Looking at the Silver Wolf, Kai was surprised. The cub was small, with shiny silver fur that seemed to glow. Its eyes were a mix of blue and amber, giving it an innocent look, and its tiny paws added to the cuteness.
Seeing the cub, no one would believe that one day it would become a furious, bloodthirsty Silver Wolf—a nightmare for low-level hunters.
"Brother Orion, please let me play with her a while longer," Yara said, circling around Orion, eager to keep playing with her new friend, Ruby.
Meanwhile, seeing Yara, the Silver Wolf cub continued hiding in Orion's lap. Like most cubs, Ruby hadn't had much interaction with her parents, aside from when they delivered food. So, when she signed a contract with Orion, she instantly felt a bond with him. That bond made her follow humans without fear.
However, the moment she entered the Candy Complex and Yara saw her, she realized just how scary humans could be.
The moment Yara laid eyes on her, she began pulling her ears, touching her fur, and even tugging at her tail. When Ruby tried to run away, Yara chased her all over the Candy Complex, not letting her rest for even a moment.
Eventually, after fleeing from the terrifying human, Ruby jumped into Orion's arms the moment she saw him.
*growl* *growl*
As Yara got close to Orion, Ruby tried her best to scare her away. But no matter what she did, Yara stuck to Orion like glue.
"Yara, she's tired. You can play with her tomorrow," said Orion, gently rubbing Ruby's fur.
Soon, dinner was ready. After eating, Kai headed toward his room—he was very tired today.
Entering his room, Kai lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted into sleep.
[Ancient Calendar: 20 April 0001]
Waking up the next day, Kai took a bath in his room and then headed downstairs.
"Kai, here—I forgot to return it." As Kai sat at the dining table, Eric handed back the [Secrets of Source Ki: Great Gift of His Majesty].
"Taking a day off?" Kai asked, placing the book on the table and noticing Eric was in casual clothes. By now, everyone should have been getting ready to go out hunting, but aside from Sophia, Orion, and Eric, there was no sign of the others.
"Yes. Rest is also important," replied Eric, taking his coffee and slowly savoring it. It wasn't every day that he got to eat and enjoy his breakfast leisurely.
"Well, enjoy your day." After finishing his breakfast, Kai stood up and headed to work.
After more than half an hour of walking, Kai entered the Honey Pill Shop, checked the brewing list, and headed toward his Alchemy Room.
Closing the door behind him, Kai carefully looked at the brewing list:
[Brewing List]
Name: Kai
Date: Year 0, Month 4, Day 20
Task: 5 Essence Boost Potions and 5 Purging Potions.]
"What are Purging Potions?" Seeing a new item on the list, Kai quickly grabbed the book [Introduction to Alchemy] and began searching for information.
"Oh, it's an antidote potion. Its effects are similar to an antidote pill. Unlike antidote pills, which only take effect after being consumed, the Purging Potion's effects can last up to an hour." Flipping through the pages, Kai found the entry.
Reading about the Purging Potion, Kai was surprised. During the last Monster Tide, many people had died due to the poisonous mutant toxic flowers. That was when he had learned to refine Antidote Pills. However, the downside of those pills was that people often died before they could even take them. Such was the lethality of the mutant flowers' poison.
All this time, he had never heard about the Purging Potion.
"I have to make a potion I've never made before." Sighing, Kai put [Introduction to Alchemy] back into his storage bag and took out [Basics of Alchemy].
Before long, Kai found the detailed method for brewing a Purging Potion.
"Let's see... I need 500 ml of pure Moon Water, 5 grams of Silver-root, three whole petals of the Venom Spike Flower, 10 ml of Charcoal Essence, and 10 drops of Glow Dew for one potion." Reading from the book, Kai began taking out all the required ingredients.
"Activate [Clear Mind] and [Heightened Senses]!" Activating both of his Gifts, Kai placed a small pot on the Firestone and began preheating it.
After preheating the pot, Kai poured 1 liter of pure Moon Water into it. Unlike regular Moon Water, pure Moon Water had been exposed to the full moon for more than two nights.
Kai placed the book [Basics of Alchemy] on the table beside him.
As the Moon Water began to boil, Kai added six petals of the Venom Spike Flower and started mixing. After a few minutes, he picked a 10-gram piece of Silver-root and dropped it into the pot.
Kai glanced at [Basics of Alchemy] again to make sure he was following the instructions correctly.
In a few minutes, the piece of Silver-root finally dissolved into the mixture, and Kai began adding two drops of Glow Dew every minute while stirring.
After adding all 20 drops of Glow Dew, Kai poured 20 ml of Charcoal Essence into the pot and continued mixing for another half an hour.
Soon, the Purging Potion was ready, and Kai set it aside to cool while he rested.
[Purging Potion]
Grade: Low
Effects: Expels toxins from the body and provides mild poison resistance for 1 hour.
Description: A reliable remedy for those venturing into toxic areas.]
"It seems my decision was correct. Both [Clear Mind] and [Heightened Senses] are truly well-suited for Alchemy."
Having successfully made the Purging Potion on his first try, Kai was happy and quite pleased with his [Clear Mind] and [Heightened Senses] Gifts.
On average, it would take him around three to four tries to get the hang of making a new potion. But now, with the help of [Heightened Senses], he could instantly sense when to increase or decrease the flame, or when to stir faster or slower.
Meanwhile, [Clear Mind] kept him focused and helped him react quickly if something was about to go wrong.
After making the first batch of Purging Potions, Kai immediately started working on the second batch. This time, the process went much more smoothly, as he didn't have to keep looking at [Basics of Alchemy] every time he added a new ingredient.
After completing the second batch of Purging Potions, Kai closed [Basics of Alchemy] and put it back inside his storage bag. He was already familiar with the process and didn't need it anymore.
After filling the potion vials and checking them, Kai began working on the third batch.
About an hour later, the third batch was also ready. After cleaning the pot, Kai put it away, picked up a larger pot, and placed it on top of the Fire Stones.
"It's around 3:00 PM. I should refine some Basic Vitality Pills."
Three hours later, Kai completed the day's task and began refining Basic Vitality Pills to earn Honey Points.