Chapter 32: Training

When Alex came back, Alicia shocked. Alex came back while scratching continuously. "Alex, what happened?" She asked worriedly.

"I...I will take a bath first" he hurriedly went to the bath.

Alicia dumbfounded, she still worried about Alex. So she waited anxiously.

After a while Alex finished, When he went out, Alicia shocked by Alex's change. Though his skin didn't look any different, the change still to be seen.

Alicia worried, she examined Alex. But when she touched Alex's hand, she immediately noticed. His skin becomes so smooth like a baby, even her own skin loses to Alex's in terms of smoothness.

"Alex, why your skin become like this?"

"I eat another pill"

"Another pill? What pill?" Alicia's eyes brightened.

"Skin refining pill" Alex answered casually.

Now, there are stars in her eyes. She looked at Alex.

"I want!"

"This pill didn't have much effect on the status and to boost it, this pill hard to make" he confused why Alicia so eager to ask this pill from him "I only manage to make one of the highest grade pills today"

"Highest grade pill? Then there must be a slightly lower grade one right?" she now looked at Alex like he is her prey.

"Yes... I manage to make them"

"Then give it to me" She raised her hand like 'give it to me right now' gesture.

"But.. the effect will be lower too. I think I can manage to make another one tomorrow"

"I..." She hesitated, this kind of pill will make many women crazy, even she becomes like this. After she saw the effect of this pill on Alex, she immediately demands it from him. Which woman who didn't want very smooth skin.

"I still want it"

"And the pill can only consume once. More than that, won't have any effect" Alex dropped another bomb.

"I..." She pondered a bit "I..will wait for tomorrow. But you must take it to me as soon as the pill is made" she reluctantly said this.

Alex nodded again and again. He was scared by Alicia's reaction just now. He almost devoured alive by her.

The next day, in the class Firia noticed Alex's difference but she didn't know where is the change.

She looked at Alex confusedly.

"Try touch his skin" Alicia give him a hint.

Firia tried to touch his skin. When she touched his skin, his skin feels so smooth.

"Ah!" She shocked. The class looking at her after the shout. Firia was embarrassed.

She looked at Alicia wanting an explanation.

"He just has medicine to make his skin like that" Alicia explain

"Really? Is there any divine medicine like that?"

"There is. Look, he is an example. He said he will give me one today" She proudly said.

"Ah... I want it too" Firia was envious.

"Hehe...You need to obedient to me first. Maybe I can plead to Alex to give you one"

"Right, I will obedient" The allure for this pill was too much. Even a seductress like her can be tamed with it.

But after a while, she realized she was schemed by Alicia. Why does she need to obedient to Alicia? Can't she just ask Alex for it? she thought.

She glared at Alicia who still grinning. She then turned to Alex.

"Alex...That medicine to make your skin this smooth. I want it too" she tried to seduce Alex.

"Ah...yes I will give you too" Alex said.

Alicia noticed, she immediately got between them.

"I... you give it to me first right? Right?" Alicia desperately asked Alex while keep shaking him.

"Uugh... Yes, I already promise Princess to give first." Alex turned to Firia "I'm sorry miss Firia"

"That's my Alex" Alicia's attitude turned around. Now, she smiled happily.

"Uhh.." Firia jealous, she sighed "As long as I get one. Thank you".

The class proceeds as usual when the dean saw him. He shocked.

"Alex, is this because of the skin-refining pill?" he touched his arm, face, and leg. Alex's skin became smooth.

"Yes"

"This skin-refining pill will make all women crazy. This a big business potential!" The Dean laughed.

"..." Alex speechless, his teacher before was a rank 8 mage and manage education in this academy. As soon as body tempering was made he aiming at the military, and now he wanted to be a businessman.

Alex shook his head and sighed. He continued walking to his cauldron. Before he started refining again, he looked at his teacher who still laughing with his business plan.

"Teacher, This is the rank 2 pill recipes" he handed a few papers to him.

"Ah..." the dean snapped from his daze. He grabbed the pill recipes, he looked a few names.

'blood and marrow pill', 'rank 2 restoration pill', 'bone refining pill', 'blood replenishing pill', 'antidote pill', 'qi gathering pill', and 'qi replenishing pill'.

"Oh.. this much? You give me only 4 recipes for grade one pill. Why you give me 7 recipes for this rank 2 pills?"

"There are a few more for rank one pill. But I choose what is most useful from them, and those four were chosen."

The dean nodded. he didn't really care about the alchemist, he was already old enough so his achievement in alchemy won't be great. So he leaves it to Alex, and support him.

"There are a few rare ingredients for these recipes like ten years old ginseng for blood and marrow pill, bone mushroom for bone refining pill, and this white snake gland for antidote pill. For the ginseng I have a few old friends who have many of this I can buy it from them, as for bone mushroom and white snake gland, I can only try from adventurer guild and hunter guild"

"no need to rush so much teacher, we haven't refined the next batch ingredients for grade one pills."

"Yes, you are right. I will try to buy these ingredients, with our refining speed we can finish all the ingredients this month"

"Yes" Alex start refining again.

This time Alex manage to make 40 skin-refining pills out of 100 sets of ingredients. But what makes Alex happy is he manage to make 4 peak grade of the skin-refining pill. He planned to give this to Alicia and Firia, as for the other two, he will keep it for now.

