Chapter 373 - 365: Experimental Victory

Chapter 373: Chapter 365: Experimental Victory

Before beginning the large-scale screening for an inhibitor, Velin spent three full days and nights trying to understand just one thing: what, exactly, was their enemy.

Elvin brought a Mage’s perspective, viewing it as a powerful curse. Valerius, with his Alchemist’s mindset, believed it to be a highly active alchemical creation.

But when Velin combined his microscopic observations with the symptoms of the deceased, a name buried deep in the memories of his past life surfaced—the culprit behind the Black Death, *Yersinia pestis*!

’So that’s it...’ Velin straightened, his face holding not the joy of discovery, but only a heavy burden. It had the *form* of *Yersinia pestis*, but it had been imbued with a *core* of Magic. It was both a physical pathogen and a magical curse.

This discovery, while weighing heavily on Velin, also pointed him toward a path forward.

Since the enemy possessed a physical shell similar to that of a bacterium, his repository of knowledge from his past life finally had a use. The most effective weapon against bacteria, after all, was the antibiotic.

Velin turned to his two assistants, his gaze sharp. "Now, I need you to find some specific plants."

He quickly described the characteristics of several types of plants: those prone to molding in damp environments, certain specific lichens, and various herbs used in folk medicine to treat wounds and prevent food from spoiling.

These were all natural sources from which, according to his memories of Blue Star, antibiotics could be extracted.

Under Velin’s guidance, the underground research institute transformed into a high-speed screening engine. Soon, hundreds of plant samples from across the Duchy that fit Velin’s descriptions were brought in.

After round after round of extraction and testing, one plant stood out: "Graveyard Iron-grass." It was an herbaceous plant that grew near cold, gloomy graveyards. Its rhizomes were an iron-gray color, and it was generally ignored due to its ominous habitat and intensely bitter taste.

The alchemist assistant successfully extracted a pale-yellow crystalline powder from the rhizomes of the Graveyard Iron-grass.

To verify its effectiveness, Velin set up a control group. For one group, he used an ordinary sample of *Yersinia pestis*.

When the powder, which Velin dubbed "Antibiotic A," was introduced to the ordinary sample, a miracle occurred. Upon contact, the bacteria rapidly disintegrated and died. The bactericidal effect was immediate!

"It’s a success!" A cheer erupted in the laboratory.

But Velin shook his head and pointed to another petri dish, one containing a sample of the Extraordinary plague.

The same antibiotic was added, but the results were deeply disappointing. Under the microscope, the black plague pathogens merely slowed their writhing, and their rate of division decreased slightly, but they were far from being eradicated. They stubbornly survived and continued to multiply.

The hope that had just been kindled was extinguished.

"Why... is it so much less effective?" the Mage assistant asked, his face a mask of confusion.

"Because of the Extraordinary attribute of their core." Velin’s voice was calm; he had already anticipated this possibility. "The ’antibiotic’ we extracted is a purely physical method of attack. It can kill the ’husk,’ but as long as the core remains, the husk can constantly repair itself."

"This ’core’ acts like an energy shield, greatly enhancing the ’husk’s’ resistance. To it, a conventional dose of the antibiotic is like being tickled."

"Then... what if we increase the dose?" Ryo asked.

Velin shook his head. "To reach an effective concentration, the patient would die from the drug’s toxicity first. That path is a dead end."

It was a dead end. A conventional antibiotic was simply not effective enough against the Extraordinary plague.

’A physical weapon can’t defeat a physical body empowered by the Extraordinary,’ Velin muttered. ’So, I need a "physical inhibitor" that has also been empowered by the Extraordinary.’

The most direct idea was to make the Graveyard Iron-grass itself Extraordinary.

Using the Life Origin, Velin quickly evolved the Graveyard Iron-grass. Its rhizomes grew tougher, taking on the luster of black iron, and the edges of its leaves became as sharp as razors.

An Extraordinary plant, containing a faint trace of aether, was born.

However, when Velin once again tested the plague sample with its extract, there was no change in the result.

"A failure..." Velin said, disappointed. "Although it became an Extraordinary plant, its specialization seems to have been ’durability’ and ’sharpness,’ not the ’bactericidal’ function I needed."

Velin looked at the report in his hand. The failure had confirmed a key point for him: the evolutionary path of direct Extraordinary catalysis was uncontrollable.

’Directed enhancement...’ Velin mulled over the term. Suddenly, the image of a plant flashed into his mind.

In a flash of insight, he thought of the Blood-sucking Vine.

It was a plant he had worked on before to control enemies. Its core abilities were "entwine" and "devour."

’What if... the "devour" ability could let it absorb traits from a specific bloodline?’ A bold idea began to form in Velin’s mind.

’Since I can’t make the Graveyard Iron-grass’s bactericidal property "grow" an Extraordinary leg to stand on, I’ll just have to graft a suitable Extraordinary trait onto it!’

He turned to face his assistant.

"Prepare ten offshoots of the Blood-sucking Vine for me, and call for Elias."

A hush fell over the underground research institute.

Ten offshoots of the Blood-sucking Vine were planted in ten separate clay pots, arranged quietly on a long metal table. They looked lifeless, their dark-red vines drooping like a pile of dry rope.