Anxiety and a tinge of fear crept into Feng’s mind as he stared dumbly at the quest notification.

“Damn it.” Swearing out loudly, Feng’s mind calmed down after his abrupt venting and begun to quickly process the possibilities and risks of the quest before he took a quick scan around, turning his head and staring at buildings as though he was lost and trying to orientate himself.

In actuality, Feng’s eyes were checking for the possible spying points among the buildings as well as the street around him. Walking back and forth as though he was trying to locate a particular place fruitlessly, Feng carefully triangulated the tingling feeling on the back of his neck as he mentally crossed off possibilities in his mind and narrowed in on a particular window in a nondescript house across the street as well as a couple of workers moving goods about.

*DING*

New Skill Obtained: Observe

Congratulations, you learnt how to look at things and people around you. Not sure how you survived so long without learning to look around you, some people just are more *special* and need more time I guess.

(Passive/Active Skill)

Grants additional information about observed target.

New Stat Unlocked: Perception

+1 Perception

Congratulations! Your observations have earned:

+5 Perception

Observe has leveled up to Novice 3

Sense Hostile Intent has leveled up to Novice 7

Dismissing the windows quickly, Feng looked up surreptitiously at the targets he identified… Only to realize the tingling feeling was gone and all the workers have seemingly disappeared on their jobs.

‘Damn. No quest update either… maybe this is just a precursor to the actual quest and there is a trigger to it down the road. Oh well, I wanted to get on with my training and plan anyway.’

Shrugging off the odd encounter, Feng resumed searching for the apothecary to find his next teacher, an alchemist.

‘ Wonder what the alchemist is like, Kuron did mention it’s a she, maybe she’s something like a witch? Hmm.. She’s probably an old crone or something given the usual in-game archetypes surrounding potion-brewers.’

As he searched around the apothecary, Feng noticed the glare of the noon sun has greatly reduced the people on the street, especially with it nearing lunch and food places such as bakeries and small eateries begun to see a steady stream of customers. Realizing that he should consume something before his hunger levels affect his stamina again, Feng absentmindedly drew out a cookie from his inventory and munched on it as he searched.

Finally spotting the place, which was not directly on the main south street but rather near the mouth of one of its offshoots, Feng walked up to the shop made of worn but solid-looking stone blocks. The front was completely devoid of color and decorations except for a single wooden sign hanging out with a charcoal-drawn image of potions on it.

Eyeing the apothecary dubiously, Feng wondered if this alchemist would be a proper teacher or not given the lack of traffic and poor location… At the very least she definitely needs a lot more business sense…

Shrugging off his wandering thoughts, Feng entered the shop and tripped a small bell chime as the door swung open.

“Be right out! Don’t touch anything.”

The inside of the store stood out in stark contrast to its plain storefront with racks of vials and flasks full of multi-colored liquids stacked almost precariously around the shop and other containers of varying shapes and sizes bearing all forms of compounds scattered about. Beyond the visual mess which immediately hit Feng, a mix of sharp acrid smells were then processed by his brain and sent him into a short coughing fit as his nose struggled with the pungent odors.

A series of banging noises and swearing issued forth from the backdoor behind the counter which was similarly covered with various potions and compounds, before the door opened to reveal a feminine figure in a set of discolored blue robes with her face completely obscured by ridiculously large and clunky goggles.

“What are you looking for? We sell a large collection of glues, dyes, distilling compounds, metal polishers, inks and cleaning solutions.”

The woman said as she took off her glasses revealing a moderately pretty face with large blue eyes framed by short blond bangs.

‘Huh, not healing potions and a young woman? Guess stereotypes are disproved again… Unless it’s a case of youth potions or some sort of appearance disguising potions? Given how much girls can do with just make-up… Yeah.’

Realizing that he was staring and the alchemist was looking at him oddly, Feng thoughtlessly blurted out the questions on his mind.

“Wait, aren’t you an alchemist? Shouldn’t you be selling healing potions and such? … And are you actually as young as you look or actually really old and hiding it with some kind of youth potions or something?”

His brain catching up with his run-away mouth moments later, Feng bit his lips in dismay as he realized how offensive his words probably sounded… especially the last part to a female… Damn, she’s turning red and opening her mouth…

“HOW RUDE! HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO AN ELIGIBLE YOUNG LADY LIKE MYSELF! I’m only just turning twenty-two this year so you better take back those words…”

Instinctively ducking for cover out of habit, Feng hid behind one of the racks and called out an apology urgently.

