Chapter 6

Water potions flow from the water purifier in my house, Episode 007

3. Unfair Contract (2)

...I didn't expect this.

I thought it would be a bodyguard or a secretary.

At the very least, a low-ranking guild member who didn't participate in the dungeon.

I never thought the guild leader herself, who cleared the dungeon over two days, would come...

"Is anyone inside?"

"Ah! Yes! I'll open it right away!"

I was so flustered that I left it unattended for a moment.

This won't do.

This is such an important person.

Creak-

The shabby door opened, revealing the person outside.

Her medium-length auburn hair reached her shoulders.

As I felt when I saw her from beyond the fence, she was so beautiful up close that I couldn't even speak.

No wonder she has a fan club.

...Maybe I should join a fan club too.

"Can I come in?"

"Y-Yes, please come in."

I didn't expect her to come so quickly, so the inside of the house was a mess.

I spread out a table in the relatively clean area and placed the only cushion on her seat.

"Thank you."

"Hehe... It's nothing."

An awkward silence fell.

She must have come to talk about that incident two days ago, but she hasn't said a word.

"...?"

Instead, Jung Hae-yeon kept lifting and lowering her buttocks.

...Is it because the cushion is cheap?

"Is something uncomfortable?"

"No, no. It's nothing."

"Are you thirsty? I'll get you something to drink."

"No, I..."

I couldn't bear the atmosphere, so I got up, pretending to get a drink.

...Damn. There was no coffee or any drinks.

I had no choice but to give her water, but the water purifier dispensed colorful potions.

'Maybe I can pass it off as a drink...'

I poured a blue potion into a cup for Jung Hae-yeon and a red one for myself.

"...!"

Jung Hae-yeon's eyes widened.

She stared at the water I gave her without drinking it.

"Hmm. So, why did you come to my house...?"

"Ah. I apologize. I came here for a reason."

She took out a photo and handed it to me.

It clearly showed me swinging a PET bottle.

'Oh. What a pose.'

It looked like I was wielding dual swords.

Looking at the photo, I felt so embarrassed I could die.

"The person in this photo, is it you?"

"Yes, it's me."

She must have already investigated everything.

To her, my identity as an ordinary citizen is like a falling leaf.

"Let me ask you directly. What was in that bottle? Could it be something that turns ordinary humans into dopplegangers...?"

Her eyes changed instantly, so I quickly answered.

"No! It's just a regular potion!"

"A potion...?"

She's saying something that could cause big trouble. If such a misunderstanding arises, the contract will be a problem.

It will start with a wise prison life.

"I see. I understand. I should thank you, even though it's late. Thanks to you, we were able to clear the dungeon without any issues."

"I didn't do much, really."

"I will definitely repay you for this matter."

Jung Hae-yeon bowed deeply, almost touching her head to the table.

'This is really making me uncomfortable.'

But I understood. From her perspective, I had revealed a potential obstacle to the dungeon's clearance in advance.

For me, a fair contract would be sufficient.

A trustworthy promise with a large guild like Twilight.

"Excuse me, but I think there must be a reason for your actions."

"I couldn't just stand by and watch people die. There are other reasons too."

"Other reasons?"

Jung Hae-yeon, with her bright eyes, seemed ready to hear any solemn reason.

Slurp-

After taking a sip of water, she said,

"Do you have any interest in potions?"

"Excuse me?"

Jung Hae-yeon's eyes blinked.

Judging by the result, Lee Se-jin's potion sales were a success.

"Then, we'll visit you for the contract next time."

"Sure. I'll be waiting."

As Jung Hae-yeon was about to get up, Lee Se-jin asked,

"Aren't you going to drink the water? It's good for you."

"Can, can I really drink it?"

Of course, I gave it to you to drink.

Lee Se-jin nodded.

Jung Hae-yeon carefully drank the entire glass of water as if it were something precious.

"Ah..."

She let out a refreshing sigh.

'She must have been thirsty.'

"Excuse me."

Jung Hae-yeon bowed and left the house.

My tense body gradually relaxed.

Only after she left the building did Jung Hae-yeon let out a deep sigh.

"Phew... I thought I was going to die..."

She was worried the whole time that she might have said something inappropriate.

"You were amazing."

* * *

Two days ago.

The doppleganger incident during the dungeon expedition.

When a suspicious man sprayed a liquid, three people who were hit by it turned into dopplegangers.

Before entering the dungeon,

She ordered an investigation into the liquid sprayed on their bodies and the identity of the man who sprayed it.

In the chaotic situation,

As soon as the dungeon was cleared, she heard a shocking fact.

"It was an extremely refined, high-purity potion!"

"...A potion?"

"Yes. It seems the dopplegangers' disguise was revealed when they were hit by the potion."

"Their disguise was revealed by a potion? How pure was it?"

"It's... 100%."

"Huh?"

Jung Hae-yeon thought her ears were deceiving her.

100%.

No country or guild could produce a potion that pure.

"Was it a mistake?"

"...No impurities were found. It's a completely pure potion with no unnecessary elements mixed in."

Potions are produced by processing the magic stones of monsters.

Since magic stones are full of mana, they need to go through a purification process.

The average purity of potions produced by the Twilight guild is 65%.

