Kito's Alchemical Awakening

Kito was awakened earlier than usual by the sound of a notification.

"System update completed. Here are the new improvements and features..."

Curious, Kito stopped in his tracks to read the improvements and new features that the update had brought:

- You can now display the characteristics of people and objects you look at whenever you want. Be careful, with your current level, the available information will be limited. People and objects with a level too high will not be accessible to you.

- You can access certain information about your environment, whether it's a city or the nature surrounding you.

- You now have a personal AI. Its capabilities will increase as you progress.

Kito was in shock. These improvements were completely crazy. He still had trouble grasping everything this would bring him, but he was sure of one thing, it would help him progress. "Well, now that I'm awake, I might as well head to my hideout. With all the resources I've collected, I'd like to try my hand at alchemy, or at least give it a shot."

After a quick breakfast, he decided to leave, driven by curiosity. Arriving at his hideout, he decided to place his poor-quality alchemy tools on an earthen table. Then he placed the bodies of the wererabbits and horned wolves he had collected on the ground, as well as plants collected during his escapades. He used his skill to observe the characteristics of these different elements.

The information appeared before his eyes, as if by magic.

For each creature and plant, he could now see their alchemical properties.

Wererabbit:

Speed Essence: Temporarily increases movement and action speed.

Durable Fur: Can be used to create clothing and light armor.

Horned Wolf:

Magic Horn: Has magic amplification properties and can be used to create magical objects. Strength Blood: Temporarily increases physical strength.

Plants:

Silver Leaf: Has healing properties, can be used to create healing potions.

Serpent Root: Can be used to create poisons and antidotes.

Kito was fascinated by all this information. He had never realized that the creatures he had hunted and the plants he had picked held so much potential in alchemy. He decided to start by creating healing potions from the silver leaves he had gathered. Of course, the displayed information only showed some basic possibilities that could be done with them and did not show how to do it. But it gave him interesting leads. At that moment, an idea crossed his mind.

"AI, can you help me with alchemy?" If no answer came, he would feel ridiculous.

Fortunately, a female voice resonated in his head:

"Hello, I am Sella. Ask me your question and I will answer you."

"Can you help me start alchemy by explaining the basics to me?"

Sella nodded, even though Kito could not see her, and replied: "Of course, I will explain the basics of alchemy to you. Alchemy is a discipline that involves mixing and transforming natural ingredients to create potions, elixirs, poisons, or magical objects. There are several steps to follow to succeed in alchemical creation."

"First, it is important to know the properties of the ingredients you will use well, in order to choose the best ones for your creation. Second, you must prepare the ingredients by grinding, cutting, or macerating them, depending on the recipe you follow. Third, you must mix the ingredients in a specific order and respecting the proportions. Just like in chemistry, the same ingredient can have different effects depending on how it is mixed and with which other substances. Finally, you must heat, cool, or let the mixture rest, which will also have different properties."

"Well, I will inevitably have to go through trial and error phases," Kito thought.

But before that, he had to do something he had been unconsciously avoiding. Removing the beast cores from the monsters he had killed. These cores were what gave these monsters their powers and strength, as well as their rage. These cores were extremely useful to humans. They were located on the foreheads of the beasts. Fortunately, he didn't have to open them, but he would have to for alchemy, so it was only a matter of time. After removing the cores, he stored them in his inventory.

During the following days, Kito devoted himself to experimenting with different preparation and mixing methods, while analyzing his creations using his system. So far, he had not obtained anything conclusive, but he was not discouraged. On the contrary, he found this experience fascinating and remained convinced of his ability to succeed.

Finally, after almost a week, he finally achieved an effect with one of his preparations. "Congratulations! You have created a low-quality healing potion. Would you like to store the liquid in a vial and store it in your inventory?"

"Yes"

"Congratulations, you have created your first potion! You have reached the rank of Alchemist (E)."

Very pleased with himself, Kito decided to look at the properties of the potion.

"Low-Quality Potion (E) Instantly restores 10 HP."

To achieve this feat, he had boiled it to extract the active principles. Then, he had heated the obtained solution to evaporate the water, which had the effect of increasing the concentration of the active principles. He had added a hint of serpent root, an ingredient that could serve as both an antidote and a poison. In this specific case, the preparation gained efficiency and allowed optimal absorption. Finally, he had crushed a horned wolf's horn, known for amplifying magic, and discovered that it also reinforced some preparations. The final result made him proud. He decided to concoct a few more, just in case he needed them.

Then, as the sun began to set, he decided to head home. Upon arrival, his parents were anxiously awaiting him for dinner. This time, their faces expressed some impatience.

Kito's father spoke: "Kito, tomorrow, you won't be able to go out and play. Your grandfather will arrive tomorrow."

Kito was filled with joy at the prospect of finally meeting his grandfather. The evening passed slowly before he finally succumbed to exhaustion.