As much as Liam wanted to celebrate his achievement of pulling through with making his first Chemicalized Creation item without it exploding in his face, the pain pounding against his skull was too much. He looked at his resources and noticed his mana bar was dangerously low.
He pulled out a Minor Blueberry Mana Potion and drank it. He closed his eyes and waited for his mana bar to replenish. He realized he still had his Mana Sight activated and turned it off. After the pounding inside his skull had disappeared, he opened his eyes and read the description of the concoction he had just made.
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“Weak Poisoned Null Zone. Item Type – Chemicalized Creation. Item Rarity – Uncommon. Item Quality – Weak. Description – A powerful gust of Air create a circulating wall around a ten foot radius with flakes of Weak Powdered Paralytic Adder Venom floating within it. An Orb of Gravity appears and tries to suck enemies trapped within the ten foot radius of swirling air and dust. After a few seconds pass a pulse from both the gravity and air will clash bringing the flakes of powdered poison towards the enemies trapped right before a Null Zone is created, for a short time. All air within this Null zone is sucked out making it hard to breath while all things within that ten foot radius can not move. This allows the poison to spread and seep into the targets.*”
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A grin slowly spread on Liam’s face as he read the description. He was hoping for something along the lines of air mana projecting the Weak Powdered Paralytic Adder Venom all over the target. However, this right here was so much better. If he understood the description right, it created a wall of air that swirled around while trapping the targets inside with an orb of gravity.
The two would clash and create something similar to an air pocket that sucks out all the air, making the target not only not able to breath, but it would also constrict the target or targets in place stopping them from moving. The powdered poison that hit their eyes, entered their mouths noses or any open wounds would have the poison seep in, fester and spread. The targets wouldn’t be able to cleanse it while all this was happening and would take damage the entire time.
Liam noticed there wasn’t any time limit mentioned. He would have to test this out during his tests to see how long the length of the Null Zone was. That’s only if one of the tests called for it. If none of them did, then he would have to test it out in a dungeon.
As Liam was thinking about all of this, he was suddenly brought back to the present as a few more chimes and notifications made themselves known.
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“Congratulations! Chemicalized Creations has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 13%!”
“Congratulations! Your control over Arcane Mana has reached level 11! Progression to level 12: 34%!”
“Congratulations! Your control over Gravity Mana has reached level 11! Progression to level 12: 24%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Mana Sight has reached level 20! Progression to level 21: 5%! Your sensitivity to mana has increased due to your constant use of this ability. Thanks to that, wisps of mana will manifest briefly in your sight even when ability is not in use..”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Mana Channeling has reached level 20! Progression to level 21: 5%! The amount of Mana you can channel without any adverse effects has increased.”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Mana Control has reached level 20! Progression to level 21: 5%! Your control over mana has increased.”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Mana Manipulation has reached level 20! Progression to level 21: 5%! Your manipulation over objects filled with mana has increased. The size and weight of the objects have increased.”
“Congratulations! Due to your increased control over mana you have received Non-combat ability Dual Mana Control. Dual Mana Control has reached level 1! Progression to level 2: 100%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Dual Mana Control has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 15%!”
“Dual Mana Control. Description – Ability to control two different types of mana at the same time. Control over two different types of mana is still weak at lower levels and drains your Mana Pool faster while trying to control the two.”
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“Dual Mana Control?” Liam questioned as he stared at the notification. “So, what I was able to do to try and stop the Weak Poison Null Zone from going haywire was that?”
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“It’s a good thing that your Mana Control was on the verge of reaching level twenty and you were able to get that in time. If not for that then that flask would have exploded. Also, what the hell were you doing? You know you’re not supposed to lose focus during a crafting session. – Eri.”
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Liam winced as he read her message. He really couldn’t argue with that. He had allowed himself to lose focus after watching the powdered mixture split. He should have kept a better eye on the process instead of doing that.
“I really don’t have an argument for that,” Liam started. “I lost focus and was amazed at the way the Weak Powdered Paralytic Adder Venom split between the concentrated mana vapors and the liquified mana. Once I realized what I was doing it was too late.”
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“Hm. Well, even though you did lose your focus, you did end up correcting it and stabilized it enough that it stopped from blowing up. You even learned something that will help you out with this section of Alchemy and help advance your magic. You, once again, have advanced a bit farther than you should for one who have recently arrived in this world. So, let’s chalk it up as a learning experience. – Eri.”
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Liam nodded as he read the message. He was happy to move pass this, but there was something that Eri said that caught his attention. “What do you mean that I learned something that will help me out with this section of Alchemy and help advance my magic? Are you talking about the Dual Mana Control?”
