This time, after killing the Black Goliath, Genichi came away with quite a few valuable spoils.
Setting aside the magic stones, the most important item was a complete piece of hide.
That hide came from one of the hardest parts of the Black Goliath's body.
It was roughly two meters square, pitch-black from end to end, and looked incredibly tough.
As Genichi stared at that piece of hide, an idea formed in his mind.
He could use it to make an inner cuirass.
The Black Goliath's hide had defensive properties far beyond ordinary materials.
If it could be turned into leather armor, it would definitely be much better than the battered junk he was currently wearing.
But...
There was one problem.
He had no way to explain where this hide came from.
The Black Goliath was a mutated Floor Boss, a special monster born from a god releasing divine power.
Something like that was absolutely taboo.
If anyone found out that Demeter had released divine power inside the Dungeon, the consequences would be unimaginable.
So this hide could not be known as something skinned from the Black Goliath.
But if he wanted someone to make armor out of it, he would have to explain where the material came from.
That was a difficult problem.
After thinking it over again and again, Genichi finally made a decision.
He would go to Tsubaki Collbrande.
First, that one-eyed master smith probably was not the type to run her mouth.
As the strongest smith in Orario, she had seen all kinds of strange and unusual materials, and had forged all sorts of secret weapons for countless adventurers.
Keeping things confidential was probably part of her professional ethics.
Second, he still owed a lot to the blade she had given him earlier.
If that sword had not been sturdy enough, he might not even have been able to break through the Black Goliath's defense.
That favor remained firmly in his heart.
Unfortunately...
That sword was nearing its end as well.
Genichi took the dark gray blade out of his pouch and examined it carefully.
The blade was covered in dense cracks.
Some were shallow, but others had already gone deep into the steel.
Several chips had broken out along the edge, and the entire weapon looked as though it could split into pieces at any moment.
The sword had been sturdy enough, but the Black Goliath had still been a being close to Level 6.
In a battle of that level, the strain it endured had far exceeded the limits of an ordinary weapon.
The fact that it had lasted this long without snapping was already a miracle.
Genichi let out a sigh and carefully put the blade away again.
He needed to find an opportunity to ask Tsubaki Collbrande whether it could be repaired.
If not...
Then he would have no choice but to replace it.
And once the topic turned to replacing weapons, another problem naturally followed.
Money.
During this period, he had been spending Demeter's money the entire time.
His equipment, potions, and all kinds of supplies had all been paid for by Demeter.
Although Demeter herself had no objections, Genichi did not have the nerve to keep freeloading forever.
He needed to start earning money himself.
As it happened, he had previously obtained the Development Ability Harmony.
It allowed him to make potions.
Genichi planned to try making some medicine himself and selling it.
Among his abilities, he had Mystery and Mage.
What kind of chemical reaction would those two create when combined with Harmony?
He was curious.
Earlier, he had already asked Demeter to gather some herbs for him.
Those herbs were not especially rare, which made them perfect for practice.
And so...
Half a day later.
Genichi's room was filled with all kinds of bottles and jars.
He sat at the table, holding a freshly mixed potion in his hand.
The potion was a bizarre dark green color, bubbling away inside the bottle, looking exactly like some kind of deadly poison.
Genichi looked at the potion in his hand, then looked at Alise, who was standing nearby.
"Come here."
A bad feeling immediately rose in Alise's heart.
"W-what?"
"Test it."
Alise's expression instantly fell.
She looked at that bubbling potion and swallowed with difficulty.
"Can that really be drunk?"
Her eyes were full of doubt.
That color, those bubbles, that bizarre magical fluctuation - no matter how she looked at it, it did not resemble anything fit for human consumption.
Genichi looked at her with a blank face.
"You're already dead anyway."
He paused.
"In the worst case, you die one more time, and I'll just summon you again."
Alise's expression instantly turned into one of aggrieved fury.
"You really are... a beast!"
Her voice trembled slightly, the obvious result of being so angry she could barely speak.
Genichi remained unmoved.
"If you won't drink it, then it'll be Ryu Lion's turn."
He paused.
"I'm sure Ryu Lion would be very willing."
Alise froze.
Ryu Lion?
If Ryu Lion got to test the potion instead...
She drew in a deep breath, snatched the bottle out of Genichi's hand, and snarled,
"You bastard!"
Then she clenched her teeth.
"I'll drink it!"
With that, she shut her eyes and tilted her head back, chugging the potion down in one go.
She looked like a martyr bravely marching to her death.
However...
The instant the potion entered her mouth, Alise froze.
The bitterness, spiciness, and nausea she had expected never came.
Instead, a cool sensation slid down her throat and into her stomach, then spread through her whole body.
And the taste... was actually pretty good?
Alise opened her eyes, looked down at the empty bottle, and stared in complete disbelief.
"This..."
Genichi paid no attention to her shock and asked directly,
"How's the effect?"
Alise snapped back to herself and carefully felt the changes in her body.
"It feels like my mind has gotten a little clearer?"
She frowned, then added,
"A lot clearer than usual."
Genichi nodded.
"Try using magic and see whether your Mind recovers faster."
Alise obediently did as she was told.
She raised a hand and cast a small spell.
Then she closed her eyes and felt the rate at which her Mind was recovering.
A moment later, she opened her eyes again, and they were full of surprise.
"It works!"
Her voice carried naked disbelief.
"My Mind really is recovering faster, and the power of my magic has increased too!"
Hearing that result, the corner of Genichi's mouth lifted slightly.
It worked.
Using the potion formulas from the Harry Potter world that he had happened to memorize, combining them with the herbs of this world, and then adding the bonuses from the three Development Abilities Mystery, Mage, and Harmony...
He had really managed to create a useful potion.
And not just any potion, either.
It increased Mind recovery speed and also boosted spell power.
What did that mean?
It meant he could mass-produce this potion.
It meant he could make money by selling it.
It meant... he would not have to keep living off Demeter's savings anymore.
But even though he had succeeded in making the potion, there was still the matter of selling it. No matter how good the item was, if it did not sell, it would be worthless.
So he needed to find a buyer for it.
(End of Chapter)
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