How to Become an Alchemist
When Elisha said that, Seong-il responded in a firm voice, offering her compensation. “Three thousand gold.”
Three thousand gold
“?!”
Elisha was rendered speechless by the astronomical sum that had suddenly flown from Seong-il’s mouth. Watching her stunned expression, he continued.
“Just so you know, the amount I mentioned isn’t the prize for winning the bet.”
“If you become my sex slave for one month, I’ll give you three thousand gold whether you win or lose the wager. I swear it.”
At Seong-il’s sudden declaration that he would hand over roughly one-third of the debt she owed him regardless of the bet’s outcome, Elisha stared at him with a dazed face. He tossed a pouch at her feet and said,
“That’s one thousand gold. I’m giving it to you as an advance payment to prove the bet’s credibility.”
“!!”
Her expression wavered at his proposal. Elisha asked,
“W-what if I refuse?”
Seong-il answered with a shameless look on his face.
“Do whatever you want after that. Report me to the guards or not, I’ll accept the consequences quietly.”
“Oh, and regardless of that, the thousand gold I’m giving you right now is yours to keep. Your body was worth that much, after all.”
Elisha frowned at his words and glared at him.
“…You piece of trash. What do you even gain from conditions like that? If you win and I spread my legs, are you planning to take me as your concubine and turn me into your sex slave?”
“Hah… You dangle a sweet offer like this, but if you’re thinking of torturing me for a month or getting me addicted to drugs, you can forget it. I won’t fall for cheap tricks like that.”
At her accusation, Seong-il shrugged as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
“Not at all~ I don’t have the slightest intention of breaking you. When we carry out the bet, I have no plans to damage your body or use any drugs.”
“Why? Because if I win the bet against you, I’m going to make you the manager of the workshop I’m going to build.”
Elisha wore an expression that said she couldn’t understand his completely contradictory logic and asked,
“…What? What the hell are you—”
Seong-il cut her off and kept speaking.
“It’s exactly what you heard. If I win the bet, I’ll appoint you as the person in charge of the workshop I create.”
“Also, if you’re hired, apart from the three thousand gold, I’ll pay you an annual salary of one thousand gold for two years.”
“And to help you clear the remaining five thousand gold of Edward’s debt, I’ll loan you that amount with ten years of interest-free flexible repayment.”
“In return, you must pledge loyalty to me and run the workshop. And whenever I tell you to spread your legs, you’ll do it without complaint.”
Elisha couldn’t hide her utter disbelief as she answered.
“…That’s my condition for losing?”
“Haha… Pretty killer terms, right?”
“…”
“Actually, that’s not all.”
“…?”
Looking at the silent Elisha, Seong-il continued.
“After two years, I’ll give you thirty percent of the shares in the workshop we build together.”
“?!”
Having finished speaking, Seong-il tightened his grip on the leash in his hand and pressed her for an answer.
“So? Will you do it? Or not?”
“…”
Elisha simply stared at him blankly. After a long moment of dazed silence, she finally asked,
“…Just who the hell are you?”
But Seong-il didn’t answer. He simply smiled faintly and gazed at her.
“…If that’s what you were thinking, why didn’t you just recruit me from the beginning instead of raping me? If you had, I obviously would have joined hands with—”
“Because it’s fun.”
“?”
Elisha stared at him in a daze as he suddenly cut her off with that ridiculous answer.
“From the start, the only reason I targeted you was because you’re beautiful. Got it? I didn’t do any of this because I coveted your status or talent.”
“…”
“I’m a man who stays true to his desires. You were just unlucky enough to catch my eye. Or… should I say you got lucky in this case? Heh heh…”
Elisha stared at him, completely stunned by his insane, manic explanation.
“You… you’re crazy.”
“Maybe…? In a world that isn’t even real, wouldn’t it be stupid to act like some saint?”
“What kind of crazy nonsense are you—”
Seong-il cut her off again.
“So, will you do it? Or not? If you don’t want to, grab that sack of gold and run to the guards. Your clothes are right there.”