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“Yes! Dual Mana Control is the next step in Mana Control. Just like the name implies, it helps you control two different types of Mana at the same time. This ability helps when making or trying to stabilize Chemical Creation items you are crafting. Not only that, but it will help you out once you get Mana Manipulation to a certain level and receive a certain Non-Combat ability that needs you to control two different mana types. You aren’t anywhere near that level of magical ability yet, so I won’t be going into more details about it, but I will tell you the name of the ability and allow your imagination to run wild with it. The ability is called Mana Convergence. – Eri.”
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“Mana Convergence?” Liam muttered as he tried thinking about it.
He knew that convergence was something when two or more things come together to form a new thing. If that still applied in this world, then would Mana Convergence be something where you mixed two different manas together to create something new?
Liam’s eyes widened as he thought more about it. If that was true, then it would make sense to have an ability that would help you learn to control two different mana types. By learning to control two different mana types you’d be able to understand how they work, how to connect them together, and how to make something new from them.
Liam stopped himself right there. The line of thought he was going down felt correct, but at the same time he felt like there was something he was missing. He was about to dive deep into thinking more about it but stopped as a new thought produced itself from the back of his mind.
“Wait…If Dual Mana Control is something I needed to have for crafting Chemicalized Creations then why didn’t you stop me? Also, why didn’t it say anything about it in the Beginner’s Guide to Things that go Boom?”
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“About that…With the way you tend to go head first in your crafting sessions and somehow come out successful…Couple that with your intense focus when you craft, I thought you wouldn’t need it. If you hadn’t lost focus on the task at hand and would have focused more on the crafting you probably would have been fine and wouldn’t have needed the ability. As for your last question. Normally you would have, and your mentor explain and guide you through this before attempting this craft section. There was no warning because your mentor was supposed to give you that warning. – Eri.”
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Liam shook his head. He didn’t know exactly how he felt about that. He was glad to hear that she believed he would have been fine without the ability, but at the same time he messed up and failed to meet that expectation of hers. If he didn’t get awestruck on the powdered mixture then he might have been fine.
On the flip side though, because he messed up he was able to push his Mana Control to level twenty and receive an ability that he should have before doing this craft. That being said, he was fifty-fifty on the whole thing.
Liam shook his head. He made it through his first Chemicalized Creation crafting session without it blowing up in his face. Instead of debating on what had happened, he should hop back into it and do it again…this time without the possibility of the flask exploding.
Liam looked at his internal clock and noted that it wasn’t as late as he originally thought it was. He wanted to have enough time to get some more crafting done before doing the tests since he didn’t know how long the tests would take.
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“Alright. I have enough to make a couple more of these. I should probably do that before I finish up in here,” Liam stated. An idea formed in his mind as he thought about his materials. “I wonder if I could use that as well…”
Before diving right back to it and finishing up the rest of the materials he had left in the distilling flasks, Liam went over all possible combinations he could make. As he let his thoughts run wild he didn’t notice the mad scientist chuckle he had going on. He didn’t, but Eri did.
Not wanting to have her champion lose his train of thoughts, she just shook her head as she watched and listened to him. His thoughts and ideas on what he wanted to use had merits. Merits that could, no would cause a stir and chaos. While that was what she wanted, she wasn’t entirely sure if it was such a good idea to allow someone, who could use both Shadow and Lunar Magic, in any Chemicalized Creation experiment.
While she had witnessed him use the two in their mana form at the same time, it was quite different if he tried to attempt them in an Alchemy crafting session so soon. He wasn’t ready to combine the two yet. It would be a powerful combination, yes; however, it would also destroy not only the room he was in if he made a fatal mistake, but it would literally vaporize him. Killing him right on the spot before he could restabilize it. She would have to shut that down before he attempted it.
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A while had passed and Liam not only made a few more Weak Poisoned Null Zone creations, but he also made a few with some of his other materials. To Eri’s relief, Liam hadn’t attempted to mix his Shadow and Lunar Extracts together.
There was a few times she thought she would need to step in and stop him from trying it, but thankfully he thought carefully about it before stopping himself. It was a rollercoaster though since he had thought about it a few times. She had never met a more indecisive crafter in her entire life before. She felt tired and drained just from watching him battle his curiosity and his common sense over the matter so many times.
Even though she was tired from that, she was pretty impressed with what he ended up making. Combining his Shadow Extracts with other Mana type Extracts as well as his Lunar created some very interesting combinations. Her two favorites so far were the combination of Shadow, Fire, and the Powdered Poison as one as well as the Lunar and Lightning. The effects they created were both deadly and nasty.
Liam stared at the finished items he had made. He was quite happy with his experiments and the way they turned out. He was able to make a couple Implosive Heatwaves and Magnetic Shockwaves that Galin had given him as a present, but after that he experimented with some other materials he had. The results did not disappoint.
