Chapter 57: 56. Meet the Brewer

Different POV at the start of the chapter.

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Igor was staring at the corpse of the Hydra, and he pulled his great sword out of the ground. He grabbed a rag and started cleaning it.

The corpse of the Hydra was lying on a puddle of dark crimson blood, and it had no heads attached. Its torso had many deep cuts that exposed its innards.

Oleg let out a shrill, then fell to the ground. He panted heavily, and his injured legs trembled as they bled profusely from many small wounds.

His scalp had a long cut that extended all over the top of his head, and his skull was visible. Both of his eyes were swollen, and his nostrils bled.

He struggled to get up, only doing so after relying on his shield as a crutch. The broad piece of metal lost its bright sheen long ago, and many dents covered it.

“Oh fuck, it’s been quite a rush. Tanking all seven heads of the Hydra on my own was harder than I thought; I’m so thrilled!” He spoke as blood came out of his mouth, “The pain is excruciating; several of my bones must be broken right now. Thanks for not healing me, Igor! It’s a pleasure to work with you, maybe the two of us should team up?”

“The fight was a piece of cake; you’re just a reckless brat who took many attacks head-on. Even so, it’s more fun when Stella is not fighting with us,” said Igor as he grabbed a green potion out of a bag, “You’re welcome, little pervert. I didn’t heal you just to focus on the battle anyway. Hurry up and drink some potions, Stella will get angry if she sees you in this state.”

The two of them were sitting on a fallen tree next to each other, and they laughed after the exchange was over. The surrounding forest lost many trees around the area of the fight, but it didn’t decrease the beauty of the place at all.

Oleg shook his head, then drank the potion after struggling with the pain for about a minute. His injuries regenerated at a visible rate, and he started jumping around to test the state of his body.

All of a sudden, someone started speaking from behind the two guys.

“It’s a shame that the corpse would disintegrate soon; I am sure we would’ve gained some useful items if we could loot it,” spoke the person; the voice was soft and refined, and it belonged to a lady, “I’ve spoken with the Almighty Holy One, and he’s asking us to work harder than before.”

Stella had a poker face, and she seemed as flawless as ever. Her silver hair was silky smooth, and her eyes were just like a pair of sapphires. She seemed much loftier than her two companions.

“Oh?” said Igor with a smirk, “Is it something related to that mythical ‘Jason’?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The Great Church offered him a blessing, yet he rejected it,” she said with a shaky voice, as if she didn’t believe her own words, “It’s a shame; It would’ve been useful to have someone like him around. The Almighty Holy One mentioned many other subjects, but this one seemed rather important to me.”

“So,” replied Oleg as he tilted his head, “Should we kill him?”

“We’ll discuss that in detail,” She spoke, “Now that we’ve finished the tutorial, dealing with him is our most important priority. The Great Church can’t remain stable on Earth with someone like him roaming freely.”

The other two nodded, then resumed staring at the space in front of them. Many system screens appeared, and they mentioned the rewards for clearing the tutorial.

“Also, Oleg,” she said with a sharp voice, and the adolescent perked at her call, “I know what you did today. You’re getting punished for your suicidal tendencies.”

Oleg looked the other way as if he was ashamed, but he was grinning.

*

I closed my eyes and imagined a certain beach in Japan. It was the place that I remembered the most; it left a strong impression on me.

I visited Tokyo when I took a small vacation from my work as a porter; it was even more exotic than it was before the system appeared.

The usual feeling of disorientation hit me when I used my skill, and I opened my eyes when I felt sand underneath my feet.

I looked around me; this was indeed the same beach that I thought of, but it was deserted at this point. The sun was stronger than it was in Guadeloupe, and the waves rose and fell violently.

It would’ve been an exhilarating experience to spend a day here, but I need to find Ratska lest he gets scouted by other humans.

I decided to head toward the city itself; I wanted to see it now that I had an opportunity.

I started walking to get away from the beach, and I passed through a forest. It was crowded with Ginkgo trees that were taller than usual. The forest didn’t seem any different from a Pre-System one, but I didn’t hear the clicking of any cicadas.

I increased my pace, and I arrived at Tokyo city after a couple of minutes, or at least what remained of it.

