For the next couple of days, Dreu found himself doing the same routine, though against different creatures. All these creatures shared the similarity of being mostly harmless. They might try to defend themselves but they stood no chance against the young man. After killing them, he had grown more proficient at retrieving the monster cores which he then made into weak strength pills. By the end of the week, he had accumulated fifty of such pills. Yet, he was never once told to consume them. Wanting to see if there was a reason for not consuming them, he kept the pill locked up in a safe that showed up on his second day so they couldn’t tempt him. By the eighth day, he asked the being when he arrived at the large clearing.
“I’m impressed you haven’t eaten all the pills! Ordinarily, no pills are left by now. As your reward, I shall show you something.”
Dreu watched as some of the trees vanished, revealing a path he never thought existed. He went down the path until he arrived at a large lake.
“This lake possesses a special liquid sought after by many alchemists. It takes a long time to gather the liquid but it will be worth the effort. Follow the instructions and return to me when you gather a full container of such liquid.”
Once the being stopped talking, Dreu walked over to a giant boulder with instructions inscribed on it. He then located the equipment he needed to complete the task. He first started at a big cauldron where he shoveled in the earth around the lake until the cauldron was half full. Once that was done, he then grabbed a bucket and filled the other half of the cauldron with the lake water. Following that, he laid down on his stomach as he observed the pan underneath the cauldron which collected any liquid that got through the earth. Once the pan was full, he brought it carefully over to a pot where he boiled the content over a large fire. When the boiling was done, he merely shook his head.
Is this all I get from boiling this stuff? No wonder he said it takes a long time.
All Dreu got was some sticky stuff at the bottom of the pot which he scooped into a container that was cylindrical and was wider at the bottom than the top. Once he got everything out, he estimated that he needed to make at least another nineteen batches before he could fill up the container. The procedure wasn’t complicated but it was certainly tedious. With nothing else planned, he repeated the process until the container was full of the sticky stuff. The stuff had no smell nor could he sense anything special about it. Having no clue what it was for, Dreu simply returned to the being hoping for an explanation for his work.
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“Good! You have in your possession a lesser pill elixir. Beings and creatures don’t gain anything from consuming. In fact, some might get poisoned if they consume too much of it. The elixir excels in turning five weak level pills into one basic level pill. While the conversion isn’t guaranteed, the odds are much higher than one can make a basic level pill.”
The being then explained that the instructions were in the alchemist building so Dreu could work on it as soon as he returned. He also mentioned that there was no longer any point in hoarding the basic strength pills because Dreu wouldn’t get a chance at pill elixirs that could turn basic pills into advanced pills. After the explanation, Dreu found himself outside the courtyard once more. Excited to see the basic pills, the young man went to the alchemist building. By the end of the night, he successfully acquired seven basic strength pills. He observed the pills but he couldn't notice any obvious differences between them and the weak pills. After that, he wondered about the being's words about no need to hoard the pills.
Could he be testing me again? Maybe I’ll just eat two and keep the others for the future.
Dreu proceeded to consume two of the basic strength pills and felt a massive improvement instantly. With his new strength, the young man believed that he could wrestle wolves with his bare hands if he had to. Then, he remembered Bayard’s teachings so he went to the courtyard. He recalled his mentor mentioning certain items capable of permanently boosting an individual’s physical traits like strength and agility. What most didn’t know was that the boost wasn’t limited to what one gained at the time. Through training, an individual could further take advantage of the boost and gain a lot more, especially shortly after gaining the boost. Even without his sword, Dreu was taught a few martial art moves that were coming in handy. As he went through the moves, he could feel the energy filling his entire body.
To think I gain this much from the two pills. I won’t give in to temptations but I can only imagine what five more pills can do.
Until late that night, Dreu practiced under the moonlight, feeling exhilaration from the incredible power he obtained. The experience reminded him of the few stories Zraiw shared with him and the demonic children. In the mythical realm, pills were common in boosting various stats of an individual or creature. The combination of pills and proper training was a powerful combo that far surpassed those who could only rely on one or the other. Dreu himself had been in such a situation so the pills were indeed an incredible turn of events for him. As he was ready to take a bath in his personal bath house, he wondered if the pills worked for his roster members. A boost to the demonic creatures under his command could only make them more terrifying.
I can check with Zraiw but I need to find a way out. First, I need to learn all I can. Otherwise, I will regret it once I return to the real world. I hope I don’t appear dead to the others right now.