“…”
Elisha spent a moment contemplating his deranged bet before finally opening her mouth.
“…Fine.”
The moment she gave a positive answer, Seong-il smiled and whispered into her ear.
“Good… From today onward, for one month, you’re my sex slave. Make sure you act accordingly. Understood?”
“…Understood.”
At her reply, Seong-il raised his hand and slapped her ass.
“Is that how you speak to me?”
“Ah… Understood, sir.”
Still not satisfied with her honorific, Seong-il yanked on the leash, smacked her ass again, and said,
“Where did you forget the title ‘Master,’ slave?”
“…Understood, Master.”
Satisfied with her answer, Seong-il grabbed her hips and began thrusting wildly into her from behind once more. Both Elisha and Seong-il were already burning with arousal, and it didn’t take long for them to reach climax. Seong-il happily came inside her again.
The next afternoon, after finishing his classes and returning to the workshop, Seong-il entered with a worried heart, wondering if Elisha might have changed her mind and reported him.
‘Whew… I hope Elisha accepts the bet I proposed yesterday.’
While Seong-il was pondering this, washing up, and about to eat the food he’d bought outside, he heard someone knocking on the door.
“Who is it?”
Prepared for a possible surprise attack by the guards, he activated Induction and approached the door with full vigilance. When the tense Seong-il opened the door, the person standing before him was none other than the very woman he had made the bet with yesterday.
“…Hmm, Elisha?”
“W-why…?”
He was about to ask what she wanted when he suddenly remembered the promise he’d made with her yesterday.
‘From now on, come find me every day after classes end. Even if you have a lot of classes and it’s late, come anyway. If you don’t, I’ll consider it as you giving up on the bet.’
Recalling that he had given such an order, Seong-il gestured for her to come inside and invited her into the house.
“Are classes over?”
“Y-yes… they’re over.”
Perhaps because she had come to willingly offer her body once again to the man who had raped her, Elisha’s voice carried a faint trace of fear. Seong-il spoke to her sharply.
“Watch your tone.”
Startled by his cold words, Elisha corrected herself.
“Th-they are over, sir.”
Seong-il wasn’t pleased that she hadn’t used the word ‘Master,’ but he decided he could teach her gradually. He led her into the living room.
“Strip.”
“!”
Elisha was flustered by his extremely direct command. But she soon resigned herself and quietly began to slowly remove her clothes. Once she was completely naked, she used both hands to cover her breasts and private parts. Seong-il sat on the sofa that had been left in the living room and gave her another order.
“Put both hands behind your head and interlace your fingers. Then spread your legs shoulder-width apart.”
“Th-that’s too much…”
At her protest, Seong-il said irritably,
“Don’t want to do the bet? If you don’t, just put your clothes on and get out. What kind of bet can you even make with that kind of mindset?”
“…”
It was humiliating, but when Elisha remembered the enormous sum of money Seong-il had offered her yesterday, hesitation began to creep in. Excluding the thousand gold she was to receive regardless of the bet’s result, the wager amounted to nearly one-fifth of the debt she owed.
‘One month… If I just endure one month, I’ll get two thousand gold excluding the advance.’
Greed welled up inside her, persuading her.
‘Just endure one month, take the money, and never get involved with this damn bastard again. That’s all I have to do.’
Comforting herself this way, Elisha swallowed her shame and assumed the position Seong-il had demanded.
“Good. From now on, you will come to me every afternoon, take off your clothes, and undergo inspection. When you receive an inspection, you must always take this exact pose. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
Satisfied with her response, Seong-il led her to a corner of the living room and tossed her the dog collar and leash that were hanging on the wall.
“Catch.”
When Seong-il handed her the same dog collar that had been fastened around her neck yesterday, Elisha’s face flushed bright red with shame. Her hands trembled as she accepted the collar and leash.
“Kneel.”
“!”
His demand was now completely blatant. Elisha hesitated, but soon steeled herself and knelt before Seong-il’s feet.
“Hold the dog collar in your mouth and place both hands neatly on your knees.”
