Chapter 154 - Chapter 156

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 156

Chapter Title: Alchemy

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"Dickhead, aren't we recruiting any guild members?"

Shin Seo-yeon's eyes sparkled as she watched the guilds bustling about in the streets. Her darting gaze was already picking out promising talents.

"We're going with a small elite team."

"Why? Don't we need to recruit a ton to climb the guild rankings? There are rewards for that, right?"

"True enough."

But there was no need to expend effort right from the start.

90% of the people wandering these streets were going to die anyway.

Instead of wasting time and brainpower sifting through them, it was better to focus on getting our group of five off to a strong start.

"It's not time to expand yet."

"But we'll miss out on the immediate rewards from guild rankings!"

"We can skip those few."

That wasn't the point.

The most important thing in a guild was harmony within the group.

I didn't want incidents like with Lee Jong-cheol or that noblewoman. When those happened, inevitably kind-hearted types like our Saintess took the hit.

"I'm planning to recruit carefully. Only the real gems. People who mesh well with us."

"You are truly wise."

Han So-hee, who had experienced organizational collapse firsthand, looked at me with eyes full of trust.

"I'm totally on board with Min-jun's opinion!"

"Yeah!"

Even our Saintess, who had been bullied by her usual party members, felt the same.

It seemed those who had been hurt by organizations in the past were showing strong favor toward my decision.

"...Tch, if our team leader says so, what can I do?"

And surprisingly, Shin Seo-yeon backed off easily.

I'd expected her to push a few more times, but lately, the Crimson Flame Witch had been listening well.

Since she was being so obedient, I'd bend her over like a dog and give it to her good when we got home.

When I smacked her ass, Shin Seo-yeon shot me a glare before sidling up next to me.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Alchemy shop."

"Alchemy?"

The group rounded their eyes. After restocking on ten Summoner's Letter Envelopes at a general store, I was heading toward where an alchemy shop should be.

Thanks to my ten visits to Haran, no one asked what it was for.

"There it is."

They even spotted the alchemy sign faster than I did. We entered the street lined with alchemy shop signs.

I'd worried if there would be any at this stage, but fortunately, there were.

"Kinda dead in here, though."

"Yeah."

The street was completely empty.

Not a soul in sight.

You'd think a few would come for potions, but since it was early days and money was tight, even potion buyers were scarce.

"Makes sense. Who'd bother with this stuff?"

"Yeah, better to gear up more."

Even the group took it for granted. As I took in the desolate scene, I snorted.

Truth is, alchemy is where the real money's at.

Just gathering materials and selling them turned a profit.

No joke—factoring in weight and volume, nothing beat it.

And if you processed those materials into finished products? You could make several times the profit of raw sales.

Weapons sales don't even compare.

Unless you're looting epic-level items like ours, farming alchemy materials, crafting, and selling was always more lucrative.

I'd have tried it if I had any talent or skill for it, but sadly, I lacked the manual dexterity.

What could I do?

Guess I'll wait till the alchemy boom hits.

Then everyone would be clamoring to buy, and I could sell at a huge markup over shop prices.

Or hire someone, pay a commission for proxy crafting, and flip the goods.

Anyway, not a single person? That's too much.

Suddenly, I recalled the foreign alchemist I'd met before. I'd asked Lee Jong-cheol about her before we parted.

—Ah, the one with the so-so looks for a woman? I don't know much about her either. She left the party after the second trial and went somewhere else...

Her whereabouts were unknown after that. Probably dead somewhere.

Investment failures happen.

I looked up and scanned around.

Let's see, the fanciest-looking building...

Cheap shops had low prices but poor quality. Even [Fresh Core] couldn't salvage seeds that bad from the start.

Expensive shops, on the other hand, had top everything.

Higher quality meant slightly better success rates and superior effects.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason to seek the best shop.

"Min-jun, what about that one?"

"Yeah, that looks like the best in this street for now."

This was why, whether weapon shops or restaurants, the best ones always triggered [Challenges].

So for us, we always sought out the top spots.

"Challenge is here."

"Oh, really? Found it quicker than expected. Let's go?"

"Nah, business first."

I approached the plainly dressed shopkeeper and first sold off the gear we'd taken from Park Jae-jung's crew.

+9,722 points

Nice haul.

About 10,000 points. Not bad.

Our group's funds were huge, but looting twelve people's gear for this much was excellent.

This trial's reward is 400 points, so rest area weapons are probably around 300.

And shops only paid half.

All things considered, the haul was big because Park Jae-jung's loot had multiple [Mythic] and [Epic] grades.

If it was just [Common] and [Rare], it'd top out at 3,000 points.

"Ooh!"

The Reaper and Crimson Flame Witch grinned ear to ear at the profit.

"That good, huh?"

"Duh? Heh heh, those guys were pretty useful."

"Yeah! Hope they come back tomorrow!"

The two brats cackled evilly, already plotting the next shakedown. Shin Seo-yeon folded the now-empty duffel bag contentedly and asked me.

"But you said we had business here?"

"Right."

I pulled out one item.

