The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 109 - 110: The True Use of the Starry Sky Elixir

Chapter 109: Chapter 110: The True Use of the Starry Sky Elixir

Hutson struck again, his blade flashing in the dim light. Leaving an enemy unfinished was a mistake that could spell disaster.

Only when the masked man lay lifeless did Hutson kneel to inspect the corpse.

No spatial ring. Just a simple rucksack. A crude storage item, its internal space no larger than a water barrel—far from the refined artifacts wielded by true sorcerers.

Inside, Hutson found his cursed effigy, a few vials of low-quality healing elixirs, and several gold deposit notes from the Royal Treasury of the Doris Kingdom.

Thirty thousand gold pieces.

The sum was significant, but the notes were bound to identity verification. Exchanging them would only invite unnecessary trouble. Not worth the risk.

He discarded the useless trinkets, keeping only his cursed effigy. Then, with a casual flick of his fingers, a small fireball leaped from his palm, engulfing the corpse in a hungry blaze.

How did he find me? Hutson frowned. Some flaw in his steps, some unseen force had led this assassin to him. But the dead held no answers.

With the remains reduced to ash, he pressed onward.

At a roadside village, he purchased a sturdy steed. The journey to Ryan City would take two days on horseback—a far better option than trudging on foot, vulnerable to pursuit.

A shame about the masked man’s horse. Hutson had killed it in battle. It would have made the journey faster.

An hour after his departure, a heavyset figure arrived at the scorched clearing. Kalith, round of frame but sharp of eye, studied the still-smoldering embers.

"That kid is stronger than I thought..." he murmured.

Two Days Later – Ryan City

The towering gates of Ryan City loomed before Hutson, the sprawling streets beyond bustling with life.

Here, he allowed himself the smallest measure of ease. Even rogue sorcerers hesitated before unleashing magic in a city teeming with commoners. The risk of collateral damage—and the wrath of the city’s enforcers—was too great.

Only fools or the truly desperate would dare.

Ignoring the marketplace and its cacophony of merchants and beggars, Hutson strode straight to the Lord’s Manor. After a brief exchange at the gate, the Knight Captain, Leivan, personally escorted him inside.

Leivan’s expression, as ever, was carved from stone. He regarded Hutson with the same wariness as before, his every step betraying restrained hostility.

"You returned sooner than expected." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Within the grand chamber, silk curtains of deep black veiled the inner sanctum. Reclining lazily upon a luxurious bed, Elusha regarded him with languid amusement.

This time, she wore only a thin vest, the delicate fabric barely containing her figure. The tension in the straps suggested they might snap at any moment under the strain.

Hutson forced his gaze to remain steady.

"This is the Moonstone Herb," he said, producing a finely carved wooden box. Opening it, he retrieved a single luminous leaf. "As agreed, this is your share."

Elusha’s lips curled. "How much did it cost?"

Hutson’s expression remained unreadable. "A fortune. Nearly all the gold you provided. The merchants knew its rarity and bled me dry."

"Really?" Elusha arched a delicate brow. "I’ve never heard of it being so expensive."

"It is now," Hutson replied smoothly. "Besides, why do you need Moonstone Herb? You dabble in alchemy?"

It was a question that had lingered in his mind. Moonstone Herb was not a material for mere apprentices. Elusha, a sorcerer barely past initiation, had no real need for such a rare component.

Elusha chuckled, voice soft as silk. "I heard that steeping it in water preserves youth and slows aging."

Hutson frowned. "I’ve never read anything about that."

"Of course not," Elusha smirked. "Powerful sorcerers like you don’t need to worry about aging. But for those of us who aren’t so blessed... we search for other means."

There was something raw in her tone, a glimpse of the woman beneath the veneer of seduction.

Hutson understood why. Elusha had fought tooth and nail to become an apprentice—not for power, but for beauty. She had seen her ancestor, the ancient sorcerer Dino, retain the appearance of a man in his thirties despite being over a century old. That had been her dream—to cheat time itself.

Yet her talent was lacking. Even with Dino’s aid, she had barely scraped past initiation. Further advancement was an impossible dream.

And as the years crept upon her, so did her desperation.

The Moonstone Herb had been Dino’s suggestion. A forgotten remedy ignored by true sorcerers, too insignificant to be of use to those who wielded greater means. And far too costly for ordinary folk.

Hutson turned inward. "Ai chip, verify the properties of Moonstone Herb."

A cold, mechanical voice responded within his mind. "Analysis complete. Moonstone Herb possesses mild age-delaying effects."

Hutson exhaled slowly. "So it’s true."

"Come closer," Elusha beckoned from behind the black silk.

Hutson stepped forward, passing through the dark veil, extending the Moonstone Herb to her.

As she reached for it, her fingers deftly curled around his hand, nails tracing slow circles against his palm. A teasing smile played on her lips.

"If you spent all your gold for me," she murmured, voice like velvet, "perhaps I should offer a different kind of reward?"

Her breath was warm, sweet as forbidden fruit. Her gaze, heavy-lidded, was filled with unspoken invitation.

Hutson did not hesitate. He swept the black silk aside, stepping fully into the chamber, pinning her beneath him.

"You’re playing with fire."

Elusha only laughed, winding her arms around his neck, her lips brushing his ear.

"Then let the fire burn."

The prime of youth met the pinnacle of vigor. And so, the night passed in a blur.

Hutson gazed down at Elusha, fast asleep in his arms. While she had succumbed to exhaustion, he felt no trace of fatigue—on the contrary, a strange sensation stirred within him.

"Hmm?"

A sudden realization struck him.

"So this... is the true power of the Starry Sky Elixir?"

Closing his eyes, he slipped into meditation—and at once, his mind surged forward, faster than ever before. The pace of his spiritual refinement eclipsed even the effects of directly consuming the elixir.

But he soon understood the reason.

This wasn’t a permanent state—it was the culmination of the elixir’s latent properties, which had been accumulating within his body over time. Now, all at once, they had been ignited, unleashing their full potential.

So that’s how it works...

The Starry Sky Elixir, it seemed, did not expend all its power upon ingestion. Some of its essence lay dormant, embedded deep within him, waiting for the right moment to awaken. And last night’s madness had become the catalyst, drawing forth its hidden potency in a far more powerful surge.

A remarkable effect, but not one I can rely on every day.

Still, a new idea formed in his mind. If the elixir’s energy could be stored, then perhaps...

I can accumulate its effects over a week and release them all at once. That would be a far more efficient use.

Understanding this, Hutson wasted no time. He seized the fleeting window of heightened power, plunging into deep meditation, refusing to let a single moment of advancement slip away.