Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 38
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 38
With a triumphant smile, Lion opened the Shilling Shop window.
[Do you wish to sell this item?]
[Target Item: Labyrinth Wood Pot (★)]
[Offered Price: 800 Shillings (fees extra)]
“Heh-hey. There you go again. Let’s double-check that.”
Unlike last time, he hammed it up and thrust the pot toward the empty air.
[Although it is a beautiful pot, it is judged to possess no special value beyond being made of wood.]
[The grade is also the lowest (★).]
[Adjusting…]
[Offered Price: 650 Shillings (fees extra)]
Oh-ho? This time the price had actually dropped.
‘This thing has a real sense of negotiation.’
Lion let out a sigh and began running his mouth with an air of pity for their ignorance.
“Alright. Look closely. This isn’t just any wood—it’s Labyrinth Wood, the kind that only grows inside a labyrinth. And the distinctive feature of this Labyrinth Wood is that it’s waterproof! Its durability is also excellent. A wooden pot that’s nicely shaped and has flawless performance? I can’t sell it for a measly price like that.”
[…]
Perhaps because of his dazzling gift of gab, the Shilling Shop fell silent for a moment before activating again.
[Re-evaluating price…]
[Offered Price: 1,500 Shillings]
[The price has been adjusted under the condition: ‘Fee reduction and upward price measurement based on new item information.’]
‘1,500? Nice.’
He’d be able to sell for more Shillings than expected.
Managing his expression with effort, Lion slowly nodded.
“Well… yeah. That seems about right. I’ll sell it.”
[Item sold for 1,500 Shillings.]
[Collecting the item in question.]
[You have obtained 1,500 Shillings.]
It sold!
Watching the Shillings fill up his inventory, Lion posed a question.
“By the way, can I keep selling the same item?”
[It is possible.]
[However, if supply is abundant relative to demand, the price will be adjusted downward.]
Mm, so it’d be best not to sell identical items if I can help it.
Not to mention the selling fees would stack on top of that.
‘Then it’s more profitable to sell a variety of items.’
Fortunately, there was no shortage of things to sell.
After all, Lion’s talents were inexhaustible.
Moreover, because he made items out of necessity and sold them, his experience points would also rise considerably.
‘If that happens, going from the Apprentice stage to Skilled…’
It would be far smoother.
* * *
Time passed like that, and three weeks went by.
Lion leisurely raised his fishing rod.
[Labyrinth Snow-White Trout (★★)]
-A trout that inhabits only the labyrinth, its coloring reminiscent of freshly fallen snow.
-Its eyes sparkle like moonstones. Might be quite valuable…
[Fishing Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.3.]
[Your fishing rod’s durability has dropped below 95 percent. Repairs are needed.]
[Catch 10 Species of Rare Fish 10/10]
[Achievement ‘Angling Scholar’s Path’ completed.]
[You have obtained 3,000 Shillings.]
In an instant, multiple notifications appeared all at once.
With the exception of the fishing rod durability issue, they were all pretty welcome news.
“Nice.”
With this, preparations were complete.
In the meantime, Lion had achieved tremendous growth.
[Fishing — Apprentice Lv.3]
[Gathering — Apprentice Lv.7]
[Cooking — Apprentice Lv.6]
[Tailoring — Apprentice Lv.4]
[Woodworking — Apprentice Lv.3]
Blacksmithing hadn’t been leveled up due to a lack of equipment, but even so, this couldn’t be described as anything short of remarkable progress.
And that wasn’t all.
One area had advanced so staggeringly that his other talents had barely gotten off the ground…
That was, precisely.
[Alchemy — Apprentice Lv.9]
A whopping Lv.9, the very last step of Apprentice!
In fact, the whole reason Lion had kept up his fishing during this time was because of his Potion Crafting Specialization, his Alchemy talent.
To go from Apprentice to Skilled, a certain condition was needed.
Namely, five or more talents other than the one in question had to exceed Apprentice Lv.3.
And just now, with his Apprentice level rising through fishing, that condition had been unlocked.
That wasn’t the entirety of his plan.
“Fish Essence.”
On the off chance he failed a recipe that unlocked at Skilled Lv.1, he had stockpiled the largest possible quantity of fish essence.
Lion butchered the fish and tossed the innards into a jar.
And if there was one notable thing among the fish byproducts…
[Labyrinth Trout Fish Eye (★★)]
-Harvested from a fish, but treated as a gemstone.
-Although it is not a Mana Stone, it conducts Magic Power extremely well.
[Usage — Alchemy]
[☞ Must reach Skilled Lv.1 to view recipe.]
-Sale price: 10,000 Shillings
…10,000?
The price was far higher than he’d imagined.
Was it because it counted as a gemstone?
The butchered Fish Eye certainly was beautiful. If he sold it right away, a tidy sum of 10,000 Shillings would come in…
But seeing that the recipe was locked, Lion abandoned the idea of selling.
Right. If it was valuable, that probably meant it was just as necessary to Lion himself.
Besides, wasn’t it a curious coincidence?
Both the fish essence and the Fish Eye required breaking through Skilled Lv.1 to view the recipe.
“Let’s not sell it.”
Since there was nothing he absolutely had to buy right now anyway, he resolved to keep it instead of selling it to the Shilling Shop.
And above all, a more important matter was at hand.
His Alchemy level-up.
“Hoo.”
Lion walked over to the alchemy apparatus and took a deep breath.
Inside his inventory were gathered nine unspoiled fish essences.
And once the trout essence currently bubbling away in the alchemical liquid on the verge of completion was done…
“That makes ten.”
Fwoosh!
A dazzling light enveloped Lion!
