Chapter 8

There are some content changes in Chapter Seven.

I apologize for the changes.

I hope for your continued support.

Ten days have passed since the PK misunderstanding incident.

I completed a few quests and, before I knew it, had reached level 11.

I still play alone.

I occasionally see Havoc and the others, but the guilt makes my chest hurt, so I only exchange brief nods when we meet...

Putting that aside, the number of skills I've acquired has increased, but I'm also facing some issues.

First, enemies have become more resilient, able to withstand my attacks.

Mana Bolt's power has increased due to my continued investment in intelligence, but it's not enough to take down monsters of the same level or higher with a single hit. The new skills I've acquired are powerful, but they consume a lot of MP and have a long recast time, so I can't use them in rapid succession, and I take hits more often.

This has led to another problem.

It's the issue of potion recovery. Even though mages are weak, their HP improves as they level up.

My maximum HP has increased, and I can withstand one or two hits, but the amount I need to recover has also increased, and the lowest-grade potions can no longer keep up.

I'm currently using lower-grade potions, but even these will soon be insufficient.

Moreover, in Maildia, I can't even get mana potions.

As I mentioned, the more powerful the skill, the more MP it consumes.

While MP can regenerate naturally, the amount is minimal, and using skills continuously will quickly deplete it.

Furthermore, a mage's maximum MP is higher than their HP, so fully recovering it takes a long time.

If I'm attacked while recovering, I can only hit them with my staff.

Are there no other means of recovery besides natural regeneration and mana potions? — Actually, there are two methods.

One is the MP absorption skill, "Mana Steal."

This skill steals the enemy's MP and absorbs it as your own.

However, I can't obtain this skill for a certain reason.

To explain, I need to touch on the skill acquisition conditions.

First, to acquire a skill, you need "Skill Points."

These increase by one each time you level up, and you can use them to acquire or enhance skills.

Enhancing a skill means increasing its power, range, effect area, or reducing its casting or recast time, but it also increases the MP cost.

For example, I've enhanced Mana Bolt to level 3.

...Lately, I've been a bit regretful, thinking I should have allocated more points to more powerful skills.

But thanks to the enhancement, I've been able to use it so far.

Let's get back to the topic.

To acquire a skill, you need skill points, but there's another condition.

The second condition is the skill acquisition path.

When you look at the skill window, it's clear that skills are arranged in a tree structure, with initial skills like Mana Bolt at the top.

The lower the skill, the more powerful and convenient it is, but you can't acquire a lower skill unless you have the skill directly above it.

For example, if there are skills A and B at the top and skill C below them, you can't acquire C unless you have both A and B.

This system, combined with the limited number of skill points, means you can't acquire all skills, and if you want a specific skill — in my case, a high-range, high-damage skill — you have to follow a certain acquisition path.

"Mana Steal" is a skill that's off this path, so acquiring it would require a lot of skill points and force me to give up other desired skills.

Therefore, skill-based MP recovery is not an option.

The other method is enchanting.

Enchanting involves adding specific materials to weapons or armor to grant special effects.

For example, increasing attack speed or resistance to elemental attacks.

Among these effects, there are some that restore HP or MP by a certain percentage of the damage dealt.

This would be a very compatible method for a mage, who deals high damage.

However, the materials required are extremely rare and rarely circulate.

Due to these issues, the only recovery method available to me is mana potions.

However, mana potions do not exist in Maildia.

Therefore, I need to change my base.

I have a destination in mind.

The capital of the Kingdom of Castal, Maukt.

It apparently has more shops than Maildia and is suitable for equipment enhancement.

I'll start preparing for the journey.

It took me nearly a week to travel to Maildia, but I hope this time it will be closer.

---

"Ah... Finally, it's complete!"

The elderly man let out a cry of joy.

The surroundings were cluttered with funnels, mortars, and bottles filled with black liquid, and the air was thick with the smell of chemicals.

This man, Izrael, a researcher at the Royal Magic Institute of the Kingdom of Castal, paid no attention to such trivial matters and held the bottle of chemicals as if it were a rare gem, gazing at it with great care.

It all started with a letter.

A letter from a former student who lived in Maildia.

Although they rarely exchanged letters, he was driven by concern about what might have happened, but the content was not what he had expected.

