Chapter 21 

We arrive at the general store (which was the requester) while we were calming down Sera. It is quite different from the suspicious shop in the first village I visited. I mean it is totally different. For example, this store keeper is young; all of the goods are arranged nicely; and the atmosphere is really bright. I could see an adventurer with armor on, smiling inside the shop.

All of the store keepers are wearing matching ap.r.o.ns. Most of them are young women in their twenties, not old women. I spot one of them who is free, so I approach her.
 

[Excuse me. I accepted potion-making request…]



[Oh! You accepted the request.] the shop keeper begins. [You are not the usual person.  Did you come here for a trial?]

[Yes, I want to test all six people in my party…]

[That is okay,but you have to buy ingredients to make potions for each other. Is that okay with you?] the store keeper asks, looking at me.

[Yes, that’s okay.]

The potion’s ingredients are [Medical Herb] and [Magic Herb]. The process is simply just to boil down the  [Medical Herb] and [Magic Herb] with a fixed amount of water. Since it is in the scope of skill, I guess that is called talent. This is an unfair skill. Because the light blue potion is complete, the only thing left to do is to bottle it.

I didn’t tell the shop keeper, but I already have a large stock of [Medical Herb] inside the since I’ve usually picked them up during the trip. Since I have , I have a habit of h.o.a.rding items. It’s the same with [Magic Gra.s.s], too. It has some magical power, but it doesn’t restore MP when consumed. I could subst.i.tute it with finely-ground monster stone, but I don’t think I’d want to drink something that since it was inside a goblin’s body.

A higher-ranked potion can only be made by these means. Monster stone is really necessary. This is a bit of a contradiction because you need to hunt them to make a potion.
 

[Understood. Could you go to the workshop?] the store keeper asks.

We follow the store keeper through the pa.s.sage that only employees can use and enter the workshop in the back. There are a lot of work tables lined up with some of the tools that you can see in a science cla.s.sroom. It seems I have to use that triangular flask.
 

[This is the potion-making section. It has all of the general tools, and the procedure is written in a booklet. Please don’t go to another place since this place is also a restricted area. Do you need to learn how to make potions?] the store keeper asks.

[[[[Yes!]]]]

The store keeper leaves us immediately. The rest of workers here have ap.r.o.ns, too. They are too busy and don’t even have time to pay attention to us. So we decide to make potions on our own. We just tear up some magic gra.s.s, put it inside a beaker, add some water, and boil it for three minutes. It’s slightly troublesome because you need to pay attention to it.
 

Since everybody has level 2, we are successful in making potions. However, the performance is clearly different when we look at them.

If the average of recovery potion in this store is around one hundred points, our potions are between 80 and 150 points.

The one who created the 150-point potion is Dora. I didn’t expect her to be that good, at all. Maria’s potion came in at about 120 points. I’m not surprised because she can do anything. Mio’s and Sera’s potions are about 100 points each. How about mine and Sakura’s? I don’t even need to say. Ours are the 80-point potions. 

「「…」」

[[…]]

Sakura and I have nothing to say.

[J-Jin-sama… Please don’t get depressed. Look! You can trade with my potion…] Maria says.
 

Maria, that doesn’t comfort me at all.
 

[Master, are you being cursed or something? Even though you have skill, you can’t cook or make potions at all.] Mio says.
 

d.a.m.n it. Well, that might be the reason. But wouldn’t it be strange if it isn’t?
 

Q : Why is my compounding not going well?

 

 PLEASE TELL ME EARLIER!!!
 

Recently, Q&A is becoming more flexible, but it still doesn’t give answer to something important.
 

[Special power doesn’t go well with production skill…] I say.

[Really? Jin-kun? Why did you say that now…?] Sakura asks.

[I just learned it for the first time, too…] I reply.

[Ah…] Sakura says.
 

Sakura’s and my tension immediately lessen.
 

[You are really cursed. I’m sorry.] Mio says.

