As for how to test the Frenzy Virus vaccine on hand, the method was actually quite simple.
Andrew placed the dozen or so white mice to the side, and then opened a portion of Frenzy Virus dust that Meow-Da had just recently extracted.
Although that Gore Magala had not yet fully matured, not only were the scales on its body used for defense, but the dust that served as its organ for perceiving the world had already fully developed.
But after all, the Gore Magala that was the source of the materials was a newborn that had not yet fully developed, which meant its body could be considered extremely fragile.
Therefore, the connection between its body and these scales—which were inherently consumable items—was extremely weak.
Coupled with Meow-Da's strength, which was outstanding even among Felynes, it made collecting these scales incredibly easy for him. With a single pluck, he could grab a massive handful, essentially enough to fill an entire bottle of materials in one go.
It could be said that a large part of the reason Meow-Da was able to pluck so many scales to serve as virus sample materials in such a short amount of time was due to this.
After Andrew held his breath and crushed a portion of scales in his hand into dust, he began to evenly divide it into many equal parts according to their weight in grams.
After testing what concentration each portion would form when dispersed in the air, Andrew directly combined a portion of dust based on the concentration of dust a normal Gore Magala would produce in the air while moving.
Immediately after, he pulled out a white mouse, placed it into an isolation chamber, and then poured a portion of the dust inside.
In an instant, the entire chamber was enveloped by the dust formed by the Frenzy Virus.
Upon confirming that it had been infected with the Frenzy Virus—although it had already begun to turn irritable, its fur had not yet turned dark purple—Andrew, with swift eyes and quick hands, directly grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.
Pulling it out, he pulled out a syringe and injected it with a dose of the Frenzy Virus vaccine.
After that, it was just quietly waiting for the final result brought about by the vaccine.
But after just a few short minutes had passed, within Andrew's line of sight...
Following a period of irritability, twitching, and biting at everything around it, the white mouse's pristine white fur gradually turned completely dark purple under the erosion of the Frenzy Virus.
Let alone the vaccine eliminating it.
Given the speed of this onset, he feared it hadn't even managed to delay the virus's erosion of the body.
As the last wisp of white fur on its body was stained with the dark purple that only came after a Frenzy Virus infection, madness completely took over its brain at this moment.
"Squeak—!!!"
The originally harmless-looking, completely non-aggressive white mouse completely changed its appearance at this moment.
Its initially slender muscles continuously bulged, quickly stretching its smooth fur until it became sharply defined. Its claws and teeth, which originally had no offensive power and could only be used to grasp food, also began to constantly grow.
Soon, the lethality possessed by its sharp claws and mutated fangs directly increased by more than just a single notch.
Its initially dull and calm eyes became incredibly crimson due to bloodshot congestion, and the unrestrainable bloodlust and aggressiveness within them practically threatened to burst out of its eye sockets.
Sharp claws swung.
Instantly, a deep scratch mark appeared on the incredibly sturdy wall of the isolation chamber.
As if realizing that it was trapped in a cramped space, the white mouse already infected by the Frenzy Virus began to frantically swing its sharp claws.
But fortunately, the isolation chamber prepared by Meow-Da, who had anticipated this in advance, was incredibly sturdy. Even with mutated sharp claws, it wouldn't be able to destroy the walls and breach containment in a short amount of time.
Without a doubt, it had been thoroughly infected by the Frenzy Virus.
Looking at the scene before him, Andrew's heart instantly sank halfway, and the last trace of wishful thinking vanished without a trace along with it.
For this Frenzy Virus that had mutated through the erosion of Ether energy, the vaccine didn't even just have a reduced effect—it was completely and utterly ineffective.
But just as Andrew was about to observe further...
As the erosion of the Frenzy Virus continued to deepen, a brand new mutation that Andrew had absolutely never expected appeared once again on that white mouse.
Under Andrew's astonished gaze...
The fur on the white mouse in the chamber, which had originally turned completely dark purple, began to fall out continuously, revealing the dark gray, inorganic-looking skin underneath that completely lacked any trace of blood color.
And Andrew could be certain.
The normal skin color beneath the fur of an originally normal and healthy white mouse was absolutely not like this. Even if infected by the Frenzy Virus, its skin shouldn't have turned into this state.
But this mutation did not stop there.
