Chapter 12

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: Let's Make It

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To grant Yuna's earnest request, I immediately pulled up the Alchemy Gallery right in front of me.

As I typed "Recovery Potion" into the search bar, countless posts filled the screen.

Among them, the topmost pinned informational post.

"......"

The moment I saw the greeting, I scrolled straight down.

The effects were perfect beyond compare. I skimmed the list of required materials.

'Ogre bone marrow? What's that?'

I immediately searched the internet. But...

[No results found.]

"...Huh?"

Not a single post, not even the trade listings I expected. Thinking maybe I'd mistyped, I entered it again, but the result was the same.

'Is it some insanely rare material?'

I broadened the search to "ogre." The flood of info was all about hides and teeth. No mention of bone marrow anywhere.

"......"

For now, I clicked a link that included hides.

It seemed like a community for active hunters. Maybe they'd know something here.

I wrote a question post.

"Ah."

That's when it hit me.

Stuff like ogre bone marrow had no demand to begin with. It never even made it to market—parts left to rot with the corpse at the gate site. Just waste destined to decompose.

The flame sac and other materials were the same.

"...They're treated like total trash."

It made sense. Unless you were using it for alchemy like me, there didn't seem to be any real use for it.

I immediately messaged Yuna.

The chat went quiet for a moment. She couldn't believe I was using waste like this as materials.

A massive sealed container sat in the center of the workshop.

"Didn't expect it this fast."

I opened my smartphone and checked the chat with Yuna from earlier one more time.

"...This isn't some nepotism abuse, right?"

A twinge of inexplicable guilt made me mutter softly. I shook my head and carefully undid the container's lock.

With a creak, the lid opened—and

"Urk...!"

A wave of nauseating blood stench assaulted my nose. Way worse than imagined. Maybe because my senses sharpened after my body changed, I could barely endure it.

Finally, after rolling up tissue and stuffing my nose, I could peer inside.

On a bed of ice at the bottom lay dark red chunks of flesh still dripping blood, neatly arranged alongside lumpy pouches.

And right beside them, a transparent jar.

Inside, bluish mucus... and a whole small slime.

"...Why's this here?"

It was a monster, sure, but it had zero combat ability.

I carefully extracted the needed amount of mucus, then put the wobbly slime staring up at me back in the jar.

"Phew..."

I steadied my breath in front of the workbench.

No mistakes like last time. Just 3 seconds. The vivid memory of nearly burning down the house by cranking the heat while ignoring the recipe...

'I've read tons from the gallery too.'

I wasn't that kitchen pretend-alchemist kid anymore.

Time to prove the skills of New-Neo Alchemist Kim Talky, armed with perfect gear and theory.

Sentimental from the start. It's the process of separating each material's properties and naming them.

I still don't get why name them specifically, but if it says to do it, what choice do I have?

I put the ogre bone marrow in a mortar, added a pinch of salt, and began mashing it smoothly.

Crunch, crunch.

As the blood drained, the marrow clumped into a dough-like form.

"Ahem."

Setting it in front of me, I slowly opened my mouth.

"...Rise."

The cringeworthiness ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠furrowed my brow. Did I really have to? But I couldn't risk failing by skipping like last time.

Next, I followed the attached gallery image, moving my fingers in the air.

"......"

Along the bizarre pattern I drew, my tiny tail-of-mouse mana responded, trickling out bit by bit.

'Next, slime mucus.'

I poured the bluish mucus into a beaker and added a few drops of distilled water. Stirring slowly with a rod loosened its sticky viscosity into liquid.

"Bind."

Same deal. I swirled my fingers over the beaker, then placed the final material—the lava lizard flame sac—on the workbench.

I swallowed dryly and carefully pierced the brightest vein with the knife tip.

Pop. A single drop of crimson liquid fell onto the clear dish.

I set it on the hot plate and warmed to 42 degrees. Heat haze rose from the liquid, then settled.

"Awaken."

All materials prepped.

First, I poured the mucus into the moonlight stone flask. Strangely, it coated the walls thinly as it spread.

No time to marvel. I added the marrow clump spoonful by spoonful.

Each addition turned the clear solution murky purple, then milky white like milk.

And the final drop.

"......"

Holding my breath, I dropped the crimson liquid from the dish into the flask.

Sizzle—!

Orange flames erupted inside the flask. Tiny bubbles formed on the surface, bursting in eerie patterns.

'Now.'

I lifted the flask off the hot plate and quickly sealed the lid.

Still hot in hand, I muttered the recipe's final line.

"...Bind. Pierce. Embrace."

With that, I precisely added three drops of prepared saltwater via pipette.

The first drop clouded the entire solution, slowly sinking. The second calmed the violent bubbles noticeably.

The third drop hit, and the orange flames enveloping the solution flickered out and vanished. All reactions ceased.

Left in the flask: a murky, ominous greenish-brown liquid.

"...Done."

My whole body felt drained.

"Ughhh..."

Leaving the potion flask on the bench, I collapsed onto the mat in the workshop corner. My eyes slowly closed.

'It needs 12 hours to mature anyway...'

Beep beep beep—!

"...Gah."

The blaring alarm shattered the workshop's silence.

12 hours had flown by. I bolted up and checked the flask on the workbench.

But.

"Huh?"

The liquid inside hadn't changed at all from before sleep. Still murky, ominous greenish-brown. No glimmering red glow anywhere.

"What the hell? Why?"

On a whim, I dipped my pinky in for a taste.

"Ptoo! Blech..."

Disgustingly bad.

And nothing happened. Like it was half-finished or something.

"Fuck, what is this?"

I had to post a question ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the gallery.

Consensus was pointing to user error.

"It's really not."

Reviewing every step, nothing seemed off. No mistakes.

Then a new comment.

"Ah."

It hit like a hammer to the head.

As agreeing comments piled up, I immediately asked for a solution.

What now? Should I look up this mana concentrator?

As I clutched my throbbing head, a new comment appeared.

"Innate senses... That's totally me?"

Clutching at straws, I searched the gallery for the method she mentioned.