That’s right, his skin turned purple, and the veins beneath his flesh slowly bulged out like tree roots.
"Agh!!!" The man scread, as if enduring unimaginable pain.
He collapsed to his knees, and then—
"Huew!!!"
He vomited up a mouthful of black blood, panting heavily. At the sa ti, his skin began to regain its original color.
However, his hair seed to fall out even more, and the remaining strands had turned completely silver.
Fine wrinkles also appeared on his body—very faint, but Noan could still make them out.
It was as if he had instantly aged several years.
"That’s..." Khorvath murmured in disbelief, steadying herself against the trunk of a tree. Suddenly, she slipped and fell onto the grass.
"Who’s there?!" Khorvath’s voice wasn’t loud, but in the quiet of this place, it sounded piercing.
Embarrassed, Khorvath looked over at Noan.
Noan shook his head, signaling her not to worry. He stood up and stepped out from the bushes.
"Who are you?" the middle-aged man shouted.
Though his expression was fierce, Noan could sense the tremor and anxiety in his voice.
Now Noan could see the man clearly.
He wasn’t tall, only around 170 centiters, his fra so thin it looked as if only skin covered his bones.
He wore no shirt, just a pair of old, tattered pants, likely worn for years.
Ti had etched its marks deep on his face, with wrinkles and dark circles beneath his eyes, and his hair had turned almost entirely white.
Just looking at his hair, Noan almost thought he was over seventy.
However, judging by his features, he was likely around fifty.
Noan frowned, his gaze shifting to the space around the middle-aged man.
Yet the air there hardly rippled, only faint greenish waves moved now and then.
That showed the man possessed the ability to use magic—but only at the most basic, beginner level.
The man, growing impatient, shouted, "Who are you? If you don’t answer, I’ll... I’ll..."
"Don’t be afraid, I’m the one who opened the gate to this realm," Noan said calmly.
The man was startled to hear that, then asked, "How can I trust you?"
Noan shrugged. "Believe or not, that’s up to you. I have no obligation to explain anything."
Hearing Noan’s words, the man found himself trusting him even more.
Such was the truth. Sotis, the more you explain, the more suspicious people beco.
But when you refuse to explain, they end up believing you.
"You... you..."
"Ah!" Noan suddenly interrupted his stamring, "I also brought soone else along."
He waved his hand, signaling for Khorvath to co out from the bushes.
When he saw Khorvath, the man was a bit startled by her mask.
But then, his eyes suddenly widened and he stamred, "That cloak... you... you’re..."
Khorvath asked curiously, "You know ?"
The man trembled slightly, then sighed and shook his head. "No, I’ve only heard of you."
Khorvath asked, "What have you heard?"
The man glanced at Khorvath, then shook his head. "I... I... I’m sorry, I can’t say."
Khorvath wanted to say sothing, but Noan stopped her. He frowned and asked, "What is your na?"
The man didn’t answer, just continued with what he wanted to do.
He walked to the entrance of the cave and picked up a crude wooden bucket he’d made himself.
He walked toward a pond in the distance, scooped up so water, and splashed it inside the cave.
Noan looked at Khorvath, and Khorvath looked back at him. Neither of them understood what was going on, nor why this man’s personality was so strange.
"Master... what should we do?" Khorvath asked.
"Keep watching," Noan sighed. "I haven’t received any quests, this place is strange, and there aren’t any clues at all."
"That man is our only lead. We can’t act recklessly."
Khorvath nodded, her eyes now glinting with interest as she glanced around.
"Master, may I examine the herbs nearby?"
Hearing her, Noan nodded. "Don’t go far."
"Yes! Thank you, Master." With that, Khorvath took a notebook from her bag and began to explore her surroundings.
Noan glanced at Khorvath, then turned back to the man who was trying to put out a fire inside the cave.
He approached and asked in a soft voice, "Do you need a hand?"
The man, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground. Staring at the fire inside the cave, which was growing ever stronger, he could only nod.
"Please, help ," he said, his voice trembling.
Hearing that shaky tone, Noan waved his hand, and the fire inside was instantly drawn out, condensed into a ball of fla.
The man was startled by this sight and imdiately asked, "Are you a Pill Refiner?"
"Pill Refiner?" Noan echoed in confusion.
"That’s right, Pill Refiners are those who specialize in concocting dicinal pills. They possess incredible mastery over fire, even being able to control the exact temperature of their flas," the man explained.
At that mont, the man’s face was filled with excitent, as if he were discussing a subject that fascinated him deeply.
Understanding where the man’s thoughts were going, Noan quickly asked, "How is a Pill Refiner different from an Alchemist?"
"Ah! Well... There’s not too much difference between the two. It’s just that... Alchemists focus on liquid dicines, while Pill Refiners specialize in pills," the man replied.
"Both sides have valid reasons for their thods, which is why there’s a lot of conflict between these two professions. Every five years, they hold a competition."
"Of course, everyone looks forward to that contest, because no matter who wins, the spectators always gain a lot of valuable experience."
"Oh? And what about you?" Noan asked, frowning. "Are you a Pill Refiner or an Alchemist?"
"Hahahaha... I practice both!" the man said proudly.
"Wow!" Noan feigned surprise, smiling as he asked, "That must be difficult, right?"
"Not at all. In truth, these two professions aren’t all that different." The man waved his hand dismissively. "For each type of dicine, sotis pills are better, sotis liquid form is superior."
"That’s why I only study the best aspects of both professions, then combine them to create my own unique path."
"I call it—Herbalist."
Hearing this, Noan nodded slightly, then frowned and asked, "Wait a minute! Did you really invent this profession yourself?"
The man hesitated at that, his words stumbling: "Well... I... hahaha... I only... built upon the research of those who ca before ."
"I... I haven’t actually perfected this profession yet."
Noan: "..."
He sighed and said, "Ah! So here I was thinking I’d t soone who could create a new path entirely, but in the end, you’re just—"
"No! No, you’re wrong!" The man hurriedly objected. "Even if I wasn’t the one who created it, I am the one perfecting it."
"Oh? But isn’t that just stealing soone else’s work?"
"You..." The man gritted his teeth in irritation. "Huh! That’s only because you don’t know how I prepare my dicines. If you saw it for yourself, you’d realize my talent!"
"Oh? Then I’ll have soone verify it for ." Noan waved his hand and called out, "Khorvath, co here."
"Yes, Master." Khorvath, who had been taking notes on the dicinal herbs she had found, imdiately hurried over when she heard Noan’s call.
Noan pointed at Khorvath and said, "She is a talented Alchemist. She’ll be the judge of your claims."
Khorvath: "??!!!"
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