Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

"Vitality it is," he muttered.

But as usual, nothing was ever that simple. The next hurdle was the ingredients and the method to concoct the elixir. Felix worried that the components might be absurdly expensive, and worse, the gain in lifespan might not be worth the investment.

With that in mind, he cautiously opened the system store window, took a deep breath, and began searching for the ingredients, all while silently praying that they wouldn't break the bank.

*DING*

The familiar chime signaled the results, and the system displayed the list of items. Felix braced himself as his eyes scanned the prices.

- Heart of a Mutated Bear – 100 Years of Lifespan

- A Vial of Corrupted Maple Sap – 500 Years of Lifespan

Felix blinked in surprise. They were cheap!

He had expected the cost to be astronomical, but this was manageable. They were almost a bargain compared to the ridiculous weapons he had previously considered.

"Ha! I'm in luck today!" Felix grinned, feeling a surge of optimism.

Still, the process wasn't over yet. He needed to purchase the ingredients and gather everything before starting the concoction. If this worked, Felix could be on his way to extending his lifespan without having to grind for decades or smoke until his lungs were fried.

Felix let out a long sigh of relief after adding the final item to his shopping cart. However, one issue remained.

The water mana essence wasn't available in the system store.

"Where am I supposed to get water mana essence?" Felix muttered, scratching his head. He glanced at Jessica, his trusty system AI, and asked, "Can I do the usual trick? You know, stab my finger and squeeze out some blood?"

<You can only extract fire mana essence from your blood. If you want water mana essence, you'll need to cultivate a water mana method first.>

Felix groaned at the thought. "Wouldn't that take too long? It took me months just to get the basics of fire breathing down. I don't have that kind of time."

As Felix mulled over his options, Jiji suddenly spoke up. Her sweet voice was soothing as usual, "Master, I practice water mana, and my eyes contain earth mana. If you need water mana essence, you can extract it from me."

"Really?" Felix's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's perfect!"

Without hesitation, Felix summoned Jiji outside and carefully pricked her finger with a needle, drawing a small drop of her blood. He felt a slight twinge of guilt but quickly set it aside. There was a dragon out there, after all. Thus, there was no time for guilty conscience or moral.

After the deed, Felix returned Jiji to his system subspace for safety.

With all the necessary ingredients in hand, he transferred them into the system's alchemy tab, something he hadn't touched in ages. Felix pressed the START button.

The items appeared inside the virtual alchemy pot, and a timer immediately started counting down.

4:59

4:58

4:57

Five minutes was nothing. But in this tense situation, each second stretched into an eternity. Felix sighed deeply, sitting there with his eyes glued to the ticking clock.

*RUMBLE*

A noise from above snapped his attention away. The dragon, which had spent hours bashing against the island's barrier, had stopped. It hovered in mid-air, flapping its four massive wings, then slowly descended, crash-landing about a mile away from where Felix was hiding.

Felix's heart pounded in his chest. He wasn't eager to have another close encounter. Keeping a low profile, he quickly ducked behind the anchor, his only cover. From there, he peered the massive dragon.

It roared and bit the anchor chain next to it.

It seemed angry.

Felix couldn't see it clearly from far away.

Meanwhile, a mass of thunderclouds had gathered ominously above the flying island, hovering like a dark omen. Something was brewing up there, and it wasn't an elixir.

*PA*

*PA*

Droplets of water began to fall from the gathering storm clouds. Suddenly, a thunderbolt crashed down, striking the barrier of the flying island. The electric current rippled across the island's dome-shaped shield, then traveled swiftly along the massive chains anchoring it to the ground.

The entire process took less than a second.

Unfortunately for Felix, who had been casually leaning against one of the anchors, he received the full force of the electric surge. The shockwave of energy coursed through his body in an instant, rushing through his veins, igniting his bones, and electrifying every muscle fiber. His arms and legs trembled as the current flowed, and even a portion of the electric charge shot straight into his brain.

For an ordinary person, this would have been a death sentence or a one-way ticket to being unalived. But for Felix, it was different. Instead of pain, it felt strangely… soothing. His body reacted like it was submerged in a hot spring, the electric shock warming and massaging his muscles, organs, and even his brain.

