Chapter 249 246: Going through the treasures

Chapter 249 246: Going through the treasures

Val converted the 500 Mad Points into 5 stat points.

He had a sense of how valuable these points could be in the long run, so he decided to save them for a more crucial moment in the future.

"Well done, master. You've successfully made your first potion." Gruul was visibly pleased as he praised Val.

Typically, novice alchemists would spend anywhere from weeks to months in continuous practice, and they would often ruin dozens of batches of alchemy materials before managing to create a basic level 1 potion. Val, however, had managed to craft a level 3 potion on his very first attempt. Though he had guidance from Gruul, it was still quite a impressive feat.

For someone new to the art of alchemy, achieving such a feat was nothing short of remarkable!

"I have to thank you for that," Val said.

"My help is negligible. It was mostly you," Gruul said humbly.

The Shrine of Evil was unique, governed by its own laws and rules. A heavenly tribulations couldn't be triggered inside of it. However, it was precisely what Val needed to experience and survive to gain the acknowledgment of his bloodline and ascend to a new level. Moreover, it was still dark outside the shrine. He could only rule out the option of exiting the shrine and returning to the mountain range to trigger the heavenly tribulation. After all, attempting such a thing there at night would be tantamount to suicide.

'I guess I have no choice but to wait until it's morning.'

He kept the potion for now, planning to use it first thing in the morning after he had exited the shrine and returned to the mountain range.

Gruul looked puzzled as he noticed Val showing no signs of leaving and asked, "You're not leaving?"

It was rare to see Val spend so much time in the shrine, so he became a bit curious.

"I am planning to spend the night in the shrine," Val made his intentions clear to Gruul.

Val was the master of the shrine. Even though it didn't look like it, he had the authority to do as he pleased within its boundaries. Gruul, understanding his master's wishes, did not raise any further questions or objections.

Val took out the meat of the Eldertail snake and placed it gently inside the cauldron. He looked over at Gruul, who seemed a bit puzzled.

"Are you planning to cook it?" Gruul questioned, his voice tinged with concern.

Val simply nodded, eliciting an apprehensive reaction from his subordinate.

"But that meat is teeming with the force of corruption. It's harmful for you," Gruul warned, clearly worried for his master's well-being.

"Don't worry, the force of corruption has no effect on me," he calmly explained.

Val had given him many surprises, but Gruul was left stunned yet again by Val's unexpected ability. He had never encountered a human who was immune to the force of corruption. In his mind, he couldn't help but think that Val was indeed something extraordinary—someone worthy of being this era's devil god of evil.

With Gruul's warnings set aside, Val focused on cooking the snake meat. Using the fire rune, he conjured a controlled, steady flame under the cauldron. He meticulously slow-cooked the meat, using his soul power to flip it occasionally and ensure it was evenly cooked. A few hours passed, and the smell of cooked meat started to fill the air.

Finally deeming it ready, Val used his soul power to lift up the lid of the cauldrom scoop out the tender, cooked snake meat. He tasted it and found it to be more delicious than he expected. He stuffed his mouth with even more snate meat.

He ate 200 grams in a matter of minutes. And then, a seires of system notification popped up before him

[System Notification: Your STR stat have increased by 4 points.]

[System Notification: Your STA stat have increased by 3 points.]

[System Notification: Your AGT stat have increased by 1 points.]

[System Notification: Snake meat is no longer effective in improving your body condition.]

"Do you want some?" Val asked Gruul, gesturing toward the cooked snake meat.

Gruul shook his head, showing no interest. n.(0velb1n

"Eh, but why? It's really good. You don't know what you're missing out on," Val said.

"Eating doesn't hold any importance for me, so it's not necessary." Gruul said.

"As you wish," Val replied, accepting Gruul's decision.

The meat of the Eldertail snake was no longer beneficial for Val, and Gruul didn't want to eat it. None of the people he knew could eat it either. After all, it was not safe for them to consume. The residual force of corruption in its flesh was enough to give them a death sentence.

