Explosive Preparations
The two who had broken through to the second floor of the Chimera Dimension emerged from the alchemist clan building.
The sky had already turned a deep red, sunset spreading across it.
Kang Yoonsoo checked the date and time displayed on his terminal.
The Chimera Dimension will close soon. I need to hurry.
He had been walking toward the inn, but suddenly changed direction.
“Where are you going?”
“Alchemy workshop.”
Shanette quickly fell into step behind him.
“I’ll come too.”
“Rest at the inn.”
“Well… it gets boring by myself. And you’d be lonely on your own, wouldn’t you?”
Kang Yoonsoo stared at her for a moment, then kept walking.
Shanette was exhausted, yet she followed with a soft giggle.
He was expressionless and quiet, but she wanted to stay by his side.
Her cheeks flushed a faint pink.
Even at this late hour, the workshop was packed with people.
Most were alchemists brewing base potions or mixing unusual reagents.
Warm steam filled the air inside the workshop, accompanied by constant noisy clamor.
Anyone could pay a usage fee and combine whatever materials they wanted to produce reagents or potions.
With an additional material cost, special herbs and plants could also be used.
“Ah, I finally succeeded!”
One alchemist shouted with pure joy, practically leaping in place.
The glass bottle in her hand was filled with a clean, vivid purple liquid.
The higher the success rate of a potion, the clearer and more distinct its color.
That one looked like a solid result.
The people nearby offered polite applause.
The road to completing a potion was long and treacherous.
Even with knowledge of basic formulas, the slightest error could turn it into something worse than plain water.
A truly skilled alchemist could create small dimensions, but reaching that height was anything but easy.
Without natural dexterity, most people simply burned through their material costs and went broke.
Alchemy was a class that demanded considerable starting capital unless one was born with talent.
“Our workshop remains open until midnight. Thank you for your continued patronage.”
After paying the usage fee to the staff member, Kang Yoonsoo and Shanette claimed a workspace.
He pulled the landworm antennae from his backpack.
They had been stored at room temperature for a long time and were now shriveled and dry.
Shanette remembered how he had once mixed those same antennae with honey wine to treat White’s muscle pain.
“You’re going to use those?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Yoonsoo stood and walked over to the area where the reagent ingredients were kept.
Bundles of dried herbs and medicinal plants lay in neat piles.
The unusual ones carried potent effects and served as potion components.
Without even glancing twice, he selected herbs with practiced speed and dropped them into a basket.
“Gerbera. Bloodsucking herb. Moon sunflower. Blue herb. Alcohol moss. Carnivorous lotus. And… explosive cactus. That one is expensive and contains a large amount of flammable compounds. Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
Kang Yoonsoo took gold coins from his pocket and handed them over.
The staff member gave a tired smile and spoke again.
“This is the first time I’ve seen your face here, so I’ll be frank. Please don’t take offense. It might look impressive when alchemists make holy bombs or golems, but the reality is often disappointing. Plenty of people get thrown out after causing explosions while trying to craft proper items. Wouldn’t you rather begin with easier materials?”
“It’s fine.”
Kang Yoonsoo accepted the ingredients without expression.
When the staff member sighed, Shanette quietly approached and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. He might seem indifferent, but he’s actually a good person.”
Kang Yoonsoo returned to their station, laid out the materials, and began the real work.
He ground the landworm antennae in a mortar until they became fine powder, then added the withered gerbera petals to give the mixture color.
He combined the moon sunflower, blue herb, and alcohol moss in a pot and boiled them hard, opening vents so the steam could escape naturally.
His hands moved at a steady pace—neither hurried nor sluggish.
Yet every motion carried the relaxed, unhesitating confidence of someone who had spent a lifetime making potions.
Unlike the others around them, Shanette was quietly impressed that he wasted not a single scrap of material.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No.”
Kang Yoonsoo glanced at her.
“You’re tired.”
Shanette offered a small smile.
It was true. She had fought all day.
She felt grateful that he noticed, even though he usually seemed so detached.
She moved closer, her voice warm.
“I’m fine. I still want to help.”
Kang Yoonsoo studied her for a moment, then handed her the carnivorous lotus.
“Cut it into four equal parts.”
Shanette picked up a short knife and worked diligently beside him.
Her natural dexterity made her an excellent assistant.
Kang Yoonsoo measured precise weights on a scale and blended the remaining ingredients.
The liquid in the pot turned dark red and viscous.
A complete failure.
From across the room, the staff member wore an expression that said I knew it.
At that moment Kang Yoonsoo pulled a brightly glowing stone from his backpack.
It was a chimera heart stone.
