Edwyn placed his hand on the Black Iron Beast's claw, and in an instant, the Infinite Forge within his soul evaluated the item.
[Material: Front Claw of the Black Iron Beast]
[Refinable Substance: Pure Black Iron Beast Bloodline]
[Refinement Cost: 100 Mana]
[Proceed with Refinement?]
"Yes."
The claw instantly appeared inside the Infinite Forge. Streams of Edwyn's magic were absorbed as fuel for the refinement process. Within seconds, a glowing drop of ruby-like blood wrapped in magic floated in Edwyn's hand.
Bloodline Alchemy, a widespread form of alchemy among Mages, allows an alchemist to merge the bloodlines of other creatures with their own to gain certain abilities or enhance their physical traits.
And in Bloodline Alchemy, purity is everything.
If the blood used is tainted with another species' bloodline, the end result may be unpredictable, or even completely contrary to expectations.
After placing the blood in a test tube, Edwyn pulled a bottle of deep-black ink from a drawer.
According to the notes he studied, besides purified blood, Bloodline Alchemy also requires special ink to draw an alchemical array over the heart. This array channels the blood into a seed, planting it in the heart, ready to activate when needed.
This method is one of the most common routes in Bloodline Alchemy: the Bloodline Seed.
Its biggest advantage is minimal alteration to physical form and easy replacement of bloodlines. The downside? Maintaining the bloodline's power requires a constant supply of magic.
Other methods include organ grafting, mutating the user's own organs, and the most popular among modern Mages: full bloodline fusion.
Thankfully, the notes included a recipe for the ink. But after asking around, Edwyn learned that Bloodline Alchemy ink is now mass-produced and easily purchased for just five Mana Stones per bottle.
Upon discovering this, Edwyn couldn't help but sigh: times had changed, and so had technology.
With the expansion brought by inter-planetary conquests, the pool of available bloodlines had grown dramatically. Mages from every discipline could now find bloodlines suited to their path, and Bloodline Alchemy had become standard practice.
The Mage who died during the Mage Wars probably never imagined his obscure bloodline research would one day become common knowledge.
Grabbing a feather quill, Edwyn took off his shirt and stood in front of a mirror, carefully drawing the array over his heart.
The array needed for Bloodline Alchemy was fairly simple. Edwyn completed it in just ten minutes.
With everything ready, Edwyn lay on his bed and took a deep breath.
The array glowed with a faint blue light as it activated, and Edwyn poured the blood from the test tube into its center. The very next second, a searing pain like a red-hot brand surged from his chest. His heart pumped boiling blood through his body like molten iron.
"Urgh!"
Edwyn clenched his teeth and struggled to remain conscious.
He had to keep feeding magic into the array without pause.
No telling how much time passed, but eventually the burning in his chest faded.
His body slackened as he collapsed onto the bed, completely soaked in sweat.
"This thing is pure torture..."
After a short rest, Edwyn slowly sat up, peeling off his sweat-soaked clothes. He planned to take a shower.
Riiip.
The sound of tearing fabric echoed in the room.
Edwyn looked down at his torn pants, confused.
He hadn't pulled that hard.
He gave them a careful tug, the tough fabric tore apart like paper. Then it hit him.
His strength had increased.
Moving cautiously, Edwyn stripped and began testing his body's changes.
One punch, and the air cracked with a low boom. A light jump, and his head bumped the ceiling with ease.
"The notes said the first stage of Bloodline Alchemy would slightly enhance physical strength…"
He turned and lifted the bed behind him. It weighed at least several hundred pounds, but to him, it felt only mildly heavy.
"Mages call this a slight enhancement?"
Edwyn put the bed down, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
He had expected that a Mage's "slight" might differ from a layman's, but this? The gap between apprentices and true Mages might be greater than the sun and the earth.
Adjusting to his new body, Edwyn began practicing the breathing technique recorded in the notebook. Every Bloodline Alchemy formula came with a specific breathing method. Besides temporarily boosting combat strength, it also helped awaken the bloodline.
According to the notes, he should now possess a faint protective scale armor.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
After just a few cycles, Edwyn felt a searing heat radiate from his heart, spreading rapidly through his body. Alongside it came an itching sensation across his skin.
Looking down, Edwyn saw black, metallic scales piercing through his skin, just like those of the Black Iron Beast.
He grabbed a dagger and carefully tested it on himself. The blade, sharp enough to cut through iron, now struggled to penetrate the scales.
"Heh... slight protection, huh?"
Edwyn sheathed the dagger. With magic, it could cut through steel plate. And now it took force just to get through his scales.
Basically, he now wore armor tougher than plate mail.
Combine those black scales with the forcefield from his Mage robes, and Edwyn now had one of the best defenses among new apprentices.
"Even if I faced that demon ram head-on now, I'd probably win with ease."
The black scales rippled with his muscle movements, flowing across his body like water, shimmering with a strange metallic allure in the light.
"So beautiful," Edwyn muttered with a hint of vanity.
But the moment didn't last.
Suddenly, a bone-deep hunger surged through his body.
"Crap. Bloodline Alchemy drained all my magic, now the bloodline is feeding on my life force!"
Edwyn immediately shut the bloodline down. The scales receded from his limbs and drew back to his chest, forming a black brand.
The hunger faded, but weakness crashed over him like a wave.
He staggered to the desk and grabbed a leftover nutrition potion from the entrance exam.
One bottle wasn't enough. He chugged a second, then a third, only then did the terrifying hunger finally retreat.
In the washroom, Edwyn stared at the mirror. His reflection was once again skinny and gaunt. All the fat he'd carefully built up was gone.
"This Bloodline Alchemy… the energy cost is insane. Never, ever use it when my Mana's empty," he concluded grimly.
After washing off the blood and putting on fresh clothes, Edwyn stood tall.
Three months had passed.
It was time to go claim his reward, one hundred Mana Stones.