The Autocraft Alchemist

With the apartment finally looking somewhat clean… Well, at least cleaner, Richard sat down at his kitchen table. It was time to do something that he had been putting off for sometime, finally crafting the Mushtaur Hoof Vial. The hoof itself looked somewhat close to a horse's hoof. At least that is the feeling that it gave off to Richard. And when he pulled the completed vial from the window it was obvious what it was made from. There was the same fingernail-like grain to the vial that he had seen on the hoof. And of course it still had the same diamond shape as all the other vials.

Richard opened the recipe list and found that several new potions had been added. Sleep Poison, Berserk, Paralyze, and Confusion. He opened each one of them to confirm the materials before he made an assumption again. Each one used a pouch of spores that he had seen from the Mushroom Dungeon and the Mushtaur Hoof Vial. And while they weren't exciting by any means, somebody could probably find a use for them somewhere. Though a small part of him worried about releasing such potions into the world. And what damage they could do if used against another human.

He frowned as he thought it over some more. As an Alchemist he made potions. And while Richard would be perfectly happy only making beneficial potions. There may come a time where he would need to release the harmful ones into the world. And, should the wrong sort get a hold of them, they might be used against humans. Was that how Blacksmiths felt when they released weapons into the world?

It took more effort than he would have liked to push away the thought lingering in his mind. He stood up, paced around the kitchen, and sighed. Probably best just to stay busy and not worry about hypothetical questions that future him might never have to deal with. He shook his head and sat back down.

With the heavy thinking on pause, Richard looked at some of the new recipes that appeared after he leveled up. There were more from the dungeons in Welf, and that probably had to do with the fact that he had gone through as many drops from the city's dungeons as he could.

From the Slime Dungeon there were 2 new potions. A Potion of Soaring and Bouncy Foam Potion. They were… something different. The soaring one took a Blue Slime Wing and a Blue Core Vial. And it appeared to be static like the Flash Potion. Where there was some relation between the catalyst and the vial. And it wasn't possible to swap out the vials like with most of the others. The Bouncy Foam Potion was also a static one, and used the Blue Core Vial, Slime Puck, and a Wind Gem.

Richard pondered over what the new potions effects might be for a moment. And then laughed at himself. Since they weren't catalyst swaps like with the drake scale potions it was possible to get a description from the System Identification.

Potion of Soaring

Allows the user to glide for a limited time.

Bouncy Foam Potion

Creates a bouncy pillow of foam.

Gliding seemed like it could be a pretty sweet effect. At least that was what he thought at first. Richard's eyes lingered on the mention of limited duration. What happened if someone jumped off of somewhere high where they couldn't reach the ground before the potion's effect ended? Probably splat…

Then there was the Bouncy Foam Potion. Despite the ridiculous name it might have some use depending on how large the pillow was. If it was something small like a bed pillow then it might be helpful for a comfy rest in the dungeon. Which wouldn't really justify the cost involved with making it. Otherwise Richard wasn't sure what it could be used for. And it would be something to test with the clan members for sure.

Next up there was another eye drop recipe that came from the Imp Dungeon. Mana Eye Drops. The description was that they would "Allow the user to see sources of mana easier". Not having worked with mana Richard didn't have any idea as to the use of the potion. Would it aid in the casting of spells? Or maybe crafting? If someone like a blacksmith wove magic in with their strikes? Assuming that was a thing.

Finally there was a new potion from the Orthus Dungeon. Fire Breath Potion. The wording was similar to the Soaring Potion. And the effect was something that might belong better in a circus. "Allows the user to spew flames from their mouths a limited number of times". Sure. Fire breathing sounded great. But did that mean the person would be protected from the flames? Or would they also catch fire? Would the heat bother their mouths at all? Or the hair on their face? Assuming that it didn't leave the user with severe burns the pain might not be worth it. And how many times was a limited number? He made a mental note to make sure that they were outside when the potion was tested.

