How to Become an Alchemist
Good. I’ve successfully dragged Erisha onto my stage. And I never expected her to invite me to her own workshop.
In Seong-il’s original plan, he would have spent a month hopping between teahouses and other classes, purified the cursed house, then invited her himself. But when she unexpectedly offered to bring him to her personal workshop, he gladly accepted.
Whew… I was completely stumped about what excuse I’d use to invite her to the house after lifting the curse in a month. Looks like luck is on my side.
Having wrapped up his thoughts, Seong-il stopped by the Temple of Light to make an appearance before heading straight to the Night Dancer.
It had been several days since his last intense night with Pirina. When he appeared at her establishment, she greeted him with a bright, welcoming smile.
“Hehe… What style of dancer are you hoping for today…?”
She pretended to gauge his tastes while subtly probing his intentions.
“What are you talking about?”
When she put on that shameless I-have-no-idea-what-you-mean expression, Seong-il wrapped an arm around her waist and said,
“Who else would I want besides you? Was what you said that night just a joke?”
The moment Seong-il named her so directly, Pirina slipped out of his embrace with a look of feigned reluctance.
“Oh dear… I’m not a woman who sells her body anymore…”
She twisted her body this way and that, acting as if she didn’t know what to do. Without a word, Seong-il pulled two gold coins from his pocket, set them on the counter, then boldly wrapped both hands around her waist. He slid one hand inside her clothes, squeezed her breast, and guided her toward the inner room.
“U-um… where are you taking me…?”
“Drop the innocent act. From now on, I won’t meet any prostitute in this city except the one you suggested. Instead, I want you to become my personal dancer.”
At Seong-il’s firm declaration, Pirina gave a coy smile, pressed her breasts tightly against his body, and answered,
“If you’re that determined… well… alright!”
And so Seong-il once again spent a night of frenzied passion with her.
The next morning, Seong-il woke to a soft yet heavy pleasure weighing down on his body.
“Mmm…?”
“Haa… Ahn… Ahn…”
At some point Pirina had climbed on top of him and was vigorously rolling her hips in the cowgirl position.
“Morning already?”
“Ahn… Ahn… You’re awake?”
Watching Pirina enthusiastically shake her hips from the very start of the day, Seong-il let out a small chuckle.
“Sex right after a night of it? You really are insatiable, Pirina.”
“Hngh… So… you don’t like it…?”
Seong-il straightened his back, looked her straight in the face, and thrust upward.
“Not at all. It feels amazing.”
With those words, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.
After sharing that sweet morning intimacy, they collapsed back onto the sheets, holding each other as they began to talk.
“Hmm… Is my master not going to school today…?”
“Master? Not ‘young master’?”
At his question, she gently stroked his cock and answered in a sultry voice,
“Because… that’s the title you like the most, isn’t it?”
Seong-il was about to ask how she knew that, but he simply gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Did I make it that obvious every time we had sex?”
“Hehe… Obvious doesn’t even begin to cover it. Every time I call you that, Master’s cock twitches so hard—how could this humble servant not notice?”
Left speechless by her words, Seong-il answered the earlier question to change the subject.
“Call me whatever you like. And today I don’t have any classes, so I plan to lie here lazily with you, chatting until I head home.”
“Hehe… Most freshmen are supposed to be completely absorbed in their studies right after enrolling. What gives our master such confidence…?”
Finishing her sentence, she softly caressed his length once more and pressed her lips to his.
After a long, sticky kiss, they merged their bodies again and didn’t leave the bed until noon.
They shared the meal a brothel maid brought them. Seong-il promised Pirina he would return in three days, then moved on to the Temple of Light.
He purchased holy water as usual, then headed to Erisha’s house for the tutoring session and the routine of purifying the cursed house. Of course, that included the occasional scorching nights spent with Pirina.
For an entire month, while receiving lessons alongside Erisha, Seong-il played the part of a diligent student to eliminate any possible suspicion and create an opening.
Having built a rather close friendship with her, he was once again purifying the house with holy water one day when—
“Huh?”
As always, the moment he poured the holy water onto the goddess statue, it began to vibrate violently before shattering apart. The gloomy energy that had filled the house vanished in an instant, and a warm sensation spread around him.
This feeling…! It’s exactly like the description that appears in-game when a curse is lifted!
Seong-il realized that after consistent effort, the curse on his house had been completely removed.
With a joyful heart, he headed for the Temple of Light.
“Good day to you, Priest, Sister.”
“You’ve come! Sir Seong-il!”
The old priest completely abandoned his dignity and rushed toward Seong-il, the temple’s greatest sponsor for the past month. Seeing him approach, the priest took out the highest-grade holy water from his robe and offered it.
“Same business as always, I presume?”
“Haha… Today I’ve come with joyful news instead of purchasing holy water.”
At Seong-il’s unexpected words, the startled priest asked,
“Hmm…? Joyful news? What might that be?”
When the priest looked at him with a puzzled expression, Seong-il answered with a refreshed face.
“It seems the curse on my house has been lifted.”
“What?!”
The priest, forgetting all decorum, cried out in shock.
Tsk… He’s been squeezing ten gold out of me every single day, and now that his golden goose might fly away, he’s suddenly in a panic?
“Oh my! Congratulations!”
Whether she knew the priest’s true feelings or not, Sister Sophia offered Seong-il her heartfelt congratulations. The priest’s face hardened instantly as he glared at her as if he wanted to devour her alive.
Goodness, Sister… You really have no tact.
Seong-il felt a pang of sympathy for the beautiful nun.
