Chapter 57

Chapter 57

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 57: Lecture (2)

I initially planned to submit a mediocre result.

I had too little time to try and understand this world.

The level of recipes might be low, but perhaps something else was exceptional.

Was it that the game had become reality, or had I, who had conquered reality as if it were a game, been defeated?

The process was unclear, but I believed it was the latter.

‘The level of scholarship is too high to consider this a game.’

Alchemy required the use of various ingredients.

There was one rule in it.

The nature of the product changed depending on how you adjusted the magic power and distributed it with the kit, especially when combining highly toxic substances.

It could turn into a completely different medicine or even a poison with opposite properties.

That’s why it was interesting.

However, the ingredients in this world were truly diverse.

Other veterans focused on cooking, which offered a clear early advantage, or blacksmithing, strong even in the late stages.

If not these, they would specialize in magic studies and create artifacts.

Alchemy was clearly a more challenging discipline than the others mentioned.

Those who failed in alchemy often turned to blacksmithing or cooking, but I alone consistently pursued it.

In a way, it’s no exaggeration to say that among the veterans, I held a special affection for alchemy.

“So, if you mix the tongue of a poison lizard with three roots of an oil tree…”

“When combining poisons, they usually lead to one of two reactions. Either a poison that becomes immune to antidotes when toxicities mix or one that strangely intertwines and…”

Everything was a mess.

This wasn’t right.

They were using high-quality ingredients in bizarre combinations.

In the process, they adopted a lowly, luck-dependent mindset – ‘Since Veritas did it this way, maybe…’

It was like that. Imagine buying lobster, but your younger sibling puts it in ramen, claiming it’s delicious.

Or grilling a steak only to place it atop Jjapaghetti.

Of course, those ingredients were luxurious and delicious.

Handling them, there were much tastier ways to enjoy those foods.

‘……’

It was disorienting.

As the presentations continued, I cradled my aching head.

-Master, Master?

-Seo-ha, are you alright?

Black Heaven and Eternal Heaven called out to me with worried tones. But I was not alright.

‘Black Heaven.’

-…What’s wrong?

Considering something, Black Heaven then spoke.

-You should decide that for yourself, Master. You are a Heavenly Demon. The previous Heavenly Demon was not bound by anything. Others may not acknowledge it, but you possess the Energy of Defying Heaven and have fully inherited the previous Heavenly Demon’s Black God Martial Arts.

-That’s right. Let’s destroy this rotten world where men dress like girls and ugly, fat old women pretend to be beautiful!

Eternal Heaven said, clearly disgusted.

It seemed she was angry about something else entirely.

Anyway.

‘It’s much more serious than I thought.’

From my experience, they were just frogs in a well.

Renowned experts in the world seemed ‘satisfied’ with fairly decent presentations.

…I couldn’t stand it.

“Veritas. It’s almost time for you to go up.”

“I have a question.”

“Yes.”

“Is there a set time limit?”

“Originally, it should end in 30 minutes, but… if the audience wants more, we can extend it.”

That was enough for me.

I stood up.

“And many of you have been waiting for this person, who is attending our meeting today.”

The host’s voice quivered.

“Veritas is entering.”

I made my way toward the stage.

Click-clack.

The sound of my shoes striking the floor had an oddly cheerful ring to it.

I quietly activated Soulbreaker.

The atmosphere instantly grew subdued.

Although this place was virtual, Soulbreaker exerted power directly on the soul. It was somewhat akin to a mystery.

This would probably convey that I was a significant being.

‘I have no choice.’

I wore a mask, but the corners of my mouth lifted.

It couldn’t be helped.

If the level of alchemy in this world was low, then I would have to elevate it.

‘I need to recruit from the Binolab.’

I formulated a plan in my mind.

I would not do the lowly act of just solving recipes anymore.

From an absolute standard, the alchemists of this world barely surpassed the newbie level.

But from my perspective, they looked like newbies desperately hoping for help.

‘I should teach them how to fish rather than just giving them fish.’

Teaching newbies had always been the fate of the veterans.

And this was…

A monumental turning point for the study of alchemy, one that would be recorded in history.

“You are all wrong.”

That was the first thing Veritas said upon appearing.

“……What?”

At first, his words were incomprehensible.

Most of them weren’t masters, but they were artisans or esteemed members of their guilds.

