MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player-Chapter 97: The Price of Awakening
"Old Man Appraiser, what is this mushroom?"
The Appraiser studied the Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s pet egg for a long moment, then lifted his hand, letting a Levitation Spell hold it steady in the air. He reached into his robes and withdrew a mushroom; a deep, vivid blood red. Its surface pulsed with a crimson light that glowed from within, as if it had been dipped in fresh blood and left to throb with its own inner fire.
"This is called a Blood Soul Mushroom," he said calmly. "It grows only in the Blood Spirit Forest, far to the north in the Demonlands. While it matures, it draws Dark Demonic Energy from the earth and leeches the life from anything foolish enough to linger nearby. It consumes so much that only one can survive within a hundred miles, and even then, it needs a full century to reach the size of a fist. This one has grown for at least five hundred years. A rare dark treasure."
"What’s it for?" Marcus asked.
"The Blood Soul Mushroom is a Divine-grade material," the Appraiser replied. "Primarily used in forging Divine-grade elixirs, or as feed for powerful Dark-aligned pets. For instance, if a Level 7 Dark pet consumes a thousand-year-old specimen, it can evolve to Level 8 and gain a potent Bloodlust skill."
’So it really is that powerful,’ Marcus thought, a jolt of surprise running through him. If a thousand-year mushroom could push a Level 7 pet a full tier higher, then maybe his own Dark Phoenix, already a Level 8 Advanced Pet, could use something like this to reach Level 9. The idea was tempting.
But he knew the Appraiser wouldn’t waste the mushroom on the Phoenix. The old man’s goal was clear: to catalyze the dragon’s egg. He wanted that bloodline, nothing else. If Marcus could force the egg to hatch now, the old man might see him differently, but Marcus had no way to make that happen.
Still, today had gone better than he’d dared hope. He’d gained the Appraisal skill, even if it was only Basic, and that was rare enough. More importantly, the Appraiser had agreed to help with the egg. Success would shave thirty years off the wait. That was more than enough for one day.
"Stone, step back," the Appraiser warned. "The Blood Soul Mushroom is poisonous. If your Poison Resistance is under fifty, even touching it will poison you."
Marcus obeyed immediately, putting several paces between himself and the counter. The Appraiser held the mushroom over the floating egg, pressing it between his palms. He ground it slowly, deliberately, until it crumbled into a fine, drifting powder that he let fall onto the egg’s surface. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
The powder spread like a crimson mist; translucent, glowing, yet flowing like thin liquid. It was eerily beautiful and hypnotic. As it scattered, a thick wave of dark energy seeped into the air.
The Dark Violet Sky Dragon’s egg sensed the concentrated power and began to rotate on its own. A burst of black radiance erupted from it, wrapping the egg in layer upon layer of dark light until the shell itself was no longer visible.
The falling Blood Soul Mushroom powder sank straight into that black radiance, melting into it, becoming part of it. The red glow of the mushroom began to blend with the dragon’s dark light, staining the black a bloodied crimson and shadowing the red with deep ebony. The two colors swirled together in a strange, unsettling dance.
The Appraiser poured out every last grain. Once he saw the lights fully merged, he summoned his purple sorcerer’s staff back into his hand. Lifting it slowly, he began to chant, directing the spell toward the egg wrapped in pulsing radiance.
As the chant continued, the egg spun faster and faster. Its rotation became a blur, pulling the black light and the red powder into a tight, violent spiral. Then, all at once, the egg seemed to drink everything in; every shred of light, every speck of powder, until nothing remained.
Just as suddenly, it stilled, floating quietly as if nothing had happened.
The Appraiser reached out immediately. ’Mission accomplished,’ he muttered under his breath, grabbing the egg to check its attributes. Marcus watched him closely, but the old man’s expression shifted almost instantly; from concentration to frustration, and finally to weary resignation.
"Well?" Marcus asked, already fighting the urge to snatch the egg back and see for himself.
"I gave it everything," the Appraiser said, exhaling heavily. "Pushed the Blood Soul Mushroom to its absolute limit. The result is still... limited. The Elven Five Element Divine Power truly is one of the strongest energies on the Dreamland Continent. It won’t dissolve easily. Your dragon has no choice but to absorb all of it before it can hatch, and during that process, there’s an eighty percent chance it will mutate."
He handed the egg to Marcus with a resigned shake of his head. Marcus immediately pulled up its attribute panel.
Divine Beast: Dark Violet Sky Dragon Pet Egg
Type: Divine Beast Pet
Description: One of the six great Divine Beasts under the Demon Lord. Originally scheduled to hatch in one year, but after absorbing excessive Elven energy, it has entered a dormant state. Current hatching time: twenty years. Can be catalyzed by Dark-attributed treasures to hasten absorption and shorten hatching time.
Marcus let out a slow breath. The Blood Soul Mushroom had only shortened the hatch time from thirty years to twenty. No wonder the Appraiser looked like he wanted to cough up blood. Marcus had secretly hoped for a hatch today, but that hope vanished instantly.
"Stone, listen," the Appraiser said, his irritation plain. "If you find any Dark-attributed treasures in the future, bring them to me. I’ll catalyze the egg again. You’ve squeezed every benefit out of me today, and I’ve gotten precisely nothing in return."
His temper was clearly rising. Today had been a disaster in his eyes. This brat had talked him into teaching Appraisal, burned through his Blood Soul Mushroom, and now had the nerve to look disappointed.
"Old Man," Marcus protested, "my Appraisal skill is only Basic. If I run into a Dark-attributed treasure, I might not even recognize it. I could walk right past the one thing that could help the egg hatch sooner—"
The Appraiser cut him off before he could finish. His patience finally snapped.
"Enough! Stop twisting words to squeeze more out of me. You’re not getting anything else today, so save your tricks."
’Unbelievable,’ Marcus thought. ’I was thinking about your interests too. Trying to hatch this thing faster benefits us both, and you’re acting like I’m robbing you.’
The Appraiser slammed his hand on the counter, each thump sharper than the last.
"Stop wasting my time. Go. Find Dark treasures. If you manage to hatch that dragon within two years, I’ll raise your Appraisal skill from Basic to Intermediate. Within one year, I’ll jump it two levels to Advanced. Faster than that, and there might be other rewards. Whether you succeed or not is your problem now."
With that final outburst, he turned and stormed into the back room, waving Marcus off like a persistent fly.
"That brat," he muttered once he thought Marcus was out of earshot. "If I still had my old temper, I’d have fried him on the spot instead of wasting half the day in talk. This headache is on him. All of it."
