Chapter 20

A week has passed since Xiao Ming returned from the undeveloped area.

The miscellaneous items in the old one-room apartment have been thoroughly cleared away.

In the middle of the one-room apartment, which could be considered both narrow and spacious,

a brand new red cloth with exquisite patterns was laid out.

The combination of the pictographic symbol representing the Stania Pharmaceutical Group and the red color signifying a medicinal elixir.

This could only mean one thing.

Finally, Renok had successfully obtained the elixir Stemonia through an auction in Oksion.

Although he ended up using all the money he had on hand because a competitor caught up just the day before, Renok had managed to get the elixir.

Despite the antique packaging, which seemed like it had been prepared by elders, Renok paid no attention to it.

With trembling hands, he tore open the wrapping and carefully took out the hidden case.

He gently opened the lid of the dark brown wooden box coated with gold, and a strong fragrance immediately rose from inside.

Although the various impurities he had sweated out were not clearly visible due to the white paper, he could already sense the mysterious energy.

"Hmm...!"

All preparations for the perfect consumption of the elixir were already in place.

He had reinforced the barriers around the one-room apartment multiple times and even gave Jenny a heads-up just in case.

In the middle of the room, he had spread out a futon and placed twenty bottles of mineral water nearby.

He had also made preparations to contact the nearby fire department with a single button press, in case anything happened after consuming the elixir.

This was a significant adventure in his life.

'Even if I think calmly, the possibility of no significant progress is high.'

No matter how expensive the elixir was, which easily surpassed 100 million cells, it was fundamentally a medicine designed to improve the consumer's health.

It would be unrealistic to expect it to completely eliminate the penalties he was carrying.

'On the contrary, side effects might occur.'

If excessive energy was injected, it could have adverse effects.

After all, Renok's current physical condition was extremely weak.

However, it was something he had to face sooner or later.

Whether the elixirs available in this world could alleviate his penalties.

And if they could, to what extent.

He needed to do this to prepare for the greater risks he would face in the city's back alleys.

He had already made his decision and had long accepted it.

All that was left was to confirm.

He removed the white paper and took out a small plastic cylinder.

Through the transparent glass, a single round pill of a deep blue color was floating inside the bottle.

Although it was not immediately visible, he could already sense the mysterious energy.

"Hmm...!"

With trembling hands, Renok took out the elixir and slowly put it in his mouth.

Glug.

Despite the hard texture it seemed to have from the outside, it melted like cream on his tongue and quickly disappeared down his throat.

From this point on, everything was unknown territory for Renok.

He had read a few reviews online from people who had taken the elixir, but the direct experience would be vastly different.

His heart was pounding wildly.

The essence of the elixir, which had flowed down his throat, burned fiercely, making him acutely aware of his esophagus.

The heat continued to flow into his stomach, and the moment it reached his stomach,

Renok's body began to heat up.

Whoosh!

"Haah...!"

He exhaled a rough breath due to the sudden surge of heat from his stomach.

This was dangerous. The effect of the elixir was much stronger than he had anticipated.

Even though his body was extremely weak, there was nothing he could do about it now.

This was something that could only be known through direct experience.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and try to fully digest the elixir.

For a moment, he thought of the fortuitous events in martial arts novels, but Renok was not a martial artist with a strong body, nor did he have the ability to control internal energy.

He felt like he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer and would pass out.

And that would be the worst-case scenario for Renok, who couldn't control his own condition.

'Mana... damn it...'

He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice.

Renok gritted his teeth and began to channel mana directly into his body.

Woosh!!

Although he had been avoiding using mana to strengthen his body due to the penalties from mana poisoning, staying conscious and enduring was more urgent right now.

If he lost consciousness and the heat continued to rise, he could die without anyone knowing.

Renok had no intention of ending his miserable life in this one-room apartment.

The moment he began to strengthen his body with mana and control his biological responses, his body began to stabilize.

Although he would suffer from severe pain for about a week due to the mana poisoning, stabilizing his body was the priority.

After enhancing his physical abilities with mana and increasing his tolerance, it became much easier to endure.

It wasn't that the heat had weakened, but rather that his tolerance had significantly increased.

Renok slowly laid down on the futon he had prepared.

"Hmm... Hmm..."

He took deep breaths to try to calm his heart rate.

Sweat was pouring out of his body due to the excessive heat.

It was difficult to tell immediately whether his condition was improving or worsening.

Renok had no knowledge in this area and no time to learn.

The only reliable evidence he had was that even people older and less healthy than him had taken Stemonia without getting worse.

