Chapter 15: Peeping

He walked forward.

The dead wilderness creature before him, resembling both a dog and a rabbit, was a "dog-rabbit."

Its withered yellow fur was nearly all burned off. Parts had been split open by the arc lightning spell, revealing the charred rabbit meat beneath.

Prying open the dog-rabbit's lips, he saw four fierce, sharp teeth.

The teeth were yellowed, and faint black patterns had already formed at the roots.

"It's already begun to transcend, considered a half-supernatural species."

"If it grew for another two or three years, it would likely become a true supernatural dog-rabbit."

"If it truly became a supernatural dog-rabbit, its size would double again, its speed, strength, and lethality would rise another level, and its fur defense could resist certain spell attacks."

"At that time, if it ambushed me again, I'd probably have to dodge quite awkwardly."

"Too bad... you won't have that chance."

"The arc lightning didn't char it too badly; with a little preparation, it should make a decent meal."

Holding firewood in one hand and the dog-rabbit in the other, Gunie walked toward the campsite.

After rounding a mountain bend, he saw the others in the camp had already lit a fire in the depression and boiled water.

"A dog-rabbit?"

Seeing Gunie approach, Aili, sharp-eyed, immediately spotted the dog-rabbit in his hand.

"I thought we'd be eating dry rations tonight, but you actually hunted something."

"This dog-rabbit came to me on its own." Gunie shrugged and smiled.

"We're in for a treat tonight; dog-rabbit meat is quite fatty and delicious."

As she spoke, Aili walked over and took the dog-rabbit.

When their hands crossed, Gunie's expression shifted slightly, then he said calmly, "Be careful when handling it; there might be other half-supernatural beasts in the wilderness."

"I know." Aili nodded with her usual steadiness.

Carrying the dog-rabbit, Aili turned and walked to the stream to dress the carcass.

Gunie gently rubbed the small stone Aili had passed him when taking the dog-rabbit, his heart stirring.

"Aili noticed too; at least I'm not the only one. Our team still has some vigilance."

His gaze casually swept the surroundings, and Gunie remained cautious but not agitated.

In the supernatural world, there were many eerie means of peeping.

To prevent enemies from gleaning more information from the shadows,

team members had many prearranged signals.

For instance, passing a small stone secretly meant an enemy was spying on us.

Everyone telling a horror story meant the enemy might attack, and everyone should be careful.

Loudly saying, "We'll all fight to the death here today" meant we couldn't win—run!

And so on.

"I knew this wilderness expedition wouldn't be simple."

Gunie rubbed his temples slightly.

"For now, it seems the enemy is spying from the shadows, sizing us up; they're not confident in making a move."

"If the enemy saw my arc lightning spell earlier, they should know we're not to be trifled with."

Appropriately displaying some strength could serve as a good deterrent to the enemy.

After all, Gunie didn't want pointless fights.

Battles between supernaturals were over in a flash, resulting in death or injury.

"Of course... there's another possibility. If that's the case, this expedition might... be quite dangerous."

His thoughts racing, Gunie maintained high alert.

Sitting down beside the boiling water, Gunie sniffed gently, confirming nothing unusual before relaxing slightly.

As a possessor of the Bone Element Potion Secret Charm at level six, Gunie had a keen ability to sniff out various potions.

If the enemy had placed any sedative or toxin upstream, Gunie could easily detect it.

Then, Gunie began adding herbs he had gathered during the day into the boiling water.

"What herbs are these, and what are they for?" Yulai·Kojin, resting nearby, asked curiously.

"Some stems of Ganlu grass and roots of three-leaf sunflower. These can effectively restore stamina and energy, and enhance physical endurance to some extent. Continuous consumption helps with long journeys and combat."

"Compared to potions, using them as food additives has weaker effects but no side effects, and they're easy to absorb and digest."

"Too bad we haven't encountered any high-year herbs along the way—just three-to-five or seven-to-eight-year ones." Gunie said casually.

"Do you need high-year herbs?" Paul asked, slightly surprised.

"I remember that for potion masters, the year requirement for herbs isn't that important in refining and using them."

While stirring the small pot and adding other supplementary ingredients,

Gunie began to explain.

"Long ago, during the Church's theocratic era, potion-making was just a sideline for many mages, mainly to make magic potions that restored mana."

"But now, with supernatural steam trains entering the supernatural wilderness, humans have begun large-scale development. A flood of herbs and potion masters has emerged, and deeper aspects of potions are being uncovered."

"Beyond the low, mid, and high-grade potions you know, more potions and theories are being developed and even invented."

"Do you know the advanced theory of potionology—Secret Pattern Potions?"

The others looked stunned.

"I know Secret Pattern Spells, which are a level above high-grade supernatural spells. They're quite powerful. But Secret Pattern Potions? What's that?"

They were all very curious.

"Could it be that the relationship between Secret Pattern Potions and ordinary potions is like the transformative relationship between supernatural spells and Secret Pattern Spells?"

They discussed briefly among themselves.

"Yes... and no."

After a moment's thought, Gunie slowly explained.

"Conventional low, mid, and high-grade potions are mostly single-use consumables."

"For example—" Gunie flipped his hand and produced a bottle of primary stamina recovery potion.

"After using this stamina recovery potion, it restores some stamina, giving us enough energy and physical strength for subsequent tasks."

"Another example—"

"Rage potions, used to temporarily increase speed, strength, and aggression."

"Or refined healing potions, used to recover from injuries and heal wounds."

"But... is there a potion that, after use, directly enhances our strength, soul intensity, source capacity, physical agility, or even our thinking speed?"

At Gunie's words,

the others stared at him in shock.

"Directly enhancing physical strength and toughness? This..." Paul even opened his mouth.

"Feels a bit unbelievable, doesn't it?" Gunie smiled lightly.

"In fact, some potion masters trained by certain forces have already begun similar explorations."

"Through extremely complex refining techniques, combined with aged supernatural plants—usually centuries-old, since ordinary herbs can't live that long—they can produce very rare 'Secret Pattern Potions.'"

"Different types of Secret Pattern Potions, depending on their effects, can directly enhance our strength, mental power, source pool capacity, or even physical resilience. Some high-end ones can even directly elevate a supernatural rank."

"As Secret Pattern Potions are gradually developed, in the future, these higher-grade potions will bring tremendous changes, even revolutions, to the development of human supernatural power."

"If such potions are truly developed, they would indeed cause extraordinary changes in society and even among supernatural beings." Paul, the philosophical knight, nodded slightly.

"In this era of change, it's not just the massive, clunky steam-punk trains and steam-punk ships that are emerging."

"Potions, alchemy, and even the supernatural equipment we'll wear in the future are all in a state of transformation."

"One could say this is the worst of times, because everything is uncertain, the future shrouded in mist. Or it could be the best of times, because everything is uncertain, the future full of infinite possibilities."

Gunie squinted and spoke softly.