A Colorless Flower

"Elixer of life."

The room fell into a hushed silence as if you could hear a pin drop. Everyone present, including the healer, was aware of the preciousness of the elixir of life. The healer cleared his throat and continued with a hard expression.

"The elixir is not an ordinary potion or something that could be easily created. It's a rare herb found deep within the dark forest."

"This herb has nine leaves, and it takes at least five hundred years for a beautiful colorless flower to bloom on top of it."

Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, fully aware of the elixir's impact on everyone. It was a highly sought-after herb, desired by almost everyone. They said that as long as you were alive, the elixir of life could cure any illness, even those on the brink of death.

However, its rarity posed a problem; for an average person, getting hold of or stumbling upon the elixir of life was nearly impossible. And even if it miraculously appeared in the market, the wealthy nobles wouldn't easily let go of such a valuable herb. It's been over three hundred years since the elixir last showed up in Kingdom Escalante.

He glanced at his father, who seemed to have lost all hope.

As a merchant, Baron Ohan had amassed great wealth over the years. He could buy high-quality potions for his sons, but he knew the elixir of life was beyond his means. Despair was evident on his face, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Kyle shook his head slightly, refusing to give in so easily. He walked up to his father with a serious look on his face.

"No matter what, I'll find the Elixir, even if I have to go into the Dark Forest."

Baron Ohan looked at Kyle with wet eyes, knowing that his two eldest sons were on the brink of death. The idea of something happening to his youngest son was unbearable.

"Kyle...?"

He choked out, before shaking his head. He understood their helplessness. Watching his sons die while feeling powerless made him feel useless and ashamed.

Kyle gazed at his father and tapped his shoulder slightly. He could understand his father's thoughts, but how could he let his brothers die in front of his eyes?

'I can't let them die!'

After giving the old man one last glance, he walked over to the butler and asked him to follow him outside.

Baron Ohan wanted to stop him, but he couldn't even say a word. All he could do was watch as Kyle's figure faded away, leaving the room.

After leaving the room with a calm demeanor, Kyle instructed the butler to gather all the records of their current funds.

The old butler looked at his imposing figure with mixed emotions and let out a sigh before nodding.

It took Kyle half a day to collect all the money they had. He divided the total amount into different portions: first for basic household needs, and then he tasked a trusted servant with buying enough high-quality potions to last for the next eight months.

Next, he spoke with the healers and convinced them to stay and take care of the patients for the next eight months. He made sure to provide them with enough funds and reassured all the healers of generous rewards upon his return.

After that, without caring about the consequences, he started getting ready to venture into the dark forest because he knew that even if the elixir appeared inside the Kingdom, there was no way he could obtain it.

'I promised to bring the Elixir, even if I have to search the entire Dark Forest!'

Kyle didn't care about the danger or himself; as long as he could save his brothers, he would do anything.

Amidst the countless thoughts swirling in his mind, the idea of failure never crossed his thoughts. It was a new and unfamiliar feeling as if he could accomplish anything as long as he tried.

Kyle was busy packing and handling the household affairs when Nine returned with the items for both missions. Nine also brought news that changed his plans of entering the dark forest.

The 'Tower of Opportunity' was set to open in a month, the only place after the dark forest where finding the elixir of life was guaranteed.

...

In the Royal Academy, everything was going as usual. Professor Aliza entered the classroom and frowned.

'They are absent again?'

Today marked the third day that both Kyle and Nine were absent. Aliza had received information through the mission hall that they had taken on a mission. However, seeing that they hadn't returned even after three days had passed, Aliza was quite furious.

Typically, new students in the academy don't take on missions right away. They usually focus on improving themselves first. This was the second time Kyle had taken a mission, and Aliza would have understood if it was a mission involving hunting monsters. But the mission he and Nine took was simply about collecting some herbs! And to make matters worse, these herbs were not even rare. They could easily be found in the mountains surrounding the academy.

'Just how long can it take to collect some herbs? What the hell are they doing?'

She knew Kyle had been showing a lot of improvement recently. It made her happy to see someone with low talent improving so quickly. However, now that he disappeared without a word, she was starting to change her perspective of Kyle.

'He also took Nine with him. If you want to roam around, just go alone.'

Aliza felt that Kyle had been a bad influence on Nine. Nine used to be hard-working, but recently, he had been following Kyle around a lot and neglecting his training.

Alec was also a bit worried about not seeing Kyle for three consecutive days. He went to his dorm to check, but he didn't find anyone there.

A few days ago, he used his appraisal skill on Kyle again, but the results were the same as before. He was curious about what Kyle had been up to lately.

After asking around the class, he finally got some news from a classmate who said they saw Kyle and Nine taking a mission and leaving the academy.

Alec wanted to ask more about why Kyle suddenly left, but the system, which had been quiet recently, unexpectedly gave him a big mission. It was a mission he couldn't afford to fail, so he forgot to find out more about Kyle.

______

'Mission; xX'

Enter the Tower of Opportunity and get the sword of power before anyone else.

Reward:

2× sub-ranks increase.

1×(S)-Rank skill.

Penalty:

-1×Rank.

The sword will go into the wrong hands.

???

Time remaining: 7 months.

______