Mass Production [Crafting / Solo]

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

There was a short interval where he waited for the solvent to achieve boiling status. Then he tossed in the herbs. Of course, he cleaned and rinsed those herbs during the interval. He was quite sure he already rinsed it once, but it never hurt to do it once more, unless he was flat broke and water was scarce. And the herbs he threw in, they were already diced neatly into small bits and pieces so as to increase the surface area and stuff, so it works faster. He thought. He was not sure if real world things applied here.

In any case, he waited till the herbs had dyed the solvent a brand new color before taking the flask off of the flame. Then he chucked everything into a wooden bowl, and WAITED. Man, this craft had a lot of waiting intervals. But since he was unwilling to stick his hands in boiling hot stuff, he had to wait till the mixture cooled to lukewarm mode before he moulded tablets and popped them into a frying pan thing to be, of all things, heated again. He was pretty sure he had make a mistake somewhere, what with there being so many break intervals. Or maybe the researcher needed a good excuse to go to the bathroom.

So, moulding tablets. There was no machine to do this for him, so he did it the old fashioned way by donning some thin, rubbery gloves and squeezing tablets out between his thumb and index finger. By this time, the mixture had turned from 'a liquid with some stuff in it' to 'a giant creamy thingy you did not want to eat for dinner'. But still, he pressed on, and finished moulding.

Last step, heating over a frying pan to completely dry the tablets so they became hard and would not stick to each other when stored. Skipping over the final, boring part of waiting, he left the tablets in a corner to cool and then... waited again. Seriously, there should be some way of reducing the wait time, right? He had other things to do. Sure, he could start on the other crafts, but he was limited by equipment.

Ten minutes later, he grabbed the cooled tablets off of the pan and stuffed it into the jar he had set aside for it, all too glad for the whole ordeal to be over. Now he needed to check what was next, and with one ordeal over, another one begins. Inwardly sighing to himself, he began cleaning up all his equipment again before proceeding on to the next craft.

~

Word count: 436
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 = 6751
Note: Post 3 of 3 for [Anti-Stun Tablets].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The next craft he was going to make was [Pet Medicine]. The purpose of this particular potion was to treat pets when they needed it, though for some reason the world would not allow them to let their pets heal by drinking recovery items meant for Adventurers. Perhaps this was because their HP growths were different? In any case, it seemed that the [Pet Medicine] was slightly inferior to the standard recovery potions meant for Adventurers, so his theory that it was because their base HP was different might be correct. Or maybe they were simply incompatible with the herbs used in an Adventurer's recovery potion, and the ones that happened to be compatible just so happened to be inferior. Not sure if coincidence, or world design.

There were two well known variants of the [Pet Medicine], and he had both versions of the recipes on his table before him. The first one required roughly two handfuls of herbs and a flask of Impure Solvent, while the other required the same herbs and a Basic Syringe, which was a new material recently made for Pharmacists.

To be honest, he had his qualms about using syringes in a craft. Firstly, NEEDLES. He did not need to go into detail, many people were probably afraid of needles, unless they took injections so many times they lost the fear of it. How would the pets subjected to this torture feel? When they take this medicine, it could possibly be either during or after a battle, and by the time they did so, they would already be hurt. To suffer more pain, only a mob without nerves would do such a thing. Actually, there were probably quite a few pets who did not have nerves, like plants. Or did they? There was no detailed study conducted on th anatomy of various types of mobs, so most assumptions were from their own world, such as plants having no nerves. But that did not mean that the plant mobs of this world had no nerves. In fact, was them being able to move voluntarily prove of nerves, of their ability to feel pain? Unlike the real world, they lacked the anaesthetic to numb some of the pain, so the pain of having some metal poked into you will be felt in full force. So given the opportunity, he would rather avoid using it.

