I Refused To Be Reincarnated

No one but the praying Arun, who still hoped to see his friend return alive.

Soon, the wind blew the mist away, revealing a shocking scene to the travellers.

In the middle of the rotting and poisoned land, they saw, eyes bulging, the enormous serpent\'s body cleaved in two. Its scales, more resilient than steel, were cleanly cut by what seemed to be an extremely sharp and curved blade.

Every fighter in the group pondered the same question as a heavy silence lingered, their hearts drumming against their chest.

\'How did the mighty creature end up bisected?\'

However, Arun\'s excited shouts cut through their thoughts like a sharp blade, forcing them out of their stupor.

"Julius! I told you he couldn\'t die. Let me go, Asha!"

The boy unlocked his carriage\'s door and ran at maximum speed to the silhouette of a crossed-legged youth sitting amidst the ruined land.

Sadly, his joy instantly dived as he saw his friend up close. Julius\' state was worsening. The poison proved too potent to be expelled. The best thing Julius could do was to slow down its propagation, extending his life by a few minutes.

At this point, his veins were almost all black, his muscles spasmed uncontrollably under his shirt, and blood trickled down his seven orifices in a traumatic spectacle.

"No..." he muttered, unwilling to believe his eyes.

"Tell me, how can I help you!"

Tears welling in his eyes, he grabbed Julius\' darkening shoulder. His chest tightened. He felt his friend\'s burning body through the contact as a wave of despair crashed against his heart.

Unfortunately, Julius\' state didn\'t allow him to speak. However, he used a trick he was extremely familiar with to communicate. Dripping his shaky finger into his gushing blood, he wrote in red symbols. "Concoct antidote. Use serpent\'s poison."

Unsure about the idea\'s feasibility, he believed trying something rather than slowly dying would be better.

After reading the message, Arun gazed at Julius, determination flickering in his eyes as he recognised the plan could work. Yet, there was a problem. He was still an amateur but would have to brew a tier-two potion, something way above his league.

\'I have to try... No! I have to do it! I won\'t let him die!\'

The wind ruffled his hair as his orders echoed in the air, and self-encouragement reverberated in his mind.

"Retrieve the poison glands, beast core, and scales!"

Meanwhile, Asha hurried back to the carriage, retrieved their cooking pot and lightened a fire.

"I\'ll help you brew this potion, Arun. As I told you, I unlocked a talent related to alchemy," she revealed, her pupils constricting in anxiousness as she gazed at Julius.

She too, didn\'t want to see their brave friend die. But more than that, she could see his trembling hands despite his determined expression. She understood him. This wasn\'t just about saving Julius. It was about proving himself, about not letting his friend down.

Of course, she didn\'t detail what her talent did. It was taboo amongst the noble community to ask about others\' unlocked talent as it was personal. Moreover, no one would smile while answering they got a terrible talent. It was even more true for incredible ones.

Arun looked at Asha with gratitude before beginning the brewing process.

Many ingredients were lacking, but resolve ignited in his heart. He would do with what he had on hand.

Simultaneously, Asha ensured she touched every ingredient her fiancé wanted to use, including the glands, core, and scales her guards brought.

The poison glands contained the toxins harming Julius, so he started with that. Carefully, he siphoned the poison, protecting his hands with leather gloves not to expose them to the dangerous substance. The poison would be a crucial ingredient in the antidote, though in a purified and controlled form.

Then, he focused on the beast\'s core. It contained potent magical energy, life force, and a trace of the snake\'s poison affinity.

Recognising the magical essence\'s potential to enhance the antidote\'s effectiveness, he pierced the ingredient, letting a stream of energy waft out before incorporating it into the potion to boost its efficacy in counteracting the poison\'s effects.

Finally, he integrated Julius\'s tainted blood into the mixture as the principal ingredient.

By incorporating his friend\'s blood, Arun ensured that the potion was tailored to counteract the particular venom present in Julius\' system.

The serpent\'s scales, noted for their resilience, likely contain unique properties that could aid in neutralising the poison. He ground them into a fine powder, extracting any beneficial compounds or substances they contained. These powdered scales were then added to the potion mixture, contributing their properties to the overall antidote formula.

Combining these ingredients in precise proportions and drawing inspiration from his father\'s formula, he worked with Asha like a professional. Throughout the process, their collaboration, expertise, and determination shone as they strived to overcome this challenge. Moreover, this experience brought them closer to each other.

And finally, the concoction in the pot bubbled a vibrant green, emanating an earthy yet strangely invigorating aroma.

After twenty long and agonising minutes for Julius, Arun rushed to bring him the antidote. Despite feeling proud after succeeding, his worry overwhelmed any other emotions. Yet, his confidence shone through his smile. He had incorporated so many of the snake\'s body parts, isolating its innate antitoxins before adjusting them to Julius\' bood.

"Julius, I\'m sure the potion reached the second-tier standard. Drink it. Quick!" He said, his eyes sparkling. Everything would be fine now. He knew he would save his friend.

As Arun scooped a spoonful of the potion from the pot, Asha helped Julius adjust his position to make it easier for him to drink. Then, they drizzled the mystical liquid into his mouth.

Nothing much changed at first, making the couple tremble and believe their efforts may not have been enough. However, after a minute of deafening silence and anxious observation, Julius\' spasming muscles gradually returned to normal. Then, his veins turned into a clearer shade of blue after each passing second, and the torrent of blood seeping from his face stopped.

On his side, Julius felt the potion\'s anti-toxins appear in his system like a reinforcing army, here to assist his retreating Qi fight against the poison.

However, that wasn\'t all. His body assimilated the beast core\'s residual life force like a revitalising tonic, giving him more strength to expel the poison. But he sensed something more, too. His cultivation speed seemed to double under the potent life force\'s influence.

As he slowly recovered and evaluated to be out of the danger zone after a few minutes, he allowed his mind to wander, pondering this new discovery and its future implications. After all, if he could use beast cores to hasten his cultivation speed as he suspected, wouldn\'t his progression speed soar through the sky? Despite his terrible state, his heart raced in his chest in excitement.