Chapter 15: Is This The Legendary Grandpa Side Quest?

[Choice Detected: Morning Encounter]

[Option 1: Help the old man named Drake deal with his Mana blockage caused by a poisonous demonic flower.]

[Reward: Enlightenment (Epic)]

[Option 2: Continue on your way without getting involved.]

[Reward: Basic Observation Techniques (Uncommon)]

The moment Nero saw the Epic-grade reward, his eyes lit up.

Another Epic reward!

He had already received the Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge, so he knew just how valuable rewards of this grade could be.

And this time, the reward was something called Enlightenment.

He wasn’t sure what it did, but anything classified as Epic had to be worth obtaining.

Without thinking twice, Nero selected the first option.

He then began looking around the park, searching for someone named Drake.

Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to find a possible candidate.

Near a secluded bench stood an elderly man with neatly combed silver hair, dressed in simple but expensive-looking clothes.

He appeared to be practicing some kind of exercise, slowly moving his arms and adjusting his breathing.

Nero recognized the movements almost immediately.

They were basic Mana circulation exercises, commonly taught to half- awakened individuals who were hoping to awaken.

Standing a few meters away was an enormous man dressed in a black suit. He was easily over two meters tall, with a muscular build and an expression that made him look rather difficult to approach.

’That must be his bodyguard.’

Nero hesitated briefly before approaching the elderly man.

"Excuse me, sir. I think I can help you with your Mana blockage."

"HUH?!"

The old man was so startled by Nero’s sudden interruption that he lost his balance and fell backward onto the grass.

Before Nero could even apologize, the bodyguard moved.

A terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon him, making his entire body stiffen.

’W-What the hell?!’

Nero struggled to breathe as the enormous man glared at him.

He had only offered to help an old man, so why was someone suddenly trying to kill him?!

"Marcus, stand down!"

The old man hurriedly raised his hand.

"He’s just a boy!"

The pressure immediately disappeared.

Nero staggered backward, gasping for air as his heart pounded against his chest.

He legit thought he was going to die then and there just now.

Meanwhile, the old man got back on his feet and dusted off his clothes.

He examined Nero for a moment before speaking.

"Young man, do you think this is some kind of web novel? Do you think you are a hidden cultivator who reincarnated with heaven-defying knowledge?"

"..."

Nero blinked.

"You read web novels too?"

The old man’s eyebrow twitched.

Only after saying that did Nero realize how ridiculous the situation was.

A mysterious young man approaching an elderly expert, claiming he could cure an illness that nobody else could.

Wasn’t that exactly how those web novels usually started?

’Wait, am I actually doing one of those old-man encounters right now?’

"Enough joking around."

The old man’s expression became serious.

"How did you know about my Mana blockage?"

That was what he was more curious about.

Hearing this, Nero got back on track and after considering his words for a moment, he spoke up once again. "I noticed you were practicing basic Mana circulation exercises and I can tell you are an awakener with a strong body."

He gestured toward the old man’s arms.

"But your Mana wasn’t circulating properly. Normally, the energy should respond after each cycle, but yours doesn’t seem to be moving at all."

"So I figured something must be blocking it."

The old man listened quietly, although his expression remained skeptical.

"And you believe you can help me?"

"Yes."

"Young man, do you know how many people have approached me claiming they could cure my condition? Why should I believe someone I’ve never even met?"

Nero felt a little nervous under the old man’s questioning.

Three days ago, he would have probably apologized and left immediately.

But he couldn’t keep doing that forever, especially when he had already chosen to help.

"Well, you must be someone important if you have a bodyguard that powerful protecting you."

Nero glanced toward Marcus before continuing.

"I’m not asking you to trust me completely. Just let me examine you for a few minutes. If I’m wrong, you can simply ignore everything I say."

The old man considered his words.

He had consulted countless experts about his condition, and none of them had managed to cure him completely.

There was little reason to believe this young man would be any different.

Still, he was curious.

"Very well." He extended his arm. "Let’s see what you can do."

Nero approached and gently placed two fingers against the old man’s wrist.

However, there was one small problem.

He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do next.

’Wait, how am I supposed to examine him?’

He wasn’t a doctor, nor did he possess any healing abilities.

But just as he was beginning to regret his decision, something suddenly happened.

The Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge activated.

Information began appearing in his mind, and Nero suddenly found himself understanding things he hadn’t known a moment ago.

The condition of the old man’s internal channels, and even the signs of contamination became clear to him. No it was more like he understood how to look into them by feeling the pulse.

’Oh? So that’s how it works!’

As expected of an Epic-Grade, it was amazing.

Nero concentrated on the information before examining the old man’s condition more carefully.

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"You’ve been contaminated by a poisonous demonic flower. The toxin has settled inside your primary Mana channel, preventing the energy from circulating properly."

"Did you enter a Gate recently and come into contact with something like that?"

The old man’s expression changed immediately.

"How..."

He looked at Nero in disbelief.

"How could you possibly know that?"

This wasn’t something an ordinary person could discover simply by examining his wrist.

In fact, very few people even knew about the incident.

’Don’t tell me...’

The old man suddenly remembered his earlier joke.

’Could this brat actually be some reincarnated immortal?’

Naturally, he didn’t say that aloud.

"You’re correct," Drake admitted. "Three months ago, I encountered a poisonous demonic flower during a Gate expedition. The healers managed to remove most of the poison, but they couldn’t clear the blockage completely."

Nero released his wrist and began going through the information provided by the Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge.

It had also given him a possible cure when the information rushed into his head.

"There should be a way to cure you."

Drake immediately became attentive.

"What do I need?"

"First, you’ll need petals from a tree containing Mana, preferably ones with a stable energy concentration."

Nero began explaining the ingredients.

"You’ll also need Mana-infused seaweed from the ocean and sap from a tree with active Mana circulation."

He continued, "Combine them in equal portions and mix them with Mana-infused water. Once the mixture is properly prepared, it should neutralize the remaining toxin and clear the blockage."

Drake listened carefully, committing the instructions to memory.

The ingredients sounded surprisingly ordinary for something that could supposedly cure a condition even experienced healers had failed to treat.

However, considering that Nero had correctly identified the cause of his illness, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility. But at the same time, he couldn’t believe he was believing the words of some kid he just met.

Nero, meanwhile, remembered the trouble he had nearly gotten himself into when Lilly questioned his cooking technique.

He needed to be more careful about what he revealed but he needed the old man to believe him for the choice to be completed so he thought of something before finally speaking up.

"Of course, I’m not saying you should immediately drink whatever I just described."

Drake raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"You’re obviously someone important, so you should have access to experienced doctors and researchers, right?"

"Have them examine the ingredients and prepare the mixture properly. They can test whether it’s safe before you actually drink it."

"If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t, at least you won’t have put yourself in danger by following the advice of some random guy you met in a park."

Nero stepped back and smiled awkwardly.

"Anyway, that’s everything I know. What you do with the information is up to you."