Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: What Did I Do?
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"But, there's one condition. From now on, you little kid..."
Before Elder Hwang could even finish, I carefully plucked the blueprint from his hand and cut him off.
"N-No, I won't do it..."
Silence.
His expression hardened at my blunt words.
I drove the nail in one more time toward him.
"I-I can just look somewhere else..."
Honestly, I was dumbfounded. He'd been ignoring me from the start, stubbornly pushing unreasonable demands and wearing me out. And now this—attaching conditions?
'Craftsmen aren't just here.'
It wasn't like he was forging a weapon tied to life and death. For basic alchemy gear, there was no need to go through all this hassle. Complication was my absolute pet peeve.
I turned away without a second thought, only for an urgent voice to erupt from behind.
"W-Wait! Hold on!"
Elder Hwang hurriedly blocked my path. Gone was his initial gruffness—his face was now slick with cold sweat and brimming with bewilderment.
"No, that's not what I meant! It's not a condition—it's a request! This old man's curiosity!"
He practically clung to me, desperately trying to persuade.
"Think about it! That story you just told me! How could I not be curious after hearing that? Come on? When you make new potions, just send me one of each—just one, I swear. I'll make it worth your while!"
His desperate look, tossing aside his artisan pride. To be honest, it felt a little satisfying.
But annoying was still annoying.
"...Hmm."
Finding another craftsman and explaining everything from scratch, or indulging this geezer's requests—which was less of a pain?
It didn't take long to decide.
'Haa...'
I let out a deep internal sigh and reluctantly nodded.
A few days later.
The moment the warehouse's heavy iron door slid open, I was at a loss for words.
"......"
The sight before me exceeded my wildest expectations.
Along the walls stood rows of stainless steel workbenches, lined with the bare minimum—but essential—tools I'd requested. Not a speck of dust anywhere; everything perfectly arranged.
An electric hotplate for precise temperature control, a distillation setup and cooling tubes crafted from transparently polished moonlight stone, beakers and flasks sorted by size. Even the cups had flawless coatings.
It was astonishing that this cantankerous old man had fulfilled my nitpicky demands so impeccably. Despite his grumbling exterior, his reputation as the best in the business was well-earned.
I approached a workbench cautiously, running my hand over the cool metal surface. Smooth as silk. Worlds apart from the pigsty that was my room corner.
'Now this feels right.'
No more struggling in my cramped, filthy kitchen to brew potions. A perfect environment for pure alchemy immersion. My own workshop was complete.
"Time to work."
New gear meant it was time to test it out.
I dove straight into fulfilling my first official commission.
"Ah."
The tools fit perfectly in my hands. The mortar ground ingredients finer than any spoon could manage, and the electric plate locked in exact temperatures with a single click.
"This is it."
Efficiency on a whole other level from my old days fumbling with gas stove flames and burning ingredients.
Clink, clink—
So absorbed in the work, I lost track of time.
Before I knew it, ten antidotes were complete. Production speed incomparable.
I fired off a message to Yuna right away.
[Me]: Done
[Choi Yuna]: Got it. Sending someone right away. kk It's urgent rn.
'Urgent?'
I tilted my head at her unusually curt reply but brushed it off.
How much time passed? I was rolling around on the mat in the warehouse corner when the intercom buzzed.
On the screen stood a baby-faced guild member.
- Huff, huff... You're Rabbitfoot, right? Guild leader sent me.
Her face was drenched in sweat, breaths coming in harsh gasps. Her combat gear was plastered with sticky spiderwebs.
"Wh-what... happened...?"
I squeezed out the words, and she spotted the potion crate by the entrance. Her expression crumpled into near tears.
- It's nothing! But the situation's rough right now...! I need to take this quick!
"Y-Yeah..."
- Thank you! The leader said she'll contact you later...!
The young guild member scooped up the crate, cradled it carefully, and bolted out as frantically as she'd arrived.
'What the hell.'
Whatever it was, she looked seriously pressed.
Silence returned to the workshop.
"......"
I flopped back onto the mat. More than the satisfaction of a flawless first delivery, a nagging unease crept in—like I'd overlooked something crucial.
'What was it...'
As I pondered, a voice buried in the corner of my mind suddenly resurfaced.
"Wait, is this the first time you're trying it on a person?"
Yuna's question from the day I'd first handed over the potions.
