Chapter 39 - Collecting Potion Materials

At once, a small scream escaped my lips when I discovered Dimas's burning body. His temperature was so high compared to the normal body temperature. My hand felt as if it were burning just by touching his skin. It was such a stark contrast to the cold air on this mountain.

While calling his name repeatedly, I shook his body, hoping to rouse him from his unconscious state. Yet, Dimas remained deep in slumber, his breath heavy and irregular. My repeated calls seemed to awaken Shella, who, half-conscious, appeared to be struggling to understand the situation.

"What's wrong with Dimas?" Shella asked, her face a mask of confusion.

"I don't know, his body is so hot! Can you help me check on him?"

Hearing my brief explanation, Shella switched into "skilled apothecary" mode, despite having just woken up. The girl approached Dimas, her hands quickly moving to check his temperature. The moment her hand touched his forehead, she immediately pulled it away in shock.

"My gods! He's burning up!" she said, her voice rising in panic.

Shella quickly retrieved her large medical bag and pulled out several tools and supplies. The girl with the shoulder-length hair donned white gloves, the characteristic attire of her work as an apothecary. Then, she placed a small tube, about the length of a finger, in Dimas's mouth.

This device was a kind of alcohol-based thermometer. It functioned much like the thermometers from my world. By placing it near the patient's body, the alcohol inside the tube would rise, indicating the temperature. The only difference was the unit of measurement, which was not in degrees like my world but a different unit called "pip." Normal human temperature was around 14 to 16 pip.

How did I know this? When I was once ill in Glafelden, my temperature was measured using this device.

"My gods! His temperature has reached 19 pip! That's dangerously high!" Shella exclaimed. This shocked me.

"Do you have anything to bring his fever down?"

Without answering my question with words, Shella showed me by rummaging through her bag. A few moments later, she pulled out some small pieces of cloth wrapped in a thin, transparent plastic. I didn't know the exact name of this item, but it seemed useful for reducing body temperature.

Shella placed one piece of cloth on Dimas's forehead. After removing it from the plastic wrapping, the cloth adhered firmly to his skin. Perhaps this was like a fever-reducing patch that had been invented in this world. I had never tried it, but it seemed to be effective.

The girl with long, dark hair then unbuttoned Dimas's thick jacket and shirt. Sweat had soaked the muscles of his chest and abdomen. Shella placed more pieces of the cloth on his body, hoping the patch would bring down his high fever. For a moment, she stopped, her eyes fixated on something on Dimas's body that I couldn't see from this angle.

"Anggi, help me tilt his body!"

"Alright," I quickly responded without thinking.

I helped Shella shift Dimas's body so that he was facing me, while Shella examined his back from the side. Her gaze was locked on one spot. Her right hand slowly reached toward Dimas's back, not to place another fever-reducing patch, but to feel his skin. I couldn't see what was there, but I could tell that Shella was frightened by what she found.

A moment later, she removed something that looked like a piece of cloth and bandages with bloodstains. Thanks to my night vision, I could tell it was blood, even though the lighting here only came from a small lantern.

Fear gripped my mind, and in a heartbeat, I flipped Dimas onto his stomach so that I could see his back directly. A wound, about fifteen centimeters long, marked his body. It wasn't too deep, but wounds like this needed to be treated quickly to prevent any serious complications.

"D-Dimas? Is he injured?" I stammered, my voice shaking with a mix of shock and fear. "Where did he get this wound from? Could it have happened when he fought the Tarantula monsters earlier? Why didn't he tell me he was hurt?"

"Look at this, Anggi! This isn't just an ordinary wound. It's poisoned!"

My eyes immediately focused on the wound on Dimas's back. A horizontal line across his body caused a severe effect. Not only was it festering, but the edges of the wound also appeared blistered and swollen. Perhaps this was why the wound wouldn't heal properly and why Dimas's condition had worsened.

"Can you heal it, Shella?" I asked desperately, but the girl shook her head slowly.

"The poison is strong. I can't make a remedy with the herbs I brought," Shella cried in panic. Her face reflected both fear and confusion, as if she didn't know what to do.

I froze for a moment. Was there really nothing that could be done to heal Dimas? If this continued, he wouldn't survive. No. There had to be a way. Shella had said she couldn't heal Dimas with the herbal plants she had with her.

Does that mean she just didn't have the right ingredients?

"Tell me what ingredients you need, and I'll find them on this mountain!" I suggested calmly, trying not to drown in my panic.

"But I don't know if the ingredients are on this mountain or not."

"It's worth trying. My eyes can see in the dark. I'll search for everything you need. I'll do whatever it takes to heal my friend!"

My words seemed to have an effect on her. The girl began to calm down, her tense posture relaxing. Just a minute ago, she had been in a state of panic, like someone who had just had their purse stolen in the city center. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Her eyes then met mine with a calm, focused gaze.

"I'm sorry, Anggi! I was really panicked when I saw Dimas's wound. The poison is so strong, and it needs ingredients that are very hard to get."

"You forgot we're in Elvian territory, with its vast biodiversity?" I smiled at Shella, hoping to give her a sense of calm and reassurance. "So, what ingredients are needed to make the antidote?"

"Three Black Selinida Mushrooms and a bundle of Turnia Flower Roots."

"I've seen the Turnia Flower Roots before, but this is the first time I've heard of Black Selinida Mushrooms."

"Black Selinida Mushrooms are rare. They grow in dark, very humid places. You know the pitcher plant? These mushrooms grow like that, but at the base of tree roots. They're dark black and give off a strong, foul-smelling odor." Shella explained carefully, while I listened attentively. "You need to remember, when harvesting them, don't use your bare hands. The sap inside the mushroom can cause your skin to burn."

