"Nah. I am probably expecting too much." Liam stood up to try it out anyway and walked over to the pond.
He did not straight up jump into it since there might be a 'Greeny' in this pond too but considering that Luna was swimming here all the time there was probably nothing like it.
Liam removed all the clothes on his body except for his underwear and dived into the pond with a splash.
It had been a while since he took a bath so the water felt very refreshing. He then drank a couple of mouthfuls of the water.
It was sweet and had a pleasant taste, even felt soothing, but nothing else happened.
"I guess I really was expecting too much." How could a pond from that weird place compare to the pond that popped out of a stone tablet?
Liam sighed and decided to stay in the pond for some more time just to be sure.
Luna happily played around him while he relaxedly floated around, thinking about the elixir recipe that was still giving him a headache.
Without him realizing it, almost an entire hour passed by just like that.
Suddenly…
Splash! Liam hurriedly rushed out of the pond. He almost grasped something and was close to solving this puzzle.
Without bothering to put on any clothes, he sat down in front of the cauldron and started throwing things into it. This time he didn't do it one by one and threw in all the herbs together.
He then started making the elixir.
A few more minutes passed in silence and soon the whole cauldron began rocking.
Liam was completely drenched in sweat from top to bottom.
He gritted his teeth and manipulated the mana and finally at the last moment which counted the most, he gave it his all and churned out whatever mana he had remaining.
Bbt. Bbt. Bbt. Bbt. Even the cauldron started rocking wildly.
Was another explosion incoming?
Kyuuuu! Luna quickly dove into the pond to escape the aftermath, curiously peeking out to take a look from the safety of the waters.
Now the cauldron was rocking even more wildly.
Liam's eyes were also red in color. The blood vessels in his eyes had burst out. The veins on his hands and muscles were also popping. He looked like he was only barely holding on.
And just as the cauldron began to roar loudly as if it was about to blast apart, the next second everything quieted down without a single sound.
Tizzzzz. Something sizzled quietly inside the cauldron.
Liam held his breath and looked inside to see a single drop of liquid. It was a clear teal-colored liquid.
[Ding. Greater Body Cleansing Elixir created]
[Ding. Your Alchemy skill proficiency has increased]
[Ding. Your Alchemy skill proficiency has increased to Expert Master Level]
"YESSSSSS!" Liam grabbed the fox next to him, squished it in excitement, and fell back on the ground roaring with laughter.
This damned thing had been plaguing him forever now and he finally got it right!
He then abruptly tossed Luna away and before he could forget this feeling, he quickly started making another batch again.
"Oh, I should store it first."
Liam realized that he was too tired to think clearly and chuckled in his state of euphoria. He stopped the second batch and transferred the drop into a small vial first.
He took out the canister and drank another small sip of the water which gave him instant recovery. He then jumped into the pond again.
Only now he was able to finally breathe. Though he wanted to repeat the process asap, it was too draining to start up immediately. He needed a few breaths.
Five minutes later, he was once again clear-headed. In fact, more so. He mentally went over everything that he had done for the elixir.
He was able to think about each and every step with a crystal clear mind without any confusion. He had a unique clarity.
"Don't tell me…" Liam looked at the pond water. Though he did not get any notification, he could tell that this pond was doing something. He was able to think more clearly.
It was either because of that or because of his bonus stats, something helped him. The recipe that he couldn't crack for so many days was finally in his grasp.
Liam swam around for a few more minutes and then quickly ran out like a maniac to start the next batch once again.
A few more minutes passed by and this time as well the cauldron once again started rocking wildly… and…
BOOOM!
Everything exploded.
Unfortunately, Luna who had confidently stepped out this time was now fully covered in black soot!
Kyuuuuuuu!
She scratched out the grass on the ground in anger and dove back into the pond, never wanting to come out again.
Liam, however, was much less upset. He quickly stood up and moved onto a cleaner patch of grass and started repeating all the steps all over again.
He had unlimited herbs, he had already made it work once, so he was not going to give up without getting it fully within his grasp.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Another four explosions rocked and finally on the fifth one, the much-awaited notification popped up.
[Ding. Greater Body Cleansing Elixir created]
[Ding. Your Alchemy skill proficiency has increased]
Liam grinned. He quickly tossed the single drop of elixir into another vial and looked at it like it was his most prized possession.
"Again!" He mumbled and started up the next batch.
The next few hours passed by just like this and several portions of the garden became burnt and charred. Also, Liam managed to prepare five vials of the elixir.
His productivity was one in five which wasn't too bad. Compared to his before, he was very much happy to have reached here.
He spent some more time so that he didn't forget the technique and then laid back to rest. There was no point in making these anymore at least in his current state.
Now it was time to use this elixir!
Once he officially stepped onto the next stage, he would then be able to make them more effectively.
***
Mass Release chapter 5~
Please thank Steamed Arrow for sponsoring this mass release!
