Just like Cairo promised, he gave Alex intensive training for two consecutive days.
Although this wasn't enough time to make the young man proficient in wielding the sword, Cairo believed that he would be able to master the basics if Alex kept practicing everyday.
Focusing to build a solid foundation was sometimes more important than training aimlessly.
"I'll be away for ten days," Cairo said. "When I return, we will have a spar. So, if I found out that you're slacking with your training, I will definitely give you a beating. Do I make myself clear?
"Yes, Master," Alex replied bowing respectfully. "I will practice everyday until your return."
Cairo nodded. "If I'm satisfied with your performance, I might just give you a gift in our next meeting."
After saying his goodbye, the Catkin finally boarded the flying ship that would take him to his hometown.
Although he didn't believe that he was proficient enough to accept a disciple, Alex's determination, and hard work impressed him.
So when the young man proposed that he call Cairo his Master, the Catkin decided to accept him as his first disciple.
The funny thing was that Cairo was only two years older than Alex. Even so, the young man believed that calling the Catkin his Master wasn't a bad thing.
In fact, it would give him many benefits.
In ELO, players could interact with NPC's and choose some experts to become their Master.
This would allow them to learn exclusive techniques that couldn't be learned anywhere else in the game.
There was only one disadvantage of being a disciple to someone because the moment they accepted you as their disciple, you couldn't become anyone else's disciple.
That was the rule in ELO.
Of course, there would always be exceptions. The only time when you could get another Master was when your First Master agreed to it.
While he was still active in the game, he knew someone who was able to have three Masters.
That was the top 6 Player of ELO in the Global Rankings.
Alex had fought that player once when he was a Shield Savant, and their match ended in a draw.
"See you soon, Master!" Alex waved at Cairo, who was standing on the deck of the flying ship. "Safe journey!"
"Don't die out until I return." Cairo waved back.
When the flying ship finally departed, Alex headed to the Merchant Shop to buy a few things.
He planned to take quests from the Adventurer's Guild the next day, so he needed to stack up on some items that would give him a higher chance of survival.
Going to the Fairy Lake was not an option at the moment, so he would focus on Herb Gathering to gain funds.
Also, he would check if there was an opportunity if he could play fisherman once again, allowing him to bring more income during his expedition.
"Welcome to the shop!" the Merchant said with a smile. "How may I help you?"
"I'm looking for brittle vials," Alex replied.
"Certainly." The Merchant nodded. "That will be 1 bronze coin a piece."
"I'll get twenty please," Alex replied. "Also, do you have chili powders, and black pepper powders?"
"Oh dear, are you planning to store the chili, and black pepper powders in the brittle vials?" The Merchant inquired. "Do you plan to throw them at people who you hold a grudge with?"
"Not to people, but monsters," Alex answered honestly.
"Good." The Merchant smiled. "For a moment, I thought I was about to become your accomplice in crime. Both chili powder and black pepper powder cost one silver per kilo. How much will you be buying?"
Alex pondered a bit before giving his answer. "Two kilos each."
The Merchant chuckled faintly because it had been a while since he sold brittle vials to someone who planned to fill them up with chili powder, and black pepper.
Veteran adventurers didn't use such tactics because they were confident in their skills to defeat their enemies.
Even newbie adventurers rarely use such a tactic because they didn't have enough funds to use "home-made bombs" for their missions.
Alex didn't mind splurging because for him, his life was more important than money.
Not only did he plan to get Herb Gathering quests in the Adventurer's Guild, he also planned to collect herbs in the forest for his own personal use.
This meant that he would need to cover a wide area in order to find the herbs that he was looking for.
By doing so, the chances of him encountering groups of monsters was high.
"That will be six silver coins."
Alex gave the Merchant a gold coin, and he received four silver coins in return.
His funds had dropped to one gold coin and four silver coins, so he needed to start taking quests to earn some money.
After getting his purchase, he returned to his room in the inn.
Dim Dim jumped onto the window of his room, and looked at the scenery of the town.
Since Alex was planning to mix chili powder and black pepper powder, the Dim Sum God didn't want anywhere near him because it might start sneezing.
Alex tied one of his spare clothes to cover his nose before he started mixing the chili powder, and the black pepper powder together.
Truth be told, even in the game of ELO, no one used this kind of method to attack monsters because there was no need to use such strategies.
Alex also knew that this method would only be effective if the vial shattered on the monster's face.
If they landed on other parts of the monster's body, its effect would decrease drastically.
However, he had the mindset that it was better to be prepared than having no preparation at all.
'Better safe than sorry,' Alex thought as he mixed the two powders together.
Several minutes later, Alex slowly scooped the mixed powder, and poured it on the piece of paper that he used to create a funnel.
This allowed him to easily fill up the vials with his potent mixture, which he would be using as bombs.
After filling all of the vials, Alex stored them safely inside his storage ring.
He then took a bath because despite the fact that he had covered his nose with a folded shirt, it still felt itchy, and his eyes were also watering due to the aftermath of his little experiment.
Still, the young man felt more confident, and was more determined to return to the Floating Forest, where he narrowly escaped an incident that almost cost him his life.