Chapter 76: The Alchemist (5)

“You were so strict with me, yet...” Arkemis muttered, her voice brimming with indignation.

Hearing this, Milayna gave a knowing smile, tinged with bitterness. “You’ve been holding onto that, haven’t you? The circumstances are different. If it weren’t for Ketal, I wouldn’t be here at all.”

“What, is he some kind of lifesaver?” Arkemis asked.

“You could put it that way.”

Arkemis, who had been grumbling, froze in place. “Really...?”

“I owe him a great debt. This is nothing in comparison. I will make the preparations, but depending on the materials, it might take quite a bit of time. I ask for your understanding.”

“I’m in no position to rush you, considering I’m the one asking. Thank you.” Ketal nodded in satisfaction.

Returning to her house, Arkemis continued grumbling non-stop. “This is favoritism, plain and simple. She was ridiculously strict with me.”

“Well, at least we got what we wanted,” Ketal said, trying to comfort her.

“I guess, but it still doesn’t sit right with me.”

After a long bout of complaining, Arkemis’s expression gradually softened. “It is good, though. At least I won’t have to go through the trouble of gathering materials myself. It’s just that it’ll still take a lot of time.”

“How long are we talking?”

“Considering the rarity and value of the materials, they’re often not available at all. Most of them are used by the Mage Tower, so at the very least, it will take a month.”

“Does the Mage Tower get priority?” Ketal asked.

“They’re the biggest consumers and pay the highest price. Naturally, most of the distribution ends up there. For someone like me, it’s tough to get a hold of anything.”

“Interesting,” Ketal remarked, stroking his chin thoughtfully. It made sense. Suppliers would naturally prefer dealing with a large and reliable organization like the Mage Tower.

“Ah, that reminds me. I have something to ask you,” Ketal said.

“What is it?”

Ketal pulled out a gray, semi-transparent cube from his pocket and showed it to her. It was the artifact Kartos had used for magic. Ketal believed that, as a skilled alchemist, Arkemis might be able to discern its nature.

“Let me see,” Arkemis said as she took the cube. She narrowed her eyes as she inspected it. “It looks like an artifact, but... what is it? It’s extremely complex.”

Her surprise was evident.

“Do you know what it is?” Ketal asked.

“Hmm,” Arkemis let out a frustrated groan as if her pride was wounded, but she soon gave up and admitted. “I have no idea.”

“Even you don’t know?”

“It’s far too advanced for me to analyze. There are layers upon layers of intricate spells creating a massive effect. I can’t make sense of it. You’d need to consult a master specializing in artifacts for this.”

“Is it that complex?” Ketal was astonished. While he had guessed it wasn’t an ordinary artifact, he hadn’t imagined it would be this sophisticated. Arkemis handed the cube back to him.

“If you happen to visit the Mage Tower later, have it examined there. By the way, where did you even get something like this?”

Arkemis looked at him with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. It baffled her that a barbarian like Ketal possessed an artifact beyond her expertise.

Ketal took back the artifact with a nod. “Got it.”

“Anyway, back to the main topic. Acquiring the materials will take quite some time.”

“Then I’ll use that time to learn alchemy,” Ketal said with a cheerful laugh.

Arkemis gave him a peculiar look, as if she were watching something incomprehensible. “You’re strange, you know that?”

***

A week had passed.

As Milayna and Arkemis had predicted, procuring the materials wasn’t easy. Even after a week, they had only managed to secure two of the required items.

Though the process was slow, Ketal didn’t mind. He was thoroughly enjoying learning alchemy.

“Arkemis, I have a question,” he said.

“What is it?” Arkemis turned her head, momentarily pausing her work of organizing materials on the table.

Ketal was holding a piece of paper. He handed it over to her and asked, “What do you think about this formula?”

“Let me see.” Arkemis took the paper. It listed a combination of catalysts and their ratios, written in Ketal’s hand. After scanning through it quickly, she responded, “It’s not bad, but it’s inefficient. Instead of the Morning Dew listed here, Dawn’s Ember would work better.”

“Really?”

“The ratios you’ve used are also excessive. Half of what you’ve written would suffice. Check the blue book over there, it has more details about proper proportions.”

“Understood.” Ketal nodded and walked to the bookshelf, retrieving the blue book she mentioned. He opened it and began reading intently.

Arkemis watched him with an expression of quiet amazement.

He learns fast.

It had been less than a week since Ketal began learning alchemy. It was an incredibly short amount of time to truly grasp or master anything. Yet Ketal was already showing measurable results.

