While Genesis was "working," Rudra couldn't help but let his mind wander. 'Who does she think she is?' he thought grumpily. 'She said she will follow my orders, but she's acting like she's the CEO and I'm the unpaid intern. I'm the one who had to swallow a metal Pendant, but she's the one with the attitude?'
[I can hear you, you know,] Genesis chimed in, sounding entirely unbothered.
"Focus on the herbs!" Rudra barked.
[Found them. There's a mountain range nearby. These herbs grow there in large quantities.]
Rudra's face lit up. "So that means-"
Genesis chuckled softly. [It seems the people here have no idea how valuable these herbs are. Rudra, this is pure luck for you.]
Rudra smiled.
[Every chemist needs a large number of herbs at the beginning,] Genesis continued. [To experiment. To fail. And to try again with new ingredients. Let's go there.]
Rudra paused. "Which part of the mountains?"
[The eastern mountain range. That's where the herbs are.]
"Oh! Mountains then I'll take Aarav with me," Rudra decided, nodding to himself. "He's strong enough to keep those mountain beasts at bay while I look for the ingredients."
[Oh, what a brilliant idea,] Genesis chimed in, her voice thick with mock admiration. [Truly, a stroke of genius. Because let's be honest here if you went up those mountains alone, I'm not sure you'd come back in one piece. Or any pieces at all, really. I'd be left haunting a very confused mountain goat.]
Rudra gritted his teeth, choosing to ignore the mental image.
[Yes, take your bodyguard,] Genesis continued, [While he does the actual fighting, you can focus on your very important job of staring at the dirt and picking weeds. It's a perfect division of labor for someone with your... unique 'talents.']
Plans for Mountain
Rudra stepped out of his room. He took a deep breath of the cool evening air before calling out.
"Aarav!"
Aarav, who was just finishing his cool-down exercises near the training ground, came toward him, "What happened, Rudra? Are you hurt again? Did you forget what happened yesterday already? Your body hasn't even fully recovered!"
There was genuine, worry in Aarav's voice, the kind that came from years of watching his friend get beaten down.
"No, no," Rudra said, raising his hands quickly to settle him. "I'm perfectly fine. Really."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I need to go to the eastern mountains tomorrow. I need to collect something... something important."
Aarav's expression hardened , his concern turning into a flash of anger. "What?! You just got discharged today! Have you lost your mind? If you even think about stepping toward those mountains, I'm going straight to Aunty Naina. Do you understand? She'll lock you in the basement!"
"Wait, wait," Rudra said, stepping closer. "Just calm down and listen. I'm not saying I'm going alone. I'm not that stupid." He looked straight into Aarav's eyes, his voice steady. "I'm asking if you'll come with me. Please. I need your help, Aarav."
Aarav hesitated, his anger flickering out. He looked toward the dark Shadow of the eastern peaks. "It's dangerous there, Rudra. Even for a Level 8 like me, those lower-tier beasts can be a handful if they swarm."
Rudra stayed silent for a long moment, letting the weight of the request hang between them. Then, he spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "This is the first time I've ever asked you for a favor like this. Can't you do this much for your friend?"
Aarav shook his head, his expression firm. "You use that line every single time, Rudra. But not today. I'm not letting you step foot near those mountains, even with me there to watch your back. It's too soon."
Rudra didn't back down. He stepped forward and grabbed Aarav's hand, his eyes wide with desperate pleading. "Please, Aarav! Just this once! I really, really need to go!" He started shaking Aarav's arm back and forth like a persistent child. "Please, please, please!"
Suddenly, Genesis's voice drifted into his mind, sounding utterly repulsed.
[Oh, look at you. You're behaving exactly like a starving stray dog. The only things left for you to do now are bark and lick his leg. Have you no dignity left, or did you swallow that along with the Pendant?]
Rudra mentally shoved the insult aside, focusing every ounce of his energy on the task at hand: breaking Aarav's resolve. He kept up the frantic shaking and the puppy-dog eyes, refusing to let go.
