Chapter 17: New Potion? – 5

Chapter 17: New Potion? – 5

…After pretending to read the system’s complaints for a while, I arrived home.

I clearly left in the morning when the sun hadn’t even risen properly, but now I see that the sun is slowly passing over the meridian and gradually tilting westward.

“Yeah, yeah. I understand your story, so how do you make this potion?”

*…You put in the basic ingredients to make a basic base potion, and then add the scales you brought this time, and it’ll be done.*

“There’s nothing special even though it’s a higher-level material?”

*The quality of the potion you make will be a little better, or if you’re lucky, you can make a higher-performance potion. Then, I’ll bring up the guide.*

Help messages appear right in front of my eyes.

…What is this? I’m sure there wasn’t anything like this last time?

“It seems like there’s a feature that wasn’t there last time…?”

*It seems like it’s not supported in offline mode. Well, that can happen.*

“…The more I look at it, the more I think the offline mode is just half abandoned…”

*It’s difficult to manage. …It’s hard to deny that it’s half abandoned though.*

Anyway, there was no reason not to use the auxiliary function that was created, so I immediately followed the help.

…No, I was going to.

“…Is this right?”

*Why? Is it that difficult? I’m sure the difficulty is…*

“I have a gut feeling that if I follow it like that, I’ll screw it up. Especially, it’s difficult to explain, but…”

The posture and movements that look like something is wrong at first glance.

Even the amount of basic ingredients I put in was different.

In particular, the process of making a base potion with basic ingredients was too different from what I used to do.

*Is that so?*

“…Is that it? No other explanation?”

*How can I objectively know how good your ‘sense’ is now? You can do it the way you want.*

“You’re just saying you don’t know and telling me to choose!”

When I think about it rationally, it’s right to follow the method in the help message that the system shows.

But… somehow, I didn’t want to.

Of course, there were things that were different from the way I had been doing it, and my intuition was telling me that the system’s help was wrong, but…

Most importantly, following it as it is was not fun.

Shouldn’t I live my second life happily and with laughter, as much as I couldn’t enjoy and laugh in my first life?

“Hey, turn off this distracting help. It’s not helping at all.”

*Oh? Are you going to do it yourself?*

“Yeah. It’s better to fail by doing it myself, even if it fails. There’s at least fun in the sense of accomplishment from doing it myself.

But if I follow that and it comes out mediocre, I’ll just feel bad.”

Saying that, I started making potions as usual.

…I didn’t realize at all that my movements had subtly changed.

***

The sound of the fire crackling, the sound of the pot quietly boiling.

If you sit still and listen to those sounds, you’ll naturally feel healed.

…Why is it a conjecture? Because I’ve never had that experience.

“10…9…8…”

*Your counting is wrong. It’s 8 seconds now.*

“5…4…3…!”

In a situation where I have to calculate the movements in seconds with constant meddling, I just get annoyed when I hear those sounds.

…This time I’m sure. Because I’m doing it now.

I don’t know why, but I had a feeling that I had to do this when making a potion for it to be made better, and I’m doing it as it is…

I feel like the difficulty of making one potion has jumped up.

“…If this is a waste of time, there won’t be as much wasted effort as this.”

*That would be a good scene in its own way. The people above would like it.*

“Above…? Is there some kind of vicious sadist?”

*No? But everyone seems to like stories with various adversities, hardships, and growth rather than just smooth and peaceful lives.*

…My hands were busy because time was passing even while I was talking to the system.

I have to act when I feel like it’s exactly this timing! But the problem is that I don’t know when that ‘feeling’ will come.

Anyway, I put the newly brought scales into the base potion that took much longer than usual.

*So, what should we do now?*

“…I don’t know?”

*Huh?*

“No, really, there’s no movement that feels right other than just controlling the fire and waiting? Is this right?”

At that moment, I had a very strong doubt about my intuition…

Well, I decided to just believe it until the end since it turned out like this anyway.

It’s a waste of materials… but it’s not like I can’t get them again.

“But, I think I have more talent for combat than I thought.”

*…I’m saying again, there’s nothing you can’t do with that level of physical ability.*

“But, is there no change in this body? I haven’t felt any changes since I first got this body…”

I’m clearly running between the capital and home every day, but there’s no particular physical change.

It was still a delicate and thin body, and there was no work to gain muscle or lose weight.

…To be honest, if I lose more weight here, it’ll just be skin attached to bones.

*Well, think of it as a kind of penalty. The state has been fixed to ‘some extent’ while changing bodies.*

“Fixed?”

*It means that there won’t be much change from the current form of the body. Especially the body shape and face even more.

To give an example, no matter how hard you exercise, you won’t noticeably gain muscle.*

“Then will I just be in this state forever?”

*The appearance? Parts like stamina and strength can continue to change. You’ve been using your body so much lately, so there’s a high possibility that your physical abilities have improved a little more.

Oh, and aging doesn’t progress either. In a way, you’re an eternal 19-year-old girl in appearance?*

…The fact that aging doesn’t progress was a pretty tempting advantage, but the rest was just so-so.

Just a feeling of, well, it’s amazing?

“Wait, can my physical abilities be further improved here? I thought it was just a body artificially enhanced by potions?”

*…This is the power of the highest grade potion that didn’t reduce even one side effect. Originally, you would have gone blind or lost your ability to speak as a penalty for the body…

Sigh. Because of some crazy guy who ate it without even listening to the explanation from the beginning…*

“No, who would just throw something like that for free? Anyway, it seems like the potion is almost finished, so evaluate it once.”

‘…But what did you make the highest grade potion with to be like this?’

I suddenly had that question, but I answered myself that I would know it someday anyway.

What’s important right now is the potion I made.

…It’s also important not to change the subject and listen to more of that system’s work complaints.

*First of all, I’ll ask you just one thing. Didn’t you feel something much more detailed and delicate than last time while making the potion this time?*

“I did? Should I say that I end up making it by mobilizing all my senses like when I’m fighting?”

Not only did I have a gut feeling about what to do, but I also had a pretty detailed ‘sense’ of how to move.

How many degrees to rotate to the right, and when to put in the scales, etc…

Thanks to that, I suffered several times more and got tired.

“…But somehow I feel more tired than when I beat that lizard?”

*That’s because you used too much mana and sensed it.*

“Mana? I didn’t feel any particular power?”

*That’s because our system took measures to make it easier for you, and the important thing is that you properly felt the mana.*

At that word, I suddenly remembered what the system had said about mana before coming here.

…Clearly, there were also words like I would be able to make potions faster when making potions.

“…Did you expect this situation?”

*To some extent? That’s why I deliberately gave you that strange help, but fortunately, you trusted your intuition.*

“I knew it was strange!! Hey! What would have happened if I had made it according to that help?!”

*Then well… it’s a pity. Wouldn’t I have advised you to trust yourself a little more next time?*

“No, what is this brazenness…”

*You didn’t have a hard time getting the materials, and you made a good choice as a result, right? Let’s just move on?*

…I sighed for a moment at the familiar feeling of brazenness.

Well, it worked out well anyway…

*Personally, I think it would have been fun if it had failed according to the help. Ah, of course, for me.*

“…Before I physically throw you out of my sight and just live using offline mode, shut up…?

Your work performance and evaluation are none of my business?”

*Yes. I’m sorry.*

Only after I briefly sorted out the hierarchy with the system, I was able to know about the potion I made this time.

And…

“It’s just a throwing magic?!”

The effect was beyond my expectations.