Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 22

The?pair?who had cleared the second floor of the?Chimera Dimension?left?the?alchemist guild?building. The sun was already setting, coloring the sky a dark orange hue.

Kang Yoon-Soo checked the date shown on?his?wrist device.?‘They’ll soon block the entrance to the?Chimera Dimension. I?have to?hurry.’?They?had been?walking towards the inn, but he suddenly changed his course.

“Where are you going?” Shaneth asked.

“The alchemy processing center,”?Kang Yoon-Soo?replied.

Shaneth hurriedly followed him, saying, “I’ll go with you.”

“Rest at the inn,”?Kang Yoon-Soo said, coldly rejecting her.

“Ah… It’s?boring to be alone… Don't you feel lonely that way?”?Shaneth tried appealing to him.

Kang Yoon-Soo stared at her,?then walked away. Shaneth was certainly tired, but she?giggled?as she followed him. He was quiet and emotionless, but she wanted to be beside him… Suddenly, her cheeks became?red hot?when she realized her own thoughts.

The alchemy processing center was bustling even at this?late?hour. Most of the people in it were alchemists?who?were manufacturing potions or tinkering with new recipes. The center was filled with warm steam from the activity, and it was quite noisy as well.

Anyone could use the alchemy processing center to manufacture potions or whatever recipe they had?as long as they paid the fee to use it. Also, they could get access to rare medicinal herbs if they paid an extra fee.

“Ah! Finally,?it’s a success!”?A?female alchemist let out a shout of joy. A purple liquid?filled?the glass bottle she was holding. The color of a potion was clearer the more successful the process was, and the potion the female alchemist was holding was not bad at all.

The people around her started to clap one by one.?They all?understood that potion making was a long and arduous journey. Even if one knew the recipe,?if?there was a slight mistake in the process, the potion would end up being a liquid worth less than water.

A skilled alchemist would even be?able to create a small pocket dimension, but it was not easy to reach that level just?by being?an alchemist. In fact, if one?lacked the skill, they would be bankrupted?just by buying materials before being able to grow as an alchemist.?The Alchemist class required?one to start with significant capital unless they were gifted.

“Welcome. Our center is open until midnight. We hope for your continued use and patronage of our center,” a?staff member said?as she escorted the?pair?to their spot after receiving their payment.

Kang Yoon-Soo took out a landworm feeler. Perhaps because it?had been?kept in?a warm place?for a long time, the feeler looked quite dry.

Shaneth remembered seeing him mixing the landworm feeler?with?mead to?heal?White’s muscles.?“Do you plan to use those feelers?” she asked.

“Yes,”?Kang Yoon-Soo?replied in the usual manner,?then?headed toward the?facility’s material storage. ?There were bundles of dried medicinal herbs?inside;?such exotic plants had strong medicinal properties and were perfect?for use?as potion materials.?He started to put?several?herbs one by one into the basket without even checking them.

“Gerbera,?blood-sucking?plant, moonflower, blue herb, alcohol moss,?insect-eating?lotus, and explosive cactus. The explosive cactus is expensive and has highly combustible properties;?will you be alright with it?” the staff member in charge of the materials asked.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as he took some?gold coins out of his pocket.

The staff gave?him?a tired?smile and?said, “I have a piece of advice for you;?please do not be offended and listen to it. The alchemists might look amazing because they make bombs and golems, but that is far from the truth. A lot of them end up causing explosions, and they are chased away from this center. Would you like to use?easier ingredients?to start with?”

“This is fine,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered as he collected the ingredients.

The staff?member?could only sigh at his reply.?Shaneth?approached him?and apologized.?“I’m really sorry;?he might seem indifferent and rude, but he’s a nice person.”

Kang Yoon-Soo?returned?to his spot and started to work on the ingredients he had just bought. He ground up the landworm feelers into powder, then added the dried petals of a gerbera flower. He then boiled the moonflower, blue herb, and alcohol moss in a pot,?and?left a part of the lid open to let the steam escape the pot.?His movements were?neither slow nor fast. However,?they?were those?of someone who had made potions their whole life.

Shaneth was impressed by how Kang Yoon-Soo used all of the materials he had brought, unlike the other people in the room.?“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked.

“No,”?Kang Yoon-Soo?replied.?He then took a glance at Shaneth and added, “You’re tired.”

Shaneth had a small smile on her face. It was true that she was tired from battling chimeras all day, and she was thankful for how he seemed to be considerate despite his cold and indifferent personality. Nevertheless, she clung to him and?insisted, “No, let me help you.”

Kang Yoon-Soo?stared at her for a while before passing her the?insect-eating?lotus, saying,?“Cut it into quarters.”

Shaneth grabbed a knife and started to diligently help Kang Yoon-Soo. She was already skilled with the knife because of her previous experience, and?thus helped him greatly.

Kang Yoon-Soo weighed the remaining ingredients?and?divided them into portions. While he was preoccupied, the liquid in the pot turned black and sticky. It?appeared to be?a complete failure.

The staff member that had warned him a while ago was spectating from?afar, and?his expression suggested he had expected that to?happen.

At that moment, Kang Yoon-Soo took out what appeared to be a rock from his backpack. It?had a faint glow to it—it was?a?chimera heart fragment. He poured all of the heart fragments he had into the pot; the rock-hard fragments?started to melt and mix into?the black liquid in the pot.

After hours of boiling, the previously black liquid miraculously turned into a transparent and bright green liquid.

