0045. A New Kind of Alchemy

Nile took a deep breath as he gazed at the bronze cauldron in front of him. The alchemy chamber was dimly lit, the flickering glow of the lamps casting long shadows across the wooden floor. Before him lay an array of neatly arranged ingredients, each one carefully measured and prepared, a scene that any experienced alchemist would find familiar.

But Nile was not an alchemist.

He had never studied the intricate techniques passed down through generations, nor had he spent years refining the delicate art of medicine-making. And yet, here he was, about to attempt something that no ordinary alchemist would dare to—creating a Level 1 Body Stimulus Paste with nothing but his own unique abilities.

His fingers brushed against a glass vial, lifting it toward the light. The liquid inside shimmered faintly, a silver-red hue pulsing with latent energy. This was the sample paste Jennifer had given him, a reference to ensure he replicated the formula correctly. Nile narrowed his eyes, watching the way the liquid moved, how it clung to the glass in thick, slow-moving waves.

He needed to understand it.

Closing his eyes, Nile summoned his White Sphere.

A pulse of energy radiated from within him, expanding outward in an invisible wave. In an instant, the vial and its contents became transparent in his mind's eye. Every layer of the paste, every subtle variation in density, even the smallest impurities—all of it lay before him like an open book.

He felt a rush of understanding.

This was why alchemy was so difficult. It wasn't just about mixing ingredients; it was about understanding the balance between them, the way each herb and extract interacted with the others. A slight miscalculation in their natural energy could make the difference between a powerful medicine and a useless mixture.

Jennifer had followed the recipe well, but as Nile analyzed her paste, he noticed something interesting—her version didn't match the written formula exactly.

Small deviations were present, likely due to the inherent variations in the ingredients she had used. Even an experienced alchemist like her had to compensate on instinct, adjusting ratios on the fly to maintain the medicine's effectiveness.

Alchemy, it seemed, was as much an art as it was a science.

But Nile wasn't bound by those limitations.

With the White Sphere, he could see and calculate every microscopic detail, ensuring absolute precision. He didn't need to guess. He didn't need to estimate.

He knew.

Now, it was time to test his abilities.

He shifted his focus to the ingredients laid out before him.

As he activated the White Sphere once more, each component's properties unraveled before him:

The Crimson Leaf was rich in natural restorative properties but degraded rapidly if not handled properly. The Azure Root Extract served as a stabilizer, though it carried slight traces of earth energy that could interfere with the balance. The Black Stone Powder added structure but contained microscopic metallic impurities. The Silver Dew Sap acted as a fusion agent, but its concentration wasn't quite right.

It was clear now—the recipe alone wasn't enough.

Even if an alchemist followed the instructions perfectly, they were still at the mercy of the flaws in their materials.

Nile, however, wasn't.

Letting out a slow exhale, he dismissed the White Sphere and called upon its counterpart—the Black Sphere.

A pulse of dark energy rippled outward, and in an instant, the ingredients before him vanished, swallowed into the endless abyss of the sphere's inner world.

Inside this isolated space, everything was under Nile's complete control.

The flow of time slowed, allowing him to examine each ingredient at a pace no human eye could follow. He focused on the Crimson Leaf first, stripping away its unstable elements, leaving behind only its purest essence.

The Azure Root Extract was next. The faint traces of earth energy were carefully separated, leaving behind a perfectly balanced stabilizer.

The Black Stone Powder's metallic impurities were extracted and discarded, ensuring no unwanted interference in the final mixture.

One by one, he purified every single component, removing all imperfections with surgical precision.

It was an alchemy process unlike any other.

Instead of using fire, careful mixing, or precise timing, Nile simply willed the ingredients to be perfect.

Once he was satisfied, he turned his focus to the fusion process.

Normally, alchemists relied on controlled flames to blend their materials together, stirring at precise intervals to ensure even distribution. It was a delicate, time-consuming process that required immense skill.

Nile had no need for it.

Inside the Black Sphere, the ingredients merged in absolute harmony, their energies fusing into a seamless whole. There were no weak points, no inconsistencies—only pure, perfect medicine.

The moment the process completed, Nile felt a sudden drain on his mana, signaling the transformation was done.

The Black Sphere pulsed once, and in the next moment, a small glass vial materialized in his palm.

The liquid inside shone with an unearthly radiance, its surface almost mirror-like in its purity.

A Level 1 Body Stimulus Paste—Perfect Grade.

Nile stared at it in disbelief. He had expected a high-quality result, but this... this was beyond anything he had imagined.

He had just accomplished something that should have taken years of training, something that only Level 4 alchemists could normally achieve.

A Perfect Grade Level 1 medicine.

If word of this got out, it would cause an uproar.

The thought made him uneasy. He had no desire to draw unnecessary attention to himself. If people knew what he was capable of, it would only bring questions—questions he wasn't ready to answer.

He couldn't afford that. Not yet.

Making a quick decision, Nile started a second attempt, this time intentionally lowering the quality.

He left minor impurities intact, weakened the energy fusion slightly, and adjusted the balance just enough to match the sample Jennifer had given him.

It worked.

The result was a Middle Grade Level 1 Body Stimulus Paste, nearly identical to Jennifer's.

But in the process, Nile unintentionally created four additional tubes of High-Grade Paste—stronger than Jennifer's, but not quite perfect.

He sighed, tucking the Perfect Grade Paste and High-Grade tubes into his storage for later.

All he needed right now was the Middle Grade version—the one that wouldn't raise suspicions.

With the vial in hand, he pushed himself to his feet and made his out of the room to the third-floor hall, where the others had been waiting.

The moment he stepped out, all eyes turned to him.

Jennifer was pacing near the railing, her expression tense. As soon as she saw him, she strode forward, eyes locked onto the vial in his hand.

"How did it go?" she asked.

Nile tossed the vial toward her. She caught it in one smooth motion, uncorked the lid, and took a careful sniff.

A second later, her body froze.

Her fingers tightened around the glass, her eyes widening in shock.

He could see the realization dawning on her face—the understanding that what she was holding was far beyond what she had expected.

And she had no idea that Nile had actually made something even greater.