Chương 3: The Cutest Alchemist and the Gallery

"Hm…Did I buy too much?" I stared at the 100 bundles of Opara Grass on my counter. Originally, I was only going to buy about 50 of them, but more people than I thought harvested and put them on the exchange. Oh well, it can't be bad to have too much of it. It's only 100 points per and a staple in making recovery potions. Though, I will need to buy more sap and tree bark… To keep the excess grass from dying, I planted them in pots I was preparing to use for vegetables.

"Grow! Grow! Grow up big and strong!" I sang to the plants after watering them. Putting items on the exchange cost a small percentage based fee. It'd cost you 15% of the price of your item. But, if you sell an item in bulk that changes to a 10% fee. So, the plan was to create all 50 minor recovery potions and put them on the exchange together for a bigger profit. Purchasing another bottle of sap and piece of bark, I got to work. …

"Haah…" I yawned, laying sprawled out in my bed. It was definitely a lot of work creating the potions, but as I continued to make them, I got quicker and more proficient over time. I was even able to cut down on how much sap and tree bark I used per potion. Though, I've only made around eight so far, I was already becoming a master.

"Master alchemist! Hehe…" I giggled as my eyes naturally drifted shut. … The next day I got hit with a welcome surprise when I went to concoct a potion. [Opara Grass] Grade E Grass harvested gently and injected with comforting mana to grow faster. The 'Grade F' Opara grass I was using before had changed grades! The reason was obvious, my gentle and loving care had made it grow better!

"Hehe!" I broke out into a smile. Even checking the planted grass, I could see that all the grades had changed overnight. If I had known this beforehand, I would've waited before brewing the potions yesterday. In fact, I was tempted to wait even longer to see if I could get them to D grade. But, I decided against it. There was no telling whether or not it'll actually rank up again, and how long it would take if it did. Still, I cast my skill on the plants again before going back to brewing. …

[Minor Recovery Potion] Grade E+ Creator: Raccoon A potion that accelerates injury recovery rate. If drunk, helps internal injury recovery speed. If applied to wound, closes injury and stops bleeding.

"Oh!" I stared at my completed potion. It didn't look or smell different than the E grades, but this one was supposedly better. Now the question was: did it get better because I used better materials or because I got better at potion brewing?

"A mix of both, maybe?" Shrugging, I brushed the question aside and continued to brew. … This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I finally figured out the answer to the age old question: How much potions can I make in a day if I dedicate myself to it? The answer: 15 before I start to lose my concentration and make mistakes. Since it take around 10 minutes per potion before cooling, I spent around two and a half hours brewing potions today.

I could probably continue and make more if I took a short break, but there was no need to push myself. In fact, I was quite proud of myself. I hadn't felt bored at all. I've been enjoying every step of the process; I haven't even touched the internet since I started this project. I didn't want to ruin this enjoyment by forcing myself to continue. It wasn't like I had a super strict time limit anyway. I just needed to make and sell these potions before next month—Around 25 days away.

Plus, the longer it takes, the higher chance my grass has of upgrading. Laying on my bed, I rolled around while hugging my pillow. I swear, beds get comfier after a hard day's work.

"Hm… I guess I'll check out what those guys are doing…" [Alchemist Gallery] → [Newbie where'd you go…] → [We're sorry, come back!!] → [We'll properly explain things!] → [Newbie… Did you even try using slime?] → [This is your guys fault.]"… Did a funeral happen or something?" The mood had completely soured in the few days I hadn't visited. Even without context, I could tell this had something to do with me. The alchemist gallery was something I thought of while I was showering or before I went to bed.

I realized long ago that they weren't deliberately trolling or making fun of me for my post. They were simply surprised. The only reasons I hadn't visited and talked with them was because I was engrossed in potion making and I, myself was confused. Apparently, you had to be some sort of god-level alchemist to be in there. I mean, I know I have a god-given talent and am close to being the best alchemist in the world, but I only awakened a month ago. I shouldn't be allowed in there for at least another month.

But, I wasn't complaining. Whatever reason I gained access to it, it was helpful to me. I decided to write a post to bring up the mood. [OMG? Newbie's leaked pics!!] Author: BinLover Hi! I'm still here >. > What's with the mood…? I enjoyed reading the random posts, why's it like a funeral happened? ㅠㅠ I've just been busy brewing the recovery potions. Speaking of, does anyone have any recommendations for my next potion? Something cheap is preferable since I'm broke. → [Love Fusion Mix Hands: Newbie!!!] → [SlimeLube: Pics where???] → [Juxtaps: Told you guys, he was just busy.] → [CauldronBro: Something useful for a new alchemist may be a concentration potion. Brewing potions is difficult since it requires your attention at all times, one misstep and your station might just explode. I'll post a simple recipe now.] → [✪Potions Are Easy: Newbie, check the post I just made. I properly explained things you may be curious about.]"A concentration potion?" I tilted my head.

I wasn't sure I particularly needed it, but it'd probably sell for a lot to students. A quick check on the exchange, I found that concentration potions were extremely expensive. They went for 40, 000 points each. I may have just found my next project. Deciding to think about it more later, I checked the gallery manager's post. [Newbie, check here.] Author: ✪Potions Are Easy Hello and welcome to the Alchemist Gallery, BinLover. As you've guessed, this is a gallery made exclusively of alchemists.

