Although many refuse to admit it or remain unaware, the majority of people harbor a certain darkness in their hearts, be they players or NPCs.

  For example, in the world of "Blood and Fire," it is not uncommon for mission-giving NPCs to renege on their payments afterward or even turn around and try to kill the players who completed their tasks. And since players are effectively immortal, they never fear such schemes; if someone tries to mess with them, they simply attack. But having a mission repeatedly set up by an NPC who then schemes against you is still a major nuisance.

  Yet there was one organization of NPCs who would never conspire against players, the Reginald Warriors of the Holy Pendragon Empire. They are formed entirely by extraordinary warriors sworn to serve their lords. They follow the "Royal Guard" bloodline path, whose very first sequence is Justiciar X.

  Any NPC who joins their ranks, whether a rampaging bandit or a petty thief, upon ingesting Justiciar X, is instantly transformed into a virtuous knight. Their word is as solid as a rock: they use no trickery, never bully the weak, always pay the promised reward, and even if a mission is rated a perfect hundred, they will not boast a mere ninety-nine. If a player complains about excessive difficulty, they will even voluntarily offer extra money. They have become the shining models among mission-giving NPCs, a true friend to the players.

  What is even more remarkable is that this change of character is not gradual but instantaneous—the moment the elixir takes effect, the darkness in the NPC's psyche is brutally excised.

  Marvin still remembered a mission called "Drink Until I Fall" in which a newly initiated, intoxicated NPC in the Reginald Warriors, unable to overindulge in alcohol because of his knightly honor, begged players to find him proper liquor. When the players finally delivered the alcohol, the poor fellow clutched the bottle to his lips in torment, caught between agony, indecision, and utter helplessness. Thus the reputation of Justiciar X spread among players, and they nicknamed it the "Good Guy" elixir, implying that after downing a bottle of it, you instantly become a good person.

  Some adventurous players claim that after ingesting Justiciar X, your character is no longer able to steal, pick fights, or kill without cause. You cannot barge into an NPC's house without permission. Even some notoriously foul-mouthed players discovered that even aggressive words such as "What are the fuck are you looking at?" or "I'm looking at you, asshole!" are censored. They come out as "Bleep!" Due to that, a flood of complaints and rants followed among those less tolerant.

  Of course, some, after getting used to it, found that it greatly enhanced the immersive feeling of the game.

  "Ah, I don't feel any different," Alice said, puzzled.

  "How can you not feel a change?" Marvin asked, genuinely astonished. "Don't you experience even a faint sense of 'I don't know why, but I'm compelled to reform,' or 'I had no choice before, but now I must be a good person'?"

  "Not at all," Alice replied honestly.

  "Imagine if a passerby approached you claiming 'My child is critically ill, please donate money!' What would you do?" Marvin recalled a classic online psychological test and asked.

  "I would donate, of course," Alice replied, blinking. "Look at the money I have."

  "And if that person were a fraud?" Marvin pressed immediately. "Suppose there is actually no sick child, and they are just deceiving you to fleece money, what then?"

  "If I can be 100 percent sure he is a fraud, I certainly wouldn't donate," Alice said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But even if there were only a 1 percent chance it was true, why wouldn't I give? Perhaps my donation could save an innocent child's life, don't you think?"

  "I see," Marvin sighed. "So from the beginning, you truly are a good person."

  "Since your morals are already upright, even after ingesting Justiciar X, your nature remains unchanged?" mused Yvonne thoughtfully.

  "Amazing," Nova, convinced that such a person would never not help people, said shyly. "Alice, you are indeed a kind and good person."

  "Although I don't know if it's just an illusion, I feel as though you might be mocking me?" Alice asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.

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  "No, not mocking at all. In this cruel era, people like you are becoming increasingly rare," Marvin said, stroking his chin pensively. "There was a time when I, too, was an innocent soul. How did I grow so dark and distrustful?"

  He paused, then turned to Nova, "Nova, make sure that the team funds never come into Alice's hands, I fear she might be deceived out of all her money someday."

  "Understood," Nova nodded.

  "Wait a minute!" Alice cried out, "Why do you suddenly all look down on me? Don't cast me pitying glances!"

  Aside from its effect on moral disposition, Justiciar X also bestowed significant physical and mental strength, noticeably raising one's six attributes in general. Moreover, it grants the ability known as "Vanquish Evil." According to Alice, this ability gives her a marked bonus in combat against evil foes. When battling evil adversaries, all her six attributes receive an additional distinct boost.

