Spirit Taming

Chapter 239: Start The Pain

"Ella, I do not care if you want privacy. After the recent drama around the academy with the star city lord, you want me to just pretend you aren't doing anything? You just told me you are trying to force a beast to evolve to save its life and it could kill another student.

A student in the elite first year class that is going to the academy tournament that will represent our academy!" Doc was clearly stressed out when he came in to the lab with Ella and the materials that she had been asked to get.

"Doc, we are already doing this whether you approve or not. We have the approval of Ralph who doesn't want to see his beast die. And his beast wants it too. The both of them have approved and would rather die than have either of them live without the other." Isa stopped Doc in his tracks while Ella brought the materials to Clark.

"Thank you Ella. I will start some alchemy but I think you will want to take notes." Clark was still unfamiliar with alchemy. However, the system was not. It had rewarded him with important information using its analysis function. This alone was so much more than anything anyone else was capable of.

'Quest: healing evolution

After the host's acceptance of a new teammate, they had discovered that their teammate has been gravely injured. Healing them and their beast is not a simple task. It is one that will require them to surpass their mental and physical limits.

Requirement: fully heal and evolve the steel haired boar in to the molten boar. Ralph must survive

Reward: system gotcha special ticket or a hidden gotcha ticket. Host's choice.'

When Clark saw the quest pop up he was sure that it was going to happen. He knew that the system would recognize this tough situation. How could it miss this chance to challenge Clark? This would only make him better if he managed to succeed.

However, he was a little stumped. He had wanted to spin the hidden gotcha again. The time he had gotten a ticket brought him to the black lightning spear. It was the best weapon he had ever seen and could not imagine using another in the foreseeable future. The skill it possessed was too valuable.

Yet, when he saw that there was a system special gotcha that he had not known about he was curious. Within his mind, he had already asked the system what this system special ticket was.

'The system special gotcha unlocks unique categories for the host. It can be direct functions of the system, upgrade requirements, or even job knowledge that the system can incorporate in to the host's life.'

Everything about it made Clark feel that it could be invaluable. Having the system upgrade had already improved the responses and amount of knowledge that the system offered when asking questions or giving analysis. Adding a new function could be good or bad, the function might be valuable to Clark right away or something he can't use right away.

The thing that stood out was the knowledge. If the system was able to unlock more alchemy, forging, or even herb growing knowledge and teach him, it could be major. Some things were only learned after many years of study. Even if Clark wanted to make the best potions or the best armors, he was going to fail. He lacked experience.

Knowledge was great but the system's guidance could be that experience he needed.

From there he could consider the risk of the hidden gotcha. He could end up with another beast which would slow some progress at the moment. It was not worth it before the tournament. He could end up with a mythical material that could be useful for him or not. Or he could get another weapon or armor, both of which might not be useful for him. The hidden gotcha was too much of a wildcard.

"Can't you hear me? I will not-"

"They called you Doc and I have seen you around. I have a healer here, two experts on beast growth, and someone who can contact anyone I need materials from. I am accepting this because I refuse the fate I have. If you can not support my rival staying my rival then I will turn what I can against you. I don't care if you're a professor of Nova academy." Ralph's poisonous words hit Doc pretty hard.

It was rare for a student that knew his standing to just ignore him.

"Kids get dumber every year. Reckless and foolish. This is an untested method!" Doc wanted to yell to the heavens.

Clark but he had too much trouble. The method was unheard of and most researchers that attempted such things ended up failing or in poor shape. Life threatening shape. The few that succeeded never dared to attempt it again. They also rarely published their work because it was considered a death sentence for anyone that tried to replicate it.

"Please either leave or support us. Those are your choices. Don't interrupt us." The sudden outburst from Maria shocked Doc most of all. He could see that she had become very angry the more she looked at Ralph and his steel haired boar.

The reason that Maria had been hit so hard was because she had been a victim as well. Her older brother had bullied her for amusement. The emotional scars could never heal but they could be covered. She was finally revolting against her family and her older brother who had bred misery in the city. Here in front of her was another victim. Would she help him or would she let him suffer?

The answer was too clear.

"Isa, can you keep Doc up to date while Ella and I start to work? Maria, help make sure that Ralph is comfortable. We are going to start soon." Clark had already activated the magical runes that heated the cauldrons they used to make small potions. This was going to be more in depth than the small things some beast growth experts did. It would be real alchemy. The system was guiding Clark though.

He had confidence.

Ella was watching carefully. The what of the cauldron was the first note she made. The fact that Clark had placed the protective gloves on to cut the purple vines before he squeezed the juices from them also became a note. Adding the green slime bodies to it and watching the cauldron sizzle was interesting because it changed the coloration of the potion being made.

As more and more ingredients were added, Ella was feeling like she was seeing a true researcher. She had never taken the time to learn real alchemy. It had stunned her when Clark knew it but also made her feel like she was not truly worth being called a third year student. That was why she paid such close attention. She could be a real researcher when she learned how to do what Clark was doing here.

The fumes from the cauldron caused everyone's eyes to burn. The potion itself seemed to be getting less and less as the heat increased. It was a large batch of materials and liquid that soon boiled down to less than half a vial. The extremely condensed potion was eerie. No one in their right mind would swallow it, let alone buy it.

"Ralph, you will drink a drop of this while your beast drinks the rest. But first we need to add your and its blood." Clark walked over and swiftly pricked the restrained Ralph and the boar with a needle. Drops of blood caused the potion to bubble again and cool to room temperature much faster. The resulting potion was a scary purple color. The scent was toxic, to say the least.

"I am sorry for this." Clark dropped a single drop on to Ralph's tongue then the rest in to the boar's mouth. The immediate squealing from the steel haired boar was just the start of the pain. Its hair, or what was left after the scorpion's poison. Fell out and turned to a liquid.

Ralph's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he clenched his teeth on the wooden dowel he had been given. The wood splintered under the stress of his bite. He could barely breathe through the pain being transferred through his bond.

They all watched and knew that the pain was gruesome. It was still growing while they all witnessed the boar bleeding profusely. The blood hardened around it like a shell of protection. Doc could barely hold himself still. He couldn't believe that he had let this go on. However, the mad scientist within him that wanted to break the barriers of research made him halt.

It made him question his own sanity every single time Ralph screamed out with a raspy voice.

"This may be the last year I teach before I retire. I may never recover from this." Doc had spent many years developing a care for students. A desire to see them grow. Now he was watching one waste away before his eyes.