Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Idol (1)
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Click. I flipped on the light and scanned the room.
A cauldron, a gas burner made specially for alchemy, mortars, and rows of empty glass vials still waiting to be filled.
It was the scene of my dedicated alchemy workshop, stocked just for that purpose.
In truth, I'd only come here once to actually mix anything.
After that, I'd just dropped by periodically to clean.
The maintenance fees felt wasted going out for nothing, but what could I do without materials?
All I could do was wait endlessly for the day when production became possible.
And today, that day had finally arrived.
I opened my pouch and began pulling out the packed contents one by one.
Blood from the troll, the red doping agent from the infiltration, and the haul of materials from the recent gate with Jin Seohyeon.
The gate run had been especially profitable. Unlike last time, when scarce materials limited my options, this haul gave me the luxury to choose what to make.
But before diving into production, I decided to deal with a nagging issue first.
The red doping agent, whose recipe was a mystery.
It felt too sketchy to drink, but too valuable to toss.
So, I'd resolved to analyze it experimentally.
Of course, I didn't have professional analysis equipment, so the test would be a hack job.
I'd prepared powders ground in mortars from other alchemy materials to check reactions.
Using a dropper, I added tiny amounts of the doping agent and observed changes visually.
"Hmm..."
I let out a sigh. I'd hoped to identify the ingredients, but no such luck.
An 'Analysis' ability would've made this a breeze.
It was useless in combat but tier-1 for alchemy alone.
In the game, people even built alchemists around it.
I shook off the brief regret.
No point dwelling on what I didn't have.
Still, it wasn't a total loss. I'd learned one small but useful fact.
This doping agent was incredibly stable. It blended with any material without major backlash and retained its effects unless overly diluted.
No wonder Red Potion had poured so many resources into developing it. The polish was impressive.
Then a thought struck me.
'Could I use this somehow?'
It was akin to the idea Red Potion's alchemists had—they'd based elixirs on the doping agent.
I could do the same, basing something entirely different on it.
I acted without hesitation.
I had no intention of drinking it anyway.
I uncapped all the vials of red liquid and poured them into a pot.
While heating it on the burner, I processed the materials.
I brought the white powder ground in the mortar to the pot.
Then, focusing on changes in color and viscosity, I added it bit by bit.
This was new territory for me. No clear recipe meant relying on instinct.
When it felt right, I turned off the flame and transferred the contents to the distiller.
Soon, clear droplets began falling one by one, and distillation completed.
A small cup barely filled with transparent, crystal-clear liquid.
It had stripped away the doping agent's miscellaneous effects, leaving only stability and amplification.
A catalyst.
Like the human blood Red Potion used, it would influence the final product's effects.
The differences? Unlike blood, which had no amplification limit with enough quantity, this had a clear cap.
And it only worked on limited product types...
Neither was an issue for me.
I wasn't aiming for something as grand as elixirs, and one of the potions I planned had a catalyst slot.
Cold Thirst.
A blue potion that boosted natural mana recovery for about an hour, then halved it afterward.
The side effect lasted all day, so it wasn't for abuse. More like an emergency mana restorative.
Impressively, its quality was stage 4.
The catalyst had worked perfectly.
The Intermediate Recovery Potion was one stage lower, but that was unavoidable.
Cold Thirst used fresh materials from the Forgotten Palace, while troll blood for the recovery potion had sat for a while.
Yield differed too: just one vial of recovery potion, but three of Cold Thirst.
Even so, the table was still piled high with materials.
I had status ailment cures and resistance potions lined up...
No way to finish in one day.
Production would drag on for days.
Today was my once-a-week counselor shift.
I arrived at the association, and the counseling center was empty except for me.
During probation, I'd shadowed to learn, but normally it was solo.
First day, I'd been tense about who might show.
Now? Nothing.
As Kang Jiwon said, not a single client ever.
No bookings today either, so a peaceful day ahead.
As I spaced out, my smartphone lit up.
A single message in the notification.
Ridiculous.
No context, but easy enough to grasp.
Today was Arang Guild's A-rank gate raid.
So, her text declared she'd hit S-rank this time.
Tap tap. I fired back casually.
Instant reply.
She probably thought I was deluding myself...
Too bad, I had reasons.
S-rank timing varied by game, but not now at least.
She'd need at least one more raid.
A few more exchanges, then her replies stopped.
The '1' lingered, so she'd entered the gate.
I pocketed my phone.
Unlike Glowing Crystal Cave, no worries this time.
The tricky bit? Mind-attack monsters.
But with Jin Seohyeon, no issue.
Not some unavoidable gimmick like before, and the party was solid.
Spacing out again, morning slipped by.
Lunch done, afternoon slog.
Bored, then footsteps pounded over the wall.
Someone running the hall, closing in, stopping at the center.
Bang!
A young woman burst in, face baby-faced.
What? No bookings today.
She scanned frantically, anxiety plain even from afar, ignoring me in the back.
No luck, then her eyes landed on me.
"Where's the counselor?"
"That's me."
Straight answer.
Not what she wanted—her voice rose.
"No... the regular one!"
Looking for Jeong Dongsu. He was off. Hence me here.
Told her straight, her face drained pale.
"If it's urgent, I can leave a message for him?"
"It has to be now..."
Nearly sobbing. She started biting her nails; I frowned slightly.
Her face rang familiar. Striking looks—not mistaken. Where from?
Thought interrupted. She muttered, then snapped her head up.
Sharp gaze pierced me.
"You're a counselor too, right? Same ability as him? Right? Right?!"
She closed in aggressively.
I nodded awkwardly; her face lit up.
"Help me, please!"
I swallowed a sigh, pointed to the door behind.
Beyond the "Counseling Room" sign.
"...Let's talk inside."
So much for peace.
As expected, she was who I thought.
A named character.
But not just from the game.
Even after dropping here, her name popped up often.
Arguably Korea's most famous hunter.
I looked up from the monitor.
Gahee, or the Idol of the Battlefield.
Hunter Association exclusive A-rank, and top idol at her peak.
"Waaahhh..."
Cha Jiye bawled in front of me.
