Concoction (2)

Having absorbed the Ice Snow Flower, the adult mandrake root had turned completely blue.

Because an adult mandrake bore an uncanny resemblance to a human being, the sight was downright eerie. With its eyes bulging wide and its mouth gasping open and shut like a dying goldfish, it looked like it was on the verge of freezing to death.

Pondering what to do, I started by leaving a comment on the Gallery. After all, if anyone had a clue about what was happening, it would be Starlight Princess.

Even Starlight Princess seemed taken aback. If she didn't know either, I was screwed.

Yet, as the saying went, there was always a way out, even if the heavens fell. Before long, Starlight Princess returned with an explanation.

I brushed off the alcoholic dwarf's nonsense and waited for Starlight Princess to explain the process.

Combining an Ice Snow Flower with an adult mandrake root was uncharted territory even for her. Neither herb could be bought with all the gold in the world, yet here I was, merging them together. It was a brainstorm and a luxury that only someone living inside the Forest of the Four Seasons could pull off.

Adult mandrakes are one thing, but finding another Ice Snow Flower won't be easy.

In truth, if this experiment failed, there was no telling when I would ever obtain an Ice Snow Flower again. Unlike adult mandrakes, they didn't grow in clusters.

I silently prayed for success. This might very well be my first and last opportunity.

Since I knew next to nothing about alchemy, following orders was my only choice.

Following Starlight Princess's instructions, I drew the Elixir into the syringe. Then, I shoved the needle straight into the gaping mouth of the blue adult mandrake.

Squish!

"Gwooorgh?! Guk! Gwaaaargh!"

The instant the needle pierced inside, the mandrake thrashed violently, desperate to shriek. But because I clamped its jaw shut by force, its struggles were completely in vain.

Still, having a humanoid body meant it flailed its scrawny limbs around, even reaching up with tiny hands to claw at the syringe planted in its throat.

Thwack! Smack!

"Gwooorb?! Gwoob!"

So I gave it a few stiff wallops to make it behave. It was a tedious chore, but it was all part of the extraction process, so I bore with it.

With that, I injected the entire dose of Elixir into the adult mandrake. Though its flesh remained pale blue, it began to emit a gentle, pulsing glow—undoubtedly the result of absorbing the Elixir's restorative potency.

"Kee-yooo...!"

Smack!

"Gwekk! Kee-yooo-oooh...!"

Thud! Thwack!

"Kwehhk! Kee-yoooot...!"

"..."

"Kee-yoooot! Kee-yoooo!!"

"Hey. Give it a rest."

Did this bastard snort drugs instead of absorbing an Ice Snow Flower?

The moment I withdrew the syringe, it unleashed a series of bizarre yowls. It wasn't the signature, ear-piercing scream of a mandrake; rather, it sounded like an utter degenerate high out of its mind. Even when I punched it, it wouldn't settle down.

Evidently, the injected Elixir was healing it in real time. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Its face had slackened into an idiotic, blissful stupor, making it look for all the world like a hopeless addict. Since an Elixir was a medicine of supreme potency, it seemed to have induced an unexpected psychoactive effect on the creature.

Wham! Thump! Crack!

"Kwek! Kehk! Gwaaaak!"

So I gave it a few more solid beatings. That finally left the mandrake hanging limp as a rag doll.

Having consumed half a vial of Elixir, I set up the mortar. For hygiene's sake, I made sure to scrub both the mortar and the mandrake thoroughly with clean water.

She said to grind it finely and gather the extracted juice, right?

According to Starlight Princess, that sap was the concentrated essence itself. For the record, she had tailored this method strictly around my personal safety. While far more efficient extraction techniques existed, they posed severe hazards to my survival, so safety had taken priority.

Since I had zero desire to wager my life just to gain power, I complied willingly.

Thud! Crunch! Thwack!

I pounded the adult mandrake inside the mortar.

This was no delicate little bowl; it was a heavy grain mortar meant for threshing and milling crops, which I had deliberately bought from the auction house to wring out every last drop of essence.

Should be good enough by now.

After grinding for a good while, the adult mandrake was pulverized into a smooth, mashed pulp. It retained its vivid blue hue.

Tilting the mortar, I trickled the emerging droplets of essence into the cleansed, empty glass vial that had previously held the Elixir. Only a meager few drops fell at first, but that wasn't the end of it.

Squeeze!

I scooped up the mashed mandrake pulp and squeezed with everything I had. Exerting my maximum grip strength, thick veins bulged across the backs of my hands.

Drip! Drip!

The thick juice began to drip steadily into the bottle. Repeating the motion several times, I managed to fill the vial roughly halfway.

Given how small an Elixir bottle was, it wasn't a huge volume, but it was plenty.

