Chapter 188: Ancient Skill Unlocked

The moment Luke confirmed his new profession…

[New profession acquired: Botanist of Mother Freya]

[Skill evolution complete!]

A new, unexpected notification lit up on the interface. He frowned.

[Herbology (Common)] -> [Herbology of Mother Freya (Ancient)]

“…Holy shit.” Luke’s eyes went wide. “I just got a skill with an insanely high rarity!”

He didn’t know all the possible rarity levels, but Ancient was beyond anything he’d ever seen.

If I’d chosen Veteran Herbalist… or Venomous Herbalist, there’s no way I would’ve received this.

Curious and now genuinely excited, he opened the skill description.

[Herbology of Mother Freya (Ancient)]: You have attained colossal knowledge about plants and herbs across the multiverse. Nature and the sentient life forms born from it are among the oldest manifestations of creation and you are now one of the few who understand their deepest secrets. Your mastery over plant properties and effects transcends common knowledge, reaching an intellectual and instinctive level so refined that you can identify species not yet officially cataloged. Your connection with flora is so intimate and rooted that it no longer relies on external resources. Your Identify skill reveals any plant at first glance, regardless of its origin, rarity, or complexity.

Luke didn’t hesitate. He rushed over to one of the plants he had left on the workbench, green mint, and used Identify, even though he already knew what it was.

[Green Mint (Common)]: Often called nature’s plague for its absurd ease of spreading, this plant proliferates rapidly in most environments. Over time, the mana in the atmosphere and rain-soaked soil has infused its leaves, making it one of the most essential ingredients for health potions.
Mother Freya’s Note: “To make a proper healing potion, it’s ideal to use honey infused with mana or something similar. However, it also works as a potential catalyst for poisons.”

“…What?” Luke blinked. “What the hell?”

He grabbed another sample, willow leaves, and tested it again.

[Willow Leaves (Common)]: Saturated with natural mana over the years, these thin leaves serve as subtle magical amplifiers, ideal for fine-tuning potion effects.
Mother Freya’s Note: “When mixed with a heat-based catalyst, they trigger a chemical reaction that turns potion liquid into gas. Ideal for gaseous poisons.”

Luke stood in silence for a few seconds.

“…Mother Freya… she cataloged everything.” He stared at the book on the table. “It’s like I didn’t just unlock her writings… I got the personal diary from inside a goddess’s mind.”

This was more than knowledge. It was a direct channel to Mother Freya’s intuition. The book, helpful as it had been, now felt like a rough draft. The newly awakened skill, in contrast, was a living connection to the consciousness of flora itself. Every plant Luke looked at now would come with hidden secrets. Applications. Reactions. Recipes. Traps. The kind of power people would kill for.

Luke glanced at the pile of failed healing potions on the bench, stacked like monuments to his past mistakes. A mischievous grin tugged at his lips.

“This is gonna be like taking a brutal test with cheat sheets.”

***

Kalysto stood with arms crossed and eyes half-lidded, watching the contents of the vials laid out across the table. The liquid shimmered in a flawless raspberry-red hue. The exact shade. The color that signified the healing potion was perfect.

“All that work over the past few days, sacrificing so many resources… and this is all I get?” Luke said, staring at the single red vial in his hand.

He had used up practically everything he gathered from the forest and after spending almost the entire day preparing the potion, the whole cauldron of effort had yielded only that small amount.

“And I even used my skill to make it happen… and this is all it gave me,” he muttered.

[Healing Potion (Common)]: A potion that restores 33 HP.

“Well, what did you expect?” Kalysto said. “That you’d turn into a walking potion factory? Still, don’t be too disappointed. You succeeded in crafting something most people at your level wouldn’t even come close to.”

He had followed Mother Freya’s Notes, cross-referencing the skill’s insights with the ingredients he had, adapting the formula. Without that skill… it would’ve been like trying to guess a complex password: Trial. Error. Try again.

But now… he had a direct line to the answer key. And even then, in the end, he’d managed only a single potion.

“It’s better than nothing…” he murmured.

“With the materials you had, it’s a solid result,” she said, tone neutral.

Luke realized that was probably the highest praise he was going to get from her right now. And, to be fair… she was right. He could feel it—he had pushed those ingredients as far as they could go. No amount of theory or skill would stretch their potential any further. It didn’t matter how well he understood the formulas—without new materials, he couldn’t progress.

He needed to leave. To return to the forest. But not just to collect. Now that he was a Botanist, he wanted to see what the Herbology of Mother Freya skill would reveal in the wild. He wanted to test its boundaries. He wanted to see what only he could see now.

***

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[You have slain a Stalker Crocodile – Lvl 33]

[You have slain a Stalker Crocodile – Lvl 33]

Luke was panting as he ran through the forest. It had been a surprise attack, but luckily, he handled it. Two creatures, similar to an old enemy, had jumped him. And yet, facing them stirred something almost nostalgic.

How long has it been since I last saw one of these? It’s like I stepped back in time…

Charlie remained sealed within his soul. That was how he preferred it. Alone, he could move at full speed, especially with his dash. She was still too slow to keep up. That’s when he saw another one, a lone crocodile dragging itself between the trees.

Perfect.

The creature roared as Luke landed right in front of it. It lunged, jaws wide. Luke twisted, slamming a stamina-charged kukri into the creature’s chest, knocking it backward. The beast rolled across the forest floor, belly exposed. Without hesitation, Luke hurled his second kukri. The black blade spun through the air and sank into the exposed flesh, drawing a piercing shriek from the monster.

He closed the distance and pinned it down with raw force. Then yanked both kukris free and plunged them in again. The creature screamed in pain.

“This is going to be a nostalgic one…” he muttered.