Translator: CinderTL Vales removed the remaining metal fragments using the same method.
Gray’s face was now pale with pain, beads of sweat continuously seeping from his forehead.
Zellier couldn’t help but sweat for Gray.
Without anesthesia, the pain could actually kill someone!
I wonder how the second master endured scraping the poison from his bones back then…
He’s too reckless.
Gray weakly removed the cloth from his mouth.
“If I don’t make it back alive, tell Marian at the tavern…
I love her.” “What nonsense are you spouting?
Who told you to take that out?” Vales frowned and shoved the cloth back into Gray’s mouth, then wiped the saliva off his own hand with distaste on Gray’s body.
Wounds caused by metal fragments must be disinfected immediately; otherwise, infection is almost certain death.
The moment Vales uncorked the Firethroat Wine bottle, terror flashed across Gray’s face.
This cheap medicinal wine, costing only thirty copper coins, had one redeeming quality: its extreme potency.
Even dwarves, renowned for their hearty drinking habits, would think twice before indulging.
Without giving Gray time to prepare himself, Vales poured the wine directly onto the wound.
“Ugh…
Aaaah…!” The pungent smell of alcohol mixed with the metallic tang of blood filled the air.
Gray’s body convulsed in agony, his legs thrashing wildly before gradually calming down after a long while.
Watching Gray suffer, Zellier felt a pang of sympathy.
“Didn’t you buy any healing potions before we set out?
That would probably work better, right?” “You mean life potions?
Those precious concoctions made by holy healers?
We can’t afford that kind of luxury,” Vales said, wiping Gray’s wound with a white cloth.
“A single bottle could buy his life.” Life potions…
are they really that valuable?
Zellier was stunned.
It seemed healing resources in this world were far scarcer than he had imagined.
The remaining steps were less brutal for Gray.
After cleaning the wound, Vales applied a layer of hemostatic powder and bandaged it with linen strips.
With that, the treatment was complete.
“All done,” Vales said, clapping his hands.
“I owe you one, Vales,” Gray said weakly.
“Enough with the sentimental nonsense.
We’re even.
If you hadn’t held off the mist demon, we wouldn’t have been able to kill it,” Vales replied, standing up.
Zellier covered Gray with a blanket and helped him lean against a tree to rest.
A gentle breeze swept through, dispersing the dense fog.
The blinding white landscape gradually faded, revealing the familiar silhouette of the Graywood Forest.
No one would have imagined that such a brutal battle had just unfolded in this serene place.
After confirming the area was secure, Marcus began scavenging the spoils of war.
He drew his dagger and carefully dissected the mist demon’s corpse.
The blade sank into the flesh, parting skin and muscle.
An unknown blackish-red liquid oozed from the wound, emitting a nauseating stench.
“Be careful not to get any on yourself,” Vales warned.
“It’s corrosive.” The mist demon’s body held little of value—mostly rotten flesh.
Its form was a patchwork of scavenged parts.
The true prize lay within its heart: the magic core.
Marcus sliced open the thick-walled ventricles, used the tip of his dagger to pry out the crystalline core, and carefully wiped it clean with a cloth.
“How much is this magic core worth?” Marcus asked.
Vales leaned in for a closer look.
It was a prismatic crystal enveloped in a faint mist, brimming with potent mana.
Mist demon magic cores served as the cores for certain magical staves, could be used in brewing magical potions, or as alchemical ingredients—their applications were numerous.
“I’m not an expert at appraisal, but given its quality, this should fetch at least fifteen gold coins,” Vales said.
“Whoa…” Zellier raised an eyebrow.
If they split the reward evenly, he’d get about four gold coins—equivalent to four hundred silver coins.
That was far more satisfying than the eleven silver coins he’d earned from the wild wolf commission!
“My beating wasn’t for nothing,” Gray said with a relieved smile, even his pain seemed to lessen.
“Then it’s settled.
We’ll split it evenly, as usual.” Marcus stowed the mist demon core and clapped Zellier on the shoulder.
“I never thought I’d actually slay a mist demon one day.
Recruiting you was the right choice, kid.
Good job.” The warrior’s class system was similar to the mage’s, progressing from apprentice to lower, intermediate, and upper ranks.
After breaking through to the upper rank, warriors also had to choose a specialization path.
Marcus had been stuck as a lower-rank warrior for years, unable to master martial qi and advance to the intermediate rank.
When facing demonic beasts like mist demons, whose defenses could only be breached by martial qi or magic, he had no choice but to avoid them.
Mana originated from the source seed, while martial qi stemmed from the heart of qi.
However, awakening a mage’s source seed required luck and innate talent, making it impossible to force.
Cultivating the heart of qi, on the other hand, was a more accessible path.
Even with the dullest aptitude, decades of relentless practice could potentially advance one’s heart of qi, allowing them to master martial qi.
In some ways, martial qi and mana were similar, both capable of greatly enhancing combat prowess.
However, martial qi was typically used to strengthen one’s physical body, while mana could be channeled through magic to achieve a wide range of effects.
After a quick cleanup, the group helped Gray to his feet and set off on the road back to town.
The journey was uneventful.
As the forest gradually thinned, the clear, azure sky stretched overhead, extending to the horizon.
Beneath it, the silhouette of Blackstone Town’s buildings emerged sharply against the skyline.
Signs of human habitation began to appear.
Villagers returning from their work in the fields cast curious glances at the returning party.
Zellier took a deep breath, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
Is this what it feels like to return after completing a mission?
It’s truly exhilarating…
For his first mission, the rewards had been substantial.
Having acquired four gold and eleven silver, unlocked formulaic evolution, leveled up twice, and added the Great Creation Art and Mist Flowing Gauze to the analysis queue, the otherworld adventure seemed quite promising after all.
Blackstone Town lived up to its name, a settlement built around a rich mineral vein.
The local blackstone was a volcanic glass as dark as ink, prized for its craftsmanship and used to forge arrowheads favored by high-level rangers.
Combined with the Graywood Forest’s abundant timber and hunting resources, Blackstone Town was among the most prosperous settlements of its size in the Kingdom of Ser.
After a half-day’s trek, the party reached the outskirts of Blackstone Town.
A crude city wall constructed from dark logs and massive stones came into view.
Several guards leaned against the battlements above, clad in simple chainmail and wearing bored expressions.
A queue had formed at the gate, mostly farmers and hunters pushing wheelbarrows laden with goods for sale in town.
(End of the Chapter) —————————————————— What happens next?
Find out on CinderTL (just search it on Google!).
You can read the free chapters up to [Ch50] without even needing to sign up, or unlock up to [Ch182] by becoming a member.
Details can be found on our site.
Go to CinderTL for more details.
🏆Giveaway Grand Prize: 2 Months UNLIMITED Reading + Download and 25 More slots.