Chapter 83

"Here, the protagonist—turned into a little girl."

"Hair growing longer and body shrinking... a hair growth potion..."

Even stretching to my full height, I could only reach the height of a ten-year-old, and touching my face, I felt that my features had become much more childish.

"Seriously... Well, according to the book, the effects of the hair growth potion last from two to six hours. Since it's a failed product, the duration might be longer."

Even if I don't know the cause, I should return to normal after some time, and in the worst case, logging out will solve the problem. Still, my clothes have shrunk to fit my body. It would be troublesome to specify sizes for every piece of game armor, so I guess they adjust automatically...

"Perfect, I'm in a kid's size. This is just terrible."

Muttering to myself, I cleaned up the aftermath of the exploded cauldron. Although it was a failure, the recipe somehow remained. Using the Alchemy skill for one-shot production requires a huge amount of MP, and it seems I can only make it by hand for now. I also managed to obtain a sample of the failed potion from the remaining liquid in the cauldron.

"No... I copied the recipe from the book... but this is clearly a failure, right?"

I compared the manufacturing process with the notes and the actual sample. It was supposed to be a bright orange potion that you apply to your body, but the failed product was a thick, semi-liquid drug with a dark red color. It was extremely toxic, and the pungent smell made my eyes water. I sealed it with a cork, put it in my inventory, and sealed it away.

"Maybe it's because I took my eyes off it. I still have the materials, but can I make it in this body?"

My body is clearly weak, and it wouldn't be surprising if my stats were somehow reduced. After some thought, I decided to stay in this place and read a book until I return to normal.

"Excuse me, Yun, a customer—"

"Ah."

The only NPC who can enter the workshop, Kyoko, froze when she saw my appearance. Ah, I've been seen. She then looked at me with a puzzled expression, examining me from head to toe.

"Yun... is that you?"

"It's a failed potion."

I averted my gaze and looked at the exploded cauldron, and she seemed to understand. This kind of phenomenon doesn't usually happen.

"Well, never mind me, but what about the customer?"

"Yes, Mew and her party want you to look at something—"

Mew. I reacted with a shiver at the name. For some reason, I couldn't stop feeling a chill. Immediately after, I received a message from Mew through the friend communication.

"Hey, I'm at the Atelier."

"Ah, I just heard you're here."

"Hmm, actually, I have something to talk about. Can you come out?"

"Can't we talk through this communication?"

"It's for item appraisal, so I need you to come out. Please."

If I refuse, she might complain later. I closed my eyes and thought quietly.

"Alright. I'm busy now, so please wait a moment."

"Then I'll look at the items in the meantime."

"See you later..."

I looked back at Kyoko, who was watching me with concern, and called out to her immediately.

"Call Rui. Quickly."

"Ah, yes."

She responded in a dazed manner and went to call Rui, who was in the shop. The two young beasts came soon after, stopped when they saw me, but sniffed the air and seemed to recognize me as Yun.

"Rui, do you know Mew and her party are outside?"

Rui nodded.

"Being seen in this form would be very bad. Can you use an illusion to hide me a bit?"

Rui shook her head. I was disappointed, thinking she could only hide herself, but then the horn on her forehead glowed faintly, and a mist-like substance formed into a human shape. Soon, a decoy of my usual self appeared in the solidified mist. However, it couldn't move at all.

"Can it move?"

When I asked, the decoy moved forward slowly. Its expression was blank, making it look like a doll. I overlapped with the decoy and hid, then appeared at the shop counter, where Mew and the others were waiting.

"Hey, welcome."

I felt cold sweat as the decoy's mouth moved awkwardly. Everyone looked at me for a moment with a puzzled expression.

"Um, something's different, sister."

"Probably the effect of the potion. I failed just now..."

I gave a reason that came to mind. I wasn't lying, just indirectly.

"Hmm, you made a strange potion, huh?"

"Yeah, it's not moving well, and I'm surprised too."

"So, the high-pitched voice is because of ventriloquism?"

"Yeah, I just learned it desperately. How is it? Amazing, right?"

Ah, it hurts. The gazes around me are too painful. I want to run away right now.

"Well, strange things like this happen all the time... okay."

I felt like I heard something I shouldn't, but I didn't want to chat too much and risk being found out, so I quickly got to the point. The item they showed me was a thin, bluish stone with a clear grain. To a regular player, it would just show up as a stone, but it seemed like there was something to it. It's common to judge by appearance, but sometimes the inside is different.

"I only know the name. It's a Blue Light Ore. Where did you find it?"

"It was lying along the northern mountains. I found some other stones too, can you look at them?"

"Sure, I'll look."

Most of the other stones were just common ones, but among them were silver and steel, which I deal with now, and a few Blue Light Ores. The rest were ordinary stones. I couldn't make ingots from the Blue Light Ores due to the lack of quantity, but I decided to buy them as samples.

"So, I'll buy the common metals at market price, but I don't know the value of the others, so can we trade for items?"

"I was planning to give them to you anyway..."

Mew was surprised, and Luca was embarrassed. I thought, well, it's good to keep what you can, and I wasn't particularly interested. After all, I have more customers now, and I also sell some items at Claude and Lili's shop, so I'm not short on money.

"Well, if you become regular customers, I'll pay you later if they're valuable."

"But..."

The decoy's expression was stiff, giving a cold impression, but I was actually finding it amusing as I watched everyone.

"Alright, I'll take Hyper Potions, MP Potions, and status recovery potions up to the purchase limit."

"Sure, up to the limit. For everyone?"

"I'll take MP Potions and INT Enchantment Stones."

I took their orders and handed over the items one by one.

"We're going to take on a quest at Horror Cave. See you—bye, Rui."

Mew, who was obsessed with Rui, a white horse that matched her image color, suddenly shook her head, and my decoy dispersed, revealing my hidden form.

"Ah..."

I don't know who muttered that. The moment our eyes met, I was already running.

"【Augment】—Speed"

I increased my initial speed with a speed enchantment. Mew, distracted by Rui, had her back to me, so the obstacles were Luca, Toubi, and Hino. I easily slipped past the stunned Luca and took a potion.

An incomplete speed enhancement boost tablet. The moment I swallowed it, my vision narrowed, and the nausea felt like I had been poisoned. But with an even higher speed, I slipped through Toubi's outstretched hand and headed for the entrance—only to fail.

"Let go, Hino! Please, just this once!"

"Come on, calm down, okay?"

"No!"

I don't know how she caught me, but I struggled desperately to escape. But the moment I saw her eyes, I knew I couldn't escape.

"Kyaaa! What are you wearing!?"

Mew, along with the others who didn't say anything but had relaxed expressions, stared at me with a high-pitched voice.

"...Hino, please, let me go."

"Ahahaha... um..."

Hino, who was holding me, also had a dry smile as she looked at Mew, who was locking onto me with a predatory gaze.

Should I have endured the humiliation, disguised my equipment, and pretended to be a child? The moment I thought about escaping reality, I was crushed.