Ch. 38 - Excitement Potion

In the evening, Yang Yi lay in bed. As usual, he would drink a bottle of Vitality Coconut before going to sleep. But that day, he had an extra choice: a colourless potion. It was supposed to restore energy, and Suna probably wasn’t lying to him... Yang Yi carefully examined the bottle. The potion seemed to be transparent, and thick, with a few long legs floating inside. When placed in a dark environment, it emitted a faint glow. After thinking for a few minutes, Yang Yi decided to try a little. With so much effort invested, it was worth a try! He could drink half first! Pinching his nose, trying not to think about what the thick liquid was actually made of, he opened the cap and tried to suck out a bit of the potion. Who would have guessed the liquid was so viscous even biting through it was impossible! And it stank, like something that lived in a sewer — it was a Slime. Suppressing his nausea, Yang Yi chewed the long legs inside and swallowed them in one gulp. 【You drank an unknown potion.】 As soon as the potion slid down Yang Yi's oesophagus, a wave of warmth spread from his stomach to his entire body, instantly sweeping away his fatigue! S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “Is the effect this good?” Immediately after, a notification popped up. 【Energy restored: +30. Energy recovery speed increased by 125% for 8 hours】 “Amazing!” But suddenly, he felt something was wrong. Various parts of his body started to feel engorged, like his eyes, and… 【You have entered an Excited State, lasting for 1 hour.】 “Damn! I knew there was something wrong with this stuff!” Yang Yi’s eyes turned red as he sat up, and the potion’s information was displayed. 【Name: Excitement Potion】 【Type: Consumable/Potion/Unique】 【Quality: Premium】 【Description: A potion brewed by Witch Suna, containing secretions from a siren’s pituitary gland, siren saliva, siren gland mucus, and the legs of long-legged sardines. Upon consumption, +30 energy, -20 sanity, energy recovery speed +125% for 8 hours, with a 24-hour cooldown. Induces an Excited State for 1 hour. Multiple uses extend the Excited State, with the risk of poisoning!】 The side effect…Yang Yi didn’t know how to describe it. If he sold this potion, it would surely be popular! However, he wasn’t planning to any time soon because the potion’s description included the creator’s name! He felt it wasn’t a good thing and could bring unnecessary trouble. An hour later, Yang Yi lay back down. “I’ll have to ask Suna to improve it, remove these damn side effects first!” He left her a message. “Your potion’s side effects are too severe. It needs improvement! Next time, drink it yourself to see the effects before giving it to me!” After sending the message, he fell asleep. The nightmares persisted, and Yang Yi's sleep quality was poor, but with the potion’s boost, he wasn’t worried about recovering his energy, though he would still wake up with dark circles around his eyes. The following morning, Yang Yi was awakened by a knock on the door right in the middle of a nightmare. Jolting awake in shock, he immediately grabbed his gun, and aimed at the door. “Who is it?” “It’s me!” Suna’s voice came through. Yang Yi relaxed. He had just dreamt of spiders crawling out of his body, devouring his flesh. His back was drenched in sweat. After composing himself, Yang Yi snapped, “Why are you knocking so early in the morning?” Suna was also upset, replying, “Why did you lock me out of the lab?” “Didn’t you read the message I sent you?” Only then did Suna check the message in her log. Meanwhile, Yang Yi took the opportunity to glance at Suna’s sanity level. Thankfully, it had mostly recovered. Sanity: 76/80 Since her recovery speed was quite fast, her mental attributes must have been high, and her clothes probably had bonuses as well. “You went insane yesterday. Did you know that?” It was only now that Suna realised, like waking from a dream. It seemed that people who went mad wouldn’t understand they were behaving crazily, nor did they monitor their sanity. “How was the potion’s effect?” Suna quickly shifted her focus back to the potion, no longer angry. “The recovery aspect of it was good, the side effects however… Well, you can see for yourself!” Yang Yi sent the potion’s properties to Suna. “I see. But all potions have some side effects!” Suna explained. “These ones in particular are unacceptable. You need to fix them!” “If I do that, I can’t guarantee the same potency!” “No problem!” “What about the other two potions? Did you drink them?” At this point, Yang Yi felt a bit annoyed. “Why don’t you try drinking them yourself? Why do I have to be the one? I’m not a guinea pig!” “Potions might reduce sanity, so it’s not safe for me to drink! Plus, they taste awful!” Suna replied confidently. “Ugh…” So, Suna knew they tasted bad! “Your sanity won’t drop enough to make you go insane, so it’s fine for you to drink!” Suna added. Yang Yi was speechless. He knew there was no escaping his fate as a potion tester. One Excitement Potion deducted 20 sanity points. If Suna accidentally drank a stronger one, she would immediately go mad. “How many more can you make?” Yang Yi suddenly asked. After all, potions required materials, mostly from magical creatures or undefinable beings. “I can make three more Excitement Potions. If you don’t like it, I can try a different formula… For the red potion, I need a devil shark’s eye, so I can only make two bottles. As for the pink potion, its main ingredient is the water from Healing Pearlweed, so I can make more of those.” Suna explained. “For the energy-boosting potion, try a different formula. It can be less potent, but the materials need to be more accessible. Creatures like sirens aren’t easy to come by.” Suna nodded in agreement. “Also, you need to limit your time in the lab. Eight hours a day, max. Once the time is up, I’ll shut off your access!” Although Suna wasn’t entirely happy, she didn’t argue because Yang Yi was right. After regaining access, she quickly ran to the lab. “That woman really loves messing with weird things.” Yang Yi left the captain’s cabin, grabbed his fishing rod, and was about to cast a line when he suddenly remembered something. The Fire Velvet Sweater! He had forgotten to mention it to Suna. He planned to get close to the island and take a look. Yang Yi immediately activated the Nightmare Star’s clairvoyance skill, searching for Hu Wei’s true form. 【Scanning… Galleon… Hu Wei…】 This time, he chose another person. Soon, the crystal ball displayed an image. It was a large sailboat, seemingly upgraded to level three, with two cannons on each side. A dark-skinned youth appeared to be looking through a telescope. His position was very close to the island coordinates, less than ten nautical miles away. In short, the person’s identity was clear — he was the right captain Hu Wei! “What is he looking at?” Casting a glance at the map, Yang Yi realised Hu Wei seemed to be looking towards the island. To be safe, he sent a private message. “How many fire velvet grass do I need for a full set of armour?” The person in the image reacted immediately. It looked like it was him! “The trousers require 10 stalks, just like the shirt. For a full set, prepare 20 stalks and 200 Shell Coins for labour!” “Deal!” Yang Yi smiled and continued watching him. The person was odd. After observing for a while, he sailed away. However, he didn’t go far, maintaining a distance of 100 nautical miles from the island. Then, every 3 to 4 hours, he would sail back to take another look. “What is he up to?” Yang Yi narrowed his eyes.