Temporal Pearls

Through sheer willpower Seth grabbed Soothing Gourd and poured its water into a small cup, the water sparkled as it reflected the slightest of light.

Th he grabbed a specific water bottle he placed close to him for a certain purpose.

Seth has chos this elemt of water to be one of the water his Soothing Gourd can gerate.

~Bacchanalian Flower Elemt water.

It was obtained from shrubs that have the property of making an animal feel intoxicated.

Some use it in beverages, but most in making expsive drugs and liquor.

But it has another effect; hancemt of the body before its true effect takes place—one will feel strgth causing through him.

Seth now is mixing Soothing Water with it. After he drank the mix the effect was immediate.

He felt as if he could brave the rain again but he knew that was all an illusion.

Without any big container that he can immerse himself in, Seth has no choice but to brave the rain and empty half of one of the barrels and drag it inside the cottage.

Without further ado, he began to pour a small portion of every water he collected from the forest and one of the sand, rock and wood.

In just two minutes, he almost finished preparing. It took him that long because most of the containers were filled to the brim and heavy

He ev wondered how the hell he was able to drag them all the way from the forest to the cottage.

Well, he will think about that later.

Seth was struggling to op the lid of the last jar while he was having second thoughts.

Among all the water he collected, this one was from a notorious poison plant, that was said, with ough dose, it will weak a dragon.

~Poison Beauty!

That's its name, as it was a beautiful flower that came out of a shrub with a sweet sct that can travel up to hundreds of meters away.

The Shrubs produce attractive pink fruits similar to grapes in size but a lick is more than ough to kill a strong warrior.

Heck, Madam Mud said its potcy was strong ough to poison Abuhe Vulcan with a lick and if he chews them ev she doesn't know what will happ.

Wh the town was here, Abuhe raised a wood wall a the Shrub and forbade anyone to come close to it.

But one stupid player gets close and had his body scratched by its horns. The idiot wasn't able to log in for three days and also have a debuff for another three days after he logged back.

Poison Beauty Shrub was one of the reasons Players and Towns Gourds were able to hold their own against the increasing attacks of beasts during Asteroid descts. By coating their weapon with the juice from the fruit.

Poison Beauty has another name, D-bane or Dragon Bane. Because it was one of the very few poisons pott ough to make a dragon sluggish.

Yeah, Seth is apprehsive about dropping the water obtained from the flower inside the mix. What if he poisoned himself? Th a wave of dizziness got him. He almost falls from the bed.

Having no choice, Seth gritted his teeth and dropped a very small amount in, it was not ev half a normal drop. And he quickly closed the jar.

He removed his clothes and tered into the harvested cold rainwater and immersed his head completely.

Ding

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[You have be poisoned by Poison Beauty]

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"Fuc.. opp.. Muffle"

Seth cursed underwater. And despite the cold, he felt itchy and th his skin began numbing.

Ding

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[Quest in progress]

~Stay in the water for one minute. Coming out will disrupt the cleansing and healing and you will have to arrange another collected water.

_______

'Damn! Why didn't you say so? I didn't take a deep breath before I immersed myself, for God's sake!'

Seth grumbled in his mind. "I hope, players can't drown in the game!" But th...

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Heath: Normal > Cold > Sick Cold > Poisoned Sick Cold> Poisoned Sick Cold Suffocating!

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Health: Poisoned Sick Cold Suffocating!

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'I will be damned'

Ding

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[Health Alert: You need to breathe]

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'Is the fucking Status notification system differt from the Quest notification system?' Seth wondered. They should know he was on a Quest.

Ding

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[You will reach a critical condition by a poison that seeps through your blood through your skin pores. Remove the poison source in time]

_____

'I thought I would suffocate to death but it was the dreaded poison!'

Ding

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[Health Status]

Condition: Critical condition

Cause: Poison

Source: Poison Beauty Essce

Time limit: minute 30 seconds

_______

Seth sighed a relief as he saw he had little time.

Ding

'Oh God, I pray it has not become worse!' Seth panicked. An instinctive action of any mortal being wh faced with danger.

_____

[Quest Progress]

~Cleansing and healing of the body have commced.

Time limit: minute

_____

'Haha, my luck hasn't run out!' Seth stared at the time limits as if he could force it to be fast.

Time limit: 55 seconds

Time limit: 54 seconds

Time limit: 53 seconds

Time limit: 5 seconds

Time limit: 5 seconds

Time limit: 50 seconds

Ding

Gulp!

