Time passes like a breeze in the meadow, one moment it’s there, another, it has moved on. Shit, time passes by damn near in an instant when working hard and joking around with new friends, day in and day out. More than a month and a half gone by, but the projects were done. My beautiful house, made with wood and brick. Yes, I caved in, showed the guys how to make use of mud and building went by even faster. That saved a ton of money too.
Homemade cement was a bit tricky, as it involved more difficult processes such as melting limestone or other compatible rocks. I was only okay at it, but in the end, made a fine floor for the warehouse. The outhouse—or porta-potties as we called them in the old world—were a tricky sort, but Milia knew of many herbs and combinations for sanitary solutions. We also had to run the septic tank and sewage system far off. For one, Milia wouldn’t appreciate anything being ran into her forest. I’m sure the residents in that forest would’ve considered hunting me down for some answers. Anything beyond the house, the storage space, and even food shed would be on me to build and those I hired, of course.
For an additional water supply, I discovered a decent lake just slightly west of the grassland. With my super strength and then eventually Milia commanding the land, I found myself with a personal river system. Since there was no AC, I had to get a little creative with the help of the river’s ice-cold waters and decent air circulation throughout my house. For winter, I would close almost all the vents, have my furnaces ready, and other things to ensure a mix of modern times and Edo period to the best of my abilities.
Hey, I even got myself a decent bed and that’s where today begins. A tail slapping repeatedly against my face, along with a bark, made me sit up. I stared sleepily at the cheerful sunlight wolf pup. He knew how to enter and leave, but refused to allow me to sleep just one minute in.
“Alright, alright,” I said as I crawled out of bed and headed straight for the washroom. The system slapped me in the face with my current stats. As always, no matter how much I requested, it absolutely had to make sure I knew my current level. Fortunately, it stopped doing this every single morning.
Nate
Class: Potion Maker. Secondary class: **Divine Master Magician**.
Magician rank: 10th realm of the Midcore.
Ability: Can make up to SSS and divine-grade potions.
Power: Ruthless Strong.
Defense: Ruthless Strong.
Believe it or not, but I did feel stronger and lighter than I was a month ago. The automatic cultivation I had no way of stopping seemed to have slowed a bit, then sped up, and then slowed again. The only reason I probably couldn’t max out was simply because that would require a fuck ton of mana.
Anyway, today was the day I’d acquire the last ingredient for Harmony’s potion. Oh, what’s that? You expected us to just shoopy-doo, easy mode, have everything ready in a jiffy, and the mayor’s daughter sweeping my floors? Because you’re not wrong for thinking that. However, if things were that easy, Milia wouldn’t have bothered with attaching an exorbitant price to this particular potion.
First, these were inedible rare fruits and herbs that Milia couldn’t command the forest to bring to her. So with fruit number one, the forest told her where to look. We walked at a specified time, harvested it, and then turned it into a liquid that required fermentation for a couple of weeks at least. The same went for two other fruits. They all looked horrible too, like compressed, blueish, rotten apples and oranges. They smelled like pinesap on steroids.
Searching for them was boring as fuck. We were whisked from the vibrant part of Milia’s forest to a dull path of browns and seemingly endless autumn leaves. Really long searches, harvest, rinse and repeat. The fermentation couldn’t be skipped. Thankfully, the dryad handled that part, while I supplied the bottles. Of course, at times, only Harmony and Milia went on the searches. She pulled her weight just fine, didn’t complain about the creepy ass forest nor getting a little dirty. Even Wolverine didn’t enjoy going inside if he didn’t have to.
Today was finally the end of it. One more goddamn harvest and this one didn’t require fermentation, which meant jumping right into the brewing. I now understood why the dryad urged me to give it my all. Fucking this up meant starting all over the following season, if the specific fruits decided to blossom. For some reason, the forest only allowed us to pick one of everything. I asked Milia about this, and she explained that one person could not claim everything for themselves, that all were shared by every inhabitant of the forest. Fair enough, and I didn’t bug her about it anymore.
After dressing in a simple gray shirt and black pants, I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
“I’ll have to come up with a proper refrigerator system later,” I told Wolverine. He barked in response. For now, I’d continue to utilize the river.
Breakfast was pan-fried bread, veggies, and sliced mutton served with some freshly brewed tea, because why the hell not. Wolverine certainly didn’t complain. I sat, smiling at the building accomplishments. There were actually two more empty rooms, I suppose for guests, or places for me to toss shit into. A knock on the door pulled me out of my revelry. Wolverine’s tail wagged in excitement, letting me know that this visitor was certainly a friend.
I opened the door and sure enough, Milia stood waiting. The green-haired dryad woman was wearing trousers and shoes this time, which surprised me. She normally wore a long dress of some sort. Some of them were almost provocative. They ranged from summer dresses to what I knew as Chinese-style wear. Japanese kimonos too.
Okay, let’s be honest here. And I know some of you are going to give me the side eye and the ‘men are all leches’ stares, despite that being equal for both genders, but Milia looked really good in those trousers. A part of me wondered if she did this intentionally. Of course, I wouldn’t risk getting strangled by a vine by saying something dumb. That didn’t stop the compliment from oozing out of my mouth.
