Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: 4. A Self-Inflicted Disaster
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"...For now, just dump everything in and boil it?"
Even as I said it out loud, I felt a bit stupid.
But I really didn't know anything else. The cooking instructions on the back of instant noodle packets were the extent of my culinary knowledge.
I alternated glances between the opaque recipe window in front of me and the ingredients on the sink. Swallowing dryly, I reread the recipe from top to bottom.
[...First, boil 500ml of purified water over low heat. Once the water starts boiling, add the moonlight herb powder and slowly stir with a wooden spatula...]
Purified water.
"Ah."
I'd forgotten to order it with the ingredients. I pondered for a moment, then glanced at the bottled water nearby.
'Well, it's clean water too.'
I twisted off the cap and poured it into the pot. Good thing it was exactly 500ml—no need to measure.
Next up: flame control.
'Low heat...'
I turned the gas stove dial to its lowest setting. Blue flames flickered, gently licking the bottom of the old pot.
It wasn't long before bubbles began forming on the surface, popping steadily.
"Phew..."
Now was the moment. Carefully, I shook the ground moonlight herb powder from the bowl into the pot.
The pale purple powder, which had given off a faint glow, dispersed like smoke upon touching the water and melted away. The clear liquid turned a soft purple in an instant—a pretty mystical sight.
I stared, entranced, before snapping back to check the next step. Stir with a wooden spatula?
'...Don't have one.'
No choice—I grabbed the spoon I'd used to grind the herb earlier.
Reciting the recipe's "slowly with a wooden spatula," I moved the spoon as faithfully as possible.
Swirl, swirl.
It was starting to feel less like alchemy and more like stirring some mysterious purple porridge.
The next ingredient was the rock lizard's tail. The recipe said to slice it as thinly as possible and boil for another 10 minutes.
I placed the tail on the cutting board and picked up the kitchen knife. But it was way tougher than expected.
"Why... won't it cut...?"
The upper part had sliced fine, but why was it getting harder near the tip?
Squelch, squelch.
I pressed down hard with my slender arms, but the blade just slipped without biting in.
"Eek! Heave-ho!"
In the end, I grunted and threw my whole body weight into it. Sawing back and forth, I finally managed a few thick, uneven chunks.
Slicing thin was out of the question from the start.
"...Should be fine, right?"
I tossed the haphazard chunks straight into the pot.
'Alright, now low heat for 10 minutes...'
I stared blankly at the flickering flames.
"Hmm."
Nothing changed in the pot for a good while. Was this normal? A stifled frustration bubbled up.
'Maybe crank the heat a bit?'
The hesitation was brief. I turned the dial without a second thought.
Whoosh—!
"Ack."
The flames surged violently, as if swallowing the pot whole.
Bubble bubble bubble!
The liquid inside boiled furiously, spewing dark red foam.
Just 3 seconds. That's how long it took for the contents to turn pitch black.
A sour, nauseating stench filled the kitchen in an instant.
"Wha? Wh-what??"
I hurriedly shut off the gas and backed away. But ominous steam still billowed from the pot.
"I-I followed the recipe!"
My mind went blank.
"My... my entire fortune...!"
Before that wretched sight, I was speechless. My all-in investment had turned into some black sludge right before my eyes.
Was this the end? Just as I was about to collapse in surrender,
"...Huh?"
An inexplicable urge made me look up.
The black liquid in the pot seemed to whisper that it wasn't dead yet—that it had just taken a wrong turn.
I approached as if hypnotized.
The nose-piercing stench was overwhelming, yet strangely not unpleasant. Beyond it, I caught a faint herbal aroma.
Unthinkingly, I dipped a finger into the black goo.
And without hesitation, brought it to my tongue.
"...!"
A barrage of foul tastes assaulted me at once.
Bitter, astringent, rancid.
Sensations of the ingredients repelling each other.
In that chaos, something clicked in my mind.
