The Mage of Primordial Chaos

Now then... how the hell do I make this pill?

I fell into thought, doing my best not to think of this as an act. It really wasn't, because I really didn't know how to refine the Berserker Pill, but at the same time, it was, thanks to this Zhao Family girl's existence.

I snuck a glance at her and saw her staring back at me, then quickly averted my gaze again.

Oh, crap... why did I do that...? I thought she would be refining the pill... but she hasn't even touched her materials! Wait... does she not know how to refine this one as well? No, impossible... is she just... observing me? Why...?

I have never been so nervous in my life. Gulping anxiously, I did my best to act normal and ponder how to go about things now. That was a blunder; this girl definitely knows my intentions. What to do, what to do...

But after several seconds, she turned away and begin working on her own pill. By now, the boy next to her had already finished, and seemed to be confused on how she wasn't done yet. I frowned a little.

Did she just... sacrifice her chance to get more points, all to observe me? I don't understand...

With a sigh, I began working on my own pill. Since she already saw through my intentions, there was no reason not to try and secure these 50 points. I really didn't know how to refine this pill, but how hard could it be? My improvisation skills have never been too shabby, after all.

I closed my eyes and repeated the same process I did for any other pill, listening to the voices of the materials and combining them into one, harmonic sound in my head. Then, I channeled my mana into the herbs, and...

Nothing happened.

I furrowed my brows. The materials weren't merging into one, for some reason, despite the voice in my head clearly already registering them as harmonious. What was I missing...?

Then, I remembered something Ling Xin's godfather had once scolded me for.

"Don't look so smug while refining a pill, boy! Alchemy is an art of emotions as much as it is practical skill! Without the right feelings, you cannot refine the right pills!"

Slowly, a smirk formed on my face.

... Heh. Thanks, geezer. But not looking smug? Sorry, no can do.

I converted my emotions into dark fury by thinking of something bad that happened to me in the past. For me, that was easy. All the bullying, all the suffering, and the death of my parents. Such things were enough to make my heart brood with dark emotion, leaking out of my body, and before I knew it...

"W-Woah... look at that guy..."

"I've never seen a killing intent so strong before..."

"W-Wait, that pill he just refined... is it golden?!"

"What?! How?!"

"No pill can be golden! What the hell?!"

... The pill was complete.

My eyes snapped back open, and I glanced down at the radiating golden pill in my hand. The other contenders in the room, old man included, were all shocked to see this, and their mouths hung agape.

But they were not my concern.

What I was truly worried about, was-

"As, I thought... you are, special."

Oh, shit... I went overboard! I got so lost in my feelings that I- ugh!

"Uh... I don't know how this happened," I muttered, desperate to make some last-ditch efforts to save this situation. But alas, I knew it was useless.

While everyone else was still in surprise at what they were seeing right now (with the fact that this girl was talking adding on to the shock), the girl talked to me like nothing was wrong.

"... What, is your, name?"

Alright, Xuan Kai... don't lose your cool now. Just give one of those usual witty comebacks you always give...

"Hmph," I snorted. "Why should I give you my name, when I don't even know yours?"

The girl blinked.  Ha! Got you good, didn't I-

"... My name, is Zhao, Xiuying. Now, what is, yours?"

.

No way. She really gave me her name, just like that? Damn it, now I look like I'm trying to pick her up or something...

The glare I was getting from that boy on her other side was only confirming that theory. But that aside... how should I respond? She did give her name, so it would hardly be very nice if I didn't give her mine back...

"... You can call me Xuan Kai."

I considered going with my alias Kai Xuan, but for whatever reason, I would feel guilty if I used that. Maybe it's because of how innocent this girl looked, reminding me of Lorelei.

"Xuan, Kai," she murmured to herself, turning away. "I, see."

"A-Ahem! Everyone, continue with your pill refinement if you don't want to run out of time!" The old man suddenly announced, causing everyone to snap back into their senses and quickly go back to work. Then, turning to me, he began walking over.

Oh, shit.

I braced myself for what was to come.

But rather than talking to me... the old man nearly picked up the golden pill in the tray, then brought it up to his nose and gave it a little sniff.

Yikes...

I cringed a little, but the old man didn't seem to notice and was completely captured by the Golden Pill's aroma, furrowing his brows.

"This... the smell... it is intriguing," he muttered, then moved the Golden Pill closer to his mouth. Realizing what he was going to do, I hurriedly stood up and caught his wrist.

"Hold it. You don't want to eat that. It's a Berserker Pill, remember."

"Hmph. I am a professional alchemist, boy. I can control myself, even under the effects of a Berserker Pill with pill clouds."

"That pill has effects greater than pill cl-" I tried to warn, but it was too late. The old man had already placed the Golden Pill in his mouth, and swallowed. His eyes instantly widened and seized in place, then slowly shifted into a deep red color.

"... Well, fuck."

I slowly let go of his wrist, then got ready. The old man slowly turned his head and looked at me... then-

"RAGH!" He roared like a beast and leaped towards me.

"Tch-!"

Level One Earth Magic — Vines of Binding!

Several black vines suddenly tore out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the old man, now enraged, and pulled him back to the ground. The effects of my Golden Pill were strong, yes, but it couldn't let the consumer surpass their physical capabilities—only make them angrier than usual. A lot... angrier. To the point where they lost all human reason and morals.

"GRR..." The old man growled like a raging beast, veins bulging and bloodshot eyes glaring at me from his position on the floor, being tied by my vines. The other contenders were all looking at us in shock, no longer able to perform alchemy. How could they, in a situation like this?

"Hm... how long does a Berserker Pill last...?" I muttered to no one in particular as I looked down at the writhing old man.

"Five, minutes," a faint voice said from beside me. I turned to see Zhao Xiuying, still seated at her desk and blinking up at me cutely. She seemed utterly unconcerned with the beast-like old geezer squirming and thrashing on the ground beside her, and was focused solely on me.

"I... see..." I whispered, then turned away from her.  If a normal Berserker Pill can keep someone enraged for five minutes, then... a Golden Pill will keep someone this way for about fifty minutes.

When someone was in Berserker mode, they could not be rendered unconscious in any method apart from death. And since killing this old man wasn't going to do me any good, the only other option here was to just wait it out.

That is, unless...

Suddenly, Zhao Xiuying stood up and turned to one of the many servants in the room, at a loss for what to do now that their boss was in this state.

"Go, fetch me, five Pureroot, one Lightbloom, and, three Tranquil, Water drops."

"E-Eh? A-Alright!" The girl closest to her hurriedly scurried off, knowing that Zhao Xiuying was from a powerful family. I remember Long Lu mentioning something about the Zhao Family being another one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment, so there was that as well.

But no matter how powerful her family is...

"... That won't work," I said to her. "A normal Cleansing Pill would never be able to cleanse my Berserker Pill."

But contrary to my expectations, Zhao Xiuying turned her head to me and blinked several times.

"Just, watch... Xuan, Kai."

"H-Hold on!" A male voice suddenly interrupted, and both of us looked at the boy who had been sitting on the other end of her. "W-Who even are you? And how are you able to make the same kind of pills as X-Xiuying?!"

Now, of all times? Seriously, kid?

I sighed, as Zhao Xiuying blinked at him coldly.

"... Do not, call me, by that, name. I, never, gave you, permission."

"H-Huh? Oh... s-sorry..."

Seeing how quickly the boy backed off and slumped back down on the ground, I nearly laughed out loud.

Pfft.... pathetic.