Chapter 143

Chapter 143
Chapter 143: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Spirit Arts have escalated to this extent?

Lion felt genuine surprise.

Although he knew his proficiency was steadily climbing, he hadn’t anticipated reaching such heights so soon.

‘Indeed, my standing has advanced significantly this time.’

Yet… what is the meaning of these specific conditions?

He still struggled to grasp the underlying logic.

The fact that crafting and Spirit Arts belonged to entirely different domains played a role here.

While Lion treated crafting as a mechanical discipline, Spirit Arts functioned fundamentally as combat talents.

Consequently, he had assumed that mastering Spirit Arts required actual combat experience…

‘That is something I wish to avoid.’

Lion directed his gaze toward Nature.

He understood that it was an Ancient Spirit harboring immense dormant power.

Having witnessed its capabilities firsthand within the game, he could not remain ignorant of its might.

Even so, he had no pressing need for overwhelming force right now.

Were they expected to make that tiny chick engage in battle?

Fighting was completely out of the question.

Lion shook his head with firm resolve.

This was a choice for him to make as Nature’s master.

Because…

‘It will act on my behalf.’

Nature consistently placed its master above all else.

No matter what request Lion made, it would pretend to resist before ultimately fulfilling it—the past was proof of that.

During the incident with the ‘Old Bottle,’ did it not expend its own vital energy to shield him?

For an Ancient Spirit, such a feat could not have been simple.

As a consequence, it had fallen into a deep slumber for quite a considerable duration.

At that moment, a specific thought crossed his mind.

If his Spirit Arts had reached the skilled threshold back then, would Nature have suffered to such a degree?

‘…Therefore, I have no intention of abandoning the journey toward mastery.’

Nature remained restricted to utilizing only a fraction of its true strength.

It was essentially operating in shackles.

How deeply frustrating that must be for the entity.

Lion desired to loosen those constraints, if even just a little.

‘There has to be a path to the skilled tier devoid of combat.’

The fact that my Spirit Arts rank has climbed this far stands as evidence, does it not?

Another method must exist.

He simply hadn’t uncovered it yet.

The fortunate part was…

‘I have a working hypothesis.’

That revolved around the very essence of Spirit Arts.

After all, within the mechanics of In the World, the ‘Druid’ archetype governed both spirits and malevolent forces.

If he was adhering to that progression tree, then Lion had thus far invested points into a single skill, wouldn’t you say?

Naturally, stagnation was bound to occur.

The brute-force method to shatter that bottleneck involved accumulating vast amounts of combat experience.

If that held true…

What if… he also cultivated a malevolent influence?

Lion stared intently at the finely pulverized Kamentum.

It was far from a certainty, but at present, this stood as the most viable alternative.

Regardless, Lion intended to liberate the Evil Beast’s Egg from its ongoing torment either way.

‘Not that the Evil Beast’s Egg is going to hatch immediately.’

In any case, he suspected it might emerge somewhat sooner than previously anticipated.

“Well, regardless, we won’t know until we test it, correct?”

“Ppippi.”

As if comprehending Lion’s internal monologue, Nature fluttered upward and settled gracefully upon his shoulder.

The gesture felt like a silent reassurance not to fret excessively, prompting a soft chuckle from Lion.

“My thanks.”

Now then…

Shall I complete the task at hand?

Lion filled a designated Potion Bottle with an appropriate quantity of purified water intended for alchemy.

Fortunately, exactly as the manual indicated, the refined water displayed no anomalous traits.

It simply proved challenging to measure the liquid level within the pitch-black container, which failed to reflect even a scrap of light.

That posed no real obstacle, since he only needed to verify the exact amount of refined water he had poured in.

Sssrr….

Lion transferred the prepared Kamentum into the Potion Bottle, which now carried the considerable weight of the refined water.

Just as he worried the liquid might be slightly excessive, the Kamentum absorbed the moisture voraciously, causing the mixture to thicken at a rapid pace.

It accomplished this entirely without the aid of a stirring rod!

