Day 49 in the secret realm — 8:47 AM
Morning light streamed through the window, painting golden patterns across the floor.
Nova woke slowly, disoriented for a moment by the unfamiliar comfort of a real bed.
He turned his head.
She was still asleep, her face peaceful, her arm draped across his chest. The Moonlace seedling's silver bloom cast faint light across her features.
Beautiful, he thought. But I have work to do.
He slipped out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake her. She murmured something in her sleep but didn't stir.
Dressed in fresh clothes—purchased from the innkeeper at an exorbitant price—he sat at the small desk and pulled out Nora's journal.
Alchemy, he thought. Time to begin.
Class C Library — 10:23 AM
The library was quieter than usual—most students still recovering from weekend activities or preparing for upcoming missions. Nova moved through the stacks alone, gathering what he needed.
ALCHEMICAL EQUIPMENT — AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Item Grade Cost Description
Basic Mortar and Pestle F 30 pts For grinding herbs
Standard Mortar and Pestle E 75 pts Better grind consistency
Professional Set D 200 pts Includes multiple sizes
Basic Pill Furnace F 50 pts Single-pill capacity
Standard Pill Furnace E 150 pts 2-3 pills per batch
Professional Pill Furnace D 500 pts Temperature control, 5-pill batch
Measuring Tools F 20 pts Basic spoons and scales
Filtering Equipment F 25 pts For liquid solutions
Storage Containers (10) F 15 pts Glass vials
Temperature-controlled Burner E 100 pts Adjustable flame
Complete Beginner's Set F 200 pts Everything above (basic versions)
Nova calculated quickly.
Professional Pill Furnace: 500 pts
Professional Mortar and Pestle: 200 pts
*Temperature-controlled Burner: 100 pts*
Measuring Tools: 20 pts
Filtering Equipment: 25 pts
Storage Containers: 15 pts
Total: 860 pts
He had 115 merit points remaining from his initial credit. Not nearly enough.
But he had something better: gold.
"Excuse me." He approached the circulation desk. "Can I purchase equipment with gold instead of merit points?"
The attendant—a different one from before, a young man with bored eyes—looked up. "Standard rate is 10 gold per merit point. But equipment prices are fixed in points. You'd need to convert first."
"Convert 8,600 gold."
The attendant's eyes widened. "That's—" He caught himself, recovering quickly. "That's 860 points. You sure?"
Nova placed a pouch on the counter—8,600 gold, counted carefully.
The attendant stared at the pouch like it might bite him. Then he shrugged and processed the transaction.
MISSION REWARDS: 10,000 GOLD COINS
GOLD SPENT: 8,600
GOLD REMAINING: 1,400
MERIT POINTS ADDED: 860
MERIT POINTS TOTAL: 975
"Your equipment will be delivered to your room within the hour." The attendant handed him a receipt. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Where can I find information on basic pill formulas?"
"Section 12, rows C through G. Help yourself."
Nova's Room — 12:47 PM
The equipment arrived exactly as promised.
Nova arranged it carefully on his desk—the professional pill furnace gleaming darkly, the mortar and pestle solid and heavy, the burner precise and adjustable. It felt like preparing for battle, but different. Instead of blades, he arranged tools of creation.
Nora would approve, he thought. She always said alchemy was just another form of combat.
He pulled out the first herb—a basic recovery herb, common and inexpensive. If he was going to fail, better to fail cheaply.
HERB: Common Recovery Leaf
Grade: F
Use: Minor wound healing, basic pill base
Value: 5 gold
Start simple, Nora's journal advised. Master the basics before attempting anything complex.
He opened to the first formula.
RECOVERY PILL (F-Grade)
Ingredients:
3 parts Recovery Leaf (ground fine)
1 part Pure Water
Pinch of Stabilizing Powder (optional)
Process:
Grind leaves to fine powder
Add water drop by drop while mixing
Form into paste
Heat in furnace at low flame for 10 minutes
Shape into pill while warm
Cool naturally
Expected Result: Basic recovery pill, heals minor wounds
"Simple enough," Nova murmured.
He began.
First Attempt
Grinding was harder than it looked.
The Recovery Leaf was dry and brittle, shattering instead of powdering. Nova adjusted his technique, pressing more firmly, using a circular motion. Gradually, the leaf broke down into something approaching powder.
Not fine enough, he judged. But close.
He added water—three drops, four, five. The mixture turned into a sticky paste that clung to his fingers.
Into the furnace.
The burner flared to life, its flame adjustable with a small dial. Nova set it to low, as instructed, and placed the furnace over the heat.
Ten minutes.
He watched the temperature gauge, adjusting when it crept too high. Sweat beaded on his forehead. This was more intense than combat—the constant attention, the tiny adjustments, the knowledge that one mistake could ruin everything.
The timer chimed.
Nova opened the furnace.
Inside, a blackened lump sat where his pill should have been.
FIRST ATTEMPT: FAILED
Cause: Temperature too high (peaked at 147° during final minutes)
Result: Burnt residue — unsalvageable
Of course, he thought. Too high.
He tried again.
Second Attempt
Better grinding. More consistent powder. Careful water addition—drop by drop, waiting for absorption between each.
Into the furnace.
This time, he watched the temperature like a hawk. Every fluctuation, every drift, he corrected immediately. The flame stayed steady. The gauge held at exactly the right range.
Eight minutes. Nine. Ten.
He opened the furnace.
A misshapen lump—not blackened, but lumpy and uneven.
SECOND ATTEMPT: FAILED
Cause: Inconsistent paste consistency
Result: Unformed pill — unsalvageable
The paste was wrong, he realized. Too wet in some spots, too dry in others.
He tried again.
Third Attempt
Grind finer. Mix longer. Check consistency constantly.
