Kill The Old Ones!

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The art of potion-making in this world was actually much younger than one would expect.

It was first discovered around five thousand years ago, fairly recent, all things considered. But back then, it was still crude, and the discovery was only an accident.

That thing wasn’t even called a ’potion’ back then. It was just a ’strange drink’ that had some rather interesting effects. The concept of a ’potion’ didn’t become official until three thousand years ago when a martial artist decoded a book they looted in a dungeon labyrinth that turned out to be a potion recipe.

And contrary to popular belief, the ’first potion’ that’s been recorded in human history was, ironically, not the oh-so-common health potions nowadays.

It’s Amortentia—the ensnaring charm potion. The creator of this potion must include their DNA into the potion, and if their target successfully consumed the potion, it will make them feel a strong, almost unreasonable, attraction towards the one who brewed the potion.

Amortentia is now a banned potion; its recipe had been erased by the World System long ago, and it’s impossible to brew nowadays. But the fact still remains that it was, indeed, the first ever recorded potion that appeared in human history.

And it came from that same recipe book that a fortunate martial artist decoded after decades of study.

Since then, the ’potions’ had been legalized, and they entered fast development.

Fast forwarding to the current era, potions had become a staple to martial artists’ lives, especially those who frequently go to explore dungeons.

Only a crazy or suicidal person would go into a dungeon without carrying potions with them. Even if they’re raiding a dungeon that’s way beneath their level, most would still carry potions with them just in case.

At some point in a martial artist’s life, a potion will save them. That’s just one of the common truths of this world.

One of the biggest suppliers of potions and also the leading figure in any potion-related research in human civilization was the Lifestyle Guild. They had thousands of experts conducting research and experiments on potions every day. And although new recipes or discoveries aren’t common, even the smallest improvements in potions could increase the chances of dungeon explorers’ survival. That’s why they receive a lot of funding for their research.

The Banished Arms Clan was one of the certified clans who could be trusted in potion-related matters. Although they’re not at the very forefront of it, at the very least, they’re somewhere out there, and that helped a lot in maintaining the steady reputation and income of the clan.

Ren was now in a lab. Not like the mad scientist kind of lab, but a clean, brightly lit, and well-stocked laboratory.

Raymond was here with him. And both of them were wearing pristine white lab coats, thick, hard, and clear eyeglasses, face masks, gloves, and boots. The appropriate attire for potion makers.

Ren was surrounded with glass vials, beakers, test tubes, small burners, long tables, some whiteboards, and samples of medicinal herbs and ingredients.

Judging by what’s around him, it’s clear that potion making wasn’t some kind of ’profound’ art that needed cauldrons and ancient recipes to do. It had grown beyond that and was modernized by human technology.

When they got here, Raymond hadn’t said much to him.

Instead, he handed him the recipe for a ’Small Health Potion’ and asked him to try it out. He didn’t instruct him or tell him what he needed to do; he just told him to start brewing.

Raymond was testing Ren for something. And it’s probably his theoretical foundation.

Ren wasn’t perturbed all that much. He’d admit that he was surprised for a bit, but he didn’t dally for too long. He went ahead and began taking all the necessary tools for brewing and the ingredients he will need.

Beakers, burners, a knife, cutting boards, a mortar and pestle for tools. He also grabbed green and red slime clumps, a handful of rosemary and thyme, pomegranate molasses, and sugar cubes. These are ingredients for the small health potion according to the recipe that Raymond handed him.

Once he’s got everything, Ren begins his prep.

First, he ensured that his tools are clean; that is the most important step. Hygiene is repeatedly emphasized in potion making, and Ren wasn’t about to make a rookie mistake.

If he saw even a slight smudge on any of the tools he’s holding that wasn’t supposed to be there, he’d immediately go to the sink to clean them out thoroughly.

Seeing this already put Raymond’s mind at ease. This was indeed the first real step in potion-making. The fact that Ren hasn’t forgotten it was already a satisfactory sign.

Then, Ren began heating up about twenty milliliters of water. He turned the small stove on and used one of the stainless steel pots to heat up the water. While that’s heating up, he ground the rosemary and thyme he brought with him, stalks and all. He then added one clump of green slime into the mix until it became a paste.

When the water started simmering, Ren added the paste he just made and the sugar cube. He then began dissolving the paste and the sugar cube in the water, which turned it a bit cloudy.

At this point, Ren lowered his facemask a bit and took a quick sniff. He shook his head and decided that it’s not yet time to add the next ingredient.

He kept stirring until the water rose up to a certain temperature and started emitting a tangy herbal scent. That’s when he added a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses into the mixture. He stirred it again, this time to dissolve the molasses and have it completely incorporated with the brew.

Then, he waited until the scent became sweet and the brew went into a rolling boil before he turned the heat off. That’s when he added the final ingredient, the red slime clump.

When he added that, the whole brew turned bright sparkly red. The iconic sight of a health potion.

He was left with a 12 ml solution; he fetched a 10 ml vial and poured the potion into it, being careful to not spill it out. After that, he dropped the vial into a mold submerged in an ice bath to cool the potion down.

After doing all this, he looked to his mentor, inquiring for his judgment.

”Good. It seems that all the reading I made you do hadn’t been for naught,” Raymond praised.

Inwardly, he was shocked. Although he never really thought that Ren would fail his first brew since the small health potion was easy enough, he was still surprised by how smooth it went.

Raymond’s own experience was more embarrassing. He forgot to sanitize his equipment, which earned him a smack on the head courtesy of his own mother. Then, he started doubting his knowledge, which made him slower to react when he should’ve when it was time to add the ingredients.

His hesitation led to him almost failing his first brew. And he received an earful from his mother.

If that’s already terrible, Alex’s was even more horrendous than his. Alex failed his first brew, and this is with Raymond basically holding his hand throughout the entire brewing process.

Ren didn’t stumble as much as he did, nor was he even remotely close to being as horrible as Alex.

His first brew was already at an excellent level. If Raymond were to hand this to any appraiser, they might say that this was something Raymond brewed on his own; they would never guess that it was made by his martial nephew instead.

”Try again. Three at the same time, this time. Be bold; don’t be afraid to fail. We’ve got more than enough supply to support your practice,” Raymond stated.

Now, he was testing Ren’s limits. He wanted to figure out how focused and how much more pressure Ren could handle before his skill starts dropping. This was a comprehensive test that would allow him to tailor how he would teach Ren moving forward.

Ren had no qualms with the requests. He took out three batches of ingredients and started another brewing session.

As their lesson progressed, Raymond learned one thing about Ren, and that is his composure was truly solid.

Ren never panicked. He never did anything that’s not required during the brewing process, and that’s what stabilized his results.

Another thing is that Ren doesn’t mind repetition. He doesn’t get lazy, doesn’t get complacent, doesn’t get too confident with familiarity. Even if his repeated actions grew repetitive and boring, he didn’t complain or become sloppy.

Again, this was one of the main reasons why his results were stable.

Whether it’s three at the same time, five at the same time, or even ten at the same time, the results are the same. All excellent and sparkly small health potions, ones that could be consumed immediately and would work as intended.

In the end, Raymond failed to see where Ren’s limits were, which caused him a bit of a headache, because he doesn’t have experience teaching a prodigy.

’Alex was right, Clan Leader. Your nephew’s a huge freak.’