After the meeting ended.When I returned to the President’s Office after promising to meet Elena, Ciel, who had finished her work, greeted me.“Have you… arrived?”With curious eyes, she looked me up and down.Probably because Loen, who had dressed like a thug his whole life, was neatly put together for once.Setting down the briefcase Ciel had prepared, I offered my thanks.“Yeah. Thanks to the papers you prepared, the meeting wrapped up well. And I used the perfume that was in the drawer.”“……”Ciel silently nodded and straightened the briefcase and my outer coat I’d set down.Then, after deftly dusting my clothes and hanging them on a hanger, she took a teapot and teacups from the cupboard.“I’ll brew you some tea.”“I’ll pass. I’m heading to a café anyway. I’m meeting someone.”Tilting her head, Ciel showed a hint of doubt, but she put the cups and pot back.“Someone for you to meet, my lord… That’s unexpected.”“Unexpected?”“Yes. You don’t have even one decent friend, do you.”“……That’s true.”Birds of a feather.Even among Union students there were a few thugs who banded together, but Loen wasn’t among them.His infamy was too great for a mere gang of punks to handle — even they kept their distance from him.Loosening the tie choking my neck, I pointed to the room attached to the President’s Office and asked,“Ciel. Is the laboratory usable right now?”“Yes. I stocked the supplies you requested.”“Good. Then you may leave for the day.”“……Understood.”She looked like she had a lot to ask, but instead of prying, Ciel quietly followed my words and withdrew.Click-I gazed quietly at the door she closed behind her.“Hm.”Ciel was truly the model of a capable, desirable executive secretary.'Just like with Loen, however, I’m equally short on information about Ciel.'The storyline related to Loen was all foreshadowing without resolution.Even having cleared the game so many times, I still didn’t have much information on Loen or those around him.Thus, there were limits to what I could guess about Ciel’s true identity or original intentions.It would be convenient if she were nothing more and nothing less than a servant loyal to Loen and House de Valis.'…But from my position, I can’t just blithely assume that.'So even in front of her, I couldn’t let my guard down completely.For now, to mark the new semester, and to commemorate waking after a long stint in the infirmary, I would act the part of a reformed Loen.That would help dilute the awkwardness of my behavior being different from the usual Loen.While gradually improving relations that way, I’d also gather information about Ciel.Creak-With that decided, I opened the door set into the corner of the President’s Office.The President’s Office consisted of the central study plus three additional rooms.One was a private restroom for the council’s convenience, and another was a sleeping room for me.And the last room housed Loen’s personal laboratory.It had originally been used as a storage room, but Loen had poured a fortune into converting it into a lab for performing alchemical magic.Though Loen himself, after drinking his own kimchi soup, died in the story before ever becoming president, I would put that legacy to good use.Flick-As I opened the door, the bright magic lamps turned on one after another and a cozy interior welcomed me.“Oh ho.”One bookcase was crammed with books, while the opposite side’s display cases were filled with various lab tools and enhancement stones.There was also a magic safe for valuables and a cold room to keep alchemical materials fresh.On one side, ornate artifacts hung in a row inside a display cabinet.A collection so lavish its price would be hard to estimate.'How much is all this…'I first opened the display case and checked the artifacts in Loen’s possession one by one.There might be something I needed, like the Ring of Derode.[Grace of Vishark][Glasses of Lergane][Pendant of Arin][Belt of Gehiron][Shield of Aegis]Even just the relic-grade items on hand were about this many.Relic-grade meant high-end artifacts said to have been used by renowned heroes.Even in the game, gathering gear of this level required a ton of grinding, and yet here they were in my actual possession.Truly a high-class collection befitting the bloodline of the great Ducal House de Valis.Clack-If I plastered myself with these items stored in the display:[Vitality : 28(-14)][Agility : 16(-8)][Strength : 15(-7)][Mana : 35][Intelligence : 32][Charm : 90(-63)]Loen’s stats would at least rise to something passable.