{Synthesis: Create low-level items with equal materials received.}
Resting Ataria on the table, Karion only stared at the panel.
[Low-level items… just what does that include?]
Hoping for a deeper explanation if not a type of recipe to use, he tried to interpret Synthesis' abilities. Despite his efforts, he couldn't get anything else from Appraisal. Thinking that nothing else could be done, he held the sword in his hand,
"Synthesis!"
A different panel from appraisal suddenly appeared. Divided into two sections, the left had a seemingly infinite number of empty spaces, while the right side only had a single space.
[Synthesis implies the combination of two things… Maybe I can combine multiple things, but just what can I use and what could I make?]
Closing the panel, he set Ataria aside, resting for the night. Waking up, after his breakfast, he immediately rushed to the dungeon to collect anything he could get his hands on; exiting and reentering the dungeon repeatedly.
The day soon drew to a close. Instead of depositing his haul to the guild, he brought it back to his room. 23 goblin ears, 6 hobgoblin ears, 3 clubs, 2 brown crystals, 3 fangs with 2 locks of fur from Dire Wolfs, and 2 shards from slime cores. Setting aside his loot, he opened the synthesis panel.
[Let's do some experiments…]
Placing a goblin ear on the left side, the right deposited nothing. When he placed another ear, the right side showed a black substance.
[What is that?] Attempting to use Appraisal, his efforts were denied, with the magic failing to cast, [I guess I can't appraise something until I make it…]
Interacting with the right side of the panel, a dim glow of light appeared above the red jewel of Ataria. When the light dispersed, a black mass of slop dumped over Ataria, dissolving immediately upon contact.
[Oh not again..!!!]
Before he could do anything, he noticed that it was the black slop that was dissolving, almost as if the sword was rejecting its existence. The blade began to glow brightly, hastening the speed of the dissolving mass, before returning to normal, only leaving sparse vestiges of the slop.
{Miasma; Catalyst of Dread}
[A catalyst? "Dread"…? And what was that glow?]
{
Ivory Ataria - Owner: [Karion]
Skills: [Restore], [Victory], [Recall], [Synthesis], [???]
}
[Nothing seems to be different…] Opening the synthesis panel once more, he noticed a third section suddenly appearing beneath the two sections. Inside was the miasma recipe created, [It logs in recipes only after I create them…]
Alone with his thoughts, Karion tested various combinations while exploiting the previews of the second box, and easily concluded that excluding weapons, using two or more of the same item will always result in miasma, while any synthesis including weapons doesn't work.
Continuing his research when he combined any two items of different origin, he received a different output with identical results. Creating the new material, Karion laid Ataria to its side, allowing the jewel to project the product on the table. A black stone was produced.
{Charcoal; An efficient use of fuel}
[Charcoal? How?]
-
The following morning, Karion walked through the commercial district, his search leading him to an apothecary. Noticing various items he was familiar with alongside others he had never seen before, he entered the store.
[Goblin ears, Dire wolf fangs… It seems like the materials are sorted by order of their appearance…]
Labeled with tags on what floor they could be found on, many items he had never seen before were displayed.
{Vinny Foot; A severed foot.}
{Zing Stinger; A poisonous needle.}
{Red Charcoal; An efficient fuel source.}
[Those are vague descriptions…] Not wanting to exhaust his mana further, he picked up the Red Charcoal, seeing no difference from the charcoal he had made the night before.
Walking to the clerk, he placed both on the table, "Excuse me, I have a question. I wanted to know the difference between my charcoal, and the one sold here."
The clerk, seemingly in her late 30s, wore a white robe with green adornments and used her glasses to take a proper look at the charcoal Karion had made.
"Ah… I get it. You're an apprentice alchemist, aren't you?" She said, "We get a lot of those now and again, so annoying…"
"Um, what?"
"Ah, sorry. I don't mean any offense," the clerk waved her arms, "So many alchemists nowadays don't properly train their students. So they embarrass them by making clumps of charcoal, asking them to be sold to shops like me. The only difference between what I sell and what you sell is that my charcoal comes from slimes, not alchemy. Seriously… Just because alchemy is a secretive practice, doesn't mean they should be making it our problem…"
[I didn't realize alchemy wasn't well-known… Thinking back, I don't have the synthesis ability, my sword does…]
"Look, I don't know much, but I know that unless you use water or slime fluid, you won't get anywhere," the clerk pointed to a shelf stocked only with empty vials, "I'm selling those for 10 per vial; 50 for 6. If you give me your charcoal, I'll take off 10, just this once. Shall I get them for you?"
