"My job is done here. I'm out."
Ronny said this loudly to nobody in particular. But his teammates who had watched the last part of the battle got his message loud and clear.
Ronny found a corner outside the battle ring to sit and start his recovery by practising his ranking technique. His teammates had a lot of questions but he made them realize with his actions that those could wait.
Lady Zee shrugged her shoulders after she saw that Jules and others were staring at her for her decision. She cleared her throat before saying:
"*Cough. Alright. We'll talk later when everyone has finished.
Now that Ronny has beaten multiple opponents in one go, the trend should continue with you, Jules. Go ahead and take on as many opponents as you can. Our order of combat hasn't changed."
Jules nodded at Lady Zee's instructions and stepped into the battle ring. She was on edge after thinking that she would have to fight battles with the same levels as Ronny's.
But to her surprise and ease, the opponents she was given weren't that difficult to deal with when they were compared with what Ronny had. She took care of the first opponent she had easily.
The next opponent she had gave her some trouble. But Jules used her illusion spells to successfully trick her opponent. Her winning strike ended with that as she retreated.
Renar went next. He battled his first opponent and won. He used his anthrope transformation in the second battle and barely managed to keep his victory streak. He too quit after two battles.
Eren's last two opponents were counted as one entity by the dungeon's mechanism because of his special status as a demi-human. So his teammates still had four members to defeat. And since Julie and Renar scored two wins each, their team won by keeping three participants in the reserve.
************
"Care to explain what happened back there?"
Lady Zee asked in an inquisitive tone to Ronny when she saw him opening his eyes. The latter's squad members for the dungeon were now sitting around him. The dungeon had given them time to rest and catch their breaths before proceeding further.
It's been a few hours since Ronny's battles with Dom and Edward took place. He had stabilized his condition since then and was now in his normal state.
"Hm? What do you want to know?"
Ronny asked to buy time. The wheels inside his head had already started churning to mix truth with lies and create a wonderful mix of bullshittery.
"Don't play innocent. Why did the dungeon treat you differently?"
Lady Zee wasn't stupid. She had realized that the level of difficulty Rony had faced was poles apart from what Jules and Renar were given to battle with.
This wasn't her first time exploring this dungeon. If it treats people differently, it would probably have a reason for it. She wanted to know why.
"Hmm. I would have chosen the "how should I know?" route, Lady Zee, but I've come with a prediction of my own. Because that's what I had observed too. The dungeon indeed gave me special treatment, even when I didn't ask for it.
I guess that the level of difficulty rises with how in sync you are with your anthropomorphic transformation. It won't make sense to you. But I'm sure Renar and the rest would agree with me."
Lady Zee looked at Renar and the latter didn't know what to say. In the end, he just nodded at the squad's de-facto leader, backing Ronny's prediction. But Lady Zee wasn't done with her line of questioning yet:
"Alright. What did you drink before the start of your battle with the two-opponent tag-team?"
Ronny smiled at Lady Zee when he heard her question. He caressed her chin before answering:
"Lady Zee, you must have read my profile report given to you by Jules, right? I was handling the stuff inside the Beast Bloods' treasury before I joined your guys here.
Hehe. Let's just say there were some things I liked. And I decided to funnel them into my storage."
Ronny didn't want his team to know about Layla because he didn't want them to ask him why she approached him. He was sure that she had not done this with any participants that had come here over the years.
That's why he changed the origin of the Potion Of Serenity he consumed to Beast Bloods' treasury. As a result of which, Lady Zee sighed because she found no reason to doubt his words.
"*Sigh. You are lucky you found that in the Beast Bloods' treasury. The Illuminati has a record of that potion. Apparently, it is very difficult to concoct. The ingredients it needs are extremely rare and almost extinct.
Plus, it can only be concocted by high-ranked potioners. That's why one would require a huge amount of contribution to get that potion for themselves inside the organization."
Ronny furrowed his eyebrows after hearing the potion's description from Lady Zee. He had thought that the potion would not be recognized by any of his mates. But he had apparently underestimated the lady with the scar on her face.
He didn't speak even though there were so many thoughts running inside his head. He wanted lady Zee to continue which she did after a short pause:
"The Potion of Serenity, as it is called, helps you connect with higher consciousness and get insights into the way of the elements. I've been trying to get my hands on that potion ever since I heard about it in the Illuminati.
Too bad, it can't be accessed even by me without having something substantial to show for it. You didn't need the potion at your level, Ronny. It is still too early for you to wield your elements.
Had you given it to me, I would have paid you handsomely for the Potion of Serenity. I still can, if you have more than one."
Lady Zee asked with hope in her eyes. She felt that the potion was a waste on Ronny who hadn't even stepped into the D-Rank. Had she used it, she would have been able to reap greater benefits than him. At least that's what she was thinking.
*********
Lady Zee's assumptions were based on what she had heard about the potion so far from her seniors and records found in the organization. But contrary to her belief, the butcher had suffered from drinking the Potion of Serenity.
Even the one who had given him the potion– Layla also found it surprising that the butcher had progressed so much into the way of the elements in a single go. It was as if he had greater experience for his age as a ranker than she had thought.
The butcher's life experiences from the past and present timelines had come together. They had come together to make his consumption of the wondrous potion a greater success story than he or any of his team members had realized.
********
Ronny shook his head and sighed before answering Lady Zee's query.
"I had another vial of the same potion. But I sold that at Nilami, for which I became famous. Had I known back then that the potion was so rare, I would have sold it for a higher price.
I just knew that the potion was meant to be consumed mid-battle to have maximum benefits. And that's what I did without knowing what it could actually do.
I'm as surprised as you guys are after experiencing the effects of the potion myself."
Lady Zee nodded at Ronny before continuing her round:
"How did you manage to keep yourself safe in the miasma, Ronny? It would have been difficult for me to deal with the situation had I been in your shoes.
But you used the same miasma as an advantage to turn things around. How did you navigate successfully in that debuff-inducing environment?"
'She's asking about Soul Sense.'
Ronny scratched his chin before responding:
"Who says I navigated successfully? I was just running wild and hoping for the best, using my anthrope senses as a base. More like an educated instinct, if you will. Thank the fuck, that played out well in my favour. Things could have gone either way if you ask me."
'This guy says all the right things but why do I find them to be so irritating?'
Lady Zee said that to herself before sighing. Without any follow-up question to grind him, she thought she should just drop the subject of interrogation.
"Let me give you some advice, Ronny. The spell animation you used after gaining insights. I don't know if you know this, but it is not something that can be used casually.
You share your Mana Sense to breathe life into a compatible spell, enabling it to exert all its power to its fullest potential. But by sharing your Mana Sense this way, you are also making it prone to the opponent's attacks.
If your Mana Sense gets hurt during the battle by your opponent's retaliation, it would affect your mental state adversely. That can't be good news when you are battling with an opponent who CAN hurt your Mana Sense. They can use your disturbed psyche as an opening to launch an attack on you."
'Oh. So that's where those bouts of headaches came from. When Dom slashed at the fire snakes.'
Ronny had one of the questions he had about his previous state answered after listening to Lady Zee's suggestion. But before he could thank her for the same, a small, familiar array appeared and lit up in front of him. The spot was in the middle of the battle ring that had already vanished.
It was time for the second floor's rewards!