~

Word count: 397
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 = 7148
Note: Post 1 of 3 for [Pet Medicine].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Given a choice, to use syringes or not to use syringes, he would clearly prepare the one that did not require the use of syringes. After all, there did not seem to be any losses incurred when using the version which did not include syringes. He mouthed a silent thanks to the one Pharmacist who had found a way to replicate the effects without syring- oh wait, they were done by the same person. It was at this point that he assumed that perhaps the Pharmacist in question had met some monster with no mouth, which kind of explained the need for a syringe version. Perhaps he might do so at another time, when he encountered his very own mouthless mob.

The version which did not include syringes had the craft listed as making tablets, which should not be too hard for this Adventurer who was currently on a crafting spree. Then again, he did not really like making powder out of herbs. That was a lot of work to do, and work was generally not a fun thing to do unless you really liked to do it. Speaking of which, what DID he like to do? It was a question which he himself could not really answer. Funny, how he always found it difficult to answer things about himself which others could. There was probably some medical reason for it in the old world.

So anyway, he began his work powdering the herbs, dividing them into two equal parts so as to make it easier to pound. Would not be too efficient to mash a layer of powder before getting to the herb underneath. He then began work on the first half, keeping an eye on the tim- oh wait, there was no clock.

~

Word count: 295
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 = 7443
Note: Post 2 of 3 for [Pet Medicine].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Let us now take a quick timeskip, for it would be kind of annoying to describe, in detail, how after pounding some herbs into powder, he spooned the powder into a brown, sturdy wooden bowl and began work on the second half of the herbs, making those into powder as well and spooning that into the bowl as well. Yes, a timeskip was definitely in order, because in this time period, all he did was grind mindlessly, he did not even have enough energy to monolougue effectively in his head.

With the herbs all powdered, he added the solvent into the flask bit and bit, stirring and mixing the contents of the bowl between each interval. By the time he had run out of solvent, the bowl's contents were already a mushy mass. Good. Putting on his work gloves once more, he began to mould the tablets with his hands, cupping them and letting them pop out from the top of his hand onto a frying pan next to the bowl. He did this many times, until all of the mushy stuff were moulded into tablets and onto the pan. Then he heated the pan.

It would have certainly been nice to take a break at that very moment, for heating was solely for the purpose of drying the tablet to make it solid. However, past experience with multiple failed experiments told him that he needed to turn them over occasionally, not just to prevent it from burning, but also to prevent it from sticking onto the frying pan, which would mean breaking off a part of tablet and affecting the shape of the tablet, indirectly leading to a possible weakening in the effect. This he did over the next part of the crafting, tossing them over through the use of a spoon with a really large handle.

A long time passed, and the tablets were finally done. Taking the pan off of the fire, he carefully scooped up each one, careful not to let it get in contact with water, for that would probably make the medicine dissolve. He carefully placed these tablet things one by one into a jar, sealing it once he was done.

Alright, there were not all that many potions left to craft, hopefully he could last till then.

~

Word count: 384
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 = 7827
Note: Post 3 of 3 for [Pet Medicine].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

So the next craft he was going to make was relatively simple. The estimated time of competion was fairly shorter than the rest of the potions he had done so far, so that meant that he would be able to get over this craft more quickly. The craft in question was the [Henna Dye], a solution that provides pretty much no utility save recoloring objects. He could probably think of it as something similar to paint from the old world.

Color plays an important part of not just the old world, but the current society he found himself in as well. Bright and vibrant colors often adorned the homes of many, and the streets themselves during the time for festivities. The dull, faded colors often represented worn gear, or unused sections of town which had yet to be reclaimed.

So what then, was his purpose for crafting this? It was twofold. Firstly, he needed colors to paint his home when he acquired it. It would not do to have dull, faded walls with a peeled wallpaper. Perhaps it would be fine to leave the exterior as it was, so that any person, be it the People of the Land or another Adventurer, would not think that someone lived there unless they checked. Secondly, as more Adventurers acquire their own property, they would probably desire a makeover, and do that, the dyes would be needed at some point. So he could also think of this as a future investment. Then again, this was not exactly a good imitation of paint, for natural materials would erode very quickly.