“Well, look at you, nice! I really like your outfit,” I said as I let her in. “It probably suits these painful forest trips more.”
“Thank you,” Milia said. “I have Harmony to thank for setting me up with her personal tailor.” Wolverine barked cheerfully, running up to her. “Good morning to you too, Woofy.” She picked him up.
“So, what’s the last thing on the bucket list?” I asked.
“A thousand-year-old Dragonslept ginseng,” the dryad answered plainly.
I stared at her flatly. “Ginseng, of all things. So, how far do we have to go?”
“To the heart of the forest,” Milia said.
“Wait, your clearing isn’t the heart?” I asked.
“No, more like the brain,” she said with a giggle. “The core is normally off limits because in it, there awaits a dungeon.”
I sat down and gazed at nothing for a bit, before speaking. “Heh… there’s dungeons in this world. You said it’s off limits, so what’s the catch?”
“Well, some of the good news is that it’s a small dungeon,” Milia said.
“And what’s the bad news?” I asked.
“Despite the area, it’s still an S-ranked nightmare,” Milia said.
[Dungeon ranks start from F, then as they build in strength over time, evolve to E, D, C, B, A, and then S. SS, SSS, or Divine-ranked dungeons have not been proven to exist at this time.]
I wanted to toss my cup of tea at the system, but only took a sip to think. I’ve lived here an entire month, and no one mentioned anything about dungeons that I could remember. Okay, to be fair, there wasn’t much talk about this world’s hero either. He, like many magicians, wasn’t generally liked by the peasant class. Assholes through and through, I was sure.
“Okay, the first time I hear about a dungeon and we’re talking about an S-ranked,” I said. “I don’t think I even have the strength to go inside one.”
“I didn’t finish,” Milia said. “More good news is that we don’t have to go inside. Just near it to pick the ginseng.”
“And the rest of the bad news?” I asked.
Wolverine barked, as if saying, “Lay it on us.”
“The outside is quite dangerous too,” Milia said. “Not as dangerous as the inside, but enough that we cannot invite Harmony on the trip. I will have to protect you while you harvest.”
“Uh—”
“It must be you,” Milia said. “Not even I have the mana capabilities to pick up a thousand-year-old Dragonslept ginseng. I cannot so much as place it in a jar. It’s a very sensitive plant, but you’ve finally achieved the realm in which touching it is possible without consequences.”
“Sounds like one hell of a moody plant,” I quipped, invoking Milia’s giggle.
“That’s one way to put it,” she said.
“Well, the morning is still cool, and I’d like to get a move on,” I said. “We’ll just have to tack on a deadly danger fee to Harmony’s debt.”
“It’s already included in the price,” Milia said, smiling.
As we started out the door, an idea came to mind. Something I could do to gather materials in the future. Yes, leaving the shop unattended with a simple sign that stated ‘Closed’ wouldn’t deter a thief or an overly curious visitor. Wolverine could be a guard wolf, but I didn’t have it in me to leave the little guy behind. Thankfully, we were right in front of Milia’s forest. If the creepy aura that it gave off didn’t scare intruders away, then the dryad could surprise them with some magical vine action. Not the anime kind, mind you. I know you’re there, thinking that. Tsk, tsk.
“Are there any limitations for entering a dungeon?” I asked Milia.
“Limitations?” she asked.
“You know, like if you can only enter a certain amount of times or something,” I elaborated.
“I don’t think the forest will allow you to enter an S-ranked dungeon more than once a day,” Milia said. “For your own safety. Even the mightiest of warriors can struggle at an A- or B-ranked dungeon.”
That’s when something else hit me. “So the reason for that uneasy aura is the S-ranked dungeon,” I asked.
“Who knows?” Milia said, though by the playful twinkle in her eyes, that was at least close to the reason. It was possible for the forest to naturally put up a protective field to ward off anyone.
Milia led us to the destination, which surprisingly didn’t take as long as I imagined. It was a straight line, as if the forest itself opened a path. Wolverine began to growl and whimper. As I felt the oppression in the air thicken, the forest going from lively to gloomy, I couldn’t help but agree with the wolf cub. What really did it for me, other than my beating heart, was Milia’s serious expression. She was usually cheery, playful, wise, or mischievous. A greenish aura surrounded the dryad as she prepared for whatever approached. Wolverine’s blue light erupted into existence too, much stronger than before.
Then I saw it, just ahead. An entrance to a cave, but not a trace of light escaped from it. Well, there was light, if you could call it that. A freakish purple… something oozed from it. While I wasn’t that bothered by it, Milia and Wolverine walked with their guards at max.
“The Dragonslept ginseng is ahead,” Milia suddenly said after moments of silence. “Keep moving past the dungeon. Harvest it with a coating of mana on your hands then seal it into the jar.”