  "But how does one determine who is evil?" Yvonne interjected. Inwardly, she wondered if she too would be classified under the "Vanquish Evil" type.

  "Through one's own judgment based on clear evidence, if I recall correctly," Marvin answered. "Provided that Alice truly believes in the evil nature of the enemy, the Vanquish Evil ability will take effect."

  "Hey! Then if I use my Marionette's Kiss I ability to influence Alice's mind," Yvonne said with an excited glint in her eye, "and convince her that any foe before her is evil, won't that ensure that, regardless of who she faces, she always triggers the bonus from Vanquish Evil?"

  "You are a genius, for Goodness sake," Marvin burst out laughing. Of course, players had discovered this method before, jokingly calling it the "Righteous Warrior's Fall" or "Hypnotic Flow" approach, but it only surfaced later in the story. Yvonne, upon hearing the effect of Justiciar X, could immediately conceive such a cunning trick, a testament to her own devious nature.

  Alice, half-open-mouthed, seemed utterly taken aback by the idea. Hesitantly, she asked, "But... wouldn't using your psychic ability to manipulate the sense of good and evil violate the very essence of justice?"

  "Tell me then, what is the very nature of justice?" Yvonne sneered dismissively.

  "Justice is..." Alice began, only to be rudely cut off by Yvonne in a tone of moral rectitude, "Justice is nothing other than the victory over one's enemies! Only the living have the right to speak; dead justice is no justice at all! If all perish, and you label them as evil, then they become evil, how could they possibly rise and speak again?"

  Alice offered no further protest, though her expression clearly indicated her disagreement.

  "Now, as for our team, only two of us still lack elixirs," Marvin interjected to change the subject quickly. "Yvonne, how are your elixir materials?"

  "I still haven't gathered the virgin element," Yvonne replied tearfully. Other spiritual materials were easier to come by—even if their sources are remote, there are always merchants selling them. But this odd item depends entirely on favorable timing. To keep it under wraps, Yvonne had secretly contacted dozens of poor families in the city, each with a 12- or 13-year-old daughter entering puberty, bribing their parents with large sums. As for when these puberty elements will arrive, only heaven knows.

  Perhaps tomorrow? Perhaps not until next year? It was utterly unpredictable.

  "Nova, for Bloomcore I, we collected the formula and main ingredients last night," Marvin said, carefully not mentioning the previous night's battle. He then produced the Bloomcore I formula for display:

  Main Ingredient:

  Three Flowers of the Eden Tree

  Subsidiary Ingredient:

  Two Seeds of Eden Fruit

  One spoonful of Olive Oil of Corven

  200 ml of Rakijas

  Processing:

  Take Rakijas (the brewing base must consist of these ten fruits: plum, pear, apricot, peach, raspberry, citrus, apple, cherry, banana, red date; the addition of any honey is forbidden). Add one spoonful of Olive Oil of Corfu and the two seeds of Eden Fruit, crushed into a paste. Finally, place the three Flowers of the Eden Tree with their stamens facing upward so that they naturally sink. When the petals change color, the liquid is ready to drink.

  "Eden Fruit and olive oil, those we already have," Nova exclaimed with delight.

  "The main ingredient, the Eden Tree's flowers, can be substituted with the Bloomcore I extraordinary trait," Marvin mused. "Only the Rakijas is an additional ingredient we need to find in a local tavern."

  "Also, Aurora and Alice—both of you have just recently advanced to Level 1, and your extraordinary power is not yet fully assimilated," Marvin said, turning his gaze toward them. "You must engage in practical combat training to convert that power into the corresponding physical and mental strength. Today, I will go with Nova to collect the additional materials while the two of you head to the underground training ground at the hotel. Yvonne, please oversee their safety and ensure that no accidents occur."

  "Alright," Yvonne replied absently.

  Thus, the group split up. Aurora, Alice, and Yvonne went to the training ground, while Marvin and Nova headed for a tavern in the city.

  Marvin lightly glanced out the window before withdrawing his gaze.

  In the room opposite the ancestral residence, a church informant watched idly as he watched their departure.

  "That noble youth is remarkably robust—he fought with four girls in a single night?" the informant mumbled, scribbling down notes on a piece of paper. Yet he knew full well this was merely routine. Unless the enemy openly unleashed extraordinary power or some anomaly occurred in the house, even if his surveillance report were submitted, it would likely be discarded as useless, left to rot like scrap paper.

  He idly twirled the pencil and, with both hands propped on the windowsill of his monitoring post, stared at the now-empty room and door before lazily squinting his eyes.