Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Development as Expected
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Alchemist Aren
This wasn't the first time I'd visited her home.
"Want to come over to my place for some ramen?"
Those were the words she'd tossed my way back when my regressions had just barely hit double digits.
At the time, I didn't show it on the outside, but I was in a state of extreme excitement.
I'd been invited to a woman's house.
And not just any invitation, but hearing that famous line everyone in Korea knows, straight from her mouth.
This was it.
The one everyone knows!
I figured all the money I'd dumped into her potion shop like some kind of investor had finally paid off.
To get repaid in such an unexpected way!
The moment had finally arrived for me to fulfill my role as a man—how could I not be thrilled?
There was no time to hesitate.
I told her I'd follow soon and bolted back to my place at full speed.
I had a labyrinth expedition scheduled with my party, but that didn't matter anymore.
I was graduating from virginity.
Of course, showing up empty-handed would have been rude, so I put maximum effort into grooming myself.
I tidied my hair, gave myself a quick wash and some basic skincare.
Slipping into a suit sharpened my figure, making me look worlds apart from the shut-in obsessed with labyrinth dives.
I even spritzed on cologne, ensuring I smelled great all over—now I was fully equipped as a man about to meet a woman.
Dressed to the nines with a bouquet in hand, I headed to her place with my heart pounding.
Zero experience points, a total greenhorn who hadn't even held a girl's hand.
But in my heart, I was a man who knew how to satisfy a woman.
Dreaming of becoming the ultimate man every guy fantasizes about, I arrived at Aren's door.
And then...
"I've got an excellent test subject now."
I was locked in her house and subjected to a month of live experiments.
My innocence was defiled just like that.
"You look really pale, Leon. Did an old wound from the labyrinth reopen or something!?"
"It's nothing. Just remembered something unpleasant."
Even thinking back now, Aren from that time had no bottom line.
No matter how infamous Labyrinth City was for its poor security, kidnapping and experimenting on a fellow guild explorer?
It was well-deserved that she earned a reputation beyond eccentric—straight-up crazy bitch.
"It won't happen again, though."
Because I'd twisted that fate this time.
"Right this way."
Aren guided me into her home.
On the worn wooden shelves, glass vials of every color stood neatly arranged.
Red and blue liquids, glowing powders, specimens of strange creatures.
Dried herbs hung from the ceiling and walls.
The air carried scents of herbs and something like burned medicinal plants, while sunset light filtered through the faded window cracks.
"It's peaceful."
"Of course. I lock up when I'm out. It gets bustling with customers around lunchtime."
"That wasn't exactly what I meant."
"?"
This was a far cry from the Aren potion shop I knew so well.
The vials on the shelves were all dull poisons in black or murky green hues.
Dissected frogs dangled from the ceiling instead of herbs, the air reeked of rotting flesh instead of fragrant herbs.
The windows were boarded up tight, blocking even a sliver of light—truly deserving of the "witch's lair" label.
Worlds apart.
I overlapped the Aren from past regressions with this version of her, hard to believe they were the same person.
If asked why the difference was so stark, it was all because of my choices.
My first labyrinth dive.
Aren was destined to encounter a Wraith Knight that day, survive alone, and end up isolated.
Even without my help, she'd escape the labyrinth, but some incident would snap her mind completely.
Afterward, with her fractured psyche, she'd wander Labyrinth City, stirring up big and small incidents.
And back then, I'd let it happen.
The reason was simple.
It helped with clearing the labyrinth.
"Her rewards were quite lucrative."
After that labyrinth run, the broken Aren shelved exploration and dove into potion research.
She embraced live experiments—something she'd normally despise, a method she found utterly abhorrent—and dramatically improved her potions' quality.
The potions she made through those ruthless tests had no side effects and granted buffs stronger than anything on the market.
Flawless perfection, pushing the pinnacle of alchemy... until she finally crossed the ultimate taboo.
The madwoman created homunculi and turned the entire Labyrinth City into her lab.
Bad End: Straight to New Humanity route.
