100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 537 - Cured

Time within the Celestial Dominion ceased to feel like conventional hours, instead becoming a measure of dedication.

It was reckoned by attempts, by setbacks, by cycles of refinement, by every weary breath exhaled, and by the soft chime of replacing vials within the sanctum as patience was slowly cultivated.

Throughout this entire arduous process, Lucien found immense gratitude for Seraphine's presence.

He had already shared his Structural Insight via Cram Session, and once she mastered the intricate patterns of divine vessels and string-damage, their workflow transformed dramatically.

What Lucien could perceive, she could now decipher with the intense concentration of someone whose entire existence had seemingly prepared her for this precise form of miraculous healing.

At the crux of their initial breakthrough lay a solitary drop.

He presented it to her repeatedly as they explored their theories.

Heartflame Residue – The essence of a dragon’s inner flame capable of reigniting damaged mana vessels. (Applicable only to individuals with fire-attributed mana vessels.)

Initially, that single drop seemed almost restrictively specific.

Now, it served as their bedrock.

If a substance existed that could revive ruined fire-attributed mana vessels, it stood to reason that a comparable remedy could be formulated for damaged light-attributed divine vessels.

Unfortunately, reality often presented formidable obstacles to such theoretical possibilities.

'Difficult' barely began to describe the challenge.

This wasn't a simple matter of replicating one remedy and altering its color.

Leveraging her exceptional abilities, she could deduce the necessary components for similar medicinal compounds.

Fortunately, the Celestial Dominion was abundant in various spiritual herbs.

Yet, the task remained exceptionally hard.

They had to consider the intricate structure of divine vessels, the purity of light-affinity, the unique physiology of Celestials, the way inimical laws had infiltrated degraded channels, and crucially, the medicine's function had to go beyond mere repair.

It needed to reawaken the dormant capacity to channel divinity.

Thus, they toiled.

And recognizing that theory alone was insufficient, Lucien enlisted the Mirrorhorn Duants.

That decision proved to be a pivotal turning point.

The twins had previously demonstrated their exceptional value in earlier medicinal trials, and now Lucien required subjects with even more specific attributes. He needed individuals who could endure experimentation, accurately report physiological changes, and respond to divine-vessel treatments in meaningful ways.

This necessitated a preliminary 'baptism.'

So, he administered it to them.

When the twins first felt the assimilation of divine energy into their bodies, their reactions were almost exuberantly enthusiastic.

They had already experienced growth under Lootwell, their beings refined far beyond what their former lives could have offered.

And now this?

They were overjoyed.

One of them nearly erupted in laughter at the sheer disbelief when the initial waves of divine current coursed through him unimpeded.

Soon, they offered their full cooperation to the endeavor, and their unwavering honesty regarding physical sensations accelerated the process far beyond Lucien and Seraphine's initial expectations.

They meticulously documented every sensation.

The faintest twinge. An unusual warmth. A bitterness within a specific vessel pathway. Moments when the remedy's effect became overly potent, leaning towards forceful intervention rather than gentle restoration.

Lucien and Seraphine no longer needed to speculate extensively about the source of the flaws; the twins provided immediate, precise feedback, with each response significantly refining their subsequent attempts.

This alone shaved days off their progress.

Day bled into night, and night into day.

Lucien and Seraphine barely paused their work.

The chamber evolved into a space of focused, almost consuming, dedication.

Vivian did not interfere.

Not even once.

She remained in close proximity most of the time, yet at a respectful distance. Crucially, she refrained from demanding updates every few moments as an ordinary, anxious heart might have.

She patiently waited.

Once, late on the second day, Lucien glanced up from a partially formed remedy spiral and saw her kneeling by the far wall, hands clasped, eyes closed, her face tilted slightly upwards as if conveying silent gratitude to every benevolent force still present in existence.

A faint, knowing smile graced his lips.

Then, he returned to his task.

For if Vivian could hold such unwavering faith, he had no right to stumble through his efforts carelessly.

When the complexity of the medicine finally shifted from 'impossible' to merely 'exceedingly difficult,' Lucien altered his focus.

He entrusted Seraphine with the ongoing refinement of the cure while he turned his attention back to Virel and Aniel.

Another facet of this predicament existed that medicinal intervention alone could not address.

The hostile laws intrinsically bound to their divine strings.

Lucien positioned himself between the jade beds, took a deep breath, and entered a state of complete concentration.

He maintained Symbiotic Fusion with Alanthuriel throughout this intricate procedure, and thanks to Extra Credit, his understanding of Nihility had continued to deepen, even when Alanthuriel was not physically present.

His comprehension of the Law of Nihility had surpassed the fifty percent threshold.

For typical combat, this level of mastery would have been formidable enough.

Here, within this chamber, it was transformed into a delicate surgical operation.

And surgery at this profound level invariably carried inherent risks.

Lucien re-activated his Structural Insight ability.

The surrounding world melted away, transforming into interconnected lines and strings.

Before him, the pillar-lines of Virel and Aniel unfurled in a complexity that still instilled a tense reverence within his own mind. Hostile laws, like rusted hooks fashioned from wrongness, clung to them. These weren't merely embedded in divine pathways but also in the ongoing clauses that maintained the stability of their continuous existence.

