New skill, New hideout and New project(chapter 11)

prevously in chapter 10

Although the pill's effects only listed a 50% increase, this was a bonus effect on top of the actual effects the pill had. Not to mention, the cannabis itself was a high-grade plant, something even the most influential drug lords had few of. Adding that on top of the effects provided by the system, you could imagine why it was so popular. As Anatoly Ranskahov and his men saw the pill, which they themselves had taken and knew its effects well, they paused for a minute before grabbing the bag. Henry then said, "Remember, one pill at a time." The men placed a duffle bag of money on the desk as Anatoly Ranskahov said, "We will see you next month."

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Chapter 11

Watching as Anatoly Ranskahov and his men left, Henry stayed at his temporary desk for a minute and sighed, "Gosh, who would have thought being a drug dealer was this hard?" He then got up and picked up the duffle bag, eye-balling the amount, "Hmm, this should be enough for the next month," he thought as he headed for his hideout. "Well, at least the pay is good," he smiled. Deep in a dark subway station below New York's surface world, Henry could be seen opening a large steel door, which required an old key as well as some brute force. After going through that initial door, he went through another before arriving at a large underground area, equivalent to three rooms combined. The whole place was lit up with orange lighting, and several planters could be seen.

This was, of course, Henry's farm, and it was his biggest farm yet. Just seeing the farm reminded him of when he first arrived in New York City. Just two days after arriving, Henry found this place, which he then chose to set up as a secondary hideout before finding a cannabis farmer to buy a whole cannabis plant. The reason he did this was that he decided his main source of income in New York, with his new identity as the alchemist, was going to be drugs, instead of his initial plan to sell his strength tonic to fighters in underground rings. He scrapped that plan because he alone wanted to receive enhancement from his product, strength ones, so he decided to go with drugs. After obtaining his first cannabis plant, Henry started to grow them into 3rd-grade plants.

Which led to his current product, the orchid. The reason why it was in pills instead of a potion was simple: with pills, he could make them into small portions, allowing him to gain more from a single potion. This was made possible by his new skill.

[ Name: Henry ]

[ Mana: 100% (1 mana lasts for 1 minute, 1 mana can be recovered every 1 minute) ]

[ Class: Alchemy: lv.3 (13.4%) ]

[ Skills:

Potion-synthesis: you can synthesize two plants/materials by melting them together using mana, as long as the materials do not possess two opposing qualities, 50% chance of getting a third-grade potion, 10% chance of getting a 4th-grade potion, and 0.01% chance of getting a 5th-grade potion. Tier: 6 (0.5%) ]

Alchemical-Weapon: you can combine two or more materials to create a weapon which, depending on the materials used, would have different effects as long as you know how the weapon works. Cooldown: 6 hours. Tier: 3 (98.%) ]

State-Of-Matter: you can permanently change the state of matter of the materials you create/synthesize, allowing you to turn solids into liquids and liquids into gas with a 50% chance of failure. Tier: 1 (93%) ]

Thanks to his state-of-matter skill, which he gained after reaching level 3 in his alchemy class, his initial orchid prototype was only provided to the homeless. He did this because he wanted to gain some reputation. He then moved on to high school kids, to club patrons, until he reached the gangters, where his reputation really picked up. This all took place over the course of 1 month. In that month, in the middle of gathering information and learning how the underworld worked, Henry has not lost sight of his original goal: to lose his normal human body and gain strength. He has been working on selective breeding his plants. Selective breeding is where you breed specific plants with desired traits, and in Henry's case, desired effects.

Which led to the birth of his new project, Project Hercules. As he checked on his regular plants, Henry went deeper into a small room, one that he specifically cordoned off for one plant. The moment it came into view, he smiled, "How is my little baby doing?" he said to the plant, which was planted in a metal and glass container specifically made by him from glass and metal. This plant, which garnered Henry's attention, was, of course, special.

[ Name: Enhanced Spirulina ]

[ Grade: 3rd ]

[ Description: The Enhanced Spirulina algae is a meticulously cultivated variant, carefully selected and grown to maximize its muscle-enhancing properties. Through specialized cultivation techniques and nourishment with a nutrient-rich liquid, this Spirulina exhibits exceptional potency and rapid maturation, reaching the limit of 3rd grade. Its vibrant green color signifies its abundance of essential nutrients, making it an unparalleled source of strength and vitality. ]

[ Effects: +50% muscle strength, +50% increase in endurance, +50% enhancement of immune system support. ]

[ Deterioration-Rate: 0% ]

Despite it being a 3rd-grade plant, it was the pinnacle of 3rd grade, meaning that it was one step away from reaching 4th grade. Despite being in this world for nearly three months, Henry had never seen a 4th-grade material. Of course, he had made a 4th-grade potion, but that was due to luck. He wasn't trying his hardest to find them, but the fact he hadn't seen any speaks of their rarity. "I just need to push a little, and I can have a 4th-grade material," he smiled as he made sure to feed this little guy before breeding him to another slightly less mutated version. After checking on Project Hercules, Henry arrived at another door, which led to a room with a sofa, a chair, and a desk with a laptop and a small toilet. This was it.

This was his new home, and he was actually quite satisfied with it. After removing his costume, Henry plopped onto the sofa and groaned in relief, "That is it for today. I will leave tomorrow night." Since he was wanted by two dangerous organizations, Henry decided to work only at night while sleeping during the day, becoming nocturnal, which he didn't mind one bit. After sleeping through most of the day, Henry woke up just to brush his teeth, but while he was brushing, he stopped. "Hmm, maybe I should invent a potion that cleans my teeth," he thought to himself before continuing to brush. After that, he put back on his weights, which he still wore, and their effects were showing. Henry, who used to be lean with little muscle definition, was now quite ripped, with a six-pack and big biceps.

This was mainly due to the combination of the strength tonic, which increased his muscles for 10 minutes. Since he drank it so much and so frequently, his muscles started to develop and adapt, plus the weights he always carried and the boxing training he did in his daily routine. The effect of those combinations was becoming evident, giving him the appearance and power of someone who had been working out regularly.