The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual.
The room was quiet. Sunlight slipped through the window and landed on the new clothes I bought yesterday.
I sat up slowly.
"Alright… I'll make potions first before going hunting," I said.
Good thing I bought empty bottles yesterday.
I placed them on the table one by one. Ten clean bottles.
I took a deep breath and focused.
Green liquid slowly formed in my palm. It flowed smoother than before. More stable. I didn't struggle to control it like last time.
One by one, I filled the bottles carefully.
It was easier now.
The liquid was clearer too.
"…I've improved," I muttered.
Last time, I needed more focus. More effort.
Now it felt natural.
"With this… I don't even need to hunt monsters to earn money," I said quietly.
Ten potions could easily bring a lot of coins.
For a moment, I imagined just staying in town. Making potions every day. Selling them. Living peacefully.
But I shook my head.
"No."
If I want to become stronger…
I need to fight.
I need to kill monsters.
And absorb their power.
Money alone won't protect me.
After a while, I finished filling the tenth bottle.
I sealed each one tightly and placed them inside the small box. Then I arranged them neatly so they wouldn't break.
I stood up and stretched my arms.
"Done."
I picked up the box and left my room, heading toward the receptionist area downstairs.
"Good morning, Renji," Cera greeted with a smile as I approached the counter.
"Morning, Ms. Cera. I'm selling potions again today," I said, placing the small box on the table.
Her eyes brightened. "Ah, more of those special ones?"
She opened the box and checked the bottles carefully.
"Oh, by the way, Renji," she said, lowering her voice a little, "we've heard from other adventurers that the potions you're selling have a greater effect. They recover faster than normal medium-grade potions."
I stayed calm, but inside I was alert.
"The guild master looked into it," she continued. "Since the quality is higher, we decided to increase the payment."
"W-what? Really?" I asked.
She nodded. "Instead of ten silver coins per potion, we'll make it twenty silver."
My eyes widened slightly.
"So if you sell ten bottles, you'll get…" She did a quick calculation. "Four gold coins."
Four gold coins.
That's even more than yesterday.
"But," she added gently, "you need to be careful. When something sells this well, people get curious. And not all adventurers think kindly."
I understood what she meant.
"And… if it's alright with you," she said carefully, "may I know who is making these potions? Is that person perhaps an alchemist?"
Alchemist…
"Ah, yeah. He is," I answered calmly.
"But I can't tell you who he really is," I added. "If I do, he might stop making potions for me."
She blinked, then laughed lightly. "Ah, no, that's fine. You don't need to tell us. We'll respect your privacy."
She counted the coins and pushed them toward me.
"Here are four gold coins," she said with a smile. "Thank you for your business."
Four gold coins.
I carefully picked them up and placed them in my pouch. The weight felt satisfying.
"Thank you, Ms. Cera. If you'll excuse me," I said.
"Of course. And Renji?"
I paused.
"Be careful out there."
I gave a small nod. "I will."
Then I left the Adventurers Guild and began walking down the street.
Four gold coins…
Making potions really is profitable.
But money isn't enough.
I looked toward the road that led to the forest.
Time to hunt.
The forest was quiet except for the sound of leaves moving in the wind.
While I was walking deeper inside, I saw a wolf between the trees.
Its fur was dark gray, and its eyes locked onto me the moment it noticed my presence.
A low growl escaped its mouth.
Then it attacked.
"That should be perfect for trading," I muttered as I stepped aside. "Its fur can be used to make clothes and gear. If I give this to the shop owner, I'll probably get a discount."
The wolf lunged again, aiming for my neck.
"I'll just kill it without taking much damage to protect the quality," I said calmly.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
The moment it leaped, I moved forward instead of back.
My blade struck straight down on its head.
A heavy sound echoed as its body hit the ground.
The wolf twitched once… then went still.
"That was easier than I expected," I said quietly.
I crouched down and pulled out the magic core from its body. A small, faintly glowing crystal covered in blood.
I wiped it clean and placed it in my bag.
After that, I hunted five more wolves in the same area.
Each one fell faster than the last. My movements felt smoother. My breathing stayed steady.
Not long after, I moved toward another part of the forest where goblins usually appeared.
Their green bodies and ugly faces showed from behind rocks and trees.
They tried to surround me.
Big mistake.
One slash.
Two.
A kick.
A stab through the chest.
Their bodies dropped one after another.
After a while, I had hunted fifteen wolves and twenty goblins.
The ground was quiet again.
I walked around and collected the magic cores one by one, placing them carefully into my bag.
"I have thirty-five cores…" I counted softly.
I looked at the wolf cores in my hand.
"Alright. I'll absorb the wolf cores… and sell the goblin cores to the guild."
The wolf cores should strengthen my body more.
As for the goblin ones—
They're better for money.
I sat down against a tree, holding the first wolf core tightly in my palm.
When I arrived back in town, I didn't head to the guild right away.
Instead, I went straight to the clothing shop.
The wooden sign above the door swayed slightly in the wind.
I carefully placed the wolf corpses outside the store, lining them up properly so the fur wouldn't get dirty.
Just as I finished, I saw the shop owner walking down the street toward me.
He was carrying a large basket in both hands. Inside were fresh fruits, vegetables, and wrapped meat. It looked like he had just come back from morning shopping at the market.
"Oh? Young man, what are you doing here?" he asked as he walked closer.
"Good morning, sir," I said politely. "I came here today because I wanted to give you these wolf corpses."
I pointed at the wolves laid out beside me.
He stopped walking.
His eyes widened.
"W-wow… you actually brought what I asked for?"
Then he burst out laughing.
"HAHA! I thought you weren't taking it seriously!"
"I don't make promises lightly," I replied.
He set his basket down and crouched near the wolves, checking the fur with experienced hands.
"No deep cuts… clean kill… the fur isn't damaged much," he muttered, impressed. "You did well."
Then he suddenly stood up and looked at me.
"Oh, by the way, why don't you eat with us?"
"E-eat?" I asked slowly, confused.
"Yes, eat," he said with a wide smile. "I just bought ingredients. My wife will cook a lot anyway. We can talk about the materials you brought while having lunch."
I hesitated. No one had invited me like this before.
"It's okay, don't be shy," he added kindly.
"T-then… I'll accept it," I said, lowering my head slightly.
He laughed again. "Good! Come inside. Leave the wolves there for now. I'll move them later."
As I followed him into the shop, I couldn't help but feel something unfamiliar in my chest.