Chapter 16: Labyrinth (2) I Am an Alchemist
I am an alchemist.
It sounded a bit out of left field, but it was nothing but the truth.
So, what role does an alchemist play in the Labyrinth? Potion shuttle? Even regular folks can carry those around. Monster weakness vending machine? Thieves who roam the Labyrinth know that stuff way better. Potions? We've got a healer for that.
Hmm, are alchemists useless...?
In short, someone like me—an alchemist with no real combat chops—is pretty damn useless.
Of course, this only applies to low-level alchemists without the skills to back it up. Alchemists who adventure in the Labyrinth (basically doing the same work as thieves) can outperform straight-up thieves or healers. And the reason is simple.
"Lilia, I tossed a weakening potion at those slimes coming our way."
"Huh? There's a potion like that?"
"It's one I made specially."
"Whoa!"
Skilled alchemists focus less on buffing allies and more on debuffing enemies.
And not just making them a little frail, either.
"Uh, uh...? Aren't they basically dead now?"
"Oh, looks like I messed up the mix ratio."
When enemies show up, they brew potions that make foes drop dead from a single tap. Top-tier alchemists even carry potions tailored to specific monster types.
"Hop goblins over there!"
Crash!
"Krok!"
Hunting like that? Piece of cake.
Sure, it might sound like alchemists are broken OP, but with our frail bodies, we can never truly be "cheaty." No matter what.
Anyway, hunting like this let us rack up a decent number of monsters.
"Whoa, I've never bagged this many in a single day before."
"Haha, we got lucky."
"N-no, it's not luck. It's skill. For real."
Lilia lavished me with praise, but I just shook my head. This wasn't good enough. To push deeper, I needed to handle slime trash mobs with the Black Hand. But sadly, that was still out of reach.
Squelch~
My Black Hand just wasn't attuned enough yet to snag slippery slimes.
Damn.
I watched the slime bounce away from my Black Hand, forcing a wry smile. No surprise there—third time today.
Still need more practice.
Half-true. I could already grip and swing weapons with it just fine; it was the fine control that eluded me. Years of use, and it still felt awkward. Can't be helped.
Put yourself in my shoes: four new limbs sprouting out of nowhere. You think that's easy to control? If it was, I'd rip open my chest and yeet this book right now.
Anyway, after another failed Black Hand session left me a bit down, I shook it off quick.
Eh, it'll come with time.
Not my first rodeo. After this many tries, it was routine.
Turning failure into growth, I wrapped up training and headed back to our makeshift base.
I pulled aside the curtain (alchemist special: odor-eliminating model) and stepped in. Lilia was cooking, her figure on full, shameless display.
"Oh, smells good."
"Hehe, c-come eat, sir."
Her body stirred a bit of lust, but the thick aroma filling the cave shoved that aside in favor of hunger. Honestly, after hunting all day, my stomach was screaming.
Hard to believe, but since arriving and setting up base, we'd been grinding non-stop. We even overshot the daily haul from layer 1.
At this pace, we'll be rolling in it locally.
Of course, Labyrinth City's prices would burn through it in three days flat. Scratch that—with alchemist spending habits? Probably less than an hour.
Sigh.
Alchemists have it rough. Until you build a rep, you buy stacks of materials, then sell finished products for barely enough to cover costs and rebuy scraps.
As I mulled over these pointless alchemist woes, I dug into Lilia's stew. Slightly sweet and hearty—right up my alley.
Did she use the salt and sugar I gave her?
That flavor came from me letting her use as much as she wanted.
Alchemy can handle salt and sugar easy.
We can't turn lead to gold, but seawater to salt? Fruit to sugar? Piece of cake for elite alchemists—noble or royal level. Street hacks can do it too, but quality's inconsistent. Only geniuses like me hit this purity.
I gave Lilia a thumbs-up after the first sip.
"Delicious."
"He, hehe, thank you."
Her beaming grin was kinda pitiful, like some high school girl from my past life fangirling over otaku praise. Total nerd vibe.
But hey, not something you say to the chef, so I zipped it.
Anyway, after polishing off Lilia's stew, we settled in for our first night in the Labyrinth.
Couldn't sleep a wink.
Bad bed? New environment? Or just slime fatigue from yesterday? Whatever. Sleep wouldn't come.
Lilia, on the other hand?
"Yaaawn! Sleep well, Rike?"
She stretched languidly like she'd slept like a baby and chatted me up.
I nodded wearily at her question. Spotting my pallor, she giggled cutely.
"I-it's fine. Ri—er, Master Rike. First nights in the Labyrinth are rough for everyone. I'll handle hunting. You rest."
"N-no, I'm good. Sitting around would just keep me awake anyway."
"Haha, no worries there."
"Huh? What do you—"
My vision swam before I could finish.
"Hehe, my race is succubus. Putting you to sleep? Easy."
Then why not from the start?
Couldn't voice it—lights out before I tried. She really was a succubus. Irresistible pull. I surrendered to the dark.
While Rike slept, Lilia eyed him with a sly grin.
No surprise. As a veteran adventurer, she knew newbies often tossed and turned their first night from nerves or the alien surroundings.
But she hadn't helped him out. Despite her succubus powers making it trivial.
Why? The answer was surprisingly straightforward: she needed him to learn sleeping on his own at night.
Lilia hadn't reached the deepest layers herself, but she'd partied with pros who had. Most gave her that "what kind of perv are you?" look, but she'd picked up a key lesson.
Deep-layer parties fall asleep fast. Not just quick dozing—recovery sleep where they snap awake at the slightest sound. Constant peak condition.
What's that got to do with not lulling him? Everything.
Build that habit early, or suffer later. She'd seen parties beg for her sleep spell every night—most didn't end well. Conditioning is crucial.
But can't she just do it after sentry duty? Sure, but first night, plenty of time left—no need to push. Other nights? Probably not.
With that in mind, she left peacefully breathing Rike and exited the cave.
"Phew..."
She gazed at the sky, regulating her breath.
"Good thing I held back."
Staying in there? She'd have jumped him anytime. No real threats around, but her moans might draw monsters, so she bailed quick.
Sure, succubus who rapes guys at will—but she drew lines between work and play. (Though anyone she's "face-raped" might disagree.)
"Alright! Clear these before Master wakes!"
She felt it deep down—what could she do? Lilia set to slaughtering layer 1 slimes.