Of course, opening the treasure chests came first.
Though an active Conjunction of the Spheres always carried risks, they were controllable—there was no need to cram at the last moment. Even so, Allen made his decision without hesitation.
After all, no one ever knew which would come first—tomorrow, or an accident…
And what if…
Since he already had the treasure chests, and the Blessing of Harvest was now in his hands, why wait any longer?
The Conjunction of the Spheres could be delayed for now.
But…
Allen focused his will, opening the Witcher's Journal.
[Treasure Chests: Ronnie Dickinson's Chest ×5, Leshen's Chest ×2, Wolf's Chest ×2, Raven's Chest ×2, @#￥%&'s Chest ×5, Summoning Ritual Chest ×5, Rotting Lord's Chest ×5, Monster Nest Chest ×5, Rotfiend's Chest ×5, Gargoyle's Chest ×3, Devout Lydia's Chest ×2, Moreau's Colossus Chest ×2, Alghoul's Chest ×18, Drowner's Chest ×33]
Opening treasure chests also required strategy.
There were ninety-one chests in total. Excluding the fifty-one Drowner and Alghoul chests that were basically filler, forty still remained.
No matter how "Great" the Blessing of Harvest on the Maiden's Promise (Old Rule) talisman was, it could not possibly spread across every chest—choices had to be made.
So then…
"What do I need the most right now?" Allen sat cross-legged inside Melitele's Hidden Ritual circle, asking himself honestly.
The greatest challenge ahead was breaking into Ban Ard and rescuing Hen Gedymdeith.
Therefore, every step of his improvement now had to revolve around that plan.
Opening chests was no exception.
First priority: Experience Orbs. He needed them to unlock Beast Roar: Forbidden Sky, in case the Wild Hunt appeared during the rescue.
Second priority: the missing sword oils—Cursed Oil, Vampire Oil, Elementa Oil, Relict Oil, Insectoid Oil, Beast Oil, Ogroid Oil, and Dragon Oil. Eight oils in total.
Considering the mission to rescue Hen Gedymdeith, he could refine the priorities even further.
In a sorcerer's stronghold, elementas were guaranteed.
This time, there would be no Ida Emean, with her mastery of advanced elemental magic, to break their defenses—so Elementa Oil was indispensable.
And since the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization was no longer being subtle but practically declaring their ambition to interfere in Ban Ard's affairs and rebuild a Sorcerer Empire—
Other monsters could not be ruled out either.
Cursed ones, relicts, insectoids, ogres, beasts, and even draconids—these categories were all closely tied to biological modification and genetic mutation, the Consortium's area of expertise. They were highly likely to appear in Ban Ard as well.
Only vampires, due to their unique nature and locality, were difficult to capture and experiment upon, making them nearly impossible to encounter in Ban Ard.
Unfortunately, Allen only had chests for relicts and beasts at the moment.
Now that he had received the Blessing of Harvest, he couldn't just wait indefinitely until he had collected every type of monster chest before opening them.
That was neither realistic nor necessary.
Melitele seemed to be in good condition this time. At worst, after obtaining new chests later, he could pray for another blessing with the Hidden Ritual before the rescue—or simply make another trip to Melitele's temple.
Third priority: special chests like @#￥%&'s, Ronnie Dickinson's, Monster Nest, Devout Lydia's, and Moreau's Colossus, which might yield unique equipment, skills, or schematics.
"The top-priority Experience Orbs don't need to be forced," Allen thought. "Even under Melitele's Blessing of Harvest, luck still plays a part…"
"No, wait!" He shook his head lightly. "I've never seen Experience Orbs in a golden chest before."
"The best I've drawn so far were Orb Pouches (10 orbs), blue quality."
"So…"
"It might actually be harder to get them under the Blessing of Harvest."
"In that case, my goal is clear."
Having sorted out his thoughts, Allen raised the talisman in his right palm and prayed with devotion: "Praise be to the Mother of All, Goddess of Fertility, Harvest, and Birth, eternal guardian of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone…"
The words had scarcely left his lips—
Crack—crack—
The plain oak talisman in his palm suddenly vibrated, splitting with sharp sounds. His wolf medallion shook violently, leaping out from his collar.
Then the talisman's wood grain blazed with dazzling white light, floating up into the air.
The cracks multiplied. Every line of wood grain turned gold, dyeing the entire talisman in brilliant radiance, as though it were carved from purest gold.
