Chapter 491 - Taming the Resources

Published Mar 17, 2026, 07:42 AM

Chapter 491: Chapter 491 - Taming the Resources Julius immersed himself in deep reflection while observing the treasures surrounding them, especially the potions. In Yano there were still many powerful people, even numerous doubles who hadn’t participated in the war for various selfish reasons. Many of them quite old and retired to their mansions or their areas of influence, accumulating personal power while the kingdom faced existential threats. The problem of simply distributing the double potions among the most powerful available tamers was obvious. Julius had lived through enough politics to understand the long-term ramifications. "Who could we give these advantages to without it later becoming a similar situation?" he murmured to himself, observing how power had corrupted entire families in the city. The retired nobles who had chosen comfort over duty during the crisis weren’t the most reliable allies, and if they made more of them, they would have bigger problems once the immediate threat passed... Some might even use their new power to challenge royal authority, creating internal problems when they needed unity again. Every enhancement they granted was simultaneously a possible solution to their current crisis and a potential source of future instability. This kind of power given couldn’t easily be taken back. It was a dilemma that required as much care as urgency. While Julius reflected, Ren addressed the king with that ’medical authority’ that continued to surprise everyone present. "You should take an elixir to recover energy and heal the damage to your system that isn’t visible to the naked eye," he told him directly. Dragarion raised a hand, smiling with that casual confidence he always showed when he believed he had a better solution. "I intended to take a different medicine from the Ashenways," he responded, pulling an elaborately decorated pill from his clothing. Ren frowned, examining the object with his enhanced senses. "It seems to have a composition similar to teacher Lin’s pill, but more potent..." he analyzed. "You know them? The Ashenways have been perfecting these formulas for generations..." "That one is good for nourishing and has a component that makes you feel less tired," he confirmed, "but it doesn’t eliminate real fatigue. It’s more like... tricking the brain." He pointed toward the diamond elixirs that gleamed on their pedestals. "It’s better that you regenerate the real damage, since it’s important that you’re ready for a possible attack from Yino. Although there are only ten available potions, you are very important..." Dragarion considered the boy’s words, weighing his decades of experience against this new and generous perspective. "Are you sure I need that much healing?" he asked. "Completely," Ren responded without hesitation. "Your mana system has micro-damage accumulated during years of intensive use, your organs... practically your entire body isn’t in much better shape. Despite your powerful regeneration, many small healing errors accumulate. The Ashenway pill would hide them temporarily, but the elixir would repair them permanently." The logic was convincing, especially coming from someone who had demonstrated medical knowledge that rivaled the kingdom’s best experts... But seeing his son without an arm and thinking of all the wounded missing healing from the war, he couldn’t help feeling it was a waste. Maybe he was more damaged than he thought, but he had already gotten used to living like this. Life in the outskirts was harsh in principle and without many comforts. The self-sacrifice was admirable but potentially foolish. A kingdom’s most powerful defender operating at less than optimal capacity was a vulnerability they couldn’t afford now. "It will only be one potion from the 10... Another can be given to Selphira," Ren continued, "and I have an idea, that one can be used more efficiently without needing to use a third one soon." His eyes gleamed with understanding that suggested possibilities others hadn’t considered. "Very well," Dragarion decided after looking at Julius and Zhao nodding, approaching one of the pedestals. "I trust your judgment since the others seem to do so too." He took the diamond elixir, a substance that glowed with its own light and emanated power that could be felt like electricity in his fingers. Without further ceremony, he drank it in one gulp. The effect was immediate and intense. Dragarion began to glow with a white light that gradually intensified, making the entire chamber fill with warm radiance. The light concentrated especially around the areas where his system had the most accumulated damage, his joints, his mana channels, the points where years of intense battles had left their mark. The transformation was profound. Decades of wear and tear were being systematically undone, cellular damage repaired, energy pathways cleared and optimized. It was like time reversing its effects on a living being. When the glow finally faded, Dragarion straightened with a vitality he hadn’t felt in decades. "I feel like new," he declared with genuine amazement, flexing muscles that had felt tense for so long he had forgotten what it was like not to have that stiffness. "No... better than ever." His mood immediately elevated, a broad smile crossing his face as he processed the sensation of being completely restored. It was as if he had been carrying invisible weights for years and they had finally been removed. "This is incredible!" he exclaimed, moving with the fluidity and joy of someone decades younger. Zhao and Julius, who felt terrible in comparison, exchanged glances that clearly said maybe they shouldn’t have encouraged him, and the king’s renewed enthusiasm wasn’t that amusing to them in their current state. "Father," Julius murmured dryly, "maybe you could... contain the enthusiasm a bit until we finish preparing everything. It’s time to return above to the castle to prepare everything." ♢♢♢♢ Ren had also experienced changes... even more dramatic. With the three rings now integrated into his system and his fungus having risen to Silver rank, he could feel massive increases flowing through his body. His fungus now gave him 50% increases in Vitality, Strength, Intelligence, and Perception, while the three rings provided a total of 300% general increases. It was practically like having the primary effect of a Tier 3 beast at Silver Rank 3 for each characteristic, making him three or four times stronger than someone of his level should be. His physical strength had accumulated the most dramatic increase... 470% over his trained physique and power that would be much more notable when fusing with his hydra. He wasn’t just stronger; he was operating at levels that should have been impossible for someone his age and rank. The combination of enhancements had created something unprecedented. The seed his fungus had consumed had also doubled his general elemental control, taking it from 25% to 50%. It was a jump he hadn’t expected but was welcome. "I’m so eager to also obtain my third beast," he murmured to himself, "I curse myself for not having an egg at hand..."

React

Discussion