Though he required her assistance, he had reached a level where he could perform basic alchemy. Judging by his speed alone, one could almost call him a genius—but that wasn’t quite the case.

Ketal had poured every waking moment into learning alchemy over the past week. He didn’t rest, sleep, or even take proper breaks for meals. Every morning, he arrived at her workshop, learned from her, and then took home books and notes to continue studying.

Purely in terms of time investment, he had crammed what would take others over a month into a single week. Such relentless dedication would have been impossible without genuine enthusiasm.

I thought his main focus would be learning about Myst, with little interest in alchemy,

she thought.

To her surprise, Ketal displayed a strong fascination with alchemy as well. From her perspective, it wasn’t a bad thing. Seeing someone take her lifelong field of study so seriously was gratifying.

It makes teaching worthwhile,

Arkemis thought.

Although his memorization speed wasn’t particularly fast, his understanding was sharp. He often proposed unique ideas, some of which were startlingly original—almost as if he weren’t constrained by the common knowledge of their world.

What had started as a casual teaching arrangement was turning into something far more enjoyable than she had anticipated.

“Arkemis, I have another question,” Ketal said, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Oh, yes. What is it?”

He kept his eyes fixed on the blue book as he spoke. “It says here that this can be used in both control magic and manifestation magic. What exactly does that mean?”

“Ah, that’s simple,” Arkemis replied, beginning her explanation. “Magic is divided into different levels. You’re aware of the stages of the Myst, right?”

“Detection, control, manifestation, domination, and finally, visualization, if I recall correctly.”

“Exactly. Each stage defines what kind of magic you can handle. The division you mentioned corresponds to these stages.”

The first stage, detection, belonged to Novice mages. It was the most basic level of magic, allowing for simple detection and sensory enhancement.

“Control magic, then, must correspond to Intermediate mages,” Ketal deduced. “Correct.” Arkemis nodded. Intermediate mages were capable of enhancing their physical abilities and wielding simple mana constructs like mana arrows.

Next came the manifestation stage, the realm of Advanced mages.

At this stage, one could wield proper spells like fireballs or ice arrows. It was also the level where teleportation became possible, granting one the right to truly call themselves a mage.

“And after that comes the domination stage,” Arkemis continued. This level allowed mages to dominate Myst itself, bending it entirely to their will. Only those who called themselves Transcendent could reach this stage.

“Domination magic is incredibly powerful, capable of affecting large areas with immense force. It’s not just strong—it’s devastating,” Arkemis explained.

“I see,” Ketal mused, recalling Adamant’s magic. The spell Adamant had used at the end of their fight had swept through nature itself. Surely, that had been domination magic.

“And finally, there’s visualization... but I don’t know much about it myself,” Arkemis admitted. “Only Hero mages can use it, and they’re exceedingly rare.”

“How rare are we talking?”

“As far as I know, only three exist. The Master of Mage Tower, the Guardian of the Ashen Labyrinth, and the Keeper of the Boundary. Aside from the Master of the Mage Tower, the others stay hidden, so no one even knows if they’re still alive.”

Arkemis spoke casually, brushing off the topic. She continued, “You won’t ever meet them, so there’s no need to worry about it. Anyway, magic is categorized this way, with each stage granting access to different types of spells.”

“Interesting,” Ketal mused.

“Just because a spell belongs to a lower stage doesn’t mean it’s weak, though. Its power depends on the mage wielding it,” Arkemis added. “For example, while detection magic is basic enough for a Novice mage, the Master of the Mage Tower can use it to observe the entire continent.”

“Is that even possible?”

“The spell is called the Eye of Observation. It scatters mana particles across a vast area, allowing the user to perceive everything within range. The mana density is so low that even Swordmasters can’t detect it. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Tower Master was watching us right now.”

“I had no idea that was possible,” Ketal marveled.

His attentive expression seemed to please Arkemis, who smiled as she continued. “The results of alchemy are similar to magic. And since the stages of magic are so clearly defined, it’s easier to explain things using them. That’s why it’s written that way.”

“Does that mean I could use domination magic as well?” “With an extremely precise formula and incredibly expensive materials, it should be possible. I can use it myself, after all.”

“Wow.” Ketal’s eyes sparkled. He thought back to Adamant’s spell, a devastating display of storms, earthquakes, and blazing infernos.

It had been a force of nature itself. Back then, he had been overwhelmed with awe. The thought of wielding such power with his own hands made him tremble with excitement.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

***

Ketal continued to immerse himself in learning alchemy. Time passed, and one day, Arkemis, after hesitating and glancing around nervously, cautiously spoke up.