"For me, who kept hitting time-over on the same endings, it was a refreshing conclusion."
It was an obvious doom flag story just from hearing it, but surprisingly, not an entirely bad scenario.
The bad ending bomb was tricky, but preventable with foresight.
Plus, early access to top-tier potions and a bundle of rare items from linked quests.
Back then, I had no reason to refuse.
Saving her meant helping her complete potions later—a grindy, time-wasting slog.
And the real good stuff only came right before the final battle anyway, so I unhesitatingly ditched that path.
A ruthlessly efficient choice.
Looking back now, maybe my true ending route was already doomed by then.
They say the quickest path isn't always best, and charging ahead blindly got me burned.
So this time, I decided to take the scenic route.
Slowly, with her by my side.
"You can stay here for the time being."
Aren opened a door in the back corner of the shop.
Inside was a small room, about studio-apartment size—not bad for one person.
"No dust, clean floor, well-maintained."
"I built it intending to use as storage, but ended up with nothing much to store, so it stayed empty."
I looked at her.
A thick shadow hung over her awkward smile.
"Less 'nothing to store' and more 'not enough to begin with,' right?"
Her potions were highly effective but had harsh side effects, so they didn't sell well.
She'd grab a basket in her free time, hand out samples to advertise, but it backfired.
No profits meant struggling to buy materials or continue research.
That's why she'd recently started explorer work—to gather her own ingredients.
A skilled mage scraping by in poverty, unbecoming of her talent.
Anyway, that solved one of my basics: shelter.
Sell the mana stones from the labyrinth, and I'd have a solid foundation for tackling it.
I'd only brought a small shoulder bag anyway, so I tossed it in the corner.
Now, just lie down on this hard floor and call it a day.
"Leon, all unpacked?"
"Yeah, about to sleep now."
"I see."
While I'd been settling in and looking around, Aren had changed clothes.
A white dress draped over her slender shoulders, the soft fabric flowing smoothly, skirt hem swaying with each step.
The cloth clung flexibly to her curves, subtly accentuating her slim waist and pronounced bust.
But what caught my eye most was the white outfit.
"Sheer underneath."
Pretty bold for wearing in front of a man.
She seemed oblivious, though.
No way I'd bring it up and cause a fuss, so I chanted a sutra in my mind and changed the subject.
"Anyway, did you need to tell me something?"
"Oh, I was going to say you should sleep in my room."
"Together?"
"N-no! I mean, I can't have a guest on the floor, so I'll sleep here and you take my bed..."
Aren's face turned beet red as she stumbled over her words.
Redder than an explorer who'd chugged a potion in the square and collapsed.
Honestly, I'd half-expected the bed-sharing development when I heard that.
Given her outfit, too.
"Misread it."
Even in a dating sim, that progress was too fast, apparently.
"Why don't you, as the homeowner, take the comfy bed? I'm fine either way."
"No way. I'm not so heartless to my benefactor."
She clenched her dainty fists tight.
A declaration of intent to force me into the bed.
I sighed.
"Fine, let's check it out. If it's good, I'll take the bed."
"Great, it's way better than this place."
We headed to her room.
Curious how different it could be from the storage room she'd boasted about.
"Ta-da!"
"..."
"As expected."
What lay before me was a space identical to the storage room, copy-paste level.
Just with a desk and bed added.
Definitely better than the empty one, as she said.
If they're the same otherwise, furniture wins.
"Good night."
"?"
I shoved her into her room and shut the door.
"Hey, Leon!?"
I infused mana into the doorknob to block her from opening it.
A mage like her could break it, but would a broke girl really wreck her own intact home?
No chance.
Even I'd balk at the cost.
"Sleep tight in there."
What I wanted wasn't Aren doing me favors, but receiving mine.
Making her feel indebted to me.
And above all, no man's pride allows kicking a woman out of her own bed.
"Now I can sleep easy."
Tons to do starting tomorrow.
Sell the monster loot, visit the Association...
I drifted off to the lullaby of Aren's shouts.
When I opened my eyes, a new morning had dawned.