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Reference:
Alchemy = Potion Making
Alkahestry = Energy and Lifeforce manipulation
Transmutation = Manipulation of materials
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Alkhestry was... more difficult than traditional Alchemy.
You see, while regular old transmutation Alchemy focuses on the change of matter while Alkahestry is focused on the flow of energy.
But I will say, I never thought having a good memory and being a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist would save my life someday.
The first thing I needed to be able to do to perform Alkahestry was to have a good grasp of the flow of energy and lifeforce. If I could learn from Youkai that would help immensely but by the time I get to Kyoto and learn chances are Issei would have somehow awakened his sacred gear or the arranged marriage would arrive.
So, as always, it was up to me to think on my feet and find a solution to the problem.
...I will be honest it's getting easier and easier to justify killing Issei and Genji though.
Well, in my journey to discover Alkahestry, I started training my mana perception. The ability to sense mana was honestly like a 6th sense. However, I found a way to increase my sensitivity and attunement to mana.
During meditation, I can tune out my other senses and just listen and feel for the flow of mana around me. Training this was exceptionally efficient in school where in class I just start meditating and try to tune into the mana of the devils inside the school.
Having distinct targets I could use to train my mana sense helped immensely. Trying to sense the mana signatures of the devils was like a game for me in my free time.
It also gave me this skill.
[Mana Sense(Novice) Lv.4]
-The ability to sense mana in the world around you.
Because of my currently frankly low proficiency with it, it was hard to sense mana accurately of even the devils. If I had to guess I'd say their mana sense would be at intermediate level to sense my unusually high mana even though I wasn't using any abilities.
While my mana sense might be low for now that won't be the case for long. Because it synergizes incredibly well with meditation, in fact, meditation is a skill far more useful than I previously thought.
Beyond increasing my mana regen for its duration it more most useful ability is sharpening my mind and giving me incredible control over my senses as long as I maintain concentration.
And I also made something to help me even further with my mana sense and that was enchanting a pair of reading glasses(that I bought with the money of the charitable people of Kuoh) with Mana Sense. And I must say the result did not disappoint.
[Glasses of Mana Perception]
Allows the wearer to see magical energy.
As long as I had these glasses on I could see mana no problem. Sure sensing mana was different from simply seeing it but seeing it also had its advantages. While it did not allow me to see the mana inside an object it did highlight any ambient mana-like blue particles floating around.
With the addition of this and meditation, my mana sense was rising incredibly fast, it had only been a single day since I started training it after all.
So, progress was being made with Alkahestry, so what about Alchemy?
Well, it was going fairly well. I had a BUNCH of potions lying around from my experiments with alchemy, ranging from dozens of minor health potions and mana potions to my crate of recovery potions that I burn through daily with my physical training.
Honestly, what the actual funk was I going to do with two crates of minor healing potions? Sure for the mundane person, this stuff can save you from getting stabbed with no need for surgery or rest. But for a devil with several times their vitality? It can maybe heal a few cuts.
This shit wasn't percentage based. It probably won't heal a cut on the lip of an ultimate-class being.
But there were percentage-based potions here. I don't know how they work, I just make them of course.
For example:
[Minor Slowness Potion]
-Slows the drinker by 20%. The higher the vitality and endurance stat the lesser the effectiveness.
At first, I thought it would be pretty useful when applied on a weapon but... this isn't exactly going off video game logic here. The difference between a 50ml dose and whatever droplets are on the weapon is vast.
So, the point is, I have a lot of potions in storage that honestly do not benefit me too much. There are ones that do obviously such as cure disease that can instantly cure something like the common cold or flu and energy potion which is basically a more potent energy drink.
The strongest potion I have right now is Minor Health Potion VIII which restores about 15 vitality worth of health which means it can bring a healthy and active man from the brink of death back to pristine condition, the downside to this recipe is that it was very complex and annoying to make since it had like 5 different ingredients.
It was getting rather... annoying, making potions with only mundane materials. I want to get my hands on some premium goods. I could try growing them myself but currently, the time investment to profit ratio was not looking very good since I would have to look after them too when I could be working on Transmutation and Alkahestry.
So then, it was time to get into the supernatural world I guess. If I delay it any longer it will be less advantageous to me. So I grabbed the pamphlet from the table next to me.
Hmm, maybe I should decorate my house with fake skulls and blood to make it seem like I was thinking I was performing a satanic ritual. That would probably freak them out.
Nah, too much effort. And plus it wouldn't be worth it anyway.
At least I had enough courtesy to clean my room before summoning a girl into it, I am such a gentleman.
