“Are you serious?” Liam stated as he stared at the notification.
He looked back down at the cauldron. He couldn’t find any traces of the materials he had poured in there. It was almost like they cancelled each other out and destroyed each other.
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“I’m sorry. I should have mentioned that if you weren’t paying enough attention on the Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom then it would strike and try to swallow up the other two mana controlled extracts. – Eri.”
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Liam read the text notification Eri had sent him, and he did feel a bit frustrated with the late heads up. However, after seeing it for the first time he couldn’t be too upset with her. Even with a warning he wouldn’t have been ready for that.
If it was like how the Weak Snake Venom was with his previous poison crafting sessions then it would have been easy to counteract it. But this Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom struck from both sides. Not only that, but it acted like it was submissive. There was no trace of it showing any hostility or signs of it wanting to fight back.
Liam’s brows scrunched. He thought over what had happened and corrected his thoughts on that last part. There was a sign. It was only for a brief moment, but on both ends the edges slunk back just a bit before it struck. The way it did it reminded him of how a snake would coil back before attacking its prey.
“Even if I noticed that…attacking from both sides is just plain dirty,” Liam muttered to himself. He then asked Eri, “What was up with that? It was docile while I was channeling my mana into the other two Extracts. But right after I connected my mana and blended those two together it revealed its fangs and attacked. Weak Snake Venom doesn’t do that so why did this type of venom do it?”
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“That’s the difference between the two venoms. The Weak Snake Venom is a normal venom with no special properties hidden within it. The Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom has special properties hidden within it. The special properties that reside in the venom react violently when mana infused Extracts come in contact with it. – Eri.”
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Liam raised a brow as he asked, “Why’s that?”
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“Remember when I told you that poisons have properties that are sealed or become dormant during the poison crafting process? Well, it’s the mana infused Extracts that make them like that. The mana that infuses with the extracts acts like a sleeper agent that covers the venom entirely. After the blended mana infused extracts covers the venom it blends in with the venom, weakening the properties to the point they start to go into a slumber like state. Think of it like sedating a violent animal. The mana infused extracts is the sedating drug. When that violent animal is hit with the drug it seeps into it relaxing it and making it dormant. – Eri.”
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“Hm, that’s an interesting way to put it…but why though? Why go through the process to sedate the properties of the venom?” Liam asked still not fully understanding.
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“It’s so you can blend the mixture together easier. The special properties in these venoms feel threatened by the mana infused extracts which results in what you just experienced. You can’t craft the venom into a fully crafted poison if it overwhelms and overpowers the other materials to the point it cancels the entire session out. – Eri.”
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“Okay, but then why is there a process afterwards to add the Weak Liquified Lightning Mana to the mix? If this process is to sedate the properties then won’t adding the final ingredient reawaken it?” Liam questioned.
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“That is exactly the point. Because you sedate the properties of the venom during the first crafting session the crafted poison will register itself as a Weak Corrosive Toxin. That is only because the Twin Fanged Adder Venom is not active. However, because you were able to blend the mana infused extracts into the Twin Fanged Adder Venom you would then create a cage of sorts around the areas where the properties are located. With that cage in place the reawakened properties won’t be able to rampage as hard or take over the whole crafted poison. The awakened properties can then remain active without the worry of the whole crafted poison being overwhelmed. – Eri.”
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Liam blinked a few times as he read Eri’s message. The way she explained the process was starting to make sense. Another thing that this was starting to make Liam understand was this was the next step in crafting poisons. Understanding the properties within each venom, what materials can sedate them, and reawaken them was something he needed to add to his research list.
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“Another thing to note is just adding the Weak Liquified Lightning Mana Extract won’t do anything. Because of the infused mana extracts have blended into and around the venom, it also creates a shell that stops any outside influences from trying to reawaken the venom’s properties. Which means you are going to need to work the Lightning Mana Extract into the crafted poison, guiding it to each area the properties lay and infuse just enough of that mana extract into them without overdoing it. – Eri.”
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An excited grin started growing on Liam’s face as he read this next part. This whole process was complicated and delicate, but it also felt like a challenge. If there was one thing Liam was starting to enjoy with the crafting of this world it was the challenge the crafts provided. He might have failed with this first attempt, but he wasn’t going to let the score remain zero and one. He will raise the zero that represented his success higher than the one that represented the materials win.
“No ingredients are going to get the best of me,” Liam muttered into his mask.
