Jeon Eunbyeol (2): The Mad Alchemist's Deadly Deal

"D-Drinks are served..."

Jeon Eunbyeol came over with a tray, chuckling creepily to herself. She set the teacup down on the table. A glance downward revealed a color that screamed not normal, bubbling with ominous foam. An instinctive scent hit his nose, screaming 'drink this and you're dead.'

'I know without you telling me...' He'd fallen for it multiple times in his previous life, splashing around in the River of Three Paths like an idiot. Sometimes he'd even gone swimming with Song Junho.

'Still pisses me off thinking about it.'

What a freakishly twisted woman. And what made it even more infuriating was that she meant it in the most innocent way possible.

As he gave a bitter smile, Jeon Eunbyeol fidgeted with her body, grinning unpleasantly.

"Th-That was pretty pointless of me, but... d-do you really have to? You won and all... Th-Thanks for helping earlier. Y-You were cool. Hehe, males really do protect pretty females, huh? Like that 'dick compass' saying? Yeah, I like that. S-Simple is just perfect. Hehe..."

"...You'd be great if you just skipped the useless bullshit, but whatever—glad I could help."

"S-So, you're here to buy potions... right?"

"Yeah, ideally the elixir-grade stuff."

Jeon Eunbyeol's eyes lit up. She hummed thoughtfully, "Hmm... just a sec," and started racking her brain furiously.

"Wh-What exactly do you want? I-I make so many kinds..."

"I'll take them all."

"...H-Huh?"

He pointed to the dozens of potions on the display shelf.

"Everything there. All of it."

"...Wha...? E-Everything?"

"Yes. Not a single one left out."

"H-Hey, customer. D-Do I look like some back-alley black-market genius potion loli who doesn't charge full price—"

He pulled a card from his pocket and tossed it over.

"Eh...?"

"Check the balance. Tell me if it's short."

Jeon Eunbyeol eyed it suspiciously but pressed the barcode reader against it. A small hologram popped up, displaying the amount engraved within.

Her eyes nearly bulged out as she stammered, counting slowly.

"Wha—huh? H-How many zeros? O-One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand..."

"Exactly 5 billion."

"Hieeek!?"

She recoiled in terror, crouching down—what a dramatic bitch.

'Gotta do what it takes.'

Jeon Eunbyeol. Second daughter of the Jeon family, a self-proclaimed genius in alchemy beyond reason. Side note—she was a total sensor, but anyway.

This society teemed with factions wielding various powers. But when it came to elixirs and potions, it boiled down to two major players.

'Olympus and Sangaekyung.'

Olympus was famed for instant-effect new-gen elixirs. Sangaekyung produced long-term ones with superior results, earning its reputation.

And Sangaekyung was owned by the Jeon family—their source of power and wealth.

'Not 100% monopoly, but...'

They were the biggest landowner, holding all core recipes. Befriending Jeon Eunbyeol wasn't just about her knowledge and genius brews.

'It's the Sangaekyung connection.'

A chance to ally with the Jeon family. Thinking of the clusterfuck in the future, he had to topple rival Olympus somehow. Partnering with them wasn't optional—it was essential.

'Jeon Eunbyeol's a wild card who doesn't want to inherit, but...'

That was just her delusion. She'd end up as Jeon family head, like it or not. Even if plans went sideways, 5 billion for that haul of elixirs was a steal.

"So, you selling or what?"

"Uh, y-yeah... s-sure. B-But."

"Problem?"

"Th-There's a condition."

"Condition?"

She fidgeted with her fingers and nodded.

"F-First... drink it all here before you go."

"...All of that?"

"Y-Yes... I-I've never seen anyone down that much... perfect test subject."

"...From what I know, your elixirs require matching antidotes—super refined process."

"Y-Yes... so double up."

She snapped her fingers with an "aha!" as he stared puzzled.

"D-Do you have a weak bladder? W-Well, special free use of my aesthetically pleasing bathroom..."

"Ah, got it. Fine."

He massaged his temples. He'd chug them soon anyway—just push through one day.

'Got the blessing. Our almighty goddess will handle it.'