[Jin-sama’s good point isn’t about production skill, so please don’t worry about it…]
 

Mio tries to apologize while Maria tries to comfort us. Please stop. Don’t wound me anymore. Isn’t “You can transfer all skills, but you can’t have production cheat.” some kind of hara.s.sment…?

> says Dora via telepathy.
 

I hug Dora tightly and pat her hair. Uh… I’m healed now.
 

[Master, what are you doing?] Sera asks.

[Perhaps. Are you going to heal yourself with Dora-chan’s help? Master, please let me do that, too…] – Mio asks.

[Dora-chan, to be patted by Jin-sama like that… It is enviable…]
 

I pretend I don’t hear anything and stay like this for five minutes…

Five minutes later, we give our potions to the store keeper to confirm the quality of them. The store keeper puts one drop from each bottle in her hand and licks it, one by one.
 

[Uh, the quality isn’t the same, but they can be sold.] the store keeper replies after her taste test.
 

She can check the quality with just one drop?! She really is a professional, after all…
 

[But this can’t be sold! Who made this one?] the store keeper asks.
 

I point at Dora. That’s the potion she made. Perhaps, the quality is too high, so it can’t be sold in the shop. 
 

[This girl. So… It can’t be sold because the quality is too high?] I ask, voicing my thoughts.
 

Store keeper-san nods. Rather than seeming displeased, she just smiles awkwardly.
 

[That’s right. This is the best potion quality I have seen until now. I wouldn’t be able to maintain our business if we have to sell potions of the same quality as this one.] – Store Keeper
 

It seems Dora’s potion is better than we thought. Store keeper-san just puts out my and Maria’s potion.
 

[Those are the quality of potions that have been sold in this store. So we can’t sell anything with better or less quality than those.] the store keeper.
 

In short, The potions should be between 80-120 points. With a standard of 100 points, this means that we have a margin of error of about twenty percent. You can understand how absurd Dora’s 150-point potion is.
 

[So, would you sell this potion, but not as a part of the request?] the store keeper asks.

[Why? This potion can’t be sold in the store, right?] I ask.
 

It seems to me that there is no reason for the shop to buy something that can’t be sold.

[I want to raise our quality with this. We are aiming for the best… So I have to give them some motivation. Of course, we can’t ma.s.s produce this, but it is good enough to raise our skill…] the store keeper replies.
 

Before I know it, the quality of Dora’s potion is at the top, the pinnacle that all potion makers are aiming to reach. It is beyond my expectation…
 

[Then, please do your best, We are going to buy ninety-five more of these potions.] the store keeper says.
 

After the store keeper finishes, she returns to her post.
 

[Then, should we keep making potions? I think Dora should go easy on this a little.] I say.
 

I show Mio and Sera’s potions. Since they are about 100 points each, they should be our goal.
 

>
 

We start making potions again. Since it takes about five minutes per potion, we finished them all in one and a half hours.

Since we use the previous attempt for standard, we are able to make the quality of these potions within the margin range. At first, Maria has the lowest margin of error at only five percent, and she is that consistent until the end. Aside from being the highest quality, I can’t but help think that Maria is really skillful.

Next is Dora, and her margin of error is about ten percent. It seems she tried too hard to be consistent with quality, but she is finally equal with Maria.

Mio and Sera each have a twenty percent margin of error, but that lowers to fifteen percent after they become accustomed to it.

Me and Sakura? Ours is only one percent. Since this is based on 80 points, potions that have a quality point at 79 or lower are put inside quietly before submitting. Well, I don’t think it will become useless… Probably.
 

[Oh, my! As expected of six people, you finished quickly.] said the store keeper.
 

We called store keeper-san to check them after we reach our quota.
 

[How about working here? With your skill, you don’t need to fight at all.] the store keeper said.

[I’m sorry. We can’t accept that because we are traveling around as adventurer.] I replied.

I didn’t say that being a potion maker is a bad job, but it is no good for those of us who want to travel around.
 

[Too bad.  The person who usually accepts this request has the skill, but she still has “adventurer” as her main job. Consequently, she refuses to be employed here.] the store keeper said.
 