He then grabbed the cauldron and brought it over to the washing station that was tucked in a corner of the room. As he emptied the cauldron and cleaned it he reused his Devour ability to start the next batch of Soul Orbs becoming points to refill his Spirit Pool. After he was finished with that and refilling the cauldron with Purified Water, he readied himself with his next attempt.
He closed his eyes before taking in a deep breath. He felt his body relax as he slowly let the air roll off his lips and through the filtration system of the mask he wore. He peered through the goggles that covered his eyes and focused all his attention on the task he was about to undergo.
As he prepared for his second attempt he thought about what he had felt, experienced and saw during his first attempt. He worked his memory hard trying to think about all the little things he saw but wrote off. The way the venom had attacked from both sides was problematic. It was even worse that the venom struck the moment he had blended the two extracts together.
The properties in the venom were smart he concluded. They played dead and waited while he tried to blend the other ingredients together. He determined that he needed to be smarter. Not only did he need to be smarter, but he also needed to be quicker. He needed to react and counter the venom when it struck.
During his time cleaning the cauldron he came up with a strategy that he hoped would work. He would need to have his reflexes on point, or this would fall apart like the first attempt. Feeling ready to try again, Liam started the process.
Everything was going smoothly as he added the ingredients into the cauldron. As he slowly stirred he activated his Mana Sight and channeled his mana into the cauldron. He was quick to successfully infuse his mana in to the Weak Stinger Nettle Extract and started to blend it into the Weak Blistering Hogweed Extract. As he did this he kept an eye on the Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom.
Right as he finished blending the two together he noticed the edges of both sides of the Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom coil back. This was his time to counter. He focused his will into the mana he channeled into the mana infused extracts. He forced the blend to extend into a point and tried to spear it into the Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom to the left side.
He watched it pierce right into it and start to spread through the area. A grin started to form as he watched this, but that grin quickly faded as the other side of the mana infused extracts were overtaken by the venom. The venom quickly tore through the mana defenses and took control of the blend. This resulted in the side that was pierced to weaken and disappear. The colors that represented each materials then started to disappear, causing this session of Poison Crafting to fail once more.
“Damn it!” Liam swore as he let go of the wooden spoon. He stared at the cauldron with slight frustration. However, he didn’t let it get to him. He made some progress and learned a couple of things.
He grabbed the cauldron and made his way back to the cleaning station. As he started cleaning the cauldron he went over what he saw and felt. Like last time, the venom had waited to strike the moment his mana had completely blended the two extracts together. What he did differently this time was he had tried to attack the left side of the venom by piercing right into it.
He believed that if he tried to push the mana infused extracts into the middle he would be able to spread it out through the middle. He wanted to attack from within like an infection, but that plan was easily stopped because of the right side that had completely destroyed the mana-like barrier that was wrapped around the blended extracts.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Since all of his focus was on the side of the materials he was using to attack, he couldn’t focus on the other side. The stage he was at with his Mana Control and Manipulation during crafting was where he had to use his hands to guide the mana. He was only able to use one to guide the mana due to the other stirring the spoon.
As he sat the cauldron down and started to refill it he muttered to himself, “If I had another hand then this issue won’t be a problem. But it’s not like I could…”
His rambling had struck an idea in his mind. He didn’t need to grow an extra hand. He could just create one. He had almost forgotten the spell since he had been focused on using his other ones. Without any hesitation, Liam created a Shadow Hand.
After the familiar raven black hand manifested he handed it the spoon. He then focused his mind on having it stir the water inside the cauldron. He tested different speeds before trying to keep a single pace. He then moved his hands around the cauldron to make sure he could have his Shadow Hand keep the current speed stirring while he was focused on other things. Everything looked like it would work without any issues.
Feeling a bit more confident, Liam kept his Shadow Hand going as he grabbed the ingredients. He added them and restarted the process for the third time. Everything looked to be going smoothly as he poured his mana into the cauldron. He channeled and manipulated it to grab hold of the Weak Stinger Nettle Extract. After he was successful he then continued to the next step.
As he started to blend the two extracts together with his mana, Liam kept his eyes on both sides. He was waiting for when the Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom decided to strike. Right on cue, he watched both sides start to coil inwards before striking.
Right as the venom attacked, Liam pour all of his will into controlling, manipulating, and guiding the mana infused extracts. He swung both hands outwards causing the mana infused extracts to counter the attack.
