Now that the worst was over, Hiroki decided to head back to the abandoned house with Aya. With dark cloaks covering their heads and facial features, both Hiroki and Aya managed to hide their white hairs from the rest of the town.
It was the first time Hiroki had walked beside Aya in this town. She wasn't used to not having his constant encouragement and advice constantly on her mind.
Although she didn't hate their new kind of change, she couldn't help feeling empty, knowing that Hiroki might not rely on her anymore.
After arriving at the abandoned house without getting spotted as strange individuals, both went to the basement, before Aya took out all of the materials from the dimensional pocket that they had gathered.
While Hiroki had fallen onto his own thoughts as he was glancing at all of the tree materials that they gathered, Aya used her own cloth to prevent the terrible smell from poisoning her.
"You can go rest for now. You don't need to stay here while I figure this out."
Hiroki suggested after seeing Aya forcing herself to stay in the basement, waiting to assist the ghost in any way she could.
However, seeing how she wasn't needed at this part of the work, Aya gave a small nod before heading out of the basement, releasing a small sigh from not having to inhale the terrible smell of the tree Hiroki had gathered.
Once Hiroki was completely alone, he shifted back into his ghostly form. The usual form, where he is always floating.
'Now, where should I begin?' He asked himself while looking at all of the materials scattered all over the basement.
Right in front of him were several cooking pans, water, and several glass containers where his final result will be held.
He knew of a certain method to prepare this certain drink, however, he never replicated it when he was a human. But that didn't stop him as he tried appraising the tree trunks once again.
[ Information! ]
[ Material: A chunk of Funky Tree.
Advanced information: Dry wooden pieces of the Funky Tree, which usually grows in deserted places filled with toxins and poisonous plants. This trunk uses its roots to regenerate and grow without the need for leaves. Consuming this will provide external energy and stamina. But for humans, it will also cause diarrhea. ]
When Hiroki was exploring the wild forest on his own before meeting Aya, he came across this place. It seemed strange at first, but after evaluating almost everything that would help him, he discovered this tree that he could use.
He knew that humans in this world were not that advanced, but if he is right, what he can create out of this piece of dry wood is…
'An energy drink.'
One of the most popular kinds of drinks that is loved by many teens or workers who had to work all night.
However, if this kind of beverage becomes popular in this fantasy world, demand for it will undoubtedly increase. That was another reason why Hiroki had planned in advance to become a merchant and create his own network of information.
After planning out all of the necessary steps, he focused his mental energy into the 'mind's force' skill, allowing him to manipulate objects without ever touching them.
With a flick of his wrist, he levitated a pot and a chunk of the rare Funky Tree into the air. Then while using 'air blade' skill, he deftly sliced the tree into thin pieces before tossing them into the pot along with some water.
In this world, there was no way to light up wood for cooking unless someone had a special kind of stone or the cooker itself had any special skill that allowed him to use fire for lighting it up. That's why Hiroki pondered for a moment before looking at his own status once again.
'Now…which skill should I sacrifice…..'
He had many important skills. However, if he wanted to create this drink in secret, he had to do something about fire on his own.
'Aya is already strong to a certain degree, so I don't think she will need my help to keep most monsters away.' Hiroki thought to himself. 'Hm... yes, I will use this skill.'
Then, after making a confirmation to himself, he sacrificed 'Ruler's Wrath' in exchange for a skill that will allow him to manipulate fire.
[ Alert! ]
[ The skill 'Ruler's Wrath' has been successfully sacrificed! Based on the user's needs, a new skill will be provided in exchange with equivalent SF. ]
[ Alert! ]
[ A new skill has been learned.
< Flame control > ]
After confirming his new skill, he levitated the cooking pot filled with Funky pieces and water.
Then he focused on using his new skill, which allowed him to create a small fire at his will, slowly boiling the water at the right temperature.