Chapter 20

Since it's still a bit early in the afternoon, I decided to gather some hundred-grass while also taking care of some slimes.

Regarding the magic stones, the amount I get for turning them in is low. However, they don't degrade in quality, and they can be used as alchemy materials, so I've been storing them instead of turning them in to the guild. Slimes come out in large numbers, so it's easy to collect magic stones. It feels good to take them down with a single strike. It might be bullying the weak, but it's a good way to relieve stress. For other materials, I only take the meat. The materials from monsters near the town don't fetch much money. If I need them, I can always come back for them, so I just leave them on the spot.

"Hmm... This might be easy to use."

The new gloves are surprisingly useful. They make it easy to grip and punch. I tried knocking something down with a punch, and it was easy. Compared to the gauntlets I used before, these fit my body better and don't throw off my center of gravity, making it easier to land critical hits. After trying a few times and swinging my sword, it also felt very easy to use. The new sword is narrower and slightly longer than the old one. It's a bit lighter, and the attack range feels wider. The weapon's attack power has also increased slightly, making it much easier to use.

Regarding the money, there was no charge. It seems that an exchange is fine. Is that okay? I'm sure the price has gone up. I can tell that they prepared something quite good, which makes me a bit worried about what they might ask for in the future.

In the morning, I spent time gathering and fighting, then had a meal and headed to my master's house.

"Hello, Master."

"Hey, kid. You've brought quite a lot of hundred-grass... "

"Yes, I gathered it this morning. The guild is short on healing potions, so they're buying them at a higher price. Also, there's a possibility that sage leaves will be in short supply, so it's better to store them as a substitute. I thought you might use them too..."

I handed over the materials I gathered in the "Eastern Forest" yesterday. I haven't learned any recipes yet, so I don't use them. I might use them in the future, but I can always gather them when I need them.

"Hehehe... So, sage leaves, huh? Are you sure?"

"Yesterday, I went to the Eastern Forest, and the sage trees were in bad shape. The leaves, including the young ones, have almost all fallen off, so it will be quite difficult until new leaves grow."

I relayed the report I gave at the adventurer's guild. I also mentioned that the area has been off-limits due to the investigation. If my master asks me to gather, I might not be able to go, so I reported it in advance.

"The pharmacist guild also uses the Eastern Forest when gathering sage leaves. The adventurer's guild can gather from other places, but it might not be the same as before."

"Is something going on?"

"The adventurer's guild and the pharmacist guild don't get along. The pharmacist guild doesn't sell much medicine to the adventurer's guild, which is bad. They make the adventurer's guild provide more than double the necessary materials, and they act superior when handing over the medicine, even though they don't do much."

Not getting along... Is that why the guild master secured me? Having a resident pharmacist who can respond in emergencies can help mitigate risks. But... not getting along, is that really the reason?

"Um... You mean the materials I handed over won't be used to make the potions?"

"They require double the materials and use half for themselves. The current policy of the pharmacist guild leader is not my concern. Kid... Today's recipe is a bit difficult to make with hundred-grass. It's challenging, but you'll gain more experience and proficiency, so keep trying even if you fail."

"Yes... By the way, can't the healing potions and other potions be made with hundred-grass?"

"Pharmacists who have inherited old recipes can make them, but there's no one else in this town. Also, don't turn in the materials you gather to the adventurer's guild for now. We still don't know the quality and condition."

It seems that hundred-grass is not considered a material. I had a feeling, but...

According to Mary, the material for healing potions was only sage leaves. I thought it would be faster to make them with hundred-grass rather than using the defective sage leaves, but I had a question when asked if they could be made.

"Yesterday, I turned in the sage leaves as part of a request."

"That's fine for the materials of the investigation. However, for the materials you gather, wait until you know the price. The price can fluctuate, and you might lose money. Also, when you go to gather, don't say where you're going; just say you're going to hunt monsters."

"Understood."

"Then, I'll show you how to make it, so watch carefully."

I received the recipes for "Noumaru Medicine" and "Mamaru Medicine." Mamaru Medicine has the effect of slightly restoring MP and accelerating continuous recovery. Noumaru Medicine has the same effect for SP. Unlike potions, drinking too much of the medicine won't cause poisoning, but the recovery effect won't stack, so drinking it again immediately won't do much. You'll need to wait 30 to 120 minutes. Drinking this should improve my SP shortage and make my work more efficient. Thank you.

Potions are made through alchemy, while medicines are made through mixing. The recovery amount is larger with potions. There's also recovery magic, so medicines are not used much. However, applying medicine to cuts can help the wound heal better, so they are not completely unused. Also, potions and recovery magic are almost ineffective against diseases... They only seem to improve temporarily. Diseases are cured with medicine.

If you want to make money with medicine, it's better to make medicine for diseases.

"...... Ah, my level went up after making Mamaru Medicine. My observation skill is now level 3, and my mixing skill is also level 3."

"Oh, that's quick. You might have a good eye. Keep the habit of carefully observing the materials, not just looking at them casually. Since this recipe is more difficult than the healing potion, keep making it even if you fail. Once you reach mixing level 4, you can mass-produce, and the healing potion will be enough."

"Understood."

After my master made a sample, I kept trying. If there were any mistakes in the process, my master would point them out, so I just kept trying. There are some tricky parts, like crushing the materials too much or boiling them too long, but my master said it's just a matter of getting used to it. If I keep making them, I'll understand the process better, so I'll keep trying as long as I have time.

"If your SP runs out, let me know. I'll teach you alchemy."

"Huh? Can you do alchemy, Master?"

"I can't do much. I only know a few basic recipes from when I was young. I've almost forgotten them, but I bought four types of neutralizers for beginners. You'll try them... Ideally, you should have an alchemy furnace, but..."

"Four types? That many?"