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“Weak Poisoned Shadow Ash. Item Type – Chemicalized Creation. Item Rarity – Rare. Item Quality – Weak. Description – An explosive of Shadow and Ash will cover a radius of ten feet. Anything caught within the radius will be covered in a dark cloud of burning ash. Effects caused by the dark cloud depend on if target inhales as well as is covered by the substance.”
“Weak Crushing Dark Fog. Item Type – Chemicalized Creation. Item Rarity – Rare. Item Quality – Weak. Description – A thick dark fog rises up before pushing down on any targets within a ten foot radius. All targets within the fog had gravity weigh down on them, hindering their movements while inside the fog. If targets inhale the fog they will receive the Whispers from Beyond Debuff as well as an affliction that creates damage to the mind. Damage starts off small but increases the more they inhale and the longer they remain inside the fog.”
“Weak Crackling Lunar Flash. Item Type – Chemicalized Creation. Item Rarity – Rare. Item Quality – Weak. Description – a Lunar orb forms upon impact. The Lunar Orb will flash sending out an arc of Lightning that will both strike anyone within the radius as well as blind anyone who sees each flash. Each strike of Lightning that successfully hits a target will cause both Lightning damage as well as a Lunar affliction upon the area impacted.”
“Weak Lunate Sickle Air Blast. Item Type – Chemicalized Creation. Item Rarity – Rare. Item Quality – Weak. Description – An Air orb forms upon impact. After orb is made a pulse will escape from it sending out a blast of Lunar Sickle strikes within a ten foot radius. Any target hit by these attacks will take both Air and Lunar damage. If the target is hit with enough strikes they will receive a Stellar Affliction from Within Debuff.”
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These items weren’t the only things he received after the crafting sessions. He was able to gain some levels in the craft as well as levels in other areas due to a few of the crafting sessions trying to go a bit haywire here and there. Unlike the first time, it wasn’t because he lost focus. It was due to his Shadow and Lunar Mana not wanting to play nice with the other mana types.
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“Congratulations! Chemicalized Creations has reached level 3! Progression to level 4: 100%!”
“Congratulations! Chemicalized Creations has reached level 4! Progression to level 5: 100%!”
“Congratulations! Chemicalized Creations has reached level 5! Progression to level 6: 0%!”
“Congratulations! Your control over Arcane Mana has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 23%!”
“Congratulations! Your control over Gravity Mana has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 13%!”
“Congratulations! Your control over Lightning Mana has reached level 13! Progression to level 14: 3%!”
“Congratulations! Your control over Lunar Mana has reached level 10! Progression to level 11: 14%! Your Control over Lunar Mana has increased to the point it is easier to control.”
“Congratulations! Your control over Shadow Mana has reached level 16! Progression to level 17: 0%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Dual Mana Control has reached level 3! Progression to level 4: 100%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability Dual Mana Control has reached level 4! Progression to level 5: 19%!”
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All in all the results were fruitful in both crafting and ability leveling. This made Liam happy, but it didn’t distract him from what he needed to do next. After cleaning up the crafting room, Liam reactivated his Spirit Weave ability to get his disguise on. After he rechecked that all his stuff was in his inventory and his ability was working, he made his way over to the door, opened it, and walked through.
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As Liam reappeared on the other side, he took in his surroundings. He was surprised to see that besides Lady Arachne, Noxi, and Orchid there were two more people standing by the desk.
From what he was able to see, both looked to be around his age. One was a male wearing leather armor, a bestial designed mask that covered his mouth and nose, and a bandana that wrapped around his forehead. The bandana made his short dark brown hair stick up in a spiky hairstyle which blended his dog-like ears with it.
The other was a female. She wore a short cloth-like skirt with shorts sticking out over her knees, a chain-mail like vest, and a bird-like mask that cover only her forehead eyes and nose. Her outfit looked a lot like a close ranged fighter which Liam assumed was the type of class she held due to the gauntlets that covered her hands and forearms. Her golden blond hair, that was tied back in a ponytail, matched the wings that rested against her back.
All five people turned to look at him as soon as the door closed. Liam felt a bit uncomfortable as the two new people stared at him. For some reason he felt like the male was not happy he was there. Not wanting to continue feeling this way, Liam waved a hand and greeted, “Hello.”
The winged girl gave him a short nod while the dog eared male continued to stare at him. It was Lady Arachne who responded, breaking the silent response the other two gave him.
“Are you finally done Little Kitten?” Lady Arachne questioned.
Liam noticed the two newcomers’ faces turned quizzical and questioning as they heard what Lady Arachne call him. They looked like they were trying to see if they had heard her right. After a second of confirming in their minds, they reacted. The winged girl brought a hand to her face and turned it away from him, trying to suppress a giggle while the dog eared male let out a loud laugh.
