Marcus sat in his warehouse workshop three days after his certification, staring at the two failed contracts from the past months. Thornbeck. Von Drake. Both had been prepared for him. Both had nearly cost him his life.
The pattern was clear: his reputation preceded him now. Targets knew about Phantom's transmutation abilities and were preparing countermeasures—enhancement elixirs, secondary wards, weaponized environments.
His current approach wasn't sustainable.
"I need to adapt," Marcus muttered to himself, spreading his alchemical reference texts across the workbench. "If they're going to be prepared, I need to be even more prepared."
He'd been thinking about this problem for days. His Midas Touch was powerful, but it required either direct contact or close proximity. Targets who survived the initial encounter could flee, raise alarms, or force him into extended combat where anything could go wrong.
What he needed was a way to ensure targets couldn't escape even if they survived the first attack. Something that would guarantee the kill regardless of their preparations.
Poison.
Marcus pulled out his advanced alchemy texts and began researching. Poisons in this world ranged from simple toxins to magical concoctions that could kill in seconds. As a Bronze Rank Alchemist, he now had access to formulas he'd been forbidden from attempting before.
He spent hours reading, taking notes, comparing formulas. Finally, he found what he was looking for:
Serpent's Whisper - A Bronze Rank contact poison that caused progressive paralysis and organ failure. Colorless, odorless, almost impossible to detect. Could be applied to weapons. Onset time: 30 seconds. Death within 5 minutes without Master-grade antidote. Key ingredient: Venom from a Shadow Serpent, magically enhanced and concentrated.
The problem? Shadow Serpent venom cost 5,000 gold per dose on the legitimate market, if you could even find it. Most suppliers wouldn't sell to anyone without explicit authorization from the Royal Alchemist Guild.
Marcus smiled. He didn't need to buy it. He could make his own using his 100x Effect.
The base formula used common snake venom—something he could purchase for 50 gold. With his 100x amplification applied to his alchemy skills, he could transform that common venom into something far more potent.
He spent the next day gathering materials: common viper venom, shadow essence extract, concentrated nightshade, liquefied mana crystal, and several other reagents. Total cost: about 500 gold for materials that would yield five doses.
That evening, Marcus activated his 100x Effect and began brewing.
100X EFFECT ACTIVATED. DURATION: 30 MINUTES.
His Bronze Rank alchemical skills suddenly exploded to what felt like Diamond Rank mastery. He could see the molecular structures of each ingredient, understand their interactions at a fundamental level, predict outcomes before they occurred.
Marcus worked with supernatural precision. Each ingredient measured to the microgram. Temperature controlled to fractions of a degree. Timing perfect down to the second. The venom in his cauldron began to transform, its potency multiplying exponentially.
Twenty-six minutes later, he carefully extracted five doses of liquid death. Each dose was pitch black and seemed to absorb light. When he tested a single drop on a piece of raw meat, the flesh necrotized instantly, turning black and crumbling to ash.
Serpent's Whisper (Legendary-Grade) - His system helpfully identified it. Onset time: 10 seconds. Death within 2 minutes. No known antidote below Legendary-grade.
Marcus had just created a poison that would kill most Bronze and Silver Rank targets before they could react. And he'd done it for 500 gold instead of 25,000.
He carefully stored four doses in specialized vials designed to contain deadly substances. The fifth dose he applied to both his Null-Steel Daggers, coating the blades with a thin layer of the poison. The enchantments on the daggers kept the poison stable and prevented it from degrading.
Now his weapons had teeth. Cut someone even slightly, and they were dead within two minutes.
Marcus tested his current combat readiness:
Primary Attack: Midas Touch (transmutation to gold or crystal) Secondary Attack: Poisoned daggers (Legendary-grade contact poison) Defense: Guardian Amulet (three fatal hits), Wraith Cloak (stealth), Shadowstep Boots (mobility) Emergency: Three Platinum-grade healing potions, 100x Effect for overwhelming power Backup: Emergency Escape Scrolls to five different safe locations
He was as prepared as paranoia could make him.
Time to test this new approach.
Marcus reviewed the contract board's current offerings. He needed a target that matched his current strength—he was close to Bronze Rank breakthrough, so another Bronze - Peak Stage opponent would be appropriate.
His eyes settled on a new contract that had appeared yesterday:
Target: Captain Marcus Redfield Rank: Bronze Rank - Peak Stage Crimes: Pirate captain conducting raids on civilian vessels, murdering survivors. 42 confirmed deaths. Location: Docked at Harbor District, ship called "Crimson Revenge" Bounty: 35,000 gold Special Note: Target has a crew of 20 pirates (all Iron Rank) and extensive combat experience.
Marcus smiled. A pirate captain. Someone who wouldn't be expected to have advanced magical defenses like the previous targets. Someone whose ship environment he could use to his advantage.
Perfect testing ground for his new methods.
He spent two days scouting the harbor. The Crimson Revenge was a mid-sized vessel with a distinctive red-painted hull. Captain Redfield was a brutish man who spent his evenings drinking in the harbor taverns before returning to his ship around midnight.
The crew took shifts—ten on the ship at night, ten at the taverns. Redfield's cabin was at the stern, isolated from the crew quarters.
Marcus identified his approach: board the ship around 2 AM when most of the crew would be drunk or sleeping, eliminate Redfield quietly with poisoned daggers, then escape before the crew realized their captain was dead.
The third night after taking the contract, Phantom made his move.