His entire nervous system tingled, almost as if the electricity was revitalizing him rather than harming him.

A dazed smile crept onto Felix's face as the sensation washed over him, momentarily stunned by how the lightning had made him feel more alive than ever before.

Accidentally, Felix unloaded a batch of seed in his pants.

He came.

"…Aw, shit."

Felix glanced down, feeling the immediate discomfort spreading. His face flushed with embarrassment. As an adult, wetting himself like this was utterly humiliating, especially when Jiji, Jessica, and Eins were watching him.

*ZAAA*

A second later, the sky unleashed a torrent of rain, drenching him in seconds. The downpour felt like a sudden blessing, washing over him and effectively masking the awkward mishap.

The rhythmic patter of rain and the thick curtain it created added a layer of anonymity, shielding Felix from any potential witnesses. The incident, however embarrassing, became an afterthought as the rain enveloped him.

…

Meanwhile, Felix wasn't the only one who experienced the wrath of the storm. The megalith dragon, gnawing at the chains in its frustration, unknowingly became a conduit for the same lightning bolt that had struck the barrier. The surge of heat energy coursed through its colossal body, instantly halting its movements.

The massive beast froze mid-motion, as if suspended in time. Its eyes rolled upward, its jaw slackening.

With a dull thud, the dragon slumped against the chain, completely unconscious.

The rain continued to fall, its heavy drops shrouding the dragon's motionless form in mist, hiding its current state from anyone observing the scene.

…

Felix, unaware of the dragon's misfortune, thought luck was on his side. He remained motionless in the downpour, counting the minutes on the system clock while staying hidden beneath the massive anchor chain.

As the rain intensified, each drop felt like a small stone, pelting his skin and making the cold seep deeper into his bones. The relentless chill gripped him, and his body temperature plummeted.

Felix started shivering, and Jessica warned him.

<Do not underestimate the rain. Beware of Hypothermia.>

"I know!"

Felix knew he had to act before the cold overtook him.

Remaining patient, Felix sat cross-legged and began to meditate. He focused on the fire mana within him, breathing deeply as tiny flames flickered inside his mouth.

Slowly, he circulated the warmth through his core. The internal fire began pushing back against the encroaching cold, spreading heat through his veins.

Hypothermia? Not happening!

But as Felix directed his energy inward, focusing all his attention on maintaining his body heat, he became oblivious to the strange phenomenon happening around him. Unbeknownst to him, the harmonization of his dantian and mana heart had an unexpected effect.

Orange gas exuded from the feathers behind his ears. The instant it made contact with the freezing rain, steam hissed into the air. The droplets evaporated on contact with the glowing aura surrounding him.

It didn't stop there. The orange mist circled him, forming an ethereal barrier that shielded him from the rain's assault. All raindrop turned into smoke, becoming one with the orange gas.

Within moments, Felix's entire body was dry. He was enveloped in a warm cocoon of his own fire aura. The orange glow flickered around him as the storm raged on.

Feeling his body temperature stabilize, Felix opened his eyes and immediately noticed the strange orange gas surrounding him. It flickered around him like a protective shield, but the moment he became conscious of it, the aura began to fade. His feathers stopped producing the fiery energy, and the barrier around him quickly weakened.

Within seconds, the downpour soaked him once again.

"Eh? What just happened?" Felix muttered, genuinely baffled by the sudden loss of protection.

Curious, he decided to replicate the event. He sat back down and began circulating his mana. This time, he paid closer attention to each step.

The familiar warmth returned as he summoned his fire mana. Almost instantly, the orange gas began to exude from his feathers once again. His skin and clothes dried rapidly. The rain, which had previously pounded him relentlessly, now evaporated before it could even touch him.

Felix kept his eyes wide open. He observed the process in real-time, fascinated by how his fire mana and aura seemed to repel the water effortlessly. His body remained warm and dry despite the downpour.

A grin formed on his face. "So, this is what happened."

He realized that as long as he kept his mana circulating, his body naturally exuded a protective barrier of fire aura. This discovery meant more than just staying dry as it could become useful in combat.

*DING*

While Felix was being distracted by the rain and the aura applications, the system finished brewing the elixir.

<You have concocted Elixir of Bear Vitality (Fifth Grade) x 1.>