However, what Elric saw was not just that.
『Pure demonic energy is closer to vitality, so if ordinary humans just consume it, it will end at boosting their regenerative power and increasing mana.』
"...?"
『If you have a seal, you could probably reinforce it sufficiently.』
"...!"
Elric was on the verge of shouting with joy.
'This plant is more than what I saw!'
Elric, unlike ordinary humans, had the advantage of possessing a seal.
He gently stroked the seal on the back of his hand.
As there was no significant way to enhance the seal other than enlightenment after the completion of the arrangement, he had been anxious.
It was an unexpected encounter.
『Hmm! But how can something like this be here? Did it perhaps come into contact with the hand of some demon king in the past?』
Mephisto still expressed his doubts.
However, Elric heard none of those trivial matters.
It was twice as effective for him if it not only boosted his seal but also boosted his regenerative power and even restored his mana.
-Then how should I take this?
Elric quickly scribbled the words.
Augustine had suggested searching for moss, so he guessed that simply consuming it or applying it after grinding would produce effects, but usually, there were separate methods to preserve the efficacy of such elixirs.
And judging by Mephisto's tone, he seemed to have more knowledge than Augustine.
『With your mouth?』
Of course, Mephisto crossed his arms and showed his arrogance.
He must be absolutely not going to miss out on such an opportunity.
-Tell me your price.
『Haha. Human child. How can you not know this? If you need something, you should show the level of sincerity to bring something that will please this king!』
Elric had to suppress his urge to rage for a moment. And he was about to say something.
『Of course, if you come up with unreasonable conditions like exemption from Aegyo Hell for four months, there will be no negotiation.』
"…."
For a moment, Elric's hand movement stopped abruptly.
Mephisto narrowed his eyes.
『Surely that wasn't it?』
-Haha, hahaha. There's no way. How dare I present such strange conditions to such a great demon king like Mephistopheles?
『Is that so? Then what proposal can you offer?』
Mephisto chuckled and nodded.
'Argh! It's so annoying, so annoying!'
Elric had to barely contain his boiling anger inside.
Both Augustine and Mephisto!
Why do all these grown-ups, whether human or demon, have to be like this?
Of course, he never showed such thoughts.
『Your face is radiating annoyance to the point of death?』
-Hehe. As if that would happen?
『You're not coming up with anything. Tsk!』
Elric vowed to one day repay Mephisto for this humiliation, as he lamented Mephisto's disappointment at not being able to coax him.
'Ever since the exemption from Aegyo Hell, he has been gaining more and more ground. Just wait and see! If only I can get out of here...!'
Elric rolled his head quickly, thinking about what could pull Mephisto's strings.
What on earth could it be?
But nothing came to mind, so he continued to rack his brains hard.
『Hehe! I can hear the sound of a stubborn head rolling all the way here.』
"…."
'Anyway, enough with the nonsense!'
『Alright. Since this king is broad minded, I'll give you a break this time, like a whimpering puppy that needs to urinate.』
'...Huh?'
『The flowers of Anck-Su-Namum will cause diarrhea if eaten without any prior preparation, and if applied after grinding, most of the efficacy will be lost.』
'...?'
For a moment, Elric cocked his head.
He wondered why Mephisto was teaching him so obediently.
But then he realized the reason belatedly.
'He said the seal could be reinforced... right?'
That meant not only the Seal of Cruelty but also the Seal of Original Sin would have positive effects.
It would be a good opportunity to recover even a little bit of health, so he had to somehow force Elric to eat it.
But he packaged it as if he was helping because Elric desperately wanted it.
Upon closer inspection, Mephisto's mouth twitched throughout the explanation.
It seemed like he was trying to hold back.
He had always felt this way, but Mephisto was never good at hiding his true feelings.
'Is this guy really showing his true colors?'
Elric couldn't help but laugh out of disbelief.
And he narrowed his eyebrows slightly.
'Hmph. Who said I'd let you off easy just because you want it?'
Elric gritted his teeth internally and focused on Mephisto's explanation for now.
For recovery. And to reinforce the seal and give Mephisto some trouble, he had to make sure to remember all the details of the explanation.
***
"...Huh?"
"What is your disciple planning this time, hyung-nim?"
Augustine and Gility couldn't help but look puzzled as they watched Elric fondling the black moss, then pulling out a handful and setting it ablaze with magic.
The moss emitted a pungent smoke due to its moisture content, obscuring the view of the crystal ball.
"I've never heard of using Black Moss like that... Wait, did he even know about Black Moss?"
Gility didn't know much about Black Moss either. If he hadn't become closer to the 'demon' while interacting with Augustine in the first place, he would never have known about it in his life.
It was such a rare and hard-to-find item.