"What's that? A scroll?"

The group, who hadn't seen the recipe when I pocketed it during the Haran farm, widened their eyes.

A recipe was a formula for crafting something.

From gear to consumables, there were many types, but they differed sharply from regular manuals.

They're one-use.

Items labeled [Recipe] weren't just guides—they were essential ingredients themselves.

They held special mana; craft as instructed, place the recipe on top at the end, and you get the final product.

One recipe, one item.

That's why they cost a fortune. Especially [Oil of Immortality], a hot item among recipes with heavy demand.

Indispensable for corpse handlers.

It gained fame when S-Rank Necromancer Moween showcased it, later becoming a necromancer staple.

"So, with this recipe, you can make the item listed here."

"Whoa, cool!"

"Fascinating."

Let's review the materials again.

[Refined Oil Steeped in Moonlight]

[Silence Sap]

[Tyriel's Stardust]

[Platinum Heart Fragment]

...

Tough ingredients.

But luckily, I'd seen them all at least once.

I asked the shopkeeper what materials they sold.

Refined oil and platinum fragment available.

The rest I'd grabbed before leaving Haran, so the key ones were three.

[Tyriel's Stardust]

[Dimensional Dust]

[Coagulated Time]

All hard to get.

[Tyriel's Stardust] from cold highlands plants.

[Dimensional Dust] from unstable dimensional rifts—mid-game trial unlock.

[Coagulated Time] from specific challenges only.

Impossible now.

But I had the solution. I pulled out a letter envelope.

"Ooh, summoning who this time?"

Eyes full of eager anticipation.

Slurp.

The envelope vanished and returned with a flashy-dressed figure.

Ornate robe, bracelets and shoes all expensive bling, chest badge from the [Alchemy Oversight Bureau].

"...A person? Who's this?"

"Alchemy merchant."

"Huh?"

The group glanced between the new summon and the plain shopkeeper.

"There's already an owner. Why summon another?"

"She sells what he doesn't."

Her shop window had nearly every alchemy material, as expected from a late Selection Process vendor.

The group gawked comparing them.

"Crazy! Does this mean we can buy top-tier weapons early too?!"

"Not endgame ones, but yeah, high attack and option gear."

But no plans for that. Don't want goddess restrictions. Lay low for a bit.

Prices are steep, though.

Tyriel's Stardust: 52,000 points

Dimensional Dust: 175,000 points

Coagulated Time: 152,000 points

No biggie.

Half off with resident perk, and Oil of Immortality was low difficulty—only one pricey material each.

Failure would suck, though...

Whew, down to 90,000 points now.

"Starting now?"

"Yep."

I took the materials to the workshop behind the alchemy shop and laid them out on one workbench.

Honestly, no clue if I'd nail it. Failure meant losing the recipe and most of our cash.

Can't put it off forever, though.

Need to empty the sub-space pouch for more farming.

I took a deep breath and started crafting per the recipe.

Their watchful eyes were pressuring, but I let them stay. Watching helps. Experience is the best teacher.

Will it work? Anxiety mounted as it neared completion.

Without completion skills like [Mad Scientist] or [Alchemist], best not attempt recipes.

Not as easy as it seems.

But scraping bottom, desperate to save every penny, while others partied in rest areas, I practiced in spare time.

Commuting to the shabbiest alchemy shop,

in a filthy backroom stinking of rot and mold, with cheap junk materials daily.

Money short? I'd grovel to Shin Seo-yeon, run errands for tips.

...Cheap bitch. All that yapping, coulda paid more for playing along. Barely enough for a meal.

That grind let me hit 90% on low recipes.

Took three years, though.

Learned then: expertise takes effort. And I had no natural knack.

"A-Amazing."

"Oppa looks like a pro."

"Nothing you can't do."

Even my clumsy hands impressed total newbies.

"..."

Amid the praise, only Shin Seo-yeon stared intently.

"Why stare like that?"

"...Nothing."

Anyway, no one else could do alchemy like this now.

No skills or cash.

Final step.

All materials in the cauldron. Result imminent.

Boom!

"Cough cough. F-Failure?"

"Sis, can't you tell? Explosion means flop. Duh, all looks no skill. Figures, our Dickhead's a Dickhead."

"No."

"Huh?"

No matter how rusty, blood-sweat skills don't vanish easy. Experience matters.

"Success."

"!!"

That boom was the success effect.

Failure hisses smoke and weird goo. Useful sometimes, but this glow fading softly? Clear success.

"Wow, congrats!"

"Thanks."

I checked the product amid cheers.

"Ooh, mythic oil? OP."

"Yeah, looks pricey."

"But why make this?"

As I opened my mouth to answer—wait... the cauldron shook, contents sloshing.

"Wh-What's that."

"Eh? Not a success?"

Dunno. Never seen this.

Oh, no success message yet... Failure after all?

Then the liquid bubbled and swelled.

"Eek! Gonna blow?!"

Explosions happen sometimes... but no explosive ingredients.

Why then?

Contents foamed, defying physics.

Suddenly, it halted. Notification appeared.

What?

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