Chapter 451: Faceless
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
15 Minsk Street, in the dank, cold kitchen.
Klein rummaged for his newly bought large iron pot, poured fresh water into it, and carefully scrubbed it several times.
Then, he dropped some matches into it and snapped his fingers.
The scarlet flames soared, and under his control, they quickly burned the remaining water droplets dry, without harming the surface of the pot.
This time, there were no ingredients such as pure water in the potion recipe, so Klein was even more careful than the previous two times. He wanted to ensure that everything was in good measure to prevent any problems.
Although he was able to divine whether the concoction would be successful or not, at least to not endanger his life, such a result could still involve his potion being ineffective. Attempting to extract the Beyonder characteristics from the concoction would be relatively difficult, just like the removal of the mental corruption of a Rampager. He would need the corresponding technique, methods, or rituals, and Klein wouldn’t be able to gather a second round of ingredients within a short period of time either.
After finis.h.i.+ng his preparations, Klein took a deep breath as he looked at the neatly arranged boxes. Finally, he recalled the potion recipe:
“Faceless:
Main ingredients: Mutated pituitary gland of a Thousand-faced Hunter, Characteristic of a Human-skinned Shadow.
Supplementary ingredients: 80 ml of a Thousand-faced Hunter’s blood, 5 drops of black Jimsonweed juice, 10 grams of Dragon Tooth Gra.s.s powder, 3 strands of hair from a Deep-sea Naga.”
He first picked up the cardboard box which came from Vampire Emlyn White. He opened the box and took out the gla.s.s bottle that contained 100 milliliters of a Thousand-faced Hunter’s blood.
Glancing at the scale, Klein unscrewed the lid and steadily poured the sticky liquid into the pot with a stable wrist. The liquid changed its color depending on the variation in the lighting.
As it was a supplementary ingredient, he didn’t pursue precision and didn’t use chemical experiment apparatus to separate and t.i.trate the liquid.
The Thousand-faced Hunter’s blood was like thin honey that slowly filled the bottom of the pot. When Klein felt that it was about time, he stopped tilting it and allowed the liquid to flow back.
There’s still about 20 milliliters left; my spiritual intuition is quite accurate… Klein withdrew his gaze from the gla.s.s bottle and tightened the lid. This 20 milliliters of Thousand-faced Hunter’s blood could still be used to make mystical items, Beyonder weapons, extraordinary scrolls, or for drawing symbols or labels in some ritualistic magic. It was still very precious.
After putting the gla.s.s bottle back into the cotton-filled box, Klein went down the list and added the black Jimsonweed juice and the Dragon Tooth Gra.s.s powder. He saw that the liquid in the iron pot started to bubble.
Without pausing, he picked up three strands of dark blue hair that resembled tiny snakes with his black-gloved right hand, and he firmly placed them on the surface of the liquid.
Sizzle!
A faint mist rose from the iron pot, and the color of the liquid turned a deep blue.
It already has such a strange effect even without adding the main ingredients… As expected of a Sequence 6 potion… Klein reached out and grabbed the silver tin box which Vampire Emlyn White had thrown in as well.
With a snapping sound, Klein opened the lid of the box, revealing a peach-like item inside.
He didn’t directly touch the Thousand-faced Hunter’s mutated pituitary gland. Instead, he placed the tin box over the top of the pot and overturned it.
A yellow-brown object with the grooves and ridges of a brain fell in, cras.h.i.+ng into the dark blue liquid.
At this moment, no liquid droplets splashed up, and the pituitary gland that was constantly changing its shape silently melted.
The colors of gray and yellowish-brown quickly merged with the dark blue, and the bubbling suddenly increased in size.
At this point, Klein was a little nervous, but he controlled himself. He picked up the last box and overturned the huge diamond-like Human-skinned Shadow characteristic into the pot.
All of a sudden, the mist converged, and even the glow of the gas lamps showed signs of being attracted and devoured as the room turned darker.
When everything returned to normal, Klein finally saw what the final potion looked like.
It was blackish-green all over, and from time to time, it would produce a bubble the size of an eye, and as if it had a life of its own, it would produce a burping sound every few seconds.
When the bubble reached the surface, it would immediately burst, and during this process, it would reflect light in a myriad of colors.
The colors combined to form a picture of different faces, and the facial features seemed to be a random combination.
Klein picked up the iron pot with one hand and poured the liquid inside into a gla.s.s bottle that he had prepared beforehand. Because of a potion’s characteristics, not one bit was left in the pot.
Using divination to confirm that the degree of harm was acceptable, which meant that the potion had been successfully concocted, Klein took the Faceless potion bottle and walked steadily back to the second floor, entering the room with the curtains closed.
After locking the door, he sat on the edge of the bed and, with the help of Cogitation, calmed his slightly agitated and anxious mood.
After sitting upright for more than ten seconds, Klein twisted the cap off of the bottle, raised his right hand, and swiftly poured the entire potion into his mouth.
A slightly tingling sensation swished in his mouth and esophagus, and finally, it fermented into a numbing sensation that made him lose his senses.
Klein’s psyche seemed to be extracted from his body as he had the feeling of being a bystander and saw his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes melting—his entire face was melting!
