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Chapter 74 – The Alchemist (3)

The next day, Ketal went to Arkamis’s house with a pounding heart.

Arkamis greeted Ketal with eyes full of dark circles.

“You’re here?”

“Are you alright? You look tired.”

“I’m fine.”

In truth, Arkamis hadn’t slept well due to anxiety, but she pretended to be nonchalant.

Ketal looked at Arkamis with an expectant gaze.

“So, what do we do now?”

It was time to learn the mysteries of this world.

His heart was pounding so hard it was difficult to contain.

Arkamis cleared her throat.

“First, there’s something you need before I can teach you alchemy.”

“Something I need?”

“Yes, whether you’re qualified to learn alchemy.”

“Huh? Do you need qualifications for this?”

“No, not really. But alchemy isn’t exactly a fun or thrilling study. I need to make sure you’re committed and won’t quit halfway through.”

With that, Arkamis looked at Ketal anxiously.

She had spent all day yesterday thinking about how to make Ketal give up and leave.

The words she was saying now were one of the answers she had come up with.

If Ketal questioned or argued, it would all be over.

However, Ketal nodded as if he understood.

“I get it. I understand.”

When teaching someone, it was necessary to confirm if they were ready to learn.

Seeing Ketal agree, Arkamis clenched her fist out of sight.

“Great!”

The first step was a success.

“So, what do I need to do?”

“Alchemy is about using the mysteries of the outside world, not the inside, right?”

Combining various materials to create a catalyst for the desired mystery was the foundation.

Unlike swords or magic, which utilized the mysteries of the body, alchemy borrowed the mysteries of the external world, requiring thorough preparation.

Thus, the basics of an alchemist began with creating a catalyst.

“We’ll start with this.”

Arkamis showed a cauldron to Ketal.

The cauldron was filled with various ingredients.

She handed him a wooden stick.

“These are the ingredients to make the basic catalyst of alchemy. But the catalyst doesn’t come out easily. You need to emulsify and mix these ingredients.”

Arkamis spoke lightly.

“So, you just need to stir the cauldron with this stick.”

“Got it.”

Ketal grabbed the wooden stick.

“You can’t just stir it roughly. The force and speed must be consistent, and there should be no unmixed ingredients. You need to be very meticulous.”

“I’ll concentrate.”

Ketal stirred the wooden stick with a serious face.

The ingredients began to grind with a scraping sound.

“How long do I have to do this?”

“Four hours.”

“That’s a long time.”

“I told you, alchemy isn’t fun or exciting. This is the basics, so you must get used to it.”

‘Though we don’t do it this way nowadays.’

Arkamis swallowed her last words.

For four hours, you had to focus on the cauldron.

Stirring the wooden stick with even force was tiring for both the arms and back.

It was a necessary task but also hard labor.

Therefore, most alchemists created automatic devices.

She herself hadn’t stirred with her own power for the last 40 years.

‘I wonder when he’ll get bored and leave.’

Ketal wasn’t an ordinary human.

Being a barbarian was just his appearance; in reality, he was much more.

She knew that.

She didn’t know why he wanted to learn alchemy, but it was likely just a simple pastime.

If so, he would get bored quickly.

Repeated simple labor and static situations would soon bore him, Arkamis was sure.

And time passed.

Two hours later.

Arkamis spoke reluctantly.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“This is fun, actually.”

Despite the passing time, Ketal’s hand didn’t slow down.

Instead, he was fervently grinding the ingredients into a pulp with an enthusiastic look in his eyes.

‘I played a lot of RPG games; four hours is nothing.’

In his previous life, he loved RPG games.

One of the characteristics of RPG games was repetitive tasks.

He had spent half a day repeating the same routine, so four hours of repetitive work was no problem.

Moreover, he was now creating actual results in a real fantasy world.

It wasn’t just data chunks but reality.

It couldn’t be boring.

“Even without water, the sap keeps flowing. The cauldron is almost full already.”

Ketal muttered happily as he stirred the wooden stick.

Arkamis watched him with a bewildered expression.

Four hours later.

“How is it?”

“……”

Arkamis looked at the bubbling cauldron.

She wanted to point out any flaws and make him do it again, but it was perfect.

There was nothing to criticize.

It was even better than when she had made it herself.

“This is good enough.”

In the end, that was all she could say.

Ketal’s eyes shone.

“Then now….”

“No, not yet.”

Arkamis shook her head.

This wasn’t the only task she had prepared.

She had another process ready, just in case.

“How many ingredients do you see hanging on the wall?”

“It looks like there are at least a hundred.”

“Right. Those are just a small portion of the total number of alchemy ingredients.”