He dumped every last one into the pot.
The hard stones melted into the sticky contents, dissolving completely.
After several hours of steady boiling, a clear, transparent red liquid flowed out in abundance.
“You did it!”
Shanette’s delighted cry drew applause from the surrounding alchemists.
Their eyes showed genuine surprise.
Most newcomers to the workshop simply wasted their materials and left empty-handed.
Kang Yoonsoo poured the liquid into small glass bottles.
There was so much that twenty bottles were filled and some remained.
◈ Restores vitality regardless of fatigue. Increases action speed and sharpens the senses.
◈ Overuse places heavy strain on the body.
With exceptional dexterity, you have produced an astonishing result.
A new skill, Potion Crafting, has been created.
Kang Yoonsoo continued boiling the remaining adrenaline potion, taking his time.
The red liquid bubbled fiercely, then shifted into a soft pink hue.
◈ Heals external wounds. Superior craftsmanship grants stronger effects than ordinary healing potions.
Potion Crafting skill level has increased.
Potion duration has been extended.
Potion Crafting skill level has increased.
Potion effects now spread more efficiently throughout the body.
Potion Crafting skill level has increased.
Potions now taste cleaner and are easier to consume. Powdered medicines crafted with this skill will also be highly effective.
The Potion Crafting skill had jumped three levels in an instant.
But he wasn’t finished.
Kang Yoonsoo extended his right arm.
“Evil Chimera, summon.”
“Krrrk…”
An undead chimera appeared.
The alchemists working nearby stared at him in shock.
“An undead! Wait, is that a chimera?”
“What the hell? Is he a necromancer?”
Necromancers wielded dark magic.
Because their class involved handling corpses, it was difficult to advance and rarely seen.
Even rarer was a necromancer who was also skilled at potion-making.
Ignoring the stares, Kang Yoonsoo spoke.
“Evil Chimera.”
“Krrrk…?”
“Kill yourself.”
“Krrraaah!”
Crunch!
The chimera smashed its head against the floor, shattering its skull.
Once the undead life left it, the rotting flesh crumbled away like sand, leaving only a pile of mixed monster bones.
Kang Yoonsoo gathered the varied bones—goblin ribs, orc skulls, what appeared to be a giant’s toe bones—and crushed them all into powder with the mortar.
Shanette helped from the side.
Scrape… scrape…
He mixed every bit of bone powder with fragments of the explosive cactus.
After lightly wrapping the hardened mixture in cloth, it took on a convincing round shape.
It was unmistakably a bomb.
◈ Explosive Power: 43
◈ A portable miniature bomb. Excellent ignition components cause it to detonate on impact. Despite its small size, its destructive force is tremendous. Contains a large amount of flammable material; contact with open flame will intensify the explosion.
With exceptional dexterity, you have produced an astonishing result.
A new skill, Explosives Crafting, has been created.
“Let’s go.”
Kang Yoonsoo placed the small bomb in his backpack and left the workshop.
Shanette followed, while the remaining alchemists stared after them with stunned expressions.
Outside, the faint light of dawn had arrived.
Shanette yawned widely and stretched.
“I really am tired. I want to get back to the inn and sleep right away.”
Yet Kang Yoonsoo’s steps were not headed toward the inn.
Shanette tilted her head.
“Kang Yoonsoo, that way isn’t the inn. It’s back toward the alchemist clan.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you going that way?”
“Hunting.”
Shanette’s eyes widened.
“What? Right now?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Yoonsoo took an adrenaline potion from his backpack and handed it to her.
“Drink.”
She accepted the bottle with a pitiful look.
“Do we really have to go right now?”
“I told you to rest earlier.”
“……”
She had no reply.
After all, she had insisted on following him.
Shanette took a sip of the adrenaline potion.
You cannot sleep for 24 hours.
Strenuous physical exertion can be performed with ease.
Most injuries will not register as pain.
Greatly increased strength and stamina.
However, the aftereffects will be severe.
The effects of the potion Kang Yoonsoo had crafted were remarkable.
Merely drinking it washed away all fatigue and filled her body with surging energy.
It almost felt like she could flap her arms and fly if she wanted to.
Shanette clenched her fists and shouted.
“The potion’s effect is incredible! I feel power rushing through every part of me!”
“The side effects are just as big.”
“What side effects?”
“All the fatigue and muscle pain from the fighting will hit you at once later.”
“…Please tell me things like that before I drink next time.”
“Then you wouldn’t have drunk it.”
“…I’m feeling murderous right now.”
“I know.”
“Do you actually want to die?”
After their strange exchange, the pair stepped back into the Chimera Dimension.