The car continued on autopilot and it wasn’t long before they were out of the city. Richard looked out at the countryside as it zoomed past. When compared with a bus, the lower vantage point made everything seem larger. The abandoned plots of land taken over by trees. While ruined buildings still dotted the land. A small number of them had been rebuilt. Each one a stronghold of humanity against the changes brought by the break.

  Windry took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t suppose that there is anything else? Any more surprises? You have an inventory, which is insane by the way, and a S-Rank skill. I don’t think that I can be any more surprised.”

  “Well, yes.”

  She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Hit me up. Let's see it.”

  “I don’t know how other crafters work,” Richard said and took out the stomach and moss from his satchel. While in his other hand he held the large vial. “But well. It’s easier to just show you.” He mentally opened the recipe list, selected the Large Mana Potion, and confirmed its creation. The materials in his hands disappeared and Windry bolted upright.

  “What just happened? Didn’t you say that you only have 1 inventory slot?”

  “In order to make a potion, all I need is the materials and a second of time.” Richard reached forward and pulled the completed potion from the System window. When it was in his hands he confirmed that the quality was Weak and he handed it to Windry.

  She blinked her eyes as if she didn’t believe what she was seeing and took the potion from his hands.

  “Ah. I also have space for alchemy equipment. Though I shouldn’t-” Richard opened the tools tab and his words choked in his mouth.

  “What? What happened?” Windry asked.

  “Uh. I can store equipment with the system and it will, so far that is, increase the quality of the items I make. But I sort of forgot to return this to the guild last time I used it,” he said and pulled the Burner out of the Tool Slot. “I’m probably in trouble, haha. Oh.”

  “It’s true then.”

  Richard placed the Burner back into the window and closed it. “What is true?”

  “S-Rank skills are unknowable. That they turn over the common sense of the world. It was suspected as much. But anyone who was ever suspected of having one has denied it.” She slouched back into her seat.

  After she was silent for several moments Richard prompted her, “Why is that?”

  “Because of the power that such skills bring. What do you want to do now?”

  “Uh. Well, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about. You seem to have a handle on things, more than I who took life somewhat easy. How do I go about using this without ending up in a basement somewhere.”

  “Come to my basement and I’ll keep you well fed.” She wasn’t smiling.

  “What-”

  Windry tossed the potion back to Richard and he fumbled as he caught it. “Keep that hidden for now. And you really have two choices. I’m sure that you thought of them before. Put the skill away and live a quiet life. Or build a life around it. No more borderline slum apartments. You need a secure compound with security at the ready. Also maybe an alter ego to go around as. In order to hide who you really are. So that it’s harder to track you. And then probably working with a guild to hide who you are, or even creating your own guild. But that’s probably too much for the current you. Let's see, what else?”

  “Wait. Wait. Wait. That's all a little much don't you think?”

  She looked at him then, it was a look that Ricahrd remembered from his childhood when his mother was cross with him. “No. You stand posed to drown in wealth. People will come to you. To use you. To try and take over you. If you don’t have your ducks in a row then it will all come crashing down on you. Swallowing you up, and leaving nothing behind. I know. I’ve seen it happen to people that I knew. Almost had it happen to me.” She stretched her arms as high as the care roof would allow her to.

  “First off, look at the markets. See what is out there and then make your money. You need enough to live in the Big City, in Rowan. Somewhere nice with private security. I can probably recommend a few places.

  “Then you can dig into your skill and really make the money. But until then, try not to upset things too much. That’s really all that I can say for now. Otherwise we’ll be spinning around the issue without taking any steps forward.”

  “You’ve given me a lot to think over,” Richard said and covered his face with the palm of his hand. It felt like the world was spinning just a little. “I saw this as a chance to have some fun in life. To make a bit of money here and there as I continue to fumble through life. But it really is life changing isn't it?”

  Windry nodded her head. “More than you could ever know,” she said and patted him on the arm.

  ***

  Richard was sitting at his kitchen table. He had been since Windry dropped him off. There was a mountain of things to consider. But he wouldn’t be able to take a step forward if all he did was think about it. Which was something he was bad for in the past. And probably still in the present.

  When he opened his Crafter’s Union app Richard found that there was a message waiting for him. Did it arrive as he left the dungeon? There was an order from the Sword Soul guild for 20 of the Soul Purifying Potions. Which was strange. Since even with the System ID he wasn’t sure what the potions did. But since it was for the Swords he was more than willing to fulfill the order. Tomorrow he would have to go into Rowan and get it done. Also to return the Burner. Did they notice? Maybe he could just slip in and return it…

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  Next he used the guild app to see what kind of information on the market he could get. As long as it was a common drop or crafted item he was able to see more about it. There wasn’t much data, just how much had been hitting the market through the guild and how the price had trended for it. Otherwise it was kind of basic, and he wished that it provided information on where the item was going or, in the case of crafted goods, who had produced it.

  For more rare items Richard’s standing with the guild wasn’t high enough, and he was only able to see that an item existed. Did they really need to hide information about Red Dragon Scales like that? What about an Everlasting Potion? And was it a way to motivate crafters to produce more? Or to reward them for their progress? It also had better not be a subscription model…

  Richard raised his hands to smack his cheeks but then caught himself. It worked well enough when he was alone. But he found himself getting overwhelmed more often of late. And really needed another way to find his focus. As well as probably a healthier way.

