The venom glands in Olivia’s hands were just as Seth had imagined them to be; two pinky fleshy sacks the size of a ping-pong ball filled with a navy-blue liquid and countless vessels of the same colour running all over the surface.

He could literally smell the corrosive and toxic properties of the venom as wisps of fume would seep out of its walls every few seconds, burning the hairs of his nostrils every time he took a breath. Which spoke by itself of how vicious the venom inside was.

“Is it really okay to handle them with your hands?”

Seth knew that just as his aspect granted him resistance to fire and higher temperatures in general, the same thing happened to Olivia. But in regards to poisons, venoms and acids. It wasn’t to the point of making her immune to the venom from a peak Yellow Core Stage Stoneater queen, but she should have an easier time dealing with them than him, Roland or even a full-fledged yellow core practitioner.

However, looking at the navy-blue lines spreading from her hands as she dug out the glands from the queen’s carcass, Seth reckoned it should be a notch stronger than what they had anticipated.

Placing the venom glands inside a glassy box and putting it back into her pack with the one holding the Amalgamated Billycock, a frown couldn't help but flashed over Olivia’s face as she inspected the lines on her hands,

“Yeah, it seems it wasn’t the best idea I had ever had.”

As she said so, Olivia spent the next hour struggling against the venom, but with the aid of her physique and aspect, it didn’t pose that much of a problem. On the other hand, Seth and Roland focused on getting back into top condition.

The five holes pounding in Seth’s shoulders were still a pain in the ass, but not as much as the overexertion of his core and channels. That was a far more problematic deal.

Fleshy wounds up to some level were more or less easy to heal thanks to the vast variety and grade of the pills and elixirs available. The ones Seth had brought with him were of a pretty high level… and extremely expensive… but feeling how fast his wounds were healing, he didn't have any complaints.

However, afflictions of the core and damages on the energy pathways were a completely different story.

For instance, there weren't many pills or elixirs available to mend a cracked core or damaged pathways. Not because they didn’t exist, but they were just so damn expensive and the ingredients so rare that unless you were a white core practitioner, and one particularly wealthy, you could practically forget about getting your hands on one of them.

And even then, they had limitations.

Even the lowest level Core Mending Pill at the Copperpath only worked on Yellow Core Stage life forms or lower, and could cost more than a dozen mana crystals. Which was just insane.

To put it in perspective; one mana crystal could be roughly exchanged for around ten golden pieces. So, after making some calculations, one could say that 10 mana crystals were worth around 100 golden pieces or 1.000 silver pieces or 100.000 copper pieces or 1.000.000 bronze pieces…

Again, it was insane. Even more considering that regular families were able to live off with a few dozen copper pieces a month, and that for all the trouble of the contract, Seth would be rewarded with just 30 copper pieces. An issue that put him in quite a sour mood.

Another issue was that nobody would trade their mana crystals for a few pieces of gold, at least not with the rate of 1 mana crystal per 10 golden pieces. The last time Seth had checked, the rates were around 15 and 16 golden pieces per mana crystal, which wasn’t bad.

Even the lowest grade of mana crystals were incomparably more valuable assets than any mortal-grade metal one could find out there, not to mention in secluded areas like Darkhold City where the injection of this kind of resources was pitifully low. Seth did know that in bigger cities the exchange rates were closer to the average 1 per 10, not quite there but it was better.

Now that I think about it, it should be already time to head back, Seth thought, his eyes flashing with unknown intent.

Anyway, after getting back into a better shape, they began their trip back to the surface. Unknown to them, a certain rounded object on a corner of the chamber had been recording all of their actions since the moment they took a step inside the Resource Site.

It buzzed for a few seconds before vanishing.

*

Seth took the small pouch on the bed and spread the handful of reddish-brown coins inside all over the bed. The Adventure Guild wasn't going to scam him, at least not with the pay. But since Seth was little, he’d always found glee in these sorts of things, much more if a few golden pieces were added to the mix.