“It’s a success!” Shaneth exclaimed?joyfully, and the people around them started clapping one by one. The?onlookers?could not believe what had happened either. It was actually common for?first-timers?to waste their money at the alchemist processing center.

Kang Yoon-Soo poured the liquid into?small glass bottles, and he managed to fill a total of twenty bottles from that one pot.

[Adrenaline Potion]

This?potion?can restore?stamina to the user no matter how tired they are. The senses and reflexes of the user will be greatly increased. However,?an?overdose of this potion will put a?great?strain on the user’s body.

After he?finished brewing?the?potion, a new skill was created.

[You have gained an achievement through your?handiwork.]

[A new skill, ‘Potion Making’, has been created.]

[Potion Making]

Skill Level: 1 (00.00%)

You can create potions by mixing ingredients.

Kang Yoon-Soo boiled the remaining?adrenaline?potion in the pot, and the bright green?liquid?started to turn pinkish.

[High-Grade?Healing Potion]

A potion that heals external wounds; it is more effective than normal healing potions because of the excellent craftsmanship of the maker.

[The skill level of ‘Potion Making’ has increased.]

[Potions you create will have?their?effective duration increased.]

[The skill level of ‘Potion Making’ has increased.]

[Potions you consume will have?their?effect spread throughout your body.]

[The skill level of ‘Potion Making’ has increased.]

[Potions will taste sweet, making?them?easier to consume. Medicine created in powder form will be more effective.]

The ‘Potion Making’ skill increased by three levels in an instant, and it did not end there. Kang Yoon-Soo raised his right hand and said,?“Summon Evil Chimera.”

“Kirururuk…”?An undead chimera suddenly showed up, and the alchemists around it started to panic.

“That’s an undead! No, is it a chimera?”

“What? He was a necromancer?”

Necromancers dealt with black magic, and they were quite rare because of their need to deal with corpses. Also, it was nearly impossible to find a necromancer that was skilled in?potion-making.

Kang Yoon-Soo paid no heed to the surrounding people?as he said,?“Evil chimera.”

“Kiruruk…?”

“Kill yourself,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded.

“Kirururuk!”

Bam!

The evil chimera smashed its head onto?the floor, and its head exploded as it dropped dead. The remains of the undead?creature?started to rapidly decompose and turn into sand, and numerous?bones from?various monsters were left behind.

Kang Yoon-Soo picked up the?assorted bones and started to grind?them?down into?powder?with a?pestle.?He ground up a?goblin’s rib, an orc skull, and even what seemed to be a giant’s toe bone; Shaneth?helped him?with the task.

Ssakak…?Ssakak…!

Kang Yoon-Soo gathered the bone powder and the explosive cactus into a pile, and bound?them?into a small ball with a cloth—the?final result?looked exactly like a bomb.

[Powerful Small Bomb]

Rating: Normal

Explosiveness: 43

A small bomb that is easy to carry around. It is small but?its?explosive?force?is very powerful; as?it contains flammable substances, its power?will increase when it comes in contact with fire. It will?also explode upon impact.

[You have gained an achievement through your?handiwork.]

[A new skill, ‘Explosives Creation’, has been created.]

[Explosives Creation]

Skill Level: 1 (00.00%)

Your handling of explosives and gunpowder will increase, and your understanding of flammable substances will increase.

“Let’s go,” Kang Yoon-Soo told Shaneth as he put the bomb in the backpack. Shaneth followed after him. The remaining alchemists stared?dumbfoundedly?at the workstation?he?had?just used.

It was already dawn?by the time they?left the alchemist processing center. Shaneth let out a yawn as she stretched her arms, saying, “Today was really tiring. I can’t wait to go to the inn and get some sleep.”?However, Kang Yoon-Soo wasn’t?going?in?the direction of the inn.?Shaneth tilted her head in confusion and asked, “Ehm… That isn’t the way to the inn. That’s the way to the?alchemist guild.”

“I know,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Then why are you going that way…?”

“To hunt.”

Shaneth’s eyes shot wide open in surprise?as she asked,?“What? You mean now?”

“Yes,”?Kang Yoon-Soo?replied as he took out an?adrenaline?potion from the backpack and passed it to her.?“Drink it,” he added.

Shaneth received the potion and asked?tearfully, “Do we really have to go now…?”

“I told you to rest a while ago,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

She was speechless, but since she had volunteered to follow him after all…?Shaneth drank the?adrenaline?potion in one go.

[You have drunk the ‘Adrenaline Potion’.]

[You will not be able to sleep for 24 hours.]

[You will be able to?perform?strenuous movements without losing stamina.]

[You will not feel pain from minor injuries.]

[Your muscles have strengthened.]

[However, there will be severe side?effects.]

The potion made by Kang Yoon-Soo had amazing effects.?Shaneth’s?fatigue left her body and she felt reinvigorated just by drinking a bottle. She felt as if she could flap her arms and fly away—of course, that?was?just how she felt, and she?would not be?able to actually fly.?She pumped?her fist and?shouted?out loud, “This?potion?is really amazing! My body is full of strength!”

“But the?side effects are?severe,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“What side?effects?”.

“All of the fatigue and muscle pain will come at once.”

“Please tell?me before?I drink?such a potion?next time…”

“Then you won’t drink it.”

“I feel like killing someone right now…”

“I know.”

“Do you want to die…?”

The?argument between an indifferent man and a loud woman?persisted all the way to the?Chimera Dimension.

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