This was the minimum safety measure he could rely on.

Chug, chug!

When he felt he had sweated too much, he opened a bottle of mineral water and poured it directly into his mouth.

Some of the water spilled down the sides of his mouth, but he didn't care. It wasn't important right now.

He would remain conscious and endure until the heat in his body subsided.

He would replenish his fluids with the mineral water he had prepared.

He kept the mana flowing to stay alert.

Time continued to pass.

The heat in his body finally subsided well after a day, and it was now night.

"......"

He hadn't expected to stay up all night again.

Renok sighed as he looked out the window at the dawn breaking.

In stories, the protagonists would faint after taking an elixir and wake up much stronger, but Renok's body was in such a state that he could easily die if he did that.

Still, he had gained something.

He had expelled the toxins from his body, which was enough to give him hope.

This confirmed that the severe shackles in his body were not insurmountable.

Yes, just that much.

But it was enough.

Just knowing there was a way gave Renok the motivation to keep moving.

He could worry about the next steps later.

After organizing his thoughts, he finally felt his body relax, and sleep began to overtake him.

He extinguished the cigarette with a slow motion and slid onto the floor.

Basking in the sunlight streaming through the window, Renok fell into a deep sleep.

It was the first morning in a long time that he didn't suffer from insomnia.

Time passed again.

Renok rested for a week and once again felt the incredible effects of the elixir he had taken.

The effects of the elixir didn't end in just one day.

For nearly a week, he didn't feel any insomnia and could sleep whenever he wanted and wake up whenever he wanted.

He alleviated the mental stress that had been building up, thanks to the deep sleep he hadn't been able to get without taking sleeping pills.

It felt like he was finally getting proper rest.

He picked up his phone to contact Jenny, something he hadn't done in a while.

He needed to start looking for the next job.

Especially since he was now receiving jobs through the deep web, his fee would be much higher than before.

If he was lucky, he might even receive the items he wanted as payment, so it was only natural that he would be eager.

[Ding... Ding...]

"......?"

The call didn't go through.

It wasn't as if he was out of range, so perhaps her phone was turned off.

This was the first time her phone had been off since they exchanged numbers.

Renok quickly got dressed and headed to her bar.

'...This is definitely strange.'

The city was eerily quiet.

It was hard to find anyone walking the streets except for Renok.

Had something happened while he was away from the news?

He hurriedly turned on his phone and checked the news, but it was also down.

"What the...?"

Was something so significant happening in the city that the traffic was completely blocked?

Renok immediately raised his guard and burst into Jenny's bar.

"It's been a while."

Jordan, who was sitting at the bar and wiping a glass, waved his hand.

Feeling a bit relieved at the sight of him, Renok sat down at the bar and asked,

"Where's Jenny?"

"She was called in by a summons. She's probably being held in some unknown office."

Jordan's indifferent response made Renok ask again,

"What's happening in the city right now?"

He knew something huge was happening to make his phone down, but he had no way to get information.

Thinking he would definitely find a solution to this problem soon, Renok asked,

"......"

Since he had spent most of his rest sleeping, it wasn't entirely wrong.

Before Renok could reveal the truth, Jordan continued,

"Do you know about the news regarding the Filenom Autonomous Region?"

"I have a rough idea."

"Then I can get to the point. The envoy group from the Autonomous Region, which was originally scheduled to arrive at the end of the month, sent a notice of their visit just a week ago. Thanks to this, Balkan is in a state of chaos right now."

"......It can't be just because of that."

He understood why Jenny had left because of the envoy group.

The summons for brokers were essentially a warning from the city government to behave during the envoy's visit.

But that couldn't be the reason why the city was so eerily quiet.

The silence that had settled over this city of millions clearly implied something more.

Renok's sharp words made Jordan nod.

"You're right. The city isn't quiet just because of that. A truly unimaginable figure has announced their intention to participate in the envoy group."

"An unimaginable, major figure?"

Although he hadn't known Jordan for long, Renok knew his character.

He didn't exaggerate and was very cautious in his words and actions.

If someone as reserved as Jordan was using such strong language, it must mean that a truly significant figure from the Autonomous Region was visiting Balkan.

As expected, Jordan's next words far exceeded Renok's expectations.

"The Transcender who has been in seclusion for decades at the Filenom Lighthouse, 'Heaven's Eye,' is coming here with the envoy group... A Level 9 Ascendant visiting Balkan is a first in nearly a hundred years. Everyone must be holding their breath, watching the central square."