Divine Beast Ascension

Curious, Trenk asked, “Excuse me, medic, are those essence elixirs?”

“Yes,” the medic replied, keeping their straight face just like the security staff.

“I thought those get less effective every time you drink them without a few days of rest? Wouldn’t those be better used during the second intermission before the final fights?”

The medic shook her head. “That’s only if they make it past the second round. Also, in your case, that’s only if you’re drinking mortal essence elixirs.”

One of those vials appeared in the medic’s hands, letting the team get a better look at it. The team noticed right away that the color was slightly different than the elixirs they were given for the survival round. It was still blue but far more vibrant.

“These are perennial-grade essence elixirs. For a mortal beast, these give the same results as a mortal elixir without any of the negative side effects,” the medic explained. “If a perennial drinks one, they would face the same side effects your team did with the mortal elixirs we provided for the survival round. But if a perennial drinks a king-grade elixir, then they’ll be replenished with little to no side effects. And that same concept continues through all the realms of the divine class.”

Oli raised his hand, asking, “There are no elder-grade elixirs? Just mortal grade?”

“That’s right. Compared to divine essence, mortal essence is incomparable and not as difficult to recover,” reasoned the medic.

.....

“Does that mean there are god-tier elixirs and health items as well? Like a god-tier blood recovery elixir?”

Smiling briefly, the medic nodded. “Yes. But it takes a god to make a god-tier elixir. So don’t let your imagination fool you into thinking king-tier and god-tier elixirs are all-powerful. They’re as numerous as kings in the cultivation world. And god-tier elixirs are even rarer compared to the cultivators that need them, which are already too few.”

“Is that because of the ingredients needed to create such an elixir?”

From that point on, the medic dropped their neutral expression entirely. She was amazed by the team leader’s great questions and fast, deductive thinking. “That’s right. The stronger the elixir, the rarer the ingredients and cultivators capable of creating them. Luckily, we don’t have to worry about that in West Quadrant, though.”

Hearing that, Oli felt a tinge of caution take over his heart. “Why is that?”

“Because God Toseko is generous and caring to those that serve him. He’s the most powerful medical expert in the world.”

That statement reverberated through Oli’s body and into his core. Everyone else was amazed to hear that. But it was a moment for Oli to realize what exactly his end goal was while working with Eeole.

The medic continued to smile wider in praise, saying, “It’s thanks to God Toseko that we’ve advanced so much in the medical field. Why else would he bear the title Master of Elixirs?”

‘Master of Toxins… Master of Elixirs…’ Oli repeated those titles in his mind, realizing that they were practically one and the same. ‘Is that true? Is Kartzal the leading medical expert in the world? Wouldn’t that mean facing him is all the more difficult considering he can more easily replenish and heal those under him? ...’

No matter what Oli thought about or asked in his mind, Eeole never replied or created a mental link.

It was the first time Oli realized something. That after having Eeole near him at all times in the past few years, Oli had been facing a lot of things on easy mode. Only after losing Eeole’s constant advice and silent, immovable support did Oli feel a fraction of his confidence shaken. And hearing that his endgame opponent was not only the greatest poison expert but also the best healer was a terrifying thing to learn on his own as a mere mortal beast.

While Oli kept to himself and seemed to be in deep thought over everything the medic was saying, the rest of the team asked more questions. Most of them were trivial or just nuggets of knowledge tacked on to the concept of elixir grades.

They learned that there could be an elixir for just about anything. Like how there was an elixir to rid a body of stagnant death essence, or to fight poisons infecting the body. If someone could imagine it and harness it into a vial then it could be produced, sold, and used as an elixir.

That intermission flew by while Yeter greedily chugged a perennial-grade essence elixir and savored the momentary surge in power. It wasn’t empowering in reality, but to have his essence go from about halfway full to brimming at the seams in less than a second was an intoxicating feeling. It provided an illusion of strength beyond one’s means and Yeter proudly stuck out his chest while the excess essence leaked out of his body and faded away, completely harmless and unseen.

“Candidates, come forward to draw your stone!” Kelna shouted. Until the exhibition was over or something unusual happened, Jeerda just sat on her balcony and enjoyed the view show, only showing hints of interest in the most notable fights and competitors. She was far more professional than someone like Zelsh who would play with the crowd and hide none of his excitement while hosting his own qualifier.

Those that hadn’t been eliminated lined up according to their teams, showing the crowd how many people each region still had left. To no one’s surprise, one of the longest lines was Team Sardin’s with four competitors. Tied for the longest line were the wildcards with all four still remaining. People expected the team leaders chosen as wildcards to pass, that was a given so long as they didn’t get an unlucky matchup. Yet Karos had also stayed in and it was with a solid victory. It wasn’t against a team leader, but it was still a great display that he was a contender for the qualifier.

Rot Team’s line was the shortest, only having two people compared to Teams Feather and Cave still keeping three each.

There was always banter about whether the number of remaining candidates was a good show of strength for the regions. Some argued that Rot Team just underperformed this year. Others argued they had the most unlucky pairings, especially with two teammates needing to fight each other.

Regardless of what the crowd bantered and chatted about, the kings in the reserved section were much more tight-lipped about their respective regions.

“Ha, that’s what they get for underestimating Galdo Territory and Rhyner Region,” Territory Leader Heuzon Galdo remarked while pointing at Rot Team’s small lineup.

“Quiet. Unless you want to say that to King Zelsh’s face.”

Hearing the quip of his regional king, Heuzon shut up immediately. He didn’t dare look to the side. It was better to not look toward Zelsh and his entourage than to accidentally make eye contact and try to break away from a heated gaze.

But Zelsh didn’t even spare Heuzon a glance. He was busy laughing. Throwing up a quick silent formation, Zelsh leaned toward Bradok, ignoring that Bradok was supposed to be representing Rhyner Region. “How long till they realize they’re in for a world of pain?”

Patting his belly with a new, plain-looking band around his wrist, Bradok guffawed in reply, “Oh, it’s too late! They call it unlucky, but they just gave a wolf some sheep’s wool. There’s no way they know what hit them until the finals, unless fate really wants to rub it in everyone’s faces.”

“What do you think of the Galdo kid?” Zelsh asked.

“Eh. He’s ok. But I won’t be impressed until he fights someone on Oli’s level,” Bradok answered while snickering and glancing at Heuzon. “I wish their territory was closer to ours. Then we’d be allowed to openly crush them instead of just having political battles.”

While the century-long friends chatted it up, Vloz and Leader Tranton Forell were having their own exchange of words. There was no disappointment on Tranton’s face, only pride with a lingering hint of worry that remained from watching his son’s one-sided loss. But seeing a perennial medic bring his son back up to great shape, Tranton was at peace and couldn’t wait to share how proud he was with his sons.

The stone drawing went twice as fast that time thanks to halving the number of combatants. When all candidates had a stone, they walked back to their seats and waited for the first two stones to light up.

A wildcard stood up, and so did a member of the Sardin Team.

The crowd exploded with more passion than ever before. They cheered and roared as the Permafrost Team leader bowed and smiled at the beast from the Sardin Team, who returned both the bow and the smile. From their looks alone, it was obvious that they knew each other well and shared a deep respect for one another.

Oli looked at the nearby staff and asked, “I thought Permafrost and Sardin Regions were rivals during exhibitions?”

“We always have been,” a staff member answered with a beaming grin. “That’s why we respect each other. Rather than downplaying each other, both regions acknowledge the other’s strength.”