Chapter 17

"..." Remi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of double the salary. He gritted his teeth and drank the rest of the life potion, silently praying, "Boss, please don't trick me..."

Before he could finish his prayer, the wound on his hand suddenly began to itch. Surprised, he quickly looked down and saw the cut he had just made healing at an incredible speed, visible to the naked eye...

The life potion was real!

As Remi exclaimed in shock, the others' attention was immediately drawn to him. Especially Mason, whose mouth hung open in disbelief.

Damn it, how could the dark red life potion be real? The great alchemist himself told me that dark red means a failure. It must be Mafa Merlin's trick!

"How about it, Mage Mason? The life potion from our Gilded Rose isn't bad, right?"

Lin Yun's calm voice, at this moment, sounded extremely grating to Mason's ears. Without thinking, his face turned pale and he jumped up: "Mafa Merlin, you must have done something! A dark red life potion can't be real! Yes, it must be that! This person is one of you from the Gilded Rose, who knows what you've been up to behind the scenes!"

"You have a point..." Lin Yun actually nodded in agreement: "The life potion was sold by the Gilded Rose, and now it's being demonstrated by someone from the Gilded Rose. It does seem a bit unfair..."

"You know it!"

Before he could finish speaking, a rustling sound came from under his feet.

Then came a scream.

A mass of blood-red vines suddenly burst forth from under Mason's feet, vivid and sinister, with a strong scent of blood. They first wrapped around his legs, then his entire body, and in the blink of an eye, the blood-red vines had tightly bound Mason, growing tighter and tighter. No matter how he struggled or screamed, he couldn't stop the blood-red vines, which were like venomous snakes...

"Blood Vine Spell!" A cry of alarm came from the crowd.

Yes, the fifth-level spell, Blood Vine Spell.

This was a truly evil spell, said to have originated from demons, created based on the blood-sucking vines in the Abyss. This spell, like the blood-sucking vines, would pierce the target's body with thorns and greedily suck their blood. If the caster didn't stop the spell and the target couldn't break free, the result would be a completely drained corpse.

"You... What do you want to do!" The thought of becoming a dried-up corpse made Mason feel the fear of death for the first time. His voice was now hoarse and dry.

"Didn't I say it was a bit unfair to have someone from the Gilded Rose demonstrate the life potion's effects? So I thought it would be better for Mage Mason to demonstrate it himself." Lin Yun's voice still sounded calm, and no one would have guessed that this gentle-looking young man was controlling such an evil spell.

"No, don't kill me, I'll pay compensation, I'll apologize..." The smile on Lin Yun's face was more terrifying to Mason than any grimace. Mason, who had never faced any setbacks, was truly afraid now. The blood-sucking vines were tightening around him, and thorns were piercing his body, causing blood to flow continuously. Mason could even feel his body gradually growing cold...

Struggling, screaming, begging...

At this moment, Mason was like a lamb under the butcher's knife, only able to beg incoherently, gasping and screaming in despair.

Mason's subordinates tried to rescue him, but none of them could break through the blood vines' barrier. Without Lin Yun's deliberate control, the wildly spreading blood vines would isolate them.

For a moment, the hall was filled with a sinister red...

Only Lin Yun's calm voice continued: "Mage Mason, you really like to joke. Why would I kill you? The Gilded Rose is in business, and customers are our gods. We wouldn't do something like killing. We're just discussing the effects of the life potion in a friendly atmosphere..."

"Yes, yes, discussion, discussion..." At this point, Mason didn't care about anything. He would even admit to being a goblin without hesitation.

"Alright, let's continue the discussion." Lin Yun, seeing that it was enough, slowly lowered his right hand, which had been guiding the Blood Vine Spell. As the intense magical fluctuations dissipated, the blood-red vines retreated into the ground, disappearing in an instant as if they had never been there.

Of course, it was just as if...

The nearly dead Mason could testify that the blood-red vines had truly appeared, not only appearing but also tightly binding him and piercing his body with countless thorns. At a glance, Mason's body looked like a beehive, and just looking at it made one's scalp tingle. Blood flowed continuously from the wounds, quickly staining a large area of the ground red.

Lying on the ground, Mason was almost at death's door. Such injuries would make even the most skilled physician shake his head and tell him to prepare for the worst.

Lin Yun, holding the remaining bit of the life potion, walked to Mason and examined his wounds before nodding in satisfaction: "These injuries should be convincing enough, right..."

"..." Everyone present, including the young magic apprentice who had been cut, felt a chill down their spines at these inhumane words.

"Alright, come on, Mage Mason, please drink this and let's see the effect."

With Lin Yun's help, Mason struggled to sit up and then, with great difficulty, drank the remaining life potion. Throughout the process, Mason didn't dare to look at Lin Yun, who had thoroughly terrified him with the blood-red vines.

The life potion once again demonstrated its miraculous effects. As soon as Mason drank it, the bleeding wounds began to heal. In less than half an hour, the severely injured Mason was almost completely recovered. If not for his tattered robe, Mason might have thought that everything that happened was just a nightmare.

The most terrifying nightmare...

Mason, who had barely escaped the nightmare, dared not stay at the Gilded Rose any longer. As soon as his injuries were fully healed, he quickly left with his subordinates.

"Wait..."

The nightmare-like voice rang out again, and Mason froze.

"Y-Yes, what is it?" He finally mustered the courage to speak, but his voice trembled.

"Mage Mason, that's not right. Didn't we agree that if the life potion worked well, you would drink the bottle too? Mage Mason, you can't be like this, you must keep your word."

"..." Mason's expression froze. Looking at the fist-sized glass bottle, he felt like dying.

"What do you say, Mage Mason? Will you drink it yourself, or should I feed it to you?"

"..."

"Hope you have a good appetite."

...

The extra chapter I posted at midnight had no effect at all. Are you trying to make me roll on the ground? Everyone passing by, there's an author here rolling on the ground, begging for recommendations, clicks, and collections. Won't you take a look?