Hours later, when evening had long since come, Lukas and Akira sat around a fire. The day had been eventful, informative, and fun beyond measure. After dealing with the elemental, they had fought a handful of other beasts, and Lukas relished the chance to use his new abilities. Using telekinesis to throw poisons when he'd usually be unable to added more versatility to his fighting style, especially when dual-wielding weapons.

One of the only downsides to the ability was the focus required. While fighting, Lukas couldn't keep track of so many different things at once, even struggling to control a single bottle. Even that led to mistakes and extra injuries as he tried to make use of his new ability. Then there was the fact that putting poison directly on his blades was still the best way to deliver a potent dose, and using telekinesis for that while in battle was impossible at the moment.

All that being said, Lukas still saw massive potential in the ability. It would take time and no small amount of training, but it would all be worth it. That was doubly true if flight was on the table.

Lukas was also able to test out his first special ability, Night's Intractability, and he loved it. It required him to stab an enemy to activate, which he did find slightly annoying, as his attacks usually came in the form of slashes, hacks, and cuts. It forced him to adjust his fighting style a bit to incorporate more stabbing, but changes were to be expected with new abilities.

The effect of the ability itself was one Lukas was enjoying. The wave of darkness released on the activation of the ability didn't throw back his enemy per se; instead, it was as though he'd shoved them, throwing them slightly off balance. He had hoped the effect would be more pronounced, and it didn't seem like he'd be sending anything flying across the battlefield with a single stab, but an enemy off balance created openings for new attacks and opportunities to take the momentum. Not only that, but the blast of darkness actually increased the size of the wound, doing even more damage. Then there was the affliction. Once applied, faint white lines would be etched into his opponent's flesh, spreading out from the wound and burning away their life force.

The difference between the cooldown and affliction timer gave him a five-second window to stack another affliction before the first one dissipated. It was tricky, and he wasn't always able to get another stab in, but when he did, the glowing lines grew, stretching further across a beast's body and stacking damage. It was a fantastic ability that let him end fights faster and allowed him to go after stronger beasts with more confidence.

Besides the abilities and levels gained throughout the day, there was also the loot. After days of killing beasts in the level-thirty-to-forty range, the coins were starting to roll in. It was deeply satisfying getting money, experience, and power for each kill. Sure, Lukas still had no idea what the money was actually worth, but he had a decent amount of it.

He wasn't only getting coins either. Lukas was looting beast parts like fangs, claws, teeth, venom glands, pelts—you name it. They were all things that held some sort of value, usually tied to the mana type the creature was attuned to. He was also getting a decent amount of meat, various types of shards, and other rare natural treasures.

It eventually got to the point where Lukas wondered why anyone bothered with the contracts and didn't just kill beasts, seeing as it was far more lucrative. That was when an exasperated Akira reminded him that not everyone had the ability to loot beasts like he did. The closest thing they had was the harvesting ritual, but that wasn't always the best—it didn't give the same amount of coin or material. Not to mention the ritual was rather complicated, meaning a large number of people didn't know how to do it.

One of the best things he'd looted in the last few days came from the Stone Elemental's body. Upon its death, the monster's body had crumbled into a pile of loose rock and stone. From that pile, Lukas had felt a familiar spiritual twinge. After some rummaging, he found a small grayish-brown orb made to look like any other stone—only this one was perfectly round and smooth.

[Essence of Stone (Legendary)] - An essence of stone.

The description was as useless as the Essence of the Moon's had been, and as he sat by the campfire staring at its strange glassy surface, Lukas could feel that if he wanted to, he could absorb the essence. He didn't, of course, because he knew that doing so wouldn't exactly help him, as he had no abilities related to stone in any way.

"Do you want it?" Lukas asked Akira, holding the essence out to her.

She looked at the essence for a moment before ultimately shaking her head. "No, keep it. It wouldn't pair well with any of my classes or racial abilities. If you had something plant, nature, steel, or even spear-related, I'd take it."

"What should I do with it then?"

