Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

Spending the night beneath a flying island while a hyperactive dragon repeatedly headbutted an invisible barrier was far from restful. Each bang echoed through the night, making it impossible for Felix to drift off. He sat by the massive anchor and beneath the chain for what little comfort and protection it offered. Felix watched the megalith dragon circling above, trying to break into the island.

The dragon's relentless attempts to enter or land on the floating island worried Felix. Even though the system-provided barrier had held so far, he knew it wasn't invincible. Sean Smith had already proven that barriers could be broken during their fight at Big Zoot City.

Concerned, Felix decided to consult Jessica. He whispered while glancing nervously up at the dragon.

"Jessica can you check the condition of my house and the land? How long will the barrier last, and what is that stupid dragon trying to do?"

Jessica's portrait appeared in his system interface. Her calm voice calmed his anxiety.

<The newly upgraded land includes a one-month warranty and a special protective barrier called 'Newbie Protection.' For one month, no entity, including system users, can harm or damage your territory. The protection will expire in 27 days.>

Felix let out a sigh of relief.

A whole month of protection!

Finally, Felix could rest without worrying about the dragon smashing through his home. However, the dragon was still a looming presence, and Felix had more questions Jessica hadn't addressed yet. What exactly was the dragon doing, and was there a way to get rid of it before the barrier expired?

As Felix pondered, he realized he might have to deal with this dragon sooner than he'd like. Just because his land was safe for now didn't mean the house would be secured forever.

Jessica continued explaining, <I've also gathered enough data and analyzed the dragon's behavior. It appears to be attracted to your land. Unfortunately, it probably won't leave until it gets what it wants.>

Felix groaned. "Oh, come on. Is there anything we can do to chase it away or kill it?"

<A low-tier weapon from the store should do the job, but I doubt you have enough mana or lifespan to afford them.>

Felix fell silent, recalling the weapons he had previously bookmarked in the system store. His wish list flashed before his eyes:

- HG Black Rock (666,666,666 Mana)

- SG Fluff-Off Prototype (777,777,777 Mana)

- AR PULL-UP MF X1 (888,888,888 Mana)

At first glance, the prices seemed somewhat manageable. But the cold reality of his current mana level hit him like a truck. There was no way he could afford even the cheapest one.

Still, a spark of hope lit up in Felix's mind. He remembered something.

"Wait a minute," Felix muttered, doing quick mental calculations and counting on his fingers. "If one year of lifespan equals 1,000 mana… aren't these weapons technically attainable?"

Felix's eyes widened in realization. To buy the HG Black Rock, he would only need 666,666 years of lifespan!

A god-slaying weapon was within his reach!

The thought made his mouth water. Images of wielding an unstoppable weapon to obliterate the dragon and any future threats danced in his mind.

But just as quickly as his excitement peaked, reality set in. He imagined the mind-numbing grind it would take to accumulate that much lifespan.

How many cigarettes would he need to smoke?

How many times would he have to die and rebirth?

He groaned and smacked his forehead, "Why does everything cool have to come with such a price tag?!"

Frustrated, Felix absentmindedly scrolled through the system shop, his fingers flicking past overpriced weapons and items. His mind wandered, replaying the exhausting grind ahead. But then, an old memory surfaced.

One sparked a glimmer of hope.

"Wait," Felix muttered to himself. "Didn't I make something with alchemy that increased my lifespan?"

His eyes lit up as he quickly navigated to his shopping history. Sure enough, there was one—the ingredients for a Mana Vein Awakening Pill, a concoction he'd crafted before. The pill, if properly brewed, could extend a person's lifespan by 10,000 years!

Felix smirked, realizing he had overlooked a potential goldmine of extra years. This might be the loophole he needed to speed up his grind. Searching through the log file, he browsed the description of the item he once made.

…

Mana Vein Awakening Pill

Description:

This pill was concocted by the Florida OS System. It is an exclusive medicine tailored for fledgling phoenixes who have not yet awakened their bloodline. By consuming this pill, phoenixes will undergo a baptism that burns away impurities and weak organs, allowing them to reconstruct their physiques with their superior regeneration abilities.

After the baptism, they can unlock their potential, enabling them to store more Qi or Mana in their blood cells, internal organs, and dantian.

