After speaking his mind, ChibiScker returned to fishing, casting his line back into the water with a practiced flick of his wrist. Meanwhile, Fenix focused on crafting his potions. He decided to use only 40 of his 50 dewy-eyed fruits, knowing he had to save the rest. The dewy-eyed trees didn’t grow in this region, so he'd need to pnt his own to maintain a steady supply, just as he pnned to do with the glowing flowers.

  Fenix thought about finding a small plot of farmnd to grow the herbs and food he needed for cooking and potion-making. However, as he began to think about it more, he realized he’d need to purchase a house with a few acres of nd.

  In Haven Online, buying a house in the future would be expensive, costing over 200,000 gold coins for even the cheapest ones. But right now, with the update still pending, prices are much lower, ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 gold coins. However, Fenix knew of one house he could get for a really low price.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, Fenix concentrated on making the Dreaming Dust potion. As expected, it was challenging, even with his potion-making experience. After failing his first two attempts, he activated the guide and followed it step by step.The guide offered a clear advantage over the game’s built-in help. When the game took control, it was like having an invisible hand guiding the pyer’s every move, from mixing ingredients to pouring the potion. This method was great for beginners because it allowed them to complete difficult tasks without failing.

  However, it had a big downside: it stopped pyers from really learning the skill themselves. The more they relied on the game’s help, the less skilled they became when trying to craft on their own.

  Fenix knew he couldn’t rely on this kind of help. Instead, he chose to use the guide, which was a more advanced tool. The guide projected a holographic image of an instructor in front of him, showing each step of the potion-making process in detail.

  Unlike the game’s help, the guide didn’t do the work for him. Instead, it demonstrated the correct techniques—how to grind the ingredients, when to add them, and the exact temperature to heat the mixture. He had to copy the instructor’s actions, building his own muscle memory and improving his skills through practice.

  This method was harder since it depended on a pyer's learning skills. Yet if a pyer wanted to create high-level potions, this was the best method. Fenix knew that from the past experience he had when he worked for that shady company.

  After following the guide three times, Fenix finally got the hang of it and started crafting the potion in earnest. He realized he had become a bit overconfident about his abilities. Just because he was used to making potions doesn't mean he should get too cocky.

  After all, when he pyed the game in his previous life, he was stuck in an endless cycle of collecting herbs and turning them into potions. However, those potions are nothing like the ones he is making now. The night passed like this, with Fenix focused on his potions and ChibiScker fishing by the water’s edge.

  By sunrise, Fenix had successfully made 22 out of 40 Dreaming Dust potions. His potion-making level had also increased, reaching level 10 out of 50. It wasn’t much to boast about, as the first ten levels were always the easiest. Seeing that he now needed half a million experience points to level up, and considering most potions besides Dreaming Dust only gave him 5 experience points each, he knew it would be a long grind to level up his potion-making skill further.

  ~

  After tidying up their campsite, ChibiScker and Fenix made their way to the entrance of the forest. The trees loomed overhead, and a thick smog seeped out of between them, making the forest seem even more ominous.

  Strange, eerie noises echoed from within, sending a shiver down their spines. Fenix stepped closer and cautiously peeked inside, only to be met with pitch-bck darkness. Even though the sun was shining brightly, not a single ray of light penetrated the thick canopy.

  Fenix pulled his head back and turned to ChibiScker. “It’s completely dark in there.”

  ChibiScker’s eyes widened with worry. “What are we going to do? If we can’t see where we’re going, how are we supposed to make it out safely?”

  Fenix could tell that ChibiScker was a bit scared of the dark. He considered teasing him but decided against it—everyone had their own fears, including him.

  “Don’t worry,” Fenix reassured him as he pulled two glow flowers from his inventory. “I brought these.”

  ChibiScker let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “That’s a relief. Now we’ll be able to see.”

  Fenix began fashioning the Glow flowers into a makeshift bracelet for ChibiScker. Since ChibiScker was a dual bder, he needed both hands free in case they ran into trouble, but Fenix would try his hardest to make sure they wouldn’t.

  “Looks like you’ll have to be the brawn again, ChibiScker,” Fenix teased.

  “Why do you say that?” ChibiScker asked.

  “Because I’m going to navigate. I leveled up my map skill,” Fenix replied with a grin.

  ChibiScker huffed. “Why did you do that? It’s a waste of skill points at this stage. I know it’s helpful, but if we hadn’t gone to that potion dungeon, we wouldn’t need it.”

  “You wouldn’t need it, but I would,” Fenix said. “Once the map is at level three, it’ll show exactly where to find herbs, fruits, and vegetables in the forest.”

  “Oh, right! I forgot about that feature. But still, spending 15 skill points to get it to level three seems like a waste, especially when we already get so few,” ChibiScker said.

  “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Fenix reassured him. “Anyway, let’s get this over with. The faster we go in, the sooner we can get out.”

  “Alright, let’s go,” ChibiScker said, taking a deep breath and stepping into the forest, with Fenix following close behind.