Richard put together a shopping list of all of the materials that he would need to buy for the potions. He could probably just zip on over to the dungeons and get them himself. But then he would need to find a place to store either the materials or completed potions. And he really didn't want something like the fire breathing one hanging around. What if it was volatile? Could it somehow be shocked or otherwise set off and burn his apartment down in an explosion of fire? No, no. It could wait until he was going to meet with the clan again for testing.

Next Richard looked up what markets were running in New Berl. They seemed to have a smaller midweek market as well as a weekend one. It ran at the same time as the weekend market in Welf, Saturday morning. Which would have been an issue if there was anything that he still needed from the local market. In the end it would be fine to check out New Berl's instead. It was already Thursday, which meant that he had already missed the midweek one.

With time to burn and nothing immediate to do with Alchemy, Richard found himself browsing through the skill books. What could he afford? What did he even want? Should he get two opposing or complimentary elements? Maybe one higher rank than the other? What about something that could be used in melee? Nothing jumped out to him right away. It didn't help that a lot of the skills were rather vague. For example, a Water Magic Skill Book would give him water magic. But to what extent? Would it just be a sprinkler ability that would require him to grow from? Was that how it worked for Brock? Or would abilities appear as he leveled the skill like with S-Rank Alchemy?

In the end Richard somewhat decided that Explosive Magic called to him on some level. From where he wasn't sure. It wasn't like he got kicks from setting things on fire at all. He didn't usually like loud noises. And he was somewhat squeamish on what it might to so something made of flesh and blood. But it should be strong against most monsters and even terrain. And if the feedback from using the skill was he expected it would be worth it. He would just need to put enough distance between him and the targets and a lot of his concerns would be moot.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

But what to pair with it? Fire, water, wind, earth, metal. Or something more exotic? Space, light, dark, blood, lightning, sound, the choices were somewhat dizzying. Given how many there were, Richard wondered how people even decided? Maybe they were like him and just used what they had found? If he didn't already have the Alchemy Skill and Bash had dropped, Richard figured that he would have used it if he could. At least assuming that he was able to afford it.

Most of the magic skill books started at 3.75 million, which was more than what he currently had saved up. If he wanted two of them he would need to more than double his money, all while trying to live and pay for food and rent. He might be able to flood the market with potions, but would there be enough of a demand for them? And if he left the Crafter's Union would he be able to afford it?

Richard shook his head, and caught himself before his hands did something he didn't want them to. He never had a problem with slapping his cheeks until… until after he escaped that crappy job he had. With a deep breath he forcefully grabbed the steering wheel that drove his thoughts and turned it to a new, much more productive direction.

Moving forward through smashing things. Easy enough. Richard had nothing on the next day and there appeared to be a guild group starting up. A few messages later and he had booked his Friday full of stress relief at the expense of the dungeon monsters.

***

The problem with having an inventory was how tiring it was to hide it from people. From what others had told Richard, he could be one of the very few people who had received one so far. And while there could have been others, if they were anything like him then they would have kept it hidden as well. He certainly didn't want the inventory to be another reason that he stood out or for people to chase after him. It was bad enough just trying to keep a low profile with S-Rank Alchemy. Not that he was very good with that either.

While he did have two Weak Healing Potions in his inventory. It didn't mean that he had any on hand for emergencies should a potion be required. And while the line of thought would have been helpful if it had occurred to him the day before. It wasn't until he was getting ready to take the train. Like standing on the platform waiting for the train in a very public place.

Luckily he was able to dash over to the washroom, remove the two potions, stow them in his satchel, and make it back before the next train arrived. Since he wasn't expecting there to be a large number of drops for him to carry he had elected to leave the backpack behind. And instead stuck with the familiar satchel.

One train ride, followed by a bus ride, and Richard found himself looking up at the Dungeon Center for the dungeon he liked the least. The Mushroom Dungeon. Angel had gotten a group together to go back into the wretched place and after seeing some familiar names Richard joined up.