Effects:

- Removes impurities and cleanses blood vessels

- Reduces physical age by one year

- Increases lifespan by 10,000 years

- Unblocks the level-20 limitation (only applicable to phoenixes)

- Unlocks the Phoenix Bloodline

- Has a small chance of awakening new innate talents

Note: A phoenix can only consume this pill once in their lifetime. Consuming multiple Mana Vein Awakening Pills yields no additional effects.

…

Felix flinched as he reread the note, his hope slipping away. Frustrated, he turned to Jessica again.

"Jessica, what about the mana vein awakening pills? Can I just make more of those to gain extra lifespan?"

Jessica's portrait popped up, her response immediate. <Sadly, no. That particular medicine only works once in a lifetime. You've already consumed one, and your body has developed immunity to prevent the same pill from altering your DNA again.>

Felix groaned, feeling his brief moment of excitement fade. He had hoped for an easy shortcut, but it seemed like the system wasn't going to make things that simple. Tossing aside the idea of exploiting the pills, he leaned back, staring up at the night sky, his mind spinning for another solution.

"Think, think... there's gotta be another way," Felix muttered and scrolling the system screen, searching for inspiration.

It didn't take long for Felix to find new inspiration. Sometimes, all a man needed was a little creativity. As his eyes scanned his inventory, they settled on an item that had been sitting there since the first day he had arrived in this world.

…

Fifth Tier Azure Gemstone

This gemstone was the core of a fifth-grade mutated beast. Its mana still lingered within, and it could serve as a catalyst for concocting an elixir.

Mana Conversion Value: 300

…

The keyword "elixir" triggered a spark in Felix's mind. What kind of elixir could he create with this potent gemstone? His thoughts started racing as he imagined the possibilities. Could it be a potion of immense power or something that could solve his current problem?

Felix's fingers twitched, and he immediately reached out to the system inventory, pulling out the gemstone to admire up close. He also asked his trusty assistant, "Jessica, search for any recipes that include this gemstone as an ingredient."

<Alright. Searching…>

Moments passed, and Felix found himself eager with anticipation. If the gemstone could be used to create a powerful elixir, it might just give him the edge he needed against the looming threats, or at least grant him more mana or lifespan to survive. His mind ran wild, thinking of fake scenarios and possibilities in his mind as he waited for Jessica's response.

*DING*

A sharp sound echoed, signaling an alert. The moment of truth had arrived, and Felix's heart skipped a beat.

<Two thousand results have been found. Filtering to three relevant options for your current needs. The other results are not suited to your situation.>

Three results were better than one! Felix's anticipation grew, and as his pupils dilated. Three new system windows materialized before him, each displaying a unique recipe.

This was it—his potential breakthrough, a lifeline in the form of alchemy.

…

Elixir of Bear Strength

*Recipe:*

- One Gemstone from a Mutated Bear

- One Liter of Purified Reagent Water

- Two Vials of Mutated Bear Blood

- Water Mana Essence

…

Elixir of Bear Vitality

*Recipe:*

- One Gemstone from a Mutated Bear

- One Heart of a Mutated Bear

- One Vial of Corrupted Maple Tree Sap

- Water Mana Essence

…

Elixir of Four-Armed Punarian

*Recipe:*

- One Fifth-Grade Gemstone of a Four-Armed Bear

- One Vial of Bloody Seawater

- Three Vials of Punarian Blood

- Fire Mana Essence

…

Felix scanned through the recipes, scratching his head in frustration. The ingredients listed didn't give him any clear idea about the potential effects of the elixirs.

Should he choose based solely on the bizarre components?

"What about the elixir's effects?" he asked, glancing at Jessica.

<This is beyond my authority. I can only access public alchemy recipes that are well-known among entities and immortals. However, whatever the result, you will need to test it on your body. The ingredients can be purchased from the system store, by the way.>

Felix sighed, realizing he'd be the guinea pig in this experiment. He wasn't one to shy away from risk, but he preferred a bit more certainty.

"Don't I have a recipe book or an alchemy book?" Felix complained and browsed through his system interface. He opened the encyclopedia pages, searching for alchemy logs.

Unfortunately, the alchemy book that he had didn't contain any detail about the elixirs.

This would be a gamble. Felix only had one fifth grade gemstone, enough for one type of elixir. He would have to guess and bet on the result.

What elixir should he make?