Disbelief and shock flitted across their faces.

Accusations of arrogance and absurdity were thrown.

The alchemists were speaking their minds.

A man with blue hair in the audience raised his hand.

“I know you’re great. But I can’t understand how you can say that everyone is wrong.”

The people around him quietly nodded.

Indeed, the recipe he presented was quite decent by their standards.

“That’s fine. I’ll carefully point out everything to all of you.”

Lee Seo-ha looked at them with genuinely warm eyes.

Like a parent watching a child who’s just starting to walk.

“First, let’s point out the problems with the recipe this man presented.”

A hologram screen floated in the air.

“Do you know what’s wrong with this recipe? It’s mixed with ingredients that blend well together.”

His skill in transforming them into quite different properties through alchemy was worth watching.

The problem was that was all there was to it.

“This is the very basics. Using herbs that blend well to make something a bit more acceptable. And the fact that you all think this is good just shows…”

Lee Seo-ha turned his head, his eyes peering down at them from behind the mask.

“It means you are all wrong.”

Click.

He stepped forward.

“Here we have the flame of a salamander and the poison sac of a Ssachosa. What happens when you combine them?”

“When you combine the fire-resistant poison sac of a Ssachosa with fire, it creates a poison that inflicts burn damage.”

A voice bristled with retort.

He nodded; they weren’t wrong.

“That’s what you would think with your common knowledge.”

Alchemy relied on how you shaped it with magic.

Lee Seo-ha extended his hand.

Nyeom moved at his will, bringing together the flame of the salamander and the poison sac of the Ssachosa.

He had discovered something while crafting the previous elixir.

Using Defying Heaven was easier than employing magic for alchemy.

Perhaps it was due to the power of the Conceptual Stat.

Or it could be some kind of reality adjustment.

“Then let’s pose a question. If you use the salamander’s flame and the Ssachosa’s poison sac, will it really create a poison that inflicts burn damage? The answer is no.”

Nyeom.

He made them levitate.

An alchemy kit would have been perfect.

‘But it lacks flair.’

With Nyeom, he crushed the ingredients.

Then he simply tuned them with Defying Heaven. With a slight force, Defying Heaven negated and repulsed the natural properties of the ingredients.

Defying Heaven could do this because its power of denial was stronger than its power of destruction.

The resulting liquid’s nature was simple.

[Flame Resistance Elixir (C)]

A skilled alchemist reversed the ingredient’s properties to slightly alter them.

:Consumption slightly increases flame resistance.

“……!”

“You don’t need other ingredients. Just a bit of tuning, that’s all.”

Here, they said alchemy was 30% ingredients, 60% recipe, 10% magic tuning. But that was incorrect.

It should be 30% ingredients, 30% recipe, and 30% magic tuning.

“You all pride yourselves on making elixirs by strictly adhering to the basics. That’s why I said you’re wrong.”

This field was, after all, inevitable.

To master such a level of magic, one had to immerse themselves in the study of magic as a separate discipline.

A great magician had to adopt an alchemist’s perspective and venture into a new realm of study.

‘That’s when it truly becomes the study of alchemy.’

Until now, alchemy had been too insular.

The same held true for the Mage Tower.

Perhaps due to its difficulty, there hadn’t even been the basic exchanges that should have occurred naturally.

“And if you can take this further.”

Woosh!

He channeled Defying Heaven into the mixture, pulverizing the ingredients with Nyeom and transforming them into a liquid.

[Blue Flame Bomb (C)]

An adept alchemist subverted the nature of the ingredients, subtly altering their properties.

:A fire attribute explosion with an added freezing attribute occurs.

‘It turned out better than I thought.’

Perhaps it was because of the power of Defying Heaven to negate.

He dispersed the liquid.

Crackle, crackle.

The air solidified, and above it, flames ignited.

“………!!”

“……Crazy.”

A range of emotions surfaced.

But most shared a common thread: astonishment, disbelief.

“Hmm, 30 minutes have passed.”

Lee Seo-ha surveyed the alchemists.

“Unfortunately, I cannot remain here any longer if you do not desire it. What is your decision?”

Naturally, the demonstration masquerading as a lecture was prolonged.

Subsequently, Lee Seo-ha fielded questions from alchemists teetering on the brink of madness.