"There are four types of neutralizers: red, blue, yellow, and green. They correspond to fire, water, earth, and wind attributes. First, learn how to make neutralizers. In mixing, you sometimes need to neutralize the components of the materials, so it's useful to know how to make them for the future."

"I see... By the way, I have an alchemy furnace at home..."

"Is that so? Then, let's do it at your place. Also, regarding alchemy recipes, don't expect to get more from me. I can only teach the basics, and I've given you permission to learn that much. If you need more in the future, you'll have to buy them yourself... I can write a recommendation letter for you, though."

Well, I didn't expect Master to buy them for me, so even this much is helpful... First, the basic neutralizers are convenient! Monster materials have attributes depending on the monster. You can use these attributes in mixing, but you can also neutralize them. I can't do difficult mixing yet, but Master says I will eventually. Practice is important.

I kept mixing until my SP ran out... However, the new recipe is difficult. The difficulty level is much higher than the healing potion. The materials other than hundred-grass are not hard to obtain, but I ended up with a lot of failed attempts.

There are ways to recycle failed materials, like the healing potion and other materials, so it's good that I didn't end up with a lot of waste. I received a memo on how to recycle them and will try it later... Master seemed to know this would happen. Despite not having any apprentices, he was well-prepared.

"Is it really okay?"

"If you have a workspace at home, it's better to use it there. Don't worry, use it freely. No need to be polite."

I received a set of mixing tools from my master. I was surprised when he said he would move the tools from his house, but it turns out they were for me. He has his own set. I didn't realize I was renting a room with a workspace, so when I mentioned it, he got angry and said, "That's a good thing."

I'm glad the house was clean. I couldn't bring my master to a dusty place.

My status is easy to increase MP, so cleaning has become easier. Purification is convenient. I use it every day for the toilet and bath.

"You... are lucky."

"Huh? Why?"

"If you're renting this house... You might become a top-notch alchemist."

"Huh? An alchemist too?"

When I showed my master the house, he was surprised and said, "You're renting this place?" It seems he knew the house. However, top-notch... What does he mean by "alchemist too"?

The landlord... Astrid is a fan of my master, which I vaguely knew, but does my master know Astrid? I told him I was able to rent the house because the landlord is a fan, but he didn't seem to care... Maybe I should have mentioned her name.

"Kid, you will naturally become a top-notch mixer. You're studying under Pamela, so that's a given."

"Ah, yes! I'll do my best... But, is there something special about this house?"

"Well, who knows... Anyway, the books in this house are valuable, so read them carefully. They're not just about alchemy but also about mixing and other useful information."

"Yes, I will."

Master took out a few books. They don't seem to be for me, so they might be valuable books even Master doesn't know... This house was quite dusty and hadn't been maintained... The landlord is quite mysterious. What's the relationship?

In the basement, I checked the alchemy furnace and other equipment, then received the recipe and started making it. I made the red neutralizer according to the recipe, and the quality was normal.

"Sure enough... You're skilled. There shouldn't be any problems with alchemy."

That's good. I failed a bit with mixing at first, but I made the red neutralizer with normal quality from the start. I got an OK from my master. He can make basic alchemy, so he watched me work. Alchemy involves putting materials into the alchemy furnace, flowing MP, and mixing. It's not as difficult as mixing, where you have to crush and boil the materials. Mixing is quite tiring and can make your arms sore.

"Then, I'll keep going."

"I'll be reading over there, so call me if you need anything."

"Yes, I understand."

Master brought a lot of magic stones as materials, so I kept making them until my MP ran out, and my level went up in the middle.

I reached level 9 and learned a fire spell.

Huh...?

Fire spell... Maybe because the red neutralizer has a fire element.

I tried chanting "Fire" and a small flame came out of my fingertips. They didn't feel hot... It doesn't seem to cause burns. It would be good for starting a fire, so I'll try it later.

"... Did I learn the spell because I made the red neutralizer? ... I've made more than 100... Will I learn spells if I make other neutralizers?"

"What's wrong?"

When I stopped working and started thinking, Master noticed and came over. He looked worried, so I smiled and told him what happened.

"Well, it's not impossible... You seem to have a high aptitude for magic, and the red neutralizer uses fire elements, so you learned how to handle fire elements and thus the spell. Try the other neutralizers."

"Yes."

Until evening, I kept alternating between mixing when my MP ran out and alchemy when my SP ran out. I don't fail at alchemy, but my mixing failure rate is high. I asked Master if there was something I was missing, and he told me there's a wall between beginner and intermediate levels.

I'm apparently still at the beginner level. The recipes for Mamaru Medicine and Noumaru Medicine are for speeding up SP and MP recovery, so they are used frequently. Master gave me the recipes to help me learn faster, so it's normal to fail. The materials are easy to obtain, so it's good for practice. However, while they don't cause poisoning like potions, relying on them too much is bad, so I'm limited to three a day... I'll use them gratefully.

"Well, there are no problems with alchemy. Mixing... Well, it's an intermediate recipe, so it's normal to fail a lot. Don't rush, keep trying. I'm going home now."

"Ah, I'll see you to the door. You're taking a few books home, right?"

"... Don't worry about me just because I'm old."

"I haven't done anything as your apprentice, so let me do this much. Well, the books aren't mine, so I need to return them properly... Ah, here's the spare key to this house. Please come when I'm not around."

"... Is that so? Then, I'll take you up on that."

I saw Master to the door and ended up treating him to a meal.

A medicinal dish made with various herbs. It was delicious. I was told I didn't need to give him a lot of meat, and the meat I gave him was returned marinated with herbs... The seasonings are limited, but the herbs are available... As a pharmacist, I received a paper summarizing how to make them.

Next time, I'll gather some fruits. I'll also improve my cooking skills to repay the favor.