Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading Chapter 60

Chapter 60. What's Good for the Body Tastes Bitter(2) Unlike the secret technique, confirming the effect of the secret method required some time. First, Roden decided to make the elixir as described in the . The introduced several types of elixirs, and among them, the easiest one to make here was the Meat Elixir. ‘The most common food ingredients in war are barley, rye, oats, and wheat, but it seems you can't make an elixir with these.’ The elixir had to be made with foods that helped increase aura, as introduced in the . And barley, rye, oats, and wheat were classified as foods that were better to avoid if possible, as they did not help increase aura. The explained that it was not good to not eat them at all, but the amount should be controlled to a moderate level. In any case, for these reasons, it was impossible to make an elixir with barley, rye, oats, and wheat. So he had to find other suitable ingredients to make the elixir, and what he found was the Meat Elixir. This elixir, made from various meats, was said to be made from the parts of beef, pork, lamb, and rabbit meat with almost no white parts, or the dry parts of chicken. And fortunately, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and rabbit meat were commonly found on the battlefield. It was only natural, as one of these five meats was almost always on the table of a commoner every day. Of course, with the outbreak of war, it became harder to see meat as often as before, but it was still possible to cook and eat with supplied meat about once every two or three days. ‘By the way, why these parts? Do the nutrients obtained here help with muscle recovery?’ After thinking for a moment, Roden named the nutrients that could be obtained from these parts ‘Dam-baek-jil.’ There was no other meaning, he just referred to it this way because the nutrients were obtained from the lean, non-fatty parts. And so, Roden gathered only the red parts of the beef jerky distributed to the platoon today, which had almost no white. The reason he used beef jerky instead of raw meat was none other than this. There was a phrase in the process of making the elixir that said only the red flesh should be collected and dried. In other words, it was more convenient to use military jerky, which was already so dry that it was difficult to just chew. So Roden gathered the jerky and ground it in a mortar. And this was the key to making the elixir. It was said that one must sing a work song while grinding the jerky. What's more, the jerky wasn't just ground. It had to be ground with aura raised. Roden guessed the reason why the said to grind the jerky in this way. ‘It must be to allow the first-stage refined mana to be absorbed into the elixir.’ That was right. The work song written in the was not simply sung to boost the motivation for labor. It was a type of Aurasong that made the natural mana gather in the mortar. And by grinding the jerky with raised aura, the gathered mana was refined in the first stage and made to be absorbed into the elixir. ‘Interesting. To increase the amount of first-stage refined mana by applying pressure with aura and to imbue it into food.’ As explained before, natural mana became first-stage refined just by gathering in one place with high density. But the Variola Swordsmanship was increasing the efficiency of refinement by applying artificial pressure with aura. So, this was bound to be more effective in increasing aura than simply absorbing mana through breathing. ‘What's more, you even eat the elixir made like this. It would be strange if the aura absorption rate didn't increase despite this.’ And so, Roden ground the jerky while singing the work song as described in the . The jerky was so hard that it didn't grind well, but this work was much more comfortable when he raised his aura. A moment later. ‘Wow. It’s finely ground. Is it time for the oil now?’ Roden, who had finally succeeded in grinding all the jerky into powder, added vegetable oil and kneaded it together. Then, a fist-sized elixir full of first-stage refined mana was completed at a glance. What's more, the method of making it was not difficult. The proof was that he had succeeded in making the elixir by taking a short break during lunchtime after finishing the morning training. If he had to find a drawback, it would be that he had to show everyone how he made the elixir. The soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Platoon, who were watching Roden make the elixir, whispered among themselves. "What's that again?" "I don't know. Our platoon leader is the type to make a lot of brilliant things, so I can't guess." "Isn't he doing some kind of experiment? The new training method and the shields were also completed in that way." "Anyway, one thing is certain. That action, which seems to have no meaning in our eyes, is definitely an action with some value." Certainly, the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Platoon now trusted Roden very much. You could tell just by listening to the conversation they were having now. Also, at the same time, no one asked Roden what it was or what he was doing. Everyone had an expression that said he would tell them when the time was right. And so, Roden, amidst the consideration and interest, finally ate the first elixir he had completed. Honestly, it didn't taste very good. He felt like joining the soldiers and eating stew and bread right away. But the feeling of fullness was overwhelming. After eating one, his stomach felt full. *** The next day. Roden, who had checked his aura absorption rate, clenched his fist. The aura absorption rate had increased significantly from 20% to 24%. For reference, the reason his original aura absorption rate was 20% instead of 26% was because he had started the defensive magic enchantment, which he had rested from for a day, again yesterday. 