High-Concentration Sweet Healing Potion
High-Concentration Sweet Healing Potion
I looked around.
The intruders scattered in the middle of the crater, and the guards gasping with relief behind their shields.
And the sight of beastmen who'd barely caught their breath after chewing up Sweet Healing Potions and Bitter Root Grass came into view.
Those who were in critical condition seemed to have passed the crisis, at least.
The venom had been purged with the Orichalcum dagger, and the bleeding was stopping.
At this point, the life-or-death emergency treatment seemed all done.
But the task of perfectly refining the Bitter Root Grass's brutal efficacy to make a new remedy had to wait a little.
Because there were still remnants to deal with.
I set down my blood-soaked shield and approached the lion beastman who was catching his rough breath.
"Excuse me. Which way is west?"
At my calm question, the lion beastman flinched in surprise, then hastily raised his arm.
His thick, rough finger pointed to a corner of the forest where dense trees grew in an unsettling way.
"That way, beyond where that giant old tree has fallen."
Having confirmed the direction, I kicked off the ground without delay.
The Boots of the Free Sky supported the air like solid ground.
The elastic repulsion felt with every step into the void launched my body high into the sky.
Splitting the wind, I flew westward at ferocious speed.
The situation in the western forest wasn't much different from the north.
Behind a natural barricade formed by a fallen giant tree, beastman guards were desperately establishing a defensive line.
"Hold out just a little longer! If we fall, the village is in danger!"
One bear beastman, covered in blood, swung a heavy axe and roared.
But the three intruders blocking his way were relaxed.
They let out disgusting smiles, twirling their curved swords.
"Think holding out will change anything? You beasts."
One of the intruders sliced the bear beastman's thigh thinly, mocking him.
Blood splattered, but fortunately their swords weren't coated with the unpleasant dark purple venom like the northern intruders'.
But purely in terms of weapon skill and physical ability, the beastmen were being pushed back.
The defensive line seemed about to collapse at any moment.
It was the moment an intruder raised his curved sword high, aiming for the bear beastman's neck.
From the sky, a thunderous sound of ripping air tore through the forest.
-Shiiiik!
They didn't even have time to look up.
-Kwaaaaang!
"Kkuek!"
With a tremendous roar, the ground exploded into a pit and one intruder was slammed into the floor with a grotesque scream.
Amidst the dust flying everywhere, I landed perfectly with both feet on the intruder's back.
The 'Stoop' effect of the Boots of the Free Sky activated, and the ground within a 15-meter radius caved in.
The two other intruders standing near the landing point were also swept up by the tremendous splash shockwave, thrown into the air with the sound of bones breaking.
-Kudangtangtang!
They rolled on the ground, unconscious and sprawled out.
The back of the intruder I landed on was already crushed beyond recognition.
I lightly dusted the dirt off my shoe soles and calmly checked the system window.
-Ttiring!
[1. Deal with remnants (4/4)]
The numbers were all filled.
While I dealt with the north and west, it seemed Romanike had taken care of all the remnants in the south.
As the dust settled, the bear beastman and other guards stared at me with blank expressions.
They set down their trembling weapons and murmured in disbelief.
"Th-That human saved us."
"Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!"
The beastmen hurriedly bowed their heads and offered thanks.
I waved my hand in denial and approached them.
They hadn't been poisoned like in the north, but their wounds were pure cuts and stabs, so the bleeding was severe.
There were many whose flesh was split open to the point of exposing bone.
"Here, at least drink this and get the bleeding stopped first."
I took out a generous amount of Sweet Healing Potion from my inventory and distributed it to the injured beastmen.
It was fortunate I didn't need to use the Orichalcum dagger's 'Salvation' skill, but the potion alone didn't fully heal the wounds.
It only barely stopped the bleeding.
As expected, its limits were clear.
I could use it for emergency treatment somehow, but a definitive remedy was urgently needed.
As I was helping the beastmen, heavy, rough footsteps sounded from the opposite side of the forest.
"Si-woo!"
Romanike, covered in blood and dust, approached, gasping for breath.
His huge fists still bore wet bloodstains.
Evidence that he had mercilessly crushed the southern remnants.
Romanike looked back and forth between the fallen intruders and the beastmen receiving first aid, his eyes bulging.
"You... you already stopped by the north and took care of the west too?"
I nodded lightly.
"Yes. Fortunately, I wasn't too late."
At my casual reply, Romanike let out an empty laugh and shook his head. His eyes looked as if he were seeing a monster.
I looked around and asked Romanike.
"By the way, where did Tigris go? I haven't seen her since earlier."
At my question, Romanike's thick eyebrows drooped. He let out a deep sigh, looking troubled.
"That kid... normally, even if she had a seizure from seeing blood, she'd bounce back quickly if we just cleaned off the bloodstains. This time, though, it seems she's really angry at herself. She's locked the house door and won't come outside at all."
A deep regret lingered in Romanike's voice.
