Chapter 2: The Alchemist
Level Up! (5 -> 6)
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Name: Risa
Level: 6 (2% to next level)
Health: 87%
Stamina: 63%
Mana: N/A
Skills:
Basic Strength Infusion Lv 5
Basic Swordsmanship Lv 3
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Risa had been at it for a few hours, killing 7 more kobloids of various strengths. This was so she could level up again, making her even more confident that she could kill the Kobloid Chief tomorrow. She didn’t want to risk it today: going below 50% stamina gave you a regeneration penalty for the next day.
The level in Basic Swordsmanship had been a noticeable improvement, allowing her to keep better form mid-combat. Only the final kobloid she killed, a level 5, required her to use her strength skill at the same time, and that was only because it had spawned with slightly better armor than most other kobloids.
The exact specifics of how dungeons worked were known only to the Archmages, if that, but the basics were relatively understood. Concentrations of Mana would swirl around the Continent, and presumably the rest of the world, the same way wind patterns did. But sometimes, for whatever reason, the Mana currents would get ‘trapped’ and stay in one place. If stuck for long enough, the mana would eventually condense into a dungeon core.
People could tell when a dungeon core was forming nearby because they would dream of it. First, they would see pink flashes pop up in their vision, then they would see dark, shifting masses of energy, and finally they would have a nightmare where some sort of monster invaded. After that, the core would manifest in real life, with the exact monster types everyone saw in the final dream appearing regularly.
Some suspected that the dreams were two-way, as well. Just as people saw the dungeon core, the dungeon core could see people’s dreams. And so, it was believed, while monsters were ‘just’ Mana constructs created by the core, they were somewhat shaped by human experiences, allowing them to spawn with human-esque armor and weapons and even magic. Some larger dungeons even had full-scale monster societies, although no form of communication or peaceful contact with them had been managed.
Risa had studied these things somewhat, hoping to solve any kind of test she would need to pass to get her scholarship. Of course, now that she was a simple sword warrior, she had somewhat forgotten the specifics. Still, her knowledge base was quite a bit better than most warriors, owed to the simple fact that she went to the village’s meager library from time to time.
She packed up her backpack filled with claws, teeth, and miniature weapons and armor. While the little swords and helmets were useless for humans on their own, the village blacksmith was used to melting them down into a somewhat worthwhile metal. The claws and teeth, on the other hand, were good for potions. The village had a resident alchemist who could turn the materials into a potion he called “Kobloid’s Strength”.
Aaron, the alchemist, was likely a washout from the Alchemy Academy, but he was quite popular with the villagers. He gave fair prices for both the materials he purchased and the potions he sold. Risa left the Proving Ground with a nod to the local guard, then made her way to a shop with a sign that simply said “Alchemy” along with a picture of a generic potion.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Aaron was busy with his potion-making equipment, so she stood in his shop for many minutes, listening to him talk to himself. “Drop of wyyrmroot, 2 spoons of bat blood, add to the boiled eye of lion, and… Lesser Potion of Clear Vision? LESSER? *Sigh* I suppose it will have to do. Should still help a bit in that damned forest…”
Risa took that moment to politely clear her throat. Aaron turned around in surprise. “Ah! Oh, hello dear Risa, I hope I wasn’t keeping you there for too long…”. Risa shook her head. “No no, I like seeing the work that you do.” Aaron flashed her a smile. “Ah yes, ever the Archmage in training. Now, I suspect you have something for me?”, he asked, looking at her backpack.
Risa laid out a spread of teeth and claws, each one harvested from a kobloid that died at her hand. She did have to remind herself, often, that these “creatures” that she was killing were not only vicious against all humans but were also considered expendable mana constructs, even by the very dungeon that created them.
Aaron looked them over. “Yes, yes, I see you’ve gotten better at harvesting the teeth intact… Eight whole sets, eh? I remember when you would show up with only 3 sets and a new suite of bruises…” Risa nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been busy. Getting ready to fight off the boss.”
Aaron raised his eyebrows. “Oh really now? You know, most warrior types rush to kill the boss with their skills only at the bare minimum. Always chasing for something that will be a challenge, always hoping for the gains mid-battle. It’s fine by me because, hell, healing potions are good money makers. But you’ve been taking the long game, haven’t you? Only going after the boss after already trouncing the base monster… slow and steady wins the race, hmm?”
Risa smiled. She knew that her progress was considered a little slow by most standards, but both Morgin and Aaron didn’t give her any flack for it. Hunters tended to be like particularly bright candles: impressive, but with short lives. The time it took to level a skill, much less earn one, outside of combat just wasn’t considered worth it, even by those who had potential decades of their career left. The discovery that skills could sometimes be learned all at once in the middle of combat drove people to their deaths.
Even Archmage Quiver, with her infinite set of elemental construct arrows, infamously fell around 90 years ago, to a monster that could absorb ranged attacks into its body. Had she taken the time to master even a single skill that relied on up-close blunt force, she might have escaped alive.
Aaron brought Risa out of her thoughts. “I can give you 3 silvers and 60 coppers for them.” Risa frowned. “Shouldn’t it be 4 silvers? 50 copper per set?” Aaron shook his head sadly. “Sorry, Risa, but I can only dedicate so much of my time to making Kobloid’s Strength potions, and I typically get 6 out at most before the materials go bad. I’m really paying 60 copper per set, and that’s because you harvested the teeth in good condition. You can keep the other 2 sets, if you want, but they won’t do you any good without some sort of alchemy skill…
Risa sighed. “Isn’t there a way to preserve them?” Aaron quickly shot that down. “Without some serious magic at work, all unprocessed monster materials turn back into pure mana after enough time passes. That mana’s still useful for making mana POTIONS, but those don’t really sell around here considering, well…”
“Nobody with a mana skill would be caught dead in this town?” Risa finished. Aaron smirked. “Certain alchemists excluded, you are basically correct. Sorry, kiddo. Tell you what, though, I can throw in a bonus concoction I just made. You know that jungle dungeon that just opened, with all the monkeys? All kinds of good materials in there. I found out that all the right herbs for a Lesser Potion of Swiftness are right at the entrance! Eh, almost all, at any rate. I’ve been selling them for 75 copper, so really you’re getting a bargain…
Risa squinted at the bluish concoction. “What’s the catch, Aaron? A Potion of Swiftness should be a lot more valuable than 75 copper…” Aaron smirked. “Knew you would catch that. I haven’t gotten the formula exactly right, yet. In theory your perception should be increased alongside your body, but in practice… not so much. So, while it’s great for a speedy retreat in a straight line to the exit, any kind of turn or obstacle will trip you up rather quickly. I am, tragically, too honest to sell it at market value until I get it right.”
Risa smirked right back at him. “But not so honest that you avoid selling a defective product altogether?” “Hey now, I am plenty up front about the potion’s, er, particularities… although, perhaps sometimes I forget to mention it until after the money has changed hands. Consider it a donation towards figuring out the true formula. Convincing hunters to farm a bunch of materials isn’t cheap, ya know? Present company excluded. Ah, if only I had more of you…”
Shaking her head at Aaron’s antics, Risa left the store with a lighter backpack, a heavier wallet, and a strange potion in tow.