[Your Potion Crafting Specialization talent has broken its limits!]
[Congratulations! Through dazzling talent and bloody effort you have achieved tremendous growth in a short period!]
[The ‘Potion Crafting Specialization’ talent is evolving into ‘Alchemy Specialization’.]
[Alchemy has reached Skilled Lv.1.]
[New recipes have been unlocked.]
As the locked recipes opened, all sorts of knowledge and information flooded his mind.
It was somewhat different from his previous level-ups.
“This is…”
Until now, Lion’s head had contained only recipes related to potions. But now, it was different.
First of all,
the volume of incoming information was considerable.
And it drifted around in his mind as if it were already known knowledge.
His head felt slightly fuzzy from the rather peculiar sensation.
[Phoenix’s Spirit Jade]
[Scroll Made from Flowing Tears]
[Elixir Made from World Tree Sap]
[Curse Doll]
[Curse Reflection Doll]
…
Even things for which he couldn’t fully grasp the recipes yet entered his mind.
“Ugh.”
A momentary headache struck him, then subsided in an instant.
There was no need to make grand things like those, but there was no harm in knowing them.
Lion shoved the other knowledge into a corner of his mind and selected the recipe attached to the fish essence.
“…Ah, so that’s why it was locked.”
-Must be ingested by swallowing the pill whole. The fishy smell is considerable and may cause distress to those with a weak stomach.
‘To think this was the hint.’
Lion only realized it now.
Up to Apprentice, the knowledge coming in was limited to potions; from Skilled onward, he could grasp things about the whole of alchemy.
And this fish essence wasn’t a potion—it was a pill.
-Required materials: Special Fish Essence x5, Fish Eye x2
And as expected, it included the Fish Eye he’d just obtained.
But…
“It takes five essences and two Fish Eyes per pill, doesn’t it?”
That was a bit of a problem.
He had a sufficient quantity of fish essence, but the Fish Eye he’d just gotten was all he had.
Only one chance.
He had reached the Skilled tier, so he could certainly make it, but he couldn’t help but tense up anyway.
Before long, though, that tension gradually subsided.
It didn’t seem to be because he’d become calm due to his mana circuit.
This was more like…
‘Should I say it’s a rush of adrenaline?’
It was a rather pleasant thumping in his chest.
It was only then that Lion noticed he was smiling.
Maybe because of his specialization trait, alchemy really did seem to be the most fun.
Then again, alchemy had the tactile satisfaction of fishing, the persistence of grunt work, and even a special result at the end.
It was practically a dopamine set tailor-made for Lion.
And since his growth was rapid as well, it was a field where he never had a chance to grow bored.
“Ha ha ha…”
For the first time in a while, Lion laughed to himself like an eccentric.
‘What’s there to be scared of.’
What if I fail?
What if I make a mistake?
None of that was necessary.
Why worry about something you haven’t even tried yet!
Failing was allowed! Push all that aside and just have fun!
“Let’s go for it.”
Lion immediately threw five fish essences into the jar and stirred them around without applying any heat.
When the fish essences, which had been like royal jelly, were gathered and mixed together, they collided with one another and broke apart.
A form reminiscent of bone meal or sand.
Lion didn’t stop and continued to stir the inside.
Then…
Whoosh.
A surge of something hot began to rise.
Even though the alchemy jar hadn’t been heated!
Swish. Rustle.
As the temperature rose, the essence melted back into a liquid state and gradually coalesced together.
Despite the five colors mixing, it oddly didn’t turn murky. Instead, it maintained a patchy, colorful appearance like poorly mixed clay.
“In this state…”
He had to form the hot mass into a round shape with his hands.
It was the hardest part, but it had no effect on Lion.
Because he had his formal suit set!
Without hesitation, Lion plunged his hands into the jar and kneaded them to shape the mass.
He cupped his palms to roll it as round as possible.
And finally…
‘Throw in the Fish Eye at once and close the lid!’
Lion tossed the Fish Eye in according to the recipe and immediately shut the lid.
Then…
Bubble-bubble!
Boom! Clatter! Clank!
“Whoa, no joke.”
The lid began heaving so violently it looked as if it might not just overflow but fly off entirely.
Lion pressed down on the lid with both hands.
If the lid opened here even by accident, it would be a failure.
Rattle! Clatter!
After a rather long struggle, the lid fell quiet as if it had never happened.
Sensing the completion, Lion immediately opened the lid.
And then.
Boom!
A cloud-like steam billowed up in clustered puffs, and among them, a faint rainbow shimmered.
[Alchemist’s Fish Pill (★★)]
-A pill first made by a skilled alchemist.
-It holds considerable value as it is crafted from materials unseen anywhere else in the world. Permanently increases a set amount of mana upon ingestion.
-It gives off a shrimp-like aroma, but chewing releases a nasty fishy smell, so be sure to swallow it whole.
-Sale price: 15,000 Shillings
-Usage: Fishing
[☞ Click to view recipe.]
“Mm…”
Since the grade wasn’t as high as he’d expected, he was a bit disappointed.
‘The feel of making it was definitely there, though.’
To be fair, the material grade was a little low. Now that this was a Skilled-tier product rather than an Apprentice-tier one, that seemed even more apparent.
The fact that his trait hadn’t triggered probably played a part too.
Still, it was a relief that it hadn’t failed, but…
“The usage is… Fishing?”
Lion checked the recipe.
Perhaps because it was for fishing, no detailed recipe came up…
-It seems a specific type of fish would like it.
“Don’t tell me this is…”
The moment when the lake first activated fleetingly crossed his mind.
A ‘Rare’-grade fish.
“It was bait?”