Chapter 88: Controlled Substances
Roy didn't crash at 88 Ginkgo Street; instead, he found some random hotel to catch some Z's.
That evening, he got a message from Danny at the "Three Muskets Tavern," setting up a meet at their usual spot at 10 AM the next day.
Roy did his usual rounds during the day and spent the evening at the arena.
Gotta say, the arena was poppin' these past couple of days.
Looked like some big shots from the inner city were chilling in the VIP rooms upstairs. The bets were getting crazier, and the fights were turning savage. The gamblers were hyped, and Kai and his crew thought this was a good sign for Green Street—more action meant more cash. But Roy, watching from the sidelines, felt there was something fishy behind all this hype.
Not that he was sweating it.
For him, this was a win-win.
The crazier the arena, the more soul fragments he could snag.
At dawn, when the death matches wrapped up, it was time for Roy to clock out.
He hired some movers to haul all the gear out of the basement at 88 Ginkgo Street.
Since he couldn't find a decent place to crash, Roy decided to stop wasting time and rented a basement near the shooting range on Green Street for the long haul. The new spot didn't have a ton of dark energy, but it was quiet enough with the door shut. It was good enough for a workshop and training ground. Plus, he could hit up the shooting range next door for some target practice.
After moving in, it was still early. Roy tweaked a couple of high-tech exercise machines and gave them a whirl.
The "Neuro-Muscular Bioelectric Stimulation Device" hooked up to Roy, sending electric-like pulses through his muscles, constantly tearing muscle fibers.
A half-hour session showed some serious results.
Roy could track his body's data changes in real-time, confirming that this high-tech gadget was the real deal.
For muscle stimulation alone, the device's training effect was about three times better than going old school.
Then there was the "Steam-Powered Ultra-Low Temperature Therapy Device." After a hardcore workout, Roy's muscles were buzzing and tired, needing some serious R&R for muscle strength, endurance, and lactic acid threshold to grow. Spending two to three minutes in the -148°F ultra-low temp device instantly zapped muscle fatigue. This seriously boosted his recovery and cut down the recovery time.
Even though the gear seriously amped up his training results, Roy still wasn't feeling it.
In this world, besides all the high-tech stuff, the most hardcore way to boost your body was still "alchemy potions"!
At 10 sharp, Roy rolled up to the same sketchy warehouse where they did their last deal.
Since this wasn't their first rodeo, the wannabe gangsters hanging around were way less jittery.
Roy spotted Danny again.
For some reason, seeing Danny all wrapped up like a mummy, it hit him that the term "semi-mutated human" from the ID was pretty wild.
Before, Roy didn't know jack about this stuff and had no clue what it meant.
But after digging through the memories of those Black Tower Academy assistants in the underground, he got the basics of biology down.
It blew his mind.
In theory, mutation's a one-way ticket.
Once someone mutates, they're pretty much doomed to turn into a mindless beast.
So, this "semi-mutation" thing with Danny was kinda special.
It reminded Roy of some advanced stuff he read in the "Diary of Undead Research" yesterday.
A thousand years ago, Tirmidor M actually managed to pull off a "mutation suppression sample" from live experiments, making undead mutations controllable.
Roy wasn't sure what was up with Danny, but it seemed pretty similar.
He got lost in thought, zoning out a bit.
Then Danny broke the silence, "Sir, what potion are you looking to buy this time?"
Roy replied, "The 'Mutant Monster Repellent' you gave me last time saved my bacon. I wanna get some more."
Even though it saved Rena, in a way, it also saved "Roy's" cover.
Having one on hand might be a lifesaver down the road.
Danny looked a bit troubled and said, "The main ingredient for that potion is tough to find in the outer city. I'm out of stock."
Roy: "What do you need? Maybe I can keep an eye out next time I hit the black market."
Danny said, "I need the marrow of high-level mutant monsters. The higher the monster's rank, the better the potion works. The one I sold you last time was made from the marrow of a second-rank silver anomaly."
Roy listened and asked, "Can it be the marrow of any anomaly?"
Danny said, "Pretty much, yeah."
"Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you."
Roy nodded and then added, "I also wanna buy that 'Mutation Tolerance Enhancement Potion' you mentioned last time."
The "Mutation Tolerance Enhancement Potion" was for merging with the dark gold spider implant.
After going over the materials yesterday, the defected vice principal Nikola J gave Roy a heads-up. If he used all top-tier materials, the implant would be super strong, but the "containment value" requirement would skyrocket. He'd need around 1400 dark energy before his first job to avoid mutating. But when Roy took the job, he only had about 1200.