The ingredients for that craft were three different types of Base Herbs, and a flask of Impure Solvent. Of the three Base Herbs, one of them was a preservative type which would ensure that the dyes did not fade away upon contact with water, and essentially had the job of making the dye long-lasting, though it would still have to be applied regularly if one wishes for the color to remain there.

This craft did not require heating, so he left his fire container and the flask alone for the time being. The task at hand was his most hated one: Grinding the herbs into powder.

~

Word count: 372
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 = 8199
Note: Post 1 of 2 for [Henna Dye].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

For the sake of making all this not sound monotonous and repetitive, as if it already was not that, we shall now skip over to the part where the herbs have been grinded and stuff. Suffice to say, the three different types of herbs were grinded separately, and each was done with as much pain and suffering as the last one. Apart from that, however, the whole procedure was quite dull, and generally the same as just about any other herb grinding.

This did, however, give him time to think about the importance of color for no reason at all, if only to ease his boredom as he did that monotonous task again. Each and every piece of equipment had color, be it the polished grey sheen of a sword, the brown hardened leather pieces of his own armor or the various hues a staff could have based on its enchantments and the desires of the wielder when ordering the craft, if it was not loot.

One might ask of the reason for the existence of color. Obviously, he could give no answer to that, but he felt that it was somewhat attributed to the motivation for continued existence, the fact that the colors represented something which was important to people, and gave them the drive to pursue their goals till the very end. It gave them a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, a sense of hope. That, and symbols, of course.

Anyway, once he was done with the grinding stuff, he mixed all of them in a separate bowl, then added the solvent bit by bit, stirring and beating the mixture in the intervals between a fresh bit of solvent. He did this for the next few minutes, quickly finishing the supply of solvent he had prepared for this task. Once that was done, he took the final mixture and poured it into a clean jar.

This particular dye was grey in color, which was a color he was planning to dye his armor when needed during any night fights. Why grey, and not black? Well, it was never fully dark out at night for black to truly emerge, so grey was a better option. This task done, he cleaned up and proceeded on to the next craft.

~

Word count: 381
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 = 8580
Note: Post 2 of 2 for [Henna Dye].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

If he were to go by the number of recipes he had left on his list, then he was pretty certain that there were less than five items remaining, for now. Good, good. The less, the better. He was finally able to begin to see the end of this dark time, and his drive was derived just from reaching that goal. Okay, so the next item on the list is [Corrosive Poison].

This craft was a little more technical, a little less Pharmacist. It involved the use of an [Impure Poison], and adding two [Mana Fragments] in such a way that when the craft was shaken, the [Mana Fragments] would react with the poison to make it slightly weaker, but more corrosive. This made it a lot more efficient in combat, unless one wanted to apply it onto a weapon or ammunition. This meant that unlike the item it was crafted from, the purpose of this craft served a completely different role. While the [Impure Poison] was an applied effect, this one was hurled directly at an opponent to deal direct damage, and might possibly corrode their defenses while dealing some damage. Of course, the limited combat usage of this item presented its own set of problems, but nevertheless it was still an item with its own use, and even if it did not have much use to himself like a certain craft he would have to do later, he should at least craft it anyway so as to obtain knowledge which may prove useful later on.

~

Word count: 257
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 = 8837
Note: Post 1 of 3 for [Corrosive Poison].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

In his sheer stupidity, he missed out a key concept which he was wrestling with for quite a while. How did it work? Did he need special equipment, so as to let the [Mana Fragment] come into contact with the [Impure Poison]? His mind ran wild with ideas of modified flasks, until he read the recipe he had laid out before him once again. Oh, so the [Mana Fragments] were added beforehand, and the shaking part was only for throwing to increase its effectiveness.

Essentially, there was no need for specialized equipment. If he were to think about it, the shaking would likely trigger a reaction of some kind whose nature remained uncertain to him. Well, he was no Chemistry expert, and that often translated to not knowing why things did what they did, but at least he could find out "what works with what to produce a desired product" through trail and error.

