Combination (2)
The Adult Mandrake that had absorbed the frostflower had turned completely blue. Its human-like appearance made it all the more terrifying. With eyes bulging wide and its mouth gaping like a goldfish, it looked like it was on the verge of death.
I pondered what to do with it, then first posted a comment. StarlightPrincess would know something about this phenomenon, at least a little.
└YasaengGrill (Video of the blue Adult Mandrake)
What happened? Why is it like this?
└StarlightPrincess
Huh? Why did that happen? Why'd it turn blue?
└YasaengGrill
Hey;;
└Uh. What made the ice flower turn it blue?
└Did that one become a sub-mod too?
└Looks more like it just croaked lol what sub-mod
Even StarlightPrincess seemed flustered. This was bad. But as the saying goes, even if the sky falls, there's always a way out. Soon enough, she posted a comment explaining the cause.
└StarlightPrincess
Looks like the Adult Mandrake absorbed the frostflower... First, check if it's still alive. Poke it with chopsticks or a stick?
└YasaengGrill
Poked it, but it just gapes its mouth and that's it.
└StarlightPrincess
Does it scream?
└YasaengGrill
It does scream. But not continuously—it cuts off in between.
└StarlightPrincess
Yeah, the Adult Mandrake really absorbed the frostflower. I didn't see this coming at all.
└YasaengGrill
What do I do now?
└StarlightPrincess
It's not actually a bad situation. It means their energies have merged. Eating it raw would be dangerous, so I'll tell you how to extract it.
└YasaengGrill
Can't I just send this straight to you? Seems like you could extract it right away.
└StarlightPrincess
That's not a bad option, but I'm worried the frostflower's effects might fade if mishandled.
└PassingDwarf
Can't you just make booze out of it? Might be better that way.
└YasaengGrill
Be honest. You just want it, right?
└PassingDwarf
That obvious? Gimme one if you have extras.
└YasaengGrill
Sigh lol so predictable.
└Dude's gonna pickle everything in the Four Seasons Forest lol
└Snake booze next lol alcoholic dwarf
I lightly ignored the ramblings of the booze-addicted dwarf. I waited for StarlightPrincess to explain the method. This was a first—even for her—the combination of frostflower and Adult Mandrake. Both were herbs you couldn't buy for any price, and I'd merged them. An idea and method only someone surviving in the Four Seasons Forest like me could pull off.
The Adult Mandrake's replaceable, but frostflower's hard to get.
In fact, if this experiment failed, I had no idea when I'd get another frostflower. Unlike Adult Mandrakes, it didn't form colonies. I prayed it wouldn't fail. This might be my one and only shot.
└StarlightPrincess (Mandrake anatomy diagram)
As you can see from the diagram, since it's humanoid, its vital points are similar too. You have a syringe, right?
└YasaengGrill
The one you gave me before?
└StarlightPrincess
Yes. Fill it with elixir and jab it right into the Mandrake's mouth.
└YasaengGrill
Feels like torture...
└StarlightPrincess
Spot on. Stuff it like force-feeding until its belly's bloated.
└YasaengGrill
Got it.
└Poor Mandrake...
└My liver hurts for it...
└Shoving it in so it can't even scream lololol
└Just grind it into juice? So sad lol
└StarlightPrincess
Then toss it in a mortar and grind it fine. That'll extract a thick essence.
└YasaengGrill
Pretty primitive method.
└StarlightPrincess
No other way. Need a mortar?
└YasaengGrill
Nah, auction house has 'em.
With no clue, I had to follow her instructions. I filled the syringe with elixir as she said, then jammed it into the mouth of the blue Adult Mandrake.
Pfook!
"Kwek?! Kweuk! Kweeeek!"
The moment I stuck the syringe in, the Mandrake thrashed, trying to scream. But I clamped its mouth shut, so it was futile. Still, looking somewhat human, it flailed its limbs. It even grabbed the needle with its hands to pull the syringe out.
Thwack! Thud!
"Kwuk?! Kweb!"
So I smacked it a few times to settle it down. Annoying, but necessary for extraction, so I endured. Thus, I injected the entire elixir into the Adult Mandrake. Its body was still blue, but now it was starting to glow faintly. Probably absorbing the elixir's energy.
"Kiyoo...!"
Thwack!
"Kweok! Kiyoooo...!"
Smack! Pow!
"Kueeok! Kiyoooot...!"
"......"
"Kiyoooot! Kiyoooo!!"
"Ah. Enough."
Was this thing high on frostflower or drugs? The second I pulled the syringe out, it let out bizarre shrieks. Not the typical Mandrake scream—just sounds like it'd OD'd hard. Even punches didn't calm it. Probably regenerating in real-time from the elixir. Its face was even all hellereler, reacting like a total junkie. Elixir was a 'drug' after all, messing with the Mandrake weirdly.
Thwack! Thud! Splat!