Nikola J originally suggested downgrading and using cheaper materials.
But Roy shot that idea down.
He remembered the "Mutation Tolerance Enhancement Potion" Danny had, which could boost curse resistance by 10-18%. If he took that potion, he should be able to handle the dark gold implant.
"Okay, but I only got one left," Danny said.
Danny wasn't planning to sell this special potion to anyone else anyway, but for the sake of the deal, he brought it along.
Roy snagged the "Mutation Tolerance Enhancement Potion," checking off another item on his list.
Then he asked, "Also, I need a body enhancement potion with no side effects, the higher the grade, the better."
Danny suggested, "I happen to have a 'PTX Berserk Enhancement Potion' and a 'Lester VI Blood Cell Enhancer.' These are lab-grade items, not available on the market, so you might not recognize them, but I can guarantee their effectiveness is top-notch. Want to give them a try?"
Roy didn't hesitate, "Sure."
Danny added, "I can sell you the potions, but I still hope you use them yourself and don't spill the beans to anyone. Otherwise, both you and I will be in deep trouble."
"No problem!"
Hearing the names of the potions, Roy knew exactly what kind of trouble it would be.
These potions were seriously controlled substances!
He recognized the names; they were exclusive training potions for noble students at Black Tower Academy, massively boosting training efficiency and muscle growth.
These were high-grade potions from the Black Tower Laboratory, strictly forbidden from leaking out. If caught, it would be a death sentence!
Plus, if Roy remembered right, the students were currently using the "fifth-generation potion," and Danny had brought out the "sixth-generation"!
Hearing the names of these potions, he was almost certain that Danny was an alchemist from a top-tier lab in the inner city!
In no time, the two potions were handed to Roy.
[PTX Berserk Enhancement Potion]
Details: After consumption, it will push your training to overload, significantly increasing muscle strength during training, accelerating fatigue recovery, providing a continuous source of explosive energy, endurance, and focus; the effect lasts for 12-13 weeks.
[Lester VI Blood Cell Enhancer]
Details: After consumption, it continuously enhances cell activity, muscle growth +60%, recovery efficiency +144%; the effect lasts for 16-18 weeks; individual physical differences may cause a 5-20% variation in data.
Using the All-Knowing Eye to check out the killer effects, Roy was sold, "How much?"
The effects were at least two to three times better than the best body enhancement potions he'd seen on the black market!
Hearing the price question, Danny looked a bit uneasy and said, "They're not sold on the market, so I don't know their exact value. But just the material cost for these two potions exceeds 500,000 copper coins. You can have both for 800,000 copper coins."
"No problem."
This was a steal, even cheaper than the cost.
Roy immediately paid up and got the two potions.
He then asked, "Can I get more of these potions in the future?"
Danny looked troubled, "It's very difficult. Without a lab-grade potion room, even with the materials, these potions can't be made."
"Oh."
Roy felt a bit bummed.
But scoring such high-grade potions was already a win.
The effects would last for a few months, giving him enough time to figure something out.
At this point, Roy said, "I know your potions won't be sold on a large scale, but if you need to sell any, you can contact me directly. At least I can guarantee your info won't leak, and the price will be right."
Since learning about Danny's situation, Roy knew Danny must be strapped for cash.
After all, being an alchemist was a pricey gig. Despite the high value of finished potions, the materials wasted during the process were also significant. Relying solely on those young guys around Danny to steal wouldn't cut it for Danny's daily research.
Having traded twice, they had built a basic level of trust. Hearing this, Danny nodded, "Okay."
At this point, Roy remembered something and casually asked, "By the way, when I was hunting in the underground last time, I found a bunch of mutated monsters. Do you know what's up with that? Many of those monsters were of unknown types and way stronger than usual mutants."
Hearing this, Danny seemed troubled, like he knew the reason but was hesitant to spill.
But having sold so many special potions, Danny guessed that Roy had likely figured out some of his background.
After some thought, Danny said, "I heard that a few years ago, there was a serious accident in an inner city lab, causing some special substances to leak into the city's sewer system, triggering biological mutations. I don't know the specifics, but it's best to avoid the sewers when hunting."
So it was a lab leak.
Roy nodded, "Okay."
Two days later, Roy hit up the black market.
He successfully snagged the "Eight-Armed Spider God Spear" alchemy implant.
The finished product was even more perfect than he had expected!