Chapter 13: Good Medicine is bitter in the mouth

There isn’t much known about Cheon Yuhwa.

Even the information I know is limited to her abilities or combat style at best.

Important details about her background or goals weren’t revealed even in the game.

She’s a character who can become a hidden boss depending on the branch.

The only person in the world who wasn’t born with magic.

Cheon Yuhwa’s unique settings and character traits naturally drew players’ attention.

So whenever DLC stories came up, Cheon Yuhwa’s name always appeared without fail.

Ironically, the stories featured other characters as the central focus, not Cheon Yuhwa.

‘She’s a student brought directly by Otinuus?’

However, I accidentally learned a surprising fact about Cheon Yuhwa.

I drew Otinuus’s attention by pulling out Gungnir.

I wasn’t brought to Eden by Otinuus from the beginning.

But her.

She’s a student directly admitted to Eden by Otinuus.

It’s like a special admission.

“… Why do you look like that?”

“Just surprised.”

“It’s not that pleasant of a story. I wasn’t admitted based on my abilities like others.”

Not admitted based on abilities.

That statement actually piqued my curiosity.

What happened between Otinuus and Cheon Yuhwa?

As much as I wanted to ask her, I couldn’t bring myself to.

As Cheon Yuhwa said, it wasn’t a cheerful story, and a shadow fell over her expression.

“I don’t know what happened between Cheon Yuhwa and the Head, but today is not about digging into their past.”

Professor Karia mediated the sinking atmosphere.

And she put her hand inside her coat.

Her hand grabbed two fancy-looking cases from inside the coat and showed them again.

The black cases were about the size of my fist.

“I’ve engraved an extra-dimensional space into the inner pocket of the coat.”

“Oh, I see.”

So, it was an extra-dimensional pocket inside the coat pocket.

That makes sense then.

Extra-dimensional pockets allow free storage of items as long as the size of the designated extra-dimensional space allows it.

‘It could be useful as an inventory substitute.’

As I was thinking that, Professor Karia handed one case to me and one to Cheon Yuhwa.

“Here you go.”

“What is this…?”

As soon as Cheon Yuhwa received the case, she opened it and showed curiosity about its contents.

Rather than feeling curious about the contents of the case, I felt amazed.

‘I’m getting this already?’

The item inside the black case was a potion shaped like a round bead.

It was the highest quality potion that could only be obtained in the late game of the game.

[Great Potion of the World Tree]

– A potion made by adding various ingredients to the leaves and sap of the World Tree.

– When consumed, you can obtain a large amount of mana.

– When consumed, the body is greatly improved to the utmost purity.

It’s an elixir made from the leaves and sap of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, located on this continent where Eden was established.

I don’t know the exact manufacturing process, but I know that it’s made by mixing fresh World Tree leaves with various ingredients and steeping them in sap.

Furthermore, the elixir of the World Tree can only be made with Otinuus’s permission.

Due to the need to harvest the leaves and sap of the World Tree during the manufacturing process, despite its excellent effects, it is not made easily.

Such a top-quality elixir was now in my and Cheon Yuhwa’s hands.

“As you can see, it’s a potion. I don’t know how much u knew, but the Head said she would give it to both of you.”

“Have you met her?”

“No. When I came to work, it was on the desk with a note.”

She received the potion from the Head.

Cheon Yuhwa, who heard that, directly asked Professor Karia if she had met Otinuus, but she shook her head in denial.

“Anyway, please take the potion here. If any problems arise, I can handle them easily.”

If consumed properly, the potion allows tremendous growth without any effort or effort.

The problem is when the potion is not consumed properly.

If there are problems with the condition or consumption process of the potion, it can become extremely poisonous, threatening the consumer.

The body that has been trained hard can be damaged, and in severe cases, life can be lost.

‘So it’s rare for someone to just gobble up the potion they receive.’

But now, there’s no need to worry about that.

This is Eden, and Professor Karia is watching our potion consumption directly.

“Just put it in your mouth and swallow it, right?”