The paste felt right this time—smooth, uniform, the perfect texture. Nova shaped it carefully into a rough ball and placed it in the furnace.
Temperature steady. Flame constant. Ten minutes of intense focus.
Open.
A pill sat in the furnace—misshapen, lumpy, but recognizable as a pill.
THIRD ATTEMPT: PARTIAL SUCCESS
Result: Recover Pill (F-Grade) — Poor Quality
Effectiveness: 30% of standard
Nova held it up to the light. It was ugly—lopsided, rough-textured, with visible cracks. But it was a pill. His first pill.
Progress, he thought. But not enough.
He tried again.
Fourth Attempt
RESULT: FAILED — Exploded during heating
Fifth Attempt
RESULT: FAILED — Too dry, crumbled on removal
Sixth Attempt
RESULT: Recovery Pill (F-Grade) — Low Quality
Effectiveness: 45% of standard
Seventh Attempt
RESULT: FAILED — Burned again
Eighth Attempt
RESULT: Recovery Pill (F-Grade) — Low Quality
Effectiveness: 48% of standard
Ninth Attempt
Nova stared at his hands.
Nine attempts. Two partial successes. Seven failures. His fingers were stained green from herb residue. His eyes burned from concentration. His back ached from hunching over the desk. He had spent at least 5 hours in his attempts.
This is impossible, he thought. How did Nora make it look so easy?
But he knew the answer. She'd practiced. For years. Decades. She'd failed thousands of times before succeeding.
He pulled up the All-Seeing Eye.
ACTIVATING ABILITY: ALL-SEEING EYE — ANALYSIS MODE
His left eye flared purple, and the world shifted.
He looked at his equipment—and saw through it. The molecular structure of the mortar, the heat distribution patterns of the burner, the microscopic imperfections in the furnace's surface.
He looked at the remaining Recovery Leaf—and saw its cellular composition, its ideal grinding consistency, the exact moment when it transformed from herb to powder.
He looked at his failed attempts—and saw exactly where each one had gone wrong.
The temperature fluctuates because the burner's calibration is off, he realized. The paste needs to rest for three minutes before heating to allow the water to fully absorb. The furnace needs preheating to prevent thermal shock.
Information flooded into him—details he never could have learned from books, from trial and error, from anything except this ability.
This changes everything.
Tenth Attempt — 6:23 PM
He preheated the furnace.
He calibrated the burner with microscopic adjustments.
He ground the herb to exactly the right consistency—not by feel, but by sight, watching the cells break down through his All-Seeing Eye.
He mixed the paste and let it rest for exactly three minutes.
He shaped it carefully, using his enhanced vision to ensure perfect uniformity.
He placed it in the furnace and watched the temperature with absolute precision—every fluctuation corrected instantly, every degree maintained exactly.
Ten minutes.
He opened the furnace.
A perfect pill sat within—smooth, round, uniform, glowing faintly with contained energy.
TENTH ATTEMPT: SUCCESS!
ITEM: Recovery Pill (F-Grade)
Quality: Standard
Effectiveness: 95% of theoretical maximum
Value: 25 gold
Nova held it up to the light.
It was beautiful.
He made three more before sunset.
Each one perfect. Each one exactly the same. The All-Seeing Eye guided his hands, his judgments, his every movement. What had been impossible became routine.
RECOVERY PILLS CREATED: 4 (Standard Quality)
Estimated Total Value: 100 gold
Time Invested: 7 hours
Efficient, he thought. Very efficient.
He leaned back, stretching muscles that had forgotten they were tense. The room was dark now—he'd worked through sunset without noticing. The Moonlace seedling glowed softly on the windowsill.
Nora would be proud, he thought. I'm finally following her path.
GODLESS SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
SKILL UNLOCKED: ALCHEMY (Novice)
Current Level: Novice 1
Success Rate: 30% (with All-Seeing Eye: 95%)
Known Formulas: Recovery Pill (F-Grade)
Proficiency: Basic
Novice, Nova thought. But it's a start.
A knock at the door.
He knew who it was before she spoke.
"Nova?" Priscilla's voice, soft and hesitant. "You missed dinner. I was worried."
He crossed to the door and opened it.
She stood in the hallway, her expression caught between relief and concern. Her eyes found his—one gold, one purple—and widened slightly.
"Your eye—"
"I know." He smiled—a real smile, warm and genuine. "Come in."
She stepped inside, looking around at the alchemy equipment scattered across his desk. "What is all this?"
"I'm learning alchemy."
"Alchemy?" She turned to face him. "Since when?"
"Since I realized I had herbs worth a fortune and no way to use them properly." He gestured at the pills on his desk. "My first successes. Four of them."
Priscilla picked one up, examining it with wide eyes. "You made these? Today?"
"This afternoon."
"But that's—" She looked at him, something new in her gaze. "That's incredible, Nova. Most people study for months before making their first pill."
"I had help." He touched his left eye.
She set the pill down carefully, then turned to face him fully.
"You've changed," she said quietly. "Since the mission. You're different."
Nova considered denying it.
Instead, he told the truth.
"I found something in that cave. Something that was mine, a long time ago." He met her eyes. "I can't tell you what. Not yet. But it helped me remember things I'd long forgotten."
Priscilla was silent for a long moment.
"Are you still Nova?" she asked. "The Nova I know?"
He crossed to her, taking her hands in his.
"I'm more myself than I've ever been."
She searched his face—those mismatched eyes, that familiar jaw, that mouth that had kissed her a thousand times. Whatever she found there seemed to satisfy her.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."
She rose on her toes and kissed him.
The Moonlace seedling glowed softly on the windowsill.
Outside, the artificial sky darkened toward night.
And in the small room, two people who had found each other against all odds held on tight.