Chapter 144: Alchemy (3)

She detested going to the lab.

For the individual Lee Seo-ha dubbed LabEscape, life before encountering Veritas was akin to a nightmare.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I never should have become a grad student.”

What transgressions she committed in a past life, or under what curse she found herself, she could not say, but as an undergraduate, she had applied to become a graduate student.

At that time, she had made various calculations. Although not on par with the Korea Hero School, she had graduated from a prestigious university and believed herself to be exceptional.

The issue, however, was this:

“Being too exceptional was the problem.”

This was a realization she arrived at after meeting Master Veritas. She was exceptional. She had succeeded in mass-producing potions, enhancing the quality of potions worldwide, even surpassing masters like Zermaine in arcane alchemy to the extent that he offered to teach her alchemy himself.

The professor who had taught her, feeling threatened, had gaslighted her out of jealousy.

“Is this all you’re capable of?”

“Sigh, can there still be such a gap in our levels?”

“All this is for your own good.”

She remembered the professor’s words. But now, as a disciple of Master Veritas, things were different.

“You think you can do well like this?!”

“Endless humiliation and persecution… I was sick of it.”

After being chosen by him, her life underwent a significant transformation.

“Professor Ok. There’s dust here.”

“…Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

Even the fact that a former professor was now working under her was a change.

“What’s on today’s schedule?”

“There’s a business meeting with the chairman of Ilseong Conglomerate at lunch. And in the evening, you’re scheduled to stop by the U.S….”

Boring schedules. Jung Bora preferred working in the workshop, crafting another potion, over such activities.

But these were schedules she had to adhere to. With Master Veritas’s support, it was a way to assist him.

“Ah, that reminds me, Master Veritas has a lecture today.”

“Cancel everything!”

Jung Bora exclaimed excitedly.

The teachings of Master Veritas were worth canceling any meeting for. Each of his teachings was the light and salt of the discipline of alchemy.

Just contemplating his teachings was a tremendous help in improving skills. The mere thought of receiving his teachings made her tremble with excitement, as if her panties were getting wet.

The secretary looked at Jung Bora with disdain, smirking unpleasantly.

She reminded herself once again that there are no normal alchemists.

On the dark stage.

Among the various communities, followers of the so-called malicious “Veritas Sect” were huddled together. Known on the internet as a profession more distasteful than that of a magician, and widely shunned, their eyes glowed brighter than ever at this moment.

“Is it Master Veritas’s class today?”

“It’s been a long time since the last one.”

The followers of Veritas were, therefore, even more excited.

The one called Veritas would unravel something bigger as time passed.

Roy thought the same.

“I may not be the disciple now, but someday I will be.”

He believed he possessed abundant talent.

But as of yet, unnoticed by Veritas, he remained just a lay follower.

Click-clack.

The sound of footsteps silenced the noisy auditorium instantly. Many of them, secluded in corners crafting potions, had accepted mana, possessing physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, making such silence possible.

Click-clack, click-clack.

With each step, the followers of Veritas tensed up.

Some may denounce him as a fraud, but if a fraction of his knowledge were to be leaked to the world, they would wager all their possessions to monopolize it, such was their fanaticism.

“Pleased to be here.”

With a heavy voice, a masked figure appeared, his steps showing no hesitation, as if always following the truth and only the truth.

Veritas.

It was a terribly arrogant light. Roy watched him with shining eyes.

“Today, after a long hiatus, we resume our lecture. In that spirit, let’s proceed.”

Veritas said, positioning himself at the podium.

The alchemists grew tense. The material he was about to cover was extensive, and keeping

pace with today’s lesson might prove to be a challenge.

“Before we begin, what is your understanding of alchemy?”

“The transformation of matter.”

“A wealth of life and knowledge.”

As Veritas prompted, responses started to emerge from different corners of the room. Yet, these were merely novice answers. Roy raised his hand and softly stated,

“True knowledge. In line with your name, alchemy is a quest for genuine value in a world riddled with deceptions.”