So he heated a flask of pre-made [Impure Poison], and took out two [Mana Fragments] from his stash of dwindling [Mana Fragments]. As per usual, he handled them with care, worried that it would just randomly dissolve into nothing. They were always like that, and unfortunately for him, only an Alchemist could generate more [Mana Fragments] at will. It was kind of cheating, in a way. For a brief moment, he wondered if all recipes with [Mana Fragments] used were actually researched with an Alchemist by the person's side, so as to increase the profit margins of the city's Alchemists.

~

Word count: 254
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 = 9091
Note: Post 2 of 3 for [Corrosive Poison].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Once the [Impure Poison] was heated to satisfaction, he moved on to phase two of this craft. He carefully picked up the two [Mana Fragments] one by one with his pair of tweezers, and dropped them into the poisonous substance in quick succession. That done, he held the potion up, lifting it a little over the grills so as to reduce the amount of heat the flask was exposed to. This was to keep the temperature of the solution inside at around the same level, for there was no particular need to keep it too hot. In fact, he was pretty sure that too much heat would be detrimental to the craft, and while it was not listed anywhere, he did not intend to waste his ingredients to find out. Better safe than sorry.

Picking up his trusty glass rod, he poked it into the flask and stirred gently, letting the [Mana Fragment] break up into smaller bits and dissolving into the potion as this process took place. This whole process took about more than ten minutes, and by the time he deemed the potion 'done', he was fairly tired due to him having to holding up the flask for a good amount of time. They may have enhanced abilities, but it was certainly no match for constant strain.

He set it aside to cool off, careful to avoiding moving the liquid around too much. Right now, it was quite corrosive, and this corrosiveness would slowly subside, until the vigorous shaking inflicted upon it gave it enough kinetic energy to regain its corrosiveness. The material of the flask would probably hold, but not if he subjected it to constant shaking.

Okay, he was fairly certain that there were three or less crafts left to do. Better clean up and get on to the next one... after a quick break.

~

Word count: 309
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 = 9400
Note: Post 3 of 3 for [Corrosive Poison].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

For a brief moment, he wondered if taking as many breaks as he did would be detrimental to himself, for that meant having to spend a longer time on the task itself as a whole, and shortened his fuel supply as the fire was a pain to start and had to be kept going. Of course, if he ran out of fuel then going out to collect or purchase more was an even greater hassle, and that pushed him into action to move on to the next project.

Speaking of the next project, he was about to head off in a strange direction in the Pharmaceutical side of things, about to do something which was odd, given his subclass of Pharmacist, yet it was something only a Pharmacist could do. And what, exactly, was the item in question? It was an item called [Medicinal Pastilles], which, by all accounts, looks, smells, tastes, feels and probably sounds like food. Then again, perhaps calling it 'food' might be going too far, 'sweets' would be more appropriate. After all, it was pretty much candy.

Most likely, this invention was conceptualized when someone felt that the potions currently available were, well, not too tasty, to say the least. Sometimes they were bitter, sometimes sweet, sometimes bland, sometimes salty, sometimes oily, sometimes like someone poured oil set aflame down your throat. Such was the nature of potions, for taste was secondary to survival.

But it seems this hard truth was too much for the people to bear, and this was the result of countless seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months of research, culminating in a single product which used only the best of ingredients to give it a satisfactory taste which still does a decent job of doing what it is supposed to do, requiring only a tasty Herb and some Solvent to make the succulent treat which makes children and adults alike go starry-eyed. Yes, this was the popularity of such a coveted item.

~

Word count: 332
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 = 9732
Note: Post 1 of 3 for [Medicinal Pastilles].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

To be honest, he had little hate for that item. It was something which even he admitted was useful. For someone like him, who used potions without so much as a though due to the lowered production cost that comes with being a Pharmacist that crafted his own supplies, he admitted that having some restoratives which did not taste particularly bad was good for his tongue.