  He spent the next several hours looking for drops that might allow him to make new potions. The market would only have things that were normal drops. But it did not have anything like the Pale Hanging Moss he had found. How many ingredients were like that? Hidden in the dungeons, waiting for someone to find them. The thought caused his gotta collect them all instincts to wake up. But he did his best to set it aside. Focus. Focus.

  With a shopping list made Richard took a break from dungeons, crafting, alchemy, guilds, and everything that was bothering him. There would be enough time to worry about all that tomorrow and in the days that follow.

  ***

  Richard arrived at the Crafter’s Union early. At least early for him, since it was already 10 in the morning when he finally arrived. He was starting to feel that the train and bus almost took more time than it was worth. And it wasn’t a trip that he had looked forward to.

  While he was in transit Windry’s suggestion to move into the city took on a little more weight. He would be losing easy access to the Beetle and Slime dungeons. But there should be comparables nearby right? Though they might not be ‘safe’ dungeons and would probably require a party.

  Once at the market Richard sought out the 20 Healing Herbs and Red Drake Carapaces that he needed for the order. After that he had a look for a set of drops that should open up new entries in his potion list.

  Since there was a Red Drake, then there should be others right? And Richard was able to find Blue, Green, Brown, and Grey Drake scales. While they weren’t carapaces, when he touched each one a new recipe for a corresponding potion vial appeared. So he bought two each of the new scales as well as Healing Flowers. The Black Beetle Stomachs he would have to order from the Dungeon Center.

  As for the Vitality Essence Richard put that on pause. He didn’t want to spend the 10k for the two hearts just to have potions sit on hand. There was a balance that he had decided on to try for. Staying under the radar while gaining power. Personal power would come as he continued to explore the dungeons. Alchemy power could only come from making more potions. He should be able to eat the costs for the scales, herbs, and stomachs. But there had to be some limit, both to the money that he sunk into the potions and a place to store them.

  With that out of the way he carried his materials over to the crafter room rentals and got in line. “Hello, and welcome. Are you looking to rent a room today?”

  “Ah, yes,” Richard said. It suddenly felt warm for some reason. “I’d like a room equipped for Alchemy.” He opened the app on his phone and she scanned his member ID.

  “Hrm, that should be doable. Although there appears to be an equipment fee from the last time that you rented a room? The missing Burner carries a fee of $150,000. You’ll need to settle that before renting any other rooms,” She said with a smile, that wasn’t a smile, that didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Well. Sorry about that. Somehow it got mixed in with my other belongings. I have it here and would have returned it before. But it was only yesterday that I realized that I had taken it by mistake,” Richard said with a laugh. Only he could tell that she didn’t buy it. Her smile was just as ferocious.

  “We can accept it back, but if there is any damage to the Burner then we will need to put a fee against your membership. I’ll put the payment on pause for now, and anything you sell today will be held up until the full amount. It will be released later after the appraisal of the equipment has been completed.”

  No mercy. They had no mercy for Richard and his little mistake. Burners didn’t even cost that much, but it seems like the fee was twice the cost to replace it. At least it was twice the amount that he had just paid for a similar Burner in the market.

  He handed off the ‘stolen’ burner and the receptionist eyed it before she placed it under the desk. She wrote him a receipt, reminded him that guild property is to be left in the rooms, and sent him off. Richard closed the door to the crafting room, leaned against it and sighed. Dealing with people was hard sometimes. Harder than it should have been.

  ***

  There was a sound as a notification he had been waiting for came in. Jarl’s hand snapped forward, snatched his phone, unlocked the screen, and read the message. He was here! The alchemist who created those potions had finally arrived.

  Jarl had tossed some money around the lower ranks, all on the hush, so that he could find out when the alchemist showed up. He must be made to see the value that he can bring to the world. Yes, world! Everyone thought that they were winning against the dungeons. That they had them beat. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Humanity was slowly losing.

  They had already lost ground due to the break. Hectares and hectares of land that once had been inhabited were now abandoned. Humanity had suffered heavy losses, and for what? Some magic and the need to fight off incursions from the break monsters who had naturalized?

  There was only one way that they could win, by sharing information amongst themselves. Bringing their best against the dungeons, and one by one shutting them down. There was always a way to destroy dungeons. Only there was too much value in keeping them open. Levels for humans to fight against the monsters who had already escaped, magical System skills for those who explored, and death so much death.

  While he didn’t think that it was possible to return to the times before dungeons. They had to at least do something, struggle harder. And the alchemist, this Richard, had secrets that needed to be shared. Jarl patted himself on the chest. He was getting over worked. None of them understood. They all only cared about the profits. Capitalist minded fools.

  But only Jarl knew what needed to be done. Only he could make it happen.

  He was careful not to attract attention and tried to stamp down his excitement. With a calm mind he looked around the lab. A couple assistants were working, like the others they were provided to him by the guild. And he knew that they were watching his every move. But those two were both ones that often got caught up in what they were doing. And wouldn’t notice if he snuck out of the lab.

  Jarl made the excuse of going to the bathroom. The guild would never watch him there. Only he walked right by the washroom doors and instead flew through the door into the stairwell. They weren’t used too often, which might mean that he could make it to the ground floor unnoticed. It would take some effort on his part. But he had leveled in the dungeons. And he should have enough strength to fly down the stairs.

  The first of anything was always the hardest, like all things worth doing the stairs were the same. One flight down and only 70 more to go. Then he could bring that man to his side. Make him share all that he knew for the benefit of mankind’s battle against the dungeons.