"Yes please, I'll take six."
[If it's a necessity, I would like to buy a lot, but I can't spend too much money right now… I'm glad this clerk is so kind.]
Paying the clerked the bryas, he held the vials that were wrapped together by a thin rope.
"Before I leave, slimes are acidic… Are vials immune to their properties?"
The clerk had a dumbfounded look before groaning, her face in the palm of her hand.
[Did I say something wrong?]
"You imbue slimes with mana. They're physically immune, but if you overload their cores with your mana, they become paralyzed. Though it's unknown why, when they're disabled, their bodies are safe to harvest."
[Imbue them with magic to disable them…]
"Seriously… Why don't they treat their disciples more kindly?" The clerk clicked her tongue.
"Ahahaha… If I may ask, how do I imbue slimes with mana?"
The clerk stared at Karion, "….. You aren't being bullied, are you?"
-
Karion made his way to the dungeon's floor where slimes were frequent. The clerk only told him that it was like casting magic without using any spells. Imagining that the explanation would be enough for anyone native to the world, Karion had only one ability that uses mana, Appraisal. Encountering a slime, he stretched his hand in its direction.
[If I draw my sword to use magic, I might end up killing it. The only magic that I own isn't even an offensive ability, I just have to hope it'll work.]
Focusing his gaze, he tried to cast Appraisal without activating it. Through many trials, the slime had begun to ripple its jelly-like body.
[It worked..!]
Quickly preparing the vials, he extracted the slime of its fluids, filling three vials. The slime had dissolved to smoke, leaving nothing behind. When he hunted slimes using Pierce, the slime would occasionally leave shards of its core, expecting the core to remain, his surprise came when nothing dropped. Continuing his hunt, Karion filled all the vials, still not obtaining the core or any shards.
-
With his return to the inn, he immediately began to continue his efforts. Combining his newly obtained slime fluids with various items, the previews he saw differed. Producing the various potions, he laid them out on the table.
{Fatigue Potion; Rank F} x2
{Strength Potion; Rank E} x2
{Mana Potion; Rank E} x2
Combining the fluids with a goblin or hobgoblin ear, he received a brown fatigue potion. Using dire wolf fangs, he created two maroon strengthening potions. With the brown crystals, he created gray mana potions. Although each material was different, they all created potions of low quality.
[Is this from being on the early floors? Or is it because of my inexperience?]
Noticing the sun slowly setting, Karion rushed back to the apothecary.
-
"Mm, I'll take the fatigue potions for 30 each, and the strength and mana potions for 50 each, sound good?"
[Subtracting the cost of the vials, I would make 220 bryas. Compared to what I earned selling materials, I made a bigger income, though not by much…]
"Yes please, and I'll take six more vials."
"Thanks for your patronage!" The clerk wrapped the vials together, "Still, for you to make so many potions in one day, you must be a genius."
Karion had a difficult look on his face that the clerk noticed, "Tough day?"
"Ah," Karion faced his head up, "Sorry, I'm just trying to earn a lot in a short time."
"Hm? You aren't being bullied, are you? Want me to help you? I'll slug any one of those posh children," the clerk said while swinging her arm.
"No, no! Nothing like that, promise!" Karion hesitantly laughed, ["Posh"?]
The clerk sighed with a concerned look on her face, "Well, alright."
Karion reached into his money pouch, but the clerk waived her hand, "Just take it."
"I… what?"
"…Just this once," she said, turning her back.
"…..Thank you," Karion said. Taking the vials with him, he noticed the clerk's back still turned and had a light smile.
When the clerk turned her back around, Karion had left, leaving behind the bryas he owed on the counter, "Heh, a good kid…"
-
The day drew to a close and Karion laid on his bed. Though closer to his goal, the journey still felt insurmountable.
[I can make more selling potions, but it'll take longer for me to procure what I need. Conversely, if I sell the raw materials, I can do it daily, but at a lower price…]
Rolling around in his bed, he couldn't think of which option would be able to get him 70,000 bryas in less than a week. Even if the way to obtain currency was easier in this world, the struggles remained. Just as his battle continued, he suddenly remembered what soldiers said about bounties.
[…..A minimum of 300 bryas.]
Along with the memory of that day, the moment he took a life came to his mind.
"A last resort…"