The Amber Sword
chapter-336

Chapter 115 – The treasure vault of alchemy

The journey seemed to begin with expectations and unease, and the youths felt like they were unprepared, but they could not run away any more.

The Tower Clan from Kirrlutz had an adage: ‘The difficulty of a long journey can extinguish one’s strong willpower’. These nomadic merchants who loved to travel with their vast products had a deep understanding towards adventure.

On the very first day, Kodan recommended that Brendel camp outside the forest and set off after a night’s rest.

However, Brendel thought that he needed to finish his goal quickly, and since he was more experienced than the old swordsman, there was no need to waste.

In the blink of an eye, Brendel and his crew had already entered the Dark Forest for a week.

As they traveled deeper into the Dark Forest, they found it was like peering into of unlit layers of emerald gems, covered under branches that appeared to be black in color. The density of the verdant leaves was thick, and they leaked out sunlight which in turn made the environment appear shadowy-green. Speckles of light would flitter in and out against the wind, making the leaves undulate. Occasional spiders would dart across their webs when it happened.

Light intermixed with darkness, causing the area to feel like it was a surreal world of silence, save for the shuffling boots across the ground, and the occasional rustling of leaves. It was almost evening, but everyone found it nearly impossible to tell the time in this forest.

Brendel was holding on to a book; on it were words written with illuminating ink:

– Black Magician, Moonlit Grass, four-leaves Hop Clover, Witch’s Agony……

The Black Magician symbolized ‘mystery’ in the Witch’s secret language, and it was used to bring forth a mediative mentality. A person with 3 levels in Alchemy would be able to make Breath of Serenity, and it was the main ingredient for an Incense of Mediation.

The Incense of Mediation was highly popular in the game, and the related professions would achieve faster results. They would be able to experience the ‘truth’ more easily if they were in a closed room filled with the incense.

It allowed a better performance in incantations.

If one was to express it in game terms, it was a 5% increase in XP.

With 7 levels in Alchemy, one would be able to gain access to the lowest tier 2 material called Mysterious Extract from the Black Magician. This could be eaten directly and one could gain a permanent health increase, but it would only work once.

The Moonlit Grass was also called Wizard’s flower. It was used to cultivate Mana. Eating it directly could increase the Mana regen by 1 point. With a Level 5 Alchemist, one could extract it to attain pure Liquid Mana and make a simple Mana Potion.

The four-leaves Hop Clover represented luck. It was quite rare to see it in Aouine’s territory but rather common in the Dark Forest. There was a unique method amongst the gamers to extract Luck Essence from the clover, but it needed 8 levels in alchemy. It could be used in almost any potions to raise the chance of success, and even be used in all types of Alchemy needs, blacksmithing, and the creation of Magic Formations.

The final item, Witch’s Agony, was a poison reagent. Nobles viewed it as an obvious type of poison because of its smell, and it was worthless to them. However, this was not the proper usage. The evil cults utilized the characteristics of this reagent, the Agony and Poison Elements, to summon creatures from the underworld.

The Lord of Agony, or the Queen of Poison.

The Holy Cathedral of Fire strictly prohibited anyone from carrying it, but this did not prevent the evil cults from attaining them. They would gladly purchase them at a high price, or even murder an owner in order to possess this.

Brendel merely chucked all these materials away without a second thought or fear.

He had gotten all these items due to the efforts of the youths training under him. The first three days were actually fruitless, and they constantly complained bitterly for wasting their time. Naturally, he did not allow them to idle— As soon as someone was lazy or becoming incredibly negative, one of the mercenaries would rough them up and mercilessly drive them forward.

Every day, the youths would be woken up by the mercenaries at the crack of dawn. A few of them were unused to the cold and wet conditions of the forest and had difficulty in sleeping. But the training schedule was still adhered to, and they had to drag their tired bodies to complete every day’s ‘homework’.

The contents of the training were not complicated. They had to march a certain distance every day, then group themselves and face each other in combat. Swordsmanship and brawling techniques were taught to them as well. The final task was to gather materials for Tamar, though it was disguised under the topic of ‘survival training’. Still, this was a core training for them.

With a week’s progress, the materials noted in Brendel’s book were becoming longer and longer. The rarity of the discovered materials was also going up. This proved they were leaving outer areas of the Dark Forest and was approaching nearer to its deeper sections.