However, Val thought it would be a waste to discard the snake meat. After all, it came from a formidable level 40+ beast and had the potential to improve someone's physique significantly.

The meat was valuable, and he pondered how to make the best use of it.

A thought occurred to him. But he didn't know if it would work out. So He turned to Gruul for verification.

"If I use my soul power to purify the meat, do you think it would become safe to eat?" Val questioned Gruul.

"In theory, yes, you could make the meat of a beast safe to eat. But it's no small feat. Every trace of corruption must be completely removed. If even a small amount remains, consuming the meat could have harmful, if not deadly, side effects. But knowing your capabilities, I believe you could manage it," Gruul answered.

Val had the unique capability to entirely purify alchemy ingredients of their force of corruption with a 100% success rate, without damaging the ingredients. So Gruul was confident that Val would be able to pull it off.

Not to mention, if Val were to take on this challenge and succeed, he'd be creating something of great value. Fully purified snake meat would not only be safe for any human to consume, but it could also provide remarkable boosts to one's physical strength and constitution. In other words, it would become a treasured item, a delicacy with benefits extending beyond mere sustenance.

"This purified meat of the Eldertail snake will be a perfect gift for Eliana. Once she eats it, her physical strength will likely surpass that of even some intermediate-grade warriors," Val said, a grin forming on his face.

He found the thought amusing.

Eliana's physical strength was already impressive, thanks to the purified dungeon monster cores Val had made her eat. Despite being a priestess, her physical capabilities wers comparable to average level 3 warriors. With the addition of the snake meat, her physical capabilities would soar even further, allowing her to possess a physique surpassing that of many beginner warriors.

Val chuckled at the thought of the shock people would experience if they ever tried to harm her, unaware of her actual strength. Anyone with ill intentions toward her would be in for quite the shock!

Refocusing his attention on the task at hand, Val activated his Heavenly Eye skill. This made the cauldron's metal appear transparent to his sight, allowing him to peer into its interior as if he had X-ray vision. Inside, the meat of the Eldertail snake lay, still containing pockets of harmful corruption. These pockets were what made the meat dangerous for anyone else to consume, but they were about to meet their end

"Time to finish this," Val thought to himself, the determination clear in his eyes.

The very next moment, his soul power flowed out of his body and entered the cauldron, targeting and eradicating each pocket of corruption within the meat.

[Ding! You've purified an item!]

[Item name: Eldertail Snake's meat (Purified))

[Description: It is Eldertail Snake's meat that has been thoroughly purified of its force of corruption as if touched by the God of Light himself. It is now packed with nutrition and a powerful life force, capable of enhancing the qualities of one's body. It is 100% safe to consume.]

Val decided to feed the snake meat to Eliana once he returned to the frontier. Giving her just 200 grams would likely have a significant impact on her physical strength. However, even after giving her 200 grams of the snake meat, a substantial amount would still be left.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

He decided to give 200 grams of it to Oliver free of cost. It was a logical choice. They were part of the same family, Oliver was his ticket to getting closer to the Lord, and Oliver could definitely use the extra boost. After all, there were going to be assassination attempt on his life.

As for what would remain of the snake meat after that, Val figured it would be best to sell it. Given its rarity and the enhancements it offered, it would fetch a good price on the market.

Having made up his mind, Val opened his Void Orb's pocket dimension. Carefully, he placed the cauldron full of the Eldertail snake's meat inside. Then, he pulled out the snake's eyes.

Soul power surged out of him and enveloped the eyes. The energy was so concentrated that it felt almost tangible, and it closed in on the eyes from all directions, effortlessly deforming them into a thick, viscous paste.

Val channeled his soul power once more, this time directing it to transfer the eye paste into the vials Gruul had given him without wasting a single drop. Once done, he sealed the vials tightly and placed them beside the cauldron in the pocket dimension of the Void Orb. Then, he closed it.

Seeing this, Gruul realized that Val had no intention of returning the vials he had so generously lent to him. However, he was too powerless to do anything about it. Who told him to be Val's subordinate? He could only sigh inwardly!