Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Vitality Pill
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The elixir received as the tournament prize had been made for Enoch by the chief alchemist of his guild.
Unlike his other guildmates, Enoch had been born a thoroughly ordinary human, with clear physical limitations.
His strength and endurance could be compensated for somehow with his innate mana control ability and the vast amount of mana passed down through his regression.
But stamina—especially regenerative power—was something he had no way to address. That was purely in the realm of innate talent.
For such an Enoch, the alchemist who adored him had poured her heart into creating this elixir: the Vitality Pill.
Elixirs, particularly those refined into pill form, drastically lost efficiency with repeated consumption.
But she, one of the top three alchemists of her era, had hoped Enoch could take it multiple times to break through his physical limits.
And so, the Vitality Pill was designed with repeated intake in mind. It was a bold, utterly original attempt no one else had conceived.
'I had high hopes for it.'
In the end, it was a failure. The Vitality Pill couldn't be taken repeatedly either.
But her efforts bore fruit in another way. Composed of easily obtainable materials for repeated production, the pill spread far and wide due to its incredible cost-performance ratio.
And that trend had continued even to this day, a century later.
"Sophie. Don't take that elixir yet."
"Pardon?"
On the way back to the dorms together, Do-yoon instructed her.
He unfolded the paper that had been inside the wooden box with the elixir and spoke while looking at it. The paper listed the prize's key ingredients, effects, and materials.
Normally, core information on elixir production wouldn't be distributed like this, but since the pill's name and recipe were so widely known, hiding it would have been pointless anyway.
"In my old world, there was an elixir almost identical to this one. It was hugely popular there too. There was a special consumption method to maximize its efficiency—maybe it works for this one as well."
"Really?"
Sophie widened her eyes, inwardly impressed.
As expected of someone from Do-yoon's dimension. Just like the martial world her cadets had told her about, Earth seemed to be a place where people researched all sorts of ways to grow stronger.
"I'll test it first, and if it works, I'll let you know, Cadet Sophie."
"Wow..."
Sophie gently clasped her hands over her solar plexus, just below her perky chest, beaming with joy.
"Thank you..."
More than the boost to the elixir's effect, she was thrilled to share this secret just with Do-yoon—to receive his kindness alone.
Do-yoon nodded.
The Vitality Pill had a standardized incantation to recite during consumption. But neither the dean nor the paper in the box explained it, so it seemed the incantation wasn't included.
That was impressive. Without the incantation, the pill's efficiency dropped below 20 percent. And yet, its cost-performance was so good that it was still in wide use after a hundred years.
Just like all of Do-yoon's comrades, she had truly been a genius beyond compare.
"I'll look into it and let you know later."
"Yes. Get some rest."
The two parted ways at the dorm entrance, heading to their respective buildings.
Do-yoon entered his room, sat cross-legged on the floor for mana training, closed his eyes, and focused his mind on the mana in his dantian. From here on, it was time for intense mental concentration.
But then, his eyes snapped open.
"..."
Do-yoon stopped his mana training and sat there blankly on the floor, his expression looking extremely troubled.
'Oh no...'
Do-yoon deeply regretted promising Sophie he'd share the consumption method.
At the time, caught up in the joy of encountering a trace of a comrade after a century and wanting to help Sophie grow, he'd blurted it out without thinking. But now, he realized it had put him in a very awkward spot.
'I should have started by wondering why the incantation wasn't shared...'
He'd forgotten. What the consumption incantation for the alchemist's Vitality Pill actually was.
The alchemist had been passionately in love with Enoch. But the hero was surrounded by admiring, attractive women, and the shy alchemist hadn't dared join that fray.
Enoch the regressor had known this but hadn't let on, not wanting to cause discord in the team.
Every day, she had lain in bed fantasizing lewdly about the hero and pleasuring herself with him as the subject. And those dark desires were embedded directly into the Vitality Pill's incantation.
The Vitality Pill had been distributed to all guild members after production. But only Enoch, with the alchemist's personal assistance, fully absorbed it through the incantation.