Aarav let out a long, defeated sigh, his shoulders slumping. "Fine! Fine, stop shaking me! But I have one condition: we return to the Orphanage before sunset. If the sun touches the horizon and we aren't back, I'm dragging you home by your collar. Deal?"
Rudra's face brightened instantly, a massive grin breaking out across his face. "Deal! I promise!"
They quickly packed water, some food, and their bags, preparing to head toward the mountains. While packing this things Rudra thought he had to gather very large amount of herbs so he picked up multiple bags from room, Generally this bags were used for small things like to buy something in market but not generally used on daily basis. After they headed towards the village gate.
But before they could leave the village, they ran into a familiar group.
A cluster of children stood together on the path ahead boys and girls around the same age as Rudra and Aarav. They were children who carried their own silent burdens: some had damaged veins, some had weak mana channels, and others could sense mana but not control it. They were the ones the world quietly labeled as defective.
Suddenly, one boy broke away from the group and came running toward them.
"Hey, Rudra!" The boy stopped in front of him, breathing hard. "Rudra are you okay?" Rudra looked up and smiled faintly. "Yes, Dhruv. I'm completely fine." Dhruv's tense expression finally relaxed. Behind him, nineteen other friends stood together, watching carefully.
Rudra's gaze moved past Dhruv and settled on them. "And what about all of you? Are you all doing well?" For a moment, there was silence. Then-
But Dhruv hesitated. Then he spoke again, quieter this time. "We heard… We heard that six boys beat you badly."
"Yes, Rudra! We're all fine!" They answered together, their voices overlapping.
Hearing this, Rudra cheerfully replied, "Oh, you guys are still thinking about that incident? You don't need to worry about it as it has already happened and see-" Rudra spun around a few times, showing his elbows and legs. "I have no injury, and some that I had is already healed. You don't have to worry, and didn't Aarav come to the rescue? Besides, didn't Aarav told you that I will take care of myself from now on."
Listening to what Rudra had to say, everyone's once-gloomy faces started to brighten up, and they started talking about minor things.
A few minutes later, realizing they were getting late for their trip, Rudra said, "Sorry for interrupting, guys, but Aarav and I have to go outside the village for something. So, in order not to be late, I hope you excuse us." Seeing that both of there hands had packed bags, the group told them to be careful and try to come back fast.
Hearing the reply, both of them started walking toward the mountain.
Gathered Group
As Aarav and Rudra continued their outing outside village, Gathered children also started heading towards the orphanage.
"I'm just glad to see Rudra on his feet again," a younger girl whispered, clutching her threadbare sweater.
"He looks more than better," a boy added "He looks... focused. But did I hear them right? Are they actually going to the mountains? I've never heard of anyone from our orphanage venturing that far out, let alone past the village woods."
A taller girl shook her head, her voice laced with worry. "No one goes there. It's not safe. Do you think they'll be okay?"
"Yeah, of course they will," another boy piped up confidently, puffing out his chest. "Aarav is with him. He's a Level 8, remember? Nothing on the lower slopes can touch a Level 8. We don't have to worry about them."
"But what if they get trapped?" the first girl pressed, her eyes wide. "What if the sun goes down and they don't come back by nightfall?"
The oldest boy in the group looked toward the hospital wing and then back at the gate. "We don't have to worry about that yet. If the bells ring for dinner and they still aren't back, we'll go straight to Aunty Naina. We'll tell her exactly where they went to the eastern mountain range."
"If we tell her that," one of the younger kids muttered with a shiver, "Aarav and Rudra might survive the mountains, but they definitely won't survive Aunty Naina."
Mountain
After they had walked a significant distance, the journey began to feel long and arduous. Breaking the silence, Aarav looked over at his friend. "You never talked about going to the mountains before, Rudra. So why today? Why the sudden interest in the peaks?"
Rudra chose his words carefully, trying to stay vague. "I'm just... searching for something."