“Yes. Since it will melt and disappear quickly as soon as you put it in your mouth, there’s no need to chew it.”

Cheon Yuhwa asked about the consumption method, and as soon as she heard the answer, she put the potion in her mouth.

“Ugh…?!”

As soon as the potion entered Cheon Yuhwa’s mouth, her expression contorted greatly.

In that moment, a trivial thought that had been momentarily forgotten surfaced.

‘It must taste terrible.’

Good medicine is bitter to the mouth.

“World Saviour Online” faithfully reflected this saying.

Ordinary potions typically taste like bitter herbal medicine, but the rarer and more exceptional the potion, the more it tastes like descending into the depths of hell.

To the point where the process of putting it in the mouth and swallowing it itself becomes akin to a price.

“I-Is this really a potion…?”

Cheon Yuhwa asked, her face contorted not just with discomfort but now turning a sickly pale.

She puffed out her cheeks as if she might vomit at any moment, her expression twisted in agony, tears welling up in her eyes.

If she were told to take it again, she might just snap someone’s spine in half right then and there.

‘Should I have just taken it first?’

It felt like being cursed with knowledge.

How terrible could it be for Cheon Yuhwa to suffer so much?

I remember the most dreadful food in my life probably being sliced ​​fermented skate.

Followed by anchovy bomb pasta and strawberry carbonara tteokbokki.

Surprisingly, mint chocolate and pineapple pizza were quite edible despite their notoriety.

Of course, the current World Tree’s Grand Transcendence in front of me will probably top the list of worst foods in life, but still.

‘But really, can it be so bad that it’s worth dying over?’

Swallowing my saliva, I dispelled the ominous thoughts.

With trembling hands, I picked up the World Tree’s Great Potion, nestled on the table.

Prepared for the dreadful taste, I closed my eyes tightly and put the potion in my mouth in one gulp.

And then I immediately realized.

It was at the moment the potion collided with my tongue that I realized the truth: “Depression?!”

My resolve, which had just been bolstered, was shattered instantly as nausea rose up.

My expectations shattered into pieces in an instant.

This atrocious taste, incomparable even to sliced fermented skate, was beyond disgusting.

‘Is this what they call a potion?’

Even poison would be more palatable than this.

To describe it would be an understatement; it was an indescribably vile taste that transcended imagination, filling my mouth with a horrific sensation.

I surrendered to the ordeal of the potion, which cruelly began to torture my tongue.

Like Cheon Yuhwa, I grimaced and trembled in agony, my body wracked with discomfort.

‘Damn…! That bastard Otinuus…!’

Could it be Otinuus, with her cunning tricks, is trying to torment me while offering a reward?

My mind wasn’t functioning properly.

Curses against Otinuus reflexively sprang to mind.

The dreadful taste and aroma permeated my mouth, twisting my intestines.

‘This is made from the leaves and sap of the World Tree?’

Such conversations among players in the gaming community were common.

Why not eat the World Tree leaves?

Why not drink the sap?

‘Nonsense.’

Those who hadn’t tried it themselves wouldn’t understand.

It’s not something a sane person would do, sacrificing some of their senses and becoming disabled.

I’m not a candidate for the Academy for the Disabled.

Who would willingly sacrifice some of their senses and become disabled in exchange for enhanced physical and magical abilities?

They would soon regret their choice.

“…Is it really that bad?”

Cheon Yuhwa and I both turned our heads simultaneously towards Professor Karia.

Cheon Yuhwa’s stern expression seemed as though she might lash out at any moment.

It gave me the chills for no apparent reason.

Perhaps because I didn’t have the energy to be concerned about such things right now.

I am probably making a similar expression.

“That potion is made from the leaves and sap of the World Tree. It’s so rare that I’ve never even tried it.”

Hearing those words, Cheon Yuhwa, with a determined expression, somehow began to endure this excruciating torment.

Her expression was still distressed, but still.

Even so, it’s so precious that she’s forcing herself to eat it somehow.

‘I can’t spit it out because it’s so precious.’

The World Tree’s Great Potion is among the rarest of rare items.