Alas, it wasn't the case this time.

“19… 23… and 33,” he said with a rather unmotivated voice, not really knowing how he should feel about it. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to sustain him for the next couple of days.

Taking the silky black pouch hanging from his belt, Seth couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in his heart as he weighed how light it had become during the last weeks. Looking inside, he only found a handful of copper pieces resting at the bottom of the pouch. Around 20 pieces, he counted. It was a substantial amount of money for a recently advanced Orange Core Stage practitioner, but for Seth, it did seem like a meagre amount.

It couldn’t be helped, pills and elixirs weren’t cheap.

Having said that, Seth took out all his gear and threw himself onto his bed, letting his muscles and bones de-stress as he lay onto the fluffy mattress. Looking at the ceiling.

The last weeks had been quite demanding, especially the last few days with all the killing and strolling he did in the nest. The now faded but still present pain in his shoulder was a good reminder.

However, he could say that the trip to the Stoneater Cliffs had gone pretty much according to his plan, probably not 100% as he'd envisioned, but it was there… more or less.

Closing his eyes, Seth visualised the bright orange bean in his heart. His lips curled slightly at the sight.

He could tell that the secondary effects of forcing his advancement were still there, but after his recently deadly encounters, it did feel sturdier than a week ago. He would still need another week for the imbalance of his aura and core to get back on track, which didn't really bother him.

Seth raised his arm and opened an eye into a slit.

~162 days left~

He let out a deep sigh as he placed the watch onto the stand on the side of the bed, the exhaustion clouding his head somehow lessening. Four months isn't much.

If someone asked him if it was possible to get one’s core from the lowest of the Orange Core Stage to the very peak of the stage in just four months, Seth would have probably just laughed at the fanciful inquiry.

Everyone knew how difficult it was to follow the advancement deadlines, the first two deadlines weren't that difficult to reach, but the higher one goes, the more difficult it got. To the point that it had been thousands of years since the last time, somebody managed to reach the White Core Stage in less than thirty-one cycles.

Two entire cycles were needed to go from the bottom of the orange core to the peak of the stage. Make it in four months? A pipe dream.

Of course, Seth knew that with enough money and the right resources, such a thing could be easily circumvented. The Four Vessels Glaucous Elixir was just one path of many. However, he didn’t have the slightest intention of attempting something like that any time soon.

Not only because he was lacking in the money department but also because it wouldn’t do him any good for his future achievements. He has already exceeded what his body and core could handle for the moment, he wouldn’t gamble with his little life a second time.

Forcing one’s advancement to progress too quickly, too many times or at an unreasonable pace could lead to some gruesome complications that no one would like to face. From the mildest ones like the common imbalance of both spirit and body to the most feared disorder known... Mana Depravation.

Seth couldn't help but feel a few shivers run down his spine by the thought.

A disorder that didn’t kill the body but stole a practitioner’s mana was, in Seth’s reason and practically everyone's line of thought, a fate worse than death…

He'd had his own core for a short period of time, but still, the idea of losing it terrified him beyond words. To discover the wonders that came with every advancement, the power, a longer lifespan… only to lose everything in a moment of carelessness…

It was too much.

Seth’s thoughts kept rumbling for another few minutes, mainly on the few errands he'd to resolve tomorrow before his trip to Ashlen.

His town was just a few dozens of kilometers away from Darkhold City, a couple of days of walk by foot or a few hours if he bought an airboat ticket, the second option was clearly more convenient. And just as expensive.

But Seth didn’t have much choice.

He didn't dare to leave the protection of the city with his trifling orange core advancement, not alone at least. The plan is to head out in at most two days, so there wasn't enough time to find a party, at least not without risking being stripped of his money, possessions and his life.

The image of Olivia and Roland flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed the thought away. The siblings could be trusted, but like him, they had their own things to worry about...

Seth’s thoughts continued buzzing for a few minutes, but soon, only the even breaths of his sleep could be heard.