“I accept,” Anon replied, his expression unwavering as he met Ion’s gaze.

‘I don’t know why I am doing this but this offer seems very profitable to me… what if this technique can help me in beating that god’s candidate ?’ Anon thought as he smiled.

“Good. Now, gather enough food to last you a week because we’ll be heading to a remote location for training, you will have no contact with anyone in this kingdom for the next 7 days…” Ion instructed, his eyes on Anon.

“Should I buy food for you as well?” Anon inquired.

“No, just get enough for yourself. I’ll handle my provisions,” Ion replied.

Both of them ventured into the bustling marketplace of the elven kingdom.

“I’ll meet you back here in 20 minutes. Do you need to inform anyone about your absence for the next 7 days ?” Ion asked.

“Well, not particularly,” Anon responded.

“Good. Now, go and prepare. We’ll leave in 20 minutes,” Ion directed before walking away.

Anon mused to himself, “Wow, this is exciting. I’m heading to a deserted place with an old man who only has a week to live. He’s going to teach me the world’s strongest technique, and here I am, talking to myself when I should be getting some food.”

“Hmm… How much for that poison ?” Ion asked a shopkeeper.

“Dear customer, this thing costs 2 coppers but I will give it to you for only 1 copper.” The shopkeeper spoke.

“Okay, I will buy all of them.”

“A-All of them, Sir ?” The shopkeeper asked with a confused expression.

“Yes, pack everything.”

Twenty minutes later…

Both of them reconvened at the same spot.

“Did you buy enough food?” Ion inquired.

“Yes, I’ve got enough for a month,” Anon replied.

“Good. Let’s go,” Ion said, and they began walking toward the Evensong Forest.

“Wait a minute, that’s the Evensong Forest, and if I remember correctly, it’s not deserted at all; it’s teeming with dangerous monsters,” Anon exclaimed.

“Just follow me,” Ion responded.

“Well, okay—”

Wooof

Anon suddenly heard a barking sound and turned to locate its source.

As he spun around, he spotted a small injured puppy in an alley, blood oozing from its wounds.

“What’s going on? Why did you stop?” Ion asked, glancing at Anon.

“Gin, is that you, boy?” Anon inquired with a puzzled expression.

Woof

Gin barked weakly before losing consciousness.

Anon hurried to Gin, cradling him gently. “How did you survive, boy?” he asked, starting to remove his troll locket to use its magic on Gin.

However, Ion swiftly grabbed Anon’s hand, preventing him from doing so. “No, don’t do it,” Ion cautioned with a serious expression.

“What? Why not? He’ll die if I don’t do something right now. He’s my first pet; I can’t let him die,” Anon protested.

Cough-Cough-Cough Link pretended to cough, seeming a bit offended by Anon’s “first pet” comment.

“No, look,” Ion began, pointing to the puncture wounds on Gin’s body.

“What?” Anon asked, baffled.

“These holes contain seeds from the deadly tree. You must have encountered it in the Evensong Forest, right?” Ion inquired.

“Yes, I did. He jumped in front of the tree to save me. But now you’re not letting me save him, and you’re talking about some nonsense,” Anon explained.

“It’s not nonsense. These seeds grow within their hosts, siphoning their mana and life force to spawn another deadly tree like the one you encountered. If you use your locket on him, it’ll become useless within seconds, but these seeds will gain enough energy to grow. I don’t want a deadly tree sprouting up in our kingdom,” Ion clarified.

Understanding Ion’s explanation, Anon examined Gin’s wounds closely, noticing tiny seeds within them.

“What should I do now? Remove the seeds first and then heal him?” Anon asked Ion.

“No, give him a healing potion first and then remove the seeds,” Ion advised.

“But healing potions contain mana…” Anon began.

“They do, but only in small amounts. They are mostly liquid and alchemical. The healing potion will sustain him, and then you can slowly extract the seeds. Once the seeds are out, you can use your locket on him,” Ion explained.

“Okay, let’s proceed then,” Anon said, retrieving a healing potion from his inventory and gently administering it to Gin.

“That’s not a dog, is it? No dog can carry these seeds inside and survive for over an hour,” Ion commented with a smile, acknowledging Anon’s chimera creation.

“What now? I’ve made him drink the entire bottle of the healing potion,” Anon said.

Chk

Ion conjured a dagger and handed it to Anon. “Heat it up and then remove the seeds,” Ion instructed.

(Fire Ball)

Anon employed the Fire Ball spell to heat the dagger until it glowed red-hot, then ceased and carefully began extracting the seeds from Gin’s body.

Mnhhwooofff

Gin barked softly each time Anon removed a seed, a process that took 10 minutes to complete.

“Can I use the locket now?” Anon inquired.

“No, first confirm if there are any other seeds within him,” Ion ordered.

“How?” Anon asked.

“Supply mana to him. If you sense your mana being drained into his body, it means he still has seeds,” Ion explained.

“Okay…” Anon said, supplying mana to Gin.

After giving Gin mana, Anon glanced at Ion and reported, “Mana is flowing normally into him; there’s no suction. What’s next?”

“Good. Now you can use your locket on him,” Ion instructed.

Anon removed his locket and placed it over Gin’s unconscious form. Within seconds, Gin’s wounds closed, and he appeared to be a healthy puppy once more.

“These seeds might prove useful in a dire situation. I’d suggest storing them somewhere safe,” Ion advised, pointing to the seeds scattered on the ground.

“Alright,” Anon agreed, promptly stowing the seeds in his inventory.

Woof-Woof

Gin stirred, licking Anon’s feet.

“Hello, boy. How are you feeling?” Anon asked Gin.

Woof-Woof

Gin barked in response, continuing to lick Anon’s feet.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Anon replied, chuckling.

“We should get going,” Ion said.

“Yes,” Anon agreed, rising to his feet and following Ion. Gin tagged along.．𝚌ｏｍ