Grasses Potion

Only when the food on the table had been wiped clean did Kraun feel the hunger from the depths of his soul gradually fade away.

"Becoming a transcendent elevates one's life level. Everything about us becomes much stronger than an ordinary person's, and the most intuitive manifestation of that is eating," Nick said, his face full of smiles.

"Father, I haven't noticed you eating that much."

He was somewhat skeptical. The two had eaten together many times, and in his impression, the priest's appetite was about the same as a quarry worker doing heavy labor, with no obvious difference.

"There are many ways to replenish energy, and diet is just one of them. An Exorcist Priest's means of attack differ from yours; we primarily rely on spiritual power, and replenishing spiritual essence is an important way for us to obtain energy. Priests, Warlocks, and even Spirit Controllers all replenish energy this way. It's a way to kill two birds with one stone: replenishing energy while training to improve oneself."

At this moment, the shallowness of Kraun's transcendent knowledge was exposed beyond doubt.

As a practitioner who also studied the path of a Spirit Controller, he still didn't know how to improve his abilities in that field.

Now that he had become a member of the church, he prepared to hide his Spirit Controller abilities and keep them as a trump card.

"What is spiritual essence, and what kind of transcendent professions are Spirit Controllers and Warlocks?"

Asking when one doesn't know is a good habit; he had never been one to pretend to understand when he didn't.

"Father Hamfa brought a batch of foundational knowledge texts; you can study them yourself when the time comes," Nick said, standing up. "Today's training ends here. Spend the night adapting to your current physical fitness. Tomorrow, two veteran Crusaders will provide you with guidance. You must learn diligently; they won't be here for long, so how much you learn depends on your own capability."

The priest patted his shoulder and laughed, "I have a lot of confidence in you."

"Does the church not have a training system for newcomers?"

Hearing that he had to be self-taught again, Kraun felt a bit depressed.

A systematic training program would allow for more comprehensive growth without obvious shortcomings. When he was an outsider, he had no way to demand anything, but now that he was a formal employee, he felt he should at least fight for his due rights.

"We certainly have a newcomer training system, but these are special times. Those trainings have been suspended; future newcomers will have to learn and progress through actual combat."

Nick turned and left, leaving the young man behind to ponder the deeper meaning behind his words.

Kraun realized that something else had happened that he wasn't aware of.

The main differences between the upper echelons and ordinary people are twofold: the asymmetry of information and the control over resource allocation.

In higher circles, they have more and broader channels for information, and they are the first to know when things change.

Coupled with their control over resource distribution, such people will always firmly hold the power of discourse.

He shook his head, stopped overthinking, and left the church.

When one's ability is insufficient, knowing too much only adds to one's troubles. Do what you can with the strength you have—this was a profound realization he had gained from his two lifetimes.

Walking on the road, Kraun summoned the golden wall to check how much his proficiency had increased after the afternoon's battle.

Seeing his own progress at every moment was a source of happiness and, even more, a driving force.

[Basic Swordsmanship: 4687/5000; Tier 3]

[Cross Sword: 1832/2000; Tier 2]

Perhaps cruel combat could stimulate one's fighting spirit and resilience; the progress in his swordsmanship was much greater than he had imagined.

Passersby on the road saw him covered in blood and subconsciously avoided him.

Kraun didn't care at all. His injuries looked terrifying, but in reality, they were no longer a concern.

He hadn't applied any medicine to the wounds, but they had all scabbed over and closed, even the deepest one.

Returning home, he put away the talisman paper he had been drying outside and quickly started a fire to cook.

Racing against time, just as the Hour of the Rooster arrived, he sat cross-legged under the moonlight and began his practice of the Golden Light Incantation.

The progress of the Golden Light Incantation was slow now, so he had to seize every favorable moment.

Accumulating sand into a tower, gathering water into an abyss—every bit of accumulation was for the sake of blooming and bearing fruit one day.

For others, the path ahead was in a chaotic fog, and effort didn't necessarily lead to a harvest.

For him, there was no wasted journey; every step counted.

Just after the Hour of the Rooster passed, there was a knock at the door.

He didn't need to guess to know that the two Witchers had arrived as promised.

He opened the door: "Please, come in."

"You seem a bit different," the Witcher said, his eyes deep, a flash of light seemingly passing through them.

Such sharp intuition? Kraun's mouth curled upward: "I was lucky enough to advance and become a transcendent. Tomorrow, I can start learning breathing techniques."

His tone was calm, but the sense of pride was impossible to suppress.

"Congratulations!"

Geralt sighed inwardly. When the two first met, he only felt that the other was a sunny, good young man based on his spiritual perception. He hadn't expected that only a month later, he would have already advanced to become a transcendent.

"Congratulations on the advancement, Big Brother! When will I be able to undergo the Trial of the Grasses?"

Alan was very envious. Because he had been unable to find an Alchemist to help refine the potion, he had been delayed in taking the crucial step to becoming a true Witcher.

The white-haired Witcher heard his student's words, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

He sighed softly and asked: "Kraun, how many types of transcendent potions can you make now, and what is your success rate?"

"I have only mastered the production of one transcendent potion, the Blood-Boiling Potion, and my success rate is about 60%."

For days, he had been unable to brew any potions due to a lack of raw materials.

"If I gave you a new formula, would you be confident in succeeding within two attempts?"

Geralt had barely finished speaking before he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm being too impatient; no alchemist could manage that."

You're talking to yourself, but you should at least give me a chance to show what I can do.

Kraun smiled. He understood now: the Witcher wanted to brew a specific potion, but the materials were scarce and likely difficult to procure. He was looking for a capable alchemist, ideally one who could guarantee success on the first try.

"Tell me about it. I might not be confident right now, but who knows when that might change?"

"The Grasses Potion, also known as the Weed Potion. It is a potion exclusive to Witchers, used by apprentices to undergo the trials and become true Witchers."

The Witcher cast a gentle glance at his student and said softly, "Alan needs it, but we only have enough materials for two doses. For certain reasons, I left the Witcher stronghold and have had to find an alchemist on my own. Since this potion is only ever used by Witchers, we usually restock at Kaer Morhen; outside of there, few alchemists bother researching a concoction that brings them no profit."

Kraun understood. He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "If Mr. Geralt can provide me with the formulas for a few supernatural potions that use relatively easy-to-find materials so I can practice, I believe I would be confident in brewing the Grasses Potion."