— Innate ability? I asked, curious despite the lingering pain.
— Yes. With the Harudraks crystal you gave me, I managed to preserve one of this beast's innate abilities: illusion, Many said, his tone charged with excitement.
— It's slow, that's true. But when used alongside mist, it generates near-perfect illusions—ideal for escape. And with the speed boost from the armor… even outrunning a Warrior-Combatant becomes possible.
— Thank you, old man… This will help me immensely.
— Don't mention it, brat. But… do you have more second-tier materials? I could refine this armor even further.
— I do. Take a look. I gestured, and four bodies emerged from my dimensional ring: a black bear, a griffin, and two white wind tigers.
Many's eyes lit up like a child's in a toy shop.
— Fighters like you are always astonishing… he murmured, examining the corpses with reverent care.
— With this griffin and the black bear, plus black iron and gray amethyst… add the two white tiger crystals, and some mithril powder…
It's entirely possible to craft a second-tier intermediate armor. And with luck, even an advanced-tier piece.
— It would make your current armor pale in comparison, he said, his excitement now brimming over.
After a few tense moments, the old man composed himself and spoke in a sober tone:
— But it will take time. And cost dearly.
Four to six months… and one hundred thousand gold coins.
Silence fell over me. One hundred thousand gold coins…
That was more than I earned in three years as a brigade commander—even taking missions regularly and bonuses into account.
Of course, Flávia could cover that easily… but I didn't like relying on her wealth.
— Old man… may I give you my answer later? I asked, feeling a bit awkward.
— Of course, of course. I still need to purchase supplies, so I was already heading out.
How long will you need?
— Come by tomorrow. I'll have my answer.
— Right, right. He motioned toward the exit. — Lead the way.
I walked him to the gates, then returned to the castle's interior. Flávia and Selena were at the fortress, and Gabriel had returned to Malven's tutelage.
Still injured, I couldn't train. Nor could I partake in missions.
My days dwindled to sitting in the music room, headphones buzzing softly as I drank Flávia's blood, which sped my regeneration. With any luck, my bones would heal completely in three days.
Yet I felt… unbearably bored.
Lying on the sofa, my thoughts drifted like smoke across the ceiling.
What could I do to fill my time?
Ignis and Astrel had begun training again, partially recovered. But me—a young vampire, even with accelerated healing—felt left behind.
Bored out of my mind, I began practicing small-scale telekinesis: tossing pebbles, colliding objects, keeping tiny chains spinning in midair.
It was dull… but it honed my control—and so long as I didn't overtax my Vitae, it didn't hurt.
In one idle moment, I decided to study alchemy.
From my dimensional ring, I pulled out a thick, dark tome—Selena's gift, emblazoned with flamelike runes.
"Introduction to Spiritual Alchemy," the cover read.
---
Page 1 — What is Alchemy?
Beneath the question, a black furnace etched with ancient runes was illustrated.
> "Alchemy is the method of creating, purifying, and manipulating live or spiritual substances and essences."
> "An alchemist can craft potions—to fortify the body, regenerate Vitae, heal wounds, or poison foes."
> "They purify blood, water, or food—extracting impurities and transforming raw materials into refined compounds."
> "Only alchemists can handle spiritual materials—magical plants, spiritual water, or Vitae-condensed fruits."
> "Becoming an alchemist requires mastery of the fire element, along with a great reserve of Vitae."
> "Alchemy ranks from 1st to 6th degree, each divided into Beginner, Intermediate, Proficient, and Advanced stages. Some regions recognize a 'Near-Level' rank, though not always officially."
I closed the page, impressed. I never realized alchemists were so… complete.
---
Pages 2–10 — Potion Creation
> "Potion-making is the primary branch of alchemy."
> "An alchemist advances only when they master formulas suited to their current degree."
> "For example, someone capable of purifying second-tier blood yet only making beginner-grade potions is still considered a first-degree alchemist."
Potions require an alchemical furnace etched with precise runes.
The ingredients must be forged in exact sequence, according to the formula.
In the end, every element must fully fuse—no residue, no failure.
One mistake and the entire brew collapses.
---
Pages 11–17 — Purification
This section detailed using Vitae to spin the blood like a centrifuge, removing impurities.
Purifying first-tier blood requires ten complete cycles—about thirty minutes per batch for an apprentice.
A more complex method described:
> "Adding purified Vitae to the blood, along with powdered crystals, can generate spiritualized blood."
"The blood must spin until the crystals turn to powder and fuse perfectly."
---
Pages 18–25 — Spiritual Handling
The final entries explained handling spiritual materials.
> "An alchemist coats their fingers with Vitae and uses telekinesis to touch unstable substances."
> "For example, spiritual water can regenerate bodies, heal injuries, and restore energy—but only if processed by an alchemist."
> "Magical plants have countless uses: some require precise extraction, others need pulp dissolved, venom removed, or essences refined via thermal baths."
---
I closed the book and stared at the ceiling.
This was it.
Maybe I'd found my answer to the restlessness.
If I can't fight now… I'll study. I'll start with alchemy.
---
And further on, the following pages contained complete potion recipes—each minutely detailed.
Step-by-step formulas, from boiling time to the precise moment to condense ingredients using spiritual flame.
There were also advanced purification methods—diagrams for using compression crystals, reverse spiral rotations, and stabilizing Vitae during the process.
To my surprise, there were notes on specific magical plants:
how to harvest without damaging their properties, how to awaken their hidden powers, and the side effects of misuse.
Some required being watered with blood.
Others only yielded potency under moonlight.
Certain spiritual fruits, if processed incorrectly, became volatile.
I closed the book with a crooked smile forming at the corner of my lips.
— Alchemy… here I come.