5. Successfully improved at least one existing alchemy item blueprint

He had already taken the time to complete the refining of three different attribute energy crystals, bringing more stability and energy savings to the workshop, and also fulfilling the conditions for creating three types of basic alchemy items.

"Only two conditions left." Ron refocused his attention on the experiment:

"Now with the help of the 'Concept' trait, completing the remaining conditions should be much easier."

With proficient-level alchemy and the 'Concept' trait, he made breakthrough progress in his research on the energy isolation layer.

The process that originally required repeated trial and error has now become more intuitive; he can foresee the effect of a certain rune combination without needing to test it every time.

The path to becoming an alchemist is now clear, and this is just the first step of the 'Melting Furnace Concept'.

"Time is still relatively sufficient." He calculated to himself:

"Because of this whole thing with Oliver, the bloody duel has been postponed to a month and a half later, which is enough for me to make more preparations."

In this month or so, he needs to raise his alchemy skills to a higher level to lay the foundation for the forging of the magic sword;

at the same time, he has to train Dale to ensure she stands out at the duel.

Thinking of this, Ron took a deep breath and continued with his meticulous work at hand.

Outside the window, the day had already dawned, and a new day began...

.........

Oliver leaned against the cold rocky wall, his breath weak.

His gaze still retained a certain clarity, a gleam of reason utterly disproportionate to his degree of deformation.

Once robust, his body now shriveled up like a mummy, skin showing an unnatural grayish-white, eyes deeply sunken, cheekbones protruding.

His once handsome features were barely recognizable, with the right side of his face more severely deformed, black liquid continuously oozing from his pores, exuding a putrid scent.

The most terrifying were his eyes; they were no longer eyeballs but two slender tentacles, hanging feebly on either side of his cheeks, occasionally twitching slightly like dying snakes.

"My... dear... little Oliver..." Cynthia's voice came from deep within the cave, viscous and distorted:

"Haven't... died yet?"

Oliver struggled to turn his neck to look at the woman who was once beautiful.

Cynthia's lower body had swelled at least three times, covered with thick mucus, countless tentacles extending in various directions, some as thin as hair, some as thick as arms.

Her face still retained human beauty, but around her eyes had grown rows of small compound eyes, and her mouth formed an exaggerated crack like a creature from ancient tales.

"Why haven't you drained me completely?" Oliver's voice was hoarse, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Cynthia moved her already fully mutated body gracefully, but contrary to her grotesque appearance, all her movements carried a bizarre sense of beauty.

The tentacles seemed to be meticulously designed dance props, drawing perfect arcs in the air.

Though her skin was covered in mucus, it shone with a pearly luster, flickering alluringly under the dim cave light.

Cynthia's voice was thick like honey: "Do you think I'm just mindlessly squeezing you dry?"

A thick tentacle stretched over, gently stroking Oliver's cracked lips, secreting a viscous liquid.

As soon as the liquid touched Oliver's skin, it was greedily absorbed.

His eye tentacles slightly rose, seeming to have gained a flicker of vitality.

"Don't look at me like that, dear."

Cynthia's tone suddenly turned gentle: "I just... need energy too much; this newly reborn body needs a massive amount of nutrients to stabilize."

"Moreover, I'm actually helping you." She chuckled lightly:

"Your spiritual contamination has reached the critical point; if left unchecked, you would have already become an unconscious monster."

Oliver paused, recalling the first time he saw those fully awakened comrades in the cave.

They had almost lost all reason, retaining only primal desires and instincts.

"It's me..." Cynthia proudly raised her head, her voice filled with pride:

"Regularly extracting the excess contamination energy from your body, helping you maintain the balance between reason and contamination."

Her tentacles wrapped more affectionately around Oliver's body, her tone becoming charming and gentle:

"Isn't this beneficial for both of us? You stay lucid, while I..."

Cynthia's mutated body stretched out in the darkness, showcasing that bizarre but undeniable beauty.

"I become even more perfect."

Oliver stared in shock at this creature in front of him, gradually understanding everything.

The awakened Cynthia had indeed turned into a monster, but she hadn't completely lost her reason.

On the contrary, she seemed to have found a way to skew the mutation towards a twisted 'evolution' rather than chaotic degeneration.

"How did you do it?" Oliver couldn't help but ask.

Cynthia's compound eyes flickered with mysterious light:

"Dear Oliver, that's my unique secret. Maybe one day I'll tell you, provided you behave well enough."

Her tentacles secreted that energy liquid once more, nourishing not only Oliver but also subtly strengthening the near-symbiotic relationship between them.

Oliver could clearly feel that every time Cynthia drew energy from him, she would return a portion of processed energy to him.

This cycle not only maintained his life but, more importantly, helped him preserve conscious awareness.

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