The King was still continuing to explain how difficult it was to talk to the old elf, but Liam was no longer hearing him. He was a calm and collected person, but right now, he was close to losing it. What the hell was wrong with that elf?
He had tried everything that he possibly could. He had boosted his reputation. He became a Grandmaster in a tradeskill, and he even dealt with the barbarian situation.
If this wasn't enough, then what was? Did he have to find out more about the barbarians going to the very root of this issue, or did he have to increase his reputation further?
Both of these were extremely time-consuming, not to mention almost impossible to accomplish. Liam had a way into the demon settlement because of the nether affinity, so he could easily mingle with them.
Similarly, with the elves, he had the quest line, and he could get a foothold. But it would take forever to infiltrate the barbarians and get to the bottom of this. It was definitely a waste of time.
It was the same with the reputation grind. After the [Revered], it was the [Savior], and that was not something one could reach by simple reputation grind.
No matter what he did, Liam wouldn't get any more reputation point rewards. He also did not know how to reach the [Savior] reputation status. No one in his previous life had managed to achieve this.
So essentially, both of these routes were extremely difficult or nearly impossible. What was he supposed to do now? What would happen if his mana core was really corrupted? Was there a chance that he could become crippled?
Liam shuddered at that thought. "No, something like that cannot happen. I cannot go back to being helpless and powerless. I cannot lose what I have."
"Your highness, please allow me to meet the elder one last time. I want to request him earnestly. Terrible things are happening in the human kingdom at the moment."
"The elves are strong. So the barbarians are trying to cross over the human border and harm our villagers, taking innocent human beings as prisoners. I want to become stronger to take down these vile creatures and stop all of this."
Liam ranted some nonsense related to the barbarians and continued pulling at the thread. He was so close to it that he did not want to give up.
The elven King was also taken back, even mildly irritated. However, he could clearly see the person in front of him was in genuine pain, and he sighed in understanding. He really did want to help him.
"Of course, the esteemed Grandmaster is free to request an audience with the elder. It is only my hands that are tied. Unfortunately."
Liam bowed before him and began to leave the grand hall in a hurry. Unexpectedly, he returned to the grand hall with the same speed and stood once again in front of the King.
"Your highness, may I please request you for some lucky Golden Potions?"He gritted his teeth and bowed. The King had mentioned a reward to him, and he might as well cash it now. This would be his final shot, and he wanted to really give it his all.
"Golden Potions?" The elven King was shocked. "You haven't even visited the Treasury but you want to seek this reward?" He looked disappointed. Several elves in the hall also shook their heads in disappointment. But Liam did not care.
If there was anything that could help him at the moment, it was luck. He really had tried everything else.
After a few seconds, the King looked at the guard standing on his right and nodded. The guard then hurried somewhere inside, walking back out with three potions on a tray. Even from a distance, one could see the potions glimmer and glitter, sparkling golden.
"Use these potions wisely, Grandmaster Liam. But it is my sincere advice that you do not rely on these potions for whatever you seek. Luck seldom brings you success." He clicked his tongue, handing over the three potions to Liam.
"Thank you, your highness." Liam bowed. He knew that he could have probably gotten something more useful instead, but right now, this was what he needed.
He then hurriedly excused himself and rushed out of the grand hall one more time, heading straight for the elder's residence.
This was it. This needed to work. Liam sighed and looked at the three small bottles of potions in his hand.
Golden Potion: Increases your luck temporarily; Effect lasts for five minutes; Can be stacked twice; Can only be used once in your lifetime.
Liam now understood why the king had given him three bottles. It looked like he could drink all three simultaneously for increased effect, but he could only use this once in his life?
This was a terrible deal. He was no more pleased with the description of the golden potion than the reason why he had to ask for it in the first place. But he had come too far now.
Liam opened the first potion bottle and gulped it down. It went down smooth and had a fiery taste. He also opened the next two and gulped them down one after the other.
A strange feeling instantly spread across his body, and he felt highly energetic. Along with this, there was also a significant feeling bubbling inside him. Confidence. He was really confident that he could do anything at this moment.
Liam grunted and stepped towards the gate when suddenly Lyana called for him from behind. She rushed over to him after hearing about everything that had transpired from one of the elven elders.
"Sir Liam, do not go in. The elder is dangerous. If you keep repeatedly trying to ask him for the same thing…" Her beautiful face was fully covered in dread. She was genuinely warning Liam about his well-being.
However, Liam shook his head. He had already made up his mind. "I am here to visit the elder." He opened the gate and informed the elven guard at the entrance, just like before.
And the guard, as well, hurriedly ran inside. But this time, it was barely even a second when the big, burly elf stepped outside, each of his footsteps thundering loudly.
"Ba ha ha ha! I heard what you did, you stupid brat. Do you really think that just because you guzzled some lucky potions, I would help you? Ba ha ha ha!"
The elf loudly laughed and lifted his hand. Immediately, Liam felt a crushing weight on his body. This time, the pressure was several times higher than before. It was actually hurtful.
He started bleeding from his eyes, nose, and ears, and he coughed violently, unable to breathe. He was also losing big chunks of his health.
"Did you think someone like you could force my hand? You want to manipulate me? Do you know who I am?"
-50
-100
-200
His health continued to drop, and Liam was now at 50% of his health. With every step the old elf took, it dropped further, the pressure on him doubling up.
The old guy, on the other hand, showed no remorse. He looked at Liam as if he were merely a plaything and enjoyed squishing him down.
"Do you know what I hate the most? Ants acting all high and mighty, thinking that they can save the world! Bah! You can't do anything. Your world is doomed. You cannot save it. Accept it. Accept your fate."
He sneered at Liam, who was still struggling, gripping his throat as if he wanted to say something. "It looks like you do not understand. It's better for you if I just end everything right here and now. Why don't I just end your misery and put you to death?"
The elf laughed maniacally and lifted his hand. Immediately, a tremendous amount of mana enveloped his hand. The guards standing nearby shivered. Lyana's face turned pale.
And the person at this epicenter, Liam, stared in shock. He wasn't able to do anything at all. He couldn't even think or move his hand. The elf completely paralyzed him.
He did not understand why things escalated so much, but he knew he had to do something. He had seen many dangerous predators in his life, so he knew that the person in front of him really intended to kill him.
Instant death! That's what awaited him. There was no mistake in that, yet… he couldn't do anything. He was arrested entirely and frozen.
As the old man's thick hand came down, Liam's gaze was locked on the disdain-filled stare of the guy, and his life flashed past his eyes. He once again failed without being able to do anything at all?
A single tear slipped out of his eyes, falling down. His vision turned blurry, and his health dropped to the last 1%. The world around him started becoming dark. This was really the end?
Liam did not want to accept this. And just as the last of his consciousness was fading away, he suddenly heard a loud shriek.
"Oh my god! How can you be so cute!" Someone shouted in a high-pitched voice.
Huh? Who was this? Liam did not understand what was happening. The pressure that was crushing him lessened a little. Perhaps a lot. And he did not get the death notification yet?
With that, he passed out completely.