“Uh, Ketal...”

“Got it.” Ketal immediately stood up as if he understood her unspoken request. “It must be time to eat, right? I’ll prepare something.”

“Thank you. I’ll wait right here,” Arkemis replied, sitting patiently in her chair. Before long, Ketal brought out a dish—a hearty stew packed with generous chunks of meat. Arkemis scooped up a piece with her spoon and brought it to her mouth.

The tender meat, simmered to perfection and coated in a rich, sweet sauce, melted in her mouth. She couldn’t help but let out a soft exclamation. “This is so delicious...”

“That’s good to hear, but...” Ketal gave her an odd look. “Are you sure it’s alright for you to eat meat?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked, puzzled.

“Never mind.” Ketal mentally filed away the information that elves could eat meat, nodding to himself.

Arkemis, on the other hand, looked at him with curiosity. “Why are you so good at cooking?” Ketal had learned something important when he started studying alchemy with her—Arkemis didn’t eat properly.

She subsisted on dried rations of pre-preserved foods, hastily eaten in between her alchemy experiments. Sometimes, she even forgot to eat altogether, embodying the stereotypical image of an absent-minded researcher.

As her student, Ketal had taken it upon himself to ensure his teacher ate proper meals. When he first offered to cook for her, Arkemis had been horrified at the thought of eating a barbarian’s cooking.

She had politely but firmly declined. Yet Ketal, undeterred, went ahead and prepared a meal. She had agonized over how to reject his cooking without offending him. But when the food was served, she was utterly surprised.

Not only did it look edible, but it also looked incredibly appetizing. Hesitant, she took her first bite, bracing herself for disappointment. Instead, she ended up cleaning her plate.

After that, she didn’t stop him from cooking. In fact, she began to look forward to what new dishes he would prepare each day.

I never cared about meals before,

she thought. Being an elf, she could survive on little more than grass and dew. Food had never been a priority. However, after tasting Ketal’s cooking, there was no going back to her bland, dried rations.

Satisfied, Arkemis finished her meal, leaving her plate spotless.

Late at night, Ketal left her residence and began walking back to the capital. A smile adorned his face as he reflected on the day.

It had been a fulfilling experience. Every day, he learned more about the mysteries of the world, which brought him unparalleled happiness.

“It was worth going through hell to get out of there,” he murmured to himself.

He had often thought about giving up and staying where he had been trapped, but he had persevered, overcoming every obstacle to finally escape. The reward was more than worth the struggle.

As Ketal walked cheerfully toward the capital, a strange sensation prickled at the edges of his awareness.

In this fantasy world, the nights were far darker than in the modern world. Although there were magical streetlamps, they were few in number and emitted only dim light.

Tonight, however, the city seemed unusually bright.

“Hm?” Ketal turned his gaze toward the capital and soon realized the cause.

One of the buildings was engulfed in flames.

***

“Damn it!” Milayna’s blue hair whipped around as she ground her teeth in frustration.

In front of her, a building burned fiercely.

Her servants screamed and stumbled about in a panic. “Lady Milayna...! The fire, it’s spreading!”

“Calm down! Call for a mage!” Milayna yelled.

“We already did, but it’s late... I’m not sure they will make it in time!”

Milayna scowled. The raging flames threatened to consume the entire structure.

“Hey, what’s going on?” a voice rang out from behind her.

She turned, startled, and saw Ketal standing behind her. Collecting herself, she quickly explained, “The warehouse caught fire. Unfortunately, it’s where we store lumber so—”

“The fire spread quickly,” Ketal finished, nodding.

“Yes,” she confirmed, clicking her tongue in irritation.

The warehouse was a massive three-story structure, one of the largest in her possession—big enough to combine several ordinary buildings.

Now, it was being devoured by the flames, illuminating the dark capital as if it were day. This was nothing short of a disaster. Unless a Transcendent mage arrived, extinguishing the fire would not be easy.

At least the warehouse was located on the outskirts of the city, so the flames wouldn’t spread to nearby buildings.

Not that it’s much consolation,

Milayna thought bitterly, her mouth dry as she calculated the losses. As she silently assessed the damage, Ketal, who had been staring at the fire, spoke up.

“Would it matter if the building collapses?”

“What? No, it wouldn’t... but why?”

At this point, the building was as good as lost. It would burn down to ashes regardless. The damage to the structure no longer mattered.

Hearing her answer, Ketal stepped forward. “Stand back.”

“W-what are you doing?” she asked, flustered, but instinctively took a step back.

Ketal clenched his fist.