Akira shrugged. "Besides alchemy? You could sell it. Essences are always in high demand, and that one should sell for a decent amount. There are a lot of people with earth and stone related abilities back in the city."

Sometime later, Lukas got up from his spot on the ground, dusting off his pants as he headed off into the darkness.

Akira looked up from the bread she was eating, the light of the campfire glinting in her eyes and off her obsidian-black hair. "Where are you going?"

Lukas held up the cauldron he'd pulled from his inventory. "Going to do some alchemy and try some new things. It's probably best if I don't do it near you."

Retreating away from camp, Lukas sat himself down behind a tree fifty yards away. Setting his cauldron on the ground beside him, he pulled out a few books from his inventory. He already knew what he wanted to make, and he was excited to try his hand at new concoctions. It had been a while since he'd made something new, and he found that the process was one of his favorite parts of alchemy.

The whole "ruining dozens of concoctions and wasting materials" thing wasn't included, but the puzzle was. Each new creation was a series of pieces that came together to make a greater whole, and the alchemist's job was to figure out how it all fit and why. Lukas thought the process was exhilarating, and when that notification popped up when everything went right, the satisfaction was immeasurable.

Now, he was aiming for four new creations—regeneration potions for each resource and a general mana acid. He also had plans to make gaseous versions of each but knew he didn't have nearly enough time in the night to achieve that goal.

Lukas had already read up on all the concoctions, going over the process and materials required, but it was good to go over everything again in case he'd forgotten something. Thankfully, the three regeneration potions were fairly easy to make. Like their regular counterparts, these potions only required two parts—a catalyst and a main ingredient. This was due to the fact that in some regions, there were flowers that could be used directly to make these potions.

In the region where Pinewood was located, the Re'in Carnation grew—the main ingredient for the health regeneration potion. The other two main ingredients, the Heartlum Peony and Etho Aster, grew in The Sands in the far south and Vestermole on the other side of the world, respectively. Thanks to Sera's kind and generous donation of all the stuff in her cave, Lukas had plenty of all three.

Despite the seeming rarity of the flowers used to make them, the potions themselves weren't rare at all and were some of the most common in use. It was all because these regeneration potions could be made with the same flowers as regular resource potions, but the process of concocting them was drastically different. Due to the magical properties and nature of the flowers, the energy within them wanted to be delivered all at once. Obviously, that wasn't what a regeneration potion did—it spurred on the consumer's natural regeneration. As a result, another ingredient was required, one that mingled with and changed how the flowers' energies behaved.

It wasn't a particularly difficult process. Lukas even had everything he needed to make the regeneration potions in such a way. The concoctions would even come out the same no matter which process was used. But there was no point in making things more difficult than necessary, especially with the time restraint he had, so he took the easy route.

Unfortunately, when it came to the acid, things weren't so peachy. Since the acid Lukas was aiming to make was an "all-purpose" mana acid, there were two main ingredients required along with the catalyst. The first was the Carodae Daffodil, a virulent green flower with a black stalk and acid that would occasionally drip from the pistils. This acidic delight was exactly what one would expect. The only issue with the flower was that they had a tendency to gain an attunement based on the environment where they grew. It was great if you wanted a poison that focused on a certain type of mana and could create a farm that instilled the Carodae's with the desired attunement. It wasn't so great if you were aiming to make a decently strong general acid that worked on just about all mana types.

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The second main ingredient was the Neutrum Mushroom. The little thing was a light ash gray, with white dots across the cap and thick gills. This was the key to removing whatever pesky attunements might be lingering in the Carodae. It was also useful in other concoctions where unwanted attunements could affect the final outcome.

Lukas had never worked with three total ingredients before, and he was nervous and yet excited to give it a try. He'd read about the process and knew that for the acid he was making, he couldn't just add the required plants at the same time as he usually did, but had to do it in staggered succession, the same as you would when cooking.

Pulling out all the required ingredients for each new craft, he spent no small amount of time holding them and looking them over. In the case of the Carodae, however, he was able to use his new telekinesis to keep the acid from hurting his fingers—something he very much enjoyed. The goal was to try to familiarize himself with what he'd be working with. He was already going to have a hard enough time trying to figure out a mana web for the new concoctions and wanted things to go as smoothly as possible. Not to mention, he had no desire to waste dozens of resources only to end up with stinking goop he'd have to dump out on the forest floor.