"Searching?" Aarav raised an eyebrow. "What could possibly be up there that isn't down here in the village?"
Before Rudra could even open his mouth to respond, Genesis's voice rang through his mind, dripping with toxic sarcasm.
[Oh, he's going to find his dignity, Aarav. He's hoping to find the self-respect he swallowed along with that Pendant.]
Rudra's temper finally hit its breaking point. Without thinking, he roared at the empty air, "SHUT UP!"
Aarav practically jumped out of his skin. He immediately dropped into a fighting stance, head whipping left and right as he scanned the trees for an ambush. When he realized they were completely alone, his panic turned into a flash of pure irritation.
"Rudra, are you mad?!" Aarav shouted back. "Why are you screaming like that? If you didn't want to answer my question, just say so! Don't just start shouting at the wind!"
Rudra's face was beet red. He realized Genesis was doing this intentionally just to mess with him. 'I am going to deal with you later,' he growled inside his mind.
Turning back to a very confused Aarav, Rudra tried to play it cool. "No, no! I wasn't shouting at you. I just... I felt some roughness in my throat. A sudden itch. I'm okay now."
Aarav stared at Rudra, a look of deep suspicion on his face. 'Did those guys hit him harder on the head than I thought?' Aarav mused silently. 'He's acting completely unhinged. I really need to mention this to Aunty Naina.'
Trying to steer the conversation away from his sanity, Rudra added casually, "We're going to find herbs, Aarav. Specific medicinal herbs."
"Herbs? The kind used in medicines and serums?"
"Yes," Rudra said with a smile.
"But how will you recognize them?" Aarav asked.
"Don't worry," Rudra replied. "I will."
Talking mundane things they passed their time and soon walked out of the village.
Aarav pointed ahead. "The mountain is about one kilometer from here."
"Then let's hurry," Rudra said. He suddenly started running.
"Hey! Stop!" Aarav shouted. "Slow down, you'll fall!"
Laughing and joking, they finally reached the foot of the mountain.
As they approached the entrance, they saw an old wooden sign.
It read: [Entering the deeper parts of this mountain is prohibited.]
Below it, written in red paint that looked disturbingly like blood: [Going further inside can be fatal.]
Aarav looked at the sign, then at Rudra, disbelief written all over his face. "Looks like we've come to the right place? And I think you are insane!" he snapped instantly. "Can't you see what's written there? Going deeper means death!"
Rudra replied calmly, without losing his composure. "Aarav, you didn't read it properly. It says going too deep is dangerous. We're not going deep. We'll stay in the outer area, near the lower slopes, and just look for herbs."
He smiled confidently. "Trust me. Come on."
With that, Rudra stepped forward, crossing the invisible line of safety.
Aarav let out a deep, frustrated sigh. "You're going to get yourself killed," he muttered, then added with a dry laugh, "and you'll probably take me with you."
He pointed a warning finger at Rudra. "But remember one thing if I say run, you run. Immediately."
"Alright," Rudra nodded.
At that moment, Genesis's voice echoed inside Rudra's mind.
[He's right. I can sense extremely dangerous energy in the central regions of this mountain. You must not enter those areas yet. If you do, you will not survive.]
[I'm not going there,] Rudra replied silently. [I only need herbs.]
[Very well. But remain cautious.]
Rudra looked around. The forest was dense, a chaotic sea of green.
'There's one problem,' he thought. [There are so many plants here… How am I supposed to tell which herb is which?]
Genesis answered immediately, his tone bordering on impatience. [After unlocking Chemist Skill, you gained a sub-skill. Use it.]
[What skill?] Rudra asked.
[Fool. Say Scan.]
"Okay," Rudra said aloud. "Scan."
Instantly, everything that comes into his eyes started to lit up. Glowing names began to appear above the trees, grass, and plants around him, floating in the air like magic.
Rudra's eyes lit up. "Whoa! Look, Aarav Blueleaf Grass! We found it!"
[Collect one hundred stalks,] Genesis instructed.
"Got it."