The system is capable of bringing the good, but this is one of its ugly effects.

I’d never visited this city before the system appeared, but I’ve seen plenty of pictures. It was one of the world’s largest metropolises; it was alive. The skyscrapers, the bustling crowds, the colorful billboards, and the always-on lights; were all gone.

Debris filled the roads, and not a single building remained standing. I walked with slow steps and scanned the farthest buildings from me; Tokyo was destroyed.

I opened my eyes widely; there were many corpses under the wreckage close by, and their blood painted the area. Many living creatures of various races fetched the corpses of their fallen comrades, and they walked silently while holding them.

What a horrendous sight…

I wondered about the cause of this great damage, so I asked a Lizardman that was passing by about it. He gave me the cold shoulder and didn’t even look me in the eye.

His reaction was excessive, but I didn’t hold it against him as he might’ve been grieving the death of a friend. I tried speaking with other people; Gnomes, Dwarves, Elves, and even a Naga. However, they all ignored me.

Oh well, I guess I’ll resume looking for Ratska.

I closed my eyes, and I visualized a certain map. It had information on my current location and marked Ratska’s whereabouts with a red dot. I had to go to the west; he was about four hundred kilometers away from me.

I scratched my head; the distance was rather long, and I couldn’t increase the temperature of my flames too much lest my bag of holding got destroyed.

I should’ve bought a new one when I was inside the System Trading Station…

I shook my head and started running. I ignited my body with eight hundred Kelvin flames, and my speed increased exponentially. The fallen buildings made the place messy and chaotic, but I could navigate it easily thanks to my [Light Steps] skill.

I scanned my surroundings as I moved nimbly. Everything within my sight was destroyed, and something else grabbed my attention.

Many areas on the ground seemed darker than the rest, and their smell indicated that they’ve been burned. However, the dark spots were perfect circles; something that I doubted regular fire could achieve.

It might be something else instead of fire… I wonder what kind of monster could cause this much damage so fast?

No living monsters roamed this area, but I saw many corpses. Some of them looked like winged lions, and others resembled horned beetles.

The rest of the journey was dull, and I reached Ratska’s location after running mindlessly for a while.

I closed my eyes and visualized the map. My location overlapped with Ratska’s, but he wasn’t next to me. I was standing on top of a paved road; there were no trees next to me for him to hide inside.

I found it strange at first, but then I realized that the Gnome must’ve been hiding in the sewers.

I searched for the closest manhole and kicked it continuously. It withstood two strikes using my current strength, before snapping into many pieces.

I jumped into the sewer and fell on the canal itself. The smell was abhorrent, and some lumps covered my feet and legs.

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I cursed softly, but some commotion grabbed my attention. I visualized the map once more, and Ratska has already moved from his previous position.

“Who are you?” said a certain figure from behind me with a stern voice.

I looked back, and it was a Gnome. He was ten meters away from me, and he held a dagger using his right hand. I concentrated on his face, and he was too old to be the Gnome that I’d been looking for.

He was shorter than a human child, and his equipment looked shabby. He had tanned skin, green eyes, and black hair. He didn’t have facial hair, but his wrinkles were proof of his old age.

“Who are you? Do you know a Gnome called Ratska?” I asked, “I’ve heard from a friend that he’s living in this place.”

The other Gnome flinched but soon regained his composure.

“I am a guard of an underground Gnome settlement,” he said, “I am sorry to disappoint you, but there are no Ratskas here.”

I was about to threaten the old man, but I thought of something even better. I rummaged through my bag of holding and grabbed a [Troll’s Blood Essence].

I bought some information on this guard from the system shop. His name was Frevel, and he was a Farmer with a level of forty-four.

“Don’t worry, Frevel. I am just a friendly guy, and I promise I have no evil intentions,” I said, and Frevel flinched when he heard his name, “This is proof of my goodwill. You’re an old man, and I am sure you’ll appreciate every bit of Vitality you could get.”

I dangled the vial in front of his eyes and asked the system to send him a copy of its description. Suddenly, his eyes lost their defiant gaze, and a warm smile appeared on his face. He hid his dagger inside its sheath and relaxed his posture.