"Ah."
Come to think of it, yeah.
At the very least, before feeding this to other people, shouldn't I verify it actually worked right?
'But... how?'
There was some standard testing procedure, right?
"Hmm..."
Puzzling it out alone wouldn't yield answers. Time to consult the pros.
I pulled up the Alchemy Gallery.
Title: How do you usually test completed potions?
Help pls ㅠㅠ
Start with ingredient analysis and mana wavelength measurement.
Compare to standard reagents. No toxicity reaction? Then proceed to animal trials.
(🤦♂️ Dumb-looking character with a giant question mark)
Binge the whole gallery and study up again.
If you dunno, just shove it down any beast's throat.
Or just chug it yourself and check.
That's the quickest anyway.
Sounds good.
"......"
In the end, animal testing was the only option I could realistically pull off.
My first time at an animal market.
Hood pulled low, I scanned the surroundings. The stench of beasts and chorus of cries made my head spin.
'Buy fast and bounce.'
I kept my eyes averted from people as I moved.
Goal was straightforward.
Cheap, efficient test subject. That was it. Standard lab rats or whatever—grab and go.
"......"
But skimming the cages indifferently proved trickier than expected.
From the entrance, critters everywhere grabbed my attention.
Squeaking puppies, fluffy catballs.
'...Cute.'
My steps slowed without thinking.
In a glass case, hamsters burrowed through bedding, wriggling around. One caught my eye—sprawled on its back, legs splayed in the air, out cold like it was dead.
'Why's it sleeping like that?'
I stared blankly until a raucous parrot from the next stall jolted me back.
'What am I even doing?'
Past me wouldn't have spared them a glance. Laser-focused on the goal, yet here I was wasting time on fluff.
I shook my head and hurried deeper into the market. Lab rats would be in some dingy back corner, not amid the cuteness.
Striding with fixed gaze, my feet halted at a rundown stall tucked in one corner.
Out front, in a battered cage, something small and white huddled.
'...A rabbit?'
Up close, it was a baby bunny blanketed in pure white fur.
Unlike the others, it cowered in the corner, trembling faintly—like it was sickly enough to keel over any second.
That instant, something snapped in my brain.
"Ah."
When I snapped out of it, I was already inside the stall, wallet in hand.
Ignored the owner's stare, the surrounding din.
Enchanted, I scooped up the quivering little rabbit into my arms. Tiny warmth seeped through my clothes.
"......"
The whole way back to the workshop, I muttered blankly.
'What the hell did I just do?'
Went to buy lab rats and ended up adopting a damn rabbit.
Hop.
Liking its new home? The rabbit bounded joyfully across the soft bedding. No trace of its sickly vibe—must've been those pricey supplements.
"......"
The second I hit the workshop, I'd impulse-ordered a bunch online. Money enough for dozens of lab rats vanished in seconds.
'Cage before computer, huh.'
Squatting before the cage, I stared vacantly at the hopping fluffball.
"Hmm..."
Maybe give it a name.
"From now on, your name's Chun-sik..."
That's when it happened.
Viiiing—!
Phone buzzed in my pocket. Yuna.
I hit accept without thinking.
"H-Hello..."
- Talky. It's me.
Her voice through the smart device was lower than usual.
- Got the potions you sent. Thanks to you, we barely dodged a disaster.
"Y-Yeah..."
Explained the guild member's frantic dash. And the spiderwebs on her gear.
- Lately, we've been hitting gates full of poison-using monsters. Your potions are too effective, so we're deliberately bidding on those.
Yuna let out a short sigh.
- Frontline guild members catch on quick. Simple poisons are no threat anymore.
"......"
- Then shit hit the fan on this raid. Everyone hyped, charging wild—our main dealer got his leg skewered by the boss. Got careless.
Her tone was even, but the self-reproach seeped through.
- Wasn't poison, but the wound was nasty. Bone shattered clean through. At this rate, he'll be sidelined for raids—not just next week, for a while. Could call a healer in a pinch, but that's not cheap...
Yuna paused, choosing words, then asked cautiously with a thread of hope.
- So, uh... think you could make a recovery potion? One that mends torn flesh and broken bones?
"Uh... I-I'd have to try..."
- Whatever price you name, we'll pay it.
"Of course I'll make it."
- ......
"Wh-who's asking?"