be strong,"
Lysander said, his voice deep and echoing.
"You said you wanted to stand by my side"
He swirled the red liquid.
"I am not just going to teach you how to fight. I am going to rewrite your existence. I am going to give you a Bloodline so powerful that no mortal, noble, or monster will ever be able to stop you"
Seraphina's jaw dropped slightly. She stared at the vial, her violet eyes trembling with disbelief.
'Bloodline?' she thought, her mind racing through every book she had ever read in the Royal Library. 'That's impossible.'
She looked at Lysander.
'I thought he was going to teach me a secret sword technique. Or maybe give me a mana breathing method. But... changing a bloodline?
She shook her head internally.
'You can't change what you are born with. That is the first law of magic. Only a God can change a mortal's essence. Is he... is Zero really a God in disguise?'
The idea terrified and thrilled her. To change a "Rank-F Trash" into something else? That was a miracle no amount of gold could buy.
Elara, on the other hand, wasn't thinking about magic laws or logic. As she stared at the glowing red liquid, her eyes glazed over. She wasn't seeing a potion; she was seeing a wedding ring.
'If I drink this...' Elara thought, her cheeks flushing pink. 'I will become strong. I will evolve'
The world around her faded away. In her mind, she was no longer in a muddy village.
'I will be powerful enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. I won't be a burden. I will be his equal'