"This...this..."
Marco was at a loss for words, his mouth agape. He suddenly remembered the human corpse he had first seen and glanced at the back of the rock troll.
"It's a ghoul..." He finally felt relieved.
A headless ghoul from a distance does indeed look very human, but up close, the difference is clear.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
Hurried footsteps interrupted their conversation. Allen turned his head at the sound, finding Chief arriving behind him. Once Chief arrived, the Witcher Masters and nearby Witchers followed suit.
The Broken Rock and Small Rock, seeing so many Witchers holding metal sticks, shrank back in fear behind Big Rock.
"…Witcher friend… moving stuff… stone house… home…"
Big Rock, looking a bit scared himself, dropped the few corpses he carried and prepared to leave. Seeing this, Allen realized it wasn't the right time to increase their favor. He glanced apologetically at Chief and other Witchers and said to the rock trolls, "Alright, Big Rock, thank you for today."
"…Witcher… friend… friends… help each other…"
Big Rock scratched his head awkwardly, then turned and left with Broken Rock and Small Rock.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
The heavy footsteps gradually faded away.
"Allen, what's going on here..."
One Witcher suddenly questioned from the crowd, his tone unfriendly.
Chief gave the man a sidelong glance and interrupted in a calm voice: "Master Allen!"
"What's going on? How did the rock trolls from the mountain trial end up here?"
Allen was just about to explain when Marco spoke up: "Sorry, First, I sounded the alarm without checking the situation. As for those..."
He paused, finding it unbelievable himself.
"Those rock trolls were helping Master Allen carry his spoils."
A silence fell under the castle gate, the Witchers exchanged glances, focusing their gaze on Allen.
Allen nodded and said, "During the mountain trial two days ago, I befriended those trolls."
"I hunted a lot of monsters today, so I asked them to help carry the spoils..."
Before he finished, the gate area erupted.
"First killed the old speartip, now befriended the rock trolls, Allen practically aced the mountain trial."
"No kidding! Remember how Allen got the title of Drowner Slayer? He practically wiped out the lake of drowners!"
"Yeah, when I got back a few days ago, I wondered why I didn't encounter any drowners on the river road..."
Surrounded by chatter, Allen was at a loss, unsure which question to answer first.
"Enough!"
"If there's nothing else, let's disperse."
A steady, deep voice helped Allen out.
Though still curious, the Witchers reluctantly left, knowing they had plenty of time to ask Allen later in the castle hall. As the crowd dispersed, Witcher Master Aristo, ready to help Allen with the spoils, noticed something and frowned.
Another guard was missing.
"Where's Sully, Marco?"
Marco paused, then awkwardly recounted what had happened. The Witcher Masters were stunned. The second-floor passage controlling the gate being locked was odd enough.
Hearing the other guard, Sully, had forgotten how to cast Aard, even the usually stern and cold First, slightly gaped. No wonder Kaer Morhen fell to a surprise attack.
This was in broad daylight; if it were night...
Allen shivered, suddenly feeling very insecure.
"Damned Sully, that coward must have run off..."
Master Aristo fumed, swearing profusely. After venting for a minute, he remembered Chief was present and felt a bit embarrassed. After all, Sully was his traveling apprentice, and such actions were disgraceful.
"Sorry, Chief."
"It's not your fault."
Chief patted his shoulder and shook his head, saying, "Sully is an independent Witcher now. Talk to him when you can."
"Indeed, Aristo, Sully has been independent for years; it's not on you!" Vesemir added.
Other Witcher Masters also offered comfort.
Aristo shook his head in resignation, glanced at Allen with envy, then sighed and left to find Sully. Watching Aristo's departing figure, Allen stood in the shadows, lost in thought, then lowered his head to continue processing the spoils. The swamp witch and ghouls were common monsters.
With the help of several Witcher Masters, they were quickly processed.
"Phew!"
Allen exhaled, thanked the Masters, and was about to leave with the spoils when Chief stopped him.
"Allen, come with me. We need to discuss the potion and ice spear spell."
----------
The sun set, the sky darkening.
A tall and short figure, each carrying two swords, walked silently along the fortress road. They conversed as they walked.
"I heard from Vera that you've created two more potion formulas?" Chief asked casually.
"Yes, the essence of drowner hearts can enhance strength and constitution, cat's eye..."
Before Allen could finish, Chief stopped in his tracks, looking at him in surprise: "Enhance strength and constitution, are you sure? No side effects?"
Chief's surprise was understandable. There were indeed potions that could enhance a Witcher's physical qualities, but even the weakest effects were costly. But the ingredients Allen used, according to the sorceress he consulted this morning, were very common.
Allen wasn't surprised by his reaction, knowing the magical potency of each essence in his hunting log.
"Hughes, Bond, and Fred started using it yesterday. Their strength and stamina have greatly improved."
"As for side effects..."
Allen paused, seeing Chief's shock, and said, "Repeated use diminishes the effect. If someone's physique is too strong, it seems to lessen the effect, but I haven't tested this yet."
"That's hardly a side effect..." Chief took a deep breath, calming himself, and asked, "Do you have this potion on you?"
Got some in my inventory... Allen thought, seeing Chief's eagerness.
"I don't have any on me, but I can make some quickly."
Chief nodded slightly, changing their direction to the path closest to the south tower. They walked in silence for a while, only their footsteps accompanying them.
Until...
Chief looked at the fiery sunset in the distance and suddenly asked: "Do you think Kaer Morhen will truly fall like in your dream?"
Allen was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and replied seriously: "Aren't we doing everything to prevent that dream from happening?"
