Chapter 5: Potion Seller and Merchant – 2

Chapter 5: Potion Seller and Merchant – 2

Warm sunshine, chirping birds, and a gentle breeze.

It was a truly beautiful sight.

…Of course, it was just noisy and eye-straining to someone who had just woken up.

Honestly, I thought it would be something special because it was the first morning in a new world… but for me, a natural owl-type person, it was just another tired morning.

An morning where you think, ‘Why did the night go and the morning come unnecessarily?’

I was actually going to sleep more, but I had no choice but to wake up because a huge sound suddenly rang in my ears.

…It was only after a little more time that I realized that it was the work of the responsible system, which had somehow come to work.

Anyway, it was a wake-up call that was far from the new and refreshing morning I had imagined.

*Are you awake now??*

“Umm…? Oh, what is it?”

*…It’s the system. From what I can see, you did a lot of things yesterday. No, how did you do it without my help in the first place…?*

“I used offline mode. The authentication was damn picky, though.”

At those words, the system’s answer, which had been answering immediately since earlier, stopped.

It was as if… it had heard something it shouldn’t have heard.

*No, wait a minute. Really? You did that?*

“It’s not like the performance was bad, except that I twisted and authenticated because my body had changed?”

*Aren’t you sick of breaking through everything that’s made to not be done? That level of security means don’t do it!*

“Well, it’s not like it’s harming you. And… why are you suddenly acting so friendly?”

To be honest, I have a lot of pent-up feelings towards that system.

To compare my current situation, it’s like a child who has just come into the world, and an adult who abandons such a child and disappears first.

There’s no adult as terrible as this in the world.

…And the suffering I went through because of the offline mode was also a factor.

*That’s exactly why… If you use offline mode, communication and communication between the user and the responsible system become insufficient, and my work evaluation will be ruined!*

“What. Are you guys really a company? You have all sorts of things.”

*No, and in the first place, you’re already treating me beyond being friendly, like a secretary?*

To be honest, I kind of feel that way. This responsible system was the one who explained things when I first fell into this world, and it seemed clear that its purpose was to help me.

Kindness, and a person… no, an AI whose purpose has already been confirmed, do I really need to doubt it?

Originally, suspicious people put forward ‘unconditional’ and ‘unlimited kindness’, but this system has things it wants, and even dismissed work instead of being kind to help with something.

In other words, there’s no need to doubt it.

Then why did I bother to say that? It’s simple.

Because I learned that you have to sort out the hierarchy in the early stages of this kind of relationship.

…Of course, from a novel.

The responsible system seemed to understand what was going on after seeing my reaction, and just put up a text without waiting for any other answers.

*Haa… Well, what can I do? I’ll explain it to you sometime when I get the chance. Right now… it looks like you have a lot of questions.*

Saying that, the responsible system took out a window in front of me with something listed.

The letters were so small that I couldn’t see them well, but it seemed like a window that showed whether or not something had been achieved.

*All the things that can change the world are recorded as ‘achievements’. It can be something huge, or it can be something insignificant.*

“Ah, now that I think about it, a message popped up yesterday saying that an achievement had been achieved?”

*Yes. You managed to make a somewhat useful potion, somehow escaping the realm of low-level potions. …Even though I didn’t particularly correct your movements.*

“Huh? Did that require movement correction? I just… I just did it delicately, and it worked?”

*…As expected, I’m the sinner who just threw a top-grade potion at you. Haa… How much will that damn boss be a pain in the ass about that…? No, that’s not the point.*

…I don’t know exactly what that company does, but it seemed to be a pretty shady company.

It’s a company with the technology to throw a dead person into any world… but somehow, when I see the responsible system acting, I keep thinking that it’s no different from a normal company.

*Anyway. Thanks to you, a certain amount of ‘experience’ has been created for you. If this experience accumulates, you’ll get more advanced potion encyclopedias or new skills unique to alchemists.*

“Oh… it’s more serious than I thought?”

*As a result of analyzing your life, I thought this form would increase your participation rate the most. Oh, for reference, skills can sometimes be created automatically even if you don’t collect experience.*

“Hmm. Is that so? It’s really like a game where I raise myself.”

*…To say it again, it’s a system made just for you. Anyway, did you sell any potions yesterday?*

I couldn’t feel the direct emotions because it was text… but why?