Once inside Richard noticed that the others were already waiting. So he fast walked over without looking like he was fast walking. "Sorry, I wasn't late was I?" he asked.

"No. I think that we all got here early for once," Angel said. "I remembered that you usually come early with Windry. So I tried to get here sooner. But the others are usually later.." She glanced over at Tina and Gem.

"What? I'm always on time. While most of the time," Tina said. "It's usually Gem that makes me late." If Gem felt strongly about what was said about her she didn't show it and only shrugged.

"Is there going to be anyone else? Brock or Mumford?" Richard asked.

"Brock is busy crafting. He said that he felt like he was figuring something out and that he didn't want to leave his bench for the time," Tina said. "Mumford is taking a break I hear."

"Oh? Can I ask what Brock's skill is?" They already knew that he had alchemy. So it probably wasn't a faux pas to inquire.

"Of all things, he ended up with Tailoring. So far he's made some things with extra effects. Cloth gear and bags and the like. I kind of expected something different when I first met with him. But it kind of tracks after I've gotten to know him," Tina said.

Gem patted herself on her chest armor and spoke with her soft voice, "I got a Blacksmithing Skill Book the first time that I entered a dungeon." Which also meant that she had somehow been able to get her hands on the Taunt Skill Book as well. Either she came from money or had been extremely lucky with drops.

"And I'm saving up still," Tina said. "I had been wondering about Woodsmithing as well. But talking with Angel has made me second guess the choice. So I'm at an impasse I guess. Maybe it would be best to get an Archery Skill Book? Though that would push me more towards combat… oh well. You don't need a crafting skill to be a member of the union." She shrugged. "I can always decide on something later."

Since everyone had arrived they figured out a quick combat order. Gem in the front with Richard coming up behind. And then the two archers in the back for flanking and call outs. Tina mentioned that the 3rd level wasn't as dangerous as the Cabbit Dungeon. The monsters were easier to fight and there was still enough light to fight by. Though the fog was a little worse, so they would need to make sure that they communicated clearly.

The trip to the third floor was rather pleasant. Angel still wandered around to the gathering spots. When monsters appeared Tina and Angel would dispatch them quickly enough that Richard and Gem had little to do. On the second floor they needed to block monsters at times. But again the damage of the two archers was high enough that everything quickly fell.

When they stepped onto the third floor the party spread out and confirmed that there was nothing laying in wait. "What sort of monsters should we expect?" Richard asked as he looked around the new floor. A heavy fog hung about the old growth trees. If there were any leaves hanging from the branches it was impossible to tell. While in some places a greyish green moss dangled through the fog, presumably from the branches, and into view.

"Large Walking Mushrooms and Mushtaurs," Angel said. "The taurs might take a bit of finagling. But with Gem here it should be easy enough to taunt and then burn them down."

Richard smiled and shook his head. It figured that he would come up against them after putting off making the vial for so long.

It didn't take them long to find the first monster pack. A pair of Large Walking Mushrooms lumbered into view from behind a tree. Gem belted out her first taunt of the exploration. And the sudden rise in her volume startled Richard. He had grown used to only hearing her soft voice as they descended. Though it wasn't enough to make him more than a step behind and he helped her dps it down. While the second one was filled full of arrows before it could even reach the two archers.

After they continued to search through the floor. Angel cheered when she found another gathering spot. From how it sounded she had successfully crafted a new bow. But she also wanted to get the method down so that she could sell them to others.

Shortly after a second combat with another pair of Large Mushrooms Richard saw something looming in the fog and he called it out. When it finally came into view proper he blinked his eyes to make sure that he wasn't seeing anything and squinted as he took a second look. What must have been a Mushtaur appeared. And it had a body like a deer or a horse, only there was what appeared to be a colony of Walking Mushrooms growing off of its back. There was no neck or head or anything. And he found it rather aberrant looking.

How it noticed the party was lost on Richard. And they leapt into action as it charged forward.