...…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
108. Grass! Grass!
109. The Beginning of the Witcher Corps.
110. Have the Wildcats Named Their Price?
111. Have I Done It All?
112. Good Night!
"Creak~"
The wooden door automatically opened. Instead of the refreshing scent of oranges and cloves, a foul smell reminiscent of burnt stinky feet hit them.
"Buzz~"
As soon as they stepped into the alchemy room, the medallions on Allen and the chief's chests buzzed simultaneously. The chief glanced at the wolf medallion on Allen's chest in surprise and then saw a "black person" in the alchemy room. To be precise, it was someone with a blackened face sitting at the alchemy table. When the chief looked over, an egg-shaped black object on the table was still puffing smoke at the person's face.
The sorceress stood by the window, surrounded by a visible gray aura. This "ventilation" spell was likely the cause of the wolf medallion's reaction.
"Ma... Mary!?" Allen could hardly recognize her. How did a day pass, and the originally youthful girl suddenly change her race?
The "little black girl" turned around and, upon seeing Allen, burst into tears. Allen was startled; it was his first time seeing Mary cry. Tears streamed from her large eyes, leaving two dirty, white streaks on her blackened face, making her look both pitiable and somewhat amusing.
"Allen! I only managed to make one vial of that extract!" Mary cried out.
"Isn't that good? At least you made one," Allen scratched his head.
Mary cried even harder at his words.
"I had to guide her step by step to make it," the sorceress chuckled from the side. She didn't comfort the crying Mary, instead turning to the chief and asking, "What brings you here?"
The chief shrugged helplessly and said, "Allen mentioned that his new drowner heart extract can enhance strength and constitution, so I came to try it."
"Hm?" The sorceress raised an eyebrow. "Allen, why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
You didn't ask... Allen thought to himself. "Sorry, Vera. I forgot to mention it yesterday."
The sorceress nodded, accepting his apology. The "little black girl" realized no one was paying attention to her and, upon hearing that Allen was going to make the heart extract, she quickly stopped crying, darting to the inner room with a shout, "I'll get the materials."
Allen followed the sound and saw a large basin of "fresh" drowner hearts on the alchemy table, along with a much larger basin containing egg-shaped black objects on the floor. He understood. She was tired of doing the same task over and over.
Shaking his head gently, Allen picked up the magic carving knife, not minding the stench from the alchemy table. With magical energy flowing, he meticulously carved the dark purple drowner hearts.
About ten minutes later, just before Mary returned, the heart pulsed twice before transforming into extract.
"Can alchemy achieve this level?" The chief was amazed, watching the transition from death to life, as if witnessing a miracle performed by a deity. He began to expect great results from the extract.
"Ordinary alchemy can't, but Allen's can," the sorceress replied proudly.
Mary returned with a basin of drowner hearts, feeling a mix of grievances. However, seeing Allen's large basin of dark hearts, she felt relieved.
"For him to think up such a difficult and miraculous method of potion-making, it's no wonder Vera favors him," Mary thought.
Allen, unaware of Mary's complex emotions, handed the extract to the chief and appraised him casually.
[Name: Sol]
[Attributes: Strength 59, Agility 63, Constitution 73, Perception 74, Mystery 56]
Honestly, the chief's stats weren't as high as Allen had imagined for someone who could slay a dragon. Although each stat was higher than Vesemir's, the largest difference was only 13 points in strength.
"Perhaps these are the limits of a witcher's attributes," Allen speculated.
"Gulp~"
The chief drank the entire vial of extract, closing his eyes to savor it. After about half a minute, he suddenly opened his silver cat-like eyes, pupils contracting with excitement. He patted Allen's shoulder and exclaimed, "Allen! This potion works even for us veteran witchers."
Though bathed in dragon blood, keeping his body in peak condition, his organs no longer enhanced his physical attributes with age. He hadn't felt the thrill of gaining power in a long time.
Seeing the increase in the chief's attributes, Allen was equally excited.
[Name: Sol]
[Attributes: Strength 60, Agility 63, Constitution 74, Perception 74, Mystery 56]
If the extract works for the chief, it will work for all witchers. The Wolf School might be about to receive a significant boost.
"Now we need to see when the extract's effectiveness starts to diminish," Allen thought. He ignored the approaching Mary and quickly refined five more hearts. Each time an extract was made, the chief drank it immediately until he gestured to stop when Allen began the fifth one.
"This one had almost no effect," the chief sighed regretfully. Allen checked his stats again. Indeed, his strength had stopped at 61, and his constitution at 77.
Allen pondered, "The effectiveness declines after about twenty doses, with faster decline as attributes increase. Tomorrow, I'll see how Hughes and the others progress and understand the decline rate for increases under ten points."
At this moment, the sorceress approached. She picked up a newly made extract, took a sip, and her eyes lit up.
"This extract is effective for ordinary people too!" she exclaimed.
Allen was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. He had always thought the extract, like in the game, was highly toxic, lethal to normal people.
"If this extract truly works for ordinary people..."
The chief mumbled to himself, suddenly looking up and locking eyes with Allen. Their cat-like eyes reflected shared excitement. If the drowner heart extract worked for ordinary people, it could be used in the "Grass Trial" for apprentices and even before the "Choice" trial.
Now, the only question was whether increasing the apprentices' constitution would improve their survival rate in the Grass Trial. Allen pondered while the chief turned to the sorceress. Since he expelled the school's sorcerer, she supervised the Grass Trial annually. She would know best.
"Vera, can the children survive the Grass Trial if they use the extract?" the chief asked, his voice filled with hope.
...…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
109. The Beginning of the Witcher Corps.
110. Have the Wildcats Named Their Price?
111. Have I Done It All?
112. Good Night!
113. May the Goddess Melitele Bless Me.
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