The herb he had to use for this project was a small and rare herb, obtained at great personal risk by himself as he traversed the depths of the Savill Flower Grove a few days earlier, going through the hell of those damned snakes which could easily slip through his defenses by sheer numbers and sink their hard, warm fangs into his soft human flesh which was decidedly not too happy with being punched through so many times. The reason for this was because this herb was out of stock, and he knew he had to get one of this, because as a crafter, it would not do to skimp on the quality of the materials and subsequently the item to be crafted, because it could mean the difference in a life and death battle. Or the [Medicinal Pastilles] would just taste bad.

Actually, good ingredients were essential for a good craft. Just about all of the ingredients he used were of good quality, and while he could go into detail about the process of selecting, scouring the land and bartering for ingredients of a certain quality, that would be a story for another time, for who has the time to monologue such things in their head while they were busy doing other things? He was no genius at multitasking, so for the most part, he had to yield his brain power into making sure that he was actually crafting the item the 'right' way, because the ingredients were not exactly cheap and inferior goods.

~

Word count: 321
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 = 10053
Note: Post 2 of 3 for [Medicinal Pastilles].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

To be honest, he had no idea on how to make even the most basic of sweets, so he assumed that the herb goes into the grinder, the water comes afterwards and then he moulds the paste thingy into the shapes of a rough orb, with most of the technique obviously leftovers from crafting tablets at a much earlier date, the technique already ingrained in his flesh after numerous repetitions, multiple orders, and what not. A single glance at how he did the process could tell the experienced eye that he had done this many times before, though whether or not the technique itself was efficient, effective and excellent was another thing altogether.

In his memories, he erased the bits about him actually doing the monotonous and dry grinding part, and somehow found himself clutching the paste thingy, squeezing out something resembling a greenish-yellow orb out between his thumb and his index finger while his other three fingers did, er, something. He was sure the middle finger was pushing the paste up, though. Once all was not said but done, he fried the sweets, or tablets with a better taste in his opinion, in a frying pan, carefully adding some oil substance to prevent the tablet from burning or sticking to the pan after it was cooked. Geez, it really seemed like he was cooking.

Once that was done, he plucked up each sweet orb with a pair of brown wooden chopsticks and gently dropped each one onto a small square of paper. He then proceeded to wrap them up, revealing that the other side of the otherwise whitish paper was actually grey. Why the contrast in color? Well, it just so happened that the store had a surplus of this color, this partcular type of paper, so to get a bargain, he picked this color without hesitation and managed to barter with the store owner to reduce the price by a little. He could have probably gotten a decent discount with the right subclass, but eh, he was satisfied with what he was able to do. The wrapping done, he proceeded to toss them into a transparent jar and slid it into his satchel. Another down.

~

Word count: 367
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 = 10420
Note: Post 3 of 3 for [Medicinal Pastilles].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Okay, this next one is a little awkward to make, but nonetheless, it was something he needed to make, if only to satisfy people who actually want to buy the item. This item was something he sort of feared, because it was an item which indirectly attracted the attention of something which he feared. He felt that if he were to somehow successfully apply this potion in the correct fashion and await the results, said results would likely send shivers down his spine, with sweat beading down his forehead and sweat droplets appearing all over his body as his brain scrambled for a response to such a terrifying situation, the likes of which could more than compare to the horrendous fear of facing down a massive wild beast which stood over three meters tall, had a level which dwarfed his own and held a weapon so tough and sharp that it could cleave through his defenses in an instant while backed against a stone wall with nowhere to run. In fact, it was so utterly mind-

Oh, who was he kidding. It was probably not as bad as he made it out to be. Or was it secretly true? Anyway, the mentioned item which could send this Adventurer into a cowering fit was none other than the [Charm Potion]. One might say, that there was nothing wrong with the item in the first place, having both tactical and strategic value. However, it was the strategic value of the product which made him freeze up when confronting it. As a strategic potion, this potion instilled a sense of lust onto the target, which could possibly make them flirt, or worst, with nearby people of their preferred gender depending on the strength of the potion and their self-control, even more so if it was someone they already like. Of course, the effects could have merely been exaggerated, for there was no clear evidence to suggest such a thing, but these rumours naturally floated around with the announcement of such a find. He hoped they stayed rumours.