Snap!
The cracks reached their peak, and the talisman shattered midair, scattering into countless glowing motes.
Circling around him three times, the lights finally dove into his brow like birds returning to their nest.
Allen's mind cleared in an instant.
He knew—the Blessing of Harvest had taken effect.
Not daring to waste a moment, he willed it into action—
[Ding! Gargoyle's Chest ×1 opened]
There were too many chests, and the blessing's power was limited.
He didn't dare recklessly open all three Gargoyle chests at once. Instead, he opened them one by one, so he could switch targets once he obtained the desired oil.
With the cold chime of the system, dazzling golden light burst forth from the chest.
No time for cutscenes—he skipped them entirely.
[Ding! Acquired: Ritual—Create Gargoyle]
-----------------------------------
[Name: Ritual of Gargoyle Creation]
[Type: Magical Ritual]
[Requirements: Ritualism LV4, elementa Studies LV3]
[Materials: Chalk ×2, Ruby ×1, Hardened Wood ×5, Stone ×5, Enchanted Dust ×5, Fifth Element ×2]
[Function: You can perform the Ritual of Gargoyle Creation to summon a Gargoyle that will serve you until its death.
The ritual creates a simple Gargoyle that obeys your will and follows any command you give. However, it cannot think independently nor perform delicate actions requiring fingers, such as picking up small objects.
The Gargoyle will continue to carry out its last received command. If it fails, it will repeat the task endlessly until it succeeds or receives an order to stop.]
[Note: It's time to craft some proper guards for the new Wolf King's coronation ceremony, don't you think?]
"I don't think so…" Allen's face remained expressionless.
"Ritual: Gargoyle Creation" was indeed worthy of its golden quality.
All elementa-type creatures were especially effective against warriors and low-level sorcerers—particularly warriors.
Back when Allen had fought a Gargoyle without using the Wolf Medallion to find its weakness, it had been a hard battle, and even his usually reliable [Monster Hunt] skill hadn't been enough.
If he were to create a batch and place them at Kaer Morhen, the fortress's defenses would be greatly enhanced. However, this was not what he needed right now.
"Huuh~"
Allen took a deep breath and willed it again.
[Ding! Gargoyle Chest ×1 opened]
The same dazzling golden light burst out as he skipped past the animation.
[Acquired: Sword Oil Formula – Elementa Oil ×1]
---
[Name: Elementa Oil]
[Type: Sword Oil Formula]
[Alchemy Requirement: Alchemy LV1]
[Formula: Dog tallow ×1, Puffball ×4]
[Function: Apply to weapons to increase damage against elementa-type creatures]
[Note: Still troubled by the tough shells of golems? From now on, you'll be the bane of every elementa's armor!]
"An auspicious start!"
Allen's lips curved into a satisfied smile. When he first drew the "Ritual: Gargoyle Creation," his heart had skipped a beat.
After all, all alchemy formulas shared the same reward pool, and it was entirely possible to open three chests and not get a single sword oil recipe.
"Keep it up!" Allen steadied his mood, skipping past the last Gargoyle chest.
Truthfully, what he really wanted was a reinforced version of the Elementa Oil formula. But first came availability—only then could he worry about strength.
[Ding! Wolf Chests ×2, Raven Chests ×2 opened]
[Acquired: Potion Formula – Full Moon ×1, Potion Formula – Golden Oriole ×1, Potion Formula – Black Blood ×1, Potion Formula – Tawny Owl ×1]
-----------------------------------
[Name: Full Moon]
[Type: Potion Formula]
[Alchemy Requirement: Alchemy LV2]
[Formula: Dwarven Spirit ×1, Wolfsbane ×2, Dark essence ×1]
[Function: Increases maximum vitality upon consumption.]
[Note: What comes to mind when you think of a full moon?]
-----------------------------------
[Name: Golden Oriole]
[Type: Potion Formula]
[Alchemy Requirement: Alchemy LV2]
[Formula: Dwarven Spirit ×1, Blowball ×4, Light essence ×1]
[Function: Grants immunity to poisons and neutralizes toxins in the bloodstream.]
[Note: Now that's what it means to be immune to all poisons!!!]
-----------------------------------
[Name: Black Blood]
[Type: Potion Formula]
[Alchemy Requirement: Alchemy LV2]
[Formula: Dwarven Spirit ×1, Sewant mushrooms ×2, Ghoul's blood ×4]
[Function: When wounded by vampires or necrophages, a witcher's blood will harm them in return.]
