Even after sending Silvia away, Lion continued to comb through the garden for quite a while.
This was because, in order to carry out what he had planned, he first needed to clear the "Three-Star" achievement.
Fortunately, perhaps thanks to the reputation of being a magical noble family, the surroundings were overflowing with herbs, and thanks to Expert's Eye, he was able to obtain the remaining two herbs with ease.
[You have obtained White Star Fern (★)!]
[You have obtained Blue Moon Fern (★)!]
['Three-Star' achievement completed!]
[You have obtained 20,000 shillings!]
[Congratulations! Gathering Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.5!]
"Ha, this is the good stuff!"
After checking the messages, Lion let out a cheer.
A whopping twenty thousand shillings.
An amount equal to 100 percent of the fortune he'd accumulated so far through small-scale grinding—all obtained at once!
That alone made a smile spread across his face, but that wasn't the only gain.
[Potion-related talent activated.]
– You realize that by combining three herbs, you can create a special potion.
A recipe for a certain potion was automatically imprinted into Lion's mind!
This was thanks to Potion Crafting Specialization.
'The only slightly disappointing thing is that the shilling shop still isn't open.'
As he'd originally expected, it probably wouldn't open until he reached 100,000.
In any case, preparations were complete.
Inside the room was a set of basic alchemy equipment, just as he had asked Silvia for.
"Then..."
Shall I try working on it?
Just in case, he closed the windows and even drew the curtains, then examined the neatly arranged potion bottles inside the pitch-dark room.
True to items procured from a magical noble family, they looked to be of quite high quality.
Being like this in the darkness felt rather bizarre, but appearances weren't important right now.
"First, I should try making a basic potion."
The first step toward sticking around the Asteri family a bit longer.
That was building 'affection' with his grandfather.
He was already in a state where he'd probably rubbed him the wrong way (most likely), so it wouldn't be resolved in just one or two tries—but going empty-handed even now would obviously send his affection rating plummeting straight through the floor into the abyss.
At the very least, wouldn't he need proof that he hadn't just spent the last month fooling around?
And just in time, he'd obtained some very good items and potion recipes.
Before using the star-marked herbs!
Swish.
Lion took out ordinary low-grade herbs.
Since this was the first potion he'd ever made in his life, he needed to practice before the real thing.
'Just like with the [Beginner Herbalist] achievement, gathering involved repetitive grinding.'
If that was the case, potion-making should have similar achievements to some extent.
And if he worked on achievements like that, wouldn't he naturally reach at least Apprentice Level 4?
Unlike in the game, now that this was reality, the difference made by proficiency levels was significant.
'Even though that was gathering, not potion-making.'
And among all those many stages, Apprentice.
Apprentice was the lowest stage among life-skill levels.
After that came Skilled, Artisan—and then the Master stage, which only the top 1 percent could reach.
And yet, even at this level, the feel of handling things was different, and the degree of herb damage was different.
That being the case, leveling up came first.
'If my guess is right...'
For gathering, pulling out a hundred herbs earned the Beginner Herbalist achievement.
So then, what about potion-making?
"All I have to do is make a hundred bottles and drink a hundred bottles."
He had plenty of herbs, a potion-making talent, and—
An alchemy set of quality far beyond expectations.
They were extravagantly luxurious items for making low-grade potions, but—
What's the point of being born with a silver spoon?
You've got to spend money freely.
'It's not like it'll end up being my money anyway.'
Lion gathered the herbs he'd collected and put them into a massive jar.
'As expected of Silvia.'
At the single phrase "alchemy set," she had brought everything from basic items like glass tubes and flasks to all kinds of magically enhanced equipment.
Especially things like a jar that heated without fire, a mortar that automatically ground herbs, and a distiller that fundamentally prevented burning!
Judging by the ancient language written all over them, she had clearly taken out special artifacts from the family vault.
'Seriously, silver-spoon life.'
Getting items this luxurious with just a few words.
Thinking that, Lion vigorously stirred the herbs inside the jar until the leaves dried out, as if roasting tea leaves.
When a fresh, rich aroma began to flow out of the jar, he took the leaves out, ground them up, mixed them with the extract, and poured the mixture into the distiller.
Then he reached out toward the distiller and declared,
"Extract."
Paat!
With a small flash, a translucent liquid trickled out and filled the bottle.
And then—
[Low-Grade Health Potion creation successful.]
Success!
[Asteri-Style Low-Grade Health Potion]
– Though made through a process simple enough to be considered within the realm of "processing," the user's promising talent combined with good ingredients has barely allowed it to reach the realm of "alchemy."
– Has the effect of slightly increasing the drinker's stamina.
"Told you—it's all about the equipment."
Good items combined with good talent produced a fairly decent result.
Gulp!
Lion downed the completed low-grade potion in one go.
[Stamina partially recovered. Current stamina: 80 percent]
[Beginner Alchemist (1) achievement progress: 1/100]
Just as expected, the achievement began progressing smoothly.
"Hahaha. Grandpa, just you wait!"
Lion didn't bother hiding his crazed laughter as he spent the entire night repeatedly crafting and drinking potions.
And when the sun slowly rose, and potion creation and consumption reached one hundred bottles—
[Beginner Alchemist (1) achievement completed!]
[You have obtained 1,000 shillings!]
[Congratulations! Alchemy Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.4!]
Just as expected.
He reached Apprentice Level 4.
'Which means...'
Lion looked at the star-marked herbs.
It meant he could finally use those special herbs.
