Wildness and Masks-Chapter 97 – Forbidden potion

However, none of this affected Macal, and he even managed to counter-kill a few with the sword energy he unleashed, not even giving them a chance to scream.

This was the crushing power of a Professional over non-Professionals!

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Moreover, Macal was a Paladin of Dawn, renowned for his combat prowess.

The Dawn Battle Qi formed a protective membrane, allowing Macal to ignore these weak attacks entirely.

His counterattacks, however, were deadly to these non-Professionals, grazing meant injury, hitting meant death.

"What are you afraid of? He's just one man!"

As Macal cut down four or five marauders, a voice like a bear's roar echoed out.

Following the voice came a massive 'meatball' as large as a small mountain.

Boom—!

The appearance of the 'meatball' could be described in one word—crash!

Yes, this 'meatball' leaped down from the top of a scout tower, crashing down like a meteor.

Its imposing presence forced even Macal to sidestep and temporarily avoid its edge.

However, the 'meatball's' attack wasn't over; the crash was just its entrance.

After creating a large pit in the ground, the 'meatball' used the impact to 'bounce' back up.

Its target was none other than Macal, who was standing aside.

Naturally, Macal wouldn't just stand there and let it crush him.

Even though the secondary impact might not be as powerful as the initial one, taking it head-on would likely be fine.

But Macal wasn't the type to enjoy getting hit, so he naturally wouldn't take a hit for no reason.

Thus, dodging was the best choice.

But just as Macal was about to evade, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

"Not good!"

Macal, with his head slightly raised, noticed something off about the 'meatball' as it bounced back into the air—it forcibly spread its body mid-air.

Then, a thick, sticky substance shot out from the 'meatball's' belly button area at high speed.

It perfectly predicted Macal's evasive movement.

Unable to dodge, Macal instinctively swung his sword to block it.

The brilliant white Battle Qi enveloped the sword.

It collided with the strange projectile.

"Damn it!"

Feeling the unusual sensation through the sword, Macal realized his mistake—the sticky attack exploded upon contact with the sword's Battle Qi!

It turned into a web-like net, wrapping around Macal's entire body from the sword.

And that wasn't the worst part—the 'meatball man' was also lunging towards Macal along the web.

At this moment, Macal's old strength was spent, and new strength had yet to be born. Trapped by the scorching, sticky web, he could only become a stationary target for the incoming meatball impact.

Boom—!

"Ugh..."

The heavy collision forcibly knocked Macal out of the web's binding, sending him flying dozens of meters until he managed to slow down by stabbing his sword into the ground.

"It's a forbidden potion user..."

Blood trickled from the corner of Macal's mouth.

Caught off guard, he had indeed suffered a significant setback.

"Well done, Third."

A cold voice came from the village entrance, different from the previous meatball man. This newcomer gave the impression of a humanoid snake!

"Warlock..."

Macal wiped the blood from his mouth and identified the two.

Forbidden potions were always the quickest way to become a Professional. As long as you survived drinking it, you could gain power equivalent to what others achieved through years of hard training.

And there were almost no barriers to entry.

As for future potential—did it matter to the marauders and thugs of the borderlands?

They had no future potential to speak of, and they cared even less about personality changes, shortened lifespan, or drastic changes in appearance.

All they needed to worry about was saving enough money and how their physique and willpower could withstand the poor-quality potions from the borderlands' Black Market.

The mortality rate of forbidden potions was already high, let alone the inferior ones from the borderlands' Black Market—calling them experimental products would be an exaggeration.

Yet, despite this, they still attracted some gamblers. After all, there was no faster way to gain power.

The only barrier was the cost, which deterred many with ideas—those who dared to drink couldn't afford it, and those who could afford it didn't need to...

Unless you desperately needed power.

So even as a Paladin, Macal rarely saw traces of forbidden potion users.

But unexpectedly, on this outing, he encountered two. Whether it was luck or misfortune was unknown.

"Leave him alive?" the meatball man known as Third asked.

"Try to keep him for Big Sis." The snake-like man flicked his tongue and licked his fingers. "She loves this type."

"Three of them?!"

Macal had already pulled his sword from the ground. With his keen hearing, he heard the conversation between the two from afar.

Clearly, the worst-case scenario had occurred.

There were three Professional-level marauders here...

"Miss Geling." Macal's first thought wasn't about how to fight but rather turned his head.

Seeing Ogre riding the drake-blooded horse from a distance, he felt relieved—if he couldn't win, he could at least ensure Geling's escape and then find a way to get out himself.

Macal never worried about dying here.

As a Paladin of the Church of Dawn, even if he couldn't defeat three Professionals, he could still leave without a problem.

The recent setback was just a result of being caught off guard.

"Then, round two, let's begin!"

Turning back, raising his sword, the white light on Macal's body began to intensify—he increased his Battle Qi output.

With each step forward, the layer of white light eventually turned into flames, burning away all the slime and filth on Macal's body.

PS: It's the cat's birthday today, can I ask for some free love-powered support (first time asking for gifts, rubbing paws); the performance of this book is so poor, I can't even afford fish (pitiful).