“I am not sure how you know my name, but I’ll assume you’re a distant friend of mine that I’ve forgotten about,” he said as he rubbed his hand together, “Actually, my memories are worsening over time; that’s why I forgot about little Ratska! I’ll go fetch him right away.”

He went around a small corner and came back with another Gnome. The newcomer looked like a younger version of Frevel, and he was even shorter. As far as I knew, he was about nineteen years old at this point.

“Say Hi to this man,” Frevel told Ratska, “He might give us good rewards if you behave well.”

I nodded and waved my hand at the younger Gnome. Frevel walked toward me at a brisk pace and snatched the vial from my hand once he was close enough.

It was sad to see the guard exposing Ratska’s location so easily, but such was the nature of our world. The extra vitality was too sweet for an old man like Frevel. Every point in VIT improved his lifespan a little and increased his HP.

“Hi, stranger,” said Ratska, “I am not sure who you are, but I’ll trust you if you’re Old Frevel’s friend. Besides, it seems like you have some nice rewards with you.”

He noticed the old Gnome drinking a certain vial, and he wanted to know more about it.

“Hello, I’ve heard good stories about your potion brewing skills,” I said, “In fact, I’ve come here to ask you about something related to making potions. I need a skilled brewer who’s able to work with essences like the one that I gave to Frevel.”

Ratska sighed, then he held his hand in front of him, waiting for me to give him another essence. I grabbed a Troll’s Mana Essence and gave it to him. I wasn’t sure if he had a variant of the Identify skill, but he might’ve been able to recognize the essence even if he didn’t.

“This is impressive,” he said as he eyed the vial in front of his eyes, “This is an essence gained from a Troll; I am not sure if you realize how valuable this item is. Trolls are extinct creatures in many places; consider yourself lucky that you managed to gain two essences. Too bad you gave one of them away so easily.”

Frevel hid the empty vial in his pouch, and he looked away.

I grinned and asked Ratska to come closer to me. He was a bit cautious around me but he complied nonetheless.

“Take a look at this,” I said. I let him touch the bag of holding momentarily, which allowed him to see its contents.

He looked for about thirty seconds, then looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. He took another look at the bag of holding, and he even rubbed his eyes as he scrutinized the items that he saw.

“Okay man,” he said, “What in the actual fuck?”

“Exactly,” I said, “I have a lot of essences, and I know where to get more of them. You don’t need to worry about the resources, but I want you to answer this question. Can you make advanced potions out of these essences?”

I knew he could, but I had to be formal and ask him about it.

“How do you know me? And what makes you think I’m that talented?” he said as he squinted his eyes, then he shook his head, “Actually, scratch that. You’re one of the only people who believed in my abilities; you must’ve done a lot of research to find a miserable Gnome who just arrived on this planet. As far as your question went; Yes, I can create advanced potions out of these, and out of the other interesting items that you have too.”

I had many kinds of essences, the items that I obtained from the Amphiwolves, and the items that the Bosses dropped.

All is going well; he’s implying his interest in my offer.

He took a deep breath, then resumed speaking.

“Do you want the potions for your personal use?” he asked as he rubbed his chin, “Or maybe you’re offering me a job in an organization?”

“A guild,” I said, “I am opening a guild soon. It’ll be a generalist one, with alchemy as one of its specializations.”

He raised an eyebrow, then stared at me.

“A generalist guild?” he said, “Why?”

“Because I can. I am somewhat stronger than the regular human; I have a legendary grade class,” I said, “I know that generalist guilds might not be as successful as specialized ones due to the division of funds and manpower, but don’t worry about that. As long as you do your job well, you’ll receive good remuneration.”

He opened his eyes widely when I mentioned my class, but his surprise faded away quickly.

He walked around the sewers’ canal while rubbing his chin, completely unaware of the filth that covered his pants.

At least he has his shoes on…

All of a sudden, he turned toward me and offered me a handshake.

“We’ll talk about the remuneration,” he said as he grinned, “but for now, I am open to your idea. Mr…?”

I shook his hand firmly and patted his head.

“Jason,” I said, “We’ll discuss your responsibilities at the guild and your remuneration outside. For now, let’s get out of the sewers; the smell is unbearable.”

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Special shoutout to:

chris

Water Dragon

GenericKane

Bladesunder

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