Sure enough, I spotted the leaves of the plant. Well, of a normal ginseng. Beside it was like a palette-swapped version of it and fucking ten times bigger. The moment I looked at it, an ear-piercing squeal jolted through the air, echoing in a way that felt as if an avalanche would soon follow. The area grew silent, the winds stilled, and Milia’s eyes suddenly glowed at full force, with a fury I’d never seen. Her awesomeness didn’t end there. She raised her hand, forming a long katana made of green mana. Dude, she was so fucking cool, I almost fanboyed at the badassness of the scene. I shook myself, knowing that I couldn’t end up as the guy causing a tedious and long operation like this to fail. My pride wouldn’t allow it.
I hurried forward but made the mistake of looking back a couple minutes later. Milia and Wolverine were surrounded by six bipedal fox-like creatures with long tails and spiked balls, like maces, at the tips. And they were strong. Very strong. Some opened their maws, unleashing mana beams. Wolverine’s Sunlight Flash clashed with many of them. Milia moved like lightning, slashing, but despite all of her power, didn’t seem to do much damage.
I quickly coated my hands with mana and began pulling the ginseng. It was a heavy bastard. Or… so I thought. I almost flung it. It came out so easily, in fact, that everyone stopped to look at me, even the freaky fox monsters.
Milia seemed exhausted, but not out. If she herself had to be classified, her ranking would be at least S as well. Hell, I wondered if that applied to Wolverine too. Thankfully, the dryad took advantage of the distraction and attacked vigorously with vines and her mana katana. God, she was cool.
I placed the bulky root into our fat jar, sealed it shut with some mana, and turned right in time for a fox critter to bite me on the shoulder.
“Son of a bitch!” I punched the shit out of it, sending it sprawling at least thirty meters. It was a miracle it hadn’t bitten through my skin, but it still hurt. I’m a potion maker, not a fighter.
That bite seemed to have awaken something within Wolverine, because he was pissed. His eyes glowed and a mountain of aura surrounded him. He let out a great howl, leapt into the air and then brought his claws down on the fucker that bit me. The loud cracking of bone pretty much revealed the fox monster’s fate. Hey, I wasn’t complaining.
Milia herself gutted and killed at least four of the bastards, but panting, I noticed something. She was cornered.
I took one step in that direction.
Suddenly, the fox creatures all looked at me. Terror burned in their eyes, which I will admit confused me a bit. I started toward them, only for the little chicken shits to scamper off.
“No wait! Just let me hit one of you!” I narrowed my eyes as they bolted even faster. I guess they didn’t like the way their buddy got punted without so much as leaving a bite wound for proof of attack. “So much for getting my opportunity to look cool.”
Milia gave me a confused look, then laughed. “You have no idea how terrifying you looked when you decided to join the battle. And your aura. I… I thought I’d collapse under such pressure.”
Wolverine gave a howl of victory. Yes, by his demeanor, I could tell.
“You… don’t think this was a bit too easy?” I asked.
Milia’s eyes widened. “Was this easy to you?”
“I don’t mean to sound like one of those arrogant jackasses,” I retorted. “Believe me, I’m the first to tell you that getting cocky only invites bad luck and misfortune.”
Milia glanced at the ginseng, nodded in approval, and smiled. “You certainly don’t give yourself enough credit.”
Wolverine barked once, before running around excitedly.
“So about the dungeon,” I said. “Are those creatures…?”
“No, they’re not from the dungeon,” Milia said, “but they’re much stronger than usual just from living in the dense aura of this area.”
“Do you think I should try running it? In the future, of course,” I said. “For materials.”
“Absolutely,” Milia said without even a shred of hesitation. “But if you’d like me to join, I’m afraid I’d like to train more. Perhaps break through the wall that’s holding me back.”
“Maybe when I’m better, I’ll create a potion for you that should help you with that,” I said.
Milia walked up to me, until we were face to face. “You really mean that. You’re not just saying that.”
“Are the people of this w—kingdom bad liars or something?” I said.
Milia only smiled. “Magicians normally would rather take their secrets, their craft, to the grave than help someone else out,” she said. “Let alone someone like me.”
“Someone like you? Don’t belittle yourself, it doesn’t suit you,” I quipped. “We’re kind of like partners in crime. Let me help you out for once. I’m the potion maker, remember?”
I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the dryad’s mind. A being linked to divinity, they were part goddess themselves. Minor goddesses some would say, though I wasn’t too sure.
Milia paused her walking. “You really are strange. And sweet.” She turned around to look at me, smile bright. “Fine, I’ll hold you to that potion. I guess this should be the start of the rise of the greatest potion maker.”
“More like cheat potion maker,” I deadpanned.
The walk back to the shop was easy-peasy, and uneventful. No more weird fox things appeared, which kind of annoyed me. I wanted to watch Milia fight again.
Now if I cared for it myself, this would be that cliché moment where I hardened my resolve, ditched the desire to make potions and live peacefully, and ask Milia to teach me how to fight. Then go on some dumbass adventure to become the strongest hero or whatever.
Nope.
Harmony was walking up just as we reached the shop’s doors.
“You’re right on time,” I said. “We’re just about to make your stinky potion and force it down your throat.”
Milia chuckled.
Harmony shot me a blank stare, before relenting into a smile. “Good morning to the both of you too,” she said. “And I’m ready for my yucky potion.”
I grinned.
