PART 3
Rank 5 / Derivational
Oh, Derivational. The pinnacle of alchemy and my greatest creation!
A rank so easy to learn, yet so difficult to master. Every good alchemist must know this rank, even if they have not mastered all the previous ones. A rank where imagination, creativity, and ingenuity are the only limits.
From creating Rank 1 and Rank 2 potions in a single brew to bringing virtually invincible beings into existence—what better example than the adventurers themselves? With this potion, the common adventurer was perfected, giving birth to the formidable adventurers of today.
But enough praising myself. What makes this rank so special, so easy, and yet so difficult to learn all at the same time?
Simple: Desire.
The desire for a custom potion with specific attributes and zero weaknesses. The desire to fuse all ranks of alchemy into one. The desire to possess every form of magic for yourself alone…
In other words, desire is the easy part; greed is where the difficulty lies.
So, how are Derivational potions created? The answer is… it depends.
It depends on what potion you want to make or what you wish to accomplish. When creating a Derivational potion, you must always keep your exact goal in mind. However, you must also consider the potency—the sheer heavy toll—of the potion and what it might do to the drinker.
You cannot just brew a potion with hundreds of effects from hundreds of species and sell it as the "greatest potion in history"; you must take into account who can actually digest such a potion.
Another factor to keep in mind is accumulated weaknesses. As you already know, creating a potion doesn't just grant good qualities—it also conveys weaknesses if the creature or being you used possessed one. What most alchemists do at this rank is strip away those very weaknesses, creating potent, easy-to-digest potions.
Which brings us to the next point: absolute knowledge. An alchemist wishing to use Derivational alchemy must possess complete knowledge of the potions they intend to use, the granted effects (both good and bad), compatibility, and, of course, the drinker.
I repeat: do not give an adventurer a potion their body cannot handle!
Adventurers, like any creature or living being, possess innate talent and potential—something determined from the moment they are developing in their mother's womb! And you, as their trusted alchemist, must keep that in mind!
At the beginning of this book, a guide was provided detailing what an adventurer can consume based on their class rank. That is your guide, your law set in stone—never stray from that guide!
Now, with that explained, it is time to move on to the execution of this wonderful rank!
How Are Derivational Potions Made?
First, you will need to brew individual potions depending on what you need. After that, it's time for addition and subtraction!
Derivational alchemy relies on adding and subtracting: what do you want to unite into a single potion, and what do you want to remove? Naturally, this applies to everything—including the special energies of Mysticism!
To make it easier and more understandable, I have divided it into different levels:
Level 1 - Simple Derivational Potions
Simple Derivational potions are those that only involve Herbology and Bestiology.
Suppose you want to create a Derivational potion purely out of Herbology.
Essential Materials:
Two Dodecahedrons
One Magic Crystal
You take a Healing Potion and a Strength Enhancement Potion. How do you combine them?
Simple: using a Duo-Dodecahedron setup connected by an external magic crystal. Each dodecahedron must contain an internal magic crystal connected to the one outside.
Pour the potions into each dodecahedron and keep them bouncing off the inner faces of the dodecahedrons, passing over the internal magic crystals.
You must maintain this until the crystals take on a silver glow and a faint silver light beam connects the internal crystals to the outer one. This is a process of magical resonance that must be sustained until all three magic crystals turn golden.
Once accomplished, you will see the internal crystals begin to absorb the potions, gradually transferring them to the external magic crystal. This process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour.
When the transfer is complete, take the external crystal and shatter it inside a clean, empty cauldron. That is your newly fused potion. Easy, isn't it?
Since it is purely Herbology, this potion has no negative side effects other than a slight heavy toll upon ingestion—and even then, it is mild enough that almost any adventurer can take it.
Now, suppose you want to create a Bestiology potion, but remove its negative side effects using Herbology potions.
Essential Materials:
Three Dodecahedrons
Magic Crystals
Take a Feathered Cheetah Potion and a Sensory Sharpening Potion.
We all know the Feathered Cheetah Potion grants speed, reflexes, and even a slight increase in air magic affinity. However, it also conveys the Feathered Cheetah's vulnerability to loud noises. To counteract this, we use the Sensory Sharpening Potion, which focuses on enhancing all of the drinker's senses.
How does it work, exactly? What the potion does—or rather, what you will do during resonance—is feel the discord between the potions through your magic and the "3 Uses." The core process remains identical to the previous one, except this time the third magic crystal sits inside a third dodecahedron. As the potion transfers from the first two crystals toward the third, instead of entering the third crystal directly, it will filter freely within the third dodecahedron.
You will feel the potions resisting each other; this happens because the nature of the Sensory Sharpening potion and the Feathered Cheetah's weakness are clashing. It is your job to override the weakness with the sensory enhancement.