Shwaaaa—

Perhaps because it was infused with the Elixir, the essence was no ordinary blue. It held an ethereal hue—a breathtaking marriage of frosty white and brilliant azure, shimmering with inner light just like the original elixir. Even at a glance, it looked like an extraordinarily precious draught.

With an emergency Elixir secured from Starlight Princess, all that remained was to drink it.

Gazing down at the sparkling azure liquid, I took a deep, steadying breath.

Essence was liquid infused with immense energy—essentially a liquefied inner core. If so, reciting the second mnemonic oral formula taught by the Heavenly Demon while gently channeling the energy ought to suffice.

It's tempered with an Elixir to keep it stable, so it should be fine.

The first step is always the hardest. Swallowing hard, I threw my head back and downed the essence in a single gulp.

A chill swept from my tongue straight down my throat, so bitterly freezing it felt bone-numbing.

On top of that came an overpowering, nauseating bitterness—a flavor so acrid it twisted my face into a violent scowl. The bitterness was far more intense than the frost, so potent it nearly shattered my concentration, threatening to derail my Mind Cultivation Method right then and there.

The—the Heavens become me... wait, that's not it!

Simultaneously, a sharp, piercing ache struck between my temples, like the ultimate brain freeze from wolfing down shaved ice too fast.

Assailed by the twin onslaught of repulsive bitterness and a blinding headache, my consciousness wavered, yet I gritted my teeth and forced myself to chant the mnemonic formula. While it didn't cause actual physical trauma, weathering such overwhelming sensory torture was an ordeal in itself.

Still, I persevered. Rather than letting my focus slip and getting swept away by the surge, I willed myself to embrace and assimilate it.

Just as the Heavenly Demon had taught: to master the energy of Heaven, one must first comprehend it intimately.

I concentrated on discerning the essence's energy strand by strand, attuning myself entirely to its flow.

Fwoooosh!

The synergy between the safety-first concoction and my stubborn efforts steadily manifested. Following the pathways of the mental method, the icy essence began circulating along my mana meridians. If I maintained this steady cycling, it wouldn't take long to fully absorb the essence.

Though my insides felt as cold as if a solid block of ice were lodged in my chest, it was well within endurance.

Whooooosh!

How much time had passed? The essence was cleanly and thoroughly absorbed.

After circulating the technique for a few more cycles, I slowly opened my eyes.

The moment my lids parted, I saw Fast Tree Sloth staring blankly back at me.

"Phew..."

"..."

Seeing the sloth meant I was still among the living. I let out a long, heavy breath.

As I exhaled, a cloud of white vapor billowed from my lips.

Did it... succeed?

Having absorbed all of the essence, I checked every inch of my body. Nothing appeared noticeably different. The same held true for the surrounding cold. I still felt chilly.

It seemed I hadn't gained the cold resistance that was my original objective. What a disappointment.

Well, nothing I can do about it. Even Starlight Princess wasn't entirely certain.

Besides, it wasn't as if I could afford to gamble with my life by ignoring safety.

I hopped onto the Gallery to share the outcome.

Well, I would need another Ice Snow Flower before I could even consider brewing anything.

Swallowing my disappointment, I checked the time. There was still a bit of daylight remaining.

Constructing a Seokbinggo was out of the question since that would take far too long, but I had enough time to chop some firewood to survive the coming night.

Fwhoosh!

"Hm?"

It happened when I ignited Aura around my woodcutting axe to speed up the logging. I noticed something bizarre.

Originally, my Aura had been nearly colorless and translucent. Now, it wasn't. It burned with an intense, piercing blue—a shade of blue so biting it looked frigid.

Wait. It actually IS cold?

It flickered and danced like a flame, yet radiated pure, biting frost. A truly paradoxical phenomenon. Curious, I cautiously brought my hand closer to the Aura. My skin remained completely unharmed.

Did it just get a cooling effect or something?

It wasn't quite a hollow boast, but what was this? I let out a dry chuckle.

Either way, logging was what mattered right now. Color change or not, Aura was still Aura.

Planting my feet, I drew power from my waist and swung the axe.

THWACK!

The axe blade sank dead center into the tree trunk.

And in that exact instant—

CRRR-ACK! FREEZE!

Spreading out from the impact point, the entire tree froze solid into a block of pure ice.

"..."

My jaw dropped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the unbelievable spectacle.

What on earth did I just drink?

I genuinely couldn't tell whether I should be celebrating or horrified.

Regardless, one fact was undeniable:

This... this is insane!

Unintentionally, I had acquired an absurdly powerful ability.

Ice Snow Flower, adult mandrake root, and an Elixir to cap it off. Every single ingredient was an irreplaceable, mythical rarity; perhaps blending them together making something this absurd was only natural.

...What would happen if I channel this into the Heavenly Demon's Sword?

Suddenly, that ridiculous thought crossed my mind.