BXBX NOVEL Chapter 76 – The Alchemist (5)
Chapter 76 – The Alchemist (5)
“Despite being so strict with me….”
Arkamis muttered with a voice full of indignation.
At those words, Milena gave a knowing, bitter smile.
“You were holding that in your heart, weren’t you? But this is a different situation. If it weren’t for Mr. Ketal, I wouldn’t be here.”
“So, is he your savior or something?”
“It wouldn’t be wrong to say so.”
Arkamis paused in her grumbling.
“…Really?”
“I received a great favor. This is no problem at all. I’ll get it ready. However, depending on the types of materials, it might take considerable time, so please understand.”
“I’m not in a position to hurry, given that I’m the one asking for a favor. Thank you.”
Ketal nodded in satisfaction.
Back in their quarters, Arkamis kept grumbling.
“This is discrimination, I tell you. They were so strict with me.”
“Well, isn’t it a good thing?”
“It is, but it’s hard to accept.”
After a while of grumbling, Arkamis’s eyes slowly settled.
“It is a good thing. At least I don’t have to go through the trouble of gathering the materials. Though it will still take considerable time.”
“Will it take that long?”
“The value of the materials is high, but more than that, they are quite rare and often in short supply. Most of them are consumed by the Magic Tower, so it’ll take at least a month.”
“Does the Magic Tower have priority?”
“They consume the most and pay the highest price, so most of the supplies go there. It’s hard for an individual like me to get them.”
“Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin, intrigued.
It was only natural.
Sellers would want to trade with those who had the greatest demand.
The Magic Tower, being a large organization, would be a safe and reliable customer.
“Ah. There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Can you figure out what this is?”
Ketal took out a translucent gray cube from his pocket.
It was the artifact Karthos had used for his magic.
He thought that since Arkamis was an excellent alchemist, she might be able to identify it.
“Let me see.”
Arkamis squinted at the cube.
“It looks like an artifact… What is this?”
Arkamis was taken aback.
“…It’s too advanced.”
“Can you figure it out?”
“Ugh, uh…”
Arkamis groaned as if her pride was hurt, but soon gave up and said,
“…I have no idea.”
“Really? Even you don’t know?”
“It’s too complex for me to understand. There are dozens of intertwined formulas creating a huge effect… It’s hard to decipher. You’d have to go directly to a master who specializes in artifacts.”
“It’s that advanced?”
Ketal was surprised.
He knew it wasn’t an ordinary artifact, but he hadn’t expected it to be that sophisticated.
Arkamis handed back the artifact.
“Check it out at the Magic Tower when you go there later. Where did you even get something like this?”
Arkamis was curious.
It was hard for her to understand how a barbarian had such a high-level artifact.
Ketal received the artifact.
“Got it.”
“Anyway, back to the main topic, it will take quite a bit of time to gather the materials.”
“Then, I can spend that time learning alchemy.”
Ketal laughed joyfully.
Arkamis looked at him as if he were seeing something strange.
“Weird guy.”
* * *
A week passed after that.
As Milena and Arkamis had said, the procurement of the materials did not go smoothly.
Even after a week, they had only obtained two of the desired materials.
The progress was very slow, but Ketal didn’t mind.
He was enjoying learning alchemy in the meantime.
“Arkamis. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
Arkamis, who was organizing materials at the table, turned her head.
Ketal was holding a piece of paper.
“What do you think about this combination?”
“Wait a moment.”
Arkamis took the paper.
On it, Ketal had written down a catalyst and the ratios of various ingredients.
After a quick glance, Arkamis spoke.
“It’s not bad, but it’s inefficient. Instead of the morning dew here, the morning ember would be better.”
“Really?”
“The combination ratio is also too high. Half of this would suffice. There’s a blue book over there that explains it, so check it out.”
“Got it.”
Ketal nodded and walked to the bookshelf on the other side.
He took out the blue book and began to read.
Arkamis watched him with a look of fascination.
‘He learns quickly.’
It hadn’t even been a week since Ketal started learning alchemy.
Such a short time to learn and master anything.
Yet, Ketal was already showing some results.
She had to help him, but he was already capable of basic-level alchemy.
