Elydes

Chapter 179 - Progress

With an objective in mind, Kai focused on the skills close to the next advancement. Making use of the attributes he gained from Mana Child, he stretched his abilities in inventive ways for the last levels.

It was addicting to see the blinking notifications marking his progress. He messed around with the Guide to add a celebratory jingle, so he’d immediately know when he reached a skill milestone.

Blessed Swimmer (lv50) ➔

As you reach the first milestone, you are presented with four choices to continue your journey.

Stay the Course - You won’t gain new significant benefits, but you’ll deepen the insight into your path.

Treasure Hunter - Follow the whispers of the sea to find its treasures.

Vigilant Diver - Heed the warning of the sea to avoid the dangers that lurk in the deep.

Reckless Diver - Call the sea to your aid to delve into treacherous waters.

Those were some interesting upgrades for a swimming skill. Then again, Blessed Swimmer wasn’t an ordinary one. He had only been able to learn it thanks to the Blessing of Kahali.

The specializations doubled down on his underwater instincts while branching in different directions. Once he discarded the vanilla option, Kai was left with a torturous choice.

Treasure Hunter whispered of the marvelous prizes that waited to be discovered underneath the waves. When he went pearling with his sister, Blessed Swimmer had given him an inkling of where to look. A faint direction that something valuable was nearby. Kai could only imagine the benefits of strengthening this ability, probably increasing its precision and range.

I want to take it so bad. I bet even Ele would be envious if she knew.

The idea of adventuring underwater charmed him like a siren’s call. Kai wished to take it without overthinking, but the stupid voice of reason demanded he consider all angles.

Why am I like this? I hate myself, I can never make an impulsive decision with these things. Yeah, I would probably regret it later, but it would feel so good for a little while.

Yes, there were some drawbacks to this specialization. The low mana density of the Shallow Sea didn’t produce many treasures. There were exceptions like Mama Clam’s golden pearl, but those were rare.

Treasure Hunter couldn’t make precious prizes sprout from nothing, not even with his Favor. He would need to try different hunting grounds and deal with his worst nightmare: the Republic’s bureaucracy.

Spirits, I won’t be surprised if you need a permit to breathe on the mainland.

That still didn’t answer the most important question, did he really need the money? More mesars never hurt, a stroll through the upper city was enough of a reminder. However, if wealth was the issue, he could make more coins with alchemy and enchantments. It was more reliable and carried fewer risks.

The reason Treasure Hunter appealed to him was the thrill of the adventure. The infinite possibilities promised by the unknown prizes. He already had enough hobbies weighing on his limited time.

He’d need to delve into higher mana areas away from shore to be worth it. Danger and treasure always traveled hand in hand. If he came across anything like a sea serpent underwater, he might not even realize what killed him.

I hope you had fun destroying my dreams. Damned reasonable-Kai, go get a life.

And the Guide was clearly conspiring against him with reasonable-Kai. Vigilant Diver was another devious taunt. A reminder that Blessed Swimmer and Hallowed Intuition couldn’t protect him from every danger. Like Ele loved to say, it didn’t matter if he saw the shark if he couldn’t avoid it.

Perhaps this was the smart option for a treasure hunter. A protection to search more dangerous areas and insurance for a long career.

Boring option, pass. What’s next? Reckless Diver… Your honor, I rest my case. The Guide is colluding with reasonable-Kai. This is baseless slander! I’m not reckless, I just take calculated risks with a high mortality rate. And I don’t even do it intentionally most of the time.

The treacherous Guide didn’t come forth to apologize or change the description.

While the effects of a skill were the same for everyone, descriptions were personal, influenced knowledge and experience. What did ‘call the sea to his aid’ mean? Could he control the oceans and shape the water against his foes?

That sounds far too overpowered.

No matter how rare, Blessed Swimmer was a swimming skill and Reckless Diver its specialization. It likely strengthened the blessed sixth sense he received underwater and the mana enhancement he could use. Whatever the case, it would improve his combat potential. A very compelling argument.

And it sounds cool.

Treasure Hunter would be another time sink he couldn’t afford, while Vigilant Diver was boring and overkill with Hallowed Intuition.

