I walked back to the tavern and carefully peered in; thankfully, there was no Lisa lurking around. I slipped in unnoticed and casually walked to a private place in the back. It wasn’t a room, but a space with one table and a five feet tall wooden walls around it. I could still hear the conversation on the other side, but it was better than sitting in the open.
First, I ordered a pint of beer and bought another crate of wine and food for me and for Donovan. Where else to resupply than in a lovely tavern? Then I stacked all the cauldrons on the table; the waitress frowned, but hadn’t stopped me. As I inspected the cauldrons, I found a strange yellow crystal under them. After filling it with a bit of mana, a small fire lit just to warm the cauldron. Sweet!
According to the recipe, for the preparation phase I only needed to have Rodumbine on hand, so I took out the ingredients, but ten times the numbers. The recipe said I need to fill the cauldrons with water. Right, who casually travels with gallons of water? Me! I pulled out the big bottle from my bag and filled all the cauldrons, but not simultaneously. For the exploit to work, I had to choose five-second intervals.
When the water boiled, I threw the violet Alchemy thingies in. What are Alchemy thingies? The name officially was [Alchemy Reagent] but Alchemy thingies sounded better. The author of the recipe said that after the thingies turned bluish, I should throw in the crushed flower.
Crushed flower? Why that wasn’t in the preparation portion, you damn idiot?
Rodumbine was a flower with black petals, so while I was boiling the water I crushed it in my brand new handy mortar. System helped me count exactly five minutes, the color changed, and I shoved it all in. Then, I stirred as fast as I could, because I had to stir ten times as much. That left me exhausted more than a Boss fight. Terrific.
For my next step, I placed a one normal-sized potion bottle on the pub’s table. All alchemy bottles came in two types - normal, with a volume of 10 ounces and small only with a volume of 1 ounce. When the first potion turned green, I immediately used the ring, and the liquid in cauldron shrank.
Without a second to spare, I emptied it to the bottle. I had to do the same thing with other cauldrons in rapid succession. When I finished, I dropped exhausted to the bench and read the blue boxes with satisfaction.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Congratulation! You have created the Agility Potion x10]</td>
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<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[Agility Potion]
Effect: +50 Agility for 10 minutes</td>
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“Yes!” I jumped up, cheering. My intuition had been spot on, and it worked like a charm! Since the potion was originally larger, creating ten smaller ones and merging them made the effect ten times stronger. “Sweet,” I murmured in delight.
The only downside was having to make the potions simultaneously, with just a ten-second window after creation to merge them. Easy.
“Princess?” I heard Lisa’s enthusiastic voice from across the room, followed by her quick footsteps as she rushed over. She threw her arms around me in a tight hug, like a kid clutching a favorite toy. “You’re amazing! Thanks to you, we cleared the second boss!”
As she hugged me, I felt her lips press gently against my hair in a sweet, affectionate kiss. I opened my mouth to protest, but my voice caught, and all that came out was a soft squeak. Naturally, that’s the only reaction I could manage when a beautiful girl held me like this.
“What’s with the ten cauldrons? Don’t you only need one?” she asked, still holding me. Despite being treated like a cute mascot, I felt a warm flutter of happiness inside.
“More is better. I’m heading to the Duke’s ship. You coming?” I deflected, not wanting to get into the details of multi-alchemy.
Honestly, I hadn’t invented this trick; I’d seen something similar in a video—five years from now. They decreased the size of metal to make it more sturdy. So I made an educated guess. With enough creativity, anyone could use the ring to their advantage, so I shouldn’t worry, right? Hopefully, the system would fix it later rather than sooner. No report for Ian then.
“Oh, I’d love to, Princess! I heard it’s a tough quest, but I need to finish the dungeon first,” she said, sounding dejected—which admittedly gave me a tiny thrill. No more annoying hugging.
Or maybe it didn’t? Actually, hearing that had the opposite effect. Why? No more cuddling. “I get it. Good luck, friend,” I said, watching her return to her table. Please, Lisa, kiss me more!This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Determined to earn more of her affection, I peeked over at her “room” again, only to find way too many people around her table, all waving at me. Not happening. I squeaked, quickly darted back, and got back to my alchemy. The result? A hundred small potions—ten bottles for emergencies.
My slow pace and dejected expression revealed my enthusiasm as I entered my mentor’s lair. “Princess! Come sit with us!” Donovan’s loud voice boomed. Very loud. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
I nodded and walked over to the low desk where they were squatting. A tea party on the floor? Bizarre, but at least they’d set up some actual furniture this time. I briefly considered turning around and running, but ended up sitting down anyway.
Donovan handed me a cup, and I took a cautious sip. The tea was lukewarm, with a strong blueberry aroma that was almost inviting. Almost. The taste, however, was… lacking. Like a mouthful of dry, flavorless soil. Patrick’s window cleaner had better flavor.
“So, what’s the story with you and Donovan? How did you two meet?” I asked, my glorious attempt at conversation.
“When my mother died, she wished for me to become a knight! Like in the legends, back when humans were just a lesser race!” Donovan’s battle cry echoed through the lair loudly as he brandished his sword dramatically.