~

Word count: 344
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 = 10764
Note: Post 1 of 3 for [Charm Potion].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Oh yea, he almost forgot to look over the ingredients for this craft once more. While checking so many times often proved unnecessary, for it was not like the ingredients would grow legs and walk off on its own (though that is entirely possible, what with all the strange things he had yet to fully comprehend), he was often associated with being as blind as a drunk bat with earplugs stuffed into its ears. In short, there were times when he did not realize something was wrong even when the problem is presented to him right in his face with no camouflages and is so plainly obvious that even an elderly Person of the Land with failing eyesight might be able to spot it instantly.

So, ingredients. Strangely enough, this potion did not require any solvent whatsoever, just Base Herbs and Impure Tablets. He supposed that it would be similar to the [Anti-Poison Poultice] he did earlier, where the liquid was secreted from the herb itself. Although in this case, he wondered how much solvent would have to be secreted in order to make it a solution. For strategic purposes, a powdered version could work fine, but for tactical purposes, trying to stuff some paste thingy down someone's throat in the midst of combat might prove... unexpectedly challenging.

So now comes the dreaded part of the usual potion making: Grinding the herbs and tablets. For the sake of his mental well-being, these sections will once again be skipped over, with all that remains in his memories a blank space where he knew he was grinding stuff with his mortar and pestle but strangely could not recall any specifics. All he knew was that his consciousness returned when all the grinding stuff was done.

~

Word count: 293
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 = 11057
Note: Post 2 of 3 for [Charm Potion].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~
Sooo, with the grinding bits done, he then resolved to move on to more pleasant, but nonetheless still downright terrible, things. That is, the process that comes after the grinding.

It should be known that he had no idea why he chose this particular subclass, Pharmacist. He was never good at any the Chemistry practical lessons back in the real world, though to say he did terribly was untrue. Truth be told, his level was simply... average. That was it. Average in most aspects, just an average student looking forward to an average future with an average job. While he found little passion in Pharmacist, sometimes it brought him joy when he managed to bring some concept, something from another game into the world he currently inhabited through his subclass. Perhaps that's why he did it.

Anyway, contrary to the recipe he was following, he added a little bit of solvent into the paste thingy that was left behind after mixing the tablet powder and herb paste together. This he did bit by bit, stirring well every time he added in a few drops. It never hurt to be thorough, after all. What was left, was that the greenish paste quickly turned into a shade of another color, and a pinkish tinge overtook the greenish one as the potion was completed.

He eyed the potion skeptically, unsure of whether or not he was actually going to find a use for it in combat. Images of creepy monsters attempting to hug him flashed across his mind, and he shuddered, not for the reasons he had at the start of this craft. Was this a bad idea, after all...?

~

Word count: 277
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 + 277 = 11334
Note: Post 3 of 3 for [Charm Potion].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The next thing he was going to craft was a little more special, a little different from the ones he had already crafted. Those he had previously crafted largely dealt in status effects; be it the status of 'being able to breathe underwater' or 'poisoned', what he had made in this crafting session could largely be characterized as a 'Status effect'.

The next item he was going to craft dealt in one of the major elements which constitute life: Miasma. Unlike the other two, Anima and Psyche, Miasma was a largely undesirable element, the exact opposite of Psyche that eats away at one's sense of reason and drives the victim mad. Too much was a bad thing, and thus those that practice it, the Heretics, were hated by the People of the Land, some of which even act as Wardens to directly combat the threat by assaulting Heretics. Usually, such a thing would not concern him. But when some Adventurers took in too much Miasma, a certain mysterious event occured, where they lost their original class and became Heretics. With fellow Adventurers becoming Heretics, there was, of course, concern that it could happen to him, and business to made from crafting products along that vein. As long as he was careful to limit Miasma intake, there should be no reason for him to even have a chance to randomly convert into a Heretic.

