Alright, considering our limited time in the game this time, I can only make a few batches of potions for today. [Healing Potions] and [Mana Potions] aren't a big deal for me to make since I could practically make a whole batch of them in a few minutes thank my skill's [Mass Production] ability. Because of that, I decided to try out some several new recipes as well ones that weren't listed in either the game's wiki and guides, or my crafting menu. However, even if I’m going to be experimental this time around, I feel that trying to make something out of the [Shrouded Lily] herb at my current level without any tips and tricks might bring trouble to both me and everyone else.

I had already taken out and organized my [Advanced Alchemy Kit] on my desk, but I still have to decide what I could use for my first experimental potion. Right now, I have these new items in hand that I’d gathered from the weeks of grinding and farming.

x15 [Amei Petals]

[Plucked from the Amei flowers of Initio, they are well-known for their sweet fragrance. They are often used as an ingredient for famous perfumes and colognes in all of Volo.]

x10 [Vis Herbs]

[Herbs that are known to energize and boost the living being's mana. Taking in too much, though, will cause major side effects to the body.]

x8 [Magus Roots]

[Roots plucked from a [Magus Herb]. Due to how they absorb the mana in the ground, they are more potent than the usual [Magus Herb].]

x6 [Testa Seeds]

[Seeds of a Testa plant, which is known for temporarily increase your focus and concentration into the user's magical potential. While the seeds are weaker than the [Testa Herbs], it is best to keep an eye on the number of seeds used to consume or mix.]

x15 [Spicy Seeds]

[Seeds of a Conditus plant that is well-known for it's strong and spicy flavor. Unless you want to take a risk with your mouth, it is highly recommended not to eat them raw.]

To be honest, finding and gathering these herbs and seeds was not an easy task. Unlike the herbs I usually used for my recovery potions, most of them were very uncommon in the fields and while my [Magical Affinity]'s current level has improved my [Aura Sight's] line of sight, it still can’t detect anything that doesn’t have any trace of mana inside it. And since some of the herbs don’t have mana, I have to rely on Wind's [Eagle Eye] to help me find them. Which is another reason why I am happy to have him here as my [Guardian Player].

Back to the task at hand, since I’m not relying on the recipes this time, I decided to try to figure out what herb or seeds to should use myself. Thankfully, according to the game's wiki, most of the items' flavor descriptions are actually real in a sense in this virtual world. So if the [Amei Petals] entry said that it has a sweet fragrance and taste, I can smell and taste just what the description said. And since most of the items I had right there are based on mana, I think I should make a potion related to it.

However, there’s a problem I've been having for a while now before this. Most of these herbs and seeds focus on boosting the mana energy inside my body, and some even have warnings regarding the consumption and use of them. This made me a little worried that I might be carrying items that could be made into potions that might be dangerous to me. So dangerous in fact that I wouldn't dare to mention them in front of Wind or my parents. Still, if I can balance the effects to prevent any side effects, I can try adding some of the other herbs in hand. I just have to pray it didn't blow up in my face literally.

First, I placed four [Vis Herbs] in my mortar and crush them with my pestle. Then I carefully placed two [Magus Roots] in a separate mortar and crush them as well. Since the latter had more mana than the one I used for the [Mana Potion], I have to make sure I don't add too many roots and avoid what I called a "mana overdose". And to make sure it doesn’t have any dangerous side effects, I added a [Synthesized Oil] that I’d bought from the general store into my beaker after adding water, along with the crushed roots and herbs before I mixed them all on a gas burner.

[Synthesized Oil]

[Extracted from several herbs, it is known for suppressing the powerful effects of some ingredients. Because of this, it is an essential ingredient for any kind of potions and medicine.]

As the description said, it suppresses the powerful effects of the [Magus Roots], which I hoped would deal with the problem of a potential "mana overdose". But I still need to do something about the taste. While I could normally handle the [Mana Potion's] bitter taste, I doubt I could endure this one since I'm using the roots of a [Magus Herb] plant, which was very bitter. To counter this, I crushed three [Amei Petals] and one pack of [Spicy Seeds] together in my mortar, and once the mixture is completely heated up, I add them very carefully so I won’t spill anything, and mix them. Once I see that most of the crushed ingredients are melted into the mixture, I transferred it into a potion bottle and waited for it to cool. With that final step, I sigh with relief, only to see a description window pop out in front of me.

[Mana Boost Potion]

[A potion that increases the mana inside the user. However, its powerful effects will negatively affect the user's body if consumed before the effects fade. For some reason, it has a sweet and spicy taste.

Effects: Increases Max MP by 16% for 30 minutes. Has a 10-minutes cooldown.]

Wow... that was a surprise. I was expecting that a mana-boosting potion would be the result of this experiment, but I didn't expect that it become a high-level potion. Still, at least the cooldown effects washed away my worries for the time being. In any case, I decided to try another kind of potion next.

This time, I crushed three [Testa Seeds] and two [Vis Herbs] together in my mortar along with two drops of [Synthesized Oil] and added it to a beaker of water. As I mixed them, I also wonder if the herbs could make it taste a little bitter. As the mixture heated up, I crushed three [Amei Petals] and added them to the mixture before stirring it once more. Like before, I transferred the mixture into another bottle once it was finished, at which another description window popped up in front of me.

[Magic Concentration Potion]

[A potion that increases the user's magical abilities and accuracy. It is often used by fledgling magicians and witches. It also has a sweet, fruity taste.

Effects: Temporarily increases Magical Attack and Dexterity for 90 minutes.]

I smiled when I read through its flavor and effect descriptions. To be honest, I wanted to give my magic a bit of a boost, and this potion could help me in the early parts of the game. I wish I can taste both of them, but I fear that it might have some unintentional effects if I drink them both at once. Still, I was happy with the results. Besides, not only did they not blow up in my face, but I managed to make two potions without any guidance from the wiki or crafting menu. Just thinking about this accomplishment made me feel like a real alchemist making discoveries! I wonder how Wind would react when he sees my new creations.

Speaking of whom, where is Wind? I turn around and saw that he isn’t in his cooking station. Where could he be?

Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 11

[Woodcrafting] Level 1

[Swordsmanship] Level 10

[Cooking] Level 4

[Wind] Level 9

[Physical Enhancement] Level 3

[Hunting] Level 10

Kazu's Masteries

[Arcana] Level 10

[Thunder] Level 11

[Wind] Level 7

[Alchemy] Level 12

[Magecrafting] Level 1

[Magical Affinity] Level 11

[Scribe] Level 1