Before I could comment on how ridiculous he looked, Teorn shot him a scolding look. “Donovan, let go of that nonsense. The past is in the past.” He glanced my way, and a knot tightened in my stomach. “Hero, you’re just in time. The Duke’s fleet will arrive shortly. I spoke with the harbormaster; you’ve got a place on the third ship. You’ll need to convince the Captain, or even the Duke himself, to fulfill your destiny.”
“I knew there’d be a catch. Wonderful,” I muttered, sipping the tea. A splash of rum might’ve been perfect to mask the rocky flavor. Blah. Before I realized it, the old man was pressing himself against me from behind, patting my head.
Where I can complain about harassing in a game?! Well… Let’s not put a target on my back, or they might pull the ban hammer.
“You’ll be fine—you’re a hero!” He leaned over, trying to peek down my shirt, and I could feel his breath dampening my hair. A wave of disgust washed over me, quickly giving way to a growing rage. Fine. I poured the rest of my drink on him and slammed the cup onto his head, making him recoil.
“Let’s go, Donovan.” An unexplainable anger was boiling inside me as I stomped out, each step landing harder than the last. Why am I like this? My feelings were a mess I couldn’t make sense of. The not-yet-knight scrambled to join me, quickly gathering his things as I left.
“Good luck!” the cursed mentor called after us, laughing as he healed himself.
Choosing this village turned out to be a mistake. Stupid Teorn.
It wasn’t until Donovan led us on a stroll through the village that I finally spotted the river winding through it. The harbor was hidden down and around the mountain, so when the river suddenly came into view, I let out a surprised, “No way.”
Unlike the calm streets above, this area buzzed with activity like a beehive. Elves were darting around, shouting, selling wares, boarding ships—you name it. The harbor master, an older man with a booming voice, stood in the thick of it all. My calm dissipated with each step toward him, replaced by a rising anxiety.
I slowed my pace, veering slightly to the side as if I had something else to do.
Donovan noticed and gave me a puzzled look. Thinking I hadn’t seen the harbor master, he grabbed my hand and dragged me forward. Wait!
“Mister Teorn said we can sail with the Duke!” Donovan’s trademark yell was actually useful here in the noisy crowd.
The harbor master gave us a nod. “That’s right. Wait,” he shouted, just as loudly. Terrific. While I shielded my pointy ears, he called over a young boy and told him to guide us. Thankfully, too, since with hundreds of people bustling around, my focus was practically… ruined. The noise of overlapping conversations, the clamor of ships, the rank smell of rotting… everything overwhelmed the poor introverted me.
The kid led us to a large dock area, off-limits and guarded by the town’s soldiers. After he proved we belonged, the guards let us past the rope strung between old, rotting posts. We found a quiet spot where the mountain met the river, and I finally leaned back against the rock to rest.
“We’re here!” The boy grinned and held out his hand. He wants a tip? I looked over at Donovan, but he was too busy admiring the female guards nearby. After a quick look at the boy’s scruffy appearance, I handed him one silver. Judging by his wide-eyed gratitude and his repeated thanks, I’d overpaid again. Whatever.
“Stop staring at the girls and tell me—how long have you been training?” I gave Donovan a slap on the back, instantly regretting it. That armor was no joke; my hand throbbed with pain.
“I’ve been in the service of my master for over ten months!” he yelled, grinning at my cleavage.
“Don’t yell, and that wasn’t my question. What can you actually do? What kind of training have you had?”
“I followed my master! Whenever I needed it, I’d take a hit; he always healed me afterward,” he said proudly. Damn old man. This kid was utterly useless.
“Show me how you’d strike an enemy, alright?” I kept my voice neutral, trying to stay calm. He nodded, but it was painfully clear—his stance was off, his technique nonexistent. He swung his sword without moving his feet or hips at all.
After silently cursing the old pervert a thousand times, I said, “Let’s make a bet, alright?” I pulled out my staff and pointed it at him. I hadn’t tried the whip yet, and this wasn’t the best place to practice. “If you can stay on your feet for ten seconds without falling, you win. And if you hit me even once, you also win.”
He looked at my staff with a scornful expression. “What are the stakes, Princess?”
“If you win, I’ll let you touch my butt. But if I win, I get to call you ‘Don’ and teach you the basics of swordsmanship.” He agreed to the uneven terms the second I mentioned his reward. What a fool.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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<td style="text-align: center; margin: 3px; padding: 5px; color: rgba(218, 213, 206, 1) !important; border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25) !important; background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)">[You have used the Agility Potion]
[Agility increased by 50]</td>
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After I nodded to start, he took the initiative. The idiot tightened his grip on the sword, bringing it closer before thrusting it straight at my chest. Thanks to my agility, I sidestepped and gently tapped the tip of my staff against his sword, directing his attack to the left.
He nearly lost his balance from that alone, leaving his right side wide open. I reached out and tapped him with a single finger, which was enough to make him lose his footing and fall.
“Again!” he shouted, scrambling back to his feet. We squared off once more. For the duration of my potion, I sparred with him and defeated him every time, yet his unyielding spirit kept him coming back.
“Alright, Don, that’s enough. So, what do you think?”
He looked at me with eager eyes and said, “Your butt is amazing!”