He went back, it's almost midnight. He surprised seeing Alicia still not asleep.

"Princess" He greeted her.

Alicia didn't say anything she just gave her hand to Alex. Her eyes saying 'give it to me'.

Alex tried to explain "This is a skin-refining pill, Princess's skin might be itchy after eating this pill. It's to force old skin out so the new skin can come out. So I recommend princess take a bath after eating this pill."

"Pill!" She gave Alex threatening glare.

Alex took out the refining pill, the pill was immediately snatched by her. She immediately ate the pill and went to the bathroom.

Alex shook his head and sigh. He sat on the sofa and cultivates again.

After half an hour, Alicia comes out. Her skin now becomes glossy. She happily went to Alex.

"Thank you, Alex"

Alex opened his eyes, he sighed "As long as princess like it".

"Hehe..." She leaped to bed and immediately fall asleep.

She looked tired, as usually she already asleep one hour before Alex came back. Her face looked tired, but a big smile still planted on her face. She looked like that she will have a nice dream tonight.

The next day, they came to the class. Firia already waiting for them.

When Firia looks at Alicia skin becomes glossy. She was jealous. She put her hand to Alex like Alicia yesterday.

Alex tried to explain "This is skin-refining medicine, Miss Firia skin might be itchy after eating this medicine. It's to force old skin out so the new skin can come out. So I recommend miss Firia take a bath after eating this medicine. So I think I will give this after practice later."

Hearing Alex's reasoning, she hesitated. After thinking about the pros and cons. She pouted and reluctantly accept and sit down again.

Alex gave a relieved sigh, he relieved she didn't become the second Alicia.

When practicing together, Alex noticed Firia seems distracted. He knew the reason for it, so he stopped the practice early and give the skin refining pill to her.

She leaped out of joy after receiving the pill. But suddenly she realized something.

"Alex...I heard in the legend, the one who made a pill like this is Alchemist. Are...You?"

Alex nodded. "I hope miss Firia keep this secret for now"

"Yes! I will make sure this secret guarded to death"

"There is no need to guard this secret to death" Alex said, but she already left without hearing Alex. She was already impatient to use this pill.

Alex shook his head. After saying goodbye to Alicia, he went to the dean's office as usual.

"Alex, we already used all of the ingredients. The batch will be delivered the day after tomorrow. So for today how about you relax a bit"

"Yes. But teacher may I request something?" before Alex went back to his room he asked.

"Oh.. what is it?"

"I want to request a few more cauldron"

The dean surprised with his request, "For what?"

"For rank 3 pill or above there is a chance for the cauldron to explode when refining goes wrong. As for rank 1 and 2 pill the chance to explode almost zero because it is a pill for newbies. so this is for preparation"

"Alright, I will make it more"

Alicia surprised seeing Alex came back not long after she came back.

"Alex, what happened? You rarely come back this early"

"Nothing. The ingredients to make pills already used up so I will practice in here"

"How about we have a bout?"

Alex thinking for a while and nod.

"But we don't use any magic" She added.

Alex surprised with this, he looked at Alicia

"I'm thinking, if the warrior gets a close range to us mage, we will be defeated. So I think I want to practice melee combat."

Thinking this reason, he nodded. "Alright"

He made a space a bit in this room.

Alicia took her wand, Alex only using a stick.

"Are you ready, princess?" Alex asked.

"Yes, go on"

Hearing the confirmation, Alex started to make a move.

Alex put up his stick and swing it down. Alicia tried to parry it with her wand, but suddenly Alex's leg tripped her. She fell down.

"Even your opponent raised his weapon, they might not be attacking you with their weapon."

"Ughh.." She let out a groan. But soon she back up again, she looked at Alex with determination. "Again!".

Alex smiled, he continued training her a few hours.

After a few hours, she got many bruises. Alex was merciless when he trained her. She can only lay down on the floor, her whole body was sore. but she still smiled, this might be the one thing he didn't hold back when he was with her, though he is merciless.

"We will end it here" Alex put down his stick, he came to her and gave her a pill "Princess, please eat this".

She eats them, she surprised seeing the bruises get better in n.a.k.e.d eyes. She shocked by the effect just now. Though her muscles still sore.

"Alex... this..." She looked at Alex.

"This is peak-grade rank 1 restoration pill. It is the best for minor wounds like bruises. I'm sorry princess, I'm that hard to you"

She shook his head "It's fine. I got many lessons from this training. But what is this peak-grade thing?"

"for pill, they have four gradings, they are low-grade, mid-grade, top-grade, peak-grade. The higher the grade, the higher the efficiency of the pill and also the harder it is to make."

"Then that skin-refining pill you gave ?"

"Yes, it was a peak-grade skin-refining pill."

"Umm...Thank you, Alex" Her heart becomes warmth. Alex gave her something like that to her easily. She is thankful to Alex.

"Don't mind it Princess" Alex smiled.

"Then can we practice like this again?"

"The next batch of the ingredients will be delivered the day after tomorrow. So tomorrow we can practice like this again."

"Okay" She smiled happily.

"Princess, how about you take a bath first."

"Ah..." She just noticed, she sweated so much. She wanted to stand up but her muscle was sore, she let out a weak groan "Uuu..."

Looking at this, Alex felt a bit guilty and he helped her up.