Becoming an Alchemist Apprentice

"Congratulations on accepting my legacy. It seems she has finally reached her limit," a voice spoke suddenly, snapping Karsha awake. He looked around to find the source of the sound, but he couldn't see anyone. The surroundings were lush and green, and the air was filled with vitality.

"Where am I?" Karsha asked. He knew someone had brought him here, or more precisely, the mysterious old woman had brought him here. He asked, hoping for an answer. As he had hoped, the voice spoke again, "Welcome to my domain; I am Trinity Rizz, also known as the Divine Alchemist." An old man with a pure white beard, almost touching the floor, spoke as he materialized out of nowhere.

"You, my friend, have been chosen to inherit my legacy. Are you willing to accept me as your Master?" The old man didn't even give Karsha a chance to speak, getting straight to the point.

However, Karsha, who had just been tricked by the old woman, decided to play it safe. This time, he wanted to be more cautious and understand everything about the man before making any decisions.

"I mean no disrespect, but why should I accept anything from you after what that old woman did to me?" The old man smiled, hearing Karsha's question as a complaint.

He is merely a consciousness left behind by his real self. He can't address Karsha's concerns directly, so to avoid complicating matters for the boy, he decides to approach it differently.

"It doesn't matter how you found your way here; the most important thing is that the last remaining Hell Sister selected you to become my disciple. Now, I don't have to tell you how significant this opportunity is. You will become the successor of the Divine Alchemist, inheriting all his knowledge in the field of alchemy."

The old man spoke sweetly, aiming to charm Karsha. It would have worked on most people, but Karsha was different; he was a 32-year-old living in the body of an 18-year-old. He wouldn't be easily convinced to take on something he didn't fully trust. His caution was also influenced by how he ended up here.

He had been forced to come to this place, which alone was a sign that he should run far away and never look back. However, since he couldn't leave without the permission of the old man or the lady who brought him here, he knew he had to play his cards carefully.

"Say I choose to accept your legacy; what makes you think I will even use it once I am out of this place?" Karsha asked.

"You can choose to do that; however, before you make the biggest mistake of your life, let me tell you a little about myself and why they call me the Divine Alchemist," the old man replied.

The environment around Karsha changed as he was transported to a new place. He found himself in an old, makeshift home where a sickly young woman and a young boy were seated. The boy's head rested on the woman's lap.

"Rizz, I know you hate your father for what he did to us, but remember this: don't let anger consume you. Keep love in your heart always," the woman said, combing the boy's hair with her fingers. The young boy nodded to his mother's advice.

"I know you want to make pills, so I asked Uncle Randy to sign you up at the Heavenly Alchemy Sect. You'll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Study hard so that one day, you will become the best alchemist in the world," she stated, making the young boy lift his head and shower her with kisses.

"You are the best, Mommy. I promise to work hard to find a cure for you," the young boy said. The scene around Karsha changed again. He was then taken several years into the future, where the same young boy, now a 30-year-old man, stood in front of a gravestone.

"It's been five years since you left, Mommy. I hope you are at peace wherever you are," the young man said. "I recently became a grandmaster alchemist, yet I couldn't find a cure for your sickness. Even though you are long gone, I still aim to find a cure so that other families won't be torn apart by that disease." He added as he placed a white lily on the grave.

"I came to tell you that I will be taking the trial this year. I know you would hate this idea, but if I pass, I will gain knowledge from the Primordial Era. So, Mommy, what do you think? Should I walk the 'Divine Path' or give up?" The wind blew gently, making the young man smile.

He had decided to take on one of the most dangerous paths in the world of cultivators. Somewhere in the universe, there are ten trials believed to be from the Primordial Era, the first era of humans, known for its great power and knowledge. A trial that rewards those courageous enough to walk its path is considered a monumental achievement in Quinox and beyond.

Gaining knowledge from the Primordial Era as an alchemist would allow him to rise to the pinnacle of his field. However, walking the path is perilous. Many had tried and failed, yet Rizz now stood before his mother's grave with his mind made up. He would walk the path, and if he survived, he would gain the most incredible knowledge an alchemist could ever hope for. But if he failed, he would be erased from existence.

"Well, Mommy, see you soon," Rizz said. "Oh, I almost forgot; if I fail, I will be erased from existence, so I guess this is my potential goodbye," he joked before departing.

The scene then shifted, spinning through countless years. It appeared that what happened in the trial could not be shared outside. Karsha continued to watch as the years passed. He was skeptical at first, but after seeing the old man's memories, he could tell they meant him no harm.

From what he observed, the old man had a great heart. Many would succumb to pain and sorrow when they lost a loved one because they failed to save them. However, the old man hovering behind him had taken his pain and used it for good. He never gave up, even after his mother died, so Karsha gave him a thumbs up in his heart.

Karsha had been in similar shoes before. When his parents died, he was the one who held his small family together. Unfortunately, his siblings also started dying a few years after that. Even after losing three siblings, he never broke down as most people would. He took his pain and used it against his enemies. So, seeing the old man endure the same pain but choose to stay positive made Karsha raise his respect to a new level, even though they had technically kidnapped him.

After the scene spun through countless years, it finally stopped. In the new scene, the man known as Rizz emerges through a very bright door, wearing a pure white gown and looking like an ancient ancestor visiting his descendants. The whole world came to welcome him. For the first time, someone had managed to clear a trial.

On that day, even the gods sent down their avatars to congratulate the young man on his achievement. It is not an exaggeration to say that most gods would fail if they took the trials. They are known to be the strongest, yet a trial from the Primordial Era is something they wouldn't take for granted.

However, the young man standing before them had cleared the trial, albeit in only 1,000 years. His sect welcomed him, and from that day forward, he became the most important person in the whole world. Kings, queens, emperors, monarchs, and even some gods came to him for favors.

For a god to risk sending an avatar down to the mortal world meant they truly valued him and were willing to risk vulnerability to get what they wanted. As promised at his mother's grave, he created the antidote to Mana Poisoning and even taught the recipe to ordinary alchemists.

Many tried to become his disciples, but he politely declined their offers, always ensuring he did so graciously. Although he was now powerful, he believed that power should not lead to arrogance, especially toward those who sought his guidance.

He consistently tried to satisfy the general public. At most auctions, his recipes were always the hot items. Sometimes, he even gave recipes to random geniuses aspiring to become alchemists. In short, he never changed from the kind soul his mother had raised him to be.

Years later, he fell in love with a mysterious sword maiden who was admired by many. When she married him, nobody objected. They lived happily for many years. Despite never having children, which for some reason never bothered them, they remained content. All they cared about was their happiness, of which they had plenty.

However, their happiness was short-lived when it was revealed that his wife was the successor of the long-extinct Asura clan. Known for their carnage and strength, the Asura clan was regarded as evil and was frowned upon by many across different worlds.

Because of this discovery, people began hunting her down. Being the last of her kind meant that once she was dead, the entire Asura clan would cease to exist. It was a devastating moment in the old man's life. He tried to use his influence to protect her, but alas, she was killed by a joint assault from many powerful factions.

Before she died, she showed him a vision of the destruction of Quinox and other worlds. She also revealed the path forward. The vision, however, required one to walk the most dangerous path of all the trials - The Hell Road.