He delicately took each flower and mushroom, feeling their energy emanations with his aura. At the same time, he used his Amber Eye ability to see the energies around them, taking careful note of how they moved—dancing and twirling in hypnotic ways—what color they were, and how they interacted with the world around them. The only things he didn't need to inspect were the catalysts. He used those so many times he practically knew them like the back of his hand.

Satisfied with his inspection of his materials, Lukas took hold of his cauldron, filled it with water, and got started. First on the to-do list was the health regeneration potion. He was already intimately familiar with the Re'in Carnation after having eaten it raw and rubbed it on meat so many times in the past. Granted, that didn't exactly give him much insight as to what working with the flower would be like.

Just like with the main three resource potions, Lukas started off by using his newfound telekinesis to add ground-down Re'in Carnation. With the paste of the main ingredient added, the Wesser Vine paste was right on its heels. As expected, the two energies started to mingle, and Lukas activated his Amber Eyes as he took control. His own unattuned mana joined the fray, working to guide the two where they needed to go.

He watched as the energies moved about in eddies and swirls, trying to decipher their complex patterns. It didn't take long for him to notice something. The energies of the Re'in Carnation were moving in a way similar to that of the Blood Moon Lily. It was like looking at a child and their parents—seeing similarities that linked them.

Obviously, the two flowers were distinct from one another, and so far as Lukas knew, had no real connection. Only, that wasn't entirely true. As he continued to watch and observe, poking at the bubbling concoction with his own mana, he came to realize why the two were similar. Both flowers had their own properties and quirks, sure, but both were heavily reliant on vital energy at their foundation. Everything that came after the vital energy was simply an add-on, changing how that vital energy acted.

With the revelation, Lukas watched as the first concoction turned from a pleasant rose color giving off the scent of strawberries to a sickening brown that stank of sewage.

Grunting with disgust, Lukas grabbed the cauldron with his telekinesis and directed it away from him and the campfire, dumping its contents far away. Starting fresh, Lukas gave the concoction another try, sketching out the beginnings of the web he'd use. His webs were still new to him, and actually making them was something he was still working the kinks out of. For all he knew, they were a complete dead end, like his previous technique.

It took a few attempts, but Lukas did manage to find a structure that allowed the energies of the catalyst and the flower to mix with relative ease. There were still a few points of friction—spots in his webs where the energy flows were too restricted or twisted in a way that wasn't quite right. Thankfully, this was the easy part. The real challenge was building up the initial web; once that was done, his Amber Eyes allowed him to see where energy struggled to flow neatly and efficiently.

Even with dozens of imperfections in the web, the first successful craft came after eight failures, and Lukas felt pretty good about that.

[Health Regeneration Potion (Lesser)] - Has been successfully crafted. This is a new creation, providing extra experience.

Happy with his first success, Lukas bottled up three of the potions before taking down a few notes, putting in a rough outline of the web he was using as well as a handful of observations. Having made one batch, Lukas went for another with the goal of polishing up the faults in his webs. In the end, he ended up making just over two dozen health regeneration potions. It wasn't much, and he was still far from a perfect web, but at least he managed a common version thanks to his many tweeks.

[Health Regeneration Potion (Common)] - Has been successfully crafted. Experience earned.

Level gained: [Combat Alchemist] has reached level 37 - Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Human (Outworlder)] has reached level 36 - Stat points allocated.

Inspecting his newest bottle, he nodded to himself, more than pleased with the way things were going so far. "Very nice."

For the next several hours, Lukas worked on making the other two regeneration potions. Neither was particularly complicated, and like the health regeneration potion, it simply required time to understand the energy interactions and movements. It was only a matter of time before Lukas had even more potions in his pockets and another level to his name.

