Chapter 197 The Effect of the Red Potion
William whipped out a bunch of Magic Crystals and took down Craig and Luke, making a big show of it.
He wanted everyone to think he was unbeatable.
For the one-star Evolving folks, he really was.
He also needed to impress Camilla. If the round-faced girl were to join the team at this moment, she might reconsider her decision later on.
Alchemists and Pharmacists need a ton of resources. Without strength and wealth, you can't support them. Camilla didn't get this yet, but she would.
The show worked pretty well.
But today, when they saw William propping himself up with one hand and the grass around him growing fast, everyone, including Camilla, was stunned.
They'd seen a lot of crazy stuff since the apocalypse, like Camilla's Alchemist skills and her big green test tube.
But those were still kinda explainable by science, like chemical reactions we haven't figured out yet.
This plant-growing trick, though, was straight out of myths and legends. Plus, William was a powerful two-star Evolving guy with lots of tricks.
They also realized William wasn't fully healed.
If he was at 100%, how strong would he be?
The grass grew a few centimeters under William's skill, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
Plants in the Land of Death were different from Earth's; they needed more mental energy to cultivate. Given the size of the grassland, William used up all the mental energy he'd built up over the past few days just to make the grass grow a bit.
The grass wasn't enough, so William used the "Primary Meditation Exchange" skill from his green necklace to absorb energy from level-one Magic Crystals to recharge his mental energy.
Luckily, he had enough level-one Magic Crystals. After burning through a few thousand, William got his mental energy back to full and started using the Gardener's skill again.
Proficiency +1, Proficiency +1...
The more mental energy William used and the more he practiced, the faster his proficiency grew. By the time he got the grass to the perfect height with potions, his Cultivation skill maxed out at the primary stage. Once his other Gardener skill hit 100 proficiency, he could use the Level Promotion Scroll to become an intermediate Gardener, upgrading both skills.
William had a Level Promotion Scroll from the Monster Baby, but he wasn't planning to use it on this profession.
As they departed from the grassland, the sound of hooves echoed through the valley. The group swiftly took cover on a nearby hillside. Before long, Tom joined them after spotting Camilla's signal.
Attracting the Cloud Hoof was easy; stepping into the valley meant invading their territory. Though not super strong, these level-two monsters got really angry and could trample intruders to death.
Tom wasn't dumb; he ran as soon as he saw the Cloud Hoof herd and barely made it back before they locked onto him.
Hundreds of Cloud Hoof charged out of the valley, creating a spectacular scene. These monsters, much bigger than Earth's strongest horses, moved in unison, making the hidden group on the hillside feel a rush of excitement.
Such a scene could probably only be created with computer effects nowadays.
The Cloud Hoof were chasing the intruders but slowed down, drawn by a faint fragrance in the air.
Soon, some Cloud Hoof found the source of the scent and happily grazed on the tender grass.
More and more Cloud Hoof discovered the grassland and rushed over to eat.
The herd that was chasing the enemy now turned into a feast, devouring the grass and even fighting over it.
"Oh my God, what kind of potion did you give me? Why do they love it so much?" Camilla exclaimed.
She couldn't believe the tender grass, which these level-two monsters were obsessed with, was the result of her potion.
William stayed silent, not answering her question.
The Red Potion formula wasn't a secret before William's rebirth. It was simple and not widely used, so it wasn't well-guarded, and William knew it.
Despite the simplicity of the formula and the ease of creating the potion, it only appeared on roulette wheels at level three or above. It took one or two years into the apocalypse for Evolving folks to get it, and it wasn't widely known until five years later.
By then, mutated life forms had evolved so much that the potion's effects weren't significant. Its value was never fully realized and it was only used occasionally.
But for William, after his rebirth, this potion was now super effective.
Certain conditions were needed, like having an Alchemist; otherwise, knowing the formula was useless. Also, the Gardener profession was necessary; otherwise, this potion, which couldn't be directly consumed and only worked through plants, would take months or longer to grow to the effective stage. By then, who knew if it would still be useful?
So, this seemingly useless potion from his past life was now being put to good use by William thanks to a lucky coincidence.
As for its effect...
The grassland was big, but for hundreds of Cloud Hoof, it was nothing. In no time, they ate up all the tender grass. The herd wandered around but didn't find any more grass. After lingering and finding some other things to eat, they gradually retreated back into the valley.
"Isn't it poison?" Tom asked, curious.
Maybe because he was now an Evolving person, Tom was more talkative. Seeing the Cloud Hoof still alive and kicking after eating the grass, he couldn't help but ask William what was going on. He thought it was poison. If not, wouldn't it be feeding the Cloud Hoof for nothing?
Without offering an explanation, William directed everyone to relocate to the hillside near the valley.
Once there, William told everyone to start cooking. He took out the previously roasted Red-Eyed Deer meat and some of the Courage Squad's food reserves, and they began to eat.
But the others were more focused on the Cloud Hoof in the valley, playing, resting, or frolicking.
"About an hour left. Eat more, you'll need the energy to work," William said calmly, like he had everything under control.
The group didn't ask more questions and focused on eating, knowing they'd have work soon.
Eating level-two monster meat over the past few days had boosted their strength, and they were grateful to William for that.
After eating, they kept an eye on the Cloud Hoof, counting the time.
About fifty minutes later, the Cloud Hoof herd started showing signs of agitation.
William, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and looked towards the commotion.
A strong male Cloud Hoof was forcefully mating with a companion.
Success!
William was thrilled, knowing the Red Potion was kicking in.
At first, it was just one incident, but soon it spread. In half an hour, the valley turned into a breeding ground.
Camilla and the others were stunned.
The Red Potion had this effect?
The Cloud Hoof herd went crazy, all with red eyes, frantically mating. The pungent smell reached the group on the hillside.
While the majority engaged in mating, a few resorted to fighting to the death in order to secure mates. Their massive bodies collided, bit, and kicked, driven by the urge to reproduce. Many Cloud Hoof were injured or killed in these battles.
The valley was in chaos.
"This..." A Courage Squad member was speechless. He'd never seen anyone use such a method. These level-two mutated life forms, which he saw as death incarnate, were being easily manipulated, shattering his worldview.
"Should we go down and kill them now?" Tom asked, eager.
He saw at least dozens of dead Cloud Hoof and felt ready.
"Wait, we need a bit more time," William said calmly.
He wasn't in a hurry. The Cloud Hoof were in a frenzy; going down now would be suicidal. They'd trample any intruder.
Having observed the chaos for a while, William eventually grew bored and resumed resting with his eyes closed. The others watched with great interest, whispering among themselves.
This went on for over four hours before calming down. By then, the valley was a mess.
William stood up, Edge of the Moon in hand. Looking at the Cloud Hoof herd, he knew it was time for the first harvest.