From Liam’s sight it looked like the Weak Twin Fanged Adder Venom had formed snake like mouths when it tried to attack. He watched as the mana infused extracts had shot forward right towards the open mouths. However, before the venom snake-like mouth snapped shut, the mana fused extracts on both sides expanded, stopping the snakeheads from clapping down.
Liam could feel the force and resistance as they did this. He could also feel the Venom fight harder, trying to pierce through the mana defense like structure that was coating the edges of the blended extracts.
“Ho…so far so good,” Liam muttered, feeling a bit excited. “Now what do I do from here?”
Liam tried hard to think about what he needed to do. As he was thinking he could feel the venom trying to push harder. Trying not to let it win, Liam thought even more about what to do. As he tried thinking about all the things he could do, he felt his thoughts returning to something Eri had mentioned.
Because of the infused mana extracts have blended into and around the venom, it also creates a shell that stops any outside influences from trying to reawaken the venom’s properties.
He wasn’t sure if that was her way of dropping a hint or if what she was telling him earlier was pure coincidence. Either way this was a great learning experience for him. He focused on the mana infused extracts and tried guiding them to outline the edges of the Weak Twin Fanged Venom.
At first nothing happened. However, after he forced his will into the mana he was channeling, he felt the extracts slowly start to move. The blended color of the mana infused extracts snaked along the outside of the venom. He was moving slowly so he wouldn’t catch the attention of the venom since it was fully focused on trying to clamp down where the mouth like area was at.
He was making great progress and was almost able to connect both sides until he felt something strange. At first he wasn’t sure what it was. Nothing had looked out of place. The venom hadn’t broken through.
The snake-like mouths that the venom had formed was still…They were gone. The two areas the venom had formed snake like mouths were now just smoothed out blob shapes.
Slightly panicking internally, Liam moved his sight to where the outline was almost complete. The last bit of venom that didn’t have any mana outlining it was starting to push up. It looked like a pillar was rising from beneath with the way it was going.
Not wanting to fail a third time, Liam focused on the speed of the mana outlining the edges of the venom. He willed it to move faster and not let it grow any more than it had. As he did this he could feel his muscles start to tighten a bit while sweat began to roll down his forehead.
He didn’t let it bother him. Instead, he focused all of his attention on connecting the two areas to stop the venom from destroying what he had almost completed. Bit by bit, Liam raced the mana up the geyser-like venom. The harder he forced his will into the mana the faster it ran.
A snake like mouth started to form at the top right as his mana reached the neck. The venom tried to move the head down to strike and free itself, however that small bit of time it wasted to turn the head was all he needed to finish connecting it all.
Liam could feel the panic and frustration the venom was exuding inside the mana-like shell he had made. He pushed down the pillar section, making the entire thing to even out.
Liam let out a gasp as he felt his body tighten even more. This sudden tightening had happened right as the venom rammed a small section of it against the mana shell. It did this a few times, trying to find a weakness it could use to break free.
Liam didn’t like this. He didn’t look, but he was sure his stamina was starting to get dangerously close to emptying. He needed to finish this as quickly as he could. If he didn’t then all this work he had put into this would be for naught.
Feeling out the mana he used to create this shell like prison, Liam focused on the areas that held the extracts and started to push them into the trapped venom. The venom recoiled as the mana infused extracts tried getting closer. Not liking how it was going, Liam shaped certain areas of the mana infused extracts into needle-like structures and then pierced them into the venom.
After they had dug deep into the venom, Liam pumped the blended extract mixture into the venom much like a dropper pumping liquids into another liquid. The colors then started blending together making a light violet color with mixtures of dark and sickly green here and there. As Liam watched this he felt the properties of the venom start to weaken. The more the three blended the less the venom fought back.
The analogy Eri had used earlier felt right as he watched and felt what was going on in front of him. The rampaging properties of the Twin Fanged Adder Venom were becoming sedated.
After a few seconds had passed and the last of the colors had mixed together. A notification had appeared.
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“Congratulations! You have crafted Weak Corrosive Toxin! Item Type – Crafted Poison (Finished, Unfinished). Item rarity – Common. Item Quality – Weak.*”
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Breathing a bit hard, Liam stared at the notification. Excitement, joy, and a victorious feeling all started to well up inside of him. Before he could turn all of those feelings into words a new notification popped up in front of him. It was Eri’s text notifications.
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“Congratulations on pulling through all of that. Before you do anything though, I suggest you put a lid on the cauldron, press that Air Purification button and drink a Stamina Potion. You’re pretty low right now and are probably feeling it. – Eri.”
