Until near evening—
Minori had consumed seven stalks of heat herbs before the alchemical solution finally stabilized into a woody yellow liquid.
He experimentally applied it to small wounds.
The effect far surpassed simply sprinkling herb powder onto an injury.
Seeing this result—
Minori did not smile.Instead, his brows furrowed slightly.
After a moment of thought, he sat down cross-legged.
He gathered his magic power, already limited and only recently recovered, and cast Item Appraisal on the alchemical concoction.
A faint hum echoed.
Buzz—
Item: Poor-Quality Alchemical Solution
Effect: Made from the herb "Heat Grass." Has hemostatic and disinfecting properties. Drinking it restores a small amount of health (1 HP).
Note: Highly unstable. Loses effectiveness completely within one hour.
Minori stared at the appraisal result, his frown deepening.
He found it unsettling.
Even with skills superior to local alchemists like Nfirea,the potion he produced was still labeled "poor-quality".
Originally, Minori had accepted the Pharmacist class from Nfirea in order to produce his own healing items, strengthening his endurance in prolonged battle.
But reality proved harsher than expectation.
—
He lacked too much essential knowledge:
The individual properties of herbs,
Which plants could be safely mixed,
Proper dosages,
Correct preparation methods.
None of these were automatically granted by gaining a profession, as it had been in YGGDRASIL.
Here—
Skills had to be truly learned.
And time, the resource he needed most,was the one he had the least of.
The alchemical solution before him wasn't even a proper low-tier potion.It was merely a shortcut—a method to fully extract the medicinal effects of herbs.
A far cry from the potions of YGGDRASIL.
In fact, when it came to potion-making in this world, Minori understood now that they fell into three broad categories:
Potions purely from herbs.(The most common method in the New World — cheap, accessible for civilians and low-ranked adventurers.)
**Potions using herbs combined with magic.(Stronger, suitable for combat situations. Naturally more expensive.)
Potions created by magic alone.(Common in YGGDRASIL — but nonexistent here.)
—
The second and third types were both familiar from the game.
Yet the New World's pharmacists, even those like Nfirea, had diverged completely from the path that YGGDRASIL players once followed.
If healing potions from YGGDRASIL still existed in this world, they were known as the "Blood of God."
Ainz Ooal Gown had once theorized several reasons why the native pharmacists could not recreate them:
① The knowledge brought by ancient Players had been lost.② Pharmacists were unaware such techniques even existed beyond their borders.③ The materials necessary for YGGDRASIL potions simply did not exist in the New World.
Among these—
Minori leaned heavily toward the third explanation.
Even in the original timeline, when Nfirea miraculously succeeded in producing a red potion,Minori harbored doubts.
Had Nazarick secretly supplied rare ingredients?
Had Nfirea merely found a way to stretch limited materials?
Otherwise—
The notion that a small-town pharmacist could outdo what took the Slane Theocracy three centuries to accomplish seemed absurd.
Returning to the present.
Minori sighed.
No teachers.
No shortcut.
And no system of automatic skill acquisition.
Even if alchemy magic existed that could conjure potions from thin air,he had no means of learning it here.
"It seems…""The idea of self-producing potions to boost my survival is... unrealistic."
Minori closed his eyes briefly, feeling a wave of frustration pass through him.
As for alchemy itself?
He had learned from Nfirea that among native pharmacists, alchemy was considered a mere support profession—useful for preparing raw ingredients, not much more.
But in YGGDRASIL—
Alchemy had a much broader role.
Combined with classes like Craftsman, Puppeteer, Weaponsmith, or Golem Crafter,alchemy could produce items of terrifying power.
High-end professions like "Alchemy Master" and "Gunsmith" could wield alchemy as a direct weapon.
However—
Minori knew he could not afford to walk that path.
Every profession he pursued had to be battle-relevant and immediately useful.
No luxury of experimenting.
No margin for error.
Thus, the Alchemist profession, like the Pharmacist,seemed nearly useless to him.
Almost.
Almost.
Minori tapped a finger lightly against his knee, thinking.
The situations in YGGDRASIL and the New World could not be compared directly.
"Alchemy," he mused inwardly,"is ultimately about creating alchemical solutions."
Simple. Crude.
Yet perhaps—
Not without value.
If he could produce temporary-use alchemical liquids—
Poisons, acids, explosives, or other effects—
They might offer unique tactical options.
The primary drawback was preservation.
Alchemical solutions deteriorated quickly—sometimes within hours.
But this wasn't an unsolvable problem.
Grandmother Lizzie Bareare possessed the magic "Preservation",which could stabilize medicine for up to a year.
Since even normal potions would otherwise rot over time, this magic was essential for any serious pharmacist.
An idea took root.
Minori's spirits lifted slightly.
He would learn Preservation magic.
Then—
He could create alchemical solutions with offensive or utility effects, store them, and use them as surprise weapons.
A humble beginning.
But perhaps—
A path worth walking.
The sky had grown dark.
Minori rose from where he sat by the creek bank, deciding to make camp for the night.
Nearby—
The elder goblin, Muguo, lay prone, trembling.
Occasionally, he lifted his head to sneak fearful glances at Minori.
Throughout the past day, the goblin had witnessed many incomprehensible miracles:
Corpses vanishing with a mere wave of Minori's hand,items appearing out of nowhere,the mastery of spells and abilities no goblin had ever dreamed of.