309 Choosing One Out Of Two (1/2)
The illusory feeling passed, and Klein saw the strange candle in his hand again, along with its black wick and palish-white flame.
The damage of the Dawn Paladin—the shattered ground, broken pews, and the sliced candles—had been restored to their pre-battle state. It was hard to tell where they had been damaged.
At some point, Bishop Utravsky, who had been standing opposite him, had taken a seat in the front pew, his back bent forward and his head buried in his hands. His hands were pressed to his temples.
Drip!
Drip!
Sweat trickled down his face and spread out from his feet. The ground was already completely wet.
When he sensed that the strange candle had been extinguished by Klein, he shuddered and raised his head to meet Klein's eyes.
His slightly turbid eyes were filled with tears, and his wrinkled face was streaked with tears.
However, his eyes were filled with emotion, joy, and clarity.
If it was said that this ”giant” bishop previously appeared tall and heavy, then all that was left of him now was the heaviness of his body but without the heaviness of his spirit.
At this moment, Klein felt like he was looking at a newborn baby.
Those tears were proof of new life.
The corners of Utravsky's mouth curled up slightly as he smiled kindly.
”You're much better than I expected.”
”No, this is because I gained sufficient understanding in advance and made the appropriate preparations. As for the past you, not only were you unsure of your opponent's strengths, you were also greatly weakened. If I were to fight against you in the real world, I would be considering how to escape,” Klein calmly replied.
A prepared Magician and an unprepared Magician are very different concepts… He added silently in his heart.
Bishop Utravsky didn't dwell on this problem. Brimming with relief from head to toe, he said, ”Thank you, my friend.
”According to our agreement, I'll give you the Apothecary formula. I'll also give you an additional mystical item.”
As he spoke, from his pocket, he took out what looked like a combination of a needle, a tube, and a container.
”You have two choices. This is one of the two choices you have. When I got it, I didn't know its name, and I never thought about naming it either. You're able to use it to draw out a tube of blood, your own blood. At a critical moment, you can transfuse it back into you. That way, your fatigue will disappear. Your ailments and injuries will be alleviated, and your strength, speed, balance, and other attributes will all be greatly enhanced.” Bishop Utravsky pointed to the object in his hand.
”What about its limitations and latent dangers?” Klein asked rationally.
Utravsky looked at the mysterious patterns on the needle and tube and explained in detail, ”After drawing out a tube of blood, you'll be weakened for a full twelve hours, and during those twelve hours, transfusing the blood back into you wouldn't have any effect. Of course, the specific time limit isn't that precise; it increases or decreases according to your body's condition. In addition, it's best not to use it too often; not more than once a week. Otherwise, not only will the transfusion bring you power, but it will also temporarily make you lose your rationality, and the short period when you have your blood drawn and turn weak will become your characteristic.
”In addition to these, it also has a problem. If you carry it around for more than half an hour, you'll become a little neurotic.”
Fortunately, Bishop Utravsky didn't previously draw his blood. Otherwise, if the past him can transfuse his blood, my chances of winning would've been very, very low… This was the first thought that flashed through Klein's mind.
He frowned and was rather worried about the negative effects of the mystical item.
Regardless of whether it was a temporary loss of rationality, a twelve hour period of weakness, or a change in his mental state, these were all hidden dangers that didn't seem too problematic. But after seeing Rampagers and hearing the ravings of an evil god, Klein believed that a Beyonder's mental state was very important. If one's mental state remained at a nadir for an extended period of time, or if there were frequent anomalies, it would easily cause the phenomenon of losing control to happen. This was the same even if a Beyonder had grasped the acting method!
”What's the second choice?” Klein said after two seconds of silence.
Bishop Utravsky took out a simple brass key from his other pocket and smiled.
”This is called a Master Key. It can help you open any lock which doesn't contain mystical powers, as well as a small number of locks that are augmented with Beyonder effects. And in a place without any locks or doors, it can open a passageway that doesn't belong to reality. Heh heh, the premise is that there are no restrictions by Beyonder powers and the barriers aren't too thick.
”Its spirituality is completely restrained. When it's not being used, Beyonders cannot see any difference between it and a normal key.”
Utravsky stood up again, leaving Klein no choice but to look up.
The ”giant” bishop increased his pace and came to the wall at the side of the cathedral hall and pressed the Master Key against the brick.
He twisted gently, and his entire body seemed to sink into water as ripples were produced. He went through the wall and arrived outside.
In the same way, Bishop Utravsky returned to the cathedral hall and entered Klein's line of sight again.
”Have you decided on the mystical item?” the tall priest asked with his head lowered.
”Hmm, what are the latent dangers of the Master Key?” Klein asked after some deliberation.
Bishop Utravsky smiled warmly and said, ”The person carrying it will occasionally get lost.
”According to what someone told me, one gets lost at random.”
Lost? I'm a Seer with spiritual intuition… Klein mumbled, and his mind gradually came to a decision.
After a few seconds, he said, ”I want the Master Key.”