Eric collected a drop from both tubes and added them into a separate vial. Then he added a drop of water and shook it gently.
Nova's bright red blood and Toxsona's dark crimson began to swirl together. Slowly, the darker blood began to thin and fade. Within a few seconds, only a small trace of it remained.
"Oh my God! Your compatibility with Toxsona is over 95%," Eric exclaimed, his voice ringing with disbelief. "I never thought I'd witness something like this again in my lifetime."
Nova stared at the result in stunned silence, then slowly smiled. More than surprised, he felt a rush of excitement.
In compatibility tests, the dominant blood reveals the percentage. If the monster's blood overpowers the human's, the compatibility falls below fifty percent. But if the human blood dominates, the compatibility rises above fifty.
And that number matters—more than most people realize. A potion made with less than fifty percent compatibility is essentially poison. Barely surviving is the best-case scenario. But higher compatibility not only ensures survival—it amplifies the potion's benefits.
This, too, was tied to natural talent.
Talented individuals often showed high compatibility with a wide variety of monsters, granting them many paths forward. But the untalented? They were trapped—limited by poor matches and narrower options.
Eric turned to him again, his tone noticeably more polite than before.
"Allow me to introduce myself again," he said. "I'm Eric Watson, from the Watson family."
He tilted his head slightly. "And your name again? I tend to forget names easily."
Nova blinked.
'You never asked in the first place,' he thought dryly. 'You didn't even bother asking my opinion before dragging me into all of this.'
But he held his tongue. Eric might be polite now, but Nova wasn't naive enough to mistake that for true kindness. The shift was clearly because of his compatibility score. And though he didn't fully understand how rare a ninety-five percent rate was, he was sharp enough to know it wasn't normal.
"Sir, I'm Nova—from the Holy Church. This is my first time inside the labyrinth—"
"No need for the full intro," Eric interrupted, placing a hand on Nova's shoulder and stepping a bit closer. "I just forgot your name."
Nova didn't push the issue. Instead, he gave a polite nod and said nothing.
"Pack up," Eric said. "We'll go meet your new teammates and brew your potion."
Nova quickly gathered his things, making sure his katana was secure.
"Sir, where's our team right now?"
"They're already in Winterland," Eric replied. "But don't worry, we're near the junction between the Garden of Spring and Winterland. We can reach them in about three hours."
This time, Eric spoke with uncharacteristic patience, explaining everything clearly.
Nova simply nodded. He didn't want to ask too many questions—not when things were going so smoothly. The two of them set off, heading toward Winterland.
Eric pulled out a detailed map of the entire first floor. It even included estimated monster distributions.
Thanks to that, they avoided every potential threat on the way. It was deliberate—Eric clearly didn't want to waste even a second.
As they walked in silence, Nova debated whether to bring up the question that had been eating at him since their first meeting.
'Just ask. It's not like he's going to kill me for it.'
Unable to hold it back any longer, Nova glanced sideways and asked, "Sir… why are you bringing a random person onto your team? I'm not saying your choice is bad, but…"
"Why didn't you just form a team with people you already trust?"
Eric stopped mid-step, turned slightly, and gave him a faint smirk. "Who said we didn't form one?"
He paused for a beat, then continued.
"Before entering the labyrinth, we did create a team. A solid one—friends and trusted allies. In fact, we fought the King of Winter within the first hour."
Nova widened his eyes.
"But… that plan failed," Eric said, his voice still disturbingly casual. "Five of our members died in the battle."
Instead of sounding broken or angry, he shrugged as if they'd lost a friendly match.
"So rather than wait another month to try again, my cousin and I decided to handpick five new members and make another attempt."
He looked at Nova and smiled. "That's when I found you. And here we are."
Nova nearly tripped.
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'
'The King of Winter killed five of his teammates, and he wants to try again? On the same day?!'
'Did the King of Winter hit him so hard he lost all sense of reason?'
"I... I see," Nova muttered, still trying to process it.
Eric didn't seem bothered by his reaction. "You don't need to worry too much," he added. "You're the only newbie in the group. The other four have been exploring the first floor for almost a year."
"Oh," Nova said cautiously. "Then… about the battle itself—are you confident in our chances?"
"We've already analyzed the King's strengths and weaknesses," Eric said without missing a beat. "We're not walking in blind. This time, we're prepared."
Nova didn't know whether to feel relieved or more anxious. Either way, one thing was clear:
There was no backing out now.