“Uh. I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking and Kuron made it sound like you are an old accomplished alchemist when he recommended me to visit you, so I was really confused when I saw a pretty young lady like yourself appear.”

‘Step 1: Apologize, Step 2: Divert the attention and blame, Step 3: Throw in some compliments…’

Feng peeked around the racks at the blonde and noticed her deflating and sufficiently confused. Deeming it safe and that the trusted formula has saved him from female fury once again, Feng walked over to the girl as he spoke.

“Sorry about the misunderstanding. Kuron told me to find you if I wish to learnt alchemy. Although, it seems like you do a lot more work for the crafters instead of selling the general populace given the range of products you mentioned?”

“Yeah, unfortunately there’s little demand for potions and such since the Church of Light came to the town… Healing spells are less costly and able to handle all sort of different aliments, though with the way they have been increasing prices… Wait you want to learn alchemy? And who is this Kuron?”

‘Step 4: Change topic successfully. Now to persuade her to teach me.’

Feng shrugged as he replied nonchalantly.

“Oh you probably know him as Head Trader Steele, and yes I would like to learn alchemy as I have… some personal issues with healing spells. Also, I have a business deal I would like to speak to you about… But first perhaps I could get your name, unless you prefer me to refer to you as pretty lady? I’m Feng by the way.”

The blonde gaped at Feng as his casual name-dropping netted the desired effects and his follow-up compliment elicited a small blush on her cheeks as she replied.

“I’m Alicia, owner of this shop and certified Advanced level alchemist… Wow. I can’t believe Head Trader Steele actually knows me and recommended me. However, I can’t just randomly take in an apprentice simply because you were recommended. I’m not sure about the business deal you wish to talk about but first follow me to the back. I’ll teach you some basics and see if you are capable enough before we talk about more.”

Feng simply nodded and followed her into the back, glad that he managed to get a free pass so easily this time round instead of some convoluted trial…

Following closely behind, Feng’s senses were assaulted by the absolute mess the backroom was in, making the previous room seem like orderly in comparison…

Complex equipment were strewn across the room, reminding Feng of long-forgotten chemistry lab sessions, with the recognizable shapes of measuring tubes, distilling flasks, mixing bowls, funnels mixed with completely unfamiliar objects and equipment. The equipment and brewing potions were randomly glowing or belched colored smoke which swirled around the room stinging Feng’s eyes… and the smell was even worse. Only the open windows helped with diffusing the odor and smoke in the room, though Feng can’t help but pity the neighbors…

Preoccupied with gawking at the chaotic state of the backroom, Feng failed to notice Alicia slipping on a wet spot on the floor, only realizing as she fell backwards into him sending them both crashing to the floor.

“Ow…” Feng said as he took the brunt of the fall being on the bottom and tried to sit up, his hands trying to lever himself up only to touch soft and firm flesh…

“EEPPP! Watch where your hands are going!” Alicia squeaked as she shot up from her position lying across Feng’s body after the fall.

“Eh? Um.. Right, sorry. Maybe we can get on with things now?”

“… Yes, of course.”

Alicia looked vaguely displeased despite Feng’s contrite answer and stalked off, stumbling into various tables and nearly knocking off some equipment on her way.

Pulling out a set of simple mixing flasks and vials as well as a mortar and pestle, she passed it to Feng and indicated a free table at one corner.

“There are two types of herbs on the table there used in basic healing compounds, the simple recipe is a simple mixture of both herbs powdered and mixed in water to create an extremely weak healing potion. Show me the results when you are done and I’ll judge the quality.”

Sitting down at the workstation, Feng used his newly obtained skill to inspect both types of herbs as he handled them carefully.

Blood Leaf

Type: Ingredient

Effects: Healing (Blood Replenishing Effects), *Hidden*, *Hidden*

Description: A blood-red leaf from an unknown herb, it is supposed to assist the body in replenishing blood loss.

Willow Bark

Type: Ingredient

Effects: Healing (Wound-Closing), *Hidden*, *Hidden*

Description: Long strips of willow tree bark, this ingredient is supposed to assist in the closing of wounds.

‘Hmm… so components of a typical healing potion, I suppose it’s considered a minor healing potion due to its ability to heal only superficial wounds. Though the blood-replenishing effects will probably help to some extent in the case of more serious wounds… Alright, now I could get started using Alicia’s recipe or… Yeah let’s go with that, scientific method for the win.’

