Chapter 5

    Unveiling the Ancient Chronicles 1

    "Whoa!" The boy's loud scream broke the silence as he sprang up from his bed, only to roll off and crash onto the wooden floor with a thud. This wouldn't have happened if he didn’t wake up to such an unexpected sight...

    "What’s so startling?" The voice came from a young man of an unknown age, with sharp features and long black hair that flowed down to the waist. He wore an ancient gray cloak over a tall, slender figure, but from the knees down, his legs seemed to vanish, blending into a faint shadow that the wooden floor below can be seen.

    Indeed, he was not the only person in this small room, or perhaps he was, since the figure before him could hardly be called human. Las’s head was blank for a moment before a wave of pain swelled up throughout his body.

    "Ah, ouch..." The boy clutched at his heart, then moved his hand to his head. Sweat poured down his face as if his whole body had been battered by a hammer, and his head felt as if it was being crushed, causing tears to well up in his eyes. Unable to stand, he could only lie curled up on the floor for a moment until the door swung open right in the face of the dark-haired young man, who floated in the air with a puzzled look. The door passed right through him, to his utter disbelief.

    "Las! What's wrong with you?" The person was a gentle woman. Her drooping eyebrows and light brown eyes clearly showed signs of worry. Seeing him on the floor, she rushed to embrace him tearfully, then lifted him back onto the bed. Her soft hands gently stroked his head, and he no longer dared to cry.

    Las stealthily glanced at the ghostly young man standing behind his mother. Soon, both his grandmother and father crowded into the small room, making it even more cramped in an instant. The ghost, meanwhile, floated upwards to the ceiling, chuckling gleefully in a contented manner. Although Las had no idea why he laughed, it seemed that no one else could see or hear him, leading Las to wonder if he was hallucinating because of his stress.

    "Last night you came back with that strange furnace and then suddenly fainted. Your mother was so worried" Garion spoke in a stern voice, though his uneasy expression showed his deep concern. Las offered a weak smile and replied softly, "I must have overexerted myself in training yesterday. I'll feel better after a bit more rest..."

    His grandmother approached to gently pat his head. He could feel the warmth of the old woman's power seeping through his skin, alleviating the pain and relaxing his body significantly. Seeing him more at ease, the adults decided to let him rest. The room fell silent for a long while until Las opened his eyes again and sighed deeply.

    "What happened yesterday... was not a dream, was it?"

    Las recalled being deceived by his own instructor to clean for a week without being properly taught any techniques. Just the thought was distressing enough, let alone having a ghost emerge to rebuke and insult the instructor on his behalf, displaying an unprecedented level of power...

    "What are you babbling about? Are you still half asleep?"

    The ghost seemed puzzled, rolling around in the air, doing nonsensical things. Las began to doubt whether this ghost could be relied upon.

    "Ouch..." Las tried to push himself up, but his arms were still sore. Just sitting up needed a tremendous effort, leaving him gasping for breath at the edge of the bed.

    "It seems my power was too much for your young body to handle, causing some side effects. I've never possessed anyone before, after all."

    The ghost spoke softly, then chuckled proudly. The feeling of gratitude was instantly discarded, replaced by irritation.

    "So, how am I supposed to go to Arthuria now?" Las asked, shaking his head.

    "Do you still want to go there?"

    The ghost inquired, its tone sounding slightly unnatural, not quite human. Indeed, Las wondered how a ghost could even produce sound.

    The boy sat silently, pondering, before shaking his head decisively.

    "No, not anymore." His answer was clear and firm.

    The ghost stroked its chin, nodding in approval before pointing towards the bookshelf. Suddenly, a wooden box on the shelf creaked open on its own, and a pill with white and orange stripes, resembling a gem, floated towards the ghost's fingertip. The ghost scrutinized the pill for a moment before sitting down at the foot of the bed, still focused on the pill.

    "Medicine-making nowadays is quite peculiar. It might be hard for someone who is not quite an expert, Also, using the coarse ingredients. Hence, the backlash from using it is rather severe" The ghost then looked at Las beside him. "Fortunately, they didn't mess up the core. It's still possible to reconstruct the components."

    Las listened to the ghost's rambling with a sullen face. Seemed like the expensive medicine his father bought might be worse than expected. However, what puzzled him most was not that.

