Chapter 3

**The Gods' Subscribers Chapter 3**

**Chapter 3: Accumulating Achievements**

The essence of Hu Liu's acupuncture was precision. Even the slightest deviation could not only render it ineffective but also harm one’s health further.

‘Control is key.’

Ethan focused his mind and began to perform Hu Liu's acupuncture. As the skill activated, a single needle materialized in his hand, formed from mana.

A needle made of mana.

‘I’ll place needles all over my body.’

Ethan kept rewinding Hu Jun’s video to confirm the locations of the acupoints. He continuously memorized where to place the needles for the best effect.

His memory wasn’t bad, so he quickly remembered the locations.

‘Both thighs, shoulders, chest, forehead.’

There were also many other acupoints. These were the pathways through which mana flowed.

‘The mana channels are too narrow to see much effect.’

However, that didn’t mean he should give up.

Ethan repeated the acupuncture practice over and over again throughout the day.

- You have understood Hu Liu's Acupuncture. Proficiency increased by 0.3%.

“Oh, my proficiency is rising better than I thought.”

0.3%.

It wasn’t a small number. At this rate, he could quickly make Hu Liu's acupuncture his own.

“And...”

Originally, Ethan planned to eat a medicinal candy made by combining herbs that night. It was a different method from making potions, but he had another idea.

‘There was definitely a video on making decoctions in Hu Jun’s content.’

Earlier, he had only learned Hu Liu's acupuncture in a hurry, but he could certainly learn how to make decoctions as well.

It was time to combine the hidden herbs.

That night,

Ethan headed to the magic laboratory.

This magic laboratory was originally designed for Nathan Wickers, but since Nathan was at the academy, it was empty.

While it didn’t have an abundance of materials or tools, it had enough for combining herbs.

‘The Wickers family isn’t that great a house.’

If one were to mention prominent families in the area, they would include the Yurahen family, who were barons with immense wealth, and the Dren family, who were viscounts with a head of the family being one of the Twelve Stars.

‘Above the Twelve Stars, there are the Three Gods.’

Above the Twelve Stars were three absolute powerhouses: the Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire, the Dark Emperor of the Dark Empire, and the Master of the Sword Tower, who resided between the two empires.

‘Anyway, with a Twelve Star powerhouse in the area, the unremarkable Wickers family can’t wield much influence.’

Thus, if Nathan Wickers hadn’t been there, this magic laboratory wouldn’t have been built in the first place.

Upon arriving at the magic laboratory, Ethan laid out the herbs he had brought, categorized by type.

He then opened [New World].

- Would you like to watch Hu Jun’s video on making decoctions?

The acupuncture and decoction videos were freely accessible. Ethan immediately played the video.

Just like when he watched the acupuncture video, a vivid image appeared before his eyes.

- The most important thing in making a decoction is controlling the fire. If you don’t control the fire properly, you’ll end up with just a bitter concoction, not a decoction.

Hu Jun said with a serious expression.

- Poisons can become medicines, and medicines can become poisons. So, don’t set a clear boundary between them.

Ethan focused on the video, trying to remember as much of Hu Jun’s words as possible.

After a while, the video ended.

- You have learned Hu Liu's Decoction Technique (A)!

“Done.”

Ethan immediately gathered the herbs he had laid out.

‘I’ll make half into medicinal candies and eat them. The rest, I’ll make into a decoction and drink.’

No matter how skilled one was in acupuncture, it couldn’t eliminate all the corrupted mana.

‘If I drink this, I can get rid of the accumulated corrupted mana.’

That way, he wouldn’t die from a single cough. While it wouldn’t cure the disease itself, it could alleviate the symptoms to some extent.

Ethan took out a pot of appropriate size, poured in the herbs, and lit the fire.

Whoosh.

Before long, the decoction began to boil.

“Stir continuously. Don’t stop.”

Making a decoction was simple. He just had to stir while the skill was active.

‘Controlling the fire and stirring continuously!’

Since he didn’t have an abundance of materials, he couldn’t afford to waste any.

So, Ethan put his heart and soul into making the decoction.

- You have made a Beginner’s Decoction!

- Rating in progress...

- Beginner’s Decoction [D-Rank]

“Hmm.”

The decoction he made was D-rank. For a first attempt, it wasn’t a bad rank.

‘The smell of the medicine is strong.’

The stronger the medicine, the more pungent the smell. Without hesitation, Ethan took the medicinal candy and the decoction.

Swallow, swallow.

Ethan drank it without hesitation.

“Oh.”

As soon as he drank it, his body responded. A warm energy settled in his lower abdomen and then moved fiercely to his fingertips.

Drip, drip.

In an instant, the energy reached his fingertips and expelled a black substance from them.

“Amazing.”