"Th-There's a second one."

"...More?"

"Y-Yeah. Truth is, I'm short on materials lately. I'll knock 2 billion off the 5... c-could you gather some from that place you mentioned?"

"...Not just any spot—a dungeon, right?"

"Y-Yes, but it's fine. Family-owned, opens anytime..."

"That's not the issue. Why ask me? For harvesting materials, not just killing, pros would be better. Someone quit on you?"

She flinched at the direct hit, eyes darting away.

'No way...?'

Classic tell—she'd fucked up.

"W-Well... hehe... the last guy I asked died—no, cough! Retired tragically. Short-staffed now. Hehe..."

"...Details on the retirement?"

"I-I sent him to [Black Den] for better quality. But he was weaker than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expected... limbs melted off... hehe, retired. Even without map or monster info, too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weak, right? Hehe."

This fucking insane bitch?

He stared in disbelief, but she gleamed innocently.

"And... gut feeling... you're fucking strong. Right? Sharp enough to lop heads easy. I-I'm sure you'll pull it off."

"That obvious?"

"...Eh? Duh. A delicate flower everyone wants to slurp up, keeping her purity amid drooling pervs... takes that sense to survive. Hehe."

Even with that personality, she thrived in business—not your average girl.

"[Black Den]... the insect hellhole?"

"Y-Yes. Dungeon packed with bug monsters... B+ rank. Boss is Blazer Scorpion."

"...That scorpion bastard?"

"Y-Yeah... th-they come in pairs, husband-wife, so watch out. Hehe..."

What a dogshit woman. Even vets struggle with those.

"Sigh, fine. Deal."

"Hehe, hoho... hehe... easy mark. Y-You'll get gangbanged by girls. Hehe."

"..."

Just shut up with the bullshit. Time for business.

"I've got more to say."

"...Eh? More?"

"Yeah. You tacked conditions on a paid purchase, so I can ask too, right?"

"Wha—? N-Not just me profiting?"

"No such sweet deals exist."

Now the main event. Nice if he got the front half, but this had to land.

'Confident, though.'

As he reached for the prepared memo, she cut in.

"W-Wait! Stop, stop! Time out!"

"...What."

"F-First drink 'em all... then talk. Or no deal."

"..."

'Fuck.'

He barely soothed his boiling gut. Downing them all at once was too reckless after all.

'Names are shit too.'

Each creepy message updating made his stomach churn.

'Still...'

Worth enduring the personality... hell, the effects dwarfed that.

'Insane.'

Mind-blowing logs. Even amplified by perks, chugging them yielded explosive growth.

'Average Awakener trains a year nonstop for this.'

No fatal side effects either. Proof Jeon Eunbyeol planned properly for her wares, despite appearances.

'...Moving on.'

Not over yet.

'Nice.'

Level up was great, but elixir integration faster than expected thrilled him more.

'Squeeze blood now, could make low-grade elixir.'

"W-Wow... y-you really downed them all... why aren't you dead?"

"Take this."

He pulled out the memo he'd delayed for.

She eyed it curiously, then grinned creepily.

"Hehehe... a love letter? S-So my body was the real goal? Hmm, sneaky approach. N-Not bad. But too cliché... g-go bolder to claim a super-genius potion loli like me—"

"Not that. It's a recipe."

"R-Recipe? F-For a genius like me?"

"Yeah. And this is prepayment. Separate request for production."

"...Huh? P-Prepayment? You already paid?"

"Read it first."

Jeon Eunbyeol took it dubiously. Started smirking, but paled over time. Midway, pupils shrank; by end, hands shook. Finally, she shoved her face in, muttering in disbelief.

"N-No way... wh-what the hell is this..."

"Done reading? Now the real talk—"

Couldn't finish. Surging killing intent—he snatched the fork from the table.

Clang!

A sharp syringe gleamed through the tines.

"Wh-Who the fuck are you? Huh? What's your deal?"

"Hah."

Lifting his gaze, there she was—eyes spinning wildly, drool dripping, lost to excitement. For the first time in ages, she overlapped with her past-life self.