Of course, this item, the [Miasma Perfume], had other uses. Apart from its inherent ability to spread the joys of being mentally unstable everywhere it goes, this very same ability to erode logical thoughts and reasoning also makes it a relatively usable aggro tool. Because every monster had differeny physiques, there was a high possibility that one would have to prepare an aggro potion specifically for each and every monster. So if an alternative, multi-purpose potion appeared, who would not choose to use an already available product and choose to delve into research when there are other, more useful things to look into?

~

Word count: 336
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 + 277 + 336 = 11670
Note: Post 1 of 3 for [Miasma Perfume].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

But enough about Miasma and all the jolly side effects it brought about. He was here to craft, not start a mental debate with himself over the usage of Miasma in everyday life. The things he had prepared for this potion was some Impure Solvent and a Mana Fragment. Unlike the usual Mana Fragments, this one had inverse properties when compared to the usual ones, with the crystalized substance holding Miasma, the direct opposite to Anima, which is usually found in these fragments. But wait, would that not make it 'Miasma Fragments', and not 'Mana Fragments'? Frowning, he checked the label on the recipe, and it seems to call it 'Mana Fragments'. Ehh, well if someone insists, then there's little point arguing, especially with a piece of paper.

Leaving his unproductive thoughts aside, he began to work on the potion in earnest. The first thing he did was to heat the solvent with his makeshift fire container, because he personally felt that heating the solvent make the dissolving process easier since the molecules of the solvent had a higher average kinetic energy and thus increase the effective collision rate of the molecules of the solvent and the fragmented Miasma since a greater number of molecules had enough energy to overcome the bonds between the fragment molecules an- okay, he probably pulled most of that stuff from some Chemistry textbook.

So anyway, the heating process went underway as he gingerly plucked up the fragment with a dark light emitting from it from a separate pile of similarly colored crystal fragments. Obviously, these were much more dangerous than the relatively harmless [Mana Fragments] that crystalized from Alchemists, so the caution was necessary. He found a clean spot on his table in the form of a shred of paper towel and he set it down first, taking this opportunity to examine it close up since he did not have the time and luxury to do so when he first obtained these strange crystals.

~

Word count: 330
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 + 277 + 336 + 330 = 12000
Note: Post 2 of 3 for [Miasma Perfume].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The [Miasma Fragment], as he preferred to call it, was similar in design to the [Mana Fragment]; a fragment of what seemed to be a larger crystal, with rough edges here and smooth surfaces there, and melted upon contact with his fingers. But that was where the similarities ended. Unlike the [Mana Fragment], which melts and disperses Anima, the [Miasma Fragment] melts and disperses Miasma, which corrupts and drains rather than replenish and restore. The color of the [Mana Fragment] was blue, while the color of the [Miasma Fragment] was black, sometimes grey. So while they were of similar structure, their properties were vastly different.

His examination of the fragmented pieces of glass-like substance done, he turned his attention to the heated solvent and found it bubbling at a satisfactory level. No time like the present. He unceremoniously dumped the fragments down the flask, albeit with little force and letting gravity do the work for fear of causing splashes. He was not exactly sure if the bubbles would help to break up the splashes, so he was not taking any chances. At the same time, one might argue that his treatment of the fragments was detrimental to that goal. But how else was he supposed to handle 'potentially dangerous over the long term' things? The answer is, to handle with care. Oh, wait. Dropping them might not exactly fall into that category. Well, what's done is done.

Time passed since that one event, during which no other events happened until the solution began emitting blackish smoke thingy. That was probably the sign that it was completed, and that 'perfume' was currently billowing from the mixture was proof enough of that. Covering his nose, he proceeded to pour the solution into a small bottle, and capped with an airtight cover made of a regular cap and some spongy thing he bought at the local store. After that, he moved away from the scene of creation, letting the wind blow through the window and sweep away the black fog of death which hovered over his crafting station. On the bright side, he was almost done with the list he had brought, having gone through most of the things he had wanted to do.