Through this process, you will notice both opposing aspects gradually disappearing. Don't panic—this is simply what happens when you cancel out a weakness with another attribute. The process can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. Once complete and the weakness has been successfully eliminated, the magic crystal inside the dodecahedron will instantly absorb the potion, signaling that it is completely stable and ready. Just like in the previous method, take the crystal from the dodecahedron and shatter it inside a clean, empty cauldron.
The next logical step would be creating a pure Bestiology potion; however, that is unnecessary to cover separately, as it follows the exact same steps as combining Bestiology and Herbology. Just keep in mind that it will carry a much heavier toll on adventurers when ingested. Remember to follow the guide at the beginning of the book!
Level 2 - Intermediate Derivational Potions
Intermediate Derivational potions cover everything from Herbology up to Arcanology.
Suppose you want to create a Derivational potion made purely of Arcanology.
Essential Materials:
Two Dodecahedrons
Magic Crystals
We will create a Fire and Wind Elemental Throwable Potion.
Select whichever spells you prefer, as long as they are compatible with one another—that is the central key to this level.
What do I mean by compatible? Simple: if you choose an area-of-effect Fire throwable potion, don't pair it with a Wind throwable potion that acts as a bridge between you and the enemies, or the fire will spread back and engulf you! Instead, choose a Wind throwable potion that synergizes well with an AoE fire attack—such as one that encircles enemies or boosts the raw power of the fire attack.
You will apply the same principles as in the previous level, making the spells bounce off each inner face of the dodecahedrons until they turn into liquid form. You will quickly notice the difference from the previous level: controlling two spells—pure magic—simultaneously is vastly more draining and difficult. If you lose focus for even a split second, one spell will shoot toward the other due to the bond connecting the magic crystals acting as a guide.
If you complete the steps correctly, the spell will turn to liquid and be absorbed by the magic crystals, then transferred to the third crystal where both spells combine naturally.
Now, what if you want to add an Elemental potion to a Bestiology or Herbology potion—or both? You simply add it. The process remains the same; the Elemental potion will act as a secondary component without interfering with the Herbology or Bestiology magic, as they are fundamentally different in nature. They can even boost each other if compatible ingredients are used—for example, a Fire potion combined with a Bestiology potion that grants fire-based abilities.
The beauty of this is that they do not counteract each other. If a Bestiology potion grants fire resistance and you add a Fire Elemental potion, they won't cancel out; instead, you gain both fire resistance and fire affinity!
Level 3 - Advanced Derivational Potions
Advanced Derivational potions span everything from Herbology all the way to Mysticism.
Much like the other ranks, Mysticism does not cancel out abilities from lower ranks—it merely enhances them or adds a special property or bonus, but never negates them.
The best part about this rank is that fusing energies follows the exact same principles as Arcanology. The only difference lies in how chaotic the energy is. It is impossible for an ordinary alchemist to fuse these energies unless they possess the raw power required; otherwise, the energies will overwhelm the alchemist, clashing and exploding right in their face.
However, that is not all. While Mysticism does not negate lower ranks, lower ranks can negate Mysticism. In other words, you can use specialized Herbology and Bestiology potions to counteract or strip away unwanted traits from Mysticism, or even add new abilities—all using the fundamentals you learned in earlier ranks.
Permanence
Permanence—the status so many alchemists rush to achieve, only to realize once they get there that it wasn't so difficult after all.
Where does the difficulty in Permanence actually lie, then? In the rank of the potion you wish to make permanent, of course.
Making a Bestiology potion permanent is not the same as making a Mysticism potion permanent. To be frank, it only requires one simple ingredient:
A fragment of the adventurer's magic core.
Chipping off a tiny piece of the core is not harmful, as the core will regenerate from what remains. Doing so extensively or continuously, however, will inevitably damage the host—you force the core to constantly generate new parts without giving them time to adapt to familiar magic.
In other words, you gradually erase what your core has learned: your connection to magic, your control over the "3 Uses," and your overall magical power becomes severely weakened.
Inside a dodecahedron, the drinker's core fragment must fully assimilate the potion until roots sprout upon it.
The more powerful the potion, the harder it will be for the core fragment to assimilate. Assimilation is achieved through the resonance between the potion and the core fragment every time the potion strikes the inner walls of the dodecahedron.
This process can take hours, and throughout the entire duration, the adventurer must remain unconscious so their core cannot attempt to regenerate.
If executed correctly, the potion will vanish, becoming fully infused into the core fragment. This indicates the alchemist has successfully granted the potion permanently.
Afterward, place the core fragment back into the adventurer and let them rest—or spray them with a Silver Axolotl Potion to heal their entire body, core included.
And so, once the adventurer awakens, they will feel the presence of this new magic!