Feng glanced over at Alicia who was off in her own corner working and decided that it will be fine to ‘borrow’ some other equipment and grab simple equipment like a cutting board, empty racks, a distilling flask and heating equipment which composed of an odd engraved-stone underneath a flask…

Powdering some of both herbs in Alicia’s prescribed method with the mortar and pestle, Feng proceeded to slice bits of them with his dagger, gently heat up other samples of the herbs and even dunked whole pieces into flasks of water.

With the ingredients prepared in various different forms, Feng quickly started a whole bunch of combinations of the different ingredients using different methods with the first sample following Alicia’s recipe precisely while the others deviated from it with one differently prepared ingredient or mixing method… and on the extreme end, completely differently prepared and mixed ingredients such as diced bark and the water from some boiled leaves being mixed together, heated and distilled and some samples resulting in other forms such as powders or jellies…

After a full hour or so, Feng was finally done with the last of the samples and he begun observing each sample as they were left in their individual racks of vials.

Beginner Healing Potion

Type: Potion

Quality: Poor (50% reduction in effects or stats)

Effects: + 20 HP Healing (10 seconds to take effect)

Description: A beginner healing potion with barely any healing abilities, made even crappier by the poor skills of a newbie alchemist.

Beginner Healing Potion (Modified) x2

Type: Potion

Quality: Poor (50% reduction in effects or stats)

Effects: + 16 HP Healing (10 seconds to take effect)

Description: A beginner healing potion with barely any healing abilities with modification to the recipe making it even crappier.

Beginner Healing Potion (Modified)

Type: Potion

Quality: Poor (50% reduction in effects or stats)

Effects: + 12 HP Healing (5 seconds to take effect)

Description: A beginner healing potion with barely any healing abilities with modification to the recipe making it faster to take effect but with much less healing effects.

Potion Gunk

Type: Compound

Quality: -

Effects: Toxic (2 Poison Damage every second, lasting for 30 seconds)

Description: A beginner healing potion turned poisonous by the really terrible skills of a newbie alchemist.

After observing more than two dozen samples, Feng mentally noted the different effects caused by the differing preparation methods leading to increased quantity produced, increase in healing effects and increase in speed of effects or even toxic effects…

*DING*

New Skill Obtained: Alchemy

Want to mixing stuff together and cackle like a mad scientist? Alchemy is the perfect skill for you to create any form of compound you wish by throwing stuff together and hoping it doesn’t explode in your face!

(Passive)

+10% Effectiveness of alchemy products

+1 Dexterity

+2 Intelligence

Congratulations! Your efforts have earned you:

+2 Perception

+3 Intelligence

Alchemy has leveled up to Novice 6

Observe has leveled up to Novice 5

Nodding approvingly at his skill gains, Feng started his work in earnest and begun to reproduce a large amount of the healing potion which gave the most value for money… Boiling the bark and using the water which greatly increased the production amount while having minimal reduction of healing effects and powdering the leaf and mixing it water first for reduction in time to take effect before mixing the two together while leaving it on low heat for approximately a minute, which increases the healing effects again… While letting his healing potions boil, Feng started on a side project of mixing the toxic effects together with healing potions into another vial…

Beginner Healing Potion (Heavily Modified) x30

Type: Potion

Quality: Average

Effects: + 24 HP Healing (6 seconds to take effect)

Description: A heavily modified beginner healing potion with slightly increased healing effects and quicker time to effects.

Potion Gunk (Modified) x10

Type: Compound

Quality: -

Effects: Toxic (6 Poison Damage every second, lasting for 30 seconds)

Description: Toxic potion gunk made even more toxic…

“… Feng. Are you sure this is the first time you are learning alchemy? This potion is miles better than the recipe I gave you and you created ten times the amount that should have been possible from the ingredients I gave you.”

Alicia said while inspecting a vial of Feng’s healing potion he passed to her.

“Well… I have learnt another discipline before in my own world that uses methods that can more easily experiment and come up with effective ways to increase output and effectiveness. Also, can I keep some of these potions since I made more than should be possible? In exchange for that and your teachings, I would like to offer you the recipe… and a partnership to sell healing potions and other useful potions at the library. I’m sure if we work together, we can make potions at prices below that of the priests’ healing spells…”

“Alright, you can keep them but I’ll take five of them to run my own tests on. As for being partners… I accept! It was my father’s dream to create potions that can help our fellow men and he entrusted me with it… But with my skills, I simply could not manage to make any headway especially with the Church blocking me and even spreading rumors about witchcraft…”

Feng happily stashed his creations less five healing potions into his inventory before continuing to speak.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan-“

Only to be interrupted by a sudden tingling and feeling of danger on the back of his neck which Feng responded to quickly by diving forward and pulling Alicia to the ground.

