Chapter 23 - Mytherium

The moment I closed the door and turned, I came face to face with my mother. She took in my tired appearance and scrunched her face upon sniffing my body. 

"You are stinking. Go to the bathroom. I have prepared a special bath for you."

Without even giving me a chance to sit, she pushed me into the Bathroom. 

I was confused as the VR nano suit provided by the VR complexes absorbed all the sweat. There was no way I was stinking, but still, I followed her command as I needed a bath to soothe my aching muscles anyways. 

As soon as I entered the Bathroom and parted the curtains around the bathtub, I saw steam rising up from the silvery shining water that filled the bathtub. An intoxicating smell wafted from the water to my nose, and I gasped in shock. 

Immediately, chills ran down my spine as this was the scent of Father's precious Body Nourishing Solution! 

The Body Nourishing Solution was a miraculous solution manufactured by Lifeblood Bio Institute. It contained a newly discovered element, Mytherium. 

This element was only discovered in the atmosphere while humans tried to make Mars inhabitable for life. As a newly discovered element, it quickly became the focus of the scientific community. 

After numerous experiments and tests, the Researchers concluded that this element was responsible for the heightened and improved brain activity of humans. In fact, it may even lead to the evolution of humanity as a whole! 

Since then, everyone on Mars and on Earth began to frantically search for ways to efficiently absorb the Mytherium. 

Finally, the Lifeblood Bio Institute found the key after decades of research efforts and endeavors. They created many products which could aid in the effective absorption of Mytherium, and the Body Nourishing Solution was one of them. 

Although every Body Nourishing Solution bottle contained only 0.01% of Mytherium Concentration, each bottle of the Solution cost at least a 100 Musks in the market. Even then, one could not buy it except through some special channels, causing their prices to rise even higher. 

My dad had only managed to buy 3 of such bottles, and he treated them like they were his treasures. Even touching them was a taboo in this household.

When my father used the Solution, he would only use a few drops to prepare his bathwater after an intense workout. Yet, my mother had clearly poured more than twenty drops into my bathwater.

Her wasteful generosity left me speechless, but I was also touched. Not intending to waste the efficacy of the Solution, I quickly undressed and slid into the tub. 

An indescribable feeling of warmth spread through me as soon as my body touched the water. I almost let out a moan of comfort when the water around me started to bubble. 

Soon, my body began to feel hot, and the temperature rose beyond my limit. The water had become scalding hot, and my skin turned red from the heat. I was about to jump out when suddenly the temperature started to drop. 

Knowing the preciousness of the Solution, I decided to endure for a few minutes and observe the changes. If I really couldn't handle it, I was going to jump out without hesitation. 

Thankfully, the temperature went down to a manageable degree soon. I let my tightened muscles relax and enjoyed the comfortable warmth of the water. 

I could feel the fatigue built up in my muscles drain away. This simple bath was no different than a full massage treatment. My knotted and cramped muscles were relaxed and refreshed after just a few minutes in the silvery water.

Every cell in my body was rejuvenated and energized after the bath. I was brimming with energy, a far cry from how tired I was before entering the bathroom. These wondrous effects left me shocked. 

I knew the Solution was miraculous, but I didn't realize it was this amazing! 

If only I could use this Solution every day….

Then I quickly shook my head to get rid of this dangerous thought. 

The Body Nourishing Solution was extremely precious, with each bottle costing nearly 100 Musks. That was almost the monthly income of the crew on my Father's Spaceship! 

I doubted whether I could afford the luxury of using it every day. Even if I did manage to gather the funds from the game, I did not have access to channels that sold this Solution. 

There was also my father. If he found out about my thoughts, I had no doubt that he would disown me for the wasteful use of his precious treasures. 

I chuckled ruefully as I changed into a fresh set of clothes and joined my mother for dinner. 

Surprisingly, Mom did not linger too much on the topic of my leveling speed in the game, nor did she nag me after hearing about Stivi and Grandeur. It was because of this the dinner went smoothly, and I did not have to storm out as I had initially thought. 

After we finished the dinner, I did not have to worry about the dishes as Mr. Mimi, our household robot, took care of the cleaning duties. 

I also bid mom night and retired to bed early just so I could wake up in time to finish Goku's daily quest. 

Just like that, a night passed, and a new morning dawned on the Pioneer Colony. 

I took care of my morning ablutions and immediately made my way to the VR Complex while accompanied by Stivi. Even though it was 6 in the morning, the VR complex was bustling with activity, attesting to the popularity of the game. 

As soon as we entered through the doors, Stivi once again asked, "Can you reveal your secret now?"

Throughout the journey to the Complex, Stivi had thrown me questioning glances that I had ignored. Finally, she could not hold back anymore and voiced her question. 

"Meet me at the Training Grounds on the outskirts of the settlement to get your answer."

Her eyes widened in shock as realization dawned on her. 

"You are the mysterious noob in that video!" She exclaimed, and it seemed like she had many more questions for me. Before she could start her rapid fire of questions, I promptly made my way to the allocated VR room. 

I was not keeping it a secret from her. It was just that I didn't know if what worked for me would work for her. Still, I decided to try, so I made her accompany me to the Training Grounds.