Chapter 10

6 hours later, Randidly had it, or at least thought he had it. He had experimented with the red crystals first, because what he really wanted was mana potions, and he didn’t want to waste the materials for them. After playing around with them and applying pressure, he realized that they were quite brittle, and crumbled quite easily.

So, being of a determined sort, Randidly put some of the crystal dust into his mouth. Instantly heat flooded his body, and he began sweating. But his poison resistance did climb a level, so it wasn’t a useless attempt. Also, wasn’t it true that too much medicine is poison?

The next several hours saw Randidly cutting off smaller and smaller bits of crystal, and his poison resistance climbing another level.

It was only after becoming dejected and rummaging through his satchel that he found the old vials from the original owner of the dagger. Trembling with the possible simplicity of it, Randidly added water to the vial, then put some red powder from the crystal in it.

Then he inspected it.

Amateur’s Potion Lvl 1: Will restore 10 Health over 5 seconds.

Congratulations! You have gained the skill Potion Making Lvl 1.

With an explosive sigh, Randidly used the rest of his mana, and then prepared for bed. It had been a long day.

***

Randidly woke up to another level in farming, and after he had fed Shal, he set to experimenting with potions. He had only used a fraction of a single crystal to make his first Amateur potion, and he had over 50 crystals of each color to play with.

He started simply, just trying to find the best potion he could make. Randidly swiftly realized two things were the primary determinants of whether the potion would heal more. That was the ratio of crystal to water, and then the uniformity of the crystal grain size. It didn’t appear to matter what size the grains were, as long as they were uniform.

But for some reason, it also didn’t work to just drop a single chunk into the water. It needed to be split into a certain number of pieces, which was a high enough count that it was rather impossible to ensure uniformity.

So then Randidly started grinding them up with the mortar and pestle, and achieved a pretty even consistency.

The ratio was even easier, if slightly unscientific due to the lack of available equipment. Eventually Randidly had his ultimate creation, and a Lvl 5 Potion Making skill.

Apprentice’s Potion: A potion made by an inexperienced but serious apprentice. Will restore 48 health over 3 seconds.

Although it was a far cry from 100, 48 health was still quite a bit, and Randidly was pleased with himself. He had even only used about a dozen of the red crystals, and had made a fair amount of potions that could restore 30 some health. But the problem was that he only had 15 vials to fill with health potion. So 5 became health, and then 8 he filled with mana. Most of these were in the low 40s, but Randidly did manage to make one that restored 61 mana. He tucked that one away for emergency situations.

For the final two, Randidly experimented with different combinations of health and mana. This was much more difficult, because if they were either 50/50 or 75/25, the potion turned into a foaming grey mess that he quickly dumped out. 75/25 with red in the majority was a stamina potion, and it restored a staggering 80 stamina, but Randidly suspected that was a rather poor result. After all, that would come back in 4 minutes anyway.

50/50 was something that can only be described as a concentration potion. Under it, even the tiniest detail seemed to stick out. While under its influence, Randidly’s speed of potion making and accuracy of measurements skyrocketed. He remixed most of the potions, and soon everyone of his vials was filled with liquid that restored between 50 and 60.

But when it wore off, it left him with a staggering headache that lasted for about an hour. He took that time to practice jogging, sweating out the weird potion. And although it was strange, it certainly was useful in small doses, so Randidly filled one of the vials with it.

75/25 with blue in the majority created the following potion.

Lesser Restore Lvl 7: Weakens the effects of foreign influences on the body. Cures minor status ailments.

That potion was not only the highest level he had yet made, but it also pushed his potion making up to Lvl 12. Blinking, Randidly couldn’t believe that he had persisted so long without noticing the passage of time. Then he frowned.

He also didn’t feel tired. Did End or Vit also affect a person’s need for breaks? Or even sleep…?

But still, in the hopes of leaving the dungeon sooner, Randidly approached Shal.

“Uh… excuse me…. Will something like this help you recover…?” Randidly hated how weak he sounded, but he had to admit he really was in the weak position here. And he was desperate to escape the dungeon.

Shal spared him a glance, then beckoned him closer. Randidly tossed the potion, which Shal deftly caught. After sparing it a glance with his third eye, Shal grunted and swallowed the contents, then tossed the vial back.

For several seconds, Shal was quiet. Then he said. “...in a small way, yes. If you had 1000 of such things I would be cured almost immediately.”

Grimacing, Randidly walked away. It had seemed to help, but it wasn’t enough. Even though he had been expecting something similar to this reaction, the rejection still felt rather fresh. 1000 such vials…. Although possible, it would be rather slow going, 15 at a time. And he would be forced to dump out his precious potions…

Shaking his head, Randidly refocused on the moment. Better to do what he can do now, and leave the worrying for later. Bringing up his path screen, Randidly noticed that he had two new options for the staggering 15 PP he had gathered while making potions.

But seeing them gave a sense of foreboding.

???: 0/10

???: 0/10

‘Why did both change…? Shouldn’t I still have access to the old one…? Unles…”

Resigning himself, Randidly picked the first option.

You have selected the Pathless III Path.

Sighing, Randidly instantly maxed out the path. Quite surprising was that he earned 1 stat at 5, as well as 1 at 10, in addition to the completion bonus.

Congratulations! You have completed the Pathless III Path! +2 stat(s). You have realized that all paths are the same, and all paths lead to the same place. You have gained the skill Pathfinder Lvl 1.

Pathfinder Lvl 1: It is very difficult for you to lose your sense of direction. Landmarks and interesting locations that you pass will be automatically added to maps you possess.

4 stats and a random skill wasn’t such a bad hall, all things considered. Without a thought, Randidly dumped all the points in Int. He needed his spells to be stronger. Learning to fight and handle close combat was too distant a goal.

And with that, Randidly returned to the Path Screen. Surprisingly the options weren’t mirrors of each other.

???: 0/15

???: 0/10

Shrugging, Randidly selected the 15 options.

You have selected the Pathfinder Path.

1-4 PP got Randidly nothing, but 5 got him +1 to P. Supp, which was a nice boost. With these improvements, Randidly left the safe room, heading towards the monkey area.

***

By now, dodging was relatively simple, but  he kept still for a while, allowing the rocks to hit his shield, leveling mana shield twice. It was almost enough to withstand a full power throw from the monkeys. Mana Bolt improved one level, as he threw some back at the monkeys to keep them honest.

It was when they finally dropped down that he finally began using the mana potions. Randidly practically chugged them, casting Entangling Roots over and over again. It was still barely enough to stop them for a split second, but it delayed them enough that he was never in any danger.

And he also gained 3 levels in Entangling Roots.

The only disappointment was whatever that spider was that had scared Randidly previously, it had set up shop around the crystal tree, covering the surrounding area with thick web that Randidly didn’t dare touch. It even had taken over the banana tree.

Making a mental note to venture a little farther for food next time, Randidly returned to the Safe Room.