IGTL Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – I Ended Up Selling the Recovery Potions I’d Supposedly Lowballed… for Cheap orz

“That idiot… What an idiot…”

“AAAA,” you really shouldn’t trash talk Kyle, you know?

He apparently sold his recovery potions for pocket change through some hostess, but you sold yours to me for pocket change.

Well, to be fair, I hadn’t realized until just a moment ago that recovery potion prices had inflated into the stratosphere.

I’d bought them at the price from back when DW was still just a game, so this was a massive win for me.

That said, if I wanted to sell them, I had to become an alchemist.

If I wanted to convert the mountain of recovery potions sitting in my Item Storage into actual money, this was urgent.

The Adventurers’ Guild or the Merchant Guild probably had the info I needed, so I figured I’d head over.

On the way to the Adventurers’ Guild, I spotted “AAAA” buying absurd amounts of supplies, but I decided not to talk to him. With that much stuff, he was definitely planning to barricade himself inside an inn.

Still… what was he even going to do, holed up in an inn in a world with barely any entertainment?

It was genuinely a mystery. I just couldn’t understand how a high-tier shut-in managed to keep trying to be a shut-in even in a game world.

“Alright then, how do you become an alchemist…”

As soon as I arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, I headed straight to the library the guild made available to the public for free.

I’d gone there to check a job guidebook you could obtain in DW called “Job Acquisition and Learning Encyclopedia.”

I pulled the guidebook from the shelf, looked up how to get the alchemist job, and found out it was surprisingly easy.

“Huh. So getting the alchemist job is this simple?”

The method was straightforward.

Just tell the receptionist at the Adventurers’ Guild or the Merchant Guild that you wanted to become an alchemist, then you submit ten Basic Recovery Potions and five Intermediate Recovery Potions.

Apparently, the quality had to be at least “Low Quality,” and “Defective” items didn’t count.

I opened my menu and checked the recovery potions stocked in Item Storage. Every single one was “Highest Quality.”

As expected of monster drop items.

They were practically better than anything a human would make by hand.

“Alright. Then I’ll go grab them.”

I returned “Job Acquisition and Learning Encyclopedia” to the shelf, left the library, and got in line at the Adventurers’ Guild reception desk.

After waiting a little over ten minutes, it was finally my turn.

“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. How may we assist you today?”

“Yes. I’d like to obtain the alchemist job. Could you check these recovery potions for me?”

“You wish to acquire the alchemist job. Understood. Please submit the required recovery potions.”

I pulled out ten Basic Recovery Potions and five Intermediate Recovery Potions from Item Storage and lined them up in front of the receptionist.

“Um… is this okay?”

The receptionist looked mildly surprised, then nodded.

“Yes. I will now verify the quality.”

She took out a magnifying glass and examined each potion through it, checking their quality one by one.

There were two ways to confirm an item or equipment’s quality and details: either store it in Item Storage and check through the menu, or use an item with an “Appraisal” effect, like she was doing.

Once something went into Item Storage, even if it got swapped out, nobody would know except the people involved. The receptionist probably avoided putting items into Item Storage herself to prevent unnecessary disputes.

After checking the potions, she let out an impressed sigh.

“…These are wonderful. All of them are Highest Quality recovery potions. Um, were these made by Lord Kakeru?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Strictly speaking, they’d just dropped when I beat monsters, but right now it seemed like I was the only one who could obtain items and recovery potions that way, so I went with it.

Grinding herbs into recovery potions and grinding monsters into recovery potions were basically the same thing, right?

When I answered confidently, the receptionist smiled.

“I see. In fact, the distribution of recovery potions has recently slowed, and it has become difficult for us to secure high-quality stock. Having someone as capable as Lord Kakeru take on the alchemist job will be a great help to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Not at all.”

I was planning to make alchemist a side job purely for selling potions, so I’d really appreciate it if she didn’t take it that seriously.

While I muttered that to myself, she finished checking the last potion.

“…All are Highest Quality. Lord Kakeru, may I hold onto your ‘Adventurer’s Emblem’ for a moment?”

