Chapter Summaries

Lance brought Flora a Forest Berry Tart to make up for teasing her, then asked whether his potion-related Talent could remain useful if he pursued a combat Class. Flora explained secondary Classes and the danger of Soul Wear, leaving Lance to wonder whether she had read his own advancement guide.

• Lance gave Flora the Forest Berry Tart, and she happily accepted the apology.
• Flora told Lance that Aunt Morwenna had taken his potion to the guild for the joint sweep procurement contract.
• Lance asked Flora whether his potion-enhancing Talent would be wasted if he did not become an Alchemist.
• Flora explained that people could advance to a secondary Class, but its level could not exceed their primary Class.
• Flora warned Lance that taking two similar Classes could cause Soul Wear and slow his growth.
• Lance asked Flora whether she had read Basic Guide to Class Advancement.

Flora explained how secondary Classes caused Soul Wear, while Morwenna returned with news that Lance’s Hemostatic Ointment had won a major order at full price. The chapter ended with Morwenna asking whether Lance had enough stock to fulfill the order, leaving him worried about his limited production capacity.

• Flora explained that secondary Classes broadened skills but did not raise base attributes, and said rumors mentioned special Classes or legendary potions that could prevent Soul Wear.
• Lance considered whether the benefits of secondary Classes would outweigh their penalties for his system modules.
• Morwenna returned to the potion shop and recognized Lance as the source of the successful potion bid.
• Morwenna told Lance and Flora that the Hemostatic Ointment had beaten Silver Bottle Alchemy Firm’s offer and secured the order at twenty-five copper coins per jar.
• Lance learned that Morwenna had also won accompanying potion orders, then asked how many jars of ointment the main order required.
• Morwenna asked whether Lance already had a large stockpile, while he remembered he could produce at most 144 jars in twelve hours.

Lance agreed to produce 900 units of Hemostatic Ointment for Morwenna before fleeing to start work. At Violet Academy, Cecilia departed for practical training in Grayrock Town, leaving Hill worried as Gideon noticed her concern seemed to go beyond Cecilia’s safety.

• Morwenna demanded 900 units of Hemostatic Ointment from Lance and ordered daily collections from his residence before noon.
• Lance promised to make the ointment immediately and hurried out of the apothecary, while Morwenna warned Flora to stay away from him.
• Hill clung to Cecilia and pleaded with her to return safely, then angrily blamed Professor Gideon for allowing the trip and rejecting her request to accompany the students.
• Cecilia calmed Hill, said farewell to her aunt and Professor Gideon, and joined the students departing for Grayrock Town.
• Hill watched Cecilia leave with a worried expression, and Gideon noticed that her concern seemed to go beyond Cecilia’s safety.

Hill explained that Cecilia was entering the brief Flowering Period when elves sought a lifelong mate, and worried that a blond man might win her over during her internship. Meanwhile, Lance completed an exhausting four-day push to brew nine hundred units of Hemostatic Ointment, then collapsed into sleep.

• Hill told Gideon that half-elves such as Cecilia had a short Flowering Period and could love only one mate for life if they found a soul-compatible partner.
• Gideon mistakenly thought Hill feared Cecilia would fail to marry and leave the Rosenthal family without an heir, but Hill said she feared a blond adventurer would steal Cecilia away.
• Cecilia spotted Hill in the crowd, waved to reassure her aunt, and departed on the mana-powered transport vehicle.
• After four days, Flora collected the final batch of Hemostatic Ointment from a filthy, exhausted Lance and left with the workers.
• Lance slept until the next day after working eighteen hours a day to brew nine hundred units of ointment.

After four days of brewing ointment, Lance earned a large profit and gained skill in Basic Potioncraft, then moved into a larger house with a cellar. He celebrated the move with Amber, Nia, and Flora, and the gathering began with Amber taking over the grill from Nia.