He finished logging in the second team’s acquisition and logged in notes at the paper’s side with a quill. Sixty youths were grouped into six groups, with each team assigned to a leader. The second group’s leader was led by a youth called Mars. He was from Raban’s mercenary group and had the abilities of a low Iron-ranked fighter. His attitude was serious and his organization skills were strong as well.

Though he was a little rigid in his thoughts.

[But it’s not exactly a flaw.]

Brendel then glanced at Carglise who was not far away. The latter was leaning against a tree wiping his sword, a commander’s weapon in the Year 377. The sword was somewhat like a flamberge and was more appropriate for a user with a dexterous style.

Brendel was very fond of this design, so he gave a sword to each member of the White Lion Infantry.

Grandmaster Bosley was the person who crafted the swords, so there was no need to worry about the quality. The design was apparently successful; everyone who received it could not let the sword out of their sight, even if they did not use swords before.

Brendel was surprised, but his reactions were very quick to act upon this situation. He raised the value of these swords to a badge of honor. They became the symbol of the White Lion Infantry, and as long as each man was in this army, the sword would accompany him for his lifetime and represent his belief in the unit.

The youths once asked what belief it was, and Brendel answered them after a moment of thinking.

“Bravery, determination, and one who paves the way, symbolizing the sword of justice.”

This was widely accepted by the idealistic youths who were keen to become knights.

Brendel came back to his senses after thinking about the past events for a while. He flipped open to a new page and wrote on the top right-hand corner as his quill moved lightly:

‘December 16th, clear weather

The Dark Forest is even denser than before. Some of the areas that we passed by earlier did not even have a ray of light in them. There are huge spiderwebs at the tree crowns, as well as flying insects the sizes of our fists that are packed everywhere.

There are increasing discoveries of strange brambles found on different trees, like the Witch’s Agony. This means that we’re nearly reaching the inner sections. We also discovered the presence of strong creatures affected by Mana. Based on the tracks, they are most likely Black Wolves.

Perhaps one can call them as monsters. These monsters can be classified under several archetypes. Violence, Shadow, Corruption, Malediction, Evil, Dream, Demigod.

The Black Wolves are classified under the Shadow Archetype.’

He stopped for a moment and the quill left the paper slightly.

[A level 25 creature—]

‘They are considered as a lesser monster amongst the various existences, possessing ink-black fur and blood-red eyes, and their fangs are shaped like daggers. They are resistant to physical weapons because Shadow-type creatures heal very quickly from their wounds. Conversely, their fangs can easily puncture most armors, except for plate armor.

– Brendel, 7th day of the Dark Forest expedition’

He did not release this information to the youths, and the experienced mercenaries also had a tacit understanding and chose to keep silent.

They wanted to see what the youths’ reactions were after a week’s worth of training upon encountering these monsters, especially in regards to their combat training. There was no need to worry about danger, since a Gold-ranked fighter would make these wolves appear like they are no different from an obedient puppy.

After Brendel finished writing his journal entry, he observed his surroundings.

It was not a peaceful environment.

The six groups of youths were fighting against the Rock Panthers summoned by Halran Gaia, and there were another six Obsidian Panthers lying down lazily on their paws nearby watching them. These creatures seemed to be uninterested in their battle and even showed incomprehension. The humans appeared as though they were having fun battling despite the fact that their own kind was holding back. Their eyes followed them left and right, thinking that they would easily be able to bite off any of their throats if they went to fight instead.

The youths did not realize that these seemingly obedient large cats were interested in their necks, or they might shake uncontrollably. But the current danger they felt were actually from Kodan and Scarlett.

Gaspard was also there as the leader of the mercenaries training them. The mercenaries actually had the most hectic mission, as they had to command and protect the youths at the same time.

It was not the first occasion where the mercenaries discovered the youths choosing to set their sleeping bags on damp ground. They waited till the latter slept before kicking them awake with their boots, then lifted up their bags to show them the centipedes and snakes that were the sizes of their arms.

One would have to say that it was an effective move. Many were frightened and listened closely to the mercenaries.

Gaspard was currently grading the groups of youths. The group with the lowest marks had to run three miles in the Dark Forest. If they had to run on flat ground it might not mean much, but it was impossible to run in the Dark Forest because of its dangers. Rather, they had to march out in the Dark Forest, but it might take them the whole evening to finish traversing the distance. There was no way to count on their companions to leave any food behind.