While I was waiting for store keeper-san to check the quality of potions, I hear a yell from a long distance away.
 

[…tion. Po… tion!] cried a girl.

I can’t hear it really well, but that person is heading to this place. We don’t need to be ready for battle, but considering our last case, it is better to be safe than sorry.
 

[Po… tion!] the girl yelled.
 

It seems she said “Potion”. Uh… She might be related to us.
 

[That potion request! Please wait for a moment!]

The girl, who was around our age, shows up. She has a brown ponytail, short pants with suspenders, a breastplate and a knife on her waist. She looks exactly like an adventurer.
 

[Oh, Yurika-chan. Why are you in that much of a hurry?]
 

I confirm the status of the girl named Yurika.

Name:  Yurika.

LV2

s.e.x:  Female

Age:  16

Race:  Half-elf

Skills:  


This is the first time I’ve see a half-elf. Her ears seem to be sharper when I look at it properly. Because this country doesn’t have discrimination regarding race, beast people are common here. Erudia seems to have a human supremacy policy, and other races can be seen in slave market.

But she has interesting skill. Although she looks like a normal adventurer, her skill is completely focused on production. Her level is too low… It seems is really helpful in combat, but it doesn’t mean she could win the combat. And her is a rare skill I have never seen before.

I can take one point from her and convert unusable skill into point and give her back, but I’m somewhat hesitant to do that. I decide not to be indebted to Erudia, but this habit continues.
 

Yurika recovers her breath and starts to talk.
 

[Sora-san. Can I do the potion-making request?] Yurika asked

[It has already been done.] replied Sora, the store keeper.

[EHH!!] Yurika exclaimed.
 

Yurika is completely taken aback.
 

[Then, please let me do the rest.] Yurika said.

[No, one hundred of them are all done.] Sora replied.

[WHAT!!] Yurika exclaimed.
 

She collapses on the floor. What’s wrong with her?
 

[Yurika-chan, don’t feel depressed. Is there someone else we can talk with?] Sora asked.
 

Yurika lifted her head and starts to talk.

[I tried to accept a G-ranked request the day before yesterday, but I failed. I already have four consecutive failures now, and it will be five, if I fail this request, too.] Yurika explained.

One of the conditions for adventurers to raise their ranks is to have a few consecutive successful requests, but they can also lower their rank if they keep fail consecutively.
 

[Since I’m already G-ranked, my status of being adventurer will be frozen for a year if I fail five consecutive times.] Yurika continued.
 

You can register again at G-ranked the following year, but it is really disgraceful and a waste of time.

[So I want to report about the potion-making request before reporting about the failed request in order to break the consecutive failures. Not much time has pa.s.sed after this request was accepted, so I thought some part of it might be left, but…] Yurika explained before asking her question. [Was I too late?]
 

So she wants to report successful request before a failed one. So this is the reason she accepts potion-making requests.
 

[All of these children… All six of them could make a potion, so that request has already been done.] said Sora.
 

Yurika collapses again.
 

[Oohhh! Luck has abandoned me!] Yurika wailed.
 

Store keeper-san or Sora-san is at a loss for words after seeing Yurika become like that.
 

[Yurika-chan. It is no good, but could you make twenty potions for the request?] Sora asked.

[Really!?] – Yurika
 

Yurika looks up with sparking eyes.

…Sora-san is really soft somehow, but I desperately try not to take compound skill from Yurika. I have to endure and stop that desire.
 

[Yeah, but is it enough for a request?] Sora asked.

[It is okay, of course. Thank you very much.] said Yurika.


Yurika bows down repeatedly.

[Hey, what kind of request did you accept?] I ask.

[Eh, this is…] Yurika began.
 

She shows me the request note. It is to investigate and repulse the monster that lays waste on the village’s fields, and the deadline is tomorrow…
 

Those failed requests will usually be posted again after the deadline has pa.s.sed, if there is still some time left. This request will be posted again, for sure.
 

[By the way, what happened during this request?] I ask.

[Err, I was able to confirm it was the act of two fang wolves, but I had to give up because I couldn’t fight against two fang wolves.] Yurika replied.

