By the time morning arose, Zeke had the worst headache of his life. And for once, he could differentiate the kinds of headaches he got so far.

From overusing his mana, from leaning on his attunement a little too much, and from the fact that he was lightweight as all hell. Perhaps the strange mixture the bartender gave him was too much, but apparently it was established that one normally took that special mixture with a certain amount of Spirit points.

With his build, it was practically drinking several cases worth of the strongest drink in his old world at once–and he didn't even drink.

The hangover was so bad, it even stated in his debuff screen like it was haunting him.

You are afflicted with Alcohol Hangover: Extreme.

Your body is currently backlashing by the specialized concoction 'GhostWater'. Your physical stats are decreased by 40%. Your mental resistance is decreased by 80%. Your Dexterity is impacted, causing your movements to exhibit erratic discombobulation.

The last part confused him a little, but apparently that meant stumbling like a drunkard while in constant pain. Not even his Pain Resistance could do a thing, as it was affected in such a way that was internal due to a concoction.

Also, GhostWater was an apt name for the drink, considering he felt like he was in the process of becoming one himself. Worst of all was the news he received after getting back his consciousness.

Apparently he made a fool of himself. Not just to Mikella and to his team members, but to the entire district they were at. And somehow it was recorded. He wasn't sure how, but apparently this country has a way to retain recollection with the working of a specialized magic tool. The event was so ecstatic that they went and used up something so valuable just to record his foolishness.

Still, embarrassment took a backseat behind the all-searing pain of his head and stomach, both trying to explode and eat him alive at the same time. He laid on his bed in his room, groaning like mad. He didn't know how many hours passed, but he picked up with his senses (which was now becoming a burden he realized) that the Studded Star was already shining its brightest. It was around noon, which was quite far away from his usual mornings.

He heard a knock on the door to his room, and the sound caused him to groan louder from the impact of those foreign knocks. That was enough to get the person permission to head inside.

"Good morning Zeke, or should I say good afternoon?" Alissa said, her tone implying a hint of playfulness. Zeke wanted none of that as she walked forward, appearing to have some sort of cup with steam billowing out of it. "I made you something that can help with the hangover. You have no idea how many people I had to do this for, and you're not the first or the last."

Hearing something that could end this suffering got Zeke to act, however briefly. He forced himself up, getting very acquainted with the pain as he took the cup. It was hot, like tea, and he downed it in an instant, not caring at all that the hot liquid seared his tongue and burned his throat.

His Pain Resistance can handle those easily. Once the substance entered into his stomach and spread throughout his body, it was like a gentle caress of an ocean. Soothing coldness overwhelmed his pain and instantly cooled the agony, though if he had to guess, it was around 30 or 40% reduced. It still hurts like a bitch.

But it was enough to get him to speak, at the very least.

"Thank… you," Zeke said, trying his hardest to thank his savior for putting him out of his misery.

"I suggest heading over to an alchemist if you want something else," Alissa shrugged. "I used up all that I had to make enough for the Tempest Winds. They weren't as bad as yours, but they kept complaining all the while."

"Crap…" Zeke cursed. "Just how bad was it yesterday?"

"Enough," Alissa answered easily. "Don't worry. It's not like they're in any danger, so there's no need to heal them."

That got Zeke's attention. The moment he heard it, he tried to cast Restoration onto himself to soothe the pain. Unfortunately, that only ramped up the pain in his head even more.

"Gah!"

"I suggest you try not to heal yourself," Alissa said, but it was far too late. Apparently that didn't matter to her. "What you drank was equivalent to having several mana potions' worth in a single quaff, so using magic won't make it easier, only worse."

"Now you tell me…"

"You never asked," Alissa turned. "Anyways, you can stay here and rest some more, or you can take a walk to deal with the headache. Right now I'm busy making sure everyone else is in top shape, so I can't babysit you now."

"Are they okay?" Zeke managed to ask before Alissa left for good. "Mikella and Clara?"

"Clara is fine, of course," Alissa said proudly. "If anything, she had quite a lot of fun. Don't get too embarrassed when she starts asking questions."

Zeke winced, and this time it wasn't from the headache. He really didn't want Clara to see his foolishness from last night. It was too damn much for his failing ego as it is.

"As for Mikella… she'll be fine. I'm certain of that," Alissa said, and now that made Zeke pause.

"What's up with her?"

"Oh nothing," Alissa shook her head with a wry smile. "Still, she was a wonderful singer. You were right to prove that."

"Of course she is," Zeke said proudly. "She keeps putting herself down for it, so keep mentioning that to her, alright?"

"Will do," Alissa said. She wasn't asked to do it, but rather easily agreed. Sometimes people need a good push on the back to ensure their insecurities are exactly just that.

