Taming the Lonely Caudron
"Young Master Vance, I have located the brat you asked me to spy on," a young man said as he rushed into a room where Vance, his junior brother, and the heiress of the Uzi family were dining.
"Where is he right now?" Vance asked a touch of authority in his voice.
"He and two others are at the Alchemy Guild," the young man, one of Vance's minions, replied.
"Good job, Nye. You did well," Vance said, bringing a smile to Nye's face.
"First Brother, are you going to the Alchemy Guild?" Joe, Vance's junior brother, asked.
"Yes. Dad said we should teach him a lesson before he is sent to the island in ten days. Breaking a few bones will be enough." Vance nodded and then stood up. "Take us there." They then began moving toward the Alchemy Guild.
Initially, their father didn't want to get on Karsha's bad side. So, for the ten days, Karsha spent in the room, he sent his best men to investigate his origin, but they came back empty-handed.
The only information they were able to get was his name and age. They tried all their channels but came up empty. Even after reporting this, Hugh knew there was a chance Karsha might be from an influential family, so he made sure they didn't go too far while devising a punishment for Karsha.
The softer the punishment, the less negative impact it would have on Karsha and any potential trouble from his family, if he had one. However, all that went out the window when Karsha rubbed it in their faces by showing he didn't care about the Great Families.
This was a huge insult to them, so when Hugh got back, he called his son and instructed him on what to do. Vance, a Semi-Saint, knew there was no way Karsha would be able to resist his oppression.
Vance, who felt insulted during the restaurant incident, saw his chance to break a few bones. He sent his minions to start tracking Karsha's movements and report back to him when they found his location.
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Back in the Alchemy Guild, on the second floor, Karsha stood beside the Lonely Cauldron with a smile. He could see the veins popping on Orga's face. The cauldron he picked was an Epic-ranked item with a price tag of 5,000 spirit stones, comparable to that of a common-ranked cauldron.
Although Karsha would have to pass the test placed on the cauldron before he could purchase it, Orga knew he would be losing thousands of spirit stones if Karsha passed the cauldron's approval.
"Is there something wrong, Mr. Orga?" Karsha asked, trying to rub it in more.
"Nothing is wrong, young man. However, I must say it is a peculiar choice. Are you sure you want that cauldron? There are other great cauldrons around; you can pick any other, and I might even give you a discount," Orga said, trying to change Karsha's mind.
"The one you picked is called the Lonely Cauldron. It has never accepted a master before and has high expectations," Orga added.
"I think I will go for this one, Mr. Orga," Karsha insisted.
"Hey, look over there; that kid seems to have picked the Lonely Cauldron," someone shouted, drawing people's attention to Karsha and Orga.
"How arrogant. Many have tried and failed. How can such a young man win the approval of the only cauldron that has never had a master?" one of the onlookers said.
"Even so, I'm going to see whether he can achieve that." One by one, people started gathering around the shop, eager to see how Karsha would tame the cauldron.
"Well, kid, it looks like you have yourself an audience. Go on, get cracking," Orga said in a defeated tone.
"Wait, isn't this the cauldron with the reward placed by Master Artemis?" one of the people standing there asked. Hearing this, many started nodding.
"Young man, are you the one trying to tame the cauldron?" he asked.
"Yes," Karsha nodded.
"Per the instructions set by the Saint-level alchemist, Master Artemis, should you manage to tame this cauldron, you will be rewarded with one chance to pick anything below the Legendary rank without worrying about the cost."
"Is that so?" Karsha said as he narrowed his eyes. To be frank, he already knew how to tame the cauldron; the only thing stopping him was the crowd gathering around.
He needed an audience, and since the people seemed eager to see him do the impossible, he stood there waiting and welcoming them. He had already made a name for himself at the Hunter Guild and intended to do the same in Alchemy. The more people who knew about him, the higher his chances of diminishing the respect held by the great families.
"Kid, how confident are you that you can tame the cauldron?" the young man asked again.
Karsha just smiled. "I can do it in my sleep," he muttered arrogantly.
"What an arrogant brat. People from the great families have tried and failed. Who are you to think you can do any better?" someone from the crowd shouted.