Seth swallowed saliva with a dreadful look as he refused to look at the new notification.

'I hope it was not the poison increasing its potcy'

'I hope it was not the poison increasing its potcy'

'I hope it was not the poison increasing its potcy'

.

.

.

.

Seth calmed his mind and he looked at the notification.  And he saw that it was not the poison increasing its potcy… but!

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[Health Status]

~Condition : Critical condition!

~Cause: Poison!

~Source: Poison Beauty Essce!

~Condition : Suffocation!

~Cause: Lack of oxyg!

~Time limit: minute 9 seconds

[Note: Without Oxyg in the blood system the poison condition will be worsed in a few seconds!]

_______

'Shit!!!'

T seconds later

Ding

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[Health Status]

~Condition : Critical condition!

~Cause: Poison!

~Source: Poison Beauty Essce!

~Condition : Suffocation!

~Cause: Lack of oxyg!

~Time limit: 58 seconds!

[Time limit will be half]

New Time-limited: 7 seconds

[Note: Conditions will wors and prolonged damage can occur!]

______

Seth quickly glanced at the time limit for the cleansing and his face grimaced!

_____

[Quest Progress]

Cleansing and healing of the body have commced.

Time limit: 3 seconds

____

It's still decreasing but so also the poison.

At that momt, Seth began to feel suffocation as if in the real world—it's a mild feeling but it was building up the more time ticked down.

He clched his hand in dread!

Without fulfilling the Quest, he will have Permant Damage and if the poison worss, he will have Prolonged Damage.

Obviously, the latter was manageable but th he could start the mix again and prepare better, sadly his strgth was too weak for that.

Th he thought as he felt his hand was holding something.

'Shit, I was holding my staff all along?'

Seth facepalms mtally, and Th he positioned the Short Staff to touch the button of the barrel.

~Elevated Health!

Ding

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[Health Status]

Condition : Critical Condition!

Cause: Poison!

Source: Poison Beauty Essce!

Condition : Suffocation!

Cause: Lack of oxyg!

New Time limit: 5 seconds + seconds = 5 seconds!

[Note: Due to Elevated Health you have additional seconds]

______

Seth quickly checks the healing...

_____

[Quest Progress]

Cleansing and healing of the body have commced.

Time limit: 9 seconds

____

'There are still 4 seconds in betwe. I hope it won't be too bad.'

Seth has succumbed to his fate and put on the attitude of wait and see…

The few seconds become furiously long, as if hours are passing, yet Seth dures.

Ding!

_____

[Health Status]

Condition : Critical condition > Lethal Condition!

~Cause: Poison!

~Source: Poison Beauty Essce!

~Condition : Suffocated!

~Cause: Lack of oxyg!

~Time limit: seconds!

[Note: Due to Elevated health you are avoiding instant death]

_____

Ding!

_____

[Health Status]

~Condition : Dying!

~Cause: Poison!

~Source: Poison Beauty Essce!

~Condition : Suffocated!

~Cause: Lack of oxyg!

~Death Time: 3 seconds!

[Note: Due to Elevated health you are avoiding instant death]

_____

The two notifications came almost at the same time.

Death Time: seconds

Death Time: second

Ding

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[Quest Progress]

Cleansing and healing of the body have commced.

Time limit: 0 seconds

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~Size Reschedule!

Since Seth was holding his staff and it was underneath him, it larged fast and threw him out of the water and he took a deep breath.

~Death Time: 0 second

Wh he fell on top of water containers the notification lingered in his vision, th he felt his vision clouding... th.

Ding

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[Quest Completed]

[Reward]

~Recovered From Cold!

~Minor Cold Resistance!

~Minor Poison Resistance!

~Improved Physique!

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.

.

.

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[Health Status]

~Condition: Lethal Condition > Critical Condition!

~Cause: Poison!

~Source: Poison Beauty Essce!

[Congratulations: You have avoided death by zero merging]

_____

His condition has reduced from lethal to critical condition. As Seth was already weak, he felt an croaching slumber. His eyelid felt heavy as if they had blocks on them.

Gradually, the cloud of sleep veloped him. Seth felt so sere in both mind and soul.  Sleep is a bit differt from real-world sleep. As he can hear and feel through his skin, thought it was dull.

Seth breathes in and he can smell the sct of rain and the cottage.

Eh?

Seth was surprised as he heard a conversation and wh he conctrated he heard.

"..... In about 30 minutes… out!" It was Joseph's voice!

*****

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