Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

Outside the shop, the crowd shouted loudly:

"That's right, Sylvus, you must act now! The heavenly thunder is about to strike, and if you don't intervene, countless people will die or be injured!"

"If you don't step in, we won't buy any more potions from you. Since you have the power to stop this disaster, it's your responsibility to act!"

"We came here with respect, hoping for your help, but it's hard to believe you'd stand by and watch us die!"

The angry crowd gathered around the shop, as if Sylvus had made a grave mistake.

Bryson smiled with satisfaction at the scene before him; he had purposely placed some of his men among the crowd to incite them against Sylvus.

Meylan grumbled in annoyance, "These people are so unreasonable. We don't owe them anything, and yet they expect us to help them."

Initially, Meylan felt some sympathy for them, but now he realized his compassion had been misplaced.

Sylvus calmly replied while cracking some pumpkin seeds, "We're out of pumpkin seeds. Go fetch more."

"But sir..."

Sylvus interrupted quietly, "The weak shout the loudest, while the strong simply smile and watch them bark."

Meylan nodded in understanding and disappeared for a moment, only to return with more pumpkin seeds.

Bryson asked with a hint of concern, "Sylvus, are you really going to stay uninvolved until the end?"

Bryson glanced at the sky, where the heavenly thunder was fast approaching.

Sylvus smiled and said, "Old man, prepare for your last moments. After tonight, you will no longer exist in this world."

Even if Bryson succeeded in surviving this ordeal, Sylvus had no intention of letting him go. Their confrontation was inevitable, and Sylvus was merely waiting for the royal emissaries to arrive.

Bryson felt a pang of fear, but he had no choice but to face it.

The first bolt of heavenly thunder came down rapidly, carrying immense power capable of destroying anything in its path.

Bryson hesitated for a moment, but quickly gathered his magical energy and cast a spell: "Crystal Ice Shield!"

A massive ice shield formed above him, glowing with a cold shimmer.

Sylvus watched with indifference and remarked, "So, the old man uses ice magic, but it won't be enough to face the heavenly thunder."

The thunderbolt struck the ice shield with immense force, causing it to crack and shatter after only a few seconds. However, the shield absorbed a large portion of the energy, leaving Bryson to bear the remaining damage.

Wasting no time, Bryson pulled out a magic card from his pocket and cast a powerful spell: "Flaming Spirit Blade!"

A massive fiery sword appeared, cutting through the remaining thunderbolt, dispersing it into nothingness. The sky, momentarily illuminated, returned to darkness.

Sylvus asked curiously, "Meylan, what was that card the old man used?"

Meylan explained, "Sir, that's a magic card. It stores spells for later use. The one he just used was a seventh-tier fire spell."

Sylvus nodded, recognizing that these magic cards were similar to the talismans used in the East.

Bryson continued to endure the heavenly thunder, but each strike inflicted more damage, and it was clear his strength was dwindling fast.

Bryson had hoped Sylvus would intervene, but he was shocked when he realized Sylvus had no intention of helping.

At that moment, two figures approached the shop quickly: Mor and Masi. Mor, with urgency in his voice, said, "Sylvus, please intervene. If all the heavenly thunder strikes, half the city will be leveled, and countless people will perish."

Sylvus glanced at them calmly and said with a smile, "Don't worry. With that old man's strength, he won't be able to handle all the heavenly thunder. He'll be stopped before it reaches its full force."

Sylvus continued munching on his pumpkin seeds, unconcerned with Mor and Masi's warnings.

One of the crowd shouted: "Sylvus, you're too heartless! The heavenly tribulation has already killed many people, destroyed homes and families."

Another added: "This man is too cruel. He has the power to stop this, yet he watches in silence. Let's leave now; we won't buy from his shop anymore."

When Mor and Masi heard the crowd's words, they exchanged uneasy glances. They didn't know what to say. If they were in Sylvus's position, they wouldn't intervene either.

But they couldn't afford to remain passive. After all, they were acting for the Empire of Bork.

Masi, after a moment of silence, spoke to Sylvus: "Sylvus, these people are only speaking out of fear. Please don't take their words to heart. We ask for your help to get through this."

Sylvus didn't respond, but suddenly a powerful aura emanated from him, causing everyone below to kneel in fear.

Screams of pain echoed as those who had been criticizing Sylvus earlier trembled in terror. Their magical energy began to drain, and their cultivation levels started to fall.

Sylvus then turned to Mor with a cold expression and asked: "Is this how you ask for help?"

Masi quickly interjected: "Sylvus, please calm down. These people are just civilians. If you kill them, you'll be blamed for their deaths."

But before Masi could finish, the bodies of hundreds of people below exploded, filling the air with the stench of blood.

Sylvus looked at Masi and said calmly: "I've killed them. What are you going to do about it?"

Masi and Mor took a deep breath. Though they were deeply upset by Sylvus's actions, what could they do? Sylvus was someone who feared nothing, not even the heavens.

And now, the fate of the city depended entirely on his decisions.

They remained silent while Sylvus continued calmly eating his pumpkin seeds, indifferent to the destruction around him.

Masi then pleaded: "Sylvus, please help us this one time. We'll agree to any conditions you set."

Sylvus glanced at him and replied: "To stop the heavenly tribulation, it will cost 100 billion magic crystals."

Masi frowned at the outrageous price, knowing it wasn't a fair deal. Even if they paid, it wouldn't guarantee stopping the tribulation.

Bryson had already withstood the first strike. If Sylvus intervened, more powerful strikes would follow, likely leading to the city's destruction.

"If you don't agree, then leave," Sylvus said casually, continuing to eat his pumpkin seeds, as the second bolt of lightning began descending from the heavens.

Mor, realizing the situation was dire, quickly shouted: "We agree!"

Bryson laughed maniacally and said: "Sylvus, if you're not going to help me, then I'll take as many people with me as possible!"

Bryson's figure shot forward, intending to bring more destruction along with him. His original plan was to fly above Sylvus's shop, forcing Sylvus to intervene. But now, with Mor and Masi in his way, he couldn't carry out his plan.

Bryson knew he couldn't survive the heavenly tribulation.

And in his moment of madness, he decided that if he was going to die, he'd take as many people with him.

Masi watched Bryson fly toward other parts of the city and said in horror: "Sylvus, what now?"

Sylvus replied calmly: "The destruction from the heavenly tribulation isn't something mortals can control."

At that moment, a wave of spatial energy appeared in Sylvus's hand.

Masi, watching in awe, thought: "Is Sylvus a spatial magic user too?"

The system's voice echoed internally: "Great Spatial Summoning has been successfully activated. Target selected!"

In an instant, Bryson disappeared from the sky.