Seeing the puzzled expression on his face, he forgot that he was supposed to be very well-versed in these streets and explained, "Just tell me, I forgot."

George shook his head and didn't say anything else, and Melvin felt his stomach churn in anxiety as death stared him right in the face. However, the duo continued running, and running.

8 Minutes. Melvin almost choked on his saliva as he ran when he saw the remaining time, 'Two minutes past the time promised by the shopkeeper...'

Melvin's legs turned to jelly, each step an agonizing effort as a chilling cold gripped his throat, a bitter taste of poison spreading through his body. Still, he pressed on, driven by sheer determination despite his overwhelming exhaustion and pain.

When the duo finally reached the end of the narrow long path by the rough walls and stepped foot into the main bricked road of the city, there were only four minutes left.

By that point, Melvin was no longer able to run, and he could only breathe heavily as he took one step after the other. George rushed to support him and was shocked to find that most of the veins in his friend's neck and forearms were different shades of green, which increased his worry as well.

With his right arm over George's head, Melvin approached the closed shop step by step and finally fell weakly in front of the door, even though he felt his grip over his consciousness slowly fading away, and felt strange and sick all over, he pointed towards the closed door with his finger.

As George sensed the urgency, he pounded on the door with increasing desperation. The thunderous knocks reverberated in Melvin's ears, drowned out by the cacophony of his racing heartbeat and his futile struggle for a deep breath, which felt like trying to draw air through a clogged pipe.

The more George knocked, the more tense and terrified he became, he couldn't hear the slightest sound behind the door. Glancing down at his friends, he could see his right hand holding on to his neck as he attempted to breathe in but to no avail, and by then the poison seemed to have already reached his brain as his eyes became empty and green veins ran along his face.

Suddenly, a creaking sound was heard, a sound George had never in his entire life dreamed would bring him that much relief, but here he was.

A strange glint flashed through his eyes, and a swift calculation was made then he started yelling towards the bald man who opened the door as he pointed towards the pouch, "Quick, save him. There are 3 gold coins, 123 silver coins, and 7723 copper coins here."

The shopkeeper quickly glanced at the pouch packed to the brim with noisy coins and carried Melvin using his powerful body inside the shop.

Two Minutes.

Once inside, he laid down Melvin's body on the ground and shut the door behind him as he didn't want to get a fine once discovered to be still doing business by the guards.

He then strode purposefully toward the revolving door at the far end of the counter, using his legs to push it open. Slipping behind the door, he crouched down and began rummaging through the hidden shelves of storage tucked away there. After a brief search, he retrieved a glass bottle containing a vivid blue liquid.

One Minute.

He swiftly walked out from behind the counter with the blue potion in hand and muttered as if to no one in particular, "Basic Cleansing Brew is worth one mana stone, this should probably work."

George who heard that sentence questioned in shock, "Probably?"

The bald shopkeeper explained, "This is the most basic anti-toxin potion, and because I saw how poor your friend is I recommended the cheapest. Moreover, I am no poison expert so I can't judge how strong the poison is, but it'll probably work."

George hurriedly snapped at him, "Just give it to him already."

By now Melvin was already convulsing, and his awareness had already slipped away, it was merely his body that was reacting on its own.

The shopkeeper knelt beside Melvin, his large hands gently lifting Melvin's head to aid swallowing. With deft precision, he used his teeth to unseal the cork, then carefully poured the blue liquid into Melvin's mouth, steadying the bottle with his other hand.

A pin-drop silence filled the room as Melvin's convulsions ceased, leaving him still and unresponsive. Inside the shop, the three onlookers held their breath, their eyes fixed on him, each silently praying for his recovery with differing levels of hope.

After their previous sprint and the weight of the accumulated worries, George's heart thundered in his chest, its rhythm so pronounced that he could feel and hear every resounding thud.

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His unwavering gaze remained fixed on his friend, while his hands instinctively clasped and intertwined in a display of his mounting anxiety.

"Cough, cough"

A sudden bout of intense coughing reverberated through the silence, its presence magnified by the previously quiet atmosphere. The shopkeeper exhaled a sigh of relief and quietly made his way toward the pouch of coins resting above the counter.

Noticing this, George immediately cut him off and asked, "Will he be okay?"

Smiling the shopkeeper nodded reassuring the young man, "The fact that he isn't dead by now means that the potion was successful, he will be perfectly fine after a while."

Although George wanted to approach and go check up on him, he felt something holding him back. He knew that he treated him very badly when they were quarreling with the coachmen, and at the same, he didn't like apologizing he had never apologized to anyone in his life.

