After being sent away by Eccaruss, Tony and John found themselves in an overgrown forest that didn't look much different from the normal forests on Earth. But after glancing around, John spotted something unusual.
John saw a small, snow-white flower with four petals dancing gently in the breeze. If that was all, he wouldn't have been surprised. But what caught his attention was that the flower was surrounded by a faint white halo.
John immediately recognized that this was a magical plant, unlike anything he had ever seen on Earth.
Tony stepped out from behind John and let out a surprised yelp.
"Whoa! What kind of flower is that? I can feel some sort of energy coming from it," Tony wondered aloud.
"I don't know," John replied, still studying the flower, "but it definitely looks magical."
"Okay, enough staring at it. Just pick it—we'll figure out what it does later with some tests." Tony began walking east.
As for how he determined the direction in this overgrown forest, it was thanks to a direction rune.
John, who had been examining the flower with a curious gaze, finally moved. He didn't directly uproot the plant since he knew from the novels that brute force could damage it. Instead, he carefully channeled his Origin Energy into the soil, wrapping the entire plant—roots and all—in a gentle aura. With a subtle tug, he lifted it intact. He stored the plant in his storage ring, where the independent space would keep it safe and fresh for a long time.
Standing up, John quickly caught up with Tony, who hadn't gone very far. Together, they continued searching for the same type of plant at John's insistence. After combing a one-kilometer radius around their arrival point, they found four more of the same flowers.
By the time they finished, it was already 7 p.m. Tony started setting up the tent he had built himself, but John smirked and moved a bit away from him.
Tony, mid-setup, glanced at John in confusion. Seconds later, his jaw dropped.
John pulled a small house model from his storage ring and placed it on the ground. Then he muttered,
"Expand."
The house model began to expand rapidly. In the blink of an eye, a two-story house stood tall before Tony.
Tony stared at the house, then at his half-finished tent, feeling a mix of depression and speechlessness. Without a word, he started packing his tent back into its black box.
After finishing, he brushed past John, muttering softly, "Show-off," before stepping into the house.
John just shook his head, smiling, and entered the house as well. As soon as the door closed, a blue light briefly shimmered around the house before vanishing.
This house model wasn't as complex as the first one he had made in Touya's world; it was simpler and easier to use. John had named it "Universal Model 0.2," and he had prepared plenty of them for the students at the academy he planned to open within a year.
Tony headed straight to the second floor after finishing his glass of wine, while John stayed downstairs on the couch. He took out one of the snow-white flowers, now safely stored. To make it easier to remember, he named it "Snow Flower."
For a while, the Snow Flower floated silently in midair, bathed in a soft glow from John's Origin Energy. John gazed at it thoughtfully, wondering how to proceed.
"Should I try to make a potion or something?" he pondered.
But he had no idea how to do that. One thing was certain, though—he needed to extract the essence from this magical plant. But he didn't know the correct way.
After thinking for a while, John decided, Even if it gets destroyed, it doesn't matter. This world is more magical than Touya's. I'll be able to find more of them in no time.
With that, John took the flower in his hand, wrapping it gently in a small flame. The initial flame glowed orange and gave off a mild warmth—no hotter than a candle's flame. John wasn't worried about damaging the flower just yet.
His expression was serious and focused, eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. Slowly, he began feeding his Origin Energy into the flame. The flame's color shifted, deepening to a bright orange, then to a golden hue as the temperature increased.
The air around him wavered slightly from the heat, and small beads of sweat formed on John's forehead. His breathing steadied as he carefully controlled the energy flow. The Snow Flower remained unscathed for the moment, its petals trembling gently as if reacting to the heat.
"Good… it's holding up well," John murmured to himself.
He added more Origin Energy, and the flame turned a brilliant golden—signifying an even higher temperature. The heat shimmered like a mirage, and the wooden floor beneath his feet seemed to radiate warmth. The flower's halo started to pulse faintly, indicating a reaction was finally happening.
John's eyes lit up with excitement. It's working… he thought.
But just as he was about to stabilize the flame, the Snow Flower gave a final tremble—then crumbled into ash in his hand.
John froze, staring at the ashes with disbelief. "What the hell…"
Letting out a long sigh, he put out the flame and leaned back, deep in thought. Despite all the novels he'd read about alchemy and refining, he couldn't figure out what went wrong. He had no idea how to properly extract the essence.
"Do I need to use glass beakers and cauldrons for this?" John muttered, feeling a bit exasperated.
He remembered his earlier experiences making strengthening potions and spiritual potions years ago. Back then, he had used modern lab equipment and regular herbs. But the Snow Flower was clearly different—magical, resilient, and not meant for ordinary lab procedures.
That's why he had tried the method described in cultivator novels, but even that had failed.
He slumped back on the couch, still staring at the small pile of ashes, determined to try again. "This world's full of wonders," he thought with a small smile. "I'll get it right eventually."