Chương 4: The Cutest Alchemist and Polka Dots

"It's so beautiful…" I sniffled as I looked at the 51 potions lined on the counter. After several days of work, hours of stirring with muscle strain, and days of my house smelling like dirt, I had concocted all 51 minor recovery potions. It was extremely satisfying and rewarding. Even without the money. I could feel myself getting better at guessing measurements and knowing how close the potion is to completion. And despite being picky, that EfficiencyLord friend helped a lot with saving materials.

Particularly the amount of wood shavings I used. But! I still don't forgive him—There's nothing wrong with my wood shavings… Well… Actually, I guess I'll forgive him for today. Today's a joyous day. I wanted to share my joy with my new friends. [All 51 Potions Complete!!!] Author: BinLover I'm finally finished!! (Picture of potions lined up on counter) All 51 potions complete! I'm so happy! Thank you all for helping me! With these, I'll be able to afford rent and eat chicken!

I'd send you all some too, but we're in different worlds ㅠㅠ → [✪Potions Are Easy: Congratulations! You've made your first step onto the path of alchemists!] → [SlimeLube: Soon enough you'll be using slime;)] → [CauldronBro: Good job! Keep it up and you'll make an elixir in no time.] → [Love Fusion Mix Hands: So cute…] → [Juxtaps: Feels like I've got an apprentice. Congrats.] → [EfficiencyLord: Done already? Tch, if we had a few more days we could cut down the amount of materials used even more.] ↳ [BinLover: >: (] Never mind, I don't forgive that meanie." Whatever," I sighed, "He's helped a lot…" Since E grade recovery potions went for 7, 500 points each, selling all of these would net me around 382, 500 points, or just under $4, 000. It was more than enough to pay next months rent, buy more plants and materials, and food! I might even finally go buy clothes today! It wasn't that my male clothes were getting uncomfortable or anything like that, but I simply thought it might be time to finally live like a proper person. Especially if I'm going to continue making potions. Plus, it kind of felt like I was wasting my looks. I mean, I'm extremely cute and just wearing 'boyfriend clothes'. I want to take cute selfies in proper clothes too! Hm… I think my mind has finally corrupted? Whatever. [Would you like to list 51 'Minor Recovery Potions' on the exchange?]'Yes' [51 Minor Recovery Potions have been listed.] [16 E grade Minor Recovery Potions, 35 E+ grade Minor Recovery Potions] [10% of total price has been withdrawn from your account.] [Point Balance has been put into the negative.] [Points: -8250] [Warning: If point balance is not out of negative within 24 hours, User will face penalties.] [First penalty: All skills and traits will downgrade by one.]"Um…" I stared blankly at the screen. I totally forgot about that. But, was it really even a problem I had to worry about? I mean, as long as the potions sell within 24 hours, no penalties will come my way, right?" All skills and traits will downgrade though…" I thought about my favorite E rank skill, Plant Growth." It'd become F rank?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I shuddered at the thought." It's fine… My potions will surely sell in time… Right?" I was selling E+ grade potions for the price of E grade. Anyone with a brain could tell that was a steal." Yeah, I'll be fine." I reassured myself. … [Points: -8250]"… Slow day today." Three hours had passed since I listed the potions. And not a single one had sold." Haah… Let's just forget about it until I go to sleep." I got dressed in the most fitting clothes I could find. Unlike usual, I made sure to wear underwear and shorts—Even if my shirts were large enough to act as dresses, I wasn't some kind of exhibitionist. The only reason my shorts weren't falling down was because I had tightened the drawstring as much as I could. Looking in the mirror, I laughed. A girl with beautiful blonde hair, amethyst eyes laughed along with me. The reason? Our clothes were simply too large. Rather than the 'boyfriend' look I usually had, I looked like a child wearing dad's clothes. It was cute enough to take a selfie. My shoes just completely didn't fit at all. My feet would slip out every time I tried to take a step. I had to settle with oversized slides. Now, fully dressed and ready, it was time to take my first steps out of the house in over a month. …" Welcome!" The cashier said with a smile as I walked in. The first place I visited was an underwear store." Wow…" I never knew how much variety there was. I spent a few minutes walking around the store and looking at the various colors they had." Hm…" Black seemed like the standard choice, one could never go wrong with that. But I feel like those white ones would fit me too…" Polka dots?" It's funny. If you told me a month ago that I'd be shopping for woman's underwear, I'd probably call you crazy. Now, I'm deciding whether or not to buy polka dot panties. Adaptation is scary… … I ended up buying more underwear than I thought I would. I couldn't just buy one or two pairs, so I ended up buying multiple colors. Yes, the polka-dot ones included. It was easier to put on a bra than I thought. It was a simple clip-on the front. The next place I visited was a regular clothing store. I felt like I was going to spend a lot of money today." Wow… That skirt is so pretty." The issue was, I was imagining a cute girl—me—wearing clothes. And almost every attire looked amazing. Thinking about the various outfits I could wear captivated me. I was seeing it as a dress-up game for a girl I like. What kind of outfit would I like to see on a girl and projecting it onto myself." That cardigan looks nice."" Wow, a onesie?"" That's a cute shirt." …" Your total is $628. 