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Liam smiled at the notification. He was about to let out a chuckle but instead a choked cough slipped out. After he was finished coughing, he had his Shadow Hand shake the spoon over the cauldron before sending it to put it into the cleaning station’s sink. He then had it grab a lid big enough to place it over the cauldron before sending it off to push that button.
As soon as it pushed the button, Liam watched the blinds on each ventilation system open up. A light breeze blew over him and throughout the room. It was gentle and felt refreshing. After a few seconds had passed the blinds closed up, stopping the breeze completely.
He then took off the gloves before the mask that covered his nose and mouth. He then pulled his goggles off of his head and placed them on the desk surface. He looked at his shaking arms and noticed they were drenched in sweat. He had his Shadow Hand grab a towel off of a rack by the cleaning station and used it to wipe off the sweat on his face and arms.
He then pulled out a Minor Orange Stamina Potion and drank it. As he drank the potion he sent a thought over to Eri. Hey Eri. Why does it say finished and unfinished in the Item Type section?
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“It says that because it is both a finished and unfinished product. If your goal was to only make a Weak Corrosive Toxin then it’s been reached. However, since our goal is the step beyond that it is considered an unfinished product. – Eri.”
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“That makes sense,” Liam stated as he placed the empty vial back into his inventory. “I must say though. That was a bit more complicated than I thought it would be. If you hadn’t said anything about a shell I probably would have failed again.”
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“I, too, must admit that I thought you would have failed. I didn’t think you would have caught on to that. Also, great job on coming up with using your Shadow Hand to stir so you can use both hands to control and manipulate your mana through the process. You’re finally using that spell the way it was intended for. – Eri.”
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“Wait, you knew that was what I was supposed to do?” Liam started. “Also, what do you mean I finally used my Shadow Hand the way it was intended for? Are you saying I’ve been using my Shadow Hand wrong?”
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“First, I am not your Alchemy Mentor. While I did suggest you make this poison, I wasn’t going to fully explain how you are supposed to make it. I wanted you to learn how to make it on your own. And yes, the Shadow Hand is a Utility type spell that is meant to help with crafting. All mana created Hand spells are meant to assist with crafting processes that require you to use more than just your two regular hands. The way you have been using it is interesting. So interesting that I hadn’t even considered it. While it is not wrong, it just wasn’t meant to be used in that manner. – Eri.”
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Liam felt a bit flustered as he read her message. He could understand that she wanted him to learn at his pace and that she wasn’t his Alchemy Mentor. She had no obligation to explain or guide through the process, but he was working with limited materials. What would have happened if he didn’t succeed?
Liam let out a frustrated sigh. This wasn’t the first time she acted like this. Since he was still new to being a Champion of a goddess, he really didn’t know what they could and couldn’t do. For now, he would just chalk it up as it being her nature. She was the goddess of chaos after all and the way she has been acting has been a bit chaotic.
“So, I’ll take it that you won’t explain how to do this next part then?” Liam asked, feeling like he knew the answer.
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“In a sense I did. – Eri.”
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Liam’s brows furrowed as he tried to process what she said. As he figured, she didn’t tell him, but her message indicated that she already had in her own way. She did? When? Liam thought as he thought about what she had said. As he tried to think about it, he scrolled up on her text notifications to see when and what it was she said.
It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for. He reread the text she had sent him earlier.
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“Another thing to note is just adding the Weak Liquified Lightning Mana Extract won’t do anything. Because of the infused mana extracts have blended into and around the venom, it also creates a shell that stops any outside influences from trying to reawaken the venom’s properties. Which means you are going to need to work the Lightning Mana Extract into the crafted poison, guiding it to each area the properties lay and infuse just enough of that mana extract into them without overdoing it. – Eri.”
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Liam let out a small chuckle. The way she explained it reminded him of when he tried to smelt his first bone ingot. He needed to find a way to fill the bone with mana and in order for him to do that he needed to get pass the mana-like barrier the bone had coating it.
The only difference between this time and that is the mana he had to use was an elemental extract. That and he didn’t know exactly how much he needed to use in order for this to work. He would need to take it slow and hope he didn’t fail. Without hesitation he grabbed his safety equipment and got ready. He wouldn’t fail. Instead, he would learn and grow from it.
“Alright, let’s start up the next step,” Liam stated with a grin spread wide under his mask.