NOVEL SIMPLE 108. Grass! Grass!
"Creak~"
The wooden door automatically opened. Instead of the refreshing scent of oranges and cloves, a foul smell reminiscent of burnt stinky feet hit them.
"Buzz~"
As soon as they stepped into the alchemy room, the medallions on Allen and the chief's chests buzzed simultaneously. The chief glanced at the wolf medallion on Allen's chest in surprise and then saw a "black person" in the alchemy room. To be precise, it was someone with a blackened face sitting at the alchemy table. When the chief looked over, an egg-shaped black object on the table was still puffing smoke at the person's face.
The sorceress stood by the window, surrounded by a visible gray aura. This "ventilation" spell was likely the cause of the wolf medallion's reaction.
"Ma... Mary!?" Allen could hardly recognize her. How did a day pass, and the originally youthful girl suddenly change her race?
The "little black girl" turned around and, upon seeing Allen, burst into tears. Allen was startled; it was his first time seeing Mary cry. Tears streamed from her large eyes, leaving two dirty, white streaks on her blackened face, making her look both pitiable and somewhat amusing.
"Allen! I only managed to make one vial of that extract!" Mary cried out.
"Isn't that good? At least you made one," Allen scratched his head.
Mary cried even harder at his words.
"I had to guide her step by step to make it," the sorceress chuckled from the side. She didn't comfort the crying Mary, instead turning to the chief and asking, "What brings you here?"
The chief shrugged helplessly and said, "Allen mentioned that his new drowner heart extract can enhance strength and constitution, so I came to try it."
"Hm?" The sorceress raised an eyebrow. "Allen, why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
You didn't ask... Allen thought to himself. "Sorry, Vera. I forgot to mention it yesterday."
The sorceress nodded, accepting his apology. The "little black girl" realized no one was paying attention to her and, upon hearing that Allen was going to make the heart extract, she quickly stopped crying, darting to the inner room with a shout, "I'll get the materials."
Allen followed the sound and saw a large basin of "fresh" drowner hearts on the alchemy table, along with a much larger basin containing egg-shaped black objects on the floor. He understood. She was tired of doing the same task over and over.
Shaking his head gently, Allen picked up the magic carving knife, not minding the stench from the alchemy table. With magical energy flowing, he meticulously carved the dark purple drowner hearts.
About ten minutes later, just before Mary returned, the heart pulsed twice before transforming into extract.
"Can alchemy achieve this level?" The chief was amazed, watching the transition from death to life, as if witnessing a miracle performed by a deity. He began to expect great results from the extract.
"Ordinary alchemy can't, but Allen's can," the sorceress replied proudly.
Mary returned with a basin of drowner hearts, feeling a mix of grievances. However, seeing Allen's large basin of dark hearts, she felt relieved.
"For him to think up such a difficult and miraculous method of potion-making, it's no wonder Vera favors him," Mary thought.
Allen, unaware of Mary's complex emotions, handed the extract to the chief and appraised him casually.
[Name: Sol]
[Attributes: Strength 59, Agility 63, Constitution 73, Perception 74, Mystery 56]
Honestly, the chief's stats weren't as high as Allen had imagined for someone who could slay a dragon. Although each stat was higher than Vesemir's, the largest difference was only 13 points in strength.
"Perhaps these are the limits of a witcher's attributes," Allen speculated.
"Gulp~"
The chief drank the entire vial of extract, closing his eyes to savor it. After about half a minute, he suddenly opened his silver cat-like eyes, pupils contracting with excitement. He patted Allen's shoulder and exclaimed, "Allen! This potion works even for us veteran witchers."
Though bathed in dragon blood, keeping his body in peak condition, his organs no longer enhanced his physical attributes with age. He hadn't felt the thrill of gaining power in a long time.
Seeing the increase in the chief's attributes, Allen was equally excited.
[Name: Sol]
[Attributes: Strength 60, Agility 63, Constitution 74, Perception 74, Mystery 56]
If the extract works for the chief, it will work for all witchers. The Wolf School might be about to receive a significant boost.
"Now we need to see when the extract's effectiveness starts to diminish," Allen thought. He ignored the approaching Mary and quickly refined five more hearts. Each time an extract was made, the chief drank it immediately until he gestured to stop when Allen began the fifth one.
"This one had almost no effect," the chief sighed regretfully. Allen checked his stats again. Indeed, his strength had stopped at 61, and his constitution at 77.
Allen pondered, "The effectiveness declines after about twenty doses, with faster decline as attributes increase. Tomorrow, I'll see how Hughes and the others progress and understand the decline rate for increases under ten points."
At this moment, the sorceress approached. She picked up a newly made extract, took a sip, and her eyes lit up.
"This extract is effective for ordinary people too!" she exclaimed.
Allen was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. He had always thought the extract, like in the game, was highly toxic, lethal to normal people.
"If this extract truly works for ordinary people..."
The chief mumbled to himself, suddenly looking up and locking eyes with Allen. Their cat-like eyes reflected shared excitement. If the drowner heart extract worked for ordinary people, it could be used in the "Grass Trial" for apprentices and even before the "Choice" trial.
Now, the only question was whether increasing the apprentices' constitution would improve their survival rate in the Grass Trial. Allen pondered while the chief turned to the sorceress. Since he expelled the school's sorcerer, she supervised the Grass Trial annually. She would know best.
"Vera, can the children survive the Grass Trial if they use the extract?" the chief asked, his voice filled with hope.
...…
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109. The Beginning of the Witcher Corps.
110. Have the Wildcats Named Their Price?
111. Have I Done It All?
112. Good Night!
113. May the Goddess Melitele Bless Me.