Roy felt Veritas’s intense gaze upon him. Whether his answer was correct remained uncertain, but being acknowledged felt like a victory. At least, that’s what Roy believed.

“Some might say there is no definitive answer to what alchemy is. Such a statement is false. Alchemy is rooted in equations, calculations, and precise answers. As the student just pointed out, it involves the pursuit of the one true answer.”

Veritas shifted his gaze as he spoke.

“Now, let me introduce you to a more advanced concept.”

With a gesture, Veritas summoned a red orb into existence.

It was almost a display of dominance, specially commissioned from the Electronic Witch, encapsulating the heart of an Imoogi. Its throbbing pulse was palpable.

“Behold, the heart of an Imoogi. An unrefined, pure heart. There exists a technique to unlock the potential of ingredients through mana tuning. Given that the heart of an Imoogi is imbued with mana as boundless as the ocean, this technique seems fitting.”

The heart of an Imoogi necessitated mana tuning. Its immense mana reserves meant that extracting mana could trigger a tumultuous flow.

“However, the majority of alchemists find it challenging to even process the heart of an Imoogi. Its formidable mana is overwhelming to tune accurately. Even when efforts are made, the results rarely justify the endeavor.”

Veritas reached out to touch the heart of the Imoogi. Mana burst forth, enveloping the surroundings.

At that moment, dozens of mana strands emerged from the heart of the Imoogi.

“Mana tuning is almost all-powerful, but not quite. Because there’s a next step.”

Whoosh!

Golden light erupted from the hand holding the heart.

The power was visibly splendid.

Conceptual Stat Alchemy.

This was not originally manifested here, so it took some effort with the Electronic Witch to forcibly implement it.

Then, runes obtained through alchemy were added.

“Ansuz──.”

Intense light began to emanate from the heart of the Imoogi. The strands of mana started drawing circuits of mana on the heart of the Imoogi.

The alchemists watched, dumbfounded.

Most of them only knew that something beyond their understanding was happening.

However, alchemists above a certain level were moved to tears by the scene.

Roy was no exception.

“Was such a thing even possible……”

To draw mana circuits. It sounded easy. But if it were, humanity would have had an immense number of heroes.

Even searching the entire world, the number of heroes didn’t even reach a million.

Most of them remain as low-ranking heroes, with literally a mere ten thousand being able to advance to a medium rank.

However, if this could be applied to humanity, ordinary people who couldn’t become heroes, that is, could possess the physical abilities of hunters, and hunters might even become heroes.

Veritas did not stop there. He chanted some unknown spells several times and engraved mana circuits on the heart of the Imoogi.

“This is called a rune.”

Veritas pondered here.

Runes were gained through the power of alchemy. A power that did not exist in the original world.

In other words, this was a ‘power’ that could be enjoyed by himself, a divine being of alchemy.

But it was also a troubling power because he knew intuitively that it could only be shared with those who followed him.

“Although these people are malicious.”

At this moment, Veritas realized a truth.

“It’s fine as long as they are not malicious towards me.”

They might be embarrassing to show to the outside world, but that was okay.

Because they would all become his divine beings.

[Your Conceptual Stat Alchemy has increased by 1.]

“This is a power newly obtained by me, the god of alchemy.”

Veritas extended his hand. Characters burned in the air, emanating an immense presence.

“I will bestow this upon you.”

As the characters burned with a golden light, they began to embed themselves in the alchemists.

“Ah, new knowledge springs forth!”

“This is exactly Master Veritas’s… no, the power bestowed by our god…!”

They felt knowledge being forcibly engraved in their brains.

Roy shed tears of joy. They were not wrong. Veritas was the true god of alchemy. It felt as if the power that the gods of the Hundred Temple bestowed upon their followers was also felt by him.

Those who were not reached by his power shed tears of joy at the sight.

Though not chosen now, they believed that he would someday choose them.

“Master Veritas, please watch over us… We will protect you from now on.”

Afterward, several galleries of South Korea’s largest internet community were overrun and could not handle the rampaging followers of Veritas.