Ethan was amazed by Hu Jun’s decoction technique.

He hadn’t expected such a dramatic effect.

Originally, if he had made a potion with his own skills, it would have only provided some improvement.

‘A-grade alchemists can make potions with such immediate effects.’

The surprise was short-lived as something caught Ethan’s eye.

- You have completed a challenge!

- Achievement unlocked! You have gained likes based on the difficulty of the completed challenge!

- You have gained 1 like!

“Huh?”

Ethan was taken aback by the notification message he received.

He hadn’t expected there to be challenges. This was an element from the original game board, but this place wasn’t exactly the same as the game.

Moreover, what was surprising was that he had gained a like.

“Gained a like?”

Ethan’s eyes widened.

Completing a challenge had increased his likes.

“Does that mean I can gain likes every time I complete an achievement like clearing a challenge?”

Ethan couldn’t help but smile.

‘So, that’s how it works?’

If so, the situation had changed.

Currently, Ethan’s mind was filled with numerous achievement elements.

This achievement system, also known as the challenge system, was designed to make players enjoy various game contents and become more immersed in the game.

Therefore, many players aimed to complete all achievements, and Ethan had once achieved a full achievement clear.

“Achievement window.”

At the time, he hadn’t thought about calling up other windows since he didn’t have an inventory. They weren’t immediately necessary.

- Achievement! Challenge! -

Current achievements completed: 1 / 999

“Something’s different.”

Ethan stroked his chin as he examined the achievement window.

The number was different from what he knew.

‘It was definitely 382.’

The number of achievements had increased to 999.

Moreover, given the nature of this number, it was possible that it could increase further.

Additionally, the achievement he had just completed was not among the 382 he knew.

As an achievement completionist, he was certain of this.

‘The basic challenges were mostly related to basics, dungeons, and the main storyline.’

There were many interesting achievements, such as location-based challenges, profession-based challenges, and those that were extremely difficult to complete.

‘There were also challenges that required becoming a Grand Mage or a Swordmaster to achieve.’

It seemed the number of likes gained varied based on the difficulty.

“Then...”

If he started with the achievements he could complete immediately, he could increase the number of likes.

‘I’ll be able to use [New World] more effectively.’

* * *

“Huff. Huff.”

In the training room of the baron’s estate.

This training room was originally where Ethan used to train when he was healthy.

After Ethan became ill, no one used it, so it became a place the baron’s servants rarely visited.

‘Even basic physical training is so tiring.’

He couldn’t train properly with ordinary methods. Without basic physical strength, he needed at least two, or even three months, to build a foundation.

“Huff. Huff.”

Ethan dedicated himself to basic physical training for a week. He did this because there was an achievement for improving basic physical strength.

- Achievement unlocked!

-[Strength is Power. Exceeded Newborn Level!] You have gained likes for completing this achievement.

- You have gained 1 like!

This increased his total likes to two.

“Great!”

‘It’s not entirely changed, but new elements have been added to the information I know.’

Although he had only one so far, the fact that existing achievements remained was proof. Now, he could verify them one by one.

“Let’s clear the easy ones in order.”

* * *

- Achievement unlocked!

- Achievement unlocked!

Ethan continued to complete basic achievements.

Originally, these achievements were designed as quests to help players level up or obtain items in the early stages of the game.

Therefore, there were many low-difficulty achievements that could be easily completed.

“I’ve completed all the early-stage achievements.”

By repeatedly training his basic physical strength and practicing Hu Liu's acupuncture, he had gained a total of five likes, and his body was in much better condition.

“Still not enough...”

His condition was still poor, and he couldn’t fully utilize the power of the Wickers sword technique.

So, Ethan decided to use the likes he had accumulated to subscribe to a new god.

He needed more help than just watching more of Hu Jun’s videos.

‘Let’s look.’

He had already received help for survival once. Therefore, there must be a suitable god who could help him build his basic physical strength.

If he subscribed to that god, he would surely find a way to improve his physical strength quickly.

Ethan opened the platform [New World] to subscribe to new gods.

- Currently subscribed gods: 1

- Checking your current situation. Algorithmically recommending suitable gods...

- You are currently subscribed to Hu Jun. Analyzing your interests based on Hu Jun...

“Of course, since the gods created this themselves, the algorithm is well-developed.”

The list of gods was reorganized, and at the top, a video with a thumbnail of a roughly made lion skin appeared.

The uploader was the Greek hero god.

- Hercules’ Basic Physical Strength Training [Difficulty: Medium]

“I need to subscribe immediately.”

Hercules was a powerful god known for his physical beauty. His video lectures would surely help him build his basic physical strength efficiently.

“Wait. What’s this?”

Just as Ethan was about to subscribe, he noticed something new.