In terms of speed, he could be called a genius, but that wasn’t quite it.
The reason was simple.
Ketal had invested all his time in alchemy over the past week.
No rest, no sleep, no meals.
He would come to her place early in the morning to receive instruction from her, and when he returned, he would take books and notes to study.
He invested a pure week’s worth of time.
For anyone else, it would have been over a month.
It was a passion that went beyond simple enthusiasm and indicated he found it genuinely enjoyable.
‘I thought his main focus was learning mysticism and that he wasn’t very interested in alchemy.’
Ketal showed a strong interest in alchemy as well.
It wasn’t a bad thing from her perspective.
It felt good to see someone taking her lifelong field of study so seriously.
‘It’s satisfying to teach him.’
He wasn’t quick to memorize, but he understood things fast.
His ideas were also exceptional, sometimes offering very unique concepts.
It was as if his ideas weren’t bound by the common sense of this world.
At first, it was just a simple pastime, but it turned out to be more enjoyable than she had expected.
It was a surprisingly satisfying time.
“Arkamis, I have something I want to ask.”
“Ah, sure. What is it?”
Arkamis collected her thoughts at Ketal’s words.
Without taking his eyes off the blue book, Ketal asked,
“It says here that it can be used for control magic and manifestation magic. What exactly does that mean?”
“Oh, that’s simple.”
Arkamis began to explain.
“Magic has levels, right? You’re aware of the standards of those levels?”
“Detection of Mysteries, Control, Manifestation, Domination, and Imagination, right?”
“Correct. The types of magic you can handle are determined by your level. It’s classified accordingly.”
Detection of Mysteries.
Third-rate level.
The lowest level of magic, the basics.
“You can handle very simple detection and sensory expansion. This level of magic is called detection magic.”
“So control magic is the magic that second-rate levels can handle.”
“Right.”
Arkamis nodded.
Second-rate level.
Control magic.
This level allowed for physical enhancement and handling simple mana arrows.
And first-rate level.
Manifestation magic.
From here on, it’s proper magic.
Commonly known spells like fireball or ice arrow could be handled.
Spatial leap was also possible, marking the level where one could call themselves a wizard.
“Next is domination magic.”
The level where one could dominate mysteries and control them with their will.
Magic that only superhumanly strong individuals could handle.
“It’s powerful and has a wide range. Strong magic.”
“I see.”
The image of Adamanth appeared in Ketal’s mind.
The magic he wielded in the end swept over nature itself.
That was probably domination magic.
“Lastly, I don’t know much about imagination magic either. Only hero-class wizards can handle it, and they are exceedingly rare.”
“Are there that few?”
“There are only three known to the world. The master of the Magic Tower, the guardian of the Ashen Labyrinth, and the keeper of the Boundary. Just those three. Except for the Magic Tower master, the others don’t come out, so we don’t even know if they’re alive.”
Arkamis said lightly,
“You won’t meet them, so don’t worry about it. Anyway, that’s the classification. The types of magic you can handle change according to your level.”
“Hmm.”
“A lower-level spell isn’t necessarily weak. Its power can vary greatly depending on who’s handling it.”
Arkamis continued,
“Detection magic is something even a third-rate can use, but the Magic Tower master can use it to see the entire continent.”
“Is that possible?”
“Eye of Insight. It’s a spell that scatters a mass of mana to observe everything within range. The mana density is so low that even a Swordmaster can’t detect it. It wouldn’t be strange if they were watching this place right now.”
“That’s possible too.”
Ketal was impressed.
Arkamis smiled, pleased with his focused attention.
“The results of alchemy are similar to magic. There’s no easier way to explain it than by comparing it to magic. That’s why it’s written that way for better understanding.”
“Does that mean I can use domination magic too?”
“With very precise mixtures and very expensive materials, it’s not impossible. I can handle it too.”
“Wow.”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled.
Adamanth’s magic.
Storms, earthquakes, and terrifying flames had all struck simultaneously.
It was a natural disaster in its purest form.
Ketal had been deeply moved at the time.
To think he could wield such power with his own hands?
Just imagining it made his body tremble with excitement.
From then on, Ketal devoted himself even more to learning alchemy.
