“There is not much left, I guess it’s not the same as hunting monsters…”

“Woof!”

‘These weapons and armor they were using were mostly made out of cheap mithril alloys, no wonder they melted so fast.’

After his victory over the platinum adventurer party, Roland was going through their equipment or more precisely, through what was left of it. The group was composed of lesser tier 3 class holders that apparently didn’t have that much money to buy proper equipment. It made a lot more sense now why they had the alchemist with them as he probably made the battles against the undead a lot easier.

Why all of them were doing down here was still a mystery as the area had not truly been explored. To be on the safer side, an adventurer party wanted to wait for a stronger group to go through all the areas beforehand. The adventurer guild would commission maps from such adventurer parties that would go for quite the penny. Yet, not everyone was concerned about safety and wished to be the first one to discover unearthed riches.

“I’ll probably won’t be able to identify them like this, their cards were destroyed too… You can come out now, I know that you’re there.”

“I uh… I wasn’t trying to peek.”

“It’s fine, they won’t be bothering you ever again.”

While he was trying to find something worthwhile to take from the piles of scrap, his new acquaintance appeared. Rastix Zelbebanin was his full name but he was not part of the noble cast. Gnomes liked to bind their families through last names just like nobles but they didn’t carry as much power behind them.

From the outer appearance, he was somewhat similar to his old boss but that was where the characteristics ended. He could not see that old fart putting himself in this much danger and also failing at it miserably. The two tier 3 elven bodyguards that were around him could have easily dispatched the platinum party here.

“I can see that… Damn ruffians, serves them right!”

After analyzing the situation the small man walked out from behind the rock he was hiding. The battlefield wasn’t all that bloody as his spell had mostly burned away on the flesh of the adventurers. It left most of the cavern sterile and devoid of any blood or guts.

“So… why what were you trying to achieve by coming to this dungeon, Mr. Rastix?”

“Oh well, you know… I was just trying to get some rare ingredients.”

“Rare ingredients?”

Roland somehow knew that this would be the answer but wasn’t sure why the gnome decided to come here. Were the items on this level so important to risk his life? Could he have not been able to get them with the help of gold? Considering his profession should have given him enough money, things didn’t make that much sense.

Name:

Rastix Zelbebanin L156

Classes:

T3 Master Alchemist L6

T2 Alchemist L50

T2 Potion Maker L50

T1 Herbalist L25

T1 Brewer L25

HP

1010/894

MP

1960/1960

SP

910/610

Strength

30

Agility

43

Dexterity

102

Vitality

81

Endurance

72

Intelligence

166

Willpower

104

Charisma

13

Luck

16

‘He is a Master Alchemist, so he shouldn’t have monetary problems… unless he got himself into some kind of large debt.’

These were the stats of a non-combatant. People like this alchemist didn’t receive any type of multiplier when reaching a higher tier nor did their base stats increase much. Even though his intelligence was high it did not translate into casting spells or a very large mana pool either. They retained the tier 1 multiplier and could not really compete with any monsters above level fifty that had gone through their second evolution.

‘One hit from a skeleton in this dungeon could turn this guy into paste, what was he looking for here?’

There were a few reasons for a person to come to Albrook as it was a new city with new possibilities. Some people flocked like he did before to establish their positions before it was too late. Considering that this gnome’s Master Alchemist class level was still low, he might have been trying to start his own thing. If he was here alone, then perhaps his contract with a company similar to the one he joined in Edelgard had ended.

Roland didn’t really need to lose time to speculate as the man was right before him. Thanks to his current position and performance he was sure that his new little friend would come clean rather fast.

“What rare ingredients are worth losing your life for? I don’t think these adventurers had anything like that on them, nor did I see anything in that crypt…”

“Oh well, you know…”

“Hm… do you perhaps have that rare ingredient on you? I will remind you that I am a Valerian Knight. If you are in the possession of any illegal or forbidden substances, artifacts, or monster parts…”

“I uh… damn fine…”

Roland was a lot bigger than this small gnome here. Rastix was also not stupid and knew that a quick search would give away all of his secrets. There was no way to run or hide anymore. If he lied about what he had in his backpack, then his safety was at risk.

“Give me a moment, it’s in my backpack.”

“I’m waiting.”

“Worf!”

Agni snorted from the side as he moved in closer. He planted his posterior behind the gnome who almost had a heart attack from the thud. It was certain that there was no place to run for Rastix who was also probably not sure about Roland’s true intentions. Even though he was identifying himself as a knight, his true identity could have been different. The item was indeed in the backpack and it was brought forward slowly.