In response, Karsha smiled and said, "And what makes you think those people are better than me?" The harm was already done; there was no use being gentle.
"What a brat."
"Very arrogant."
"He has no idea the forces he is messing with."
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More people continued to curse at Karsha, who seemed to be accomplishing yet another milestone. His hatred for the legacy families grew with every second, and if rubbing it in their faces wasn't enough, he would teach them a better lesson soon.
"Okay, kid, show us what you can do. Master Artemis is watching," the young man said.
"Well then, here goes nothing," Karsha said as he lowered his body and gazed at the cauldron while maintaining eye-level contact.
"I seek to craft, I seek to heal, I seek to destroy. There is no end to what I seek, but something is missing.
I have no hope to build, but with passion, I know I can.
I have many things to accomplish, but there is no time to do it all.
I have people counting on me, but there is no certainty whether they can count on me.
I lack the strength, but I possess the knowledge.
Be part of the process.
Show your might.
Let your light shine.
Be who you are meant to be.
Become mine, and let us rise together."
As he finished his incantation, the room fell silent. All eyes were on Karsha and the Lonely Cauldron, waiting to see if he could achieve what so many before him had failed to do.
Karsha recited random sentences, leaving the onlookers baffled. They expected him to light his alchemy fire and attempt to concoct a pill, which is the traditional method for taming alchemy cauldrons.
Instead, he just stood there, reciting seemingly random words. To the crowd, this appeared to be pure madness.
"Hey, brat, what do you think you're doing? Is that how you tame a cauldron?" one of the onlookers shouted.
"Do you think we are kids to be played with as you please?" another shouted.
"He's just an arrogant brat with no respect for his elders. I say we teach him a lesson," someone chimed in, and soon, more people joined in.
Karsha, however, stood there with a smile on his lips. He wasn't concerned about the commotion because, at that very moment, a system notification appeared before him.
One of the very few functions left was his ability to form contracts.
< Does the host wish to form a contract with the Lonely Cauldron? >
- Yes
- No
Karsha promptly chose "Yes."
"Hey, look, the cauldron is increasing in size," one of the onlookers said.
"No way. He actually did it. He has tamed the Lonely Cauldron," another onlooker shouted, drawing everyone's attention. Soon, more and more people started rushing over.
"Who tamed the Lonely Cauldron? I am willing to pay him 10,000 low-tier spirit stones to teach me," a bulky man said as he started walking through the crowd.
"I will pay 50,000," another person said.
"Damn you, Hill. Can't you allow me to have this?" the bulky man said, sounding annoyed.
"Ha, my family will benefit more from this," Hill said, using his family as a sign of intimidation. It worked. The bulky man halted in his step, not wanting to get on the wrong side of these great families.
"Hey, kid. I am Hill from the Xonox Great Family. Sell the method to me," Hill spoke in an authoritative tone. Karsha, who heard him perfectly, just looked away. "So, Mr. Orga, this marks the conclusion of our transaction." He handed him 5,000 spirit stones. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Hey brat, I am talking to you," Hill shouted, noticing Karsha was ignoring him.
"It's not for sale," Karsha said as he, Xian, and Elder June started moving toward the next store, which had images of different fires hanging in front of it.
"I am from the Xonox Great Family. You will sell the method, or we will take it by force," Hill threatened, causing a chill to run down the spines of the onlookers.
The mention of a great family is a disaster many wish to avoid. They know the dangers that come with those names, so whether they are right or wrong, they instantly step back to avoid their wrath.
However, Karsha was different. He already hated them, and since they had doomed him twice, he held no respect for them.
"A no is a no. Take the hint and move on," Karsha said.
"How arrogant," a familiar voice to Karsha spoke. Soon, the face of the heir of the Varon Great Family appeared, with the heiress from the Uzi Great Family and Vance's junior brother walking behind him.
'Finally,' Karsha thought inwardly, having anticipated their arrival. "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. If it isn't the doofuses from the Great Families."
At that moment, Elder June felt her world crash down around her. Xian, too, felt a wave of dread.