My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 146 - 121: ’I Want a Full-Body Alchemy Armor

The spear pierced Maticvia's neck.

The spearhead was coated in a Blood Burst Secret Medicine paste. Maticvia's neck began to swell, and his head expanded along with it.

Fang Zhen pulled back his spear and retreated.

The Blood Burst Secret Medicine didn't affect Maticvia as strongly as it did other aberrations.

Maticvia's neck and head swelled to one and a half times their normal size, and then, with a POP, they burst.

It was like smashing a watermelon.

Fang Zhen shook his head slightly. He had seen this sort of thing many times, but he still wasn't quite used to it.

But then, a wave of relief washed over him.

'Maticvia's dead, so I should've cleared the Ancient Castle Caverns instance.'

'That was faster than I expected.'

'This instance couldn't be called weak. On the contrary, the enemies here were the strongest I've faced. But by finding the right method and hiring a partner like Jilenna, clearing it went very smoothly.'

Now that the matter weighing on his mind was resolved, Fang Zhen finally relaxed. The tension left his face, and his brows visibly softened.

Gwendolyn stared at the headless corpse on the ground and, after a long moment, let out a sigh.

"Maticvia... back then, he was a genius Curse Sealer who rose like a comet. As a young man, he was accomplished, ambitious, and brimming with confidence. It's no wonder Huna fell in love with him."

"And for that very reason, wanting to make a name for himself, Maticvia took the initiative to assemble a team to come and kill Count Ellick."

"But who could have imagined it would end like this? Ellick was left unharmed, my Huna died, and Maticvia became a monster, serving as Ellick's watchdog."

"I thought he was a comet, but it turns out he was just a meteor, flashing across the sky for a moment."

"Alas."

Fang Zhen said, "Fate is a fickle thing."

"Indeed," Gwendolyn nodded.

Gwendolyn, for his part, felt a sense of closure, tinged with emotion.

"Let's go. We should check the depths of the Underground Cave and see if it leads to Ellick's Ancient Castle," Fang Zhen suggested, not wanting Gwendolyn to linger in his sorrowful mood.

In truth, he didn't think they could actually reach Ellick's Ancient Castle from the Underground Cave.

'If we could actually get through, we'd be facing an ancient vampire, Ellick, who's lived for over two hundred years.'

'Maticvia was already this difficult. It's hard to imagine what kind of grueling battle we'd face against that Vampire Lord directly.'

Fang Zhen didn't underestimate himself, but he knew that challenging the Vampire Count right now would be suicide.

'Based on the patterns so far, the "instance-based life game" wouldn't just send me to my death.'

'Of course, there was no need to tell Gwendolyn and the others about any of this.'

Gwendolyn quickly composed himself.

"Let's go. We'll head deeper into the Underground Cave and take a look," Gwendolyn said.

The four of them—Fang Zhen, Gwendolyn, Mark, and Jilenna—held up their high-powered flashlights and walked down the tunnel from which Maticvia had emerged.

After walking for a while, they discovered a larger chamber.

It wasn't especially large, maybe a little over three hundred square meters. This was likely where Maticvia rested. Piles of white bones were heaped on the ground, whether human or animal was impossible to tell.

On one side of the chamber, a stone wall was unusually smooth, with words carved into it by a sharp instrument.

Fang Zhen glanced at it and was able to read the text immediately.

It was a diary, carved into the stone by Maticvia with his weapon.

The characters were huge, each one the size of two fists. The lines weren't very long, and they grew progressively shorter.

"To survive, I accepted Ellick's terms and underwent his 'transformation.' I should feel sorrow... I can't believe this form is me, yet I feel no sadness at all. My understanding of such emotions is just a memory from when I was human. But can I still be called human?"

"Burning heat, mania, savagery... these emotions constantly assault me. My reason grows ever thinner. I don't know how much longer I can hold on to my human consciousness."

"Why can't I leave this Underground Cave? I'm even getting used to it, content to remain in this cramped space. Is this Ellick's doing? What kind of brand did he leave on my mind?"

"The aberrations in the caves brought me food. Humans. The sight of it disgusted me, yet the temptation of human flesh was irresistible. My reason couldn't fight it. I ate."

"My sense of self is fading... my actions are becoming more and more bestial..."

"It seems I chose wrong. My human consciousness is almost gone. I might become nothing more than a talking beast..."

"...Huna, I'm sorry..."

Fang Zhen read the words carved across the entire stone wall in silence.

"That vampire, Ellick... he's even more terrifying than I imagined. To think he could transform a Curse Sealer into that kind of monster," Gwendolyn said, his voice laced with dread.

"It's not just that," Fang Zhen said. "He can also leave an imprint on a person's mind, which suggests he has some kind of mind-control ability, not just physical or material-level control."

Gwendolyn's lips tightened. The pressure was clearly getting to him.

"Should we go any deeper?" Mark asked nervously, having also read the writing on the wall.

"Let's scout ahead, but we won't go too far," Fang Zhen said.

"Agreed," Gwendolyn concurred.

The four of them continued deeper into the Underground Cave.

Past the chamber where Maticvia had carved his diary, the tunnel continued, sloping steadily upward. It looked like it really did lead to the Ancient Castle on the mountain.

Fang Zhen and the others walked for nearly seventeen minutes. Based on the incline, they estimated their elevation had increased by two or three hundred meters. The tunnel began to narrow, from being wide enough for seven or eight people to walk abreast down to only accommodating two or three.

Just then, an iron door blocked their path.

