Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The Immortal Alchemist
A translucent blue window floated in the air.
Inside, it was completely empty.
An isolated subspace granted only to me.
If I didn’t have even this, I might have died not tomorrow, but today.
In the original game version of this world, spatial magic was an extremely rare ability only high-ranking mages could use.
Even this small space alone was already an absurd privilege.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“System. Open the gacha screen.”
[Current Coins: 100c]
My heart pounded violently.
If Iliana went ahead and officially canceled the engagement, fine. But if not, I needed another way to survive.
If I wanted to avoid getting my head chopped off by that hero at the academy entrance ceremony tomorrow, I had to pull a survival skill here.
“Spin the gacha.”
[How many coins will you use?]
“…Huh?”
I blinked.
What the hell?
It wasn’t just a spin. It was a betting system. A literal slot machine.
Of course it was. Of course it was gambling.
Even in this situation, I still had to gamble.
Was this system inheriting Evan’s original trait of ruining his life through gambling?
Whatever.
There’s always something called beginner’s luck. People win with just one coin.
Click.
The roulette spun violently.
Colorful rainbow effects exploded, and tiny fairy holograms blew trumpets in celebration.
Oh!
A jackpot on the first try?
Is this it? The legendary “protagonist luck”?
But then—
[F-rank Item: Cheap Plastic Lighter obtained.]
Thud.
A red lighter fell to the ground.
I picked it up blankly and flicked it. A small blue flame sparked.
It’s useful, sure. But right now, I’m about to die.
“…Are you kidding me, seriously.”
I forced myself to continue.
I spent another coin. Then another.
Fairies danced again, but the results were garbage.
[F-rank Item: Instant spicy noodles obtained.]
[F-rank Item: Cheap sword obtained.]
[Failure]
I kicked the ramen across the floor.
“Like I can eat this right before I die…”
Remaining coins: 96c
I realized something.
This kind of low-stakes gambling won’t give me anything useful.
High risk, high reward. That’s the only way.
“Five coins.”
[Failure!]
“Come on… gacha god, please!”
[Congratulations! B-rank item obtained!]
[A banana peel that guarantees slipping for a specific target (one-time use)]
What am I supposed to do with this?
Throw it and run?
Use it on a sword-wielding hero charging at me?
I already felt tears forming just imagining it.
I continued pulling.
Snacks, pens, junk items.
And then—
[D-rank Item: Transparent Window (one-time use)]
A window that makes whatever is behind it invisible.
Interesting, but useless. It was too small to hide a person.
“Useless… all of it…”
Remaining coins: 50c
My palms were sweaty.
I was going to die like this.
No choice left.
All in.
“Fifty coins.”
[Confirm? Y / N]
[Y]
I prayed.
Please. Just let me survive.
Then—
The roulette exploded with golden light.
Fairies stood up and started singing opera.
Something massive was happening.
And then I saw it.
[UR]
“…No way.”
Ultra Rare.
This wasn’t supposed to exist.
[Transcendent Skill Acquired]
Skill Name: Fragment of Heroine Fate
Effect: Allows you to glimpse a critical future of a heroine for 10 seconds.
Activation: When a decisive moment in a heroine’s fate occurs
Cost: Coins (varies depending on importance)
“This… this is it!”
A skill that bends fate itself.
But then—
[Warning: Cannot activate. Insufficient coins.]
“…Ah.”
Right.
I just spent everything.
Zero coins left.
Joy vanished instantly. Reality hit me like a hammer.
If I want to survive tomorrow, I need more coins.
But outside my room, Lian is guarding the door.
Lian.
A genius swordswoman who will later join the hero’s party.
Right now, she could knock me out with one strike.
Escape is impossible.
So there’s only one option.
“…I have to extract coins.”
Coins come from affection and interactions with heroines.
And the easiest way?
That disgusting panty system.
I buried my face in my hands.
No normal method exists.
So I made a decision. A completely insane one.
“Come in, Lian.”
Creak.
Lian entered silently, expressionless.
Her gray hair and emotionless violet eyes gave her a mechanical aura.
“Yes, young master.”
“Lock the door.”
Her brows twitched slightly.
Her hand instinctively moved toward the hidden dagger under her skirt.
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Lian. Do you know why I lived like a trash noble, wasting money in gambling houses?”
“…I am not worthy of understanding your intentions, young master.”
Yeah, that was definitely sarcasm.
I ignored it and continued.
“I am actually an alchemist.”
“…Pardon?”
For the first time, her expression completely broke.
Good. That’s the reaction I wanted.
“An alchemist…? That is impossible. Alchemy disappeared 700 years ago…”
Perfect.
I latched onto that.
“Yes. The first Valderk lord was an alchemist. I inherited his secret legacy.”
I kept talking without hesitation.
Total nonsense. Absolute lies.
But confidence is everything.
“In order to hide it from my father, I acted like a disgraceful gambler. All my debts were for alchemical materials. I am preparing to save this world from its coming destruction.”
Silence.
Lian stared at me, clearly unconvinced.
“Then prove it.”
Hooked.
I smiled internally.
Perfect.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice.
“Watch closely.”
I raised my hand.
[Inventory]
The ribbon in my hand vanished instantly.
Lian’s eyes shook violently.
She circled me, searching for the mechanism.
Nothing.
No trace. No mana fluctuation. Nothing.
“…How did you do that?”
“Call me master.”
“Y-yes… master.”
Good.
Now it’s working.
I pulled out chocolate from the inventory.
“This is an alchemical elixir refined from condensed earth essence.”
“…An artifact?”
“Eat it.”
I placed it in her mouth.
The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes widened.
Shock. Pleasure. Awe.
Her expression collapsed completely.
“…This taste… is beyond anything in this world…”
She dropped to her knees.
“I acknowledge you… Master Alchemist…”
Perfect.
It worked.
She fully believed it.
Now for the final step.
“There is only one missing catalyst needed to save the world.”
Her head shot up immediately.
“I will retrieve it with my life! What is it, Master?”
I swallowed hard.
The final move.
“That is…”