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Chapter 11: The Headstart (2)

—It’s the tuition fee.

After I finished my business in the MA headquarters, I headed outside. It was noon, so the streets were lively with people out to have lunch. Retired Hunters, who now ran restaurants and general stores, were out searching for customers.

Of course, business was slow in many of those shops. The owners just sat by their doors and vacantly stared into the air. Successful people tended to accomplish more feats in life, but those who often faced losses only saw more failures. It was the cruel but immutable truth in both the outside world and Babylon.

—And you got the fee just now, so what do you need now?

“Mmm, a good tutor?”

—No, no. You have one right in front of you, the Guardian said without so much as a twitch.

—The answer is good textbooks! You need textbooks that will help you get stronger more quickly.

“Textbooks...”

—Yeah, I’m talking about martial arts manuals or elixirs. But you won’t understand martial arts manuals even if you read them, which leaves you with raking up fuck-off expensive elixirs.

I knew he was right, but he had a way of saying it in the most annoying possible way.

—Keep in mind that I don’t let my students work with cheap elixirs. There’s a guild called the Alchemist Office, right? The one where doctors and pharmacists join? Go to one of their shops and only get elixirs made by their best Chemists.

“Huh.”

—There’s a place where Gramps Marcus often goes. I know where the shop is, so don’t worry. Once we clean out their elixir aisles...

“H-hold on a second.” I lowered my voice because some pedestrians were walking past me.

—Hmm? Why?

“...Aren’t those elixirs really expensive?”

—Yeah, they are, but they’re really good. The seller sets the price, but people still buy them. Though your jaw will probably drop once you hear the price. Do you want to know how much it roughly costs? The Guardian snickered.

“...Let’s hear it.”

The Guardian whispered the price, which was an eye-opener. It cost way more than I’d even imagined.

“I can only buy around four elixirs even if I use all the money I have right now!”

—Hehe. They give you a discount if you buy several elixirs at once, so you’ll probably get around five of them. The guild really knows how to run a business. This is why doctors who know the taste of money are the scariest.

“I-it’s too expensive...”

Oh my god. I had been imagining the rosy future I was going to have with the first-place lottery winnings, but I was going to be poor again immediately.

—Well, I understand you’re reluctant to use up all your hard-earned money at once, but what can you do about it? The tragedy is caused by your lack of gifts, so think of it as your destiny. Mmm...?

The Guardian’s expression turned serious.

—Gong-Ja, hide.

“What?”

—Quick.

Even his voice was serious. I automatically hid behind the closest cover, a metal dumpster that reeked of rotten food; it was used to throw away leftover food from nearby diners.

“Why are you suddenly telling me to hide?” I asked with a furrowed brow.

—Be careful. It’s Gramps Marcus.

Trying not to make a single sound, I peeked around the dumpster at the street. The Sword Star, the current Rank 1 Hunter who had Detective’s Wise Eyes, was walking down the street with his white hair tied behind his back.

It’ll be a real problem if he sees me.

My heart pounded hard. The Guardian seemed to notice how tense I was and stopped yapping like he usually did. The two of us quietly hid behind the dumpsters, following the Sword Star with our eyes.

Fortunately, it seemed the Sword Star didn’t notice me because he continued on his way. As always, he was talking to himself.

“...Again? You’re noi...”

The Guardian frowned as he saw the building the Sword Star entered.

—Ah, damn it. Tsk! It won’t work. That’s the Alchemist Office’s best shop.

“The best shop?”

—That shop is run by the best Chemist, so they have the best elixirs. Ah, for real?! All Chemists are crooks compared to him. We really have to get elixirs from there...! The Guardian bit his fingernails. It was my first time seeing this ghost genuinely upset.

I fell into contemplation. It’s too risky to go to the same shop as the Sword Star, but I do need a good Chemist.

When I searched for High Rankers on my smartphone, I got a list that started from Rank 1.

Rank 1: Sword Star / Guild: None.

Rank 2: Black Witch / Guild: Black Dragon (Leader).

Rank 3: Countess / Guild: Merchant Association (Leader).

Rank 4: Inquisitor / Guild: Pantheon (Leader).

Rank 5: Viper / Guild: OJP Sect (Leader).

Rank 6: Babel Linguist / Guild: Late Bloom (Assistant Leader).

Rank 7: Broadband Communicator / Guild: Retrospective Newspaper (Assistant Leader).

Rank 8: Paladin / Guild: Watchmen League (Assistant Leader).

...

“She isn’t there,” I blurted.

—What? Who’s not there? Your goddess of luck? the Guardian questioned, finally sparing his fingernails from his teeth.

“No, quite the opposite, actually.” I was overflowing with luck. “It might cost a lot less than I thought.”

—What?

“We’ll only have to spend pennies to get the best-quality elixirs.” I grinned. “I know a very good Chemist.”

I left the downtown area and then headed to a remote alley in a poor neighborhood. In the dark alley, some Hunters observed me, their eyes shining with greed. Due to a lack of money, the worn-down neighborhood these people lived in was close to being a slum.

—...A good Chemist actually lives here? the Guardian asked, his voice thick with disbelief.

“She isn’t just a good Chemist. She’ll be legendary.”