A fang wolf isn’t a tough monster, but I guess that wasn’t the case for an adventurer like Yurika.
 

[Why don’t you form the party to fight them?] I ask.

[Uh… When I form a party, the only thing I’m usually allowed to do is potion making…] Yurika explains.

I see. Since recovery magic is rare, the demand for potions is high. If someone can make a potion, it will be suitable to be a.s.signed at that role as a subst.i.tute. You can’t expect to be sent to front line… 
 

Apart from the conversation about the request…
 

[So you need to defeat the fang wolves to finish this. Hey, is it okay for us to help you with this?] I ask.

[Ehh?] Yurika replied.
 

It can’t be help that Yurika is confused.
 

[Does it take some time after a reported failed request will be reposted again? I thought it would be better if we can complete it quicklier.] I respond.

Requests can be transferred to another adventurer if that adventurer can’t complete it. At that point, it is no longer the responsibility of the adventurer who originally accepted the request to complete it. Of course, mutual agreement from both parties is required, but this action doesn’t happen much in this system. If there is no agreement, then it is easier to wait until that request has expired and is posted again.

But in this town, it is difficult to obtain good requests. It is more likely for those requests to be handed over to others instead of waiting for them to be posted again. For us, it is okay to accept any subjugation request, except those involving goblins.
 

[It isn’t worth your trouble. Eh… Don’t tell me you are aiming for my body…] Yurika exclaims.
 

Yurika covers her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Not the kind of pose a vigorous adventurer girl would do.
 

[No (not your character)] I reply.
 

Yurika collapses again after hearing that.
 

[Why? This is too much…] Yurika says.

[> Not at all.] says Sera.

[> Not at all.] Mio says.

[Oohhh…] Yurika cries.
 

Mio and Sera tried to cover for her, but they deal more damage instead.
 

[Err, are you going to hand it over or not?] I ask.

[I-If possible, I want to clear this request first…] replies Yurika.

[Understood. About potion making, right? Do you mind if we go together with you? What do you think, everyone?] I ask.
 

I push the subject forward and ask for confirmation from everyone. Of course, we won’t do if she doesn’t like it…
 

[I don’t mind.] Sakura says.
 

After Sakura said that, everybody nods. So we go to look at Yurika while she is working.
 

[you’re waiting for me? Thanks. It should take around an hour.] Yurika says.
 

I am surprised to hear Yurika said it would take only an hour because we needed five minutes per potion.  However, she only needs three minutes.
 

[I never thought it could be done like this…] says Maria.
 

We smile awkwardly after looking at Yurika who has been working for a while.
 

>

 

The secret to Yurika’s quickness is one main thing: She is making two potions at the same time.
 

She works with herbs with both hands in parallel. She can make twenty of them in fifty minutes, but it’s not just that.
 

[I remember it from my past life. It is totally like having a controller on each hand…] Mio says.
 

After Mio said that, I could understand it somehow.
 

She actually finishes all twenty potions within one hour. Surprisingly, her error rate is less than three percent. I wonder why she wants to be adventurer.
 

[Yurika-chan is amazing, after all. You can make those potions uniformly… Why don’t you work here? Doesn’t that earn more money than being adventurer?] Sora asks.

[Ugh! Because my family has a long line of adventurers…] Yurika replies.

 

I think she has a clear reason to refuse.
 

[Too bad. All people with exceptional talent here today aren’t going to work with us…] – Sora

It is really disapointing. Well, they need to hand the request to the adventurer’s guild. I don’t think they have enough manpower. And this is an adventurers’ town, so the demand for potions won’t run out.
 

[It can’t be helped… Shall we head to adventurer’s guild for now?] Sora asks.
 

After finishing the quality check of Yurika’s potion, we return to the adventurer’s guild together with Sora-san and Yurika.
 

Sora-san has a procedure to follow in order to report on the finished request, and we are handling the request transfer.
 

[Yes, from now on, Jin-sama will be in charge of this request. Please be careful. You can’t transfer anymore.] the receptionist says.
 

