Once I was in the lab, I walked to the white counter with the all the flasks on. I took out all the ingredients out of my [Inventory] and laid it all on the table. As I looked at the ingredients my body shuddered, with these I was about to create one of the most foul smelling potions ever to exist. Worst part was that the smell was tame in compare to the taste. 

I took a deep breath and began the process; I grabbed the 250ml flask on top of the Bunsen burner and poured water in until the 150ml mark. Once that was done, I put the flask back and turned the valve very slowly. I needed the water to boil to get rid of the bacteria inside of it so that it didn’t explode. 

As I waited for the water to boil, I began prepping my ingredients, I started with the fema leaves. I only needed the small black pits on the back of it. The leaves itself were useless and only used in a hand of superfluous potions. I moved onto the 100 year old light eater grass. I began cutting the long strands into small parts to decrease the surface area, this allowed its ingredients to dissolve faster into the solution. 

The rest of the ingredients didn’t need prepping which was good because at this time, the water had been boiling for two minutes already. By now all the harmful bacteria had been purified and I could begin. 

I began by taking the blood of a Bera, and poured 50ml into the boiling water. The transparent water turned to a light red colour then after the blood had boiled, it became slightly darker. Once I saw this, I immediately dropped 20 fema seeds into the concoction followed by the water from the mountain of cacasod. Once they were in I increased the temperature slightly and watched until the solution returned to original colour. I watched for the shade until it was completely clear and everything was dissolved, when I saw this I added the light eater grass.

It wasn’t even a second and the water was completely black the second I added the light eater grass. It was an important part of this potion but also the reason for the repulsive smell. As the grass reacted with the solution effervescence bubbled over as a foul smell destroyed my olfactory system. My nose and eyes began watering as I tried to hold back my food. 

The smell was as if rot, putrid, rancid and all disgusting smells came together as one. Worst part was that, in order to gain the best benefits of the potion, I had to breath in the fumes. 

I stood still for a few moments then placed my nose over the hole and took a deep breath as the tears streamed down my eyes. I tried to hold it in for longer but I let it all out with three coughs followed by last nights food. I wiped my mouth clean of the diluted hydrochloric acid; the taste of the potion clinging to the walls of my throat and mouth. This alone was enough to make me hurl, my body shuddered when I thought of actually drinking the potion. 

However, by this time the potion was already overcooked and in the next moment the flask and all its contents boiled over. Seeing this, I grabbed the flask off the Bunsen burner and ran and took out a yuhhara stem and placed it inside calming the reaction down. The reaction was calmed but the potion was ruined and I had to start all over again. 

This was one of the reasons this potion was so difficult, the smell alone was enough to disorient you, then you still had to take a whiff of it. Luckily, I didn’t have to do that again so the next time I could focus solely on the production of the potion, however, I had yet to get to the hard part yet.

I restarted the potion and in 5 minutes, I returned to the point where the vile smell emitted from the flask. It was still as repulsive as ever but I grew a small resistance to it so with hard work I was able to ignore it and focus on the potion.

I watched the temperature; the second I saw bubbles forming I tuned down the heat then added the dried ovaries of a sigma tree. This was the final ingredient and the hardest part of the potion. The sigma ovaries are known for their potent source of mana. When the mana meets with the solution it wants to escape by any means necessary usually resulting in an explosion big and hot enough to gravely injure me. If the explosion hits a vital directly it could be fatal, mana explosions are the basis of any potion bomb. 

However, they are not Omni potent, they way to diffuse it is with a greater source of controlled mana. Mana I didn’t have until recently. Immediately, I called forth my mana and surrounded the potion making sure the mana stayed inside and didn’t explode. I could feel the mana fighting me for relief but like a tyrant I oppressed it while sweat dropped down the side of my face. 

Slowly but surely I pushed the mana into the concoction being careful not to be too forceful otherwise it will start a revolution and implode. The worst part was whether it imploded or exploded wasn’t the test for whether it was successful or not. The rate and amount of mana being imbued into the potion determined the purity of the potion. 

I continued to inject my mana until the potion turned to a dark red colour. When I saw this, I knew I had added too much mana as a result I'd have to start again. This potion was still edible and if I sold it, I could make a fair amount of money but I wasn’t in the business of making others stronger. Not when your bloodline and the purity there of played such an important part in your combat power. 

Anyway, I repeated the process and failed again multiple times. 

‘This part is challenging and would be impossible if I didn’t have impeccable mana control. Even those with the [Alchemist] class getting help from the system would struggle without excellent mana control.’ My perfectionist self took a deep breath, 'You got this!’

I tried it again, each time the fumes bearing less of a burden on me until finally it was done! The bright blood red colour was proof that it was completed perfectly. I wiped the sweat of my forehead and grinned.