Chapter 38: The World, Promises, and Mixing
"Then, if you’ll excuse me. Thank you for everything."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. You were a great help. If you’re ever nearby again, come by just to visit."
"Yes, thank you. See you again."
With that short exchange with Mayor Elan, Jin set out from Magna Village in the faint light of early dawn.
"Take care!"
"The boar was delicious, thanks!"
"Come back again!"
He could hear the voices of the villagers preparing for their farm work behind him. Smiling, Jin turned and waved broadly before resuming his walk.
The faintly dim morning air carried a unique freshness. Jin cheerfully walked on, eating the sandwiches Elan’s wife had prepared for him as breakfast.
The night before, instead of staying at the inn, Jin had been hosted at the mayor’s home. Though the feast had ended fairly early, he ended up talking with Elan late into the night.
Elan, it turned out, had once been an adventurer. As a result of that experience, he was entrusted with overseeing the village. In his younger days, he had adventured not only in this country but also abroad, and he had shared many stories.
One of the most interesting things to Jin was about the royal capital of this kingdom, the Nasaria Kingdom, as well as the dungeons in the neighboring Rigurd Kingdom.
According to Elan, dungeons are both a "calamity" and a "blessing," for they appear suddenly anywhere, spawning magical beasts.
If the monsters inside a newly-formed dungeon—called a "Calamity Dungeon"—are left unchecked for too long, it begins producing monsters outside as well, which wreak havoc on the surrounding land. The only way to prevent this is for adventurers and others to enter the dungeon and thin out the monsters within.
The best solution is to destroy the enormous magic stone at the deepest part—the Dungeon Core. But even if that can’t be done, as long as monsters inside are regularly defeated, the dungeon won’t produce them outside. Eventually, after a period ranging from half a year to over twenty years, the dungeon simply vanishes.
However, if someone manages to destroy the Dungeon Core before then, the dungeon becomes permanently fixed in place. In that state, it only spawns monsters internally, making it an ideal training ground for adventurers and soldiers, and the resources obtained inside also bring wealth to the land.
Thus, every nation maintains at least one "Blessing Dungeon," usually adjacent to its capital.
Of course, compared to their Calamity form, the monsters inside these fixed dungeons are weaker, requiring greater numbers to gain levels. And leveling is capped at around 15—no one can push beyond 20 inside them. The leading theory is that destroying the Dungeon Core degrades the quality of monsters, but since there’s no real difference in drop items, it hasn’t been proven. Even so, one can reliably reach the strength of a C-rank adventurer there, so Blessing Dungeons are highly valued.
The strength cultivated in such dungeons is used to defend against magical beasts, not for war between nations. In fact, a war several centuries ago ended with the aggressor nation being wiped out by a magical beast attack, spreading the belief that war is the work of fools. Ironically, the threat of magical beasts acts as a deterrent.
Elan himself hadn’t experienced it, but he told Jin that large-scale magical beast attacks—disasters capable of destroying nations—occur every few decades to centuries. Their cause is unknown: some say they result from Calamity Dungeons left unchecked, others that they are "divine punishment" for starting wars. Whatever the reason, the threat is real.
Of all Elan’s stories, that one left the deepest impression. The thought of such an attack reaching the city of Lientz made Jin shiver—not from fear of the monsters themselves, but from the fear of failing to protect the people he cared about. He renewed his determination to grow stronger.
Finishing his sandwich, Jin began his morning training while recalling the conversation from last night. He used Presence Detection to sense small animals and magical beasts, then approached them unnoticed with Stealth. Deliberately avoiding the main road, he repeated this practice as he made his way back toward Lientz, also collecting medicinal herbs along the way.
Along the road, Jin even encountered a slime for the first time since shortly after arriving in this world.
Naturally, this time he made sure to collect its drop item.
With training, fighting, and harvesting along the way, Jin finally reached Lientz after midday—despite leaving Magna Village early that morning.
"Good work, Burke-san."
"Oh, Jin. You too. Just getting back?"
Jin met Burke at the gates of Lientz. It had been a while, and Jin couldn’t help but smile at the familiar face.
"Yes. I went all the way to Magna Village."
"Oh, that so? Hm? Then you don’t have anything else planned for today?"
"Right. I was just thinking of doing some research, maybe studying magic."
If time allowed, Jin also planned to stop by Bean’s workshop and watch him mix potions.
"In that case, remember what I mentioned before? How about coming over tonight? I’m heading home for dinner now—I’ll let my wife know. What do you say?"
"Eh? That’s kind of sudden. Are you sure it’s alright today?"
Jin considered Burke’s wife—surely she had her own schedule.
"No, actually, my wife was nagging me just this morning, telling me to invite you sooner. As long as you’re fine with it, we’ve got no problem."
Jin hesitated for a moment, then decided to gratefully accept the kindness.
"Then please allow me to trouble you. If it turns out inconvenient, just send word—I’ll understand."
"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know. If not, I’ll pick you up at your inn around six. You’re staying at the Traveler’s Rest, right?"
"Yes, thank you very much. I’ll be looking forward to it. Please give my regards to your wife as well."
