When Zraiw waddled into the building, Dreu felt his heart beating faster. The smug attitude of the swan made him uneasy which was further amplified when a jar was presented before him. The swan brought out a spherical object.

  “If you consume one of these everyday for a month, you will strengthen your existing foundation. Afterwards, you have to train if you want to reach new heights.”

  The young man hesitantly reached out for the spherical object. Zraiw explained that the object was a pill that had unique medicinal properties. Usually, the pill would be consumed by children when their foundation was still in the process of being built. Children from wealthier families had more access to such pills, thus they tended to become far stronger than those of poorer families. Dreu belonged to the less than ideal situation where his foundation was already built and the pill had limitations as to what it could fix.

  “Despite the limitations, you’ll find the pill to be still effective in making you stronger. I would make better pills but the demon realm has such low grade materials. You'd be amazed what I can make if I have the right materials.”

  When Dreu inquired further on the matter, Zraiw explained some of the basics regarding alchemy. The swan stated that there were different levels to pills. The ones Dreu was consuming were only the lowest level. Depending on the skills of the alchemist and the types of materials, higher level pills with various effects could be made. Legends claimed that the highest level pills could even make an individual or creature into a god, though many believed the claims to be greatly exaggerated. Following the explanation, the swan asked Dreu to eat the first pill. The young man stared at the pill, recalling how much he hated the bitter taste of medicine.

  Here goes nothing!

  Having faith that the swan wouldn’t harm him, Dreu swallowed the pill. He had expected a bitter taste due to the pill being medicinal but it had a very bland taste. After swallowing the pill, the young man waited for something to happen. After a minute, he assumed that the pill wasn’t as incredible as the swan claimed it to be. As he was getting up, his feet weakened, causing him to fall back to the ground. He then stared at his hands as though something was flowing through his fingers. Yet, he couldn’t pick up anything with his eyes. The young man looked to the swan only to see Zraiw’s shaking head.

  “What you feel isn’t something you can see with your eyes. The fact that you sensed the energy is already an incredible feat. Continue for a month and you’ll be amazed by the results.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  With his job done, Zraiw happily waddled out of the courtyard, leaving Dreu to admire the new energy alone. Ilveroz and Zog were nearby but he didn’t pay them any attention. He wondered if he could harness the energy but, an hour later, he gave up on his endeavor. The young man suspected that he might not have the talent or the body to harness such energy.

  I should be glad to just have some of it making me stronger.

  This time, he found he could stand more easily. It felt like his body had adjusted to the change which had felt amazing. Wanting to test out his body, Dreu went for a run. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he had gained both speed and stamina from the single pill. Not only did he look forward to his change after a month but he also wondered about what higher level pills could do. A part of him wondered if he could ever visit the mythical realm where Zraiw came from. The young man made a note to ask the swan if and how he could visit the realm. It sounded like an incredible place to visit.

  And to think there's a chance to become a god by going there…

  “Dreu! Ragellon needs your help!”

  A demonic child’s words snapped Dreu back to reality. The child, going by the name of Ruken, was generally seen as second in command after Ragellon so the young man took it seriously when she said such a thing. He told her to take several deep breaths before allowing her to explain what had happened.

  “Ragellon wanted an actual challenge because he got tired of the dummies. She ventured further than she should have and is now being pursued by demonic creatures too strong for her. Please help her!”

  Dreu reassured the child and told her to stay in the city with the other children. He then summoned Keth and Dar to join Zog as the vanguard. They would seek out Ragellon from the air and protect her from harm. Meanwhile, he and Ilveroz would travel on foot. As soon as the two of them engaged in battle, then he would summon the others to aid in the battle. While going through the recall list, Dreu was surprised to see the spiderlings listed, though they were shown as unavailable.

  I’ll look into them after Ragellon is safe.

  Once the vanguard headed out, Dreu and Ilveroz ran through the streets and out the main gate. They only had a rough direction of where Ragellon was when she and her second in command were separated. Dreu hoped that, from the air, the vanguard could locate the child more easily. As soon as he was out of the city, Dreu went into a sprint but he stopped seconds later after he noticed Ilveroz couldn’t keep up. To avoid being separated, he unsummoned the demon hound so his companion could be summoned with the others later. The young man kept sprinting until he reached a clearing with signs of combat. He called out to Zog but there was no response.

  Looks like I need to figure out where they went myself.

  Dreu studied the clearing and tried piecing together what happened. Then, a scream from the distance caught his attention.

  Sounds like I've found Ragellon. I better get there before it's too late.