    "Hold on. What do you mean by reconstructing the components? I've never heard that it's possible to do that." Las asked straightforwardly. The ghost seemed pleased with the boy's curiosity.

    "Even when I was still alive, only a handful of people could reconstruct the components of a medicine to enhance it. To do so, one must first be able to analyze the components precisely, truly understanding the essence of that particular medicine." the ghost explained, spinning his finger in the air, with the pill floating along. "This medicine, for instance, starts with a core made from the fangs of a shadow wolf, ground and then exposed to moonlight for years, coupled with stardust powder to mutually enhance their powers. But the problem lies in what follows..."

    The ghost handed the box and the pill back to Las, looking serious and solemn.

    "The secondary components, the one who made it would only focus on increasing power without considering balance. Using century-old cactus flowers from the Grehaz desert, Daris grass from a tropical region, and even Ars grass that needs hot springs as its source of water, these are all inherently fiery materials, it's no wonder this pill turned out to be a folly. For someone with a different elemental affinity, it could be lethal, and for those with a fire affinity, it wouldn't make much of a difference since the secondary components are too mediocre for someone with true fire power."

    Las tried to understand, even though he wasn't quite following everything.

    "If adjustments are needed..." The young ghost seemed to drift into his own world. He twirled his sleek black hair around his finger while lost in thought, his eyes, the same color as his hair, sparkling with insight. Then, his lips parted into a wide smile, "Well then, just adding morning dew grass would do... The tender grass that only opens its petals at dawn, absorbing the night's fragrances and basking in the soft morning sun, would be the perfect addition to this pill."

    Seeing his face light up with enthusiasm when talking about the medicine, Las couldn't help but laugh along. It was hard to deny that everyone in this kingdom harbored dreams of becoming an apothecary, but in reality, it was not so simple. Only a few could embark on this path, and even fewer succeeded. Yet, how many could truly enjoy it as much as the one in front of him.

    "Master..." It was the first time Las had addressed someone this way. The young ghost was astonished.

    "What did you just call me?" The ghost seemed to hardly believe his ears.

    "Master..." Las repeated, somewhat uncertainly, causing the ghost to burst into laughter, much to the boy's chagrin. "You said you would teach me yesterday!"

    "Yes, I did say that, but..." The young man hesitated.

    "You're going back on your word?" Las didn’t hide his disappointment.

    "After being betrayed by a student, I swore to myself that I would never take on another student." the ghost said, crossing his arms. Seeing the boy's sullen face, he cracked a grin, "Besides, our relationship should be more of mutual reliance. Just call me Dragoon."

    "Ha, ha, ha." Though the idea of mutual reliance seemed weird, Las managed to crack a smile. "So, you'll teach me, right, Sir Dragoon?"

    The ghost frowned and pointed a finger at Las.

    "Just Dragoon, no need for 'Sir' I don't like it."

    Las raised an eyebrow. Although he was young, his experience in trade had shown him to various kinds of people. Yet, he had never met anyone who disliked being revered. Elevating someone's status usually made dealings smoother. It was the first time he encountered someone, or rather a ghost, of higher stature who preferred equality over accolades. It was quite surprising.

    The boy looked up at the figure in the cloak again, those deep black eyes filled with confidence yet gentle in his gaze.

    "Can I really just call you Dragoon?"

    Las asked again, still unsure. The ghost waved dismissively as if such formalities were trivial.

    "Why cling to such a thing? If we were to consider age, I'd be the great-great-great-great-grandfather of yours. What title could you possibly use for me then?" The ghost said jokingly, still in good spirits. "But you need to enhance your skills. Otherwise, it'll be tough for me. Even if you don't want to, I'll have to make you study."

    "In that case, I'm ready to learn, uh... Dragoon." Las couldn't contain his excitement, and the young ghost laughed.

    "Of course, but first, we need to find the ingredients for the medicine to treat your condition." Dragoon said, his face turning sly.

    "And where am I supposed to find such ingredients?" Las's heart sank upon seeing his soon-to-be master's expression, and his fears were confirmed.

    "From your grandmother's room, of course."

    Dragoon said cheerily, clapping his hands. At that moment, Las realized that training under this individual wouldn't be easy. Just the first piece of advice seemed daunting enough.