4%. The efficiency was excellent just by making and eating one elixir instead of a single meal. And so, Roden, who had confirmed that the secret method was effective, conducted experiments for several days. It was an experiment to see how many elixirs were most effective in increasing the aura absorption rate. As a result, eating elixirs instead of meals just twice, for lunch and dinner, was the most effective. Beyond that, eating elixirs did not significantly increase the aura absorption rate. Eating 3 increased the aura absorption rate by 1%, 4 by 0.5%, and 5 by 0.1%. More than anything, if he ate too many elixirs, it became too difficult to go through the day's routine as planned due to the feeling of fullness. He would suddenly feel sleepy or his body would feel heavy, making his movements sluggish. Especially on the day he ate five elixirs for the sake of the experiment, he almost died. Because his stomach felt like it was going to burst all day long. In the end, eating two elixirs a day was the best. In fact, even that was difficult. Because the elixir didn't taste good. Afterward, Roden tried making and eating elixirs with other ingredients from the instead of beef jerky. In conclusion, there was not much difference in the ingredients. There was a slight difference, but it was a small change below the decimal point. ‘At this rate, I think I've tried all the pure manufacturing methods suggested in the .’ Now it was time to research a more effective elixir manufacturing method based on the data he had gathered so far. ‘Increasing the aura absorption rate of the elixir is a given... but first, I have to improve the taste. If I keep eating this, I'm going to go crazy.’ Roden was not originally the type to be obsessed with eating. He often skipped meals when he was focused on research. But if someone asked if he didn't know the taste of food, he could confidently answer that he did. This was because he had many opportunities to taste various delicacies of the world while being called the greatest magic theorist in history. It was only natural, as everyone was eager to treat Roden. In conclusion, Roden was not a picky eater, but he had some knowledge of gourmet food. Therefore, eating the elixir was very painful. What's more, since the elixir was replacing his meals, he couldn't help but be even more concerned. ‘Alright. Which one should I start with?’ Roden began to focus on improving the taste of the elixir as if he had become a chef. *** Meanwhile. Rodones Castle, where the command of the 3rd Corps was located. Here, Michael was having a close conversation with Alexis. The one who spoke first was Alexis. "Thanks to your strategy, it seemed like we were about to take the Aequor Plains, but it's taking longer than expected." "It must mean that the resistance of the Imperial Army is that strong." "The situation is not good. The number of those who are forgetting the shameless evil deeds of the Imperial Army and trying to raise their own voices within the Allied Forces is increasing one by one." "If the stalemate continues like this, the Allied Forces will probably be divided before we can obtain the sweet fruit of victory." "Ha. I have to avoid that somehow." "There's only one way. To win a victory against the Imperial Army as quickly as possible, even if it's a small one." "To do that, we have to occupy the Aequor Plains first, but there's no way." Alexis held his forehead as if his head hurt. Michael, who was watching him quietly, opened his mouth. "I've heard some interesting news." "Interesting news?" "Yes. The news that the Transport Battalion has once again blocked an ambush by the Imperial Army cavalry." "Ah. I've heard that news too. It's a silver lining. In the current situation, if the supply lines are broken like before, we'll be out of options." "Yes. The Transport Battalion is doing a very good job. But do you know this? That the Transport Battalion has been on a winning streak for some time now?" At Michael's words, Alexis's eyes widened. Come to think of it, the Transport Battalion had not been defeated for some time now. At the same time as he realized this fact, a picture was drawn in Alexis's mind. After organizing his thoughts, Alexis opened his mouth to Michael. "You. Don't tell me?" "Yes. That's right. How about we actively involve the Transport Battalion in the next operation?" As Michael said this, a villainous smile flashed across his lips for a moment.