“Now be careful, this thing should be touched without proper protection…”

“This is… a cursed item?”

Cursed King’s Remains [ Cursed Item ] [ Unique ] [Curse of Decay ]

His identifying skill didn’t tell him much about this thing and it was not really related to his own profession. It looked like a skull taken from a Lich monster with a dark gem placed in the middle of the forehead. It made it look like a sideways eyeball and was radiating some cursed energies. When examined by Roland’s eye of truth he could somewhat identify a wavelength on the opposite spectrum to divinity, something that perhaps an evil god would attune to.

“Well yes it is something like that but…”

“But what, it has a decaying curse on it and a particularly strong one, if someone touches it… their face could melt off…”

“Uh that’s correct but… even poison can be made into a miracle elixir!

“You want to make an elixir out of this?”

“Of course! After it’s purified it can become so much more, just think about the possibilities. Elixirs, tinctures… even magical alloys and devices! The possibilities are boundless!”

Rastix was using a type of special glove to hold this skull in place. Agni had backed away as a pungent odor filled the air and it was clear that this item was powerful. It wouldn’t be surprising if even a tier 3 class holder like himself would succumb to the curse and quickly perish afterward. He had heard that alchemists use various special ingredients to produce effects in their line of work. The gnome probably had specialized identification skills that allowed him to confirm what this thing could be made into.

“That’s enough, put it away before something happens.”

“Haha, don’t worry, my hands are very nimble!”

“I’m sure that they are, put it away.”

Roland waited for the cursed object to make it back into a strange sack with some magical symbols over them. They weren’t runes but something else and after a quick look, he realized that they had some type of curse-dampening properties. After it was placed away and back in the gnome’s backpack an uncomfortable silence covered the area.

“So uh… are you…”

“Am I what?”

“Are you… are you going to kill me?”

The gnome looked quite distraught, now that he looked at his face the man was exhausted. Probably after the continuous close calls during this trip, he was close to losing it. His willpower stat wasn’t all that high so it wasn’t strange. While the item was presented to him, Roland felt that there might have been more to it. Either he wasn’t telling the whole truth or it was worth more to an alchemist than their life.

“No, I won't. Instead, I'll escort you back to the mining area and from there you’ll be guided back to the city by some of my people just give me a moment…”

Roland activated his helmet which made his eyes glow a bit to get in contact with the group of five that was rushing over here.

“You can stop, I took care of everything on my end, just return to the mining area and wait there.”

“Yes… yes…”

The gnome wasn’t sure what to make of the large man speaking to himself but considering that mana was involved, he quickly realized that it was some kind of audio transference magic.

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you. Goodbye.”

Roland ended his quick conversation with Myrtle and turned back to the gnome. The small man was looking at his with a strange expression plastered over his face and seemed to want to ask something.

“What?”

“Uh… are you perhaps… The Albrook Master Runesmith?”

“The Albrook Master Runesmith?”

Roland parroted the reply as this was the first time he had been referred to with that kind of title. Rastix here was an outsider which meant that someone had to have given him this information. This begged the question, why was he looking into his name, and also who was keeping tabs on his movements?

“Or perhaps… has the Master Runesmith made that armor you are wearing, Sir Knight? It’s quite the exquisite piece if I do say so myself.”

‘Has my name been spreading? But as a runesmith and not as a Knight?’

It was somewhat confusing as the name Wayland should be more synonymous with the Head Knight position than with the Runesmith one. However, this gnome here was part of another way of life that probably considered crafting as its focal point. It wouldn’t be strange if he focused on the rune smithing part of his fame more.

“Is it true? it must, this must be my lucky day! I know this is a strange thing to ask but could you tell me where I can find, Wayland the runic craftsman?”

“He's not hard to find… but what do you want from him?”

Roland was a naturally distrustful person and worried overly too much over everything. The previous battle that he could have easily won without much effort was an example of his caution. Would he trust a strange gnome that he only met? No, he wouldn’t. It was probably good that his new friend didn’t realize that he was talking to the person he was searching for. Perhaps it would be possible for him to get his true motives of searching him out.

“Haha, so he does live here, I almost thought that those rumors were false, thank the Goddess this whole trip might not have been in vein!”

“Right… We need to move, stay behind me and try not to fall behind, there are a lot of undead in this dungeon.”

