Chapter 22

And the next day.

The town of Remto was already bustling with activity early in the morning.

When I logged in before the sun had fully risen, the stalls were already open for business.

Of course, there were plenty of parties heading out to hunt, which was probably why.

Those who logged in early were likely students who had finished their studies.

The time axis in Another Link: Saga Online is exactly reversed from the real world.

In a sense, it doesn’t matter to those who are essentially game addicts, who can log in and out freely at any time from anywhere.

I’m not much different.

No, in this world, I’m not a game addict.

When I left the inn, I summoned Residual Moon and Helix.

What kind of day will this be?

The light was still on at the Adventurer’s Guild.

It seemed to be open 24 hours a day.

There was already a line at the potion sales window.

Since I had business at the request window, I didn’t have to wait long, but it still took about 10 minutes.

The receptionist was a young woman I hadn’t seen before, but she seemed experienced and led me to the guild leader’s room.

The guild leader was there.

No, a translucent phantom was standing there.

I wasn’t sure if it was convenient or a shortcut, but it was hard to judge.

"Completing the request in just one day, you seem to have worked harder than expected."

"Yes."

"Hmm. I was hoping to give you the same request again, but for some reason, there are many people who want to take this request today."

Oh.

I posted on the information board late last night, but it seems a party had already jumped on it.

They’re really quick.

"So, I have a bit of a problem and I need your help. Would you mind?"

"Sure."

We didn’t need to ask each other where to go; the conversation progressed without any questions.

The guild leader seemed a bit taken aback.

"Are you not going to ask what you’ll be helping with?"

"No, if you have a problem, I think it’s my duty as an adventurer to help."

"Hmm, yes."

What’s wrong?

He seems hesitant, but it must be something serious.

There’s no need to worry so much.

"Actually, I’m running low on potion bottles. I need you to help at the glass workshop."

"Huh?"

"Hmm. Don’t you like it?"

"No, I’ve been there before."

"Huh?"

It felt like time stopped for a moment.

"Then you’re experienced?"

"Not really."

Time stopped again.

It seems this was unexpected.

"Hmm, yes. That’s a relief. Can you go? The reward for the request is based on the amount of work done, so be careful."

《A guild-designated request has come in. Do you accept it?》

"Of course."

《You have accepted the guild-designated request! After completing the work, receive the receipt from the workshop and submit it to the guild window.》

Yeah, I know.

It’s a request I already know and it’s easy to do.

"When you finish today’s request, you can do whatever you like with the remaining time. Come back in the morning tomorrow."

"Yes."

The guild leader is probably busy, so it’s understandable that I’m left on my own.

I received a note on parchment from a staff member, bowed, and headed to the glass workshop.

Oh.

The stalls smell good and are tempting me.

I quickly had breakfast from a stall.

The glass workshop probably provides meals, but I felt awkward about eating first.

When I arrived at the workshop,

The craftsmen, who had just finished their night shift, looked exhausted as they left.

They were in such a state that it looked like a funeral procession.

What happened to them?

The veteran craftsman, Nils, was outside the workshop.

He seemed to be arguing with someone important.

That’s right.

No matter how important someone is, there’s always someone more important.

Being a middle manager is tough.

"Oh, you’re back."

Nils was suddenly next to me.

His tone was completely different from the argument he was just having.

He switches quickly.

"Yes."

"Can you start right away? The night shift increased their workload, and it’s causing all sorts of problems."

Wow.

Maybe those people were working overtime.

The working conditions here are quite harsh.

It might be a bit cooler at night, but it’s supposed to be extremely hot.

Is this workplace a sweatshop?

"I’ll do my best."

The first bottle I made today was pretty good.

I didn’t make any major mistakes, but it was only a D+ quality. I was a bit disappointed.

From then on, I managed to make C- quality bottles one after another, but I couldn’t reach C quality.

Of course, the Physical Enchantment Aqua skill boosts my dexterity.

Still, it required a lot of concentration to make the subtle adjustments with my hands.

I remember talking a little about this with Fay when we chatted yesterday.

Player skills.

It seems to refer to abilities that depend on the player’s own skills.

Even with automatic assistance, the player’s skill level significantly affects the outcome, according to him.

Probably true.

I think making bottles is much harder than making potion liquids.

"Just a bit more. If you can get the feel of blowing air consistently, you’ll make better bottles."

Nils praised me but also pointed out what was lacking.

Right.

Something is missing in the way I blow air.

Hmm?

What’s blowing?

It’s the process of blowing air.

Air?

There was a spell that didn’t seem to be useful before.

If I think of it, I should try it.

I selected and cast the Air Current Control spell.

I focused on making the air flow at a constant rate inside the mold.

How’s that?

When I appraised the finished bottle, it was C quality.

Good.

The spell’s effect lasted about 10 minutes. I could probably make one more.

And I made another C quality bottle.

The next one was C- quality because the effect wore off halfway through.

Maybe I can make two bottles per spell.

No, if I’m quick, I can probably make three. I’ll show you.

I set my goal.

Now, I just need to work hard.

During the shift change, Fay was also there.