It was clear that self-loathing for not lifting a single finger, even when facing her parents' killer right before her eyes, because of her blood phobia was weighing heavily on Tigris's heart.
I reached into my inventory to shake off the bitter feeling.
I had no way to comfort her right now.
Instead, making a medicine that could perfectly cure these fallen, injured beastmen before me was what I needed to do.
I took out the Bitter Root Grass I'd received from the lion beastman in the north and showed it to Romanike.
It was an unpleasant root plant with scattered blue spots.
"Romanike. Is this a plant that grows a lot near the village?"
At my question, Romanike tilted his head as if puzzled.
"Huh? It's Bitter Root Grass, isn't it? Why do you ask?"
He raised a thick finger and broadly gestured around the forest where we stood.
"Look around. Those weeds are littering the ground everywhere."
I moved my gaze to where Romanike pointed. And I couldn't believe my eyes.
Among the lush fern-like plants, Bitter Root Grass that looked exactly like what I'd just taken from my inventory was literally lying around everywhere.
All of it was that grass getting kicked underfoot.
An Epic-grade remedy was growing like weeds on the forest floor.
It was so absurd that a laugh escaped me.
I clutched the Bitter Root Grass and nodded toward Romanike.
"Got it. Romanike, for now, please move these injured beastmen to a safe place and help them."
I added, preparing to activate a skill toward the void.
"I'll go make a proper remedy with these guys."
I hurriedly activated a skill toward the void.
With a familiar vibration, the void rippled and a door leading to the Primeval Workshop opened.
When I stepped inside, the heat that always hit me and the alchemy workbench greeted me as usual.
I took out the Bitter Root Grass from my inventory and placed it on the workbench.
Then I opened the familiar Guide window and spoke.
"Guide-nim. You remember the Normal-grade Sweet Healing Potion I made before, right?"
I shook the Bitter Root Grass in my hand.
"Can I make it by replacing the Dream Herb root that was the main ingredient back then with this guy?"
In the silent void, the Guide's dry voice echoed.
[Possible.]
At the Guide-nim's answer, I let out a short "Oh!" of exclamation and cheered.
[Starting the High-Concentration Sweet Healing Potion crafting guide.]
[Replacing the Dream Herb root, the main ingredient of the existing Sweet Healing Potion, with Bitter Root Grass will significantly enhance the healing effect.]
[However, since the healing and toxic components coexist within the same root tissue of Bitter Root Grass, simply swapping the ingredient makes it unusable.]
[If combined with Troll Blood without removing the toxic component, the toxicity actually amplifies by bonding with regenerative factors in the blood.]
[In that case, the consumer would experience no healing effect and suffer severe side effects like abdominal pain, headaches, dizziness, etc.]
[The healing and toxic components of Bitter Root Grass react at different temperature ranges.]
[The toxic component activates at 65 degrees and rises to the surface, while the healing component remains stable without decomposing at 60 degrees.]
[Using this property, it is possible to selectively remove only the toxic component.]
[Also, the Dawn Dew was used as a simple diluent in the existing recipe, but in this production, its role changes to a catalyst that draws the toxic component to the surface.]
[I will inform you of the temperature, foam removal timing, and mixing order.]
.
.
.
[The toxic component has completely risen to the surface. Remove the foam immediately.]
After that, the process was similar to when making the original Sweet Healing Potion.
The process continued with carefully mixing in Troll Blood and adding cola flavoring agents according to the temperature.
Since only one ingredient changed and the manufacturing process wasn't completely overturned, my overwhelming dexterity stat allowed me to make it easily.
Some time passed. In the small glass bottle in my hand, a black liquid sloshed. The cola's characteristic dark color and fizzy bubbles filled the bottle.
-Ttiring!
With a clear notification sound, the system window appeared.
[Successfully crafted High-Concentration Sweet Healing Potion (Epic).]
[Stats increase as a reward.]
[Intelligence +3]
[Dexterity +3]
Having sweetly reaped even the stat increase reward, I smiled in satisfaction and checked the information of the completed Epic-grade potion.
[High-Concentration Sweet Healing Potion]
Grade: Epic
[A potion crafted by the dull-witted crafter SW with insufficient skill. The healing effect is dramatically amplified by replacing the Dream Herb root in the existing recipe with Bitter Root Grass. Through meticulous temperature control, the lethal toxicity within the Bitter Root Grass was perfectly refined, and the pure regenerative factors left in the process combined with Troll Blood, giving it powerful recovery that can even reconnect severed muscles and bones.]
HP Recovery: +1000
*Pain Suppression
*Wound Regeneration
*Cola flavor.
"Whoa... this is crazy."
I read the potion's description and gasped.
The recovery amount was a whopping 1,000. It was an incredible value, ten times the original Normal-grade Sweet Healing Potion. On top of that, the 'Wound Regeneration' option was added.
I lifted the glass bottle with the sloshing black liquid and smiled contentedly.
"This should be enough."