On her chest, the human face reappeared, exuding an eerie aura.
Roy used his Mental Strength to probe, sensing the fine root-like filaments within her flesh, akin to a fungal infection, and began administering local anesthesia.
With the Spatial Ring at hand, all the necessary tools were conveniently within reach, making the process relatively simple.
However, when he took out a small knife and cut off a piece of flesh over a centimeter thick from her chest, the face seemed to awaken, displaying an expression of pain.
Though the face had no eyes, at that moment, Roy felt as if he were being watched.
A faint, yet seemingly real, mental impulse brushed against him, like a feather gently plucking at his heartstrings.
"Don't hurt me..."
An inexplicable message flowed through his mind, and for a moment, even the face appeared delicate and pitiful.
"Hmph, quite the act of pity."
Roy immediately realized that the Human-faced Demon's defense mechanism had been triggered.
Once mature, this Magic Creature possesses a powerful charm that can bewitch anyone who gazes upon its face.
But Roy proceeded with confidence, knowing that this Human-faced Demon was not yet mature.
His Mental Strength had already reached the peak of the apprentice stage, and as a transmigrator, his soul was inherently robust, even fused with a foundational level of Alchemy Talent.
This pure spiritual essence helped him resist external influences, so he only momentarily lost focus before quickly regaining his composure.
Soon after, Roy skillfully extracted the Human-faced Demon, resolving the long-standing issue that had troubled Olinda.
He left her a bottle of Hemostatic ointment and a Healing potion, instructing, "Take care of it yourself."
Then he pushed the door open and left.
Olinda shrugged, muttered a few words under her breath, and began tending to her wound.
...
"Done!"
In the room, Roy looked at the bloody, palm-sized Flesh Mask of the Human-faced Demon in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.
He then submerged it in a glass jar and poured in the Blackening Potion.
The Flesh Mask contracted violently and struggled, as if intense screams and curses echoed in the air.
But it was futile.
It quickly dissolved, turning into a pool of black liquid.
"This thing is much easier to deal with than Aquinas magic gold.
But it's not necessarily a matter of level; it's just that the Blackening Potion is particularly effective against it!"
Roy couldn't help but feel grateful once again for the existence of the Blackening Potion.
Without the [Blackening] talent and the special potions it brought, it wouldn't be impossible to find another solution.
But selecting from a variety of strong acids and concocting the right dissolving agent specifically for this purpose wouldn't be easy.
With this potion, however, it was much simpler.
Not long after, Roy took out Ms. Gumos's Magical alchemy tool and, after a series of distillation and filtration processes, obtained some granular crystals containing the remnants of the Human-faced Demon.
The noisy beaker, with its crisscrossed duct tape, hopped up as if it had something to say.
Roy peeled off the duct tape from its face.
The surface of the beaker seemed to form a face, grinning and baring its teeth for a moment, then quickly adopting a fawning expression as it reminded him with a hint of flattery, "My esteemed master, I remember a mysterious alchemy formula that can be used to refine this!"
"Oh? Ms. Gumos' magical tool actually has such an automated function?"
Roy's interest was piqued.
"What formula is it?"
"The Ultimate Beauty Potion - Narcissus Love! Just one dose can transform you into a stunningly handsome young man, peerless in charm!"
"Narcissus Love!"
Upon hearing this, Roy's heart stirred slightly.
While researching the Human-faced Demon, he had also briefly looked into the associated formulas and materials, and indeed, he had come across something like this.
He never expected there to be a formula!
Ms. Gumos, whom he had never met, had deliberately collected these things!
"This is indeed a beauty potion suitable for men, capable of significantly altering an ordinary appearance and enhancing charm.
Although the Wizard World does not judge by appearances, the beauty effects of this potion penetrate deep into the bones, blood, and even the soul, belonging to a transcendent charm!
I've heard that those sorcerers rely on their charm to cast innate spells!"
Charm is not limited to beauty alone.
But beauty is definitely the most direct and useful form of charm!
"The only problem is, drinking this thing will twist your mind, making you narcissistic!"
Roy turned and paced a few steps in the Alchemy Room, pondering.
He distinctly remembered that this potion had certain side effects.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
This condition, regarded as a pathological psychology by modern medicine, is its aftermath.
People with narcissistic personality traits often feel worthless yet fantasize about having achievements, power, intelligence, and beauty.
They are prone to jealousy, have fragile self-esteem, are overly concerned with others' evaluations, require constant attention and praise, and feel anger and humiliation at criticism.
However, this psychology exists to some extent in everyone, just varying in severity.
If one's rationality is strong enough, it is entirely possible to resist the influence of these side effects.
Moreover, beauty is also a form of power.
If beauty is compared to a card, playing it alone doesn't mean much.
But when paired with strength and substance.
It becomes a trump card.
Roy's original plan was to use the Law Remnants extracted from the Human-faced Demon to craft some magical treasures like enchanted masks.
But the reminder from the magical alchemy tool provided him with a whole new possibility.
As he walked, Roy suddenly stopped.
How an ordinary person achieves "perfection," realizing the alchemical "completion," is a question worth exploring and studying.
Transcending oneself, self-lifting, evolving...
This is the ultimate method of cultivation.
The power of the strong certainly includes the "charm" that can influence others' perceptions!
If he is to become a perfect and powerful person in the future, peerless beauty and exceptional charm are indispensable.
He made up his mind.
Refine it!
Not for anything else, but to gamble on the Law Remnants!
...
"To make the Narcissus Love potion, you need narcissus petals, Moonlight dew oil, Stardust essence, Elf tears, high-purity honey..."
Soon after, Roy inquired in detail about the materials needed to make the Narcissus Love potion and prepared to start gathering them.
But the result made him frown deeply.
"This... Narcissus flowers and high-purity honey are manageable, but the other ingredients are all rare and precious!
Moonlight dew is not easy to collect.
Elf tears and Stardust essence are not even produced locally."
Fortunately, he was no longer the penniless low-level or mid-level apprentice he once was.
His financial resources and capabilities had grown significantly.
For materials he couldn't directly collect at this stage, he could hire
people to search for them.
As for those not available locally, he could wait for new stock to arrive at the Wizard Tower store.
So, while processing the gains from his trip to Chalkland, he patiently gathered what he needed.
(End of Chapter)