The three judges were a little distracted. Gaspard and Scarlett could see that the youths were performing badly.

[A complete lack of strategy and a terrible mess of positioning themselves. They are far from ready.]

Kodan thought they were no better than children fighting with sticks.

Brendel also shook his head, but he knew that things required time. In fact, these newbies were much better than the first time they fought the creatures because they did not even dare to fight. The mercenaries back then had to kick them with their boots and forced them to advance. They eventually became brave enough to hold against them, and this current battle had been going on for ten minutes.

The improvement was very fast. The Dark Forest was indeed a good place to train someone.

He watched the battle a while longer before his head turned to the other direction; the Druids’ camp was there. The Druids who were supposed to meet up with Brendel only joined him on the second day due to their independent nature.

There were seven of them, including Grey Raven.

[Even though they are strange people, they are worthy of respect. They brought out a hundred veteran Druids and ten Elder Druids to help with my city’s defense and also promised to help out with Trentheim’s farm work.]

Although he did not know how many Druids lived in the forest, at least three hundred Druids were promised to permanently reside in Firburh, which meant there was a considerable number of Druids. This race was of an immense help to him as they aided greatly in defense. They planted thorny brambles that solidified the walls and even carried a type of fruit that acted like grenades.

One could say that a hundred Druids were more effective than an entire army in a defense.

[But they are still wary of me. The Druids went to the city are all fnature-based , probably from the Circle of Brambles, which is an outer Circle. There’s not even one Druid from the Circle of Beasts—]

Brendel smiled a little when he thought of that. Most would not be able to tell the differences. The Circle of Flames, Circle of Tempest, and Circle of Beasts were the strongest offensive groups amongst the Druids, but the Circles of Brambles were considerably effective in defense.

The Druids’ intentions were clear as day.

[Well, there’s no need to rush. Relationship points can be earned in the future.]

He packed away his journal and quill, then took out pale yellow leaves from the bag around his waist.

Moonlit Grass.

These were low-level materials within the Dark Forest but were appropriate for Brendel to train his side-profession. When he received the letter from the Regent Princess, the system acknowledged him as a Noble Lord instead of a commoner. He could not but help grumble in his mind about this fact when he looked at the materials.

[A worthless title, unfortunately. It allows me to raise up my Alchemy to level 8, but my Elementalist profession supersedes it and allows me to go up to level 10.]

The grade of the Moonlit Grass was perfect. The shape and luster of it were far beyond the same type from other areas. Even though the Dark Forest was dangerous, it was indeed a treasure vault for an Alchemist.

He concentrated slightly and a Magic Formation was formed with a color that was violently red. After spending several days and hundreds of tries, wasting countless materials in his attempts, Brendel was finally proficient in Blood Refinement Magic. It was a method that extracted the essence from a material and even formed a few Alchemy items. He did not need to waste time drawing up a Magic Formation and was simply required to let out a few drops of blood from his hand.

It was simple and convenient, and saved much time.

Though he was probably the only person who did this forbidden magic so openly, with the exception of the great Evils who hid in the shadows.

The Blood Magic showed itself visibly and the Moonlit Grass started to smoke. It was slowly converted into a transparent crystal orb.

Mana Essence.

Putting ten of these orbs into water would make a Mana Potion. This refinement appeared like a simple task, but it needed at least level 5 in Alchemy. Most commoners would never be able to cross this level. If a commoner was able to surpass their limits, then their title would be changed to ‘Alchemist’s Disciple,’ allowing them to reach level 8. A true Alchemist would be able to reach level 15.

And if they were able to surpass level 15, then they would be recognized as a Grandmaster.

In the game, level 15 was also the limits where the game’s system allowed the use of TP. Once a gamer reached level 15, they would find the buttons to be greyed out.

The hurdle with each increasing level was an exponential increase. The gamers had an analogy where each increase from level 1 to 5 was 1 point of effectiveness, and crossing level 5 to 10 gave 2-3 points of effectiveness. From level 10 to 15, one could be considered as a ‘Master’, and each level gave 5 points of effectiveness. However, the difficulty at this stage was ten times harder compared to the levels before.

One could only imagine the difficulty of an NPC attaining a Grandmaster’s level. It was at the stage where miracles could be created, and their names would be forever left in history. Gamers often joked that reaching level thirty would be close to the existences of gods.