“Is that really your Web Name?” the dog eared male questioned as he tried to stop laughing.
Liam frowned as he stated, “No. It’s just something she’s calling me until I get a name.”
Liam’s words caused another reaction from both of the newcomers. Liam wasn’t sure if it was a mixture of annoyance and confusion or just confusion. It was confirmed which of the two it was when the winged woman replied first.
“You dare not call the first leg by her Web Name?” she stated. “A bit disrespectful aren’t you?”
“What do you mean by until you get your name?” the dog eared male asked. “Didn’t you just use one of the facilities only members are allowed to use?”
Ignoring the winged female, Liam looked at the male and replied, “Its exactly as it sounds. As for the other question, from what I was told, even if I’m not a member yet I am allowed to use the crafting room to prepare.”
Liam noticed the feathers on the winged female bristle a bit as she realized he decided not to comment on what she said. She was about to say something as the male was about to ask a question, but both were stopped as Lady Arachne butted in.
“This Little Kitten is still getting used to how things work here,” Lady Arachne started to explain as she looked at the winged female. “As a newly integrated arrival, he is still in the dark on how associations like ours work. So, I ask you give him some slack Echo Talon.” She then looked at the male and added, “We gave him permission to use the Crafting Room to prepare for his tests, Silent Paw.”
Echo Talon and Silent Paw turned their attention back to Lady Arachne and were shocked at the tone she gave them. For those who didn’t know her they would have believed the tone she used was a calm one that asked for understanding. However, those that knew her knew it wasn’t. Even Liam could feel the hidden message in her tone. You both are overstepping and asking questions you shouldn’t. That’s what Liam took from her tone.
“I am sorry,” both Echo Talon and Silent Paw responded quickly while bowing their heads.
A smile formed on Lady Arachne’s face as she looked at the two. “No need to apologize. While his arrangements seem strange, I promise no rules were bent or broken for a promising prospect, who is about to become a member of our little family. So, I ask, once when he is settled and if you happen to have overlapping missions together in the future, that you please show him the ropes…as his seniors.”
Both of their bodies tensed at her words. They weren’t stupid and caught certain words that were meant to stick out. However, they didn’t hesitate to voice their agreement of the request.
“Good,” Lady Arachne stated before looking at Liam. “Now I take it you are ready to proceed with the testing?”
Confused and unsure what was going on, Liam decided not to question it. Instead, he answered as he nodded, “Yes. I feel that I am as ready as I’ll ever been.”
“Good!” Lady Arachne smiled as she lightly clapped her hands. She looked at Noxi and instructed, “Tranquil Orchid and I will lead him to the first testing room. Please finish receiving the contents of the mission Echo Talon and Silent Paw have brought and set them up with their next mission. After that please inform Silent Saboteur that Little Kitten’s tests will begin shortly and meet us in the testing room.”
Noxi flinched at the mention of him grabbing Silent Saboteur. However, he didn’t protest and instead replied, “As you wish Lady Arachne.”
Lady Arachne and Orchid then started moving to the door on the opposite wall of where Liam stood.
“Come with us Little Kitten,” Lady Arachne beckoned as she opened a door and walked through it.
Liam looked at the two people who remained by the desk and said, “It was nice meeting you.”
Both Echo Talon and Silent Paw replied with likewise and a nod of their own as they watched him walk through the door.
After Liam disappeared through the door and the two were left alone with alone with Noxi, Silent Paw swiftly questioned, “So who is he really?”
“What do you mean?” Noxi asked.
“We aren’t stupid,” Echo Talon chimed in. “Promising prospect? Getting permission to use the Crafting Room to prepare for a test? We both know that isn’t normal. Those words and that treatment are only given to those who became an apprentice to notable members of the Web.”
“Not only that, but asking us to show him the ropes if our missions overlap? Come on now. We’re not stupid,” Silent Paw added.
“I mean you’re kind of dense at times, but you even caught the tone in her voice earlier,” Echo Talon commented.
Silent Paw glared at her. He was about to retort but stopped as Noxi let out a sigh.
“I was hoping you didn’t catch that,” Noxi started. He contemplated what exactly he should say and decided, “I won’t tell you guys a lot, but it is true he is a newly integrated arrival to our world. That and…he’s the apprentice of The Wild Card.”
Echo Talon and Silent Paw both paled at the last part of what Noxi stated. They both knew and have met the man. His work was famous amongst the members of the Fiddler’s Spider Web. Not just his work, but also his training and habits. If someone was able to become his apprentice, even they knew he wouldn’t be normal.
“Well shit,” Silent Paw stated as Echo Talon nodded in agreement to the statement.