“HE-“

Alicia’s indigent shout was cut off by knives streaking into the room over their head through the open windows and crashing into the equipment around the room.

Four figures fully cloaked in crimson quickly followed the initial ranged assault as they leapt in through the windows with blinding speed…

Adrenaline shot through Feng’s veins as he hurriedly drew his sword and dagger to fend off the ambush, swearing mentally as the speed of the assault clearly shows that the men are way beyond his current abilities… only to sweat-drop at the sight that followed their quick entry.

The cloaked figures had rushed in… and spectacularly crashed into various equipment littered about the place or slipped on puddles leaking from the broken flasks from their thrown knives…

Not wasting the opportunity, Feng left Alicia behind cover and quickly leaped onto and across the tables to the nearest enemy and stabbed his sword through the hood mercilessly, pushing the sickening feeling of the blade sliding through flesh and out with an accompanying spray of blood and squelching sound to the back of his mind as he noticed the other figures recovering.

Tossing his four of daggers at the two furthest away, Feng charged at the remaining enemy who readied long knives in his hands to defend himself… But was instead surprised by Feng throwing his last dagger at his face and quickly blocked with his weapons.

*SCHLING*

Looking down dumbly at the sword impaling his chest, the enemy realized far too late as blood bubbled up in his mouth, that in the split second his eyes were blocked by his own weapons deflecting the dagger, Feng had thrown his sword at the man…

Seeing the two remaining assassins charge towards him with only one having a long gash across his arm from his thrown daggers, Feng mentally calculated his chances against fighting them head-on and gritted his teeth as it was impossible.

‘Two down. The rest will be far more prepared for my attack though… and I’m out of weapons… Or maybe not.’

A wicked grin spread across Feng’s face as he grabbed random vials from a nearby table and tossed them at his attackers and kept up a barrage of vials aiming not only at them but at the floor in front of them causing them to halt their advance and block the vials only to have random liquids splashing their body…

One of which caused sizzling sounds to ensue from under the man’s hood causing a muffled scream of pain as he backpedaled only to step into a puddle… which turns out to be strong glue causing him to fall backwards and hit his head hard on the stone floor, abruptly cutting off his scream.

The remaining assassin who managed to avoid the bulk of the thrown vials stopped warily as he glanced at the chaotic scene with all his compatriots taken out in disturbing ways… and wisely decided to retreat.

Pulling out a glowing stone, the assassin started to chant only to be interrupted by Feng throwing another vial and rushing at him shouting.

“LIKE I WILL LET YOU ESCAPE!”

The vial shattered over the stone as Feng reached the man with a flying kick… and bright light enveloped the room… and faded leaving the chaotic battle-scene untouched except for the conspicuous lack of two figures…

“Feng?”

Alicia called out as she looked about her wrecked workroom… only to receive no response…

…

…

…

A bright light flashed and two figures fell onto the hard ground. Struggling with each other briefly, one soon overpowered the other and rapidly smashed the other’s head against the ground till his movement ceased.

*DING*

Congratulations! For defeating enemies way above your level, you have leveled up twelve times and earned:

+1 Strength

+2 Dexterity

+1 Agility

+2 Perception

+3 Luck

Congratulations! For being the first to discover this dungeon, you will get twice the experience gains for a period of one week while exploring this dungeon.

Ignoring the notification, Feng stared dumbly at the man he just slain with his bare hands… and the blood staining his hands. The sickening crunch as the man’s skull broke, the squelching sound as he stabbed his sword through another’s face, the spray of blood, the screams of agony… All these swirled around his mind and he had to forcibly drive down his urge to vomit at the realism of the violence and death.

Minutes passed before Feng regained a grip over himself by repeating a constant refrain in his mind.

‘It’s just a realistic game and they are all AIs, just AIs not real people or anything… It’s just a game.’

With that thought in mind, Feng finally looked around himself and found himself in an underground room surrounded by stone walls… The room was thankfully empty and a wooden door hopefully kept the noise of their struggle from alerting anyone. Finally paying attention to the notification windows, Feng double checked the amount of level-ups he obtained with astonishment… and was even more shocked by the dungeon notification.

‘Well, at least I have time to train before I head back to complete my training and quests.”

Feng consoled himself mentally as he realized that he was trapped in a completely new and unknown dungeon…

*DING*

Quest Update: Time Limit to Library Quest Failure – 6 more days

AN: Made some edits to stat gains, since luck factored more in Feng's victory than anything else.