It’s an opportunity that can be counted on one hand in a character’s lifetime.

Despite the high risk of experiencing such madness, greater growth is guaranteed as a return.

“But still, the potion quickly melts and absorbs, so you’ll feel better soon.”

Does feeling better mean potentially collapsing from shock due to losing one’s sense of taste?

Still, as Professor Karia said, the excruciating pain was no longer felt as intensely as when I first put it in my mouth.

‘I can’t feel the texture of the potion in my mouth.’

The potion in my mouth had melted and begun to be absorbed without me even noticing.

[You have consumed the World Tree’s Great Potion.]

[The World Tree’s Great Potion is being absorbed into your body.]

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, my body began to ache all over.

It felt like needles were pricking beneath my skin, piercing my muscles.

Each cell of my body was being infused with vast magical power.

My body felt stifling. It was like going underwater and only sticking your head out to breathe.

“Breathe slowly and circulate the magic throughout your body.”

Professor Karia put her hand on my back and infused magic into me.

With my body already filled with magic, I felt even more magic entering.

But strangely, the stifling feeling began to dissipate.

“Let me make it easier for Seong Yujin’s to move the magic through the circuit with my magic.”

The core of magic is located in the heart.

Just as the heart supplies blood to the whole body through blood vessels, the core also moves magic through circuits that spread throughout the body like blood vessels.

Magic circulates.

The lump of magic that filled the body and did not move began to flow slowly through the circuits.

The magic gathered in the core of the heart contracted once and then explosively spread out towards the ends of the body.

Once the magic that circulated through the entire body returned to the core of the heart along the circuit like blood vessels.

“You’re doing well. Keep letting the magic seep into the circuit.”

The speed of flowing magic gradually decreased.

Part of the slowly flowing magic began to penetrate between the circuits and cells.

The flowing magic cleansed the circuits thoroughly, and the seeping magic made the circuits grow larger and stronger.

[Mana stat has increased.]

[Mana stat has increased.]

[Mana stat has increased.]

Messages appeared repeatedly in the status window.

Along with them, magic began to surge from the body.

The body is adapting to the enormous magic created by the consumption of the World Tree’s Great Potion.

“Alright.”

The magic began to stabilize.

The magic that had taken its place in the circuit was circulating regularly without any special manipulation.

“You did well. Now, take a rest…”

“Huh…?!”

Oh, just a moment.

Something went wrong inside the body.

A pain surged from the abdomen and gradually spread throughout the body.

“Just a moment. Seong Yujin, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Professor Karia hurriedly approached, her expression stiffened.

Suddenly, the body felt hot.

The lower abdomen heated up as if swallowing a fireball.

“Ahhhh!”

I screamed in unbearable agony.

My breathing quickened, and my body felt like it was burning.

The stabilized magic inexplicably started to rampage again.

The magic circuits throughout the body contracted and expanded like rubber bands.

‘Why, why, why on earth…?’

It was confusing.

My body, which had just finished absorbing the Great Potion, suddenly went haywire.

Strange.

Something went wrong.

The surging magic far exceeded the amount I had.

I couldn’t control the magic.

The uncontrolled magic was rampaging through my body as it pleased.

“Oh no…!”

Professor Karia grabbed me.

She immediately reinforced the body with magic and slammed me into the ground.

“Ughhh…”

For the first time in my life, I felt consciousness slipping away.

The strength of the muscles writhing in pain loosened.

The blurry vision dimmed and flickered.

Karia’s voice, shouting something, gradually became muffled and echoed in my ears.

Ding-.

The clear sound effect that came with the notification in the status window tapped on my eardrums.

It was strangely clear and crisp.

But now was not the time to question the clarity of the sound.

‘Am I really going to die…?’

Consciousness faded away.

[Inheriting session data of Round 1: ‘RomanceTwo #BoundaryMage’ completed.]

[Some stats from the first round data are added.]

[Acquired some skills from the first playthrough round.]

[Second round data: Inheritance of ‘Barrier Fighter #BoundaryMage’ is possible.]