A new type of medicine — "Elixir."

It was a mysterious potion that combined the effects of both potions and mana potions.

The letter did not provide the method of preparation but detailed the materials and their collection locations in Maildia.

Apparently, his son, who runs a shop, had heard about this from an adventurer and was inquiring whether the medicine actually existed.

Moreover, the letter included the materials and collection locations for the highest-grade potions and mana potions, which were thought to be lost.

Izrael had never heard of the Elixir.

He had heard of legendary medicines like Elixir and Elixer, but they were considered mythical.

His current research aimed to create such medicines, but he had not expected to achieve such a feat.

He had only hoped to create a medicine with some effect.

It would have been easy to dismiss it as impossible, but he found it hard to believe his former student would lie.

He had no memory of combining the materials mentioned in the letter, as his research had focused on enhancing the effects of potion materials.

He had not paid much attention to combining entirely different materials.

So, he decided to give it a try. Fortunately, the materials were not exclusive to Maildia and could be obtained in the capital.

If it was a lie, he would know soon enough.

He started the experiment without much expectation, considering the difficulty of creating new medicines.

---

It was complete.

He attempted to create the lowest-grade Elixir and, to his surprise, it was easily made using the methods for creating potions and mana potions.

The shock was so great that he had no memory of what happened afterward. When he woke up the next day, he was initially stunned, thinking it might have been a dream, but the completed product beside him confirmed it was real, and he couldn't help but jump for joy.

From then on, he spent every day in the laboratory.

The higher-grade Elixirs could not be made using the usual methods for potions, so he thoroughly tested the extraction and mixing ratios, and finally, today, he completed the intermediate-grade Elixir.

It was only natural that he couldn't help but cry out in joy, given the significance of his discovery.

His research had been at a standstill, and he had lost sight of his goals, but the existence of the Elixir had opened a new path for him.

However, once the initial excitement subsided, he began to ponder how to handle this significant discovery.

His former student must have faced the same issue, which is why he consulted Izrael, a researcher at the institute.

If the greedy director of the institute found out, it would likely be claimed as his own achievement.

Claiming it as his own would be unfair, given that the adventurer who provided the materials deserved credit.

Why did the adventurer know only the materials for the Elixir?

It couldn't be that he was asked to gather materials for a quest.

If the requestor knew about the Elixir or the highest-grade potions, there would be no need to keep it secret.

If it was a secret, there would be no reason to tell a mere adventurer about the Elixir.

Perhaps the adventurer discovered the Elixir's existence by deciphering an ancient ruin or artifact — but this was unlikely.

If the adventurer had such information, he would have his doubts about its accuracy.

Even if he wanted to verify it, he would likely ask the shopkeeper's son, who would also know the collection locations.

This suggests the adventurer knew the Elixir could be made.

The adventurer must have considered the knowledge trivial, thinking it was not worth much.

This could mean the adventurer was either extremely ignorant or possessed unimaginable knowledge.

Izrael considered the possibility that the adventurer was from a country with advanced alchemy, but if that were the case, there would be rumors, and he had never heard any.

Therefore, the adventurer must have obtained the knowledge independently.

Why did the wise person only provide the materials and collection locations?

A wise person would likely know the method of preparation.

Moreover, why is the adventurer even adventuring? Questions arose one after another.

Ah, there's not enough information — first, I need to ask my former student for more details about the adventurer, and ideally, bring the adventurer to me — or should I go to him?

I must not be rude when meeting a wise person.

I should go to him.

More than that, I want to meet him. What kind of knowledge does this wise person possess, if he considers such a significant discovery trivial?

I want to know. I want to touch the depths of his knowledge.

And I must make his achievement known.

The Elixir is a significant achievement both technologically and militarily.

With the increasing threat of monsters and the orcs threatening the northern territories, the military is considering dispatching troops.

With the Elixir, there would be no need to carry separate potions and mana potions, revolutionizing logistics.

Talking to the director would be futile — then, to the top — the king himself.

His Majesty would understand the value of the wise person, silence the greedy courtiers, and invite the wise person to the institute.

We need more talented people now.

The unknown wise person, Chaos —

What kind of person is he?

Izrael pondered about the unseen wise person.