Chapter 77

# 77

User Manual for the Reincarnated 077

Chapter 3: Third Job (3)

The second floor of the guild house, which was usually bustling, felt strangely quiet, making it hard to adjust.

‘I must have gotten used to it.’

I never imagined I would feel this way just a few hours after the party members left.

Of course, it’s not as if I’m lonely to the point of being unbearable. It’s just that the sudden change in environment is causing this reaction.

Surprisingly, there’s even a bit of a pleasant feeling.

After all, there were some aspects that were strangely uncomfortable.

I was always being watched by Jung Haya, Park Deokgu would show up at any time, and Seon Heeyoung would drag me out for volunteer work, leaving me with very little personal time.

I was almost grateful that Kim Yeri didn’t talk to me. If that kid had also caused a commotion, it would have been an understatement to say I had no private life.

Although I would have to handle everything on my own for a while, it felt like I had taken a vacation.

‘The fact that I need to act urgently hasn’t changed, though.’

To achieve the third job and increase my stats, I need to act as urgently as they do.

I don’t know what they believe will allow me to keep up with their growth, but they must have their own thoughts.

In reality, it wasn’t a particularly bad situation.

With the hero-grade alchemical equipment, numerous catalysts, and materials, my growth is almost guaranteed.

As for my stats, there’s no problem, but the issue is that the stat is Intelligence.

Since it’s impossible to increase other stats, I have no choice.

That’s why the third job change is very important.

I never thought about being a combat-focused character, but I did think it would be helpful to some extent.

It’s impossible to follow the party as a pure researcher.

I had to slowly think of various possibilities. These were problems I hadn’t yet concretized.

A way to maintain the alchemist’s characteristics while having minimal combat ability.

‘First, Homunculus…’

It was also the reason I chose to be an alchemist.

Being able to handle a creature similar to a summon without consuming mana was very advantageous.

In fact, Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy delves deeply into homunculi.

“A homunculus is an artificially created life form, not born from a woman’s womb. While interpretations vary by school, I will define a homunculus as a created life form.

It is not a chimera. Unlike a chimera, which creates life from life, the homunculus we alchemists deal with is the concept of creating life from nothing.”

A homunculus is an artificially created life form.

I don’t know what it looks like or what it can do.

Even Tucker’s book only contains theories.

While he explains chimeras in detail, chimeras, which involve genetic manipulation, and homunculi, which are created life forms, have different properties.

Perhaps homunculi were an unknown field even to Tucker.

Or, if he had actually created a life form, he wouldn’t have boasted about it.

It’s a realm that can be considered divine.

‘Second, potions.’

Potions in this world.

If asked whether I can gain combat ability through potions, I would naturally shake my head, but this is a theory based on my imagination.

‘Can magic be contained in a potion?’

The principle of magic in this continent can be simply explained as follows:

Build a mana tower and chant a spell to form an image.

The completed spell remains in the arm or a specific part of the body and activates with the user’s incantation.

Is it impossible to contain a spell in a potion or a specific object instead of the body?

This is an experiment.

Of course, some items seem to contain magic.

However, these items are not made by humans but are already completed products.

In fact, some magic schools enchant items with magic, but the effects are minimal and inefficient.

Research was discontinued because the costs outweighed the benefits.

If an alchemist using alchemical magic can use a transmutation circle to contain a one-time-use spell, it would not only help me but also yield excellent commercial results.

‘Third, chimeras.’

A method of creating summon creatures by manipulating genes or cells.

I think it might be the simplest method.

Monsters in this world are subjects of interest.

Creating a chimera is relatively easy.

Some monsters have very similar genes, and if you mix them in an experiment, the monster will definitely survive.

However, controlling it is not within the realm of alchemists but of black mages.

With the mana I have, I can’t control a created chimera.

Of course, there is a method of capturing and cultivating a chimera that hasn’t reached adulthood, but whether it will work properly is a problem.

I don’t want to be eaten by a chimera I raised.

‘There are other methods…’

I have many ideas.

This is a survival issue for me.

I’ve even considered directly modifying my body, which is risky, and thought about refining the Philosopher’s Stone, but it might not be efficient and is currently beyond my capabilities.

I’ve been putting it off, but it’s time to decide my growth direction and move.

While it’s important to run until my feet sweat to keep up with the reincarnated group, moving efficiently is the most important.

Of course, I can’t do all of this in a short period. I don’t want to spend time repeating experiments and failures. The answer to avoid this is already decided.

‘Getting help…’

Isn’t bad.

If I don’t understand something, I can ask, and if my research hits a wall, seeking advice is common sense.

Magic and alchemy have different branches but the same roots.

