Episode 36

036. An Uncommon Person

“Something’s… not right.”

Feeling a foreboding sense, Golden Hand headed deeper inside.
When he reached the deepest part of the cave, a vast cavern, he finally encountered the cause of the anomaly.

A massive crystal pillar rose in the center of the cavern, and around it, dozens of monsters were greedily devouring the moss.

[Corrupted Crystal Bat Lv.28]

The creatures were swelling in size by eating the moonlight moss and polluting the surroundings with residue containing corrupted magic.
The very environment where moss could grow was being destroyed.

“So it’s because of those bastards.”

Golden Hand’s eyes turned cold.
He tightened his grip on the hammer.

“Walker, sweep them all away.”
“Walker! Walkeeeer!”

Golden Hand and Iron Walker charged simultaneously towards the monster horde.

Crunch!

Golden Hand’s hammer struck the head of a Corrupted Crystal Bat with precision.
Thus began a one-sided hunt.
Though Golden Hand’s level was significantly lower than the monsters, it wasn’t a problem.

“Walkeer! Wa-wa-walker!”

Whenever Golden Hand was in danger.
No, even before it became dangerous, Iron Walker stepped forward first.
Before his overwhelming defense and attack power, the Corrupted Crystal Bats were helpless.

[Successfully struck a weak point.]
[Critical hit confirmed.]
[Defeated Corrupted Crystal Bat.]
[Your level has increased! Lv.23]
[Defeated Corrupted Crystal Bat.]
.
.
.

[Your level has increased! Lv.24]

A one-sided battle.
It was more like cleaning the cave than combat.
However, after dealing with all the bats, disappointment seeped onto Golden Hand’s face.

“Damn it, there’s almost no moss left!”

The areas the monsters had swept through were a wretched sight.
It was harder to find intact moss than anything else.
To gather the required amount, he would have to wait endlessly for the moss to regrow.

“Sigh… If I’d known this would happen, did I needlessly boast that I’d solve it?”

Suddenly, the expectant face of Redbeard Dusar came to mind.
He felt inexplicably sorry towards Dusar.
Just as Golden Hand let out a hollow sigh and was about to slump to the ground,

From behind him, a completely unexpected voice reached his ears.

“Hey there, young one. Moonlight moss isn’t harvested by scraping it up so crudely. You’re just pointlessly wasting precious spores.”

Golden Hand’s body stiffened.
He hadn’t even sensed a presence, yet he’d been caught from behind.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head.

From the darkness of the cave, an eccentric old man with a shaggy beard and a backpack larger than his own body.
He was clucking his tongue as he walked out.

‘Parakel? That’s Parakel!’

The alchemist NPC who randomly appears in Kratum.
The moment he saw him, Golden Hand was glad but simultaneously couldn’t help but make a face.

[Funds: 25 Gold]

‘Damn, the timing is just incredible.’

The rare potions and materials Parakel sold were worth their weight in gold.
The problem was that he was far short of the money to buy them.
Golden Hand could only sigh deeply inwardly.

“Meeting an uncommon person in an uncommon place. Are you an outsider?”

Parakel approached first.
It seemed he was interested in Golden Hand, who was harvesting moonlight moss.
While doing so, he didn’t forget to make an offer upon seeing the outsider, Golden Hand.

“Hmm, judging by your equipment, you seem like you handle a fair bit of money… How about it? I have some quite decent items. Care to take a look?”

Parakel spoke like a merchant.
But to Parakel’s question, Golden Hand could only shake his head regretfully.

“I don’t have any money right now…”
“Tsk tsk, preparing such good equipment leads to funding problems. So that’s why you’ve come all the way here to harvest moonlight moss? Because you have no money? An outsider who lacks funds.”

Though the words seemed very mocking, Parakel’s expression wasn’t like that.
On the contrary, Parakel smiled as if sensing a kindred spirit.
As if proving his expression wasn’t false, a system message appeared.

[Parakel’s favorability has increased.]
[You have broken through the first hidden condition of Parakel’s profession tutorial.]

Golden Hand was bewildered by the sudden system message.
But Parakel began consoling him by tapping his shoulder.

“Money is the root of all evil. Look at me! Even a superb alchemist like me has to run around diligently like this to make money!”
“Huh? To make money?”
“Alchemy… requires a fair bit of investment, you know? Ahem, so to save even on material costs, one has to run around like this on foot!”

It was absurd.
The first hidden condition to gain a profession from Parakel was to be penniless.

‘No wonder players in my past life couldn’t figure out the hidden condition!’

Upon meeting Parakel, anyone’s curiosity would be piqued, leading them to look at his wares.
Because he had many effective and rare items.
But the moment they do, it’s over.
They’re already cast out of Parakel’s favor.