This was briefly mentioned before, but only Grand Alchemists—or people who've created the Elixir of Immortality or equivalent should be allowed in here. We don't know the exact reason why you're allowed here, but please enjoy your stay. This gallery is made of people from various dimensions, so, none of us are likely in the same dimension as yours. I did not create this gallery nor is it possible to invite people here. I simply manage it. Trading cross-dimension is not possible, so don't ask for free potions.

Recipes are fine however. There are 20 people in this gallery—21 now including you. And a new person hasn't been added in over a few decades, which is why we were surprised to see you. Alchemy is a lot of trial and error, even with recipes if your skill is not up to par, you will likely fail. Don't be discouraged from this, it's all a part of the learning process.

One of the funnest aspects of alchemy is creating your own recipe, so, after learning the basics, I recommend trying to figure out your own recipe first and then asking us for a review. Anyone here will be happy to teach you. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. → [SlimeLube: Newbie, I'll teach you a whole lot of recipes using slime;)] → [Love Fusion Mix Hands: Also, please take a lot of pictures! I'm soooo bored… I want to see your alchemy journey from start to finish!] → [Meditation Is Medicine: Come learn meditation techniques.] ↳ [Love Fusion Mix Hands: Go away old man! He doesn't need your stinky meditation!] ↳ [Meditation Is Medicine: Excuse me?] → [HomunculusTheBest: Newbie, what do you think about homunculus?] → [EfficiencyLord: Run your recipes by me, I'll teach you any better ways to do them.] → [CauldronBro: I'm also curious about your progression; I'd like to see pictures of you making potions.] ↳ [Juxtaps: Agreed.] ↳ [ObsidianTier: Livestreams if possible.] → [BinLover: Okay!! Thank you for the info!!! This is really curious; You're all in different dimensions then me? Does that mean you guys don't have the tower? I will definitely try and create my own recipes! Later… I'm too broke to even try right now; -; As for pictures, I'll definitely post a lot! Livestreams however… I'll withhold on those, I don't really want to show myself yet ㅠㅠ. Thanks for the kind greetings!] ↳ [Love Fusion Mix Hands: Aww, newbie is shy of showing themselves, so cute!] ↳ [SlimeLube: There's a lot of uses for slime:)] ↳ [CauldronBro: No, there's no tower in my dimension. Unless you're talking about a mage's tower, but I don't think you are.] ↳ [ObsidianTier: Whatever makes you comfortable, just make sure to take a lot of pictures.] I closed the gallery after reading through everything and yawned.

"Different dimensions, huh…" That was a point I latched onto. I mean, I know the tower is practically like a different dimension too, but this was different. They were alchemists just like me but from other worlds. I wondered how similar our starting points were.

"Hm… They wanted to see my progression… Hehe…" I giggled. Ever since I awakened, I could tell my personality had started to change. Before, whenever I visited a gallery, I didn't really care about any of it and only posted troll or bait posts. But now, the thought of sharing my joy with my alchemist gallery friends made me happy. Would they praise me for making something so simple? They were people who've made elixirs of youth or something of the sort.

And I can only make a minor recovery potion that even a goblin could make. Our skill levels are just so different—Perhaps they might see it as a cute newbie? They certainly sounded excited and curious about it.

"Haah…" I yawned. I ended up falling asleep after watching YouTube for a few hours. … The next day I woke up bright and refreshed. My morning routine consisted of eating breakfast, taking a shower, and cheering on my plants. With that done, I was ready to get to work. … [Newbie Beginning Potion Production!] Author: BinLover Starting bright and early! The goal is 15 potions today! (Picture of materials on counter) (Pictures of potion making process) Btw, how much do materials matter in terms of potion grade?

My potions used to be E grade but after my Opara grass became E grade, I've been making E+ grade potions. → [CauldronBro: This is… your setup? Is that an induction stove and steel pan…?] → [CauldronBro: May I recommend getting a cauldron? Ahem, materials matter a lot in the potion creation process but skill accounts for about 70% of it.] → [EfficiencyLord:??? How can you even make potions with this setup?] → [Juxtaps: It's impressive you can make E+ grade potions with a setup like this.] → [Love Fusion Mix Hands: Wow! You can do it! 15 potions is nothing for my newbie!] → [EfficiencyLord: Why do the materials look like that? What's with those wood shavings?] → [EfficiencyLord: The sap looks good. But really, why is the wood like that?] → [ObsidianTier: Wow…] → [EfficiencyLord: If your wood shavings were better, it'd be easier to use a consistent number of them per potion.] → [EfficiencyLord: In the 3rd pic you used a bit too much water, it should have more viscosity to it. The wood shavings would help with that.] ↳ [Love Fusion Mix Hands: I think you love his wood shavings more than SlimeLube loves slime.] ↳ [SlimeLube: He's obsessed with the wood shavings.]"… What's wrong with my wood shavings?" I pouted, jutting out my lips.