'...It's bland.'
Not just lacking salt. It needed something to untangle this knotted mess.
I yanked open the cupboard and grabbed the dusty salt shaker. Pinching just a tiny bit, I sprinkled it in.
Sizzle—
The liquid's boiling sound shifted subtly as the salt hit. I relit the flame—dim as a candle this time.
Grabbing chopsticks, I began stirring slowly, oh so gently.
'Clockwise three times, counterclockwise once...'
I had no idea why. It just felt right. I surrendered to the flow.
And then, like magic, it happened.
The jumbled ingredients settled into place, melting together.
The foul stench faded, replaced by a fresh, crisp herbal scent filling the kitchen.
The black sludge had become a clear blue liquid.
"...Ah."
I gazed dumbly into the pot.
The softly glowing liquid was utterly different from the black mess moments ago.
'Did... I make this?'
I couldn't believe it.
Me, holed up in my room for over a month, had finally done something productive.
The small glass vial in my hand felt both foreign and gratifying. I desperately wanted confirmation that it actually worked.
I headed straight to the computer. Pulled up a chair, jiggled the mouse to wake it from sleep mode.
Luckily, the game was still running. I checked the guild member list.
[Roughly Cool Nick - Proving Grounds 5ch]
Her nickname glowed bright green.
I opened guild chat and hammered the keys.
[Kim Talky: Roughly! Roughly!]
[Kim Talky: Hey hey hey hey hey]
[Roughly Cool Nick: What]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Busy rn]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Challenge stage 4 grinding, gtfo]
[Kim Talky: You still can't clear that? Trash?]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Dick cheese]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Ah]
[Roughly Cool Nick: You fucker, I wiped]
Her reaction made my lips curl involuntarily. One more jab and she'd rage for sure.
I pictured it, fingers hovering over the keys—then remembered my actual goal.
'Right, the antidote.'
I deleted the "[lol food cut]" I'd been typing and got to the point.
[Kim Talky: Anyway]
[Kim Talky: Not important]
[Kim Talky: I might be able to fix your poison aftereffects]
[Roughly Cool Nick: ?]
A brief silence fell over chat at my out-of-left-field claim. I could almost feel her bewilderment through the screen.
[Roughly Cool Nick: Wtf you awaken as a healer or smth?]
[Kim Talky: Not a healer]
[Kim Talky: But kinda like it]
[Kim Talky: Made medicine lol]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Bullshit what medicine]
Her skepticism was expected. Years of gaming together, and suddenly I'm brewing potions? Natural.
[Kim Talky: Fr no cap]
[Kim Talky: Or else I'll smash my +14 reroll rn]
"Oops."
Only after hitting send did I realize. My +14 weapon—childhood memories and soul poured into it, my lifeline.
But no anxiety. This blue liquid I'd made was rock-solid; it wouldn't fail. A bizarre, intense certainty.
She went quiet too, flustered.
[Roughly Cool Nick: That serious?]
[Kim Talky: Fr fr trust me]
Another silence. I sensed deep deliberation on her end.
[Roughly Cool Nick: Then bring the meds to my place]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Gotta see your face to believe it]
"...Huh."
That one line snuffed out my potion-completion high like a lie. My heart sank.
I had to meet someone IRL... now?
[Roughly Cool Nick: Seohyeon Parkview 1st, Bldg 110, Apt 901]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Come tomorrow morning]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Oversleep and ur dead]
Her address was less than a 10-minute walk from my place.
Too close—no excuses to bail.
[Roughly Cool Nick: We've gamed together for years]
[Roughly Cool Nick: Let's grab food]
It was maximum trust and kindness for a longtime online buddy.
To me, it was a death sentence.
"......"
I stared blankly at chat.
'Go outside.'
'To an unfamiliar place.'
'Face-to-face with a person.'
"Kyahaaah!!"
A concrete, unavoidable quest had been thrust upon me.