Chapter 82
Thirty years from now, an unbelievable product would be released on the 40th floor.
A potion that added hidden options to Traits.
The options differed wildly depending on the Trait's rank.
Even a Trait below C-Rank could, with an extremely low probability, gain an option powerful enough to surpass S-Rank.
And what was even more shocking were the ingredients.
Every ingredient used in the potion was something commonly sold in markets.
Medicinal materials that most people didn't even bother looking at.
Once the potion became known, those once-worthless ingredients skyrocketed in price.
Eventually, they became so scarce that people couldn't buy them even with hundreds of thousands of Coins.
Among Players, the potion was even called the ‘Divine Potion.’
The man who created it was Jung Woojin.
A specialist researcher belonging to Kangjin Group.
The very person who laid the foundation for Kangjin Group to rise into a global conglomerate.
And his younger self...
Was standing right in front of me.
Thud! Thud!
"Keugh! Ugh! I-I'm sorry...!"
He was being beaten behind the building, bowing and apologizing over and over.
I didn't know what had happened, but he looked so pathetic that even I found it hard to watch.
[ ...Are you really sure this is the guy you came looking for, nya? Not someone else? ]
This is kind of hard to watch.
I'm the one who wants to save him now lol
If I were one of the guys hitting him, I'd feel too sorry for him to keep going ;;
Poor bastard ;;
Everyone seemed doubtful.
But ironically enough, the man being kicked around really was Jung Woojin.
Aside from the wrinkles and the confidence he'd gain later, he looked exactly the same.
"Everyone, stop."
My cold voice made them freeze.
From their expressions, it seemed they'd already heard the rumors about me.
Their shoulders shrank, and they lowered their gazes like frightened dogs.
Step. Step.
When I stopped in front of them, they all backed away a step or two and instinctively stood at attention.
Jung Woojin, who had collapsed in the corner, also struggled to his feet.
"...All of you will report to the swordsmanship research room by tomorrow."
"T-That's...!"
One of them glared at me, probably trying to preserve at least some pride.
But under the pressure, his gaze soon fell again.
"U-Understood... sir."
They clicked their tongues and left.
That left only Jung Woojin and me.
"Th-Thank you...."
His voice was so quiet it nearly disappeared.
It was completely different from the confident man I'd seen in the media before my regression.
"...Why were they beating you?"
"Judging by their clothes, they're from the alchemy track too."
He fidgeted and seemed reluctant to answer.
If anyone from my previous life saw him now, they would've found it impossible to believe this was the same Jung Woojin.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"I came because I need something from you anyway."
"F-From me...?"
Jung Woojin stared.
"What could you possibly need...?"
"Let's go inside first."
I glanced at his battered state.
"Are you planning to keep talking like that out here?"
"...Ah! W-Well, I..."
Ignoring his rambling, I entered the private workshop inside the building.
It was more spacious and comfortable than expected.
Perhaps because he had returned to his own space, Jung Woojin seemed a little more relaxed than before.
"But..."
He looked at me cautiously.
"What exactly did you say you needed from me...?"
"There's a potion I want you to make."
"M-Me?"
His face immediately went pale.
"No! I can't!"
"Absolutely impossible...!"
"If someone like me tries and fails...! Anyway, I-I can't do it!"
He refused vehemently.
Between what I'd just witnessed and his reaction now, the reason wasn't difficult to guess.
He seemed to have trauma related to failure.
That's probably why they were bullying him earlier too.
The reason I needed Jung Woojin wasn't simply because of the recipe.
The potion used only cheap medicinal ingredients that no one currently cared about.
There were no rare herbs or expensive materials that would be difficult to obtain.
The important part was the ratio.
Without knowing the exact proportions between the ingredients, even Synthesis couldn't reproduce the proper effect.
At that moment, Leon, who had been watching silently, whispered with concern.
[ Um... Lee Suhyeok. Maybe we should stop here with this guy, nya. Look at the chat. The mood isn't exactly good right now, nya.... ]
He was right.
There were complaints appearing throughout the chat.
There were several reasons, but the biggest was probably frustration.
The Constellations watching the broadcast through Leon were ultimately viewers.
To them, meeting Jung Woojin right now wouldn't mean much.
But his true value hadn't even begun to show itself.
"Take this."
"W-What is it?"
I handed him a glass vial.
It was a Trait potion I'd made over the weekend.
Of course, it was nothing more than a defective product.
Because the mixing ratio was wrong, its efficiency was so poor that it barely had any effect at all.
Jung Woojin stared intently at the liquid inside.
Then he began muttering.
"...Dried Gongsoll Tree leaves and Vitality Grass..."
"Ah. Right."
"There should be Graymother Herb in here too."
He identified the ingredients one by one after only a brief glance.
And that wasn't all.
He rested a hand against his chin and started thinking.
"Hmm. The ingredients themselves are easy to obtain, but with a formula like this, the ratio is going to be crucial."
"If you want to extract the full effect without any loss, you'll also need a purification process for the impurities."
His eyes and tone changed instantly.
Now he finally resembled the Jung Woojin I remembered.
"There should be a better way to do this...."
"Hmm."
"If you dry the finely ground medicinal powders about five more times, then reduce the concentration to around sixty-five percent..."
He looked at the potion again.
"Adding Samnip Grass would probably help too."
He had altered the proportions and added a new ingredient on the spot.
The Constellations, who hadn't expected anything, couldn't hide their surprise.
Who the hell is this guy?
Hidden-master cliché ㅇㅇ
ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
Honestly, I'm more scared of the host for bringing that potion straight to this guy ㄷㄷ
(trembling violently) H-How in the world did you know...?
Additional options? I don't think I've ever heard of a potion like that ;;
Exactly lol does an effect like that even make sense? Who the hell is this guy??
Then Jung Woojin suddenly shoved the potion toward me.
His eyes were sparkling so brightly that it was almost uncomfortable.
"How... how did you know this recipe?!"
"I've never seen anything like it...."
"D-Did you discover it yourself?!"
I couldn't exactly answer, You invented it in the distant future.
So I simply said,
"Yes."
"This is incredible...!!!"
His voice rose with excitement.
"This is going to cause a revolution in alchemy!"
"Sure, right now it barely has any effect, but with a little refinement, it could start working immediately!"
Since the ingredients were still unknown and dirt cheap, we could produce the potions for almost nothing.
Jung Woojin could become as valuable an ally as Dolkin or Piyong.
"Good."
"Then you'll be responsible for completing it from now on."
"M-Me...?"
His expression faltered again.
He clearly wanted to do it.