After Brendel was done with the extraction of the Moonlit Grass, he moved on to the four-leaved Hop Clover to extract Luck Essence. But the extraction was of a higher difficulty, and he barely succeeded once after failing six times, but he tutted after reading the words on his retina.

[…… Incomplete Luck Extract. It’s not even a complete success.]

Brendel forced the gaseous extract into an empty bottle. Suddenly he felt his hair standing up behind on his back, and he turned around to see Felaern. She had been staring at him since his first attempt. Each Luck Essence required ten four-leaved Hop Clovers, and searching for them required a considerable amount of effort, even if they were quite common in the Dark Forest.

The Wild Elf was nearly unable to keep watching Brendel waste them.

“My lord, we have a saying, ‘We must learn to walk before we can run’—”

[Haha…… What a coincidence, we humans on Earth have the same saying. But I really can’t wait to raise my levels and pour TP into it. I just spent everything on swordsmanship.]

Brendel could only sigh when he looked at his empty TP bar. He had no choice but to choose such a silly method.

When Brendel received the ‘Incomplete Luck Essence’, he immediately saw his level bar increase immediately and reached level 7. Since the materials in the Dark Forest were abundant, the method to raise his Alchemist level was effective by using materials that surpassed his levels.

With level 7 Alchemy, he was able to create higher level Mana potions and Magic formations. The potions were naturally more effective, but the materials required were also more unique.

[There are a few recipes to improve the youths’ stats with the recipes I know. It’s even effective for me since I can create a potion that adds 5 Fire Max EP.]

“If only I have the Dragon Blood Moss. It’s a pity I’m lacking this main ingredient.” He muttered to himself.

“What is that?” Felaern asked.

“They are legends stating that places where a large dragon is felled, would have its blood flow into ancient lakes. Bright red moss would grow in abundance beside the lake, and they are known as Dragon Blood Moss. This material can be used to make Potion of Dragon Strength.”

The Wild Elf understood. The Potion of Dragon Strength was as famous as a dragon’s notoriety. There was a definite increase of power for a warrior. Giving a normal person this potion was the rough equivalent of him training for two or three years.

In Brendel’s words, the potion permanently added 5 OZ worth of strength and physique, allowing a normal person to reach an Iron-ranked fighter’s strength immediately.

This potion was exclusively reserved for raising an army, and the nobles fought to obtain this potion whenever it appeared. Its price in the black market was very high, and each potion was about ten thousand Tor coins.

[Ten thousand coins to make an iron-ranked soldier. It’s a waste of money, but considering the time limit, it’s worth the price.]

Brendel did not intend to rely on this item to get rich. The Dragon Blood Moss did not grow abundantly in Aouine and the Dark Forest. The Mana Wave was also about to happen. All potions and magical artifacts were going to drop drastically in value. Meddling with the related transactions was purely causing trouble for himself in the future.

He warned Romaine not to pay attention to the materials related to Magic, but it surprised him to know that she had known about the Mana Wave. Still, she did not know anything about the upcoming Mana Wave that was called as the ‘Waves of Calamity’, which was something that Aouine had never seen before. If she did, then he really needed to ponder about her aunt’s identity.

“My lord, do you know how to create that potion?”

“I do. And I just reached level 7 in alchemy, otherwise, the rate of success would probably be low—” Brendel finally turned back to the youths.

The latter had successfully fought back twelve Rock Panthers and were awarded a temporary respite. But Scarlett and Kodan would be teaching them new things in a short while.

Kodan was in charge of teaching the crucial points of Aouine’s Military Swordsmanship, while Scarlett was more direct. She beat everyone in the two groups she was in charge and left them to experience where they were lacking.

“Level 7 alchemy?” Felaern frowned, wondering if the students taught by wizards talk strangely, but she refrained from expressing her opinions since he was her lord.

“I mean I have attained the required skills to create the potion.” Brendel corrected himself without skipping a heartbeat.

“In my memories, there were not many who were capable enough to make the Potion of Dragon Strength in Port Lopes. It even sells for three thousand coins of our currency. Mercenaries like us could only view it from afar.”

Three thousand Lopes coins could exchange up to fifteen thousand Tor coins. Brendel marveled at the amount.

“The adventures you had must be interesting.”

“Forgive me, my lord. I’m afraid that you might be disappointed to know that we are not exactly the true entities that you’re looking for. Our bodies and memories are created by the Laws of the Planeswalker.”