"Ha! I will. See you later, then."
And so, Jin was set to visit Burke’s home that evening. After parting ways, he first headed to the public baths to wash away the sweat of travel, and then to a diner for lunch.
After his meal, Jin’s feet carried him to Bean’s shop. On a whim, he had asked if he could observe potion-making—and Bean had readily agreed.
Inside the back workshop, Jin watched as Bean’s apprentice worked on a potion. Before him was a bottle filled with a cloudy liquid of dissolved, crushed herbs. The apprentice held his hands over it, focusing intently.
This, Bean explained, was the final step: passing magic through the mixture to activate its components. The secret behind HP and MP potions’ ability to bring dramatic recovery in a short time lies in this final infusion of mana.
"In short, as long as you don’t mess up the measurements or the order, mixing itself isn’t too difficult. There are tricks to dissolving or blending, but nothing overly complex. What’s hard is channeling the magic. Some even study magic solely for the sake of sensing mana."
Bean’s eyes were sharp as he watched his apprentice, not the usual gentle look he wore. Jin thought to himself that this was the mark of a true craftsman.
"Imagine the mana flowing between your outstretched palms. Picture it stimulating and activating the potion’s properties as it passes through. That’s how you complete a potion suited to its intended effect."
He might have been speaking to Jin, but the words were for his apprentice as well. Under Jin’s watchful gaze, the cloudy liquid in the apprentice’s bottle gradually took on a bluish hue.
"Good. That’s better than before. Keep it up."
Bean praised him, and the apprentice, visibly encouraged, nodded with a proud smile. Then Bean turned to Jin.
"Well then, would you like to try, Jin-san? I’ll do it beside you, so just follow my example."
"Thank you very much. I’d be honored."
Jin sat next to him. Mimicking Bean’s movements, he crushed several kinds of dried herbs. He was never particularly dexterous, yet by imitating Bean, he gradually grasped the knack. He realized with gratitude that Body Control Boost even helped with such delicate tasks. Before long, he was working at a pace that even Bean found surprising.
"Excellent. Up to this point, there’s no problem. Now, we move on to the final step."
Before Bean sat a potion bottle filled with a faintly cloudy liquid.
"I’ll demonstrate first, so watch carefully."
He held his hands over it and infused mana. In an instant, the liquid turned a vivid blue—far clearer and more beautiful than his apprentice’s attempt. Jin had never seen such a brilliantly colored potion before.
"Mm, well done. For today, we made potions one at a time so you could get used to it, but normally they’re prepared in batches. Still, when you make them individually like this, you can pour in more mana, which sometimes results in higher-quality potions like this one."
Listening to Bean’s explanation, Jin nodded in understanding. Following Bean’s instruction, he placed his hand over his own potion and channeled mana into it, visualizing the medicinal properties inside the liquid being activated. For Jin, who possessed Mana Control LV: MAX, this was hardly a challenge.
With a ping system sound, his potion turned blue. It wasn’t quite as radiant as Bean’s, but it was certainly brighter and clearer than the apprentice’s attempt.
"…This is remarkable. I can hardly believe it’s your first try. This is more than good enough to sell on the shelf."
Bean was genuinely impressed, though Jin himself knew it was thanks to the "cheat-like" advantage of Mana Control LV: MAX. Even so, he felt no guilt over it.
"Thank you. But it’s all thanks to your guidance, Bean-san."
Jin accepted the praise humbly—without belittling himself for relying on his skill, and without growing arrogant because of it.
"No, no… this must be what people call talent. …Jin-san, if you have the time, would you consider coming here regularly for a while to study potion-making?"
Bean spoke formally, which left Jin slightly taken aback, though it was exactly the kind of offer he would have wished for.
"What I’d like to teach you are recovery potions for HP and MP, antidotes for poisons, cures for various status ailments—basically everything an adventurer would find essential. Even if you can’t brew some due to a lack of ingredients, I’ll still pass on the recipes. I’m certain that knowledge will serve you well in the future."
Bean’s eyes were earnest as he appealed to Jin.
"I’m honored… but is it really alright for someone like me to learn something so valuable?"
Potion recipes had to be a craftsman’s most important secrets. Jin instinctively felt hesitant about accepting such generosity.
"Yes. My master once told me, ‘Pass on knowledge only to those worthy of inheriting it.’ That’s how I received it from him, and someday I’ll pass it on to my apprentices as well. I know your character, Jin-san, and just now you’ve shown me your skill. What you lack, I can teach you with time. Because I believe you are worthy, I want you to have this."
The look Bean gave him was nothing but sincere.
"Thank you so much. Then I’ll devote myself to learning with all my heart."
Moved by Bean’s feelings, Jin accepted his offer. If he was going to do this, he intended to give it his best so as not to disappoint him. With deep gratitude, Jin bowed low.
Afterward, he continued to study with Bean for as long as time allowed, and he left with several potions he had made himself. Though Bean tried to refuse, Jin, of course, handed over the medicinal herbs he had gathered that very day—his way of offering at least some payment in return.
Naturally, Jin’s face was brimming with a smile as he made his way back to the inn, carrying gratitude in his heart.
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