Without his usual two-hour bedtime phone-scrolling session, Ikezawa had fallen asleep unusually early last night and naturally woke up early this morning. His first sensation upon waking was one of profound lightness—every muscle in his body felt incredibly relaxed and energized!
He instinctively stretched, and as he did, a crisp series of cracking and popping sounds erupted from his bones.
"What the..." Ikezawa glanced down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. He felt an inexhaustible reservoir of strength coursing through him. Tentatively, he rose onto his toes, exerted a slight force through his feet, and gently hopped. Normally, he would barely manage a few centimeters off the ground, but this time, he felt like he was taking flight.
No, he was actually flying—his head slammed violently against the rocky ceiling of the Mountain Cave.
Bang!
"Holy shit!"
Ikezawa tumbled to the ground, rubbing his dazed head. He looked up at the spiderweb of cracks his impact had left in the rock face. "Huh? It barely hurts?"
"Maybe... I'm super strong now?!"
Completely bewildered by what was happening, Ikezawa thought, Isn't there a doctor right here? Why not just ask her?
Thud! "Ouch!"
Thud! "Holy crap!"
His rapidly enhanced physical strength was proving incredibly difficult to control. He had only intended to take a single step forward with his left leg, but the slightest push from his right foot sent him leaping three or four meters across the cave, crashing into the opposite rock wall.
Like a bouncy ball, he ricocheted off the walls several times before finally reaching the deepest part of the Mountain Cave, where he stared in wide-eyed astonishment.
At the very back of the cave, Lingsha knelt on the ground, her hands resting gently on her thighs. Her gaze was fixed calmly on a pot of Chinese medicine simmering before her.
A faint pink scent swirled around her, and Ikezawa even spotted a small, pale pink rabbit-like creature—a Smoke Beast—lounging lazily atop the young girl's head.
The entire scene radiated an overwhelming sense of beauty.
Just moments ago, he had been struggling to survive in a crude mountain cave. But now, gazing at this tableau, Ikezawa felt as if he had stumbled into the secluded abode of a Cultivator.
His first thought was, "If I screenshot this and send it to the chat group, it'll probably confirm my 'Cultivator' identity for good, right?"
But it was too late to worry about that now. Besides, despite the excruciating embarrassment of yesterday, he didn't particularly regret his decision anymore.
After all, there was no real advantage to pretending to be a Cultivator. It was better to just come clean.
The clattering and banging behind her naturally caught Lingsha's attention. She glanced back and saw Ikezawa, covered in dust, his clothes torn and disheveled. "What happened to you?"
"I feel... incredible," Ikezawa said, scratching his head. "Too incredible, actually. It's kind of overwhelming. So... what exactly is going on with me?"
As he spoke, Ikezawa seemed to take a step forward, but the next moment he was performing a perfect backflip right in front of Lingsha, driving his head into the ground with a sickening thud.
A normal person might have died instantly from such an impact, but Ikezawa simply sat up slowly, as if nothing had happened. Lingsha's eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
"Hold still," Lingsha said, rising to her feet. She brushed the dust off her leggings before approaching Ikezawa. Cupping her chin in one hand, she circled him slowly, observing him from all angles.
He smelled normal, showed no signs of illness, and appeared perfectly healthy. Beyond that, she couldn't discern much.
However, the cause of his current state was easy to guess. There was only one possibility: the piece of 'divine' flesh!
Could consuming it just one night ago really produce such a bizarre effect?
Yesterday, Elysia had instructed Baldy Burke to deliver the meat to the second-in-command of the Scholar's White Tower. Lingsha vividly remembered the smug, gloating expression on Burke's face as he received the order.
Scientific research rarely yields instant results, and the Scholar's White Tower was unlikely to make any breakthroughs in the short term. Lingsha shook her head. "This Lady isn't entirely sure what's going on. But for now, it doesn't seem like anything harmful."
"In any case, you should focus on adjusting to your newfound strength. Try not to trip over your own feet anymore."
Just as Ikezawa resumed his clumsy pratfalls, Lingsha returned to the bowl of Chinese medicine. Finally, after a little more time, she had completed her first batch, meticulously following the online instructions.
However, staring at the strange, murky liquid swirling with floating fragments, she couldn't help but swallow nervously. Can anyone actually drink this stuff?
The herbs she had used were mostly those with strengthening properties, making this an Enhancement Potion rather than a medicinal concoction. The aroma hinted that it might indeed enhance physical strength.
Lingsha carefully lifted the bowl with her small, crimson hands. After a moment's hesitation, she gently dipped a finger into the broth and licked it off.
"Ugh—"
An unimaginable taste flooded her mouth, causing her to stick out her delicate pink tongue in disgust. This stuff was utterly vile!
Forget about any potential benefits; even a single lick of her finger was almost unbearable. Anyone who could finish this entire bowl without vomiting would truly be a demigod.
Lingsha couldn't bring herself to throw it away completely; after all, it was her first creation. So, she set the bowl aside and began pondering how to improve the recipe to make the final product more palatable.
She couldn't deny the thrill of scientific discovery coursing through her veins. Using her own hands, she was combining different ingredients to create something novel, powerful, and entirely new.
About an hour later, Ikezawa, who had barely adjusted to his new body, cautiously tiptoed back into the room. His gaze immediately fell upon the bowl of now-cold Chinese medicine. "What's this?" he asked.
Completely absorbed in her "scientific pursuits," Lingsha instinctively replied, "It's a medicine to enhance physical fitness."
Ikezawa's eyes widened in surprise. "There's such a thing?" Though he was already much stronger than before, who would refuse an opportunity to become even stronger? He eagerly asked, "Can I drink it?"
Lingsha casually answered, "Mhm," her mind still preoccupied with her experiments.
Overjoyed, Ikezawa snatched up the bowl and gulped down a large mouthful.
"Ugh—!!!"