And right on time, reaching Level 4 had also unlocked a good recipe.
– Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion
"Yeah. This is what I was waiting for."
The entire time he'd been searching for herbs, Lion had been thinking.
What kind of gift would an old man actually like?
Giving a mana potion to a grandfather overflowing with mana?
Or handing over a health potion when a professional medical mage was always on standby didn't feel right either.
But what about fatigue recovery?
And not just physical fatigue—but a potion that restored mental fatigue?
His grandfather was someone tormented by work every single day.
No matter how strong his mental fortitude was, and no matter how much he maximized his body with mana, mental fatigue was probably no different from that of an office worker.
"Then let's do it."
Lion immediately plucked the herb leaves that sparkled in different colors.
The recipe was different from before.
He put in the basic green leaves first, then added the red and blue herbs, gently stirring them in the jar.
The scent was on an entirely different level from before—fresh and refreshing.
His nose, clogged from making so many potions, cleared instantly, and even the pounding headache caused by fatigue eased.
And then—
'Something's different.'
It felt just like when he'd pulled out the star-marked herbs.
His premonition was good, and the feel of stirring with the ladle was perfect.
The strange pleasure that came when something you were trying to create progressed smoothly wrapped around his body.
This time, it was the turn to pour in all the roots and crush and stir them.
Then, amazingly, a transparent mucus began to ooze out of the heated roots.
Bubble, bubble!
Astonishingly, the liquid inside the jar was glowing.
It was like the night sky reflected in a stream on a calm, clear day.
'So this is why it's a mental fatigue recovery potion?'
It gave off a feeling that brought back pleasant memories and made him smile for no reason.
'In the game, it was treated like a junk potion. But now that it's reality, it feels completely different.'
Lion scooped up the liquid from the jar and poured it into the distiller.
And then—
"Extract."
When Lion quietly said the word, just as he had before—
Paaaat!
In that instant, the room flashed as if lightning had struck!
The liquid that came out of the distiller didn't go straight into the potion bottle, but instead floated in midair as if defying gravity.
It split into tiny droplets like clouds and filled the entire room.
The droplets densely filling the room sparkled and reflected light like starlight in the night sky.
It was just like those times in childhood summer nights, sitting in a countryside pavilion, feeling the gentle breeze while gazing at the sky.
The sound of crickets, the flow of wind brushing past the grass...
A strange emotion rose up, recalling forgotten memories, and his heart grew calm.
'If it's this effective without me even drinking it...'
It seemed like a potion far better than he'd expected would come out.
The tiny droplets floating in the air gathered together once more, becoming a single mouthful of liquid that flowed into the potion bottle.
Inside the transparent bottle was a deep blue liquid, like a twilight sky.
[Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion (★★) creation successful!]
– Blows away mental fatigue by recalling happy memories from the past.
– Has no effect on those without happy memories.
"Two stars?"
A potion that should not have been possible at the apprentice level had been created.
It seemed that the Potion Crafting Specialization trait had activated.
'Even so, for a potion that would normally only appear around Proficiency Level 8 to come out...'
This was more than sufficient as a gift for his grandfather.
[Congratulations! Alchemy Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.5!]
Naturally, the level that had been blocked was also突破—opened up.
At the same time, several recipes flowed into his mind.
'No, there's still more.'
If Lion's prediction was correct, then probably....
Ding!
[You have created a potion that cannot be manufactured at your current level.]
[You have achieved the 'Potion Maniac' achievement!]
[You have obtained 25,000 shillings.]
[Mana permanently increases by 1.]
[A possibility for a mana circle to be formed has emerged.]
[The 'Mana Allocation' talent has been activated.]
[You can control mana more precisely than others.]
What Lion had anticipated—
Was precisely that 'Potion Maniac' achievement.
According to his memory, in In the World, using high-level life skills consumed mana.
This was because of the setting that allowed players to create and gather things ordinary people could not.
Because of that, achieving high-difficulty achievements like this granted mana.
'It's not a large amount, but...'
The fact that he obtained it at all was what mattered.
Wasn't this a major event for the character Lion Asteri?
A body that had never possessed mana in its entire life had finally become capable of accepting mana.
On top of that, the previously purchased but locked 'Mana Allocation' had also been activated!
"Heh... hahahaha!"
Lion burst into laughter. Dopamine shot through the roof!
And money too!
Hadn't he earned money as well?!
A total of sixty-six thousand shillings!
With this, in the span of a single night, his total assets had tripled.
At this rate, he'd reach 100,000 shillings before long.
Then the shilling shop would open, and he'd finally be able to do something like pseudo–microtransactions!
'But what are they selling?'
It didn't seem likely they'd sell the exact same items as in In the World...
Ding!
[Because your assets exceed 50,000 shillings, a preview of the Shilling Shop is available.]
[Would you like to check it?]
"Of course."
Lion immediately calmed himself and looked into the air.
[Preview has been opened.]
[Only item listings can currently be viewed.]
[Item descriptions are hidden.]
Lion slowly examined the categories.
There were categories for Lifestyle, Food, and Maintaining Appearance, while the remaining slots were inactive.
[In Preparation]
Would those open once the Shilling Shop officially launched?
"For now, let's look at Lifestyle."
Lion selected the Lifestyle tab.
[Sharp Scissors]
– ■■ ten-thousand shillings
[Standard Fishing Rod]
– ■■ ten-thousand shillings (MD Recommended!)
[Old Key]
– ■■■ ten-thousand shillings
"...."