"Are you sure those are the right ingredients? That mushroom looks poisonous and terrifying."

Shella smiled faintly at my words. "Do you know? Poison can be used as medicine if used in the right doses."

"Is that so? Alright, I'll go search for both of those ingredients now!"

Without asking further, I stood up and grabbed my small leather bag. Since I'd be handling poisonous mushrooms that could burn my skin, I needed to use something to carry them to avoid injury. I also brought a water pouch and my small dagger, which I tied to my belt.

"Please take care of Dimas for me!" I said before leaving the tent.

"Leave it to me. You be careful too! Don't get hurt again. I don't want to have to take care of two patients at once."

"You're right. I'll be back soon," I replied, throwing him a smile.

With that, I walked away from the tent, descending the mountain slope where the vegetation was more varied than at the summit. My feet moved quickly along the steep trail. Unlike the slow climb up, going down the slope at night was much faster and more pleasant. Now I no longer needed to use extra energy to carry heavy supplies under the scorching sun.

Suddenly, I remembered Dimas. That fool had been wounded during the fight with the Tarantula monster, but he hadn't told Shella or me about it. Perhaps because I had spent so much time with him, I could understand Dimas's thinking. He probably didn't want to appear weak in front of others. That fool must have thought he could deal with the wound on his own.

What a fool my friend was! His pride in wanting to look strong was truly frustrating. I had protested to him about this countless times, but he never listened. If he survived this, I would make sure to scold him thoroughly.

My focus now was to find the two ingredients needed to make the antidote for the poison in Dimas's body. The Black Selinida Mushrooms and Turnia Flower Roots.

I had seen Turnia Flowers in the flower shops of Glafelden before. They were perennial plants, around 70 to 90 cm tall, with a single flower at the top of the stem. When closed, the flowers resembled a drill bit, but when they bloomed, they were stunning, with dozens of petals, blooming in a clockwise direction. Their beauty had made them popular, especially as gifts or decorations for homes.

But the Turnia Flower Roots had become famous recently, known for their medicinal properties. With its rising popularity, Turnia Roots had become one of the most traded commodities. Although they could be found in the wild, many also cultivated them in the city. That was what I knew about Turnia Flowers.

Unlike other ingredients, the Black Selinida Mushrooms were completely new to me. From Shella's explanation, these mushrooms resembled pitcher plants. They had a toxic sap that could burn your skin.

I suddenly swallowed hard. If their sap was deadly, how could I make an antidote by using these mushrooms and putting them in Dimas's mouth? Wouldn't that speed up his death? I was really confused. Honestly, I didn't understand herbal medicine like Shella did. Hopefully, mixing it with the Turnia Roots would make the mushroom sap safe to consume.

An hour later, I reached the middle of the mountain slope. It had taken half a day to climb from here to where the tent was set up. From this point, I walked toward the north, as I had seen a patch of Turnia Flowers in that direction earlier.

It didn't take long for me to reach the patch of Turnia Flowers. It wasn't very large—only about half the size of a football field. This patch lay at the edge of a cliff, with no other plants growing here except the Turnia Flowers and some shrubs.

I approached one of the flower stems that rose from the ground. The flowers weren't in full bloom yet, so I couldn't see the dozens of petals that would normally unfold in the light. All I could see were the buds that resembled drill bits.

Well, that didn't matter! I just needed the roots.

In one swift motion, I pulled up one of the stems. Then, I cut the root with my small dagger. Afterward, I stuffed the root into my leather bag. Shella had said I only needed one, but I took five more Turnia Flower Roots. Just in case Shella needed them later, she wouldn't run out of supplies.

After collecting the roots, I quickly left the patch. My next goal was to find the Black Selinida Mushrooms. This was trickier because I had no idea where they grew on this mountain.

Searching randomly would waste time and energy. The longer I took, the worse Dimas's condition would become. That meant I couldn't afford to waste any more precious time. Shella had said these mushrooms grew in dark, damp places. It seemed like riverbanks with dense trees would be the place to search.

I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on using my Super Sense. From this patch, I could get a clear projection around me. Although the world here was monochrome, the images I received were much more detailed than what I could see with my normal eyes. From the birds flying hundreds of meters above to the ant colonies working relentlessly beneath the ground, everything around me was visible.

If I were to describe it, it was like sonar waves from a ship. The sound waves spread in every direction, and when they hit something, they would bounce back to the receiving device. In my case, my body emitted continuous sound waves every second, strong enough to penetrate great distances.

With this ability, I could easily find the direction of the river just a few meters ahead. I deactivated my Super Sense when I was startled by a loud crashing sound that came from in front of me. I was so surprised that I jumped back and created some distance.

Something had fallen in the middle of the flower patch, creating a cloud of dust and earth in the air. Many flower stems had broken around it, but I didn't pay much attention to that. My eyes were now focused on what had just fallen.

It wasn't a thing... no, it was a creature, slowly rising from the ground. It was so unbelievable that I couldn't believe it even as I saw it with my own eyes. A bear-like monster, standing nearly eight meters tall, now fixed its gaze on me with piercing eyes. It had four large pairs of legs, each with sharp claws at the tips. Its white fur reminded me of a polar bear, but this was certainly no ordinary bear.

"D-Did this bear come from?" I whispered in panic. "Why didn't my Super Sense detect it earlier?"

In that moment, the giant bear let out a loud roar that shattered the night's silence and dark sky.