“Phew.”After equipping the items, I let out a sigh of relief.'Now that’s better.'Perhaps thanks to the stat boosts, breathing felt easier and moving was more comfortable.It was like setting down a heavy backpack I’d been carrying.And maybe because Intelligence went up, my head felt a bit clearer.I suppose during treatment the various items had been taken off, which was why Loen’s initial stats were so low.Seeing this, it seemed that in the text, Loen’s default state had basically been “equipped with items.”'Gear-carry, huh…'Looking over the items wrapped around my body, I gave a slight nod.It suited Loen’s [Alchemy] trait perfectly.Alchemy was magic specialized in generating, transforming, and imbuing effects into specific materials.'I know most of the acquisition methods for the various high-grade items and equipment in Mir-Ellin Saga.'If I took those high-tier artifacts and items and upgraded them using the [Alchemy] trait, then later I wouldn’t fall behind even compared to named characters in the story.Nursing such a grand dream, I shut the door.Pssht-As the lab door closed, a magical device activated to maintain a constant density of mana inside.“Hmmm.”Feeling the slow change in the room’s density — that new, mysterious force called “mana” — with my whole body, I sank into thought.The urgent task was to restore the Ring of Derode’s durability before meeting Elena.'If I meet her without the ring, there’s a high chance my identity will be exposed.'Clink-I slipped the black ring off my finger and set it on the alchemy table, then checked its detailed description.[Ring of Derode]Category : AccessoryRarity : EpicA ring once used for amusement by the Dark Lord Derode. Its durability is low due to the wear of long ages, but its effect remains outstanding.Nullifies all magi emitted externally, and all effects derived from it.Durability : 1/44The ring’s remaining durability was 1.'To think it dropped by 3 just during that short meeting…'It was true that the lower an item’s remaining durability, the faster it tended to drop, but even so, this was too fast.If I were to guess the cause of this abnormality—'It would be Elena’s presence.'Like ice melting quickly when brought near fire, the closer I stayed to Elena — a mass of holy power — the faster the durability of the Ring of Derode would decrease. That was the inference.In the end, for the upcoming meeting with Elena, and for my continued safety at the academy, restoring the ring’s durability was essential.'Now then, how to proceed.'I stood rooted to the spot and silently looked down at the ring.In game-system terms, of course I knew restoration methods for item durability by rote, but how that would manifest in the physical world was unknown.And to begin with, I was a modern person.I knew mana and magic existed in my head, but unlike the people here, I had difficulties actually handling and executing them.It was like having to learn separately how to walk and how to breathe.'This is when I need system-level assistance.'If I took certain actions, the system would help me. No — it had to.“……”Finishing my thoughts, I stood before the alchemy bench.Placing both hands on it, I quietly closed my eyes and began taking deep breaths.“Whoo.”After a moment of breathing and feeling the flow of mana drifting through space—Ting.The system message window I’d been waiting for appeared before my eyes.[Would you like to proceed with the Alchemy Tutorial?]At that, I smiled faintly.“Gladly.”***A short while later.[You have completed the Alchemy Tutorial.][You gained Mana stat +1 and ×5 Low-grade Alchemy Stones.]Shaaah-When the dazzling light filling the lab faded and the strange smoke cleared, a blue crystal appeared on the worktable.I removed the gas mask from my face and picked up the blue crystal with my gloved hand.“As expected. So this is how it works.”It was the item generated as a result of the Alchemy Tutorial: a Mana Supplement Stone.[Mana Supplement Stone]Category : Consumable ItemRarity : CommonA refined low-grade mana crystal. When consumed, restores spent mana.Temporarily restores 5 points of the “Spent Mana” stat.All acts involving mana entail expenditure.My current Mana stat was 31.Because the Alchemy Tutorial had just consumed 4 mana, it had temporarily dropped.Of course it would recover over time, but for the moment I only had 31 usable mana.In such cases, using a Mana Supplement Stone could temporarily restore the reduced mana.'I’ll stash it for now.'I stored the Mana Supplement Stone and the five Low-grade Alchemy Stones earned from completing the tutorial in separate pouches.Then, using the tutorial’s information as a base, I began the restoration work on the Ring of Derode’s durability.'Loen’s current Alchemy level is Low-grade 3.'The function to restore item durability unlocks at Low-grade level 5.Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be able to perform durability restoration due to level deficiency. However—[Albany’s Alchemy Workbench]Category : Magical ApparatusRarity : RareAn alchemy workbench touched by the master Albany. Only 100 exist in the entire continent.While performing alchemy at this bench, the user’s Alchemy level is temporarily increased by 2.[Demerit] When performing alchemy at this bench, mana consumption is doubled.Thanks to “Albany’s Alchemy Workbench,” one of Loen’s collection pieces, I could manage.I set my hands on the bench and began the restoration procedure step by step.“Structural analysis.”Ting-I checked the essential information about the Ring of Derode, then examined the alchemical materials required for durability restoration.“Required materials.”The system kindly listed what was needed, so all I had to do was find those items inside the lab.Clink-I meticulously searched the display cases, found all materials required for alchemy, and laid them out on the bench.A procession of glass vials lined up in order atop the workbench.It was important, so I re-checked each item one by one.'Distilled water, mana crystal fragments, low-grade enhancement stone, low-grade alchemy stone, skeleton bone powder, grudgestone, dark-bat serum, harpy feather, holy-power potion…'And—'Alchemist’s blood.'Press—I lightly nicked my hand with a utility knife and smeared the blood onto a wide petri dish.The ultimate goal of alchemy was to, through alchemical acts, raise the grade of matter and soul by one step, thereby touching the origin of the world.It was not so different from mages seeking higher ranks to pursue truth, or knights honing their martial arts to pursue their own way.Different methods, perhaps, but ultimately the same human struggle to reach the truth.Thus, every alchemical act required the caster’s soul to be imbued, and blood — the caster’s mana fingerprint — was an essential catalyst.'…Or so the setting goes.'Click-I weighed the various materials in the glass vials to match the measurements, while on the side I prepared a flame.“The alcohol lamp…”I looked over the apparatus set against one side of the lab.A proper mage would have lit a flame with a snap of the fingers, but Loen was a half-baked mage specialized in alchemy.Since he couldn’t use any magic outside [Alchemy], he had to rely on items if he wanted to, say, cast fire like other mages.Click-click-So I used a mana device to light the alcohol lamp.Memories of doing experiments in school science class as a kid came back to me — interesting.“Next.”I proceeded to add various materials to a large round flask in the memorized order.In principle, this sort of work required extremely precise measuring, purity, temperature/humidity, and mana control — but fortunately, the system handled such fine adjustments.My role was basically to follow the recipe as written.To put it simply, if I mimicked a Chef Baek video while cooking, the system would make it taste good on its own.Of course, depending on alchemy level and proficiency, and the difficulty of the mana work, failure rates and complexity rose — but in the current durability restoration, the success rate was 99%.Anyone who’s played a lot of gacha games knows that hitting that 1% is practically nonexistent.And in line with those odds and expectations—Ting-[You achieved a Great Success in restoring the Ring of Derode’s durability.][The Ring of Derode’s durability greatly increases. 1 -> 22][You gained experience in the Alchemy /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ trait. Currently Low-grade level 3, 85%.]'Nice.'I’d succeeded in restoring the ring’s durability.With a great success, too — double the usual effect.Ssshhh—Smoke and dense mana vented out through the lab’s intake.I quickly removed the gas mask and protective gloves and retrieved the ring.The durability wasn’t fully restored, but it would hold for a while.This meant I could go meet Elena right now without issue.'Half an hour’s passed already.'I checked my wristwatch and gave a quiet nod.It took longer than expected, but that was fine.Elena went weak for desserts — she might very well sit in a café all day with a happy smile.Flutter-I left the lab, grabbed the outer coat Ciel had hung up, and headed to the meeting place.

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