As time passed, Arkamis, who had been hesitating, finally asked carefully,
“Ketal.”
“Ah.”
Ketal stood up as if he understood.
“It’s mealtime now. I’ll prepare it.”
“Yes, I’ll wait.”
Arkamis sat quietly in her chair.
Before long, Ketal brought out the meal.
It was a stew with plenty of meat.
Arkamis cut the meat with a spoon and put it in her mouth.
The tender meat, soaked in thick sauce, sweetly adhered to her palate.
Arkamis couldn’t help but exclaim,
“It’s delicious….”
“That’s a relief.”
Ketal looked at Arkamis with a peculiar expression.
“…Is it really okay for you to eat meat?”
“What’s the problem with that?”
“Is that so?”
Elves eat meat.
Ketal ingrained this information in his mind.
Arkamis looked at Ketal with curiosity.
“Why are you so good at cooking?”
Ketal had realized something as he began learning alchemy.
Arkamis didn’t have proper meals.
She would eat dried preserved food while engrossed in her alchemical research.
Sometimes she even forgot to eat.
It was a typical researcher’s lifestyle.
As a disciple, it was also his duty to take care of his master’s meals.
Ketal offered to cook for her.
Naturally, Arkamis was appalled.
The idea of a barbarian cooking seemed preposterous.
She tried to refuse as politely as possible, but Ketal went ahead and cooked anyway.
Worried about how to reject his cooking without offending him, Arkamis was quite surprised when the meal was finally served.
Not only did it look decent, but it actually looked delicious.
She had her doubts but ended up finishing her plate after the first spoonful.
Since then, Arkamis hadn’t stopped Ketal from cooking.
In fact, she began to look forward to what dish he would prepare each day.
‘I never used to care about meals.’
Being an elf, it wasn’t a joke to say she could live on grass and dew alone.
She never paid much attention to meals.
But after tasting Ketal’s cooking, she couldn’t go back to dried, preserved food.
Arkamis finished her plate with satisfaction.
Late at night, she left her residence.
Ketal was smiling as he headed back to the capital.
It had been a very fulfilling day.
Learning the mysteries of this world was the greatest happiness he could imagine.
“It was worth all the hardship to escape.”
Honestly, he had thought about giving up and living inside hundreds of times, but he overcame all those urges and succeeded in coming out.
It was well worth it.
As Ketal walked back to the capital with a light heart, he sensed something strange.
This was a fantasy world.
Nights here were much darker than in the modern world.
Although there were magical streetlights, they were few and their light was weak.
However, tonight was exceptionally bright.
“Hmm?”
As Ketal looked toward the capital, he realized what was happening.
A building was engulfed in flames.
* * *
“Damn it!”
Blue hair swayed as Milena ground her teeth.
In front of her, a building was ablaze.
Employees were screaming and rushing around in a panic.
“Mi-Milena! Fire, there’s a fire!”
“Calm down! Call the mage!”
“We-we did, but it’s too late, and I’m not sure if they’ll arrive in time…”
Milena frowned.
The fierce flames were roaring as if they would consume the entire building.
“Milena, what’s going on?”
“Ke-Ketal?”
Milena’s eyes widened.
Ketal had somehow appeared beside her.
She quickly regained her composure and explained.
“The warehouse is on fire. It happens to be the one where we store lumber…”
“It seems the fire spread quickly.”
“Yes.”
She clicked her tongue in frustration.
The warehouse was a three-story structure, one of the largest she owned, comparable to three large buildings combined.
Now, that massive warehouse was engulfed in flames, lighting up the night sky.
This was a disaster.
Even if a high-level mage arrived, putting out the fire would be no easy task.
The only silver lining was that the warehouse was on the outskirts of the capital, preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
‘Some comfort that is.’
She thought bitterly as she coldly calculated the damage costs.
As she did so, Ketal, who had been quietly watching the building, spoke up.
“Would it matter if the building collapsed?”
“Huh? No, it doesn’t matter…”
The building was going to burn down to ashes anyway.
Structural damage was irrelevant.
Hearing this, Ketal stepped forward.
“Stand back.”
“What?”
Though confused, she stepped back.
Ketal clenched his fist.