“…”
Just how far did this man intend to trample her pride? Feeling utterly miserable, Elisha took the collar into her mouth and assumed the position he described. Seong-il gently stroked her head and said,
“From now on, every day you will receive a body inspection from me. Once it’s finished, you will bring me that collar in your mouth. Understood?”
“…Understood.”
Satisfied with her answer, Seong-il quietly took the collar and leash from her mouth, then fastened it around her neck. He took hold of her leash and led her to an empty room. Seong-il tossed her a set of clothes and said,
“This is what you’ll wear whenever you come back to the house.”
When Elisha looked at the clothes he had thrown her, she was immediately struck with disbelief. What Seong-il had given her wasn’t proper clothing at all—it was closer to lingerie: a corset and garter belt.
“Y-you want me to wear this?”
“Why? What’s the problem? It’s not like there’s anyone here but you and me.”
Elisha endured the humiliation and began to put on the clothes. Once she had them on, she realized they had a serious flaw.
‘Th-they don’t cover my breasts or pussy at all?!’
Incredibly, the corset and garter belt Seong-il had given her completely exposed the most intimate parts of a woman’s body that should have been carefully concealed. Shocked by his perverted taste, she tried to protest.
“E-even so… wearing something like this all the time is a bit…”
“Then would you rather walk around completely naked except for the dog collar? I’d be fine with that too.”
“…..”
Unable to argue against his absurd logic, Elisha silently shook her head in acceptance.
“…Understood.”
“Don’t worry. When you go outside, I’ll allow you to wear outer clothes.”
‘Is that supposed to be comforting?’
Elisha felt irritated by his nonsensical words, but she swallowed her annoyance and nodded.
“Also, starting tomorrow, you will come to my workshop every evening for one month.”
“What?!”
“What’s the problem?”
“B-but… I have my own personal circumstances…”
Seong-il cut her off irritably.
“Cut the bullshit. You’re a sex slave whose job is to relieve your master’s sexual desires.”
“If your master wants to relieve his lust, should he have to go to the slave’s house? Or should the slave come to him?”
“I won’t accept any objections. After classes end, come straight to my workshop. When work is finished, you may go home.”
Having spoken decisively, Seong-il dragged Elisha to his bedroom and began violating her once again.
‘This guy is out of his mind.’
That evening, after having sex with Seong-il for several hours and returning home, Elisha thought to herself.
‘He told me to carry an aphrodisiac as insurance?’
After finishing with her, Seong-il had handed her a bottle of aphrodisiac (which was actually just ordinary lotion with no effect) and said,
‘From now on, carry that aphrodisiac with you every day. Whenever I ask for sex, hand it to me on the spot.’
No matter how she thought about it, Seong-il was clearly insane. Offering her an amount equal to a high-ranking noble’s yearly income just to use her body for a month. Promising to give it whether he won or lost the bet. And the fact that he had even dragged her to get it officially notarized made even less sense.
‘Anyway, since I got the secret notarization from the bank, as long as I don’t give up midway, that money is mine no matter what.’
The magic notarization ring on her finger would never change color as long as she didn’t abandon the oath she had sworn. The bank had even prepared a spare in case she tried to fake losing the ring to sabotage the bet.
‘No matter how I look at it, there’s no way I’ll lose this bet. I’ll endure one month, take the money, open my own workshop, and pay off my debts!’
Having firmly made up her mind, she silently returned to her own workshop.
After Elisha left, Seong-il organized the gold he had piled up in his secret room and thought,
‘I left the gold in the secret room until today to convince Elisha, but to prevent any unexpected variables, I should deposit it in the bank.’
He had left the gold there to persuade her, but now that she seemed to have fully accepted the bet and wasn’t going to report him, Seong-il decided to deposit all the gold coins in the bank.
‘Pirina probably won’t betray me, but you never know how people change when gold is involved. Even if the room gets robbed, I don’t want the gold to be taken. I should get some insurance.’
Having finished his thoughts, Seong-il began carrying the piles of gold coins box by box and secretly depositing them in the bank.