Alissa soon left, and Zeke then managed to get himself out of his bed. The pain wasn't too bad now, and his debuff now displayed Middle instead of Extreme.

Of course the travel from his room to the entrance of the house was the easy part. The moment he opened the door to the outside world and let the bright Studded star light hit his eyes–he wanted to duck and cover for the rest of his life.

"Goddammit!"

…..

Zeke forced himself to head towards the alchemist shop that might have what it takes to clear his headache. Of course, it was for more than just a cure to his hangover.

He heard from his teammates about the alchemist that gave them the good potions, and he wanted to see for himself. With some cash on hand and taking care of one tower, like they said, Zeke wanted to take the time to relax and do his own thing.

In this case, he wanted to see what he could purchase to further improve their capabilities.

He also wanted to see if he could find something for Mikella. While she hadn't exhibited channel abusement like he did, there would come a time where she would go too far and hit her limits, thus he wanted to see what he could find for her during the meantime.

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He wasn't quite sure what she was doing at the time, but apparently she went off on her own for her own sort of thing.

He can only hope that it wasn't anything too serious. He could have also brought Clara with him, but unlike with the blacksmith, he worried about what kind of person the alchemist would be to bring her along. Besides, he still wasn't confident enough to meet her at his current state. He didn't want to make himself a fool once again in front of her.

He stood around the vicinity, approaching what looked like an intersection between the city blocks. Everyone, thankfully, didn't approach him over what happened last night, but they at least knew who he was. Rumors have spread about who he was throughout the week he lived here, so everyone gave him a polite nod in greeting. In response, he did the same, even offering a smile or two.

His headache hasn't gone away, but the least he could do is offer a smile to show no hostility. It was free, after all. Eventually he did have to ask a few people to show him the direction of the alchemist shop that's known to have particular potions, at least that's what he heard from his own team.

After being shown directions, he walked for several minutes. After approaching nearly half an hour, he believed he found the building the alchemist was staying at. It was centered in between large apartment complexes, at least that's what Zeke assumed as many people were coming in and out of them. They were all families, from the looks of things. Some are more elderly than they appear, and none of them even approach the Expert stage.

They actually looked his way, some looking apprehensive. If Zeke could guess a few, they were downright afraid of him being there. He smiled, waved, and showed that he had no intention of causing any trouble being the highest level person there.

It was a strange feeling. Is this what Cloud and Val felt like when they were taking care of the town in Eve Glade? After getting used to being around so many folks around his level, he felt that one little flick of his finger could seriously hurt someone.

Though for Zeke, the thought of intentionally hurting someone never crossed his mind, unless it was for self-defense. The idea of hurting someone by accident, however, was high as he made sure to keep careful strides, his high stats causing even the tiny bits of daily life filled with concentrated effort. Though apparently nobody knew, or would even care, about the difference as some still looked concern at his presence.

Perhaps it was the idea of having a true Journeyman being around was making them nervous, sort of like how people get nervous of being around the police in his old world even with no criminal records on hand.

He entered the alchemist shop after ensuring that the door was capable of handling his Strength stat (that also became a daily thing at this point). The sign up front said it was open at this hour, and the name was also what the Tempest Winds mentioned.

The shop known as Pot n' Kettle was a rather small storefront. Inside was just a wooden building with a sense of homeliness that felt almost like being back at Cloud's home. The floor was kept clean and pristine, though he did feel his shoes being a bit sticky. He wasn't really surprised. Alchemists usually have potions and sometimes people can cause a mistake and drop them.

However, despite being an alchemist shop, the scent was tantalizing, as if someone put the effort into creating several scented balms to keep away the stench of the concoctions. He fully expected to smell some pretty strong odors, but he was completely wrong.

More than anything, vast amounts of flasks showed on the shelves, each one revealing several colors of different potions, elixirs, and all other forms of liquid concoctions that were mesmerizing to the eyes. It was actually arrayed in a way that felt like looking at a rainbow of colors, and not a single one gave off any strange cult-like vibes he expected alchemists to have.

It is a store. Makes sense that they try to keep people in rather than push them out.

When he walked over to the center, noticing the counter and the classic bell there to call on the owner, his footsteps creaked on the floor panels. It was such a loud sound that it might as well replace the bell as a voice yelled out at the back of the store.

"Be right there!"

It was a jovial tone, belonging to a young man rather than an old veteran. The back showed an open doorway that could also have double doors that could easily be pushed in and out, probably for easy access than having to constantly turn the knob over. Footsteps hurried over as soon as Zeke approached, revealing the man that called out to him.