The best quality is 69%.

This was an overwhelming number compared to other guilds.

Such a potion was limited in production and sold out immediately to specific individuals.

100%?

"Ha ha..."

Jung Hae-yeon couldn't help but laugh.

It wasn't because it was funny, but because she was bewildered.

A man who sprayed a 100% pure potion as if it were water.

No organization could produce such a potion.

It must have been made by the man himself.

Then, his identity was obvious.

Someone so great that it was unimaginable.

An 'alchemist.'

That's the only conclusion she could draw.

And such a person helped her.

There must be a reason.

She shouldn't keep such a person waiting.

As soon as the dungeon was cleared, Jung Hae-yeon headed straight to the alchemist's residence without even washing up.

The place she arrived at was an attic in a shabby villa.

'This is where he lives.'

Why would such an alchemist live in a place like this?

It's clear he's trying to hide from the world.

"I'll open it now."

She looked at the man inside with tense eyes.

If he weren't an alchemist, she wouldn't have remembered his face.

He had an ordinary face that could be seen anywhere.

She entered the house.

The alchemist's residence was cluttered with junk and trash.

'Is he really an alchemist?'

Just as she had this doubt, he handed her a cushion.

The moment she sat on it without thinking,

'...!'

Jung Hae-yeon, a skilled person, is sensitive to her condition.

The moment she sat on the cushion, she felt her fatigue rapidly dissipate.

She got up and sat down again, and she was sure.

This cushion.

It's an artifact.

A mysterious cushion that rapidly dissipates the fatigue of the person sitting on it.

The moment she realized this, she got goosebumps.

The items in the one-room apartment, which she thought were junk, now looked like precious treasures.

'This, and that, are all artifacts...!'

Clearly, this house was deliberately made to look this way.

Her doubts disappeared, leaving only a crazy tension.

'Calm down, Jung Hae-yeon. You're the guild leader of Twilight. You mustn't show any动摇.'

However, her poker face was instantly broken by the drink he brought.

'...This is a completely pure potion with no impurities.'

I thought he would give me a drink, but suddenly he brought out this.

He even poured it into a shabby cup as if he had too many such potions.

'Ah... to put such a thing in such a cup...'

It's something that should be in a top-grade glass bottle...

'This is a test. By showing me this water, he's saying, 'I'm an alchemist of this level.''

She desperately wanted to drink it but didn't.

She doesn't even remember what she said after that.

Ranting.

She kept spouting words in a tense posture, like a job interviewee.

Finally, the alchemist's purpose came out.

"Do you have any interest in potions?"

This must be caught.

Jung Hae-yeon nodded vigorously without thinking.

She decided to get up and leave, leaving the contract for later.

'Ah...'

The potion she didn't drink lingers in her mind.

But this is definitely a test...

"Are you not going to drink it? It's good for you."

"R-Really?"

As soon as she got permission, Jung Hae-yeon carefully picked up the cup and drank the potion.

'Ah...'

It was like finding an oasis in the desert.

It was like 'holy water' itself.

Her depleted mana was instantly replenished.

Jung Hae-yeon vowed as she returned to her guild.

She must not miss the opportunity to form a bond with such an alchemist.

This is a test.

A great alchemist's test to see if she is worthy of his position.

"I will definitely give you the best treatment."

It will be a task more difficult and important than any dungeon.

* * *

"Phew. I thought I was going to die from tension."

Indeed, the guild leader of a large guild had a different presence.

"But the image is quite different from what I heard."

Rough, bad-tempered, cold.

All the rumors floating around were nonsense.

She treated me, an ordinary person, with excessive politeness.

"It was almost too much..."

To sit me on such a cheap cushion.

Clearly, people like her should sit on down cushions!

A bad cushion.

Thinking of removing it, she picked it up.

And a status window appeared in front of her.

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「Cushion for Healing Tired Mind and Body」

Description: When used or recommended by 【Master of All Things】 Lee Se-jin, it heals the body and mind of the person sitting on it.

The closer the user is to 【Master of All Things】 Lee Se-jin, the greater the recovery effect.

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"Randomly, it works on a cushion like this?"

As soon as she sat down, her mind felt strangely at ease and her body relaxed.

Unlike potions, it also heals a tired mind, which she liked.

From now on, you're not cheap.

You're my most cherished high-end cushion.

"By the way, the person who recommends it..."

It means it worked for Jung Hae-yeon too.

Thinking that she must have scored some points thanks to this cushion, she felt satisfied.

I must have gathered some bait for the contract...

Then, now.

"Should I watch TV?"

A TV that shows the future once a day.

Of course, I watch it consistently every day.

But no big information has come up like the first time.

"Yesterday, there was news that celebrity A was in a relationship..."

Useless information.

"I hope for some good information this time."

I knelt on the cushion and prayed to the TV.

Ding!

The TV turned on, and a broadcast appeared on the screen.

"Uh, uh, uh?"

It was a broadcast familiar to everyone, not just me.

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[Ch.1]

[The winning numbers are determined regardless of the order in which the balls are drawn.

The funds raised from the lottery are used for public welfare purposes.

Now, the first lucky number...]

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"I, I saw the numbers!"