I felt like the responsible system beyond that text was trying to make fun of me while laughing “Puh”.

…Did it really think I couldn’t sell it?

I picked up the cloak that I had hung up in a corner of the house, which was quite precious, and waited for the system’s next text.

*It’s okay. Well, it’s more strange to have someone who will buy this kind of unidentified medicine from the beginning…*

“Here. It’s what I got instead of the potion.”

*…But, there was such a strange person. Wow.*

The system, which was putting up the text like that, was inspecting the cloak I handed over, and then put up a very long ……

…I haven’t seen that responsible system for very long, but that’s an expression that usually comes out when something is absurd.

*No, what, this kind of item already?*

“Why? What is it?”

*This… is expensive. It’s even very effective.*

“Isn’t it just helpful for maintaining body temperature?”

*That’s the case in normal climates… but as you know, this world doesn’t just have normal climates, does it?*

…Come to think of it, that’s right.

I remembered the snowfields, which are virtually impossible to explore even with proper equipment, as well as all sorts of places that play tricks with heat and cold.

*You’re lucky. To get something like this.*

“I traded with a merchant. …Ah! Now that I think about it, I have to make more potions quickly! I promised to see that merchant again today.”

It was closer to a unilateral notice than a promise, but isn’t that the same thing.

I neatly ignored the system’s text that was saying something and stood in front of the cauldron like yesterday.

…I even wore the cloak I received yesterday because the house didn’t have any insulation or wind protection.

The appearance reflected in the system’s window was more like a match girl than an alchemist, but I didn’t really care.

Actually, aren’t there quite a few similarities between me and that match girl in the fairy tale, except for the things we sell and whether we survive?

As I was taking out the ingredients while having random thoughts like always, I noticed the failures that were rolling around because I failed to make them yesterday.

…Suddenly, I had the thought that it might be fun to mix these things together.

And… shouldn’t there be no reason not to put my thoughts into practice?

If an explosion occurs and the house flies away… the system will probably take care of restoring it.

On the first day, a part of my body was almost blown away by the highest-grade potion, but they just changed my gender and called it a day.

*…What are you doing?*

“I’m just curious. If I mix failures like this, wouldn’t a decent potion come out?”

*…It’ll be a failure with more mixed in. There aren’t any ingredients that will cause abnormal reactions or dangerous things like explosions, so you can do whatever you want.*

“Huh? I didn’t see it because I was putting potions in the cauldron. Can you put up the text you just put up again?”

*…Just do whatever you want.*

I just thought that was the case with the system’s text that came up as if it had given up, and poured in the rest of the failed potions.

…If I had set my life goal in this world to be something grand like world peace! or changing the ending!, I might have said that even this moment was a waste… but

Right now, I just wanted to enjoy a life in another world without a strategy.

The genre of my life is not a combat munchkin thing that gets involved with the main characters, but a harmless everyday healing thing! …At least I decided that.

*Hmm? Hmm? Hmmm? Why did this happen?*

“Oh, what is it? Did something go well?”

*A new type of potion has been created. No, this is such a fluke…*

Whether the system was grumbling or not, I quickly took out a small bottle from the drawer and went to the cauldron to scoop up the potion.

The liquid, which was shining with a mysterious but beautiful color, looked very special.

Just looking at it for a moment made me feel like I was being sucked in.

“So, what’s the effect of this?”

*…Shall I tell you?*

“Of course? It was created by chance, but if I keep trying, I can find the recipe…”

*A potion that gives excellent pleasure, but has the effect of causing paralysis of various senses, including hallucinations, and has the side effect of addiction?*

At the system’s words, I threw the potion outside as it was.

…I clearly said ‘harmless everyday healing thing’ just before, but something strange was created from the beginning.

“It’s a drug!!”

*That’s why you should just make normal potions, why bother…*

“No, that’s not it…”

*Ah, unfortunately, if you don’t make potions from now on, the time will be ambiguous again. You’re not thinking of taking each one and selling them, are you? People need a few to buy them.*

It was a correct theory, so I just shut my mouth and started making potions as I did yesterday.

…Looking back now, I should have just argued with the system until the end.

No, I shouldn’t have traded with that merchant in the first place.

Because of the potions I made at that time, the direction of my life started to flow very differently from what I had decided…