The door looked exceptionally thick and heavy, its sides deeply embedded in the stone walls. While it had the shape of a door, there was no keyhole. It was just a solid, sealed block of iron.

Fang Zhen, who was at the front, stepped forward and knocked on the iron door.

The resulting sound was a dull thud.

He suddenly had a gut feeling.

"This iron door is at least forty centimeters thick. We can't get through," he said.

He didn't know how his mysterious language talent had translated "centimeters," but Gwendolyn clearly understood.

Gwendolyn pressed his hand against the iron door.

"We can't get through. It looks like our exploration ends here."

"Should we head back to town?"

Gwendolyn asked Fang Zhen.

Fang Zhen nodded.

He then clearly sensed both Gwendolyn and Mark let out a sigh of relief.

Fang Zhen smiled.

'They've come all this way, so they're unwilling to turn back without seeing the Ancient Castle. But going there means facing the notorious Count Ellick, and they're afraid of being crushed. Admitting that, however, would make them seem cowardly.'

'This iron door is the perfect excuse for them to back down gracefully.'

Fang Zhen understood. It was a completely normal reaction, and it was better to see through it without saying anything.

"Let's head back," he said, turning.

...

「Over an hour later, in town.」

Gwendolyn's small courtyard.

Fang Zhen and the others returned.

Jilenna had come with them. The Highland Female Knight seemed curious about her surroundings, constantly glancing around, but she neither said nor asked anything.

Fang Zhen was fine with that; it saved him the trouble of explaining.

While Mark organized and cleaned his equipment in the courtyard, Fang Zhen took his supply pack and went inside to talk business with Gwendolyn.

Fang Zhen could tell that Gwendolyn was in desperate need of potassium permanganate tablets, amoxicillin, and other such medicines.

And Fang Zhen wanted things as well.

Whether it was Curse Seals or alchemical products, there was a great deal of value to be gained.

'In my current state, I've likely cleared the Ancient Castle Caverns instance,' he thought. 'If I return to the Light Gate, it will probably take me directly to the completion screen, ending this instance.'

'But there will probably be a second act.'

'After all, I haven't even seen the Vampire Lord, Ellick, in the Ancient Castle. Based on past experiences, there has to be a follow-up.'

"Fang Zhen, we truly owe this to you," Gwendolyn said, still emotional. "It was only thanks to your Alchemy Pills and that explosive alchemical product that we were able to smoothly clear out the aberrations in the Underground Cave."

"The people near Ellick Territory are much safer now. For the time being, they won't have to worry about being attacked by aberrations. Moreover, I've also seen a new path forward—the Secret Medicine Blood Burst."

"With this secret medicine, we can enhance the overall combat effectiveness of the Curse Sealers and other Martial Artists in the Whig Society. While it doesn't increase their raw power, their performance in battle will be drastically improved."

"For the entire Kingdom, this will be a remarkable development."

"And you are the source of it all."

"I must say, you truly are a miracle worker. I believe I can speak for the entire Whig Society when I thank you in advance."

Fang Zhen gave a small laugh.

"Master, I prefer more substantial forms of gratitude. Specifically, things like Curse Seal legacies, alchemical products, or Gold Coins."

"You're not saying all this to put me on a pedestal, hoping I'll feel obligated to offer up my alchemical products for free for the sake of the Kingdom, or the Whig Society, are you?" he asked.

"Ahem, of course not," Gwendolyn said, slightly embarrassed. A rare blush crept up his old face, as if he'd been caught red-handed, but he quickly composed himself.

"Good, as long as that's not the case," Fang Zhen said. "If you can represent the Whig Society, Master, and you want more of my exclusive Alchemy Potions, then why don't we be frank and sit down to discuss a price?"

"I'm not shy about talking money."

"Very well. I believe the Whig Society would be willing to make such a deal," Gwendolyn nodded.

The two sat down across the table from each other. Fang Zhen asked, "Master, from what you know of the Whig Society, how many of my Alchemy Potions do you want, and what can you offer me in return?"

"The Whig Society needs a large quantity of the Blood Burst Secret Medicine Alchemy Pills. If possible, it would be best if you would trade us the alchemy recipe for the potion," Gwendolyn said.

"The recipe is not for sale," Fang Zhen said, shaking his head without hesitation.

Gwendolyn didn't seem surprised. He continued, "If the recipe can't be traded, then the Whig Society will need fifteen hundred of those Alchemy Secret Medicine pills. If fifteen hundred isn't possible, then one thousand will also be acceptable."

"No, that's too many," Fang Zhen said, shaking his head.

'It's not that I can't get that many potassium permanganate tablets. In the modern world, I could get a nearly infinite supply as long as I have the money.'

'The problem is, I don't want them to become so common that they lose their value.'

'Sometimes, you have to use scarcity marketing.'

"Then how many can you provide?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Two hundred pills. That's the most I can bring next time," Fang Zhen said. "What is the Whig Society offering in exchange?"

"Well..." Gwendolyn frowned slightly. "The Whig Society's finances are always tight, so Gold Coins are difficult. But you mentioned you'd also accept alchemical products and Curse Seals?"

"Alchemical products, then. The Whig Society has quite a few Alchemists," Gwendolyn suggested.

"Besides making potions, what else can Alchemy be used for?" Fang Zhen asked.

"We can create various trinkets. Weapons and armor can also undergo alchemical enhancement," Gwendolyn explained.

Hearing this, Fang Zhen's eyes lit up.

"I want to commission a full suit of Alchemy Armor. Can you make that?"