72." The cashier said. Ah… I overspent." O-Okay…" I handed her the card with trembling hands." Thank you for your business, would you like us to ship these clothes to your home?"" Yes please…"" Haah…" I sighed as I left the store. My already limited money had decreased way more than I intended to. Forget about eating chicken today, I'll have to settle for ramen. … While I was wallowing in my sorrow, a sudden notification instantly made me perk up. [4 E+ grade Minor Recovery Potions have been sold.] [Points: 21, 750]"Yes!" I smiled and pumped my fist. If I wasn't in public, I may have even done a dance. $628? That was nothing!" Hehe!" I giggled happily. Chicken was back on the menu!" Ah." I looked around and noticed I was getting more stares than I thought." Ahem." I cleared my throat, put my head down and quickly speed walked to my next destination: A shoe store. Shoes weren't that hard to shop for, there wasn't a difference between buying male shoes and female shoes other than shoe size. Well, other than heels, but there was no way I was buying or wearing heels. I draw my line at that. … Back at home, the clothes I bought had arrived. The boxes were stacked up neatly next to my door." Hup!" One by one, I carried the boxes inside." Phew…" I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I can't believe it took over eight trips. My male self would've only took two. It was another reminder that I had really changed and gotten weaker. The next part was a little difficult. Emotionally. I'd finally be getting rid of all my male clothes. It's bittersweet. Like finally moving on after a breakup. I wonder if at some point, I won't instinctually think of myself as a man anymore. Slowly, the clothes started to pile in the corner of my room. The only clothes I kept were the hoodies and a few white shirts. Those were just too comfortable to throw away. After a few hours, my closet had completely rid itself of male attire and replaced it with new clothes more fitting for my new self. The whole time I was doing this, my potions had been selling. I knew it, they couldn't possibly not sell. Everyone needs recovery potions. It was probably just because I listed them at a weird time." Hehe… I'm rich." … By the next day, all 51 of my potions had sold and my point balance was extremely comfortable. [Points - 374, 250] Even after taking out what I needed for rent and food, I was still rolling in the points. [Points - 200, 000] With these, I had all the points I needed to buy more materials. I may even buy some seeds and grow my own! Hm… Thinking about it, that actually sounds like a great idea? Perhaps this was the reason I had a plant growth skill as an alchemist. I want more skills! [Skill and Traits] Author: TowerExplorer There are two main ways you can obtain skills and traits. One, climb the tower. Completing floors will give you a reward and those rewards include class-related skills and or traits. Two, purchasing skill books. You can find skill books on the exchange, but they're usually extremely expensive. If you're interested in obtaining more skills or traits, I recommend the first option. The tower gives you with appropriate rewards according to your level and the main way to upgrade and get more proficient with your skills is to simply use them. Many skills gain a boost while using them in the tower." Oh." I read over the text a few times before nodding. It made sense to me. But, did I really have to climb the tower? I'm just a little alchemist with no combat power! Poor old me is going to get destroyed in there! [Alchemist Skill Books.] Search Results: 47 [Herbalist's Eye - 50, 000, 000 Points]"…" I stared at the ridiculous price. That wasn't even the most expensive skill book, that was one of the cheaper options! $500, 000 for a skill that doesn't even look good? That was out of the question." Haah… Do I really need to climb the tower?" If I wanted more skills and traits, I probably would have to. But it's scary. How am I supposed to protect myself in there? I doubt I can lift a sword and swing it around for more than a minute." Ugh… I'll think about it more before I go to sleep." Shaking my head, I decided to dedicate the rest of today to relaxing. … Before I went to bed, I felt like I needed to go back to my roots. So, I wrote a post on the Awakener Dream gallery. [It Worked!!] Author: BinLover Remember that super awesome secret awakening method I posted last night? Well, I'm here to tell you that it works!! I followed the steps exactly and now I'm an ultra-rare mega beauty with silver hair and red eyes! Don't believe me? Your loss. ♡ → Busty? ↳ [BinLover: Yes!!] ↳ Following the steps right NOW! → Bottom tier shitpost → Strange concept… → Mods, get this trash off the gallery already. → Send pics for proof → Don't believe you LOLOL → And I'm an ultra-legendary super-mega busty blonde babe with blue eyes. ↳ [BinLover: Proof?] ↳ I lied. ↳ [BinLover: Bastard!!!!]"Hehe." I giggled.