Chapter 125: Effect of Dragon Blood, Shattered Helmet of the Past

Zieg still had plenty to attend to, and as they parted ways, he pressed another magic crystal card worth over a thousand gold coins into Wang Yu’s hand—a sum representing several months of salary plus a bonus for his contributions during the demon invasion.

It was a significant amount of wealth. Clutching the card, Wang Yu felt like half a rich man again, though he knew well that money, like everything else, came and went with equal haste.

Returning home early, he found Avia had not yet arrived. The skirmish at the Royal City’s Shadow had cost him nothing; such was his constitution. As long as he wasn’t dead, his injuries and stamina would recover with astonishing speed, provided he had sufficient nourishment.

He placed the dragon blood Zieg had given him on the table. Looking at the liquid, which was far more transparent and clear than human blood, he found it hard to believe it was blood at all.

According to the texts, bathing in dragon blood could greatly enhance one’s physique. Wang Yu didn’t know the underlying principle, and since such instances were rare, no one had ever truly deciphered it.

Because most dragons were born with a natural affinity for magic, their blood was saturated with it. Even those without talent for sorcery could sometimes gain a decent magical aptitude after such a bath.

That was terrifying. To gain magical talent simply by contact spoke volumes about the inherent power of the dragons themselves.

He sent out a ripple of energy to scan the clear, crimson liquid. True to Zieg’s word, it contained no magic. Zieg was indeed a dragon born with a deficiency; he lacked the innate magical talent typical of his kind.

Yet, Wang Yu had witnessed Zieg’s formidable physique. Perhaps dragon blood devoid of magical interference was, for him, the purest and most useful form. The question remained, however, how to utilize it.

He had learned from using Knight Instructor Barret’s advanced body-tempering potions that topical application was useless; drinking them only served as a decent supplement.

If he followed the records and bathed in Zieg’s blood, it might have no effect either. Was he meant to use it as a super-potent tonic?

He decided to test it. Opening the jar, he dipped his finger into the liquid. It was surprisingly viscous, like honey, and he felt a distinct, sharp stinging sensation on his skin.

"It’s still active? This level of aggression is incredible. Truly, every part of such a powerful creature is formidable."

Wang Yu carefully observed the pain in his finger. The blood showed no signs of movement, yet it was actively eroding his skin, eating away at him.

This was blood separated from its host, devoid of any command, yet it could still breach the defenses of a body that met the standards of a formal knight. It was simply extraordinary.

"If it possesses this level of activity, perhaps I can try to let my body 'learn' something from it?" Wang Yu rubbed his chin. As an "isekai" traveler, he had never been arrogant, but he was keenly aware of his own uniqueness: his original Earth-born body and his mysterious spirit and soul.

The latter was irrelevant here, but the former was the key. When he first arrived, his physique had been abysmal, failing to meet even the world’s average.

His Earth-born body lacked any supernatural elements—no battle qi, no magic, no bloodline. But upon arriving, his body had begun to spontaneously learn and fill those voids. It progressed through his training, constantly evolving.

"Learning" was his body’s greatest trait. It had learned the supernatural laws of this world.

When his body reached a threshold where battle qi should have manifested but didn't, he had used his wizardry to briefly create his own, allowing his body to "feel" it. Afterward, his body had "learned" battle qi. It was unique—lacking the typical vortex in the lower abdomen—but it was undeniably real.

He was certain his body possessed an autonomous learning ability. If it could learn from battle qi and the vampire blood he had encountered, could it not learn from this active dragon blood?

The ingredients in body-tempering potions were inert, serving only as supplements. But dragon blood was different—it was a piece of the most powerful creature he had ever encountered.

"Worth a try, but I must be careful. I can't just inject this into my veins; given its aggression, if my body can't handle it, the consequences would be dire."

He decided not to risk a direct injection. Instead, he would let his own blood meet the dragon’s.

He sliced his finger and, using the Blood-Stained Gale Knight technique, drew out some of his own blood. It, too, possessed a degree of mobility due to the technique.

As they touched, the dragon blood showed its aggression. Wang Yu manipulated his blood with ripples, but he immediately felt his own supply rapidly diminishing. The dragon blood was "killing" his.

"Right, direct injection would have been suicide. No wonder the records only mention bathing in it. If a Great Knight couldn't handle this internal destruction, then..."

Just as he marveled at the dragon blood’s aggression, he noticed the remnants of his own blood beginning to change.

The golden-red banner hovering in his mind began to flicker. The *Banner of Triumph* had been triggered, but instead of channeling life force into him, it was directing it into the droplets of his blood mingling with the dragon’s.

Wang Yu watched the opaque specks of his blood within the crimson pool. They were being "killed" and consumed, yet they were stubbornly resisting.

He could sense the struggle through his technique. His blood was at a disadvantage, constantly being devoured, but as it killed off portions of the dragon blood, the *Banner of Triumph*—a relic he had always suspected might have a "bug"—began to feed the life force of the "slain" dragon blood back into his own.

With this extra power, his blood reached a stalemate. As his blood killed the dragon blood, it gained more life force, and the *Banner of Triumph* provided a constant supply.

As time passed, Wang Yu realized his blood was changing. It was gaining "activity"—it was learning "life."

The *Banner of Triumph* provided the energy, and his blood began a counter-offensive. It was evolving.

When the two sides reached an equilibrium, the one with the external supply gained the absolute advantage. His blood began to devour the dragon blood in turn.

Moments later, Wang Yu lifted the small basin. The liquid was no longer clear. The dragon blood was gone, replaced by a smaller, strangely pulsating amount of his own blood, now imbued with that same potent activity.

"Amazing. Let me see what you’ve learned." Wang Yu smiled.

He dipped his wounded finger into the basin. Without even needing to drive his technique, the blood crawled up his finger and seeped back into his body.

"Whew..." As it returned, he felt the change.

His blood was transmitting what it had learned to the rest of his system. A qualitative shift was occurring. He could feel the texture of his muscles, the gaps in his bones, the tiny indentations in his vessels. His perception had reached a terrifying level of clarity.

He closed his eyes, sensing his rejuvenated, vibrant blood. A change had occurred, though its full implications remained to be seen.

Seeing a small bud of blood emerge from his wound to stitch it shut before retracting, he felt this would one day bring him a massive surprise—or perhaps a shock.

"It seems the physical benefits end there. But as an amateur apothecary, I’d be wasting such a treasure if I didn't try to concoct something. My hands are itching."

In high spirits, he turned to the remaining blood. He loved this craft, which felt much like chemistry.

A new idea for a potion, one he had long contemplated, suddenly seemed achievable with this energy-rich blood.

He set to work in his small room on Red Maple Street. Unlike alchemists, apothecaries were like chemists; his equipment was humble, but that didn't matter.

...

When Avia pushed open the door, she found Wang Yu, covered in grime and strange fluids, holding a small vial of golden liquid, grinning like a thief.

"Avia, it’s a success! That potion I mentioned—I actually managed to brew it. 'Fragmented Helm Potion.' It’ll be a new trump card."

"Oh, honestly. Let me get you cleaned up."