Lucien proceeded with utmost caution.

Nihility was not a law to be wielded carelessly around something already compromised. Exercising too much power would lead to the eradication of the poison; instead, it would erase the very substance the poison was attached to.

Therefore, his work was deliberate and slow.

Little by little, he thinned the foreign laws. He collapsed only those elements that had no legitimate right to persist.

His entire consciousness became a fine, sharp blade.

There was absolutely no allowance for distraction.

Every single movement carried immense risk.

Meanwhile, Seraphine continued her diligent work refining the medicine.

Her cheat ability and the Law of Remedy proved to be just as formidable as Lucien had anticipated.

Each setback did not merely result in failure.

It provided a lesson.

Failure fueled the remedy; the remedy enhanced understanding; and understanding guided the subsequent attempt at a cure.

This was the inherent, harsh reality of Seraphine's chosen path.

It rendered persistence in her efforts overwhelmingly difficult.

…

On the third day, the medicine finally began to exhibit a potent, high-grade effect on the Mirrorhorn Duants.

For the very first time, the twins successfully completed a full intake cycle. The crucial repair process no longer degraded into burning stress or caused backlash within their vessels.

This significant development immediately altered the atmosphere within the chamber.

Lucien was still nearing the completion of clearing the hostile laws from Virel and Aniel’s intricate strings. He dared not accelerate his pace simply because the medicine had shown improvement.

Thus, he maintained his slow and steady approach.

…

On the fourth day, he finally finished.

The last obstructing law-thread dissolved completely under the influence of Nihility, vanishing without severing any vital supporting strings.

He then proceeded to repair their pillar strings using his Law of Creation. However, this process consumed a substantial portion of his divine energy reserves.

Lucien almost collapsed from the sheer release of mental concentration alone.

Yet, he did not allow himself a pause.

He rejoined Seraphine, resuming their collaborative effort.

Even in his exhausted state, he felt compelled to gaze at her work with a sense of near admiration.

The medicine had evolved magnificently.

While earlier versions seemed like forced arguments made liquid, the current iteration possessed an elegant and lawful coherence. It no longer struggled against its intended purpose; instead, it embodied it.

Seraphine looked up only briefly as he approached.

Lucien’s gaze fell upon the vessel she held.

"It’s close," he stated.

"It was close before," she responded. "Now it's finally developing sentience."

Seraphine held the other vial.

He moved towards Virel.

She moved towards Aniel.

Silence hung heavy in the air.

Then, in unison, they administered the medicine.

As the two Celestials still slumbered deeply, the cure couldn't simply be poured and left to chance.

Lucien and Seraphine were required to guide it manually, channeling the medicine through sacred pathways with meticulous energy control. This ensured it wouldn't stagnate, be rejected, or erupt violently within systems too fragile to manage their own recovery.

Lucien placed his hand close to Virel’s chest, directing the medicine inward.

Seraphine mirrored his action with Aniel.

The process was incredibly delicate.

Upon reaching their cores, both individuals simultaneously shifted their methods. They employed their own carefully managed energies to facilitate the essence's dissolution, spread, and careful integration into the damaged vessels in the correct order, preventing it from simply bursting through as raw power.

Then, the healing began to manifest.

First, color started to return to their pallid complexions.

The wan stillness of Virel and Aniel’s bodies gradually warmed, and the drained appearance of their skin started to fade.

The fractured divine channels, which Lucien could perceive with his enhanced sight, began to mend, rejoining into their proper integrity.

The vessels were undertaking repairs.

The flow of energy was achieving stability.

The Dawn Essence was proving effective.

Vivian’s hands instinctively rose to cover her mouth.

One of the Celestials standing behind her began to weep silently.

Yet then—

nothing further occurred.

Virel and Aniel did not stir from their slumber.

Lucien’s heart pounded violently against his ribs.

For the first time in many days, genuine panic began to take hold of him.

He immediately activated his Structural Insight.

The intricate strings had improved. The vessels were stronger. The divine coherence had been fortified. Nothing was actively collapsing.

So then why—

Seraphine's voice reached him from beside the bed.

"Their systems are still actively accepting the restoration," she stated softly. "Refrain from panicking. They are healing on such a profound level that waking immediately isn't possible."

Lucien froze mid-motion.

Then the verity of her words began to sink in.

It made perfect sense.

This wasn't akin to a simple splash of water to rouse a sleeping patient.

He let out a slow breath.

Then another.

Finally, the grip of fear loosened sufficiently for rational thought to resurface.

Only then did he turn his attention away.

Vivian was gazing at him from across the chamber, her eyes so wide and filled with such desperate hope that any discouraging word would have utterly crushed her.

Lucien met her gaze.

He was utterly spent.

But he offered a smile.

Then...

He lifted one hand, giving a grand, seemingly absurd, yet utterly heartfelt thumbs-up.

That simple gesture proved to be enough.

Vivian’s tears flowed anew, but this time her face broke into the most radiant smile she had displayed since arriving in the Dominion.

The Celestials gathered behind her also lost their composure.

Shoulders trembled. Heads bowed. Several openly wept with relief.

Their leaders… were recovering.