• Lance finished making ointment, earned 157 silver coins in net profit, and raised his total assets above one gold coin.
• Lance gained Basic Potioncraft LV1, advanced it to LV2, and increased his Pharmacology knowledge.
• Lance chose the two-story residence near Merchants' Square, moved in, and paid his former landlord 4 silver coins for cleaning.
• Lance hosted a backyard barbecue housewarming party, and Amber arrived with rye beer and games while Nia and Flora brought no gifts.
• Nia tried grilling meat, but Amber took the tongs after the food burned.

Amber brought out a witch-made magical card deck that revealed personal questions and changed color based on the honesty of the answers. Nia answered truthfully, while Amber gave Lance a gentle lie, and the group learned what the golden glow meant.

• Amber showed Nia, Flora, and Lance the magical item Illusory Iris Confession and explained that its cards asked difficult questions and changed color based on truthful answers.
• Nia drew a card asking whose sleeping face was cutest and chose Flora, making the card glow azure to confirm her answer was truthful.
• Amber teased Nia and Flora about having slept together, and Nia revealed she had watched Flora sleep after Flora got drunk.
• Amber drew a card asking who lost worst at their first game of Three Dragon Cards and answered Lance, though she remembered he had gone easy on her.
• Flora read the box's explanation that a pale gold glow meant a gentle lie told with good intentions.

During a card game, Nia learned that Flora planned to leave Grayrock Town to study alchemy in Viridia, while Amber revealed she would travel with her father’s adventuring party. Nia feared her friends were leaving, and Lance’s conflicted, apologetic expression suggested he had something of his own to tell them.

• Nia drew a card asking about her hoped-for future and sincerely said she wanted everyone to stay together in Grayrock Town.
• Flora drew a card asking if she had chosen a departure date, denied it, and revealed she might leave for Viridia to study alchemy.
• Nia worried Flora would not return, but Flora promised to come back after her studies, and the girls made a pinky promise to remain best friends.
• Amber revealed she would leave town with her father, who planned to rejoin his adventuring party, and promised to return during the team's breaks.
• Nia looked to Lance and saw that he wore a conflicted, apologetic expression.

After Nia fled in tears over her friends’ impending departures, Lance reflected on the meaning of the time they had shared and chose that he would still have met them. His answer awakened the King of Clubs’ reward, granting him the Azure Dragon Supreme Essence Style.

• Nia left Lance’s housewarming celebration in tears, and Flora followed to comfort her.
• Lance urged Amber to go after Nia, and Amber left him the crystal cards as a housewarming gift.
• Alone in the courtyard, Lance drew the King of Clubs and answered that he would still choose to meet his friends despite knowing they would part.
• The card dissolved into azure motes that merged with Lance, and the witch praised his choice.
• Lance received the Azure Dragon Supreme Essence Style and absorbed its knowledge as the new skill appeared on his system panel.

Lance learned the [Azure Dragon Supreme Essence Style] from Amber’s gift but lacked the energy pool needed to use it, so he sought a breathing technique. After upgrading his equipment and checking his guild merits, he discovered that even the cheapest technique cost far more points than he had.

• Lance resolved to find Amber and explain the value of the skill she had given him.
• Lance cleaned up after his friends’ gathering and went to bed determined to become a stronger adventurer.
• Lance spent about twenty-two silver coins on reinforced armor, a steel-plated kite shield, and a new shortsword.
• Lance visited the Adventurers' Guild and learned that he had 22 merit points for his contributions to the joint sweep.
• Lance checked the exchange catalog and found that the cheapest option, the Gale March Breathing Technique, required 100 merit points.

Lance considered which Breath Combat Technique could boost his damage output, but he could not afford the options in the exchange catalog. Guildmaster Necros summoned him and offered a special commission, leaving Lance wary that the praise was leading to an unpleasant assignment.

• Lance judged that the safe Gale March Breathing Technique added little to his stamina-based Talent and sought a high-burst technique instead.
• Lance found that even the cheapest available Breath Combat Technique cost far more than his twenty-two merit points.
• A clerk told Lance that Guildmaster Necros wanted to see him, and Lance followed the clerk to the guildmaster’s office.
• Necros praised Lance’s judgment and survival skills, then said he wanted to entrust him with a special commission.
• Lance suspected Necros’s praise meant he was about to be saddled with a difficult problem.