[Note: Would any witcher really want to test this potion's effects firsthand?]
-----------------------------------
[Name: Tawny Owl]
[Type: Potion Formula]
[Alchemy Requirement: Alchemy LV2]
[Formula: Dwarven Spirit ×1, Verbena ×2, Arachas Venom ×1]
[Function: Accelerates stamina regeneration.]
[Note: The Griffin School would probably appreciate this formula.]
-----------------------------------
It was as if his words had cursed him…
Allen frowned, his expression dark.
He had just said that potion formulas would dilute the reward pool, and sure enough—it happened immediately.
All four Beast-class chests had been opened, and yet not a single Beast Oil sword oil formula appeared. Of course, opening four golden chests wasn't exactly a loss.
In his past life's game, the only potion he regularly used was Tawny Owl; the others rarely came in handy.
But increasing maximum vitality and granting poison immunity—while perhaps of limited use in a game where rolling practice and save-load tactics were more reliable—were of immense significance in reality, where there was no restarting from a save file. Especially for ordinary witchers roaming the Northern Continent.
That tiny bit of extra vitality in a critical moment could mean the difference between life and death.
And wandering the world, it was inevitable to run into schemers and the ill-intentioned. With the political climate of the North growing increasingly hostile to witchers, Golden Oriole was practically a divine medicine—immunity to poison and cleansing toxins.
Allen even thought that Golden Oriole might well become the most essential and commonly carried potion for witchers in the future, bar none.
Meanwhile, Tawny Owl, though often used in his past life, might actually be less versatile outside of certain special cases. Still, it could serve as a fine gift to strengthen ties with the Griffin School.
As for Black Blood…
"How could anyone deliberately get themselves wounded just to hurt the enemy in return…"
Allen was speechless.
Reality wasn't a game—no matter where a monster struck, blood loss was real.
In the real world, one careless hit from a monster usually meant a broken limb… or outright death. And both a witcher's toxin tolerance and potion satchel capacity were limited.
Moreover, using a potion based on the idea of trading injury for injury was reckless in itself. In battle, failing to fight at full effort meant dying all too easily.
Who would prepare such a potion in advance?
Allen figured he himself wouldn't bother brewing it for a long time to come.
That said, even though all four Beast-class chests failed to yield a sword oil, it wasn't necessarily bad. Beasts were even easier to find than Drowners; gathering more chests with apprentices would be simple. Consider it probability-stacking.
But then again…
"I've already opened six golds," Allen pressed his lips together. "If I recall correctly, last time with the Harvest's Blessing I managed nine golds and two purples…"
"And besides…"
His gaze shifted to the inventory: "There are only two Leshen chests."
"Relict-class monsters are the hardest of all to find. If I don't get Relict Oil this time, who knows when I'll have another chance."
"Hu—"
Allen drew a deep breath and prayed devoutly once more:
"Praise be to the Mother of All, Goddess of Fertility, Harvest, and Birth, Guardian of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone… Relict Oil… it must be Relict Oil!"
[Ding! Leshen Chest ×1 opened]
A flash of golden light—and Allen's face darkened.
[Acquired: Leshen Decoction Potion Formula ×1]
-----------------------------------
[Name: Leshen Decoction]
[Type: Potion Recipe]
[Brewing Requirement: Alchemy LV5 (Condition not met: Current Alchemy LV4)]
[Recipe: Dwarven Spirit 1, Leshen Mutagen 1, Moleyarrow 1, Pringrape 1]
[Effect: Part of the damage dealt by enemies will be reflected back onto the attacker.]
[Note: I can only say that the nature of the Leshen is extraordinary; a decoction made from it naturally produces effects beyond the ordinary.]
Staring at the translucent panel that popped up before him, Allen froze for a moment.
Griffin Decoction, Water Hag Decoction…
Every time before, whenever he drew a decoction using the mutagen of a large monster as the main ingredient, it was always accompanied by another golden-grade mutagen—without exception.
As if decoctions and their corresponding mutagens were bound pairs.
Draw one, and the other was guaranteed.
But now the Leshen's chest had only two.
So…
"Does that mean there's no hope for the Relict Oil?"
Allen took a deep breath and willed it open.
[Ding! Leshen's Chest 1 opened]
In an instant, golden light flared once again.
.....
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