Chapter 138: Day Trip Dungeon (6)
Chapter 138: Day Trip Dungeon (6)
It didn't take Fay long to produce the Blessing of the Sea.
Ding!
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【Blessing of the Sea】
An elixir crafted long ago, staking the very fate of a race.
It is an ancient technique of a now-extinct people, and because it requires ingredients found only in forgotten places, reproducing it is extremely difficult!
However, a single bottle will be more than enough to prove its worth.
…You actually managed to get your hands on this?
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"Oh..."
An exclamation escaped my lips as I looked at the finished potion.
Sometimes, if the alchemist's skill is lacking or if they just have a stroke of bad luck, side effects can occur.
"As expected of Senior Fay. It’s perfect. We just need to take one sip each."
I had wondered what 'highly concentrated' meant at first, but the effect was surprisingly simple.
The standard dose, which would normally be a whole bottle, was condensed into a single sip. If mixed with water, it could produce a large quantity of a minor version of the potion.
It was an excellent property, but it also meant the yield was small compared to the ingredients used. That was why, despite combining several bottles of medicine, only one bottle of the Blessing of the Sea was produced.
As I stood there grinning with satisfaction, Fay tilted her head and asked from beside me.
"Junior. I'm just asking out of curiosity... but if side effects did occur, what kind would they be?"
"Nothing major. You might grow gills or scales, and in the worst-case scenario, your head might turn into a fish's head like a Fisherman..."
"That is a major side effect!"
Oh, come on. Your appearance changes, but your abilities stay the same, so what’s the problem? Besides, much, much later on, a way to revert to normal eventually appears.
"You were going to make us drink something like that? I—I don't want to be a fish-head even for a second, Junior!"
"I concur. A fish-headed mage claiming to be a High Elf...? How ghastly."
"Master is right, Yandel. I might concede if it were a mermaid, but a merman is a bit much..."
"She's right, Master. If that happened, I wouldn't be a Fallen Lady anymore; I'd be a Murloc Lady!"
Carla the Murloc Lady... I imagined it for a second, and it was terrifying. It’s a relief it was finished without any issues.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but only for a moment.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Carla’s face hardened. She grabbed my face and stood on her tiptoes.
Our faces drew closer.
Like any fine gem, Carla’s ruby-colored eyes possessed a magical quality that drew people in. I thought I’d grown used to her by now, but a surprise attack like this still left me dazed in admiration.
After staring into my eyes for a long while, Carla finally spoke.
"Master. I don't care how great a treasure this elixir is... nothing in this world is more precious than your face."
"……?"
"So, please, never think about sacrificing your looks just to get stronger. I'll just get that much stronger instead. I'll raise you to be strong enough myself."
"Uh, yeah..."
I was used to her joking around, acting cute, or pleading earnestly, but it had been a while since I'd seen Carla this serious.
"But don't you like my face a bit too much?"
I knew she was a sucker for good looks, but I didn't realize it was this bad.
At my bewildered expression, Carla gave a warm, reassuring smile.
"Don't worry! There's no one in the world who fits my taste better than you, Master. And even if there were, my eyes only see you!"
"I wasn't worried about losing you to someone more handsome, you know."
Still, I couldn't help but feel pleased by her confident declaration. I forced down the corners of my mouth, which kept trying to curl upward, and continued.
"Ahem. Anyway, I'll be careful from now on, so let's drink. One sip is enough, so don't go drinking more than that."
"Okey-dokey."
Only after hearing my promise to be careful did Carla finally step back.
I poured a single sip's worth into small cups I took from my inventory and distributed them to everyone. I’d already given a brief explanation of the effects while Fay was brewing it, so there was no need to repeat myself.
There were a few sips left even after everyone had their share, so I capped the bottle and put it back in my inventory. It might come in handy later.
I looked down at the potion, which glowed with a transparent jade light, and downed it in one go.
Gulp.
The moment it touched my tongue, the salty, briny scent of the sea spread through my mouth. Strangely, however, it wasn't unpleasant. If anything, it felt refreshing.
The moment that energy spread through my entire body and settled in:
Ding.
【You have acquired the trait: Blessing of the Sea.】
【The effect is amplified by the trait: Medicinal Constitution.】
Wait, Medicinal Constitution works here too...?
