As Ye Luo was about to leave, Tailor Zhang gave him the Collect Wolf Skin quest and told him that he would buy any furs at high prices in the future. Ye Luo agreed repeatedly, then bid Tailor Zhang farewell and headed toward Doctor Hua's place.
"Tsk, tsk, killing Young Demon Wolves again. Looks like those demon wolves really annoy everyone in Novice Village." Ye Luo sounded amused, then remembered the crafting fees for custom equipment and gave a bitter smile. "One Gold Coin just for opening his mouth. Prices really are high. Looks like I need to work hard and make money, or I won't have enough to spend."
"Ugh, I still don't know how much it costs to take up the post of an alchemist." Thinking about it gave Ye Luo a headache.
As he pondered this, Ye Luo arrived at Doctor Hua's pharmacy.
Doctor Hua had already recovered. When he heard Ye Luo convey Aunt Li's gratitude, he stroked his beard and smiled, greatly comforted.
Ye Luo took out a bottle of Monkey Wine and handed it to Doctor Hua, who was immediately delighted. "Tsk, tsk, not bad, not bad. Fine Monkey Wine. I happen to need it to steep a medicinal herb. But this is a little too little. I need at least twenty bottles."
With a slight smile, Ye Luo took the rest of the Monkey Wine out of his inventory space. "Doctor Hua, how about this? Is it enough? If not, I can gather more for you."
"Haha, it's enough, it's enough." Doctor Hua nodded repeatedly. Then, seeing Ye Luo hesitate to speak, he chuckled. "You little rascal aren't very honest, are you? Go on, what do you want in exchange for this Monkey Wine?"
Ye Luo's face reddened slightly, but he no longer put on a false front. "Doctor Hua, I want to learn alchemy from you. Would you be willing to teach me?"
Ye Luo had expected Doctor Hua to look troubled, but instead, he agreed readily. "So that's all? You have good aptitude, and you possess a healer's heart. Teaching you alchemy would count as benefiting all living beings..."
"You agreed?!" Ye Luo was overjoyed, but when he heard what came next, he froze.
"Of course. Once you reach level 20, I can teach you," Doctor Hua said. Seeing Ye Luo's stunned expression, he was taken aback. "What, didn't you know that Descenders like you can only take up Life Professions after level 20?"
Ye Luo finally understood why no one in the entire Novice Village had taken up a Life Profession. He gave a bitter smile. "I didn't know before, but I do now. Doctor Hua, is there really no way to learn a Life Profession early?"
"There is. Rules are fixed, but people aren't," Doctor Hua said. Seeing Ye Luo's excited expression, he chuckled. "If you want us to make an exception, that's fine. Just pay ten Gold Coins. You have a good reputation with us, so eight Gold Coins will do. And counting the Monkey Wine you gave me earlier, six Gold Coins will be enough."
"Uh, six Gold Coins... I worked myself to the bone and only earned sixty-three Silver Coins, yet now it's six Gold Coins just like that. This is too..." Ye Luo laughed bitterly inwardly, though he knew this was a requirement of the game system and couldn't blame Doctor Hua for it.
"Haha, I can tell at a glance that you're short on funds." Doctor Hua was shrewd with age, and he understood the moment he saw Ye Luo's expression. "But there's another way. I'll give you a quest. As long as you complete it, I'll let you take up alchemy. No—remember this. We're alchemists, not the so-called medicine refiners from the West. Understand?"
"Doctor Hua knows about the West too? Could this be foreshadowing for when the Major Servers are connected in the future?" Ye Luo was stunned, but he did not dwell on the matter and nodded repeatedly. "Doctor Hua, tell me. What quest is it? I guarantee I'll complete it."
"It won't be too difficult for you. Just help me gather herbs..." Doctor Hua said. Then a new quest appeared in Ye Luo's quest log:
Gather herbs (Novice Village Unique Hidden Quest, Difficulty: E-Medium) Quest Details: Help Doctor Hua gather medicinal herbs: 100 Rank 1 herbs, 100 Rank 2 herbs, 100 Rank 3 herbs, and 100 Rank 4 herbs. Quest Requirement: Within 1 day. Quest Rewards and Penalties: Upon completion, you will obtain the Life Profession—Alchemist. If you fail to bring back the herbs within the specified time, the quest will fail, and the requirements to take up this Life Profession in the future will double.
"Doctor Hua, this requirement is a little too..." Ye Luo's face was filled with wild delight as he looked at the quest.
While killing monsters, Ye Luo had gathered many herbs. He already had more than one hundred Rank 1 and Rank 2 herbs, seventy-five Rank 3 herbs, and sixty-four Rank 4 herbs. Gathering another twenty-five Rank 3 herbs and thirty-six Rank 4 herbs within a day would be quite easy for him.
The moment he saw the quest, Ye Luo knew Doctor Hua had gone easy on him. Otherwise, it would never have been so simple. After all, this was a Life Profession that could only be taken up after level 20 and was worth ten Gold Coins.
"Hehe, that's because you suit my tastes, kid. Giving you this quest will also let me take you under my wing sooner," Doctor Hua said with a smile. Then his tone shifted. "Of course, you've also worked hard. You raised Herb Gathering to Advanced so quickly—the first person in the entire Novice Village, even the entire Heavenly Tribulation continent, to do so. It's only right that I look after you."
