Pamela, working under the same roof with her colleague, was unaware of her progress. She was immersed in her own research and completely oblivious to her friend's efforts. To be fair, Isley purified the Lazarus Pit of impurities every time, as requested by Kavita. That was the extent of her involvement.
Perhaps only Bruce Wayne knew of the doctor's success, as he showed a genuine interest in Ra's al Ghul's healing water and was directly involved in analyzing the liquid. But since he couldn't devote his full time to this due to forced night shifts, the main work fell to the doctor, one way or another.
"Well, what do you say? What are the results?" I asked again.
Everyone was looking closely at Kavita.
"I'll skip the details and just tell you the basics," she began to explain. "We have a universal medicine in our hands, capable of not only healing, but also having a direct effect on the body, enhancing regenerative capabilities and increasing the lifespan of the human body."
"I didn't quite understand what you meant," Alison admitted honestly.
"Lifespan," Pamela offered to explain. "It grants additional years…"
"Not only that," Rao said again. "My research shows that the medicine not only heals, but also brings the body to physical perfection. Moreover, it enhances the body's indicators by 25%. Moreover, regeneration increases threefold, and an additional hundred years are added to the lifespan… That is, of course, if all my calculations are correct. So far, the only success that can be considered is Peter-112," the professor smiled sweetly at the surviving rodent. "All my conclusions are based on him."
"But that's just a rat," said Dazzler, whose remark was far from scientific. "The human body is supposedly more massive."
Kavita looked at her as if she had heard the stupidest thing in the world. "I know... I took that into account," the professor answered as calmly as possible.
"So the medicine works," I summed up. "When can I take it?"
"Hey, slow down! Are you not listening to me at all? I said that Peter-112 is the only successful experiment. What does that mean? It means 111 of his fellows died before him. That's not counting the other vertebrate species... Do you want to join them?"
"Not really," I swallowed hard, looking at the dismembered bodies.
"That's why there's no need to rush. A little more time, and I'll finalize the formula. Ah, if the substance weren't so powerful on consciousness, everything would be so much simpler."
"What do you mean?"
"As soon as I was able to obtain a concentrated substance from the Lazarus Pit, I hastily refined the formula and conducted an experiment on a dog... It was a resounding failure! After the injection, the subject began to go into hysterics, it started going crazy and eventually went insane. If it weren't for Pamela's protective vines, I don't even know what would have happened to me. After that failure, I began searching diligently for the problem. That's why there's so much brain deposits in the test tubes," she pointed at the floating brains. "After dissecting the brain, I still couldn't identify the pathogen. I couldn't figure out what was causing these uncontrollable bouts of madness. All I could do was continue my research. Each time, I weakened the formula, wanting to develop a stable cure without the slightest side effects. And finally, having simplified the formula more than tenfold, I succeeded!"
"So this rat only has a simplified version?"
"Yes, and it's also the most stable, without any pronounced signs of aggression or other mental dysfunction."
"And where is the originally derived serum? You should have saved it," I asked the scientist with impatience in my voice.
"I have it, but why do you need it... What are you planning?" she looked at me suspiciously.
"Please, let me take a look at it. I need to make sure of something." My suspicions grew, but the girl nevertheless complied and brought me an ampoule with the original formula. If I'm not mistaken, the side effect Kavita mentioned is a property of the Lazarus Pit.
A bath in healing water is certainly an excellent way to prolong one's life, but sometimes one has to pay a terrible price. Many who have had the chance to use the Pit's services eventually went mad and became bloodthirsty lunatics. Ra's al Ghul retained his sanity only thanks to his inhuman willpower.
It's amazing that after so many years, he never succumbed to the curse or went mad. I thought that after Pamela purified the mystic vein of impurities, she also got rid of the side effect. But apparently that's not the case. It seems she only made it worse. The purification greatly increased the power of the Lazarus Pit, but also amplified the side effect.
This means that the Pit's benefits and harms coexist—they are one and the same... But then, how did Kavito manage to develop a safe cure? It's a truly incredible achievement. She's a true genius! A true fanatic! But for me, it's the original version of the serum that's of greater interest.
After all, according to Rao, she had to simplify it more than tenfold. If even the weakened form increases the body's physical stats by 25%, which is more than ten points in each stat, then how much more will the stats increase with the full-strength cure? Yes, it could be dangerous... For mere mortals! But not for someone with the passive skill "Player's Mind."
My consciousness is protected by an impenetrable barrier, and I can simply ignore the side effects. I won't have hysterics, I won't go crazy, and I won't go mad. Hell, the Lazarus Pit was made for me!
Dr. Rao handed me the serum, and I trusted my intuition again. It, as before, urged me to take the enhancing elixir as soon as possible. This means the serum is safe, at least.
As soon as I mentioned my intention to take the serum, I was met with a ton of indignation from the distraught girls. They scolded me, accused me of recklessness, and absolutely refused to allow me to commit "suicide," which, according to them, was exactly that.
I had to spend over half an hour convincing them that I would definitely be fine. Even though they knew about the mental protection of my mind, it did nothing to calm their anxious hearts. It's one thing to simply know that I'm protected, another to believe it.
Such is human nature: until they see everything with their own eyes, they will deny everything to the last. In the end, they finally agreed. And so, completely naked, I plunge into a capsule filled with some kind of slimy liquid.
According to Rao, the liquid from the Jacombi plant will allow me to better absorb the healing powers of the Yama and prevent all possible risks. I'd never heard of such a plant, but Pamela said that in case of emergency, its juice could draw out the serum, and if my body couldn't cope with the load, it would help open the pores for better absorption of the elixir.
So, I'm completely naked, my body floating in a thick liquid, my mind frantically trying to abstract itself from this vile place. Everything would be fine, but damn, how unpleasant it is here! Still, it's worth noting that compared to the pain I had to endure while taking Ivy's serum, this feels like a children's matinee - a very lousy children's matinee.
Then I thought that if this procedure were as painful as the previous one, I would definitely lose the desire to take any more potions for a long time. Fortunately, the entire process was completely painless. Apparently, all the pain should have erupted in my mind, gradually driving me mad and turning me into a bloodthirsty monster. But thanks to the "Player's Mind," I felt nothing. Ah, how good...
Everything went so easily that I was even surprised when I heard the notification from the system. The whole procedure ended just like that…
[Your body has undergone forced modification due to the absorption of the life source of planet Earth.
Physical stats have undergone a significant leap.
+100 to Strength
+100 to Speed
+100 to Dexterity
+100 to Endurance.
The body's regenerative capabilities have been significantly increased: +30 to Regeneration.
Your lifespan has exceeded 1000 points. An additional stat has been unlocked: "Life Energy."
Due to the comprehensive improvement of the host, +5 free stat points have been received.]
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