Like the butler said, the best defense is getting stronger.

*Ding*

You chose to be a Reckless Diver. Blessed Swimmer (lv50) can now reach lv75.

A trip to the sea confirmed his suspicions. The cold water embraced him and dampened every sound. Besides boosting himself with unattuned and elemental mana, Reckless Diver offered a third option that consumed both.

Let’s see…

He became one with the ocean. Safe, protected, aware of every current and creature in his surroundings. Master of his body, like he had been born with fins and spent a lifetime underwater.

The waves parted to help every stroke and movement. The sea guided him towards his objective before he knew what it was. Even his Water spells were slightly stronger and reached farther without being hindered by the sea.

How much mana am I consuming?

Responding to his worry, the Water particles surged into flowing streams eager to join and aid him. They formed a revolving shield before being absorbed. In minutes, he had replenished his reserves, though he felt the first signs of skill strain.

It would be too good if I could use the skill and replenish myself endlessly. The Guide is such a miser.

Commanding the streams of Water mana to stop, the headache also abated. He could probably sustain the basic boosting for hours without feeling the strain, and the essence expenditure wasn’t high.

Guess I can accept this. But I still want compensation for slandering my name. Did you hear me, Guide? Stop ignoring me!

* * *

Between one blade design and the next, Kai continued to grind the skills close to evolving, eager to push the old timers over the last stretch.

Alchemy was probably the hardest orange skill to level. It was time-consuming and required expensive new ingredients and coveted knowledge to progress. The recipes Reishi brought him rarely pushed his abilities, though the constant stream of production eventually added up.

With one last level, the trumpets blared a triumphant tune and awarded him the awaited milestone.

Alchemy (lv50) ➔

As you reach the first milestone, you are presented with four choices to continue your journey.

Stay the Course - You won’t gain new significant benefits, but you’ll deepen the insight into your path.

Master of Herbs - Learn how to extract every drop of potential from plants and fungi to perfect your recipes.

Novice Researcher - Become adept at modifying recipes and learn the uses of new ingredients.

Master of Production - Improve efficiency and yield when brewing with large amounts of ingredients.

Long years of brewing had not gone unnoticed, he had gotten three options besides the basic one. Two possibilities that he would have to pass up.

At least I don’t see any slanderous lies. Now, what do I pick? It was easier when I had a single option.

Master of Herbs sounded like the responsible choice. Probably what Dora had picked—if she hadn’t been hiding her skills. Alchemy was a vast and complex discipline, even those who dedicated their entire lives to its pursuit could only tackle a small part.

In Higharbor, merchants supplied beasts’ parts and infused minerals from areas with a higher mana density. While Dora had given him an introduction, Kai had to spend weeks figuring out how to process and mix them in a brew.

He had forced himself to use odd ingredients to gain the last level, pushing the boundaries of his comfort zone. He could never quite predict their reactions during the brewing process.

Even when he fucked up, herbs didn’t explode or shoot up in flames, minerals sometimes did. And beasts’ parts were arguably worse. He would die a happy man if he didn’t have to scrape another shark's bladder from his walls. He could still smell the pungent stink…

Eew! Mango cake, fried pancakes, coconut ice cream, Kai banished the memory from his mind. Would it be so bad to only use herbs?

Ingredients were only part of the equation. Since selecting their first profession, most alchemists picked a field of specialization: healing remedies, enhancing elixirs, poisons, enchanting inks or alchemical explosives, just to name a few. The possibilities were endless. Less than a third chose to remain generalists at Red, and the number fell to a tenth when choosing their orange profession.

Specializing in an ingredient type instead was a bit unconventional. Master of Herbs would help him use every mana weed, and it didn’t mean he couldn’t reach beyond his field. While he wouldn’t improve much with them, he could still grind minerals and squash all the spider eyes he wanted.

Mhmm… let’s see the others first.

Novice Researcher intrigued him. Modifying recipes required tens if not hundreds of tests to isolate the variables. It was tedious work, but there were few things more rewarding than creating new recipes.

