Elliott calmly measured the remaining Bloodwort and Clear Water.
Until now, he had consumed only tiny amounts to gain proficiency.
Producing real medicine required the correct amount of every ingredient.
"Five attempts at most."
He had enough material for only five proper attempts.
If all five failed, the ingredients would be exhausted.
Three days later, the Black Serpent Syndicate would drag him away, remove his organs, or sell him into slavery.
"Haa…"
Elliott drew a breath from deep inside his Mana Core and slowly exhaled.
After calming himself, he carefully cleaned the soot-covered interior of the furnace with a cloth.
[First Attempt]
Elliott preheated the furnace while carefully controlling the flame.
He added the Bloodwort and dripped in the Clear Water at the moment its medicinal properties began to emerge.
'Now!'
But the old furnace betrayed him.
The current of heat inside became unstable.
The flame leaned toward one side, and the temperature suddenly surged.
[Alchemy failed!]
[The herb was carbonized due to a sudden rise in temperature.]
"…Damn it."
[Second Attempt]
This time, Elliott carefully adjusted his Mana Energy while anticipating the furnace's unstable flame.
But perhaps because he was afraid of failure, he became too cautious.
The heat failed to reach the center of the ingredient.
The medicinal properties did not condense and instead turned into a soft, useless paste.
[Alchemy failed!]
[The medicinal properties dispersed because the heat was insufficient.]
Cold sweat ran down Elliott's forehead.
His hands began to tremble.
[Third Attempt]
This one felt better.
Even the scent rising from the furnace was acceptable.
He reached the final condensation stage.
Holding his breath, Elliott carefully opened the lid.
Crack—
Instead of shining powder, only crumbling ash remained inside.
He had failed to control the moisture at the decisive moment.
[Alchemy failed!]
"Haa…"
Three failures in a row.
Only two attempts remained.
A chill ran down his back.
The pressure felt like river water rising to his throat.
'Calm down. Don't panic.'
You can do this.
Elliott closed his eyes and recalled the sensations of the Skilled stage.
The three failures had not been meaningless.
He now understood which parts of the furnace received less heat and the exact moment the Bloodwort released its moisture.
He had improved.
[Fourth Attempt]
Elliott's gaze became still.
He added the herb with mechanical precision.
The furnace temperature rose.
As the Bloodwort roasted, it released a fresh, bitter smell.
To compensate for the furnace's flaws, Elliott continuously moved the ingredient toward the weaker side of the flame.
'Now!'
He added the Clear Water.
Hiss!
White steam rose from the furnace.
'It doesn't smell burned.'
Instead of the bitter stench that had filled the room before, a cool herbal fragrance spread through the air.
Elliott stopped breathing and hurriedly extinguished the flame.
Then he looked inside the furnace with trembling hands.
Instead of ash, a fine powder with a reddish tint rested at the bottom.
Ding!
[Alchemy successful!]
[Blood-Staunching Powder has been completed.]
[Proficiency correction activated: Success!]
[The quality has increased due to the correction.]
[Lowest Grade → Low Grade]
[Acquired: Low-Grade Blood-Staunching Powder]
"It worked…!"
Success.
And not an ordinary success.
The System's proficiency correction had raised the quality by an entire grade.
'Novice, Skilled… Does each stage provide a quality correction?'
His heart pounded as he realized another function of the System.
This trait was far more powerful than he had expected.
There was no time to celebrate.
The sensation still lingered in his fingertips.
He had to follow the flow.
He began the fifth and final attempt immediately.
His hands moved faster than his thoughts.
Heat control.
Adding ingredients.
Stirring.
Condensation.
His movements flowed naturally, as if he had spent decades doing nothing but Alchemy.
Fwoosh—
The final flame faded.
A faint red light rose from inside the furnace.
Ding!
[Alchemy successful!]
[Blood-Staunching Powder has been completed.]
[Proficiency correction activated: Failure.]
[Acquired: Lowest-Grade Blood-Staunching Powder]
Success.
Two successes in a row.
'Haa… I survived.'
Elliott collapsed onto the floor and breathed heavily.
The correction had failed during the last attempt, leaving the result at the lowest grade.
But it was still far better than losing everything to ash.
His disappointment lasted only a moment.
The result was more than satisfactory.
He now held two completed products.
One was low-grade Blood-Staunching Powder with a clear red color.
The other was duller, lowest-grade Blood-Staunching Powder.
"This should at least be worth something."
Elliott tore pieces from an old sheet of waxed paper and carefully wrapped both powders.
He made sure not to spill a single grain.
It was time to turn them into mana stones.
He put on his outer garment and pushed open the door.