บท 8: Elixir Condensation
The adults were calmly moving the corpses of the Mud Vipers. Their attention was on Inala, more so on the Elixir in his possession. It would be a lie to say they didn't desire it, for consuming an Elixir gave them at least a couple of years' worth of Prana accumulated through nonstop training.
All Elixirs were strictly managed by Bora Tusk. They were in his possession. And the only way to get one was to impress him. Inala managed to do that and hence was awarded the Elixir.
And now, many had felt the killing intent unleashed by Resha. So, they calmly observed the conversing duo. If Resha were to unjustly steal the Elixir, it would undermine Bora Tusk's authority. When that happened, they would give him a swift death.
Resha too understood it, which was why he dare not make a move on Inala. 'This isn't the time to let my emotions get the best of me.'
"Wash my neck for what?" Inala snorted exasperatedly in worry, "Are you threatening me about a fair trade?"
"Did I force you to buy it? Didn't you accept the proposal? Why are you acting as if I stole your resources?" Inala unleashed a flurry of arguments. He had six years experience in being a keyboard warrior. Engaging in arguments was his speciality, as all keyboard warriors did.
Arguments weren't a speciality of Sumatra, since after a couple of words of disagreement, it would usually lead to an exchange of death blows. Therefore, people weren't trained in the air of fighting with words, including Resha.
Hearing Inala's words, Resha was stunned, unable to make a comeback argument.
Grabbing the offered bone sphere, Inala infused his Prana into it, immediately sensing a stream of information enter his mind and solidify into the Skill of Toxin Refinement. He observed the Skill's effect, 'Just as the novel stated, this Skill can only be used on living creatures. It isn't efficient to perform on dead Pranic Beasts.'
Using it on a dead Pranic Beast was inefficient as the consumed Prana was more than the effects of the tonic created. There was no benefit in doing so. But that didn't mean he shouldn't attempt it once.
Mystic Bone Art—Toxin Refinement!
Inala pushed his rugged bone sphere into the mouth of a Mud Viper corpse and activated the Skill. Prana flowed out of the rugged bone sphere, absorbed the toxins from the Mud Viper's venom sack, and began the refinement.
His Prana was fully expended as Inala brought out his rugged bone sphere. Absorbed in it was a couple millilitres of the Mud Viper Tonic.
"What is the meaning of this?" Resha glared at the rugged bone sphere hovering before his face. "You don't trust me?"
"Nope," Inala said in confidence, "So, test it out for me, will you?"
"Fine…" Resha grumbled and consumed the two millilitres. Nothing unusual happened to him, proving the authenticity of the Skill. "There, happy?"
'There doesn't seem to be any signs of tampering done to the Skill. He could have also done so to make side effects appear after a long duration or when a large amount is consumed.' As Inala had no knowledge of the Toxin Refinement Skill, even if it had been tampered with, he wouldn't know. Therefore, it was best to test its effects.
Inala observed from the corner of his eyes the gazes of the reincarnates. They intended to make a deal with him to benefit from the Toxin Refinement Skill. 'I have the perfect guinea pigs!'
"Now, the method to gain 40 Prana." Inala smiled and extended his hand.
"Never," Resha glared, "I'll help you absorb it, but I'm never giving you the method."
"What to do…" Inala sported an expression of false worry, "I was expecting the method. You can't force me to reveal myself defencelessly to you, right? I don't trust you, after all."
Resha intended to help Inala in absorbing the Elixir by infusing his Prana into the latter. The reason he accepted was simple: He had methods to forcefully dominate an opponent's Prana.
The moment Inala allows Resha to guide his Prana, his life and death would fall under the control of Resha. 'Too bad, Resha. I know your character well enough to know what you'll attempt here. But you don't know me and that gives me the advantage in this trade.'
This was why he cleverly asked for the Toxin Refinement Skill first. And only after learning it did he ask for the method to increase the effectiveness of the Elixir. If he revealed that beforehand, Resha wouldn't have accepted the deal.
But now, Resha had no other choice. He was halfway across the bridge. He had yet to gain the Elixir, but he had already given out the Toxin Refinement Skill. If he backed out now, he'll fall into the abyss. The loss he suffered would come to haunt him for a long time.
"Well, I feel bad for you. So, I'll give you the entire vial of Elixir." As Resha was dangling on the shaky bridge, a path of hope lit up in the form of Inala.
"In return," Inala smiled, "Teach me the method."
'The full Elixir?' Resha's anger wavered. With it, he would cross 100 Prana. That was the same as graduating from the Academy. He would gain the qualifications to obtain tremendous power. 'Moreover, it will allow me to train and consolidate my strength before the First Major Disaster. This time, I'll be able to fully inherit the power of an Empyrean Tusk.'
"Fine," His anger vanished automatically. It didn't matter if he suffered a loss here. No, it wasn't even a loss. With the Elixir, he was saving a year's worth of time. It would allow him to become many times stronger than his past life self.
"Swear it on your parents that both the methods you gave me haven't been tampered with." Inala extended his hand to give the Elixir but suddenly retracted it.
Resha felt the urge to kill Inala once again, "You know I'm an orphan. That kind of oath…"
"But you respect them, right?" Inala spoke as if it was natural, "Even if they aren't there, a son would never disrespect his parents. So, an oath taken on their name is the most trustworthy."
It wasn't absolute, as there were plenty of people that would make empty promises, but not Resha, especially on his parents. After all, they were alive. He was aware of that. And he indeed respected them the most, for they sacrificed their lives just for his sake. Therefore, if he made an oath in their name, then it was guaranteed to be the absolute truth.
"You're a despicable guy, you know?" Resha made an oath in the name of his parents and inscribed the method on his bone sphere before throwing it to Inala.
"Eh? Am I? Really? You sure?" Inala acted innocent as he gave away the Elixir and absorbed the method. The related knowledge condensed in his mind, allowing him to mentally leap in joy.
Mystic Bone Art—Elixir Condensation!
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