Garion reached forward and slowly lifted the cover, unveiling a single bottle.

The glass was thick, dark, and faintly warm to the touch.

Inside, the liquid swirled on its own, colors shifting between deep red and cloudy gold, as if it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

Mersha leaned in so close her glasses almost touched the bottle.

"Ooooh?" Her voice sped up instantly.

"Master, master, what kind of potion is this? Supplement? Prototype? Poison? Emergency drink? Breakthrough drug?"

Garion didn't answer right away. He just picked up the bottle and rolled it once in his palm.

Then he smirked.

"Why don't you find out?"

Mersha's eyes lit up.

"Oh! Test subject time!"

She giggled, snatched the bottle, and popped the cork without hesitation.

Garion didn't even try to stop her.

She lifted it and drank it in one go.

"Hmm…" Mersha smacked her lips thoughtfully.

"Sour at first. Like it's attacking my tongue."

She tilted her head. "Then spicy. Really spicy. Oh, that's nice."

Garion raised an eyebrow.

"Then bitter," she continued cheerfully.

"Super bitter. Tongue-numbing bitter. And... oh?"

She blinked. "Sweet. At the end. Huh. All the flavors are here."

Then her body stiffened.

"Ah."

Heat surged through her veins.

Her skin flushed red as mana inside her body went wild, crashing and twisting like it had lost all control.

Mersha's smile didn't disappear, but her fingers trembled.

"Oho… this is new…"

Her legs suddenly gave out, and she dropped into a chair hard.

"I… can't move," she said, surprised but not panicked.

"Master? My body's not listening."

Garion crossed his arms calmly. "Normal reaction."

Her mana flared again, hotter this time. Sweat rolled down her temple.

"Woah... hot, hot, hot!" She laughed weakly. "This is intense!"

Then her body went completely still.

Paralyzed.

For several long seconds, the lab was silent except for the hum of the machines.

Then...

Her fingers twitched.

Mersha sucked in a sharp breath as control rushed back into her limbs.

"Oh! Oh! I can move again!"

She jumped up so fast the chair scraped backward.

Her eyes widened.

"…Wait."

She placed a hand on her chest, then closed her eyes.

Her mana felt different.

It was denser and stronger.

Her breath hitched.

"I… I'm in the second realm."

She stared at her own hands. "The [Mana Core Realm]."

Garion nodded once.

"And not just that," Mersha added quickly, excitement exploding again.

"I can feel it. A perfect mana core cell is already formed."

She spun toward him, eyes shining behind her glasses.

"I didn't even have to build it myself!"

Garion finally smiled wider.

"Because it was forced."

Mersha leaned forward eagerly. "Master, what is this amazing potion?"

Garion tapped the empty bottle.

"It's called [Limit Break Serum – Mana Core Cell Version]."

Mersha's jaw dropped.

"It directly pushes someone at the peak of the First Realm into the Second Realm," he continued.

Mersha clenched her fists, practically vibrating.

"That's insane!" she laughed.

She leaned forward so fast her glasses slid down her nose.

"What is this made from?" she asked rapidly.

"There's no way this is just normal herbs and liquids. No way."

Garion turned the bottle slightly and tapped the machine beside him.

"You can see the ingredients here."

Mersha's gaze snapped to the list.

"Second Realm Essence, Spirit Fruit Extract, and Condensed Spirit Liquid…"

She blinked. "… What are those?"

Garion folded his arms.

"Second Realm Essence is a single drop created by condensing the essence of multiple second realm creatures."

Mersha froze.

"…Condensing essence?" she repeated slowly. "You mean…"

Garion nodded. "Exactly. A drop refined from numerous corpses."

Mersha sucked in a breath... not in fear, but in amazement.

"Whoa… That's efficient," she muttered, then looked up sharply.

"Wait. You mean any creature?"

Garion tilted his head. "You could say that."

Mersha stared at him for a second, then laughed softly.

"Even humans can become ingredients…"

Garion raised a finger.

"Relax. You won't be personally making that extract. There are already specialists handling it."

Mersha nodded quickly. "Good. Not because I can't... just because that would take too much time."

She immediately pointed at the list again. "What about the other two?"

Garion answered calmly. "Spirit Fruit Extract is made by refining large quantities of spirit fruits."

"Mm-hmm."

"And Condensed Spirit Liquid is produced from high-grade ores and mineral veins rich in spirit energy."

Mersha's fingers twitched. "So… flesh, fruit, and stone."

She laughed. "That's such a weird combination. I love it."

Then she went quiet for a moment, thinking.

"…Master," she said, more serious now. "You want me to enhance this potion, don't you?"

Garion nodded. "Yes."

"This isn't just a supplement," she continued. "This directly raises someone's realm."

"It does."

Mersha straightened, nodding firmly.

"Then this is extremely important. If misused, it could destroy someone's body."

Garion smiled faintly. "That's why you're the one working on it."

She pushed her glasses up. "The side effects… they only happen during the transformation, right?"

"Yes," Garion said. "Once the conversion is complete, the body stabilizes."

Mersha exhaled in relief. "Good. That means it's manageable."

She paused, then slowly raised her hand.

"…Master, can I ask for more of it?"

Garion looked at her. "More?"

"I want to push further," she said eagerly. "I want to use it to directly awaken my [Unique Physique]."

Garion blinked.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

"…Why didn't I think of that?" he muttered.

Mersha tilted her head.

"Because before, you didn't have enough second realm corpses, right?"

Garion laughed quietly. "Exactly."

He glanced toward the forest in the distance. "But now? Demon Gate Island is full of them."

He turned back to her and nodded. "Fine. You can take what you need."

Mersha's eyes lit up like she'd just been given the world.

"Yes! I'll do it carefully! Very carefully! Probably!"

Garion walked toward the door, then stopped.

"I expect results," he said over his shoulder.

Mersha saluted sharply. "You'll get them, Master!"

As the door closed, she turned back to the lab, staring at the bottle in her hand with a grin that was equal parts excitement and danger.

"This is going to be fun."

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