It was a god-tier trait that increased all types of beneficial medicinal effects by 10% without question. However, since this was acquiring a trait rather than a stat boost, I hadn't expected it to apply.
With a racing heart, I opened my status window.
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【Trait: Blessing of the Sea (B+)】
Though born on land, you have received the favor of the sea.
Even the Blessing of Cyclic Life adds its strength!
You no longer need to distinguish between water and land.
In fact, you will be even stronger within the water!
Why not call yourself a finless mermaid while you're at it?
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Originally, Blessing of the Sea was a B-rank trait. But the rank I obtained was B+, thanks to the bonus from the Blessing of Cyclic Life—or rather, my Medicinal Constitution.
It wasn't just a '+' in name only; the performance had been slightly upgraded as well. The Water-attribute damage buff and resistance were effects that didn't exist in the original version.
Chuckling at the unexpected gift, I asked Fay.
"Senior Fay. How is it? Do you have a feel for how to use it?"
"Yeah... When I first heard your explanation, Junior, I thought it was just an ability for fighting in water without losing power."
Fay showed me a small droplet of water she had pulled up from the floor.
"Now I see why this is helpful for an alchemist. It's because you can handle liquids much more delicately, right? With this, I can minimize errors and find all sorts of ways to utilize it."
"I'm glad you like it. Well then, let's head out."
"By 'head out,' you mean..."
"We have to break the core."
Fay nodded with a slightly stiff expression. After confirming the other women were nodding as well, I raised my staff.
The party members, realizing what I was about to do, began to gather around me.
"Everyone knows, right? The reward for this clear goes to Senior Fay."
"Of course, Master. Was it called Mana Crystallization? It's an ability that would be good for us to have too... but it'll certainly be more useful for Miss Fay."
"Mm. I heard about Fay's goals when we spoke last time. Since she must eventually draw out power beyond just the materials, she'll need to learn a bit of enchanting as well. The crystallization ability will surely be a great help."
That was right. The clear reward for this dungeon was Mana Crystallization. It was an ability that allowed one to refine surrounding mana, or one's own, into a crystalline form.
While it was a standard trait for mages who used mana for various purposes, giving it to an alchemist or enchanter significantly increased their work efficiency. In H&A, it was practically a mandatory trait if you wanted to play a serious alchemist or enchanter.
Giving it to Fay would help her with the magical equipment crafting she had been researching lately. Since our entire party consisted of mages, ordinary weapons weren't very useful. It was much more beneficial for the group as a whole to give it to Fay.
"I'll start now that everyone's here."
I took a moment to look around the room.
The mermaids were still dead in their gruesome states. Among them, the mermaid princess in the center had died the most brutally. I pointed my staff toward her corpse.
"Burn. And envelop. Igni!"
The lightly cast flame wrapped around the corpse that had become the core.
Whoosh!
The flames soared high, and before long, a blue gate opened in the air.
"Shall I prepare an Air Pocket, Master?"
"No, there's no need. Thanks to the elixir we just drank, the water won't even touch our bodies."
"Aha? When I heard the description, I wondered how we'd be able to move naturally underwater... so the principle is that a small air pocket is constantly maintained around us? And that's why we can manipulate water slightly as well."
"Exactly. So, Senior Fay, I'll need that Odor Removal Potion you took out earlier."
"Uh... but Junior. Doesn't that mean we still have to swim through that filthy lake again?"
"Ah."
Even if the water didn't touch us, the thought of wading through that disgusting water was off-putting.
"...Carla. Just use the Air Pocket magic, please."
"Okey-dokey."
A short while later.
Leaving behind the flames that were slowly spreading throughout the room, I threw myself into the exit gate.
And just as we had when we arrived, we rose to the surface inside a bubble of air. As I stepped onto dry land, I muttered to myself.
'Status Window.'
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Name: Yandel
Title: Clumsy Treasure Hunter
Basic Stats
Strength: 14
Endurance: 14
Agility: 14
Dexterity: 16
Magic: 21
Traits
Endless Mana (A)
Elemental Affinity (B)
Excellent Memory (B)
Ordinary Weapon Skill (D+)
Lintblum Mana Core (C+)
Lower Mage (C)
Sun God's Blessing (B)
Cultist Hatred (C)
Medicinal Constitution (C)
Element Combination (A)
Blessing of the Sea (B+) NEW!
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Yeah. Not a bad haul for a day trip.