The priest tried his best to hide his rotting expression as he spoke to Seong-il.
“E-even so… we can’t be certain the curse is completely gone. Wouldn’t it be better to continue using holy water?”
“Haha… It’s not that I’m short on money, but continuously buying such expensive holy water just as a precaution seems a bit…”
“Umm…”
After thinking for a long time, the priest began trying to persuade him.
“Sir Seong-il. Then, as a celebration for escaping the curse, allow me to bestow a blessing upon you. Could you wait just a moment?”
Though puzzled by the priest’s unexpected offer, Seong-il saw no obvious harm in it and agreed. He was guided by the priest and nun to a waiting area.
What is this…? There’s no way that corrupt priest would do something nice for me for free.
Suspicious of the priest’s dubious goodwill, Seong-il secretly used his Induction skill on the room they had entered and began eavesdropping on their conversation.
Activating Induction to intercept conversation.
“Sister Sophia!!”
“Y-yes, Priest?”
“Do you have a brain or not?!”
Startled by the priest’s sudden furious roar, Sophia stuttered as she answered.
“W-what do you mean, Priest…?”
Discarding the kind mask he had worn in front of Seong-il, the priest glared at her with open rage.
“Do you or do you not know that our district’s temple donations are lower than any other district?!”
“T-that’s because the believers in this area are relatively poorer compared to the northeast or western districts…”
“Shut your mouth!!”
Shocked by the priest’s genuine fury, the nun lowered her head, nearly sobbing.
“The amount our district offers up— I mean, donates—is so small that the bishop is beyond disappointed!”
“In this situation, our district’s crucial sponsor declares he will stop donating, and you tell him congratulations?! Are you hoping for our temple to collapse?!”
At his furious tirade, tears streamed down Sister Sophia’s face as she tried to defend herself.
“I-I didn’t mean it like that…”
“Shut up! For now, I will perform the blessing ritual on Sponsor Seong-il and try to persuade him. You had better think of a way to hold onto him as well!”
Then, as if trying to calm his excitement, the old priest took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell on her.
“If that man decides to cut off the temple’s sponsorship, I will also cut the support funds for the orphanage you worked so hard to establish. Do you understand?”
Shocked by his words, Sister Sophia grabbed the old priest’s hand and cried out in despair.
“Priest Piren! If you cut the support funds, those innocent children will go hungry starting tomorrow! How can you say something so cruel?!”
So the old priest’s name is Piren.
Seong-il, quietly listening in, finally learned the priest’s name after a month.
“Did I say I would definitely cut it? If Sponsor Seong-il continues his donations, the support funds will remain the same!”
“This old priest is throwing away his dignity to cling to a young sponsor’s trouser leg and beg! Shouldn’t you, who are younger, be even more desperate? Tsk tsk…”
“If you’re truly that desperate, then do something that pleases the sponsor. With a face as pretty as yours, you could at least act coquettish and try to seduce him!”
At Priest Piren’s crude words, Sister Sophia looked at him in horror.
“P-Priest! How can you say such things…!”
“You really are hopelessly naive! If you had just approached the sponsor with a slightly more open mind, both you, the sponsor, and the children could all be happy…!”
Having finished his tirade, Piren stormed out of the room in irritation, as if he couldn’t stand talking to her any longer.
Ho… If I use Priest Piren well, I might actually get to devour Sister Sophia.
Though surprised by the unexpected event, once Seong-il judged that it worked in his favor, a dark, cunning idea began to form deep in his mind.
When he sensed someone approaching, he quickly returned to the seat he had been guided to and pretended to know nothing.
“You’re back, Priest?”
“Haha… I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long, Sir Seong-il. Shall we move to another location?”
He led Seong-il to a space filled with brilliant light that warmed the body simply by standing there.
A place overflowing with the power of the God of Light—completely unfitting for a corrupt priest.
While Seong-il was admiring the sanctuary of Oltar, Priest Piren arranged various ritual tools and began guiding him.
“Sir Seong-il, could you please kneel before the statue of Lord Oltar here?”
Following his instructions, Seong-il knelt. Priest Piren began chanting sacred incantations and proceeded with the ritual.
After a long ceremony, Piren led Seong-il to a chair near the sanctuary.
I received a blessing, but I don’t feel anything in particular…?
As he sat down with that thought, Priest Piren suddenly threw a fastball at him.
“Sir Seong-il. Since we are alone in this secret room, I will speak frankly. Please continue your sponsorship.”
Startled by his direct approach, Seong-il replied,
“Pardon…? S-suddenly?”
“Sir Seong-il, our district’s temple has been suffering from chronic funding shortages for the past several years.”
“The reason we desperately need your sponsorship is that we may have no choice but to close the orphanage we have been barely keeping open due to financial difficulties.”
“Sir Seong-il, this old man begs you. For the sake of those pitiful children, could you not continue your support?”
Seong-il was dumbfounded by Piren’s shameless words, but he maintained a calm facade and continued the conversation.
“Hmm… Priest Piren… According to what you’ve said, you’re asking me to sponsor nearly three hundred gold per month…”
“That’s close to a year’s salary for one hundred and fifty commoners. You’re saying you’d spend that much on an orphanage?”
“As far as I know, I’ve never heard of the Oltar Church operating an orphanage that requires such enormous funds…”
At Seong-il’s sharp rebuttal, Priest Piren flinched and began offering pathetic excuses.
“W-well… we also need to build new facilities for the children, send them to school, and… repair the temple as well…”
“Enough with the performance, Priest Piren.”