—Drop the bullshit. Why would she stay in a place like this if she’s that skilled?

“Don’t believe me if you don’t want to,” I snorted.

The Hunters in the alley clicked their tongue and looked away, mistaking me for a madman because of my mumbling. Although a slum like this was usually very dangerous, the residents rarely messed with crazy people.

I held back my laughter. What would happen if they found out my wallet is full of gold?

It was obvious that they would lose it and throw themselves at me like a bunch of jackals. Since I had no obligation to kindly show them the truth, I just headed deeper into the alley. It was tinged with the smell of rotten corpses.

Just then, I heard a high-pitched scream.

“P-please, at least give me back my lab equipment!” a young woman shouted.

“Are you freaking kidding me?!” an angry man shouted back. “My boys and I already gave you more than a couple of warnings! Look where it got us!”

“It’s been half a year since you failed to pay the money on time. It’s about time you made it up to us.”

I followed the voices. When I reached the intersection of the maze of alleys, I found an old shop in a relatively open space. The people were fighting in front of it.

“I-if you also take my equipment... I really have no way of putting food on my table...”

“Ignore her. We don’t need to hear her excuses. Take them all!”

Bulky gangsters loaded machines onto their handcart. A woman in her late twenties, who seemed to own the old shop, clung onto the handcart.

“A week!” she pleaded. “Give me one more week, please. Actually, if you can just give me five more days—”

“That one week became a month, and then half a year!”

Some of the gangsters shoved the handcart, sending the shop owner tumbling helplessly to the ground. Despite the scrapes on her knees, she still reached out for the handcart.

“I-I haven’t finished making that potion...!”

“Sigh. How did I get involved with a crazy Chemist like you? Lady! Listen to me! Never get involved with the potion-making business again! I mean it!”

The gangsters pushed away the hand cart deep into the alley, leaving behind the shop owner, the nearby residents, and me. Lost in despair, the shop owner absentmindedly sat on her knees, staring at the ground. On the other hand, the spectators were busily whispering among themselves.

“Tsk, tsk. I knew that the shop would go out of business someday.”

“Her potions are too expensive. What kind of health recovery potion costs forty gold a bottle?”

“She’s young, so she thought business is easy...”

After hearing bits of the spectators’ whispers, the shop owner quickly looked up.

“Wh-what do you mean expensive! My prices are barely profitable!”

She was quite a mess. Her long hair was greasy like she hadn’t washed it for days. Her glasses looked very old, enough to be an antique. Even her voice was extremely thin; it felt like her voice could shatter a glass window, instead of it being as clear as glass.

“I’m the only Chemist in Babylon who sells potions that are as high quality and as cheap as mine! Y-you should thank me for setting up a shop in this shabby neighborhood. Yes, that’s right!”

“Urgh, she’s still in her own little world.”

“Let’s go. I can’t believe it. It’s not like she’s actually achieved anything...”

The spectators shook their heads.

“Oh... W-wait. Since you guys are here, why don’t you try out my health recovery potion...? You only need one of my special health recovery potions to revive a dying Hunter.”

“No, I won’t!”

The shop owner belatedly tried to sell her products to the spectators, but it was no use. She had lost everyone’s favor long ago with her words and actions, so the spectators just walked away, swearing at her.

“It’s really good... I’m not lying...”

In the end, the shop owner flopped down onto the ground.

—Hey. That loser isn’t...the legendary Chemist you were talking about, right? the Guardian quickly asked.

“What if she is?”

—I’d be seriously worried about your head. Killing yourself over 4000 times must have messed with your brain. I’ll introduce you to the best therapist in Babylon.

I laughed quietly. “I think you should’ve started worrying about me when I saw a ghost. She’s the legendary Chemist I talked about. Don’t worry.”

—No, you freak! She’s the legendary loser!

Ignoring the Guardian’s scream, I strode toward the shop owner.

“Excuse me.”

The shop owner looked up questioningly.

She seemed even more like a beggar once I got a closer look at her. Both her top and bottom hung on her as if she had gotten them from a clothing donation box. Only her white lab coat made her recognizable as a Chemist.

“Are you open for business?” I asked.

Yes, she wasn’t a beggar. An ordinary Chemist was certainly not the right description for her either.

“If you are, I would like to order some potions.”

She was the Master Alchemist, a Chemist who was going to become the Rank 5 Hunter. Although she was currently outside the rankings, she would without a doubt make it someday.

“They’re a little complicated to make—can you do it?” I asked.

“Ah, yes, yes! Of course! I can make you anything! “ The Chemist’s face brightened up.

Complicated potions meant expensive potions. Her shop was on the brink of going out of business, so she must feel like someone had pulled her back from the edge of a cliff.

“But how complicated are the potions you’re looking for...?”

In the future, I would never be able to order from this Chemist, no matter how rich I was, but it was different right now.

“Well, I think they would cost around twenty thousand gold in total.”

The Chemist’s jaw dropped to the ground. Who cared if she looked a little like a beggar? In my eyes, the Chemist looked like a goose who was going to lay me eggs of pure gold!

I beamed. “So...can I make an order now?”

I was going to become her first regular customer.