Lion gently swirled the contents using a slender muddler until the purified water and the powder achieved complete amalgamation.

Instantly, the overall volume diminished, settling into a consistency comparable to wax.

The peculiar aspect was… despite its sticky and dense appearance, it exhibited zero physical resistance!

-It does not adhere to objects devoid of divine power.

This characteristic stemmed directly from the innate properties of Kamentum.

Owing to that trait, Lion easily managed the viscosity despite his hands feeling fatigued and weakened from the grinding process.

‘It is truly bizarre…’

How best to describe it? It behaved as a liquid yet possessed solid qualities; it remained viscous yet refused to cling to surfaces.

It felt too rigid to be categorized as a slime… lacking the soft, squishy elasticity typical of such creatures.

‘The closest analogue would be potato starch dissolved in water.’

Yet because it exclusively latched onto items possessing divine power, that comparison fell short of accuracy.

Regardless, the application promised safety alongside definitive efficacy.

Lion strode back to his bed, retrieved the Evil Beast’s Egg nestled within the bedding, and set it carefully upon the desk.

Whitish stains still marred more than half of the egg’s surface.

Without delay, Lion scooped up a generous portion of liquid Kamentum and draped it across the egg, enveloping the shell before it could slide from his fingers.

Then, a miraculous phenomenon occurred.

The gelatinous substance acted as though imbued with a conscious intellect; it ceased its downward drip and spread naturally across the areas tainted by divine power, bonding with absolute firmness.

Subsequently, as if greedily devouring the trapped divine energy, its coloration began a gradual shift.

The initial dark, near-black hue of the Kamentum slowly lightened.

Naturally, given its composition, it never turned a pristine white, but it transformed into a markedly paler shade of gray than before.

Whether it expelled moisture in exchange for the consumed divine energy, the damp substance transformed into brittle, hardened clay, soon developing fractures before pieces flaked away onto the desk’s surface.

And the shell revealed through those cracks…

Though present only in a faint trace, a distinct purplish tint showed across the white expanse!

‘Success.’

Lion chuckled at the outcome unfolding precisely as predicted, gently brushing away the dried, mud-like remnants from the shell.

Following that, as though its singular purpose had been fulfilled, the Kamentum vanished without a single trace.

He briefly wondered if it had undergone complete neutralization to integrate directly into the ambient mana.

“This is splendid.”

He had harbored concerns regarding the cleanup of the debris, but that anxiety proved entirely unfounded.

Furthermore, the texture of the egg’s exterior remained unbroken.

In fact, quite the contrary…

‘It feels remarkably smooth!’

Despite the shell originally featuring a rough, uneven topography, it now possessed the slick smoothness of a hard-boiled egg!

And that was accomplished despite draining only a minor fraction of the divine energy.

Now that the obstructing divine seal had been cleared away, the accumulated nutrients could finally circulate and function as intended.

‘You poor creature…’

He could only imagine how distressing it must have been to endure all this time without receiving proper nourishment or even breathing unhindered.

Had circumstances permitted, he would have utilized every last drop of the remaining Kamentum to strip away the white corruption entirely, but…

‘I need to pace the applications.’

After all, this substance remained a potent potion.

Administering an excessive volume at once risked triggering a ‘potion addiction’ status ailment.

Naturally, when handled correctly, it served well in critical scenarios where significant quantities might be mandatory, but this constituted a 4-star concoction—and despite belonging to an evil influence, the specimen was merely a developing egg.

Any miscalculation could spell catastrophe.

“Therefore, let us administer it in controlled increments.”

It resembled the practice of nursing a feverish child, doling out doses morning, afternoon, evening, and even during the dead of night if the situation demanded it.

Lion returned the egg to the bed, applying the Kamentum at carefully calculated intervals.

Following the final application and subsequent brushing…

Not a single trace of the white stains remained.

The lingering divine power had been purged to perfection.

‘That was perilously close.’

Toward the final stages, that opaque white discoloration had stubbornly resisted fading.

He had briefly debated whether he needed to synthesize another batch of Kamentum or devise an alternative strategy, but at some juncture, the shell reclaimed its natural coloration independently.

