It was an offer impossible to refuse. Inala was indeed conflicted. The offered 800 Parute would grant him an increase in eight Prana. It didn't necessitate any training. The moment he consumes them and activates his cultivation technique, he'll gain eight Prana in a matter of minutes.
Eight Prana wasn't anything worth commenting about at present as his goal was to first get used to the process of accumulating and losing Prana. It was why his Prana was only at 14 units. Every time he built the 15th unit, he would destroy it to get accustomed to the process of a Spirit Container shattering.
Inala stared at Virala, gritting his teeth upon seeing the latter smile. His plan couldn't be any more obvious.
He intended to sabotage Inala. At present, thanks to obtaining two Skills from Resha, Inala was ahead of the rest of the reincarnates. Therefore, something had to be done to pull him down from the lead.
When Sumatra Chronicles started, it began with a one-year countdown. A year into the storyline, the First Major Disaster would occur. And in it, the 44th Empyrean Tusk would lose its life.
Disasters and opportunities came in droves at that time. And those that failed to seize any opportunities would be dead. Inala's opportunity too lay there. If he were to miss it, everything he planned for the future would be for naught.
Less than thirty people from the 44th Empyrean Tusk survived the First Major Disaster. Only by becoming an elite was survival a non-zero chance. His life and death would be up to fate if he remained in the Spirit Stage even then.
It was in Inala's best interest to build up his Prana right as the disaster starts. Until then, he only intended to raise his experience with the Spirit Containers to the absolute maximum. And the only way to build up Prana realistically and safely in a short time frame was by consuming Parute fruits.
100 Parute fruits granted one unit increase in Prana. Ideally, saving up more than 9000 was necessary. It was in efforts towards that was he making Inala's Comedy Troupe.
Virala's offer accounted for almost a tenth of his objective. Passing it up was foolish, even if it was a trap. The trap was too alluring to resist. Virala too was aware of that, hence why he confidently stood at the entrance.
'Even if my play's a success tomorrow, I might not earn this much.' Inala sighed, 'I'll take my chances when an opportunity presents itself. Only then will I survive in this world.'
"Fine, I accept." Saying so, Inala received both the basket of Parute fruits and the tub of Mud Viper toxin. There was also a small container meant for the tonic to be stored.
"Before daybreak, you hear me?" Virala slung his arm around Ruvva's shoulder and whistled away, "If you don't, you won't be paid the remainder."
Closing the door shut, Inala collapsed to the floor, slowly. He had made it a habit to avoid any forms of exertion, for that might fracture his bones. "Man, I might be dead tired by the end of this."
He might even miss the event…after pondering for a minute, Inala propped himself and took out his rugged sphere, and dipped it in the toxin tub.
He had been using it to refine the Mud Viper Toxin for the past month. And thanks to the effects of the Mystic Bone Art, the rugged sphere was gradually changing. His refining efficiency with it was improving constantly.
Inala took action and smirked a few minutes later. He would finish well before the deadline. The reason was simple. Virala miscalculated.
When Resha first created the Toxin Refinement Skill, its effects were very lacking. The results were minimal while the process took a lot of time. And by the time he gained proficiency on it, he was a powerhouse.
So, the refining time stated in the novel wasn't reliable. The only other instance was when Resha used it during the fight. It was very fast.
But, when Inala used it, he only managed to refine two millilitres. The time taken was too long for such an amount.
Virala calculated based on it, determining an amount of toxin that slightly exceeded his skill gap so that he would fail the deadline and be underpaid for his efforts. Moreover, he would be too exhausted to attend the event that would happen immediately after.
He might have also probed Inala's refining time from Grehha. Thereby, he concluded that twenty litres might be the perfect amount. Not too much that Inala would refuse straight away and not too little that he could finish it easily within the given time and have energy to spare.
'If only Grehha knew I was holding back a little all along while refining for him.' He was always careful when interacting with the reincarnates. And that indeed saved him.
At regular intervals, Inala refined the toxin. Before he took a break, he downed some Mud Viper Tonic using the Elixir Condensation Skill. And while resting, he focused on perfecting his play. This allowed him to expend less Prana than usual while using the Toxin Refinement Skill.
After all, with the Elixir Condensation Skill, the effects of the Mud Viper Tonic had been enhanced to its limit, greatly suppressing his Fragment Disease. This meant he could exert himself better, less Prana was used to protect his body, and he wouldn't become as tired as usual.
As a result, two hours before daybreak, he was done with the task, grinning smugly, "Thank you for the treat, Virala."
It was enough if he waited for Virala to return. But, why would he behave passively when a perfect chance came knocking at his doorstep? It officially gave him a reason to meet with the most important character during the initial phase of the story.
Inala left the dorm and walked towards a luxurious house beyond the academy. Arriving before the door, he knocked on it, prostrating on the ground in respect once the door opened, "I greet Granny Oyo."
"Are you done already?" Said the lady within. She was called a granny but looked no different from a woman in her twenties. She was originally an old lady, tethering on the verge of death, unable to cultivate due to the Fragment Disease that plagued her.
But once her research on the disease reached a turning point, she was able to suppress the disease to a great extent and cultivated like a maniac. She reached the Body Stage and gained the power of the Intermediate Silver Grade Pranic Beast, Pitcher Salamander.
A Pitcher Salamander lived for 380 years. Once she gained that much lifespan, Granny Oyo turned young. She was currently 127 years old and had already entered the Life Stage, becoming a master that ruled over the Clan's elites. She was the 44th Empyrean Tusk Settlement's strategic asset, thanks to being the sole person in the settlement that could refine an Elixir.
Granny Oyo had an idea of Virala's plans. She didn't know the reason but attributed it to some bad blood between the two. So, when Inala arrived two hours before the deadline, she was pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, Granny Oyo," Inala responded promptly. His heart thumped as he dared not look at her. The reason wasn't just the necessity to display respect to a master, but another, bigger reason.
His teenage hormones were going wild.
Right before the First Major Disaster began, Sumatra Chronicles released the official art of the important characters until that point. Among them was Granny Oyo's appearance, receiving a lot of fanfare from the readers.
Many people even simped for her, including Inala. He even made lewd fanart of her, sold it to perverted readers, and made a lot of money. He too used them for…research purposes.
He was one of the perverts too.
And now, finally meeting such a person in the flesh, especially with the gentle backdrop created by the celestial worlds in the sky, the perverted simp suppressed and sealed deep within him was wrestling to break free.
"Then, where is it?" Granny Oyo smiled, mildly irritated as she failed to see the tub nearby. The knock on the door woke her up. It wasn't even morning yet. So, her temper was short.
"That…I can't carry it due to my disease." Inala controlled himself desperately, mentally pummelling the simp in him.
"Bring it!" Granny Oyo extended her index finger and flicked his forehead.
A burst of wind enveloped Inala as he was sent flying hundreds of metres until he landed at the entrance to his room, coming to a stop after he crashed into the door. Surprisingly, none of his bones had broken from the impact, but that wasn't what he noticed first.
"Something is rising…" He muttered with a reddened face, "And it's not my Prana."
"Damn, she awoke something in me."