You’re back in the slums. Everything feels a bit grimy, the air is thick with sector 5 smog, and suddenly some guy in a lab coat needs you to play delivery boy. That’s basically the start of FF7 Remake Quest 21, officially titled "Secret Medicine." It sounds simple. It’s not. Honestly, this is one of those side quests that catches players off guard because it forces you to backtrack through some of the most annoying areas in the game just to find three specific items.
Most people hit this quest in Chapter 14. This is the "point of no return" chapter where the game finally lets you breathe and explore Midgar before the final climb. You’ve got a massive list of chores to do, but this one? It’s arguably the most important because the reward is a piece of Materia that can actually save your run during the harder boss fights.
What You’re Actually Looking For
The Doctor near the community center is worried. He needs three things: Medicinal Flowers, a Moogle’s Mortar, and Behemoth Horn. He doesn’t tell you where they are. He just sort of waves his hand and expects Cloud, a guy who usually solves problems with a six-foot slab of steel, to know the intricacies of slum pharmacology.
The Medicinal Flowers are the easiest part. You probably already know where they are. Aerith’s church. It’s a long walk back, but the flowers are just sitting there on the floor. It’s a quiet moment. A bit of a breather. But don't get too comfortable because the rest of the list requires you to engage with some of the game's more frustrating systems.
The Moogle's Mortar and the Coin Grind
Next up is the Moogle’s Mortar. You can't find this in the wild. You have to buy it. Specifically, you need to visit Moggie’s shop in the Children’s Secret Hideout.
Here is the kicker: he only takes Moogle Medals. If you’ve been diligent about smashing crates throughout the game, you’re fine. If not? You’re going to be grinding Whack-a-Box for a while. It costs one medal. Just one. But if you're at zero, that one medal feels like it's a hundred miles away. Most veterans of Final Fantasy VII Remake recommend keeping a small stash of these medals specifically for Chapter 14 because so many quest items are locked behind Moggie's inventory.
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It’s an odd design choice. Why a mortar and pestle? Why is a kid in a moogle suit the only pharmacist in town? It’s classic Final Fantasy weirdness.
The Real Challenge: The Behemoth Horn
This is where FF7 Remake Quest 21 stops being a fetch quest and starts being a combat test. You have to go into the Subterranean Menace quest. You’re heading into the underground lab beneath Sector 7.
The Type-0 Behemoth is no joke.
Seriously. If you go in there thinking it’s just another mob, you’re going to see the "Game Over" screen faster than you can say "Omnislash." This beast is a mechanical and physical hybrid that punishes you for attacking the wrong end. You have to cripple both its upper and lower body to pressure it.
- Pro tip: Don’t use magic while its horns are intact. It counters. It hurts.
- Focus on the lower body first to trip it up.
- Once it’s staggered, dump everything you have into the horns.
Once the beast falls, it drops the Behemoth Horn. You’ve done it. You’ve survived the hardest part of the quest.
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Why This Quest Actually Matters for Your Build
You might be wondering if it's even worth the hassle. The answer is yes. Finishing FF7 Remake Quest 21 gives you the Telluric Scriptures Vol. III for Aerith. This is a massive boost to her SP (Skill Points), which you need to unlock her high-end weapon nodes.
But even better? You get the Pedestal Materia. No, wait—I’m getting ahead of myself. You actually get the MP Up Materia if you've done everything right, and more importantly, completing all Chapter 14 quests is the only way to trigger the "Letter from the Guardian Angel" at the end of the chapter. That letter grants you the Elemental Materia.
Elemental Materia is the single most powerful tool in your kit for Hard Mode. If you skip "Secret Medicine," you're making the rest of the game significantly harder for yourself. You're basically leaving a "cheat code" on the table.
Navigating the Sector 5 Backtracking
The layout of Sector 5 is a bit of a maze if you aren't paying attention to the shortcuts. By the time you’re doing Quest 21, you should have unlocked the fast-travel system via the Chocobo carriages. Use them.
Don't run through the train graveyard or the collapsed expressway if you don't have to. Pay the 300 gil. It’s worth the time you save. Cloud might be an ex-SOLDIER, but even he shouldn't have to jog three miles for a handful of flowers.
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Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
A lot of players think they can find the Medicinal Flowers in the Leaf House garden. Nope. Wrong flowers. You specifically need the ones from the church where Cloud crashed through the roof.
Another big mistake is trying to fight the Type-0 Behemoth without a dedicated healer. Barret with Lifesaver is almost mandatory here because the Behemoth’s "Thrash" attack can wipe out Aerith or Tifa in a single combo.
Also, check your inventory before you leave the Sector 5 slums. There's nothing worse than getting all the way to the church only to realize you forgot to buy the Mortar from Moggie.
The Final Delivery
Once you have all three items, head back to the Doctor. He’ll mix them up, say some dialogue about the resilience of people in the slums, and hand over your rewards. It feels like a small victory, but in the grand scheme of your character progression, it’s a milestone.
You've cleared one of the most tedious requirements for the "Best in the Business" trophy. You've also ensured that Aerith is powered up enough to handle the frantic battles in the Shinra Building.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough
Check your map for the "Chocobo Search" quest if you haven't finished it yet; you'll need those fast-travel points to turn in the rest of the Chapter 14 missions quickly. After that, head to the Wall Market gym to finish the pull-up challenge before you leave the sector, as that’s another easy-to-miss source of character growth items. Finally, make sure you've equipped that new MP Up Materia immediately so it starts gaining AP during the next few story encounters.