I noticed when we greeted each other during the change.

A male player was with her.

Probably the new player we talked about yesterday.

Unfortunately, he was assigned to work with me, so we didn’t have time to chat.

Well, that’s how it goes.

This glass workshop is a real battlefield.

I licked the salt and drank water from my canteen to refresh my throat.

In the past, this was a common way to deal with heat in hot workplaces.

Still, people do collapse.

Actually, one of the craftsmen on the night shift lost consciousness and fell over.

It seems the production quantity and deadline are quite strict.

I’m not under much pressure since I’m here to help from the Adventurer’s Guild.

But among the craftsmen, the atmosphere is quite tense.

The only saving grace is Nils’ skill in managing the situation.

He manages to keep the craftsmen’s spirits up.

Could I do that?

I’d probably have a hole in my stomach.

Anyway.

I was getting used to using Air Current Control.

Sometimes the spell would cut off halfway, resulting in D+ or C- quality bottles, but I was managing to maintain C quality for more than half of them.

If I could cast Air Current Control again when the effect was about to wear off, it would be ideal.

But it’s impossible to cast a spell while holding a blowpipe in my mouth.

I needed to improve my efficiency.

Carefully, quickly, and accurately.

Carefully, quickly, and accurately.

I managed to make three C quality bottles in a row more often.

After a break, I continued.

C- quality bottles or lower no longer appeared.

Good.

I was getting into a rhythm.

《Your Glassworking skill has leveled up!》

《Your Heat Resistance skill has leveled up!》

My skills also leveled up.

Good feeling.

I continued.

I also had something I wanted to try.

Finally, I started making C+ quality bottles.

I prepared a separate virtual window for the alchemy making list.

To record the process I was about to perform.

I wanted to see how the quality would turn out with a shortened reproduction.

With potions, even if the process was recorded at a high quality, the quality would often drop with a shortened reproduction.

The same probably applies to bottle making.

But the advantage of significantly reducing the production time is significant.

I had to try it to find out.

I worked carefully, quickly, and accurately.

I made three C+ quality bottles.

The best I’ve ever made.

I recorded this process.

Next.

I confirmed that the other craftsmen were focused on their work.

I can do this.

I separated the glass material for three bottles and placed my hands on it. It was hot, but I had to endure.

I performed the alchemy shortened reproduction.

Three empty bottles were successfully made.

All three were C- quality.

It worked as planned.

This shortened reproduction didn’t seem to consume as much MP as before.

Probably due to the skill level up.

"Good job! That’s it for today!"

After another break, I finished the work and reached the work restriction time.

Nils stopped me.

It was still morning, and I was in a good rhythm.

What a shame.

"No, you’ve really helped a lot. Here’s your payment for today."

"Yes."

"Lunch should be ready by now. You can eat here if you like."

"Thank you."

I received the glass material from Nils.

It was green last time, but now half of it was translucent yellow.

Is it a different material?

I gratefully accepted Nils’ offer and had lunch at the glass workshop.

There were a few other craftsmen having an early lunch.

They were probably about to start their main work.

They weren’t sweating, so it was easy to tell.

When I went to the Adventurer’s Guild, the middle-aged male staff member was there.

I handed over the glass material at the window and received one 100 silver dinar and five 10 copper dinars in exchange.

《You have completed the guild-designated request!》

《You have earned 1 bonus point, bringing your total to 18 points!》

One point.

Considering the quality of the work, it’s good to get anything at all.

It was still morning, and the afternoon was free.

I could do whatever I wanted, but what should I do?

My MP had almost fully recovered naturally.

In that case, I should go hunting.

When I looked at the outskirts of Remto through Helix, it was a different scene.

The wild dogs I saw so many of yesterday were gone.

They were still there, but if a player spotted them, they were the top priority to hunt.

Even parties that hadn’t taken the extermination request were hunting wild dogs.

One post can cause this much of a change. It’s a bit scary.

Still, we continued hunting wild dogs.

We ignored the horn rabbits.

I saw parties that were taking advantage of this situation to focus on hunting rabbits.

Smart.

The 128th target since yesterday was a Wild Dog Leader.

It seems to appear regularly, regardless of whether there’s a request or not, as long as you hunt them continuously.

If the pattern holds, the next boss should appear at 160.

It’s a tough opponent, but I want to verify it.

Let’s continue hunting.

Helix was very helpful in efficiently finding wild dogs.

Residual Moon’s speed was also a big help.

I probably wouldn’t have caught half as many on my own.

I hunted the 159th one.

The next one would be the 160th.

Yesterday, I fought a boss at 80.

If my prediction is correct, the next one should be a boss.

It was almost evening.

I decided to end the continuous wild dog hunt after the next one.

The moment came.

Helix spotted a wild dog.

I cast spells to boost our combat power before approaching the wild dog.

Physical Enchantment Aqua was already cast on me and still had plenty of time left.

I cast Physical Enchantment Wind on Residual Moon and Helix.

I cast Physical Enchantment Earth on myself, Residual Moon, and Helix.

I prepared as much as I could before the fight.

We