บท 17: Ch-17 ~Roar!~
A dark passage led directly underground.
"Sure enough!"
Ryan's' expression showed no surprise as he looked into the dimly lit tunnel.
Since Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother had chosen this place for her potion experiments, the testing area couldn't be far away.
Unless something unexpected happened, this had to be the secret chamber where the old witch tested her concoctions.
Ryan changed into more appropriate clothing and retrieved a large flashlight from his personal space.
~Click!~
The flashlight flickered on, its powerful beam illuminating the passageway like daylight. He followed the narrow stairs down.
After about thirty steps, the area suddenly opened up.
A huge secret chamber covering hundreds of square meters came into view.
~Swish! Swish! Swish!~
Candles on the walls ignited automatically, casting a flickering light over the dark surroundings.
Ryan scanned the room.
The chamber was vast, filled with shelves of herbs and strange items: dried bat specimens, various animal carcasses, and other oddities.
Against one wall were two cages of silver-white wolves.
Silver wolves, rare among their kind, were prized for their pure wolf blood. Freshly drawn blood from such a creature was the key ingredient in the Wolfsbane Potion.
Obviously, the old witch kept these wolves here for convenience, ready to bleed them whenever a potion required it.
What really caught Ryan's' attention, however, were the cages draped in black cloth in one corner.
Curious, Ryan approached and lifted one of the covers.
~Bang!~
A loud sound erupted from within.
A sharp wolf claw slashed at Ryan's' face, stopping inches from him.
Without flinching, Ryan grabbed the werewolf's wrist and held it, his expression calm as he inspected the cage.
Inside, a werewolf with blood-red eyes growled, its face twisted in bloodthirsty madness. Thick chains pinned his battered body to the wall. Fresh wounds marked its skin, evidence of recent torture.
Around the chamber, nearly twenty cages held similar prisoners.
The werewolves from the forest had been captured, used as test subjects for the old witch's dark potions.
"Even the most basic humanity is gone," Ryan muttered, staring at the tortured creature. "Living like this is nothing but agony."
He took the cross necklace from his Potable Space and wrapped it around his hand.
With one swift blow, he crushed the werewolf's skull.
"May your Lord bless you," Ryan murmured softly.
Under the purification of the holy power, the creature died painlessly, giving it peace in death.
Ryan looked at the lifeless body and thought. To leave it here to rot would only invite maggots and decay.
Instead, he decided to make the sacrifice worthwhile and strengthen his own power.
Wasn't it better to use the body for good?
"Does it make sense? Probably," Ryan thought, justifying his actions.
He activated his ability to sacrifice.
As the werewolf's body disappeared into the light, Ryan felt his power increase - slightly.
Only about 1%. The change was so minimal that he almost missed it.
"I guess I was greedy," he admitted with a wry smile.
Ryan had hoped that the sacrifice of these creatures would lead to a significant increase in power.
But the stronger his body became, the more energy and resources he needed for even marginal improvements.
It was like comparing a man to a tiger. A five-pound meal might be overwhelming for a human, but for a tiger, it was barely a snack.
So even if sacrificing all twenty werewolves only increased his strength by 10%, it was still worth it.
After all, a 1% increase was nothing to someone at his level.
"Let's get to it," Ryan muttered.
He moved methodically, lifting the black covers one by one, giving each werewolf quick salvation.
Finally, he gathered all the bodies and began the sacrifice.
As the ability progressed, a deep light illuminated the chamber. The werewolf bodies disappeared one by one.
This time, instead of physical improvement, something new appeared in Ryan's mind.
His eyes widened in surprise.
Though his physique hadn't improved, he had awakened a special bloodline ability.
~Roar!~
The ability allowed him to channel the hidden power within the werewolf bloodline and unleash a soul-shattering roar.
The roar struck fear into all nearby creatures, rendering them unable to resist. The powerful sound waves could even kill weaker beings instantly.
It was a dual attack - both mental and physical - and completely unblockable, even by plugging one's ears.
Ryan smiled with satisfaction.
Though his strength hadn't increased, the new skill was a significant gain.
After a thorough search of the chamber, he gathered all the usable potion materials and stored them in his portable space.
With his alchemy skills, he could create his own potions. It would be a waste to leave these resources behind.
On the potion-mixing table, Ryan spotted an old and tattered manual.
He flipped through the pages casually at first, but soon his gaze sharpened.
What he read stunned him.
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