A tall, dark-skinned man approached with a smile that felt so genuine, one can forget he was part of business and he just showed himself to be a joyful looking man. What really took Zeke's attention was his apparel. Despite being the owner of an alchemy shop, he looked like one of the characters from a steampunk novel. Leathery overalls with a checkered flannel shirt which adorned his well-fit torso. He was rather tall too, almost as tall as Zeke's height, if not equal at around six or so feet high. He even had to crouch his head a little to get to the storefront behind the counter.

His hands looked rugged, littered with little scars and bruises that was a clear sign of experience with the apothecary tools. Despite that, he looked well-clean and shaven, showing bright green eyes that defied age.

"Welcome aboard to the Pot n' Kettle," The owner said with a gleeful tone, and to Zeke's surprise, he sounded english–like belonging to the united kingdom of his old world. Stereotypically, he would say that he came from England or something. "Everything here is fresh, clean, and I promise you–healthy. What can I do for you?"

Zeke had to take a reality check. He was so taken aback by everything he saw that he took a moment before answering.

"Uuh… hi," Zeke dumbly said. Then he reinstated himself. "Sorry, I'm just… I'm just really getting hit hard with a hangover from yesterday. You got something to deal with that?"

"Aye, a drinker, huh? You must've had a proper heavy one if you're after a cleanser from last night. Oh! Let me guess–Talos was the culprit, yeah?"

Remembering the name of the bar owner, he nodded. "You know him?"

"Know him? I keep treating his victims!" The owner chuckled a bit. "Not that I'm complaining–keeps the business ticking over. You could say it's a working partnership, no hard feelings involved. Everyone wants a good time, then they overdo it and need a bit of help. Once they're sorted, they're back at it. A wonderful circle of life, innit?"

"Wonderful for you, I'm sure," Zeke said dryly, getting the man to laugh again.

"Right, right, my bad. Hold on, let me get something for ya, mate."

The man said as he dug around behind the counter, humming a little tune all the while. It looked like he was fresh out as the man kept digging around from behind, even going to some of the cabinets near the door–cluttering about to find what he was looking for.

All the while, he kept singing that tune. Normally he wouldn't care about it, but there was something… familiar about the tune. It felt so long ago that he heard it that he thought it was the effects of his hangover.

But when the man started to sing the tune with words, he realized it instantly.

"Country Roads~ Take me home~ to the place… I belong…"

It was a soft song, almost like a whisper. As though he was placed outside of somewhere and now wished to go back to where he came from. Back to the countryside where the road known as Route 66 was famous across everywhere else.

Zeke's heart stopped. His mind turned blank at this simple song that he was sure the young man wasn't even aware of his inducing panic. He looked at the man again, this time noticing the signs.

There wasn't anything that resembled even the likely bit that he was from outside of this world. But the accent and the song he was singing was proof enough.

But Zeke had to ask, just to be sure.

"Hey… that song," Zeke said, immediately getting the young man's attention.

There was a slight pause to his movements. If Zeke wasn't focused entirely on him at the moment, he would've missed it. The insinuations in his head kept increasing as he listened.

"Oh? Sorry, I like to sing a tune sometimes," The man said, offering an apologetic smile. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No problems," Zeke shook his head. "I don't mean that. I just… it sounds… peculiar. Where did you hear that song?"

"Oh, that?" He said, raising his head in thought. "Oh… somewhere far away. I lived away from Arcelot, you see. It's from a… pretty far away country, I guess. You know how it is."

"Yeah," Zeke nodded, noticing immediately the way he stayed vague. "I'm from far away too."

"Really? Where you come from, friend? Gotta be better than where I come from, considering how strong you are. Journeyman-stage, right?"

Zeke noticed how he immediately latched on switching topics, and he didn't even bother to Identify the man before knowing that he was an Expert at best. Perhaps at his peak, if he had to say.

He kept speaking.

"I don't know… it's pretty far away for me too," Zeke said, narrowing his eyes as he kept staring at the man who continued to look for the item in question. At this point, he completely forgot about his hangover. "But I think you know about it."

The man paused for another moment, then he scoffed. "Oh really? Sorry to tell you, but I really don't know much about the outside world. Been living in a single place back then a long time, you see."

"No, I think you know exactly what I'm saying," Zeke continued, his heart racing faster. "I'm not sure where you came from, but I came from a pretty big place. It's called the United States of America."

The young man instantly ceased his hands, stopping his search. He stood there for a while, like a statue. Zeke immediately realized that he recognized the name. Which meant…

"...You're an otherworlder, aren't you?" Zeke finally said, and when the young man turned around, his eyes were locked straight onto Zeke's. His expression was hard to read at first, then… he smiled.

"...Well now, ain't this a kick in the ass," He grinned nervously, his eyes turning violently sharp.

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