Alchemy could use any material imbued with mystery as an ingredient.

Thus, the number of ingredients was enormous.

The quantities were large, and their properties varied.

The direction of the mixtures and the resulting characteristics were all different, making it a field that required a lot of knowledge.

“You don’t need to know all the ingredients, but you need to know the essentials. Can you accumulate this knowledge? This is one of the qualifications.”

With that, Arkamis pulled out a book as large as her torso.

“Can you read?”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

Arkamis handed him the book, slightly disappointed.

“Here. Memorize all the characteristics and appearances of these ingredients. You can check them out over there. Ask if you don’t know something.”

“Got it.”

Ketal nodded.

He opened the book and started reading, and Arkamis looked at him with satisfaction.

‘It’s done.’

Now it was really over.

The book’s content was by no means small.

It was as thick as a torso and densely packed with text, making it a chore to read.

Moreover, it was filled with technical terms, requiring him to look up and record things separately.

The content was specialized, making it hard to interpret.

He might manage at first, but he would soon get bored and leave.

Then she would be free.

She had no doubt.

And a day passed.

Ketal was skimming through the book with the same posture as at the beginning.

The thick book was already a quarter of the way through.

Arkamis looked at Ketal with a bored expression.

For roughly 24 hours, Ketal hadn’t left his seat.

He was still there when she went to sleep and when she woke up.

“…Aren’t you tired?”

“Not really? It’s fun.”

The book’s content was certainly extensive and complex.

But it was interesting.

It felt like reading a guidebook or setting book for a game he was interested in.

There was no way it could be boring.

‘It’s thick, but not excessively so.’

The setting books he read in his childhood were quite thick too.

Though there were many technical terms, looking them up was part of the fun.

He was essentially a scholar in the modern world.

Reading a single book wasn’t hard.

Ketal read with an interested expression.

“Oh, this part is different. I should make a note of this.”

He began studying beyond mere memorization, taking notes on his own.

His enthusiasm was more intense than that of an average student, and Arkamis’s mind grew troubled.

Three days later.

“…Correct.”

Ketal had perfectly passed the simple test Arkamis had given him.

It would have been impossible without memorizing and understanding the book.

“So now I can learn alchemy?”

“Well, um.”

Arkamis’s mouth went dry as she stammered, seeing his expectant eyes.

‘What do I do?’

She hadn’t prepared beyond this point.

She had thought he would get bored halfway through.

She hadn’t imagined he would complete all the steps.

At this rate, she would be stuck with this barbarian-disguised monster.

“Arkamis?”

Ketal tilted his head at her lack of response.

Arkamis snapped back to reality and spoke.

“Well, you’ve passed for now.”

“Oh! Then.”

He could now learn alchemy.

“But before that, there’s one more process.”

Arkamis swallowed.

“I will teach you alchemy. You will be the student, and I will be the teacher imparting knowledge to you. Correct?”

“That’s true.”

“Then, I am, in a sense, your master.”

Arkamis closed her eyes tightly.

“So, you should call me master and show respect by addressing me formally. Kneel and bow your head to show your respect. This is the final step.”

‘How about that!’

She didn’t know Ketal’s true nature, but he was probably a powerful being.

For such a being to call her master, address her formally, and even bow his head—it was a great humiliation.

Frankly, it wouldn’t be surprising if he revealed his true form and crushed her head immediately.

This was a gamble for her as well.

Arkamis was sure Ketal would refuse or become angry.

“Alright.”

But Ketal nodded obediently.

“Huh?”

“Well, as a student, it’s only right to show that level of courtesy.”

Ketal felt no particular resistance.

He hadn’t bowed his head to Barbosa because Barbosa wasn’t his king.

But Arkamis was his alchemy teacher.

It was natural to show respect and courtesy.

Ketal slowly knelt down.

Seeing this, Arkamis’s face turned pale.

“Uh, um.”

Ketal bowed his head.

His mouth opened.

Just as he was about to speak, Arkamis hurriedly stopped him.

“No, no! You don’t have to!”

* * *

“So, did I pass?”

“Do whatever you want….”

Arkamis said, looking as if she was about to collapse.

She couldn’t believe he was actually going to bow and show respect.

If she hadn’t stopped him, he would surely kill her later, claiming she had humiliated him.

She had no choice but to stop him.

Now it was certain.

This being had come here to toy with her.

There was nothing more she could do.

She would have to endure being his plaything.

Do as you will, whether you bend or break me.

She gave up and asked,

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to learn alchemy. And one more thing.”

Ketal’s eyes sparkled.

“I want to understand the mysteries.”

“…Huh?”

Arkamis unconsciously let out a sound.