While he was trying to gather some more information from Rastix a bunch of red dots appeared on his map. Either the monsters had respawned or were returning to their original locations. Roland had enough fighting for today and just wanted to get back home. Escorting this gnome to the mine area was his next goal and perhaps during the trip there, he could figure out what the little man wanted from him.

“More undead? Of course, lead the way, Sir Knight! Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden! I still have one of these.”

Rastix took out a dark bottle with a potion that Roland could easily identify as something used for lowering presence. It would make whoever drank it harder to detect by monsters and worked similarly to an invisibility spell. While it wasn’t the best to have a conversation while wandering through a dangerous dungeon, with the help of his mapping device it wouldn’t be a problem.

“... So then do you believe it? They just kicked me out of the academy, just for a little experiment!”

“A little experiment?”

“Well, the explosion produced some toxic fumes and a few people had to be brought to but uh that’s just a little setback in the pursuit of the truth, don’t you think?”

“I guess so? But what does this have to do with you wanting to meet the city Runesmith?”

“Don’t worry Sir Knight, it will all make sense in a moment! Now where was I… ah yes! After the small accident, my true journey started!”

Agni that was forced to have the gnome ride on his back was not looking too happy but there was no other choice. The small man was far too sluggish on his own and it was easier to avoid unnecessary battles if he just remained on Agni’s back. Both of them couldn’t wait to drop him off at the mine before they went insane.

The story he was retelling made him out to be some kind of mad scientist. He sugarcoated a lot of events but it was clear that the man loved to experiment with exotic ingredients. A lot of times he produced failed products but sometimes there were some breakthroughs. At least that was his side of the story as eventually he was kicked out of the Alchemical Academy which was similar to the mage academy.

People learned the way to make potions and were required to study many recipes. The herbalism class allowed them to combine many ingredients into simple ointments and first and when they achieved the potion maker class the paths to alchemy was open. Alchemists didn’t need to have mage classes or a mana sense to create elixirs. They just gained specialized skills to take care of the busy work.

Classes like Arcane Alchemists existed that could infuse mana and spells into these elixirs. This was not a requirement to produce them as it was possible to go around the issue with the right items. As the story continued Roland started realizing what this gnome wanted from him and it would require his cooperation.

“So… in short, you got yourself banned from conducting experiments in most of the main cities and came here to strike a deal with our Runesmith?”

“What am I supposed to do? The Alchemical Guild is led by a bunch of decrepit old farts! They are incapable of thinking for themselves and don’t understand my genius!”

“Ah yeah, sure…”

Roland was not sure what to make of this person. Just like the Dwarven Union specialized in magical enchantments, the Alchemist Guild focused on potions. It was made up of mostly gnomes that just liked making elixirs and smelling herbs. If this person had been blacklisted by the guild he had to be some kind of troublemaker.

‘But I guess the Union treated me the same…”

He felt a bit of sympathy for the alchemist as he had gone through a similar experience. His whole career had almost gone up in flames just like the many laboratories that this man had worked in. Hiring an alchemist wouldn’t be a bad idea as there were a few things that only they could construct, just like the liquid metal suit he used for his armor. It wouldn’t be bad to have someone around that could produce magical ink and stamina potions.

The reason why he came to this city was obvious as alchemists and runesmiths had a synergy with each other. Thanks to the mage sense that a runesmith possessed he could help in the creation of various ingredients for the alchemist. The Alchemist could then provide the runesmith with various concoctions and even help create unique alloys for magical items.

‘So that’s why he came to me. The Alchemist Guild and the Dwarven Union have close ties with each other. I bet he was not able to find a runesmith to work with him because of that ban. What better partner than a runesmith that is hated by the Union as well…’

The fact had become obvious, the man wished to team up as a last-ditch effort of getting some help from a runesmith. While Roland would have probably accepted the help a few months ago, now that he had squashed the drama with the dwarves he had other options. He would need to decide if it was worth placing an incident-prone alchemist near his workshop and risking his home burning down.

"So what do you think? Do you want to work together?"

"Work together?"

"You didn't think that you could hide your true identity from Rastix Zelbebanin, now did you? You're far too knowledgeable for a simple Knight, Sir Wayland..."

His decision-making process was interrupted by his true identity getting exposed. It wasn't much of a secret but at least showed that the gnome could connect the dots when he had to. It seemed that the interview for the Alchemist position had already started before he even realized.