Though I hope I don't summon Koneko. That would make things a bit awkward.
Or Kiba, I am going to be honest I do not want to summon a dude into my house.
Anyway, now how do I use this thing? Obviously not by inserting mana, it's supposed to be mundane-friendly after all.
Right, it was desire, that was how Issei summoned her after all, with his intense desire.
So do I just...?
Yep, it was that simple, I just held it in my hands and thought, "Man I really want to summon a devil." And what do you know a red magic circle was formed on the floor of my basement. I was sitting on my sofa watching it happen dressed in bulletproof silk clothes wearing my glasses looking like both a student and researcher.
From the summoning circle walked out a tall(relatively) young woman with very long raven hair tied into a ponytail, she had a very curvacious figure with the biggest pair of breasts I have ever seen in my goddam life, she had striking violet eyes and wore the Kuoh Academy Girls Uniform and its very short skirt.
Akeno Himejima. Rias' queen piece and the daughter of Baraqiel.
"Ara~ Thank you for summoning me, what are your desires?" Akeno said in a slightly sultry voice as she revealed a pair of jet-black wings that resembled that of a bat.
"Akeno-senpai? You are a devil?" I did my best to put on a mildly shocked face. In response, Akeno bent forward slightly to meet my gaze making her breasts jiggle... somehow.
"Yes, that's right~ Though I am surprised, Takumi-kun, you don't seem like someone who would summon a devil. And you don't seem too surprised either."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I wasn't really too sure about the existence of Devils, and I definitely wasn't expecting you to be one Akeno-senpai. This is very surprising news to me." Akeno simply smiled in response.
"I see, does that mean Takumi-kun is a magician?" Well, isn't that one obvious to get more information out of me? At least I know they aren't very good at subtlety.
"Well, somewhat, I don't know if I can exactly be called one since I am self-taught but I do dabble in the supernatural arts." Akeno nodded at me hearing this, mentally noting it to report to her king.
"Pleasantries out of the way, what did you desire Takumi-kun? You must have summoned a devil for a reason right? You can ask for any~ thing~ you~ know~ ?" She said the last part in a seductive that made my sexually frustrated mind run wild with numerous sexual fantasies in the span of a millisecond before I snapped back and forced down the slight blush and gulp that threatened to come forth. It has been a while since I engaged in... carnal pleasures.
She was intentionally teasing me.
"Wait a second, first I want to know what I am putting down as payment here since I have never done a contract before. Because if you are looking for my soul I am not looking to trade, I'm sure I can find some use for that thing eventually."
"Ufufu~ Of course I won't ask for your soul. The payment is whatever you can pay with, whether it is money, mana or other things. The price depends on what you ask for of course."
Nice! That means I can just pay for it with my potions. It's not like they know their value. But on the other hand, giving them potions will make my value in their eyes rise while also being advertisement for my potions. Win-win.
"I think I know what I want." I said, my eyes firmly locked on her breasts as Akeno smiled with a slight blush.
"Yes, what is it?"
"A hundred-year-old ginseng."
"Eh?" I knocked Akeno out of rhythm with my statement but my voice did not change as I elaborated.
"I need you to get me a hundred-year-old ginseng, in exchange would you accept these as payment?" I walked away from where she could see and retreived 3 bottles each of Health, Mana and Stamina potions and set them down on the table in front of the wondering gaze of Akeno.
"Well, I will need to look into your request but I am fairly certain I can get it done. But what are those Takumi-kun?" She said pointing at the potions while I gave her an answer I had already decided on beforehand.
"Potions, these ones should heal your wounds as long as they aren't too severe, these ones should restore your mana and these ones should restore your stamina." Hearing my words Akeno's eyes widened as she looked over the potions before looking me in the face.
"Alright, I think these will be plenty as payment if they really do what you claim they do. Alright then, I will return with your ginseng later alright? I look forward to meeting you again~" Akeno said as she gathered the potions in her hands before blowing me a kiss and teleporting away. For sure to test the authenticity of the potions and share her findings with her king.
That's good, now all I have to do is wait.
~~If you liked the chapter then be sure to drop a stone~~
A/N: For those that may say he is reckless by not hiding enough from the Devils but that is intentional. He is making them curious, he is not showing them enough to know about him he is showing them enough to wonder about him. He already knows their characters and knows they will eventually find out about it, so he is steering that eventual meeting in the direction he wants instead of trying to avoid it.
Takumi is playing their game but with his own rules.
What did you think about this chapter and Takumi's interaction with Akeno? I would love to know.
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