Shhh-Shhhh-Shhh

“What are you doing? Do it faster, kid. I don’t have much time,” Ion grumbled, glancing lazily at Anon as he rubbed the wooden sticks together.

“If you think it’s so easy, then do it yourself,” Anon retorted, his face contorted with irritation.

“I did it when I was learning the technique back then. Now it’s your turn,” Ion replied calmly.

“Well, what are we making in this cauldron?” Anon asked, increasing the speed of his stick-rubbing.

“Something that will help boost your stamina,” Ion answered.

“Are you making a protein potion or something?” Anon inquired.

“Hmm… something like that, but my master called it ‘Elixir,'” Ion responded.

Puff

Suddenly, smoke began to rise from the wood, and a small fire ignited.

“Hey, the fire…” Anon started to say.

“Good, throw it under the cauldron,” Ion instructed.

“Alright,” Anon responded, tossing the flaming stick under the cauldron. He watched as the fire spread to the other sticks.

“Now, kid, I want you to remember every ingredient I put into this cauldron, okay?” Ion said, looking at Anon.

“Okay,” Anon agreed.

“Good. The first ingredient is green grass poison,” Ion said, adding the leaves of the poisonous plant into the cauldron.

“What?!” Anon exclaimed, his voice rising in shock.

“Why are you shouting?” Ion asked, puzzled by Anon’s reaction.

“That’s the most poisonous plant around here… are you trying to kill me?” Anon asked, still in disbelief.

“Just remember the ingredients, kid. The next thing I’m adding is a mixture of one-horned rabbit’s horn,” Ion continued, ignoring Anon’s concerns.

‘Forget this… I’m not drinking that stuff,’ Anon thought, eyeing the cauldron warily.

In a matter of seconds, Ion had thrown over twelve different ingredients into the cauldron, filling it to the brim.

“…and lastly, you’ll add this,” Ion said, taking out a large bottle of stored wine.

“You’re adding wine to an elixir?” Anon questioned, his face displaying confusion.

“This wine isn’t ordinary. It’s made from pure red grapes harvested at precisely the right time of the season and the sweet leaves of mint grass grown in the southern valley’s soil. After mixing these two ingredients, we bury them in vermi soil to ferment over time. The longer it ferments, the greater its value and taste,” Ion explained, opening the bottle and savoring the aroma.

“How many years has this wine been stored?” Anon inquired eagerly, as he too was a fan of aged wines in his previous life.

“Over 400 years. Ah, what a refreshing scent,” Ion replied, pouring the entire bottle into the cauldron.

“No… you could’ve let me at least taste a sip,” Anon said, disappointed.

“This wine can’t be handled by a human, kid. Now we wait until it’s ready to drink. You can rest for now,” Ion advised, returning to his chair.

“Hey, I can easily recover my stamina if you just let me use my mana,” Anon suggested, looking at Ion.

“Human, that’s precisely what I’m trying to teach you. The world outside has become a slave to mana. Everywhere you look, everyone is using mana, from the most significant tasks to the smallest. God gave us mana to use, but now we are being used by mana. We are supposed to use mana for our purposes, but today, everyone is being controlled by it. That’s why I brought you here. I want to teach you how to gain control of your mana, control your body yourself, and not let mana control your body. Understand?” Ion explained.

“I think I understand what you’re saying, old man,” Anon nodded.

“Do you remember that attack you used back at the academy?” Ion asked.

“What? Thunder Javelin?” Anon responded.

“Yes, once you master my technique to its peak, you’ll be able to perform that same attack with 3,000 times more intensity,” Ion declared, smiling at Anon’s astonished expression.

“Th-Three… wait, did you just say three thousand times?” Anon questioned incredulously.

“Yes, but only when you truly master the technique. There’s a significant difference between learning and mastering,” Ion added, still wearing a smile.

“Let’s get back to work, old man. I need to learn this technique,” Anon said, rising with enthusiasm.

“Indeed. However, for now, you should rest because your next training will require even more stamina, and you can only obtain that from the elixir,” Ion advised, returning to his book.

“Alright,” Anon agreed, lying down on the ground and falling asleep.

‘The will to become stronger is the force that can make a person into anything they desire… that’s what my master told me in his final moments. Today, I truly understand what he meant,’ Ion thought, observing Anon sleeping soundly on the ground.

One hour later…

“Kid, wake up. The Elixir is ready,” Ion announced, waking Anon.

“Hmm…? Yes, get your clothes off…” Anon mumbled with his eyes half-closed.

“What? Hey, wake up! Don’t talk in your sleep like that,” Ion said, giving Anon a kick.

“Huh…? What happened? Why are you kicking me? Did someone invade us?” Anon asked, coming to his senses.

“What are you saying? I can’t understand you. Just wake up and drink this,” Ion urged, handing him a bowl filled with a purplish liquid that emitted a repugnant odor.

“What the ** is this?” Anon asked, confused and repulsed by the smell of the elixir.

*Sniff-Sniff*

“Ahh… the same smell after so many years.” Ion said as he smelled the Elixir and drank it without any stops.

Anon observed him and only one thought came to his mind.

‘If he can do it, then i can too.’ He thought as he immediately started drinking the Elixir.

Anon drank all the Elixir at once.

“Tastes like **…” he said as he puts the empty bowl down and takes out a big chunk of fired meat out of his inventory and starts eating it.

As the inventory stops the time for everything that’s placed inside it, the piece of meat was as good and warm as it was on the day of it’s making.

*Nom-Nom*

Anon chugged down the meat and suddenly a notification popped up in front of him.

You stamina has been restored to 100%

Suddenly a fresh Breeze of power surged into his body and he felt refreshed again.

“Well, how do you feel ?” Ion asked with a smile.

“Alive.” Anon replied. 𝑜𝘷𝑙.𝘰𝑟𝑔

“Good, let’s get to the next excercise then.” Ion said as he stood up.

Anon puts the half eaten meat back into his inventory and stands up “Yep, let’s do this.”