Never settle, always strive to refine a potion, Dora’s words echoed. Alchemy was a journey with no end. There was always something that could be perfected. Even the book she left him was waiting for the day his skills could improve upon it.

Novice Researcher would serve him to get familiar with new ingredients, which would help him learn new recipes and shore up his deficiencies. It was the option he found more appealing.

And the million-dollar question is: how useful is it?

It was easier and faster to buy recipes than to make them. And Dora’s book could provide him with what he needed. When both options failed, the potion was usually beyond his alchemic abilities.

Experimenting was sometimes fun, and always expensive. Even if he succeeded, it was difficult to recoup the cost and make a profit.

I could ask Reishi to finance it, we’d need to choose something with market potential…

Unable to make up his mind, Kai moved to the last option: Master of Production. He would need to thank the merman for it.

The efficiency boost would increase his earnings, though he wasn’t really interested in money. Not in the small margins the specialization would net him. If he needed a few more silver, he could work an extra hour. Master of Production would make little difference in the short term.

Sorry, Reishi. I know you’d love it if I picked this, but mass production is kinda boring.

Kai discarded the option with little regret. Now came the hard part.

Master of Herbs would improve his skills the most, though it limited his possibilities. While Novice Researcher was well… fun. It had an uncertain earning potential, and might or might not get him some useful recipes.

Those are a lot of ifs.

He could also Stay the Course and not pick anything, but it was a waste when there were viable options.

What do I need from my Alchemy?

An endless source of potions and a way to earn a living. Those were the main points, and neither specialization would influence them much.

Alchemy was more than a hobby but not his main pursuit. Even if he ended up changing his profession, he wouldn’t become a full-time alchemist. He could afford to make unpopular choices.

*Ding*

You chose to become a Novice Researcher. Alchemy (lv50) can now reach lv75.

It’s for the best.

He still had his second milestone to specialize, for now, he saw no problem being a generalist. Novice Researcher was more interesting and encouraged experimentation. Pushing his boundaries always made skills grow faster.

Kai rummaged through the drawers on his desk to find the tear of the deep. A deep blue crystal infused with Water mana. Flynn had bought it cheap from a merchant who thought it was a pretty rock.

Examining it with Mana Sense and Inspect, he got a few ideas on how he could grind it and mix it in a potion without wasting its potential. He could have achieved the same with some thought, but it now came easier and faster.

And I can get even better ideas if I think about it.

Kai smiled satisfied. Testing the specialization's influence when he modified a recipe would be a much more laborious process. He’d first ask Reishi if there was a potion he wanted to alter. The merman never lacked ideas to make a profit.

We’ll have plenty of time to discuss it on the ship. I’ll probably have to wait till we get back to test it…

“Ready to go?” Flynn’s voice echoed from downstairs.

“Just a minute.”

Kai turned to pick up the large brown bag. It had already been filled with everything he might need for his journey home. Alana’s subtle hints had become more obvious in her letters. His twelfth birthday was like a nice time to surprise his family with a visit.

Edgar had engraved the last fang two days ago, and Reishi was about to go back to Sylspring to check his business there. It was the ideal time. The perfected copied skill lay like a monolith in his mind.

I hope they’re doing as well as Mom says.

The final sea serpent’s sword lay on his bed. The culmination of months of work. The gnome had fused two fangs to make a double edge. The fusion was so seamless that Kai wouldn’t believe it had once been two pieces if he hadn’t seen it himself. It had complicated the balancing, but he had managed to pull it off with a little help from the runesmith.

Both sides were covered in intricate chains of delicate runes. Edgar had carved them with transparent ink, so the runes were almost invisible on the glass-like surface. Even a three-times fool couldn’t chip the enchantment. The gnome insisted he had used the special ink to celebrate getting rid of the stubborn pest infesting his lab.

I think he might like me.

Beneath the leather braiding, the ivory hilt had been engraved with a cloaking enchantment. Another idea of the gnome since his professional pride would hurt if someone stole his work.

Kai picked up the sword and gave a few practice swings. He couldn’t wait to sneak into the Veeryd jungle and test it properly. He put it back into its sheath and stored it in his ring.

Time to go.