Golden Hand was somewhat flustered.
But unlike his feelings, the ‘Alchemist’ profession tutorial seemed to be progressing step by step.
Parakel was beginning to show interest in Golden Hand.

“But you, you have quite an eye. You’re the first outsider to recognize the value of this moonlight moss. Most just treat it as pretty glowing grass, you know.”

Parakel picked up a piece of moss that had fallen on the ground.

“But in truth, this little fellow is a very sensitive creature that grows by absorbing lunar magic. If you scrape it off roughly with force like you did, it gets stressed and its medicinal efficacy drops by half.”

He pulled out a small glass vial and a brush from his pouch.
Inside the vial was a liquid with a subtle silvery sheen.

“Now, watch carefully. Dip the brush slightly in ‘Fairy’s Tear’ and gently stroke along the grain of the moss. Then, this fellow will feel good, puff up its body, and open its spores wide. That’s when you gently pluck it off.”

Pluck-

When Parakel demonstrated, the moss truly swelled up like magic, becoming twice as large as before.
He easily plucked it off and handed it to Golden Hand.
A message appeared simultaneously.

[Acquired Highest-Grade Moonlight Moss.]

Golden Hand doubted his own eyes.
The same material, from the same place, but the result was worlds apart.

“I-Incredible… That’s quite something.”
“Hahaha! Amazing, right? This is the world of alchemy. A discipline that deals with the essence of nature not through force, but through knowledge and understanding.”

Parakel wore a satisfied smile and scrutinized Golden Hand again.

“Now then, you give it a try.”

The ‘Fairy’s Tear’ and ‘brush’ handed over along with the instruction.
The moment he received them, he understood.

‘This too… is a test.’

Parakel was focused on Golden Hand’s actions.
He seemed to be testing how well he could follow along.

‘Alchemist profession… If I can get this profession from Parakel, nothing could be better!’

Being connected to Parakel would allow him to meet Parakel freely whenever he wanted.
Moreover, Parakel himself was an excellent alchemist.
The alchemy-related skills he possessed were undoubtedly impressive.
Thinking that, Golden Hand also began focusing in earnest.

Golden Hand cautiously tried to follow Parakel’s method.
Though it was his first time attempting the task, his hand movements were seamless.
They were even smoother and more delicate than Parakel’s had been.
At that moment, a system message appeared before Golden Hand’s eyes.

[Harvested ‘Moonlight Moss’.]
[Effect of ‘Inspired Dexterity’ increased harvest amount by 15%.]
[Influence of ‘Precision’ stat increased the chance of acquiring Highest-Grade Moonlight Moss by 20%.]
[Acquired Highest-Grade Moonlight Moss.]

Before he could even finish reading the messages, Parakel’s eyes widened into saucers.
Because Golden Hand’s hand movements looked extraordinary.

“Hoho…! Incredible! Your dexterity is no ordinary thing! How can someone doing this for the first time be so skillful?!”

Paracel’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
Though he had tested the outsider, he hadn’t expected such perfect replication.
Parakel couldn’t help but marvel, taking Golden Hand’s hand and turning it this way and that.

“These hands… are the hands of a born alchemist! No, it’s no exaggeration to call them hands bestowed by the god of alchemy! But… what is your profession? I heard outsiders decide on such things?”

Parakel asked about his profession.
To Parakel’s question, he answered honestly.

“I’m a blacksmith.”
“A blacksmith? Preposterous! To possess such fine talent and merely hammer away! What a waste of talent—there’s no waste like it!”

Parakel beat his chest in frustration.
Golden Hand was somewhat taken aback by the reaction.
Clearly, in his past life, countless players were desperate to become Parakel’s disciple.
But now, Parakel was urging Golden Hand to become his disciple instead.
Because a system message immediately appeared.

[You have broken through the second hidden condition of Parakel’s profession tutorial.]
[The ‘Wandering Alchemist’ Parakel is captivated by your talent and makes a special proposal.]
[Will you become his sole disciple and receive his secret alchemy techniques through assigned tasks?]
[Upon acceptance, the Alchemist profession tutorial will commence.]

At the very moment Golden Hand was harvesting moonlight moss with Parakel, a tense atmosphere pervaded Mirae Group’s Lepione Strategic Planning Team.

“Team Leader, the footage just transmitted via Repinet. New activity by the target ‘Golden Hand’ has been captured.”

A meeting room made of cold metal and glass.
Before a massive hologram screen stood a sharp-featured woman with her arms crossed.
She was Cha Yoo-kyung, Team Leader of the Strategic Planning Department for Mirae Group’s Repion division.