Chapter 58
"Ah, Zephyrus-kun! Isn't that another gathering spot over there?"
"Oh, nice! This area's quite a hidden gem. There are still lots of gathering spots left."
We were currently on the eighth floor of the 〈Wild Herb Grassland Dungeon〉, hard at work gathering materials.
Today, we made gathering our main focus. Of course, our real goal was to defeat the boss and form a guild, but there was no need to rush. We'd get it done today either way. So why not put our effort into gathering? That was the idea.
The 〈Wild Herb Grassland Dungeon〉 is a popular dungeon where you can gather materials, including 〈Magic Grass〉, an ingredient for MP Potions.
We'd stopped at a lot of gathering spots on the way to the eighth floor, but the results hadn't been great and we hadn't collected much. It looked like we'd finally found a jackpot here, though.
There were gathering spots scattered all over, and the 〈Gentle Shovel〉 I'd bought from Marie-senpai for one million Miel came in very handy.
"Ahh. 'Double Yield' really is great. It's doing amazing work."
Normally, you only get one material from a gathering spot, but the 〈Gentle Shovel〉's 'Double Yield' effect doubles the amount you collect.
In other words, two. We could gather two at a time. On top of that, 'Quality Increase (Large) LV4' was helping us collect plenty of "high-quality" 〈Magic Grass〉. Pretty great!
I was seriously grateful to Marie-senpai. She'd sold me just the right thing at just the right time!
High-quality potions restore more, so it's best to get your hands on the best quality you can.
After visiting every gathering spot, we'd collected 84 〈Magic Grass〉 in total.
We'd also gathered a considerable amount of other materials.
Hanna was grinning as she looked over the materials, too.
She was probably imagining herself using 'Alchemy' on all of them.
Hanna had trained to become an 【Alchemist】 since she was little, but apparently she couldn't work with materials as much as she wanted because she was short on Miel. Lately, she'd been happily making all sorts of 〈Small Magic Stones〉 and 〈Lesser Potions〉, as if making up for lost time.
Well, I wanted her to use 'Alchemy' as much as she liked.
But MP Potions came first.
Weapon-wielding Goblins started appearing on the floors after that, but they were no match for me in my 〈Sky Series〉 gear, so I cut them down one after another as we pressed on.
Starting on the thirteenth floor, we began encountering up to four Goblins at once, but I wiped them all out with my new spell, 'Shine Lightning,' and kept going.
'Shine Lightning' is a wide-area attack spell, so it's nice that I don't have to aim very precisely.
We stopped at gathering spots here and there as we made for the lowest floor. It took longer than usual, but we managed to reach the Safety Area by three o'clock.
By then, I was 【Hero LV21】, and Hanna was 【Alchemist LV22】.
By the way, we'd gathered and gathered until we had 368 〈Magic Grass〉. It might sound like a lot, but honestly, I wanted even more.
We had so many other materials that even our 〈Item Bag (Capacity: Large)〉 was starting to fill up, so we had no choice but to call it a day and head back.
"All right, Hanna, I'm counting on you."
"Okay. Leave it to me."
I asked Hanna to take care of a job for me in the Safety Area.
Specifically, making MP Potions.
Hanna took out the 〈Alchemy Set〉, the 〈MP Potion Recipe〉, 〈Magic Grass〉, 〈Slime Jelly〉, and 〈Small Magic Stones〉 from the 〈Item Bag (Capacity: Large)〉 and laid them out.
By the way, Hanna had copied the 〈MP Potion Recipe〉 from the 〈Academy's Grand Library〉.
Hanna's 'Alchemy' and 'Synthesis' skills were both high-level, and she had a high DEX stat, so she probably wouldn't fail with lower-grade materials.
Hanna picked up the 〈Alchemy Set〉 and got to work.
"Let's see, first I simmer the 〈Magic Grass〉 and add a 〈Water Material〉. 〈Slime Jelly〉 is a water-type material, so I'll mix that in and use 'Synthesis'!"
Hanna followed the recipe and used 'Synthesis' to make a green liquid.
By the way, I used 〈Slime Jelly〉 as an intermediate material because it was more likely to produce a higher-quality result than plain 〈Water〉. Pro tip.
The result is still the same MP Potion, though. It's a game, after all.
"Next, I add a 〈Magic Stone〉 of 〈Small〉 size or larger, mix it, and then... 'Alchemy'!"
After Hanna stirred the little, pot-shaped alchemy cauldron, she activated her Skill. The contents flashed, and then a small bottle had appeared inside the pot, seemingly from nowhere.
The green liquid had disappeared somewhere.
"I did it! I made an item!"
"All right! Congratulations, Hanna!"
Hanna was expressing her joy with her whole body, so I joined in and gave her a high five.
The little bottle in the alchemy pot was an MP Potion—or, to be precise, a 〈Lesser MP Potion〉.
It really was just like the game.
In the game, too, using 'Alchemy' turned the materials directly into a finished item.
Boomerangs, swords, even monsters—finished products would just appear, and you'd wonder where they came from. It was one of those strange things unique to games.
I never expected it to happen in real life, and Hanna didn't find it strange at all.
Fantasy, huh.
It really brought home once again that this was the world of 〈Dan-Katsu〉.
"All right, Hanna, keep going and make as many 〈MP Potions〉 as you can."
"Leave it to me!"
After I took the MP Potion, Hanna cheerfully returned to her 'Alchemy' work.
"Oh, this MP Potion came out high-quality!"
When I gulped down the first MP Potion Hanna had made, my MP recovered by 30.
A 〈Lesser〉 normally restores 20, so it had indeed come out high-quality.
Whether an item turns out high-quality depends on the character's skill. That's Hanna for you!