"So that's how it was. No wonder I was able to trigger a Unique Hidden Quest." Ye Luo suddenly understood, though he remained deeply grateful to Doctor Hua. "Doctor Hua, thank you for looking after me."
There were many types of quests in the Heavenly Tribulation Game quest system: ordinary quests, main quests, side quests, Trial Missions, advancement quests, hidden quests, and Unique Hidden Quests. Ordinary quests, main quests, and several other types could be accepted by all players, but hidden quests and Unique Hidden Quests required specific conditions and opportunities to obtain.
However, hidden quests and Unique Hidden Quests offered extremely generous rewards upon completion. For example, the quest Ye Luo had accepted was very rewarding for him. At the very least, it would save him six Gold Coins, which was an astronomical sum during the beginner stage.
As they spoke, Ye Luo and Doctor Hua grew even closer. Ye Luo then remembered the Heavenly Tribulation Trial Mission he had received when he first entered the game and asked Doctor Hua how to trigger it.
When Doctor Hua heard that Ye Luo had accepted such a quest, he was utterly shocked. It took him a long time to recover, then he laughed. "You're quite something, kid. You actually had the courage to accept a quest like that. As far as I know, ever since ancient times, everyone who passed the Heavenly Tribulation Trial was an extraordinary genius. I never expected that the disciple I was about to take in would receive this quest too."
"I don't even know how to trigger this quest yet, much less whether I can pass it." Ye Luo smiled awkwardly, then pressed on. "Doctor Hua, do you know how to trigger it? What preparations do I need to make?"
"I don't know. They say Heavenly Tribulation Trial Missions come in all kinds, with no fixed trigger conditions. You can only rely on fate," Doctor Hua said, shaking his head. His expression grew more solemn. "As for preparation, you need to become stronger. With your current strength, passing the trial will be difficult."
Ye Luo nodded at that, then smiled. "Isn't that why I came to take up the post of alchemist? That counts as one way of becoming stronger."
"Haha, exactly." Doctor Hua stroked his beard and laughed heartily, then waved his hand. "Go on. Take up the post of alchemist as soon as possible. That way, your teacher will have done his part to help you."
Ye Luo bowed respectfully and prepared to leave. Before going, he did not forget to check the prices of some pills in the pharmacy, which only strengthened his resolve to take up the post of alchemist.
Even a Minor Blood Recovery Pill cost one Silver Coin, while a Major Blood Recovery Pill cost five Silver Coins. With his current wealth, he could barely afford a little over ten Major Blood Recovery Pills. How could he not be glad to have a chance to become an alchemist?
However, the effects of a Major Blood Recovery Pill were far better than those of a Minor Blood Recovery Pill. It could save his life at a crucial moment, so it was worth the price:
Major Blood Recovery Pill (Rank 2 Pill) Pill Effect: Immediately restores 60 HP after consumption, then restores 6 HP per second for the next 10 seconds. This effect will not be interrupted by attacks. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
"Hehe, it looks like I need to take up the post of alchemist as soon as possible, then quickly raise it to Advanced. That way, I can refine higher-grade pills." Thinking of this, Ye Luo's lips curled into a smile. "Then I can buy and sell these pills, and money will come pouring in. After all, I'm currently the only one who can become an alchemist. That way, I won't lack money for advancement, learning skills, and whatever else."
With that in mind, Ye Luo headed for the South Gate. He planned to kill Demonic Mountain Antelopes. Although there were many players there, he now had another quest and could gather herbs while killing monsters and leveling up.
He deliberately took a detour so he could find areas that had not yet been harvested. This allowed Ye Luo to discover quite a few herbs, including several Rank 3 and Rank 4 herbs, bringing him another step closer to completing that Unique Hidden Quest.
Before long, Ye Luo arrived at Antelope Slope and saw the attributes of those Demonic Mountain Antelopes:
Demonic Mountain Antelope (Semi-Domesticated) Level: 8 Attack: 24–27 Defense: 40 HP: 1200 Description: A semi-domesticated monster of Novice Village. It will not attack proactively, though it still possesses some demonic nature.
Once monsters exceeded level 5, their attributes improved slightly. If he had not obtained those two pieces of equipment, Ye Luo would not have dared to come looking for trouble alone. After eating a Steamed Bun, he brandished his Novice Iron Sword and charged at the Demonic Mountain Antelopes.
With 56–60 attack power, he could now break through their defense by a wide margin. Ye Luo could deal more than seventy damage to an antelope, meaning he could kill one in an average of sixteen or seventeen strikes. At his attack speed, that took only half a minute.
The Demonic Mountain Antelopes dealt around twenty damage to Ye Luo per attack, but he could dodge, and he also had the double healing speed from the Battle Soul Crystal and Steamed Buns. As a result, he only needed to rest after killing two or three antelopes.
Ye Luo was currently level 5, while the antelopes were level 8 monsters. Killing monsters three levels above him granted a 10% experience bonus, so each antelope gave him more than 700 energy experience. His leveling efficiency was not too slow.