On the other hand, its usage was quite simple.
All you had to do was grind it finely in a mortar or something and apply it to the wound. Doing so allowed the demonic energy contained within the moss to slowly penetrate the pores, stimulating the skin and muscles, enhancing regeneration, and even reaching the bone marrow to strengthen the bones.
It transformed the human skeleton into what could be called "Demonic Bones."
The fact that the descendants of the Night's Chronicle had considered this place sacred was all due to this reason.
Nowhere else on the continent could you find Black Moss as abundant as in the Labyrinth of Blue Fog.
The fact that the descendants of the Night's Chronicle were more combat-oriented and specialized in battles compared to ordinary magicians was also due to this reason.
Some descendants were said to have defeated even 4th-chain knights in battle.
And Gility knew better than anyone how effective Black Moss was.
Thanks to Augustine's assistance, he had lived healthily despite his age, with a physique far surpassing his years. Although now, he had developed a resistance and wasn't experiencing much effect anymore.
Anyway,
Elric was not only skillfully plucking out the Black Moss among numerous mosses but also engaging in the bizarre act of burning it with fire.
At first, it seemed like he was trying to select different types of herbs for various experiments.
But since he only chose Black Moss, the curiosity only grew.
After gathering the charred moss, Elric packed it into an icy mortar and pestle, then ground it into a fine powder with a stone. He also carefully selected and added other nearby mosses, adjusting the proportions as he saw fit.
Even though he must have been feeling unwell after facing the Dire Wolf, his determination to work like that was truly remarkable.
"Judging by how he's adjusting the mixture of other mosses, he must know something... Hm!"
As Gility stroked his chin in thought.
"There might be other uses that we're not aware of."
Augustine chuckled satisfactorily and nodded.
"Well, although it's good to have a smart disciple like the one you have recently acquired, using untested methods like that might be risky..."
"Hoho! Didn't you know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"This old man's disciple happens to be the top student at the Academy."
"The Academy... Usdun?"
"That's right."
"Really?"
Gility was well aware of the Usdun Academy.
It was the prestigious institution that produced elite magicians.
To become the top student there was no easy feat.
In fact, graduates who ranked top were often highly respected in academia.
Tasha, whom Augustine especially cherished, was also a top student.
"Of course, it's all limited to theoretical fields, but who knows if he found some method we're unaware of. More than anything."
Augustine's eyes were now wide open.
Enthusiasm.
"It may be crude, but... that's clearly 'Art of Alchemy.'"
"Really?"
Originating from the East and forming the core art of the precursor to Night's Chronicle, Alchemy.
The issue was that, as Night's Chronicle's successors mainly pursued practical magic, Alchemy had become almost a practical art.
But Elric was showcasing it!
It wasn't a problem that Augustine was excited about it.
The problem lay in the fact that no one could understand the basis of Elric's concoction.
Meanwhile,
Elric gathered the finely ground powders and mixed them together, adding a small amount of water to form them into round shapes resembling small pill.
After creating about a dozen of these pills, Elric neatly arranged them on a flat stone and heated them from below with fire until they were thoroughly dried.
Then, one by one, he put them in his mouth and chewed them.
"He's eating them...?"
"That way, wouldn't there likely be side effects due to the demonic energy?"
Gility couldn't understand why Elric would consume the mosses, filled with demonic energy, but Augustine saw it differently.
"Could it be that he's refining them?"
Augustine could barely recall one of the processes of Alchemy, now only remembered as knowledge.
Fumigation.
Before working with herbs, they must be refined to remove any toxicity.
This was because the properties of the herbs, including their medicinal effects and toxicity, were often intricately mixed and difficult to distinguish.
'About 80% of Alchemy lies in the process of refinement... And it's said to be the most effective yet difficult method during that process.'
By subjecting the herbs to heat and smoke, the refinement process can effectively remove harmful toxins from the herbs while maintaining their unique vitality.
And what Elric seemed to have attempted was precisely that process.
Although the mosses burned more than expected, it might be due to their demonic energy richness.
'Gathering other mosses, if we consider them as cinnabar... Hmm! It's almost a perfect Alchemy.'
Cinnabar referred to the additional process of adding other herbs to amplify the medicinal effects, commonly used to assist the primary potion.
If Elric indeed knew the proper consumption... No, the alchemical method of the mosses, as Augustine thought.
'That would be quite a feat!'
Elric was steadily placing the pills into his mouth, one by one, at intervals of five minutes.
He chewed each one meticulously, as if savoring a cherished snack slowly.
After consuming all sixteen pills, he immediately sat down and closed his eyes, entering a meditative state.
And about 30 minutes later,
Drip, drip -
A black fluid was seen continuously flowing out of Elric's pores.