In just two or three seconds, his face and head had turned into what seemed like scorched white wax. His body was similarly abnormal; it was as if his bones and skin were being melted by blood.
No, I can’t allow such a situation to continue developing! Klein knew that if he didn’t keep it under control, he could be on the verge of losing control at any moment.
As a “spectator,” he tried his best to pull his thoughts back to his body, trying to visualize the layers of stacked spherical lights and maintain his state of Cogitation.
After a brief but repeated attempt, he finally felt his body once again. He tried his best to control every tiny part of his body to hold onto his lower limit.
As the melting and dissolving a.s.saulted him again and again, Klein lost sense of how long he held on for, but when it finally came to an end, he regained the feeling that his body belonged to him.
At that moment, he knew that he had finally broken through the threshold and was now a Sequence 6. He was now a Faceless!
Klein didn’t sweat, but he was mentally exhausted. He barely got to his feet and walked to the full-length mirror, trying to observe what he looked like.
Under the gas lamp’s illumination, he took two sudden steps back and caused the floor to reverberate.
The scene in the mirror was extremely shocking!
Klein saw that his face and exposed skin were covered with dense, pale granules. It would make any normal creature who saw those go numb and subconsciously resist. The more timid ones might even lose their mind.
Despite knowing the acting method, and having completely digested the Magician potion, my advancement to Sequence 6 was still rather difficult. I was only two to three steps away from losing control. I wonder how much of a risk those Beyonders who relied on the acc.u.mulation of time and barely qualified to consume the potion faced. The probability of failure definitely isn’t low… It’s no wonder Sequence 7 is relatively common among the members of the Churches, and they will shoulder the responsibility of captain or bishop, while the number of people at Sequence 6 begins to plummet… Klein closed his eyes and sat back in his chair.
With the help of Cogitation, he was able to restrain his overflowing spirituality and recover from his exhaustion.
After about ten minutes, the disgusting granules on his body had completely faded and merged into his flesh.
Phew . Klein exhaled, walked back to the full-length mirror, and he looked at his full-bearded appearance.
Suddenly, his facial hair began to squirm. His flesh and skin began to undergo a bizarre change like half-melted wax.
Within a second or two, Klein had reverted to his original appearance: black hair, brown eyes, ordinary facial features, a clean face with a deep outline, and a somewhat thin body.
He quietly gazed at his past self and stretched out his right hand to press it against his face.
With a gentle touch, Klein’s face changed again. His nose bridge was high, his lips were extremely thin, and there was a tinge of elegance in his handsome face. There was an unconcealable pride in his appearance. It was none other than Vampire Emlyn White.
A little too short… He laughed at himself.
At this moment, the bones and ligaments in his body began to produce cracking and snapping sounds as his entire body suddenly soared up a little. He now looked identical to Emlyn White, externally.
I’ve noticed that I can accurately recall the exterior appearance and temperament of every person I know, and I can grasp their unique scent… Klein’s pores squirmed, and his body changed accordingly. The smell of his body became different as a result of this.
He looked into the full-length mirror again, letting his hairline slowly recede, and he changed the color of his eyes into a deep gray.
Without a sound, Dunn Smith seemed to come alive again, and he was staring at the team member who always came to him to report on unusual matters.
Letting out a breath, Klein returned to his original form, but the corners of his mouth remained curled upwards.
He thought for a moment, took a few steps back, and looked at the magazine, Ladies Aesthetics, which he had bought to look at fas.h.i.+onable beauties, and he noted down the appearance of the actress on the cover.
Then, he went back to the full-length mirror and wiped his face with his right hand.
When he looked in the mirror again, he saw a young lady with black hair that went past her shoulders and delicate facial features.
It really works… Klein looked down at his chest, but he didn’t see any protrusions.
Trying hard to control his body, he managed to create a pair of A cups by moving his fat and some of his flesh.
However, there was nothing he could do about his lower body.
That is to say, it is just a superficial change in appearance, nothing fundamental… Also, I can only grow taller or shorter by 10 centimeters at the moment. Going beyond this range would be difficult… Also, there’s a limit to the enlargement and shrinkage of the head. For example, I can’t mimic Father Utravsky’s half-giant head at all… Also, I can only observe the appearance and temperament of the target in an instant, without knowing anything related to him. It’s easy for me to be exposed when facing a Spectator like Miss Justice… Heh heh, in the Clown stage, the Clown restrains the Spectator, but in the Faceless stage, it is actually somewhat restrained by the Spectator. Interesting…
Upon having this thought, Klein stopped changing and returned to the appearance of Sherlock Moriarty.
Divination, fighting, as well as a Magician’s Beyonder powers, have all been enhanced. As for how much they’ve improved, it can only be confirmed through practice. I should find some time to head to the Quelaag Club tomorrow… Klein took one last look and went downstairs to clear up the mess.
After rounding up everything, he quickly washed up and crawled into bed.
Lying there, looking out the window at the crimson moonlight, he gradually calmed down.
After a few minutes of this, Klein slowly closed his eyes and smiled to himself.
Good night, Faceless.