Feeling a twinge of awkwardness, he hesitated a little before he decided to move closer. Just then, a large, rugged hand barred his path. Tilting his head slightly, he looked up at the shopkeeper and inquired, "What?"

The bald, middle-aged man's face contorted with fury, his eyes icy and brows knitted as he fixed his gaze on George. "You lied to me; there aren't five gold coins here," he accused sharply.

With an apologetic smile, George awkwardly conceded, "You're right, sorry." He gently pushed the man's hand aside and, without looking back, added, "But there's more; you just need to know how to haggle."

Melvin who had already woke up by then heard their little conversation, and so with his back leaning against the wooden walls of the alchemy shop he looked toward the shopkeeper and promised, "I apologize, please rest assured that I will give you the remaining money, and I will repay this favor tenfold, okay?"

The shopkeeper naturally didn't believe such empty and boastful words, he was also feeling aggrieved by being lied to when he already went above and beyond to help the young man in front of him. He nonchalantly waved his hand and uttered with an impatient tone, "Please leave, I need to go."

Melvin awkwardly nodded at both him and his son as he gently stood up and walked with George out of the shop, however, a wide grin was plastered over his face that couldn't be put away even after the last unpleasant turn of events with the shopkeeper.

Now that the poison had been removed from his body, his senses could be said to have undergone a complete transformation.

What had once been his greatest source of discomfort, his back, now seemed completely pain-free and in perfect health. There was no trace of nausea, dizziness, or any other unpleasant sensations. Instead, he felt alert, robust, and content. He had never felt such an intense sensation of just being alive.

At the same time, the moment he opened his eyes, he started feeling something he had never before felt in his life, magic!

He sensed a cool and profound energy coursing through his body, while another, even more profound and elusive energy seemed to swirl around his head.

It was the strangest feeling, but it made Melvin feel insanely powerful, 'These must be Mana and Mental energy.'

Although the mana in his body felt stiffened, stuck, and he couldn't see any way to get it out. Mental energy on the other hand was entirely different, he could instinctively feel that he could control that energy and make it do a very shocking process.

However, that too was impossible unless all of the conditions were met, and he knew that he had to start his preparations a specially made ink.

'I also need a quill and a parchment...' Melvin had already started contemplating how he should go about his journey with this magical ability of his, 'Usually parchments are made from goat or sheep skin, if I could my hands on a strong monster skin, the rune would be even more powerful.' He dreamed.

With a thud, he heard the door behind him closing shut waking him up from his reverie, and then without even looking at the duo, the shopkeeper and his son walked on the sidewalk in the northern direction.

"Where are the others?" Melvin inquired, turning to his right where George stood. All he received in response was George pointing towards the southern end of the street ahead of them.

Following his direction, he noticed that there was another narrow street leading up to the eastern side of the city, just like the one they had used earlier just on the opposite side.

The three boys following them whom he had already learned were named Henry, William, and for some reason or other, big mouse for the little brown-haired boy were quietly peeking their heads and looking at them.

Their faces were already very happy after they had seen that he was alive and well, 'Time to destroy those smiles I guess,' Melvin thought with a sigh as he began approaching them.

The main road could be said to be completely empty by then, in fact, it was so empty that Melvin started fearfully looking left and right, afraid that someone might attack them and they wouldn't have anyone to help.

"Thank the gods you're okay big brother," Uttered the brown-haired boy after Melvin stopped in front of them, prompting him to nod back in agreement, "Thanks.. eh.. Big mouse."

George and Henry on the other hand knew that something bad was coming as they looked at his hesitating and difficult expression, not being able to endure it any longer, George snapped impatiently, "Say it."

Sighing once again, Melvin said, "I have some very bad news guys..."

Noticing that all of them were intently listening to what he said he began recounting everything that had happened to him so far, and he naturally omitted details about his secrets, and in the end, he finally got down to his most important point, "But what I wanted to tell you is... I have completely lost my memories, if that expert hadn't helped me stop the poison I would have died by now, but I still think it reached my brain..."

The four of them looked at him in shock after he finished the story, and all they did was stare at him with wide eyes as they kept glancing at one another, unable to say anything.

Melvin knew that he had to tell them the truth. On the one hand, he would be able to navigate this situation even more easily instead of just lying to them, and on the other, it could be considered him allowing them to mourn their dead friend. However, revealing his true identity was out of the question; he couldn't risk his safety. He resolved to disclose the truth to them once he had acquired enough power to ensure his safety.

"Everything?" George quietly asked with a hopeful tone.