~

Word count: 371
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 + 277 + 336 + 330 + 371 = 12317
Note: Post 3 of 3 for [Miasma Perfume].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Oh hey, he was on the last item! The very last item! After this, he was free to go do the stuff he wanted to do! He could hardly believe that the torture session he had forced himself to do was almost over. It made him want to shout in joy, and immediately indulge himself with a little distractions for maybe a day or so, but he knew he would never finish this one last thing if he did that. So he took in a few deep breaths, composed himself and told himself to finish this one last thing. Despite being tired, despite feeling a cramp in his neck creeping up his, well, neck, despite his lethargic movements, he would finish this.

Shuffling messily through his stack of recipes, he found the paper he was looking for and examined the words etched upon its surface. It would probably do him some good to write all of this down in some journal or something, if the lack of the Scribe subclass would allow him to do so. Anyway, the last potion on the agenda was the counterpart to the potion he had just crafted, the disturbing thing known as [Miasma Perfume]. The name of this counterpart was [Miasma-Cleansing Spray], containing all that Psyche goodness guaranteed to clean away traces of Miasma like a dishwashing detergent cleans away the stains on a dirty bowl. If you scrub hard enough, that is. Or maybe it just so happened that he had always had bad luck in choosing the detergent to use.

In any case, reading the description of the intended effects of the potion (intended because you never know what can go wrong in the preparation phase), it seems to achieve the aforementioned effect by using Psyche in the [Mana Fragment] and breaking them down into the most basic form to directly counteract and nullify Miasma. On an observational scale, this balancing process can only be seen in the reduction of the effects of Miasma, but that was already proof enough that it works. Oh, and this seems to be a recipe handed down for generations by the Wardens of Avon. Which reminds him, he had yet to visit that place. Mayhap an opportunity may one day present itself to the forever alone Swashbuckler.

~

Word count: 381
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 + 277 + 336 + 330 + 371 + 381 = 12698
Note: Post 1 of 3 for [Miasma-Cleansing Spray].

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

It never hurt to review the materials he needed to use during the process itself, so he did just that, mentally ticking off an invisble list as his eyes registered a phrase on the paper he was reading, then gazed past it to find the material in question, all of which were already on the table due to him having enough time to take them all out while crafting a certain potion. That was one of his finer moments of procrastination, one which would be hard to reproduce even if he wanted to.

[Mana Fragment], check. Base herb which apparently decomposes the [Mana] in [Mana Fragment] into Psyche, check. Solvent so he doesn't end up hurling powder at people, check. Alright, all the ingredients were present, so there was som- er, little reason to begin right away. He twisted his neck, heard a satisfying crack, and began to work on the potion with a lack of vigour. Perhaps a huge lack of vigour. Mayhap the long working hours of the regular Adventurer had finally gotten to him despite his procrastinating ways.

Tired or not, he began to heat the solvent, as per his usual practice. Actually, now that he looked closely, he noticed that there was no specification as to what the effects of heating the solvent did to this particular potion. He wondered if the potency will change, or if the effect will become completely different. He was probably wrong about the latter one though, for why far could the effects evolve? It was not like he was making an extremely complex potion, rather it seemed like he was making a potion commonly made by the people of Avon to treat something as common as the, uh, common cold.

Once the solvent had warmed to a satisfatory level, he tossed in the last of his twigs into the dying embers so as to keep the heat going for a few more minutes, then carefully added some bits of [Mana Fragment] into the solvent. The warmed mixture reacted strongly to the stimulus, bubbling a little along the surface of the [Mana Fragment] where fragment and solvent met, with the fragments quickly dissolving into the solvent in the span of a few seconds. Phase one, complete.

~

Word count: 375
Total word count (Pharmacist): 530 + 632 + 297 + 503 + 250 + 281 + 258 + 261 + 260 + 272 + 267 + 263 + 286 + 276 + 258 + 270 + 270 + 285 + 336 + 260 + 436 + 397 + 295 + 384 + 372 + 381 + 257 + 254 + 309 + 332 + 321 + 367 + 344 + 293 + 277 + 336 + 330 + 371 + 381 + 375 = 13073
Note: Post 2 of 3 for [Miasma-Cleansing Spray].