"Kuek! Kaek! Kweeeek!"
So I hit it a few more times. Finally, it went limp like a corpse. I'd used half a bottle of elixir and prepped the mortar. For hygiene, I washed both the mortar and Mandrake thoroughly.
Grind it fine and collect the juice, right? The juice was the essence, per StarlightPrincess. By the way, she was prioritizing 'safety.' There might be surer methods, but they'd risk my survival, so safety first. I had no intention of gambling my life for power, so I followed along.
Squish! Squooosh! Squish!
I ground the Adult Mandrake in the mortar until it was pulp. Not a small bowl mortar—this was the real deal for grains. Bought it to maximize essence extraction.
Is this good enough?
After grinding forever, it was totally crushed. Still blue. I tilted the mortar and poured the essence into the clean, empty elixir bottle. Just a few drops, but not done yet.
Squeeeze!
I wrung the ground Mandrake with max grip strength, veins bulging on my hands.
Drip! Drop!
Juice dripped out. Repeating this filled it halfway. The tiny elixir bottle wasn't much, but sufficient.
Shaaaa—
Containing elixir too, maybe? Not plain blue. A beautiful mix of ice-white and blue, shimmering like elixir—looked like a rare potion just from appearance.
└YasaengGrill (Photo of glowing blue essence)
Extracted it all. Drink now?
└StarlightPrincess
Yes. Just in case, here's an extra elixir. Plenty of essence, good for emergencies.
└YasaengGrill
Thanks.
With emergency elixir from StarlightPrincess secured, all that was left was drinking it. I stared at the sparkling blue essence, took a deep breath. Potent liquid energy. Easier to think of it as my inner core liquefied. So, recite Cheonma's second incantation and calmly guide the energy.
Mixed with elixir for safety, it'll be fine.
First times are always tough. I swallowed, then downed the essence in one gulp. Icy chill from mouth to throat—bitter beyond. Face scrunched so bad from bitterness, nearly botched the technique. Worse than the cold.
'Heaven becomes me...' Nah.
Plus, brain-freeze like scarfing ice cream. Bitterness and zing combo dazed me, but I chanted the incantation. No pain, but sensations just as overwhelming—tough. Still, I pushed. Not rejecting the energy, but accepting it. As Cheonma taught, to wield heaven's energy, know it first. I focused on feeling every strand of the essence fully.
Whoosh!
Safety-focused method plus my effort paid off bit by bit. Essence flowed along mana paths per the technique. Keep it up, and I'd absorb it all soon. Body felt packed with solid ice—chilling, but bearable.
Whoooosh!
How much time passed? I fully absorbed it. Circulated a bit more, then slowly opened my eyes. Ppareumbo stared blankly at me.
"Hooah...."
"......"
Ppareumbo visible meant I was alive. I sighed deeply. Breath fogged out.
Success...?
Absorbed fully, I checked my body. No obvious changes. Still cold too. No cold resistance as intended. Disappointing.
Can't be helped. Even StarlightPrincess wasn't sure.
Couldn't ignore safety for results. I posted the outcome on the Gallery.
1st Extraction Results
YasaengGrill
No real changes. Seems fully neutralized.
└StarlightPrincess
Sorry. My fault.
└YasaengGrill
No, you're blameless. Instant success would be weird, right?
└StarlightPrincess
Need more research on Adult Mandrakes at least. Can you give me one later?
└YasaengGrill
Sure. You gave elixir, so fair trade.
└PassingDwarf
Told ya booze is better.
└YasaengGrill
Nonsense no
└StarlightPrincess
Not nonsense. Snake wine or ginseng booze is basically drinking essence.
└PassingDwarf
See? lol
└YasaengGrill
Doesn't mean booze tho;;
└PassingDwarf
Try it once. I'll hook you up with something cool.
└YasaengGrill
If I could lol need frostflower to remake anyway.
I shook off the disappointment and checked the time. Still some left. Building the ice storage would take too long; enough for logging to survive the night.
Fwoosh!
"Hm?"
I'd ignited aura on my axe for smooth logging when I noticed something odd. Aura was normally near-colorless. Not now. Intense blue—chillingly cold blue.
No, actually cold?
Still flickering like flame, but emanating frost—bizarre. Touched it curiously: totally fine.
Just cooling effect?
Not even a consolation prize. What the hell? I chuckled. Anyway, logging mattered. Color changed or not, aura's aura. I swung with full hip power.
Crack!
Axe hit dead center—and instantly,
Craaaack!!!
Tree froze solid from that point.
"......"
Jaw-dropping sight. Couldn't believe it.
What the hell did I just drink?
Love it or hate it? Hard to say. But one thing clear.
Awesome...!
Unintentionally gained insane power. Frostflower, Adult Mandrake, elixir—all rare, mixed together. Expected, maybe.
...What if I mix this with my sword?
Sudden random thought.