Immediately after, its paws, which originally merely had the sharp claws of an ordinary animal, transformed into a grayish-white horny layer, and its head was similarly covered with the same type of carapace. And as these tissues took shape, the more Andrew looked at their texture, the more incredibly familiar they felt.
"This... could it be that it's Etherealized?! It can Etherealize even outside of a Hollow?!!!"
But as he carefully observed this white mouse once again, Andrew frowned in confusion once more, scratching his head in utter bewilderment as he muttered to himself:
"But why doesn't this Etherealization have an Ethereal Core? Is it because the mutation hasn't completely finished yet, so there's no Core? But that doesn't make sense either!"
Recalling the knowledge Belle had crammed into him when he first arrived in this world, Andrew said in confusion:
"When a living creature turns into an Ethereal due to corruption, shouldn't a Core appear first before undergoing a holistic mutation further?"
Just as Andrew was completely baffled, the white mouse's mutation within the isolation chamber had thoroughly reached its end.
At this time, the white mouse, whose body fur had completely shed off, had long lost its former cuteness as an animal. Instead, it had completely turned into the inorganic dark gray color unique to Ethereals.
And its sharp claws and head had also completely mutated into the ferocious appearance that only belonged to monsters.
Even though it didn't have a Core while simultaneously appearing outside of a Hollow, compared to a living creature, Andrew still felt this thing looked more like an Ethereal. However, the fact that the dissipating specks of light typical of ordinary Ethereals never appeared on its body made it truly impossible for Andrew to confirm.
But the completely mutated white mouse didn't care about Andrew, who was lost in thought.
Relying on the thoroughly mutated sharp claws on its four limbs, the white mouse completely tore the chamber's walls to shreds in just two or three swipes. It successfully breached containment and arrived on Andrew's workbench.
And the first thing it did after successfully escaping was to directly pounce fiercely toward Andrew, who was the closest to it and also the main culprit who had locked it into that cramped space.
It was just a pity that no matter how much it had mutated, at the end of the day, it was still nothing more than a white mouse.
Facing this mutated white mouse that lunged at him with bared fangs and brandished claws, Andrew directly reached out in mid-air and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck with incredible precision, then held it in his hand, letting it struggle continuously.
And accompanying the tactile sensation transmitted back from holding it in his hand, Andrew confirmed one thing.
This white mouse, without a doubt, had thoroughly mutated into an Ethereal under the erosion of the Frenzy Virus.
Although he didn't know exactly how it was achieved, since it was already confirmed that it had completely turned into a monster, then Andrew had no need to show any mercy.
As Andrew's fingers exerted a sudden, fierce burst of force in an instant...
Accompanied by a crisp cracking sound, the white mouse that had been struggling intensely, constantly trying to attack Andrew who was holding it by the scruff of its neck, completely lost its life.
Following that, under Andrew's "just as I thought" gaze, it transformed into pure Ether energy, just like an ordinary Ethereal.
"Fuck, this thing just turned into an Ethereal, didn't it?!"
Watching this scene, Andrew had a rough guess in his heart as to why the vaccine had failed.
It was highly likely that precisely because of this mutation, which caused biological creatures to transform into a special type of Ethereal, the originally normal Frenzy Virus vaccine was completely unable to perform the function it was supposed to.
But even though the fundamental reason had roughly been found...
If one were to ask Andrew what specific methods could be used to improve the vaccine so that it could counter this, he would be left with a completely blank expression. This was thoroughly within Andrew's intellectual blind spot.
In order to prevent this from just being a special case caused by a unique individual, Andrew, refusing to believe in the jinx, conducted the experiment a few more times.
But unsurprisingly, the final result every time ended with the white mice thoroughly mutating into that special type of Ethereal.
And Meow-Da, who was watching this scene from the side, similarly couldn't help but sigh in lament:
"Boss, the effect of this vaccine is practically non-existent, meow!"
Immediately after, essentially being a pure martial artist just like Andrew, and completely clueless when it came to research, he also stretched out a paw and scratched his head in immense distress.
One could say he looked completely bewildered.
Andrew frowned as he watched and continuously recorded the condition of the white mouse in the chamber before him. Hearing this, he also couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Afterward, he said seriously:
"It seems that for the sake of the vaccine, I have to find a way to go back for a trip."
"Meow?! Boss, you're going back?!"
Upon hearing this, Meow-Da instantly turned his head in absolute shock to look at Andrew, simultaneously asking in utter astonishment:
"Then what if your companions here run into a crisis, meow?"