The same applies to all other jobs.

Given the various interpretations, getting their help is the most rational method.

‘The Mage Guild would be better, right?’

It’s not a bad choice.

The people who screamed to be involved in the Philosopher’s Stone research could be reliable workers in the Kiyoung lab.

While thinking about various things, I entered the dining hall.

“Are you eating alone today?”

“Ah.”

A voice came from the side.

Turning my head, I saw a woman who looked a bit younger.

“Ah! This is the first time I’m greeting you. I’m the party leader of the Blue 5th Squad, Hwang Jungyeon.”

“Ah. Nice to meet you. I’m….”

“I know. The alchemist of the 7th Squad, Kiyoung. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have a good time at the Garden of Fear?”

A somewhat random question.

However, I quickly understood why she asked.

‘The discoverer.’

This Hwang Jungyeon is the person who discovered the dungeon and then gave it to us.

“Thank you very much. It was a good experience.”

“You’re quick to understand, as I’ve heard.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Of course, it’s a compliment. Actually, I feel a bit guilty. I wish you had a good experience, but something bad happened, so I wasn’t in a good mood. A friend in the Black Swan asked me to apologize, and I’m only telling you now.”

“Ah! No, I’ve already received an apology, and everything was resolved smoothly. It was a chance for me to realize my shortcomings.”

“Hearing you say that makes me feel better. This is the first time I’ve talked to the 7th Squad, and I’m happy.”

Her face and voice were a bit low-key.

She looked incredibly relaxed.

Although she looked a bit young, she had an atmosphere that made me think of the past.

It wasn’t a sound that suited a woman living in modern times, but she had an impression of a well-bred lady.

“Actually, it’s been a while since the expedition, but the 7th Squad was so tight-knit that it was hard to talk to you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I was waiting for the day you all would gather for a meal, but the other parties didn’t even think about coming back… The guild has been busy, so everyone was busy, I guess.”

“Ah, I’ve heard. You went into a hero-grade dungeon….”

“Yes. But you seem to have something on your mind….”

“Hmm….”

She looked like a magician.

It seemed she thought it was the same kind of trouble for people with similar jobs.

Her broad-mindedness was evident from her willingness to talk to a quiet junior and giving up the dungeon’s ownership.

Of course, her broad-mindedness was very helpful to me.

I could tell she was a capable magician without checking her stats with my mental eye.

Her unhidden mana gave me a rough idea of her stats, and her sharpness was noticeable.

Her relaxed personality was probably due to the unique influence of her mana.

‘She might be useful…’

I didn’t think I needed to request support from the Mage Guild.

I could ask her various questions without any problem.

“Yes. I’m a bit embarrassed, but I’ve been having trouble finding a direction recently.”

“Yes, I understand. Everyone goes through that.”

“There are many choices, but I can’t really decide which direction to take….”

“I understand. It’s something everyone goes through, especially someone like you, Kiyoung.”

“Huh?”

“Are you struggling between the Mercenary Queen and Haya? One is a lover from Earth, and the other is someone you’ve shared life and death with here…. It’s natural to find it hard to choose.”

“Huh?”

“While it might be hard to understand with the monogamous ethics of modern times, sometimes choosing both can be the right answer.”

“……”

I must have realized we were talking about different things instantly.

She must have seen my very confused expression.

Hwang Jungyeon, who had been talking with a slow smile, suddenly closed her mouth.

“Ah, that wasn’t what you meant, was it?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you were seriously struggling….”

“……”

Her slightly embarrassed expression was visible. She seemed to be trying to salvage the awkward atmosphere but wasn’t doing a good job.

I felt like I had experienced something similar before.

‘She looks familiar…’

Her appearance and features were completely different. In fact, they seemed to be of different races.

The face I was imagining was that of a pig with a bandit-like face, while the woman in front of me had the image of a virtuous wife.

However, I could sense a similar aura from her, like Park Deokgu.

‘She’s similar.’

The feeling that something related to her would be tiring was also the same.

While I was considering whether to avoid the situation, a voice came from in front.

“My mind is a mess. I’m sorry. It’s been too long since I watched a drama… I didn’t realize….”

“Ah… Yes.”

“It’s because you two are so close. When I see Haya and Kiyoung, I can’t help but smile… Especially since Haya seems to really like you… That’s why she’s even casting that spell on you.”

“Huh?”

“A tracking spell. I don’t know if it’s okay for me to be here. There must be some information about being with someone….”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. You even gave her a body part? That’s romantic.”

“……”

“……”

“Did you… not know?”

“……”

“Pretending not to hear… won’t work, right?”

It was a very surprising piece of news.