Otaku Translation: The Amber Sword V3C118

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Chapter 118: The Alchemist's Treasure Trove, Part 2

Three miles might not seem like much on open plains, but in the Black Forest, it could easily cost someone their life. Setting out at dusk meant you might not return until midnight, and as for dinner—well, that depended entirely on whether your companions remembered to save you a bite.

More often than not, they didn’t.

The three judges overseeing the mock battles seemed equally distracted. Even Uriel could tell the recruits’ performance left much to be desired, let alone Cinnabar or Kulan. To Kulan’s eyes, these young fighters were nothing more than children brawling without strategy or discipline. In short: they still had a long way to go.

Brandon shook his head, though he knew better than to expect miracles this early. At least the recruits had improved significantly since their first days in the forest. Initially, they’d been too afraid to face the stone panthers, requiring mercenaries to prod them forward with swift kicks. Eventually, they managed to hold their ground for a few moments, and now they could sustain a fight for over ten minutes.

Progress was undeniable. The Black Forest truly was a crucible for growth.

After observing for a while, Brandon turned his attention to the other side of the forest. There lay the druids’ camp—a group as reclusive as ever. They’d joined Brandon’s expedition on the second day inside the forest, a party of seven, including the Gray Crow, a Great Druid, himself.

Though eccentric, Brandon respected the druids. They were people of their word, and this time they’d brought over a hundred young members, including ten elders pledged to assist in Cold Fir’s defense. They’d also agreed to help with Tonygel’s agricultural efforts the following year.

Brandon wasn’t sure how many druids roamed the forest, but judging by the Great Druid’s promise to station over three hundred within Cold Fir territory permanently, their numbers must be substantial. These druids would prove invaluable. Their expertise in constructing defenses was unmatched—they planted walls of thorns beneath castle walls, reinforced structures with vines, and wielded explosive fruits and spells like quicksand. A hundred druids in a defensive battle could outmatch an entire army.

Still, Brandon sensed caution in their approach. None of the druids present hailed from the Beast Spirit Circle, worshippers of nature spirits. Instead, all belonged to the Thorn Circle, specialists in defensive magic. Among the twelve outer circles of druidic orders, the Flame Circle, Storm Circle, and Beast Spirit Circle excelled in offense, while the Thorn Circle specialized in protection.

Their intentions were clear, but Brandon wasn’t worried. Time would reveal everything. He closed his travel journal, stowed his quill, and retrieved a pale yellow leaf from his pouch.

This was Moon Lily.

Such low-grade materials were abundant in the Black Forest, making them perfect for practicing alchemy. As previously noted, commoners in Amber Sword could raise their alchemy skill to level five, while nobles could reach seven. Since receiving Princess Regent’s reply, Brandon’s status had shifted from commoner to noble—and even further, to lordship. Lords could push alchemy to level eight.

Unfortunately, this elevation came too late. By then, Brandon had already attained the rank of elementalist, a profession inherently tied to the mysteries. Under this class, alchemy could reach level ten, far surpassing what any noble could achieve through conventional means.

Brandon held the Moon Lily leaf in his palm—it was a flawless specimen, its vibrant hue unmatched by those found elsewhere. Despite the dangers of the Black Forest, it lived up to its reputation as an alchemist’s treasure trove.

With a flicker of thought, a crimson alchemical array flared to life in his hand. After days of practice and countless wasted materials, Brandon had grown adept at blood alchemy. Though limited to simple extractions and minor syntheses, he no longer needed to draw arrays on the ground or cut his hand to bleed. The convenience alone saved him immeasurable time.

As the scarlet array glowed brighter, the Moon Lily began to vaporize, leaving behind a single crystalline droplet—not water, but a mana essence crystal. Dissolved into water, ten units of this essence could create a lesser mana potion. Simple as it appeared, crafting such an item required at least level-five alchemy. For commoners in Amber Sword, this represented the pinnacle of their alchemical capabilities.

Of course, rising above the norm opened new possibilities. Even an apprentice alchemist could raise their skill to match a lord’s level eight, while full-fledged alchemists could reach fifteen. Beyond that lay the master’s peak, where progression defied conventional calculations.

After refining the mana essence, Brandon attempted to extract luck essences from clover leaves. The cost of using advanced techniques at lower alchemy levels was steep. Six consecutive failures later, he finally succeeded—barely. Yet what he obtained wasn’t a complete product but something called “Fragmented Aura of Luck.”

He sealed the misty substance in a vial, only to feel a prickle of unease. Turning around, he saw Fleur glaring disapprovingly. Refining one luck essence required ten four-leaf clovers—a resource abundant in the Black Forest but still labor-intensive to gather. Clearly, even the wild elf girl found Brandon’s wastefulness hard to stomach.

“My lord,” Fleur admonished calmly, “among us wild elves, there is a saying: it’s best to learn to walk before attempting to run.”

Brandon thought humans had a similar adage, but he lacked the patience for such incremental progress. If only he’d allocated skill points earlier, he could have maxed out alchemy at level ten. But now, staring at the barren skill experience bar, all he could do was sigh.

He had no choice but to endure this tedious process.

In fairness, Brandon had achieved remarkable feats recently. Over the past few months, he’d gained elite character templates, entered gold-rank, and reached level twenty in elementalism. Logically, he should have amassed ample skill experience—but life rarely followed logic.

After leaving Shafrend Silver Mine, Brandon had freed Lady Knight Otaris’ Sacred Seal from the supposedly genuine Ring of the Wind Sovereign. This granted him a rare opportunity—to invest an additional skill point in Eruin Military Swordsmanship beyond its master peak at level fifteen.

Such a boon was impossible to resist. Beyond the master peak, every level-up brought transformative benefits.

In Amber Sword, the system worked like this: for the first five levels, each increase provided roughly a benefit multiplier of 1. Upon entering expert levels (five through ten), the multiplier rose to between 2 and 3. Master levels (ten through fifteen) offered multipliers exceeding 5 per level. However, reaching the peak of master required ten times the skill experience of previous levels combined, and non-core skills could never ascend to mastery.

Beyond level fifteen—the master peak—the exact formula varied depending on the skill and profession, but gains typically ranged between 15 and 20. In other words, post-master-peak upgrades delivered nearly triple the benefits of standard master-level advancements.

The disparity was staggering.

Sadly, once a skill reached mastery, the experience gauge grayed out. Further progress relied solely on practice and flashes of insight—a matter of luck or deep understanding. Level sixteen represented the realm of creation, embodying a character’s unique comprehension and innovative breakthroughs. Typically, if a character invested in advancing a skill to sixteen, it became their core ability.

Reaching seventeen marked the domain of grandmastership. Whether player or NPC, achieving this level cemented one’s place in history as a true master of the craft. Levels eighteen and nineteen belonged to legendary figures—beings Brandon had only heard whispers of but never seen.

Players often joked about future updates allowing players to reach godlike realms at levels twenty or thirty, but Brandon knew better. Such musings were little more than wishful thinking.

For now, Brandon hadn’t even considered level sixteen. His Eruin Military Swordsmanship remained at thirteen. Advancing further required nearly five hundred skill points per level—an exorbitant cost he couldn’t justify until he finalized his advancement plans.

But then, something changed. After Lady Knight Otaris imparted private swordsmanship insights, Brandon received a system notification:

“Eruin Military Swordsmanship has unlocked an additional level.”

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