Chapter 185: A Recipe Stolen from Gods

Kalysto watched the human work in the lab, her expression unreadable. From time to time, she made a comment, usually clipped, occasionally biting, but for the most part, she preferred silence, arms folded, eyes narrow. Her gaze scanned every movement he made, like a teacher waiting to catch a student’s mistake. Still, she offered the occasional, sharp observation when something particularly idiotic or unexpectedly clever caught her attention.

“What are you doing?” she asked, arms crossed.

“Trying to make a potion.”

Kalysto stepped closer, eyeing the bowl with suspicion. “You’re mixing herbs that aren’t even in the book. At this rate, you’ll end up creating something that gives someone a stomachache.”

Luke dipped a finger into the greenish paste. “That’s the goal.”

He kept stirring the mixture, while another brew simmered gently in a makeshift pot beside him. “Did you enter the tutorial when you turned eighteen?” he asked, almost casually.

“No. That’s… primitive.” Her voice carried disdain. “In my world, everyone is born with the system.”

Luke opened his mouth to ask something else, but she cut him off immediately.

“Don’t ask me questions. Master Samael has placed restrictions on what I can tell you. You’re here only to learn your profession. If you’re going to speak, speak about herbology.”

“He’s like your teacher or something?”

Kalysto paled.

“Learning from him?” She looked almost offended. “Master Samael is a being whose mere second of attention is sacred. I… I am not worthy of such grace.”

Luke sniffed his mixture. This was his tenth attempt at crafting a healing potion. He knew the theory. He followed the recipe. But he’d learned that every tiny detail mattered, temperature, timing, even the type of container. Anything could corrupt the process. That’s when a deep voice sliced through the air.

“How are things progressing?”

Kalysto stiffened. She straightened her uniform and bowed in reverence. Samael had entered the room.

“Everything is proceeding well, Master Samael,” she answered in a near whisper.

Luke raised a hand casually, still holding a wooden spoon.

“You know, I figured out how to make something that gives people stomach cramps. If you tried it… would it work?”

Kalysto’s eyes widened in pure horror.

This human is insane!

But Samael didn’t seem bothered.

“You’re asking whether a potion crafted by a low-level being could affect someone of significant power. Correct?”

“Exactly.”

Kalysto couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Samael crossed his arms, thoughtful. “It depends. With the system and magic, things are… complicated. As you evolve, your body naturally begins to ignore trivial damage. If you fell twenty meters today, you’d suffer far less than you would have at level one.”

Luke nodded. “But it is possible, right?”

“If the difference in levels isn’t extreme… yes. But there are other factors. Elements, for example. A low-level water user can defeat a higher-level fire user, if the gap isn’t too wide. But if the fire is hot enough… the water simply evaporates. Everything is relative.”

Luke absorbed the explanation in silence.

“Makes sense.”

Samael gave a faint smile. “That was a good question. Keep thinking like that… and you may begin to see new horizons within your profession.”

With that, the demon turned and exited the room.

Kalysto remained bowed. She only straightened once he was out of sight, then slowly turned toward Luke.

“Y-you’ve got something wrong with your head, don’t you?! How can you talk to him like that?” she snapped.

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“To Samael?”

“Master Samael!” she corrected, sharply.

Luke shrugged. “Fine, Master Samael. What’s wrong with the way I talk to him? I’m just being normal.”

“That’s exactly the problem!” Kalysto looked like she was about to burst into flames. “He’s an ancient god! Millennia-old! You shouldn’t be bothering him with… trivial questions!”

“Trivial?” Luke crossed his arms. “Come on, you’re overreacting. If you treat him like that, how are you supposed to have a normal conversation? Are you going to kneel and pray just to ask where the bathroom is?”

Her face turned bright red.

“You have serious issues, human. Master Samael is the right hand of the Primordial of Darkness! He has more power than entire pantheons. Compared to him, you and I are ants!”

Luke blinked, calm as ever.