I receive a request transfer note from Receptionist-san.
 

[The target’s village is around an hour away from here by carriage.]

[We still have time until tomorrow, so I think we can manage it.]

[It is better to finish it quickly!]

>

 

Dora, where did you hear that from? Err… Your grandfather? Oh, that’s right…
 

[In that case, should we return to our carriage? The drivers will be Sera and I.] says Maria.

[Driving practice and battling monsters are my work now.] Sera says.
 

And then while we are about to leave the adventurer’s guild, Yurika stops us.
 

[Wait a minute! Please take me there, too.] Yurika exclaims.

[What’s wrong? You already transferred this request to us.] I reply.

[Uh, I can’t overlook this, so please let me see that it’s done, at least.] says Yurika.


Well, there is no merit to doing that. It will be troublesome for us…

[Hey, I could guide you to that village.] Yurika says.

 

Map is enough for that.
 

[I have a connection with the village’s chief.] says Yurika.
 

A request note is enough.
 

[I can help you locate those fang wolves, too.] Yurika adds.

Map can do that.

Uh, it is really unnecessary…
 

[Please! I will make myself feel bad if I leave it like this!] Yurika says.

One idea suddenly comes up. If we lend a hand here, I can’t say our points will be zero. I have to decide what is safe for us. And if she is indebted to us, it is unlikely she will expose our secret. It is safe for now.
 

[Okay, I will take you, but we won’t protect you. We don’t mind if you follow, but you have to take care of yourself.] I say.

[Of course! I’m confident with my escape skills!]
 

Well, she does have skill. I have to make a promise with her first so that if something happens to her, it won’t be our fault.
 

> I say via telepathy to the others.

<><><>> >> >> >> – Everyone responds, also via telepathy.

> Dora asks.
 

Oh! Dora doesn’t understand.
 

> I request of Sakura.

> Sakura explains to Dora via telepathy.
 

I feel relief after Sakura starts her explanation.

We take Yurika with us and leave town by carriage. By the way, we put”Room” in and hide Tamo-san. I turned it into something long and slender and hid it the ceiling. Uh, it won’t be found.
 

[Even though you guys are G-ranked like me, you still have a nice carriage.] Yurika says.

[We happened to have a chance to obtain a lot of money.] I reply.
 

[Well, one fang wolf is my limit, so when the second one joined the battle, I thought I was going to die.] says Yurika.

[…Too weak…]
 

[Potion making was my lifeline when I failed the request, so…] Yurika continues.

[Don’t worry. We just accepted it as a test. We didn’t need to accept it in this town, at all.] I say.

[I-I’m glad…] Yurika mumbles.
 

It is usually noisy when three or more women gather, but Yurika alone was enough to be noisy. She did all of the talking in the carriage.
 

After we had traveled for an hour, we arrive at the next village safely. Since this village doesn’t have a hotel nor a facility where we could leave our carriage, we just park at village’s entrance. Of course, Tamo-san is a guard.


*************************************************************

Status

Shindo Jin

LV39

Skills

Martial Arts:

Magic:

[Revival][Room][Warp][Portal][Energy Ball]

General Skills:

Body:

Special Powers:

Equipment: Spirit sword (incomplete)

Kinos.h.i.ta Sakura

LV 28

Skills

Martial arts:

Magic:

Body:

Special powers:

Equipment: Ruby rod

Dora


Equipment: Monk’s combat staff, steel shield

Mio


Equipment: Fairy shortbow

Maria

LV 30

Skills

Martial arts:

Magic:

General Skills:

Body:

Other:

Equipment: One-handed iron sword

Sera

LV 6

Skills

Martial Arts:

General Skills:

Body:

Equipment : Greatsword, Partisan, Kite Shield

Kamo

LV 11

Skills in the list below are those in which everybody (except taming monster other than Dora) has at least one point. If it is LV 2 or more, it will be listed individually.

Martial Arts:

Magic:

General Skills:

Body:

Other:

-fin Chapter 21 Potion Making and a Half-elf


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