Although he hadn't been in New Eridu for many days, through interacting with the people around him during this time, Meow-Da had also long since recognized the others as his companions.
And the most, most important point was...
His boss's partners were all still in this place!
Hearing this, Andrew stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. Then, he turned to look at Meow-Da with great reassurance and said:
"Isn't that why you're here?"
"When the time comes, I'll leave Belle, Astra, Eve, and the others' safety in your hands to protect."
After all, even though he would be going back through the rift...
Because it wasn't the same rift as the one he came through, it was absolutely impossible for him to appear in the place where he had arrived.
As for exactly where the other side of that rift would appear in the Monster Hunter world, no one knew.
Under these circumstances, with Belle's physical constitution, going back to his original world with Andrew would be an extremely dangerous adventure.
Meanwhile, Astra and Eve were currently both at critical periods of their rising careers. While it was inherently a highly dangerous adventure, it was even more impossible for the boss to let them give up the careers they had dreamed of to go back with him.
It could be said that before their strength reached a certain level, or before it could be confirmed that the area on the other side of the rift was very close to a camp Andrew was familiar with...
Even if they actively requested it, Andrew would absolutely never agree to let them travel to the Monster Hunter world with him.
"Meow-wu..."
After thinking through these details...
Although he was somewhat reluctant about not being able to move together with the boss, he still nodded very sensibly and said:
"Alright, I understand, meow. Then, Boss, when you come back, remember to bring me back some Felvine, meow."
"The Felvine planted in Silver City hasn't reached the time for harvesting yet, but the amount I have left on me is almost completely used up, meow."
Hearing this, Andrew decisively nodded and said:
"No problem. As long as you protect them well, I'll directly buy you a whole cartload of Felvine when the time comes!"
Instantly, all the dissatisfied emotions Meow-Da had harbored from the boss not taking him along vanished without a trace.
Thinking about it from another angle, the boss had even entrusted the safety of his partners to him.
What did this represent?
It represented the incredibly profound trust contained within!
Encouraged by this 'trust', Meow-Da was immediately roused. He puffed out his chest and said with immense excitement:
"Boss, don't worry! Leave the Big Sis and the others' safety to me when the time comes, meow!!!"
Hearing Meow-Da's guarantee, Andrew immediately revealed a satisfied expression, nodded, and said:
"Good! Very energetic!"
"Then, once Belle and the others find a rift I can use to go back, their safety and the safety of New Eridu will be in your hands!"
And as things stood now, there was no longer any need to continue the experiments.
After cleaning up all the experimental equipment and tidying away every fragment of the isolation chambers that had been torn to shreds by the mutated white mice, Andrew once again took Meow-Da and headed downstairs.
Upon returning to the workshop, Ellen, who was currently sewing, also stood up and voiced her final decision:
"Manager, regarding that matter you mentioned to me earlier, I think I can accept it."
High rewards were often accompanied by risks.
And as a girl who had just stepped into adolescence, Ellen needed a high-paying job like this.
Not only because she had many, many things she wanted to buy, but also because she wanted to attend a normal high school.
If possible, she even wanted to go to university.
And without a doubt, all of this required ample Dennies to become a reality.
And this sum of money was absolutely not a small amount.
Hearing this, Andrew was slightly taken aback. Then, he looked at Ellen in front of him very seriously and asked:
"Have you thought it through?"
And the girl standing before him—although her face was still incredibly youthful and tender, her expression already bore a trace of imperceptible maturity—similarly nodded in earnest and said:
"Mm, I've thought it through."
Subsequently, she raised her arm and struck a bodybuilding pose to show off her biceps, simultaneously stating with immense confidence:
"Perhaps I might not necessarily be the best at other things, but when it comes to fighting, I'm really strong!"
Hearing this and recalling the scene of Ellen slaughtering her way through a huge group of students from the same grade without breaking a sweat, Andrew couldn't help but reveal a smile and nodded in agreement.
Although she had always looked rather lazy and lethargic, when it actually came down to blows, the young girl's strength was indeed quite impressive.
At least in New Eridu, if she encountered danger, there wouldn't be any problem if she wanted to protect herself.
Since Ellen's thoughts had been confirmed, Andrew didn't dilly-dally. He directly took out his phone and dialed Von Lycaon's number.
____
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