It appeared the residual divine power had ultimately been absorbed by the Evil Beast’s Egg itself, converting into sustenance.

True to expectations, the Evil Beast’s Egg possessed remarkable resilience.

“You endured a great deal.”

Lion gently stroked the visibly healthier, dark purple Evil Beast’s Egg before returning it to the mattress.

Just to be thorough, he inspected it using ‘Expert’s Eye,’ confirming that the text describing divine contamination had vanished entirely.

Healing was complete.

“Hm?”

Once Lion reviewed the updated status description, a notification flickered briefly before refreshing with new text.

『Evil Beast’s Egg』

-This is a living entity that has journeyed from a distant realm to find you.

-It exhibits immense curiosity regarding your appearance.

-A robust and healthy malevolent entity appears poised for birth!

-However… hatching may occur sooner than anticipated?

The updates were overwhelmingly positive, though one specific line gave him pause.

That reference to happening “sooner than anticipated” naturally depended on whose frame of reference was applied.

From a human perspective, that might mean a matter of days, whereas from the viewpoint of a malevolent entity or an ageless species, it could translate to years.

‘…Well, no matter.’

Even so, he had no intention of artificially forcing the egg to hatch ahead of schedule.

While the external world possessed boundless beauty and sights to behold, distinct advantages remained within the safety of the cozy shell.

“There is no need to rush past me; you may take all the time you require to hatch.”

Murmuring those words, Lion let out an amused chuckle to himself.

He never would have imagined himself speaking in such a manner.

Shhh.

Lion stored the Abgrund Potion Bottle securely within his inventory, then pulled back the heavy curtains that had blocked out the room and threw the window wide open.

In contrast to the stagnant air indoors, a crisp, invigorating breeze rushed inward.

The wind caught Lion’s hair, sending strands fluttering across his face and tickling his skin, yet the sensation felt strangely pleasant rather than bothersome.

Stepping out onto the terrace, Lion leaned against the window frame to survey the outdoors.

“Still, perhaps accelerating the timeline slightly might not hurt.”

Warm sunlight, soft and damp grass, fragrant soil, coupled with delicious food and moments shared with those he cherished.

There existed a multitude of experiences he wished to share with the creature.

“Peeep!”

As if voicing agreement with Lion’s sentiment, Nature darted out onto the terrace, caught an updraft, and swept across the vast sky in a wide arc before returning.

In that brief span, it moved with such velocity that it clutched a slender twig within its beak.

A solitary leaf and a pair of small berries clung to the stem.

Nature dropped the twig directly in front of the egg resting upon the bed.

It then cast a triumphant, expectant glance toward Lion.

“Hah. I understand.”

Even if direct exposure wasn’t yet possible, he could impart knowledge indirectly through such means.

Teaching it the scent of fresh grass or the essence of the outside world.

“…In that case, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we brought it along on this upcoming hotel excursion?”

That struck him as a splendid notion!

Regardless of its developmental speed, the egg wouldn’t hatch in the immediate future.

“Let me ponder this—can I simply transport the egg nestled within a cloth pouch?”

Formulating a practical design for an ‘egg carrier cloth’ in his mind, Lion gave an approving clap of his hands.

Ah, but a prior obligation demanded his attention first.

Specifically, preparing a treat for Nature, which had exerted itself so diligently throughout the day.

“Let’s see… Is there a specific snack you desire?”

Sitting upon the edge of the mattress, Lion scratched Nature’s soft plumage while posing the question.

Instantly…

『Craft the ultimate delicacy for your companion spirit, Nature!』

A fresh notification materialized in his field of vision.

-Your companion spirit, Nature, yearns to taste a treat that you yourself have never even sampled.

-What particular flavor do you crave above all others?

This development mirrored the mechanics of the ‘Hidden Quest’ triggered previously.

‘Oh?’

Could this—just possibly—serve as one of the prerequisite conditions for advancing his Spirit Arts?

It was entirely possible Nature had been dropping subtle hints all along.