Brendel looked back at the expressionless maid: “But your memories existed in the past, right? I don’t think Medissa as a fake entity. You are just as real in my heart like your past.”

“I thank you for your words, my lord. Our adventures are not exactly interesting because our goal was to earn money. While it is true we spend it to improve ourselves, what little money we earn is unable to buy such extravagant items.”

“But the Potion of Dragon Strength isn’t really a rare potion,” Brendel said, though he understood that what she said was true. The recipe of the Potion of Dragon Strength was worth at least three million Tor coins.

The current era was actually a generation where Mana had dried up, but the time where it returned would be soon.

“We had to buy weapons and sharpen it repeatedly to prevent them from wearing out. Our armor was sewn back repeatedly. The lives of a mercenary are very hard, and we faced blood and death constantly as though we were going through a surreal dream.”

Brendel was momentarily silent as he reflected on the events in his past life, both in the game and reality: “Life isn’t easy for others as well. Whether they are born as a noble, a king, a merchant, just because they lived in status or wealth doesn’t mean they are satisfied with their lives. Happiness is fleeting. There is no one would who would feel satisfied their whole life. Pain and worry will always be around.”

The two reflected on their endings and they had their own answers. No further words were exchanged.

Lumbering footsteps could be heard and Brendel turned to the source. The gigantic figure of the Fire Claw Lizardman, Ropar, appeared in and out of the dense vegetation. The dark red skin had patches of black mixed into it, appearing no different to the red tree bark around the area. It was a natural camouflage.

When it finally appeared before Brendel, the youth was startled to find a wary expression intermixed with a hint of inquiry: “Is there something, Ropar?”

Brendel summoned the Lizardman Lord on the second day. He had briefly thought about using it on the city’s defenses, but it was hard to explain to the citizens, so he thought it was better to have it on his side.

He also summoned the Fire Claw Lancemen. It was the size of a medium platoon, a total of thirty Lancemen. There were peak Iron-rankers, but Ropar provided the unique ability where all Fire Claw tribe members have a +1 in command, turning them into Fire Claw Assault Lancemen.

The Fire Claw Lancemen were turned into level 32 creatures, entering the classification of a Silver-ranker, getting close to the levels of the Mercenaries of Lopes who were attached with the Dwarven Treasure Card.

These Lizardmen were in charge of outer security. Brendel had told them to let a beast or two to slip past their defenses in order to test the youths.

The results were considered good thus far.

Ropar did not answer and looked at the young lord. It bent down at its waist and placed a cold rock into Brendel’s hand. The creature was nearly two meters and a half tall, with its body’s width two-thirds of its height. He could feel a pressure as though the Lizardman was going to pounce on him when it bent its waist.

But the youth ignored it and stared at the flat sheet of rock instead.

It was almost like a crystal; the body was clear but there were grains across the rock which glowed dimly. It seemed like it was absorbing light and became an impure black.

“Where did you discover this?” Brendel felt a jolt to his spine. This was not a crystal but a hydra’s scale—

‘In a lake.’ Ropar did not speak but drew on the ground with three fingers to let Brendel understand what he meant. Amandina and Dia discovered the lake, and they were the ones who discovered the scale.

[The scale is evidence of a hydra nearby us.]

The history of hydras was that they descended from a gargantuan sea monster, evolved to have legs and bred greatly on land before they were chased off to the Wilderness. There were many hydra variations, for example, the Dark Elves reared a Nine-headed Shadow Hydra as their Warbeast. In Karanjar’s mountains and its nearby islands, the barbaric tribes that lived there worshipped the Five-headed Ancient Hydra as a divine spirit.

A common three-headed hydra was equivalent to a Gold-ranker. If there were five heads their scales had great toughness; nine heads would mean it had unsealed Element powers. The greatest number of heads were twelve, and its body would have shed its mortal self and shaped towards perfection, the Bronze Physique. (TL: Bronze Physique = level 80+, also google images ‘mtg hydra’ without quotes.)

Brendel immediately focused on the scale. The scales had the divine protection of its ancestor and was rated as a precious Alchemy material. Even though the blood of a Hydra could not compare to a dragon’s, but it was obviously much better than a moss. It could be used to make a Potion of Dragon Strength, and the effectiveness was much higher.

He made his decision and stood up, clapping loudly to draw the attention of the people around him.

“We have work to do!”