The progress felt great, and consuming his own creations was even more satisfying. Curious about their effects, Lukas downed a mana regeneration potion now that he'd expended a decent amount of the resource while crafting. Having downed one of the common versions, he was delighted to find that the potion restored his mana faster than he used it. Not only that, but the effect lasted for about eight minutes.

It didn't give him more than one of his better mana potions would, so there was room for improvement there, but he was actually able to take both potions for an even larger boost. The energies of the potions were different enough that they didn't clash, allowing both to go to work without issue. It was a boon that would allow him to regain his resources even faster after or during a fight.

Rallied by his success and findings, Lukas' confidence was high, and he was finally ready to make an attempt at the acid.

With great anticipation, he took out the flower, the mushroom, and the moss. Grinding each into a fine paste, he set them aside as he double and triple checked his notes to ensure he did things properly. To start, the lime-green paste was added to the already boiling cauldron, the acidic goop dissolving in an instant. The color of the water changed to match the color of the flower, streaks of murky brown displaying a slight earth attunement the flower had been hiding.

A few notes later, and the moss was added—the catalyst that would get the party started. Adding that in went just as it would for any other potion or poison he'd made so far. The only difference was what came after. Lukas still had to mix the two, allowing the useful energies to be pulled. Working out that mana web was far trickier than any of his previous concoctions. He'd simply never worked with anything similar before, so he had to start from the ground up.

It took well over two hours, but he eventually managed a very rough mana web that achieved his goal. Unfortunately, this was the point where things got difficult. The moment his new web snapped into place and the energies mixed, the concoction wanted to complete—but that would leave him with an attuned acid. He struggled to keep it from happening, but in the end, he failed.

[Earth Mana Acid (Lesser)] - Has been successfully crafted. This is a new creation, providing extra experience.

Sighing, Lukas looked over the notification. "At least I got some experience."

After bottling up the brownish-green acid and putting it away, Lukas tried again, once more failing to prevent the concoction from completing immediately. A dozen failed attempts later, Lukas sat there, staring at his empty cauldron. He was racking his brain for a solution and struggling to find one.

Unable to think of anything else, he pulled out his notes from previous concoctions and a few books that might give him some ideas. He spent over half an hour reading before he slowly started forming a plan.

Up until now, his mana webs were used to introduce the energies of a catalyst and main ingredient in such a way that they wouldn't overpower one another, instead effortlessly combining to make a potion. If he did that now, he'd get a mana acid with an attunement—which he didn't want. He needed to keep the concoction "malleable" long enough after the mixing to drop in the mushroom paste.

As he glazed over notes from when he was first learning basic magic theory, he remembered where the idea for his webs had come from. Learning how rituals and other magical emplacements worked was where it started, and now it was time to turn there for inspiration once more.

Now that he could see it and had been reminded of the connection, Lukas wanted to slap himself in the face. The current iteration of his mana webs was like simple ritual circles—let the energy flow through, and you get an effect. There was no keeping the energies around; they were simply expended. That wasn't the case for formations or arrays. They were long-term and managed to keep their effect active with energy constantly flowing. That's what Lukas needed in his concoction.

Sifting through multiple different schematics for both formations and arrays, Lukas had a few things he wanted to try. Tossing all his notes and books back into his inventory, Lukas took up his cauldron and tried again. This time, he'd add a ring to his web, and as more and more of the useful energy was pulled from the Carodae, it would go straight in—circulating faster and faster to keep it stable and malleable.

Things didn't quite work out the way he intended, as the energy naturally wanted to "solidify" and take shape as the finished concoction. As a result, the ring Lukas made was clogged up, and rather than ending with an attuned acid, he got a pot of goo. Still, it wasn't all for nothing, because there were a few spots where things flowed fine, indicating that the ring needed to be changed, twisted, turned, pulled, transformed into another web.

"More webs," Lukas grumbled, staring down at the sludge. "A web for the first combination, another for keeping the energies stable, and a third for the mushroom. I'm going to have to up my mental stats to keep track of it all."

Sighing, and knowing what he'd gotten himself into, Lukas looked up at the pieces of the night sky through the forest canopy. "Just past three in the morning. I should have time."

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