She had helped only him with the incantation, and Enoch hadn't suggested she help the others either. Once he learned what it entailed, he couldn't possibly ask.
'This... haa...'
Do-yoon fell into anguish.
The pill's 100% effect was incredibly tempting. He really wanted Sophie to have it. After all, wasn't stamina her only weak stat?
But the incantation was far too indecent.
This method absolutely required an assistant. For Enoch, it had been the alchemist. For Sophie, it would be Do-yoon.
And... the assistant and consumer had to... strip completely naked and embrace each other's bodies tightly.
'With Cadet Sophie, how could I...'
That was why only the alchemist and Enoch knew the incantation—why it never spread, why the other guild members didn't get it.
And the biggest reason the Vitality Pill was designed for repeated consumption.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Over the past two days, Do-yoon had barely done any mana training, which he'd normally done as naturally as breathing. His mind was too cluttered for that.
Sophie, who had been sticking close to him, noticed his pallor and grew concerned. He seemed to have some major worry.
Even now in class, he wasn't looking at the instructor or the board but staring blankly into space.
'Is the consumption method not working well...?'
She was a bit disappointed, but more worried that he was stressing over it because of her.
Sophie lowered her voice to a whisper as she called out to Do-yoon.
"Um... Cadet Do-yoon."
"Yes?"
Still lost in thought, Do-yoon startled at her soft, tingling whisper—like a feather brushing his ear—and responded.
Sophie nodded inwardly at his reaction. He definitely hadn't been paying attention to class.
"Do you have some worry...?"
"...No."
Do-yoon reflexively pulled his gaze up from where it had drifted toward her hips.
Sophie's moist pink eyes stared straight at him. Overwhelmed by guilt, Do-yoon averted his from hers. In the past two days, he'd unwittingly imagined her naked several times.
"...Is it about that elixir you mentioned before?"
"Ah, that..."
Do-yoon started to nod yes but hesitated at her question.
He already knew he couldn't tell her the lewd incantation method. But he kept agonizing over the lost chance to help her grow.
If her stat weakness hadn't been stamina, he wouldn't be this conflicted.
Sophie read the hesitation in his eyes. She lowered her gaze demurely and fidgeted her hips unconsciously as she spoke.
"...If it's because you told me, then don't worry about it..."
"..."
"I don't want to see you... stressing like this..."
...She was such a kind, pure-hearted girl. That only made it weigh on him more.
As Do-yoon pondered for a solution, his eyes kept drifting to the inside of her clothes.
His gaze dropped to Sophie's fidgeting hips. Her buttocks and thighs pressed against the chair, making her pants tighter than usual around her legs, emphasizing the plump flesh bulging slightly at the sides.
Unlike her body, Sophie had a modest personality; even now, she modestly clasped her hands near her groin. With the fit of her clothes and her sitting posture highlighting her Y-zone so clearly, it created an illusion as if she were covering her precious place.
...In reality, her hands were indeed hiding the camel toe.
'Hoo...'
Do-yoon felt tension building in his groin. He felt self-loathing at his own state.
If it were a woman coming onto him with obvious sex appeal, that'd be one thing—but getting aroused and conflicted over such a pure, much younger girl?
Do-yoon forced his eyes away from Sophie's squirming hips. He took shallow breaths to steady his mind.
'...Come on. What am I thinking.'
It was just an elixir consumption incantation. If he didn't think of it lewdly, there was nothing lewd about the act at all.
The alchemist who loved Enoch was a top-three genius of her time, and this was the elixir she'd poured her soul into creating.
This was a precious opportunity for Sophie. Too big to pass up over some childish lust.
Sure, Sophie might feel a little embarrassed, but she'd get over it easily. She was wise, modest, and pure.
'Yeah. I'll tell her.'
Do-yoon swallowed hard, steeled himself, and looked at Sophie.
"...Sophie."
"Yes?"
Sophie replied, her sparkling pink eyes widening round.
(The subsequent Scene 19 can be enjoyed in my other work 'The Retired Regressor Hero's Second Salvation Myth - Scene 19 Included'. This is a service scene and can be skipped without affecting the story progression.)