“Of course.”

I took out my “Adventurer’s Emblem” from Item Storage and handed it to her. She set a crystal in front of me and gestured for me to place my hand on it.

“Please place your hand on this crystal.”

“Okay.”

Right, this was the same procedure as when you updated your rank.

When I put my hand on the crystal ball, it blinked with little flashes of light, and a new “Adventurer’s Emblem” was produced.

“Registration is complete. Please take your ‘Adventurer’s Emblem.’”

“Thank you.”

I checked the back, and under “Acquired Jobs,” “Alchemist” had been added.

Looks like I’d successfully obtained the alchemist job.

Now I could legally sell recovery potions.

“That concludes the procedure. Do you have any questions?”

“Yes, one. If I want to sell recovery potions to the Adventurers’ Guild, where do I go?”

“Generally, we handle purchases at the front counter. Would you like us to buy from you?”

“Yes, please.”

“Approximately how many would you like to sell?”

“Well…”

I leaned toward her ear and whispered.

“…For now, maybe about one hundred Advanced.”

“Ad-Advanced!?” Her face went pale. “P-please wait a moment! We will prepare a private room immediately! S-Someone, prepare the best private room!”

“Y-Yes!!”

A few staff members hurried off to prepare this so-called “best private room.” After a few minutes, the receptionist stood up.

“Lord Kakeru, please come with me.”

“Yes.”

Following her, I was led into a high-class room.

“O-Oh…”

“Please, have a seat.”

“Y-Yes.”

Wow. Full VIP treatment.

The sofa looked ridiculously plush, and once I sat down, the receptionist brought over green tea and sweets.

“It’s nothing fancy, but please…”

“Thank you.”

After taking a sip to wet my throat, I set the cup down and began pulling Advanced Recovery Potions out of Item Storage.

“…These are the Advanced Recovery Potions I’d like to sell.”

“M-May I appraise them?”

“Please do.”

With a magnifying glass in hand, she examined each Advanced Recovery Potion closely.

“A-Amazing… All Highest Quality. It has been quite a while since I’ve seen this many Advanced Recovery Potions.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. In this country, most of what circulates are Intermediate Recovery Potions, and all Advanced Recovery Potions end up flowing into the Midgard Holy Nation…”

“I see…”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t sold to the Adventurers’ Guild during the time before DW became reality.

Back then, it was easier and more profitable to open a stall and sell directly to adventurers.

But now that Odin had reset everyone’s levels, only a small handful of people could afford expensive recovery potions. And with the disappearance of the Yggdrasil Shops scattered across the world, the Adventurers’ Guild had probably ended up filling that role.

“So, how much will you pay?”

Former S-rank adventurer Raynel Goodjob had priced an Advanced Recovery Potion at ten million Col.

That was a price set by someone who’d lived in this world all along. It felt like I could expect at least something close.

As I waited, heart pounding, the receptionist answered with a radiant smile.

“Well then. Since these are all Highest Quality Advanced Recovery Potions, how about 100,000 Col per bottle?”

“Gahh!?”

I practically coughed up blood on the spot.

“L-Lord Kakeru! A-Are you alright!?”

No, I was not alright.

That was way less than what I’d paid when I bought potions from “AAAA”…

What was this supposed to mean!?

“…W-Why that pricing? For Advanced Recovery Potions, I believe a price one hundred times higher would not be unreasonable…”

The receptionist looked apologetic.

“I-I’m terribly sorry. I also believe it is an improper purchase price, but… this is the current Vice Guildmaster’s decision.”

“The Vice Guildmaster’s decision?”

“Y-Yes…”

What even was that?

Was this Vice Guildmaster a complete moron?

Or maybe he was just too dense to understand how valuable recovery potions were?

I sipped the green tea, then set the empty cup down.

“That was an excellent green tea. Let’s pretend this conversation never happened…”

As I said that and began putting the Advanced Recovery Potions back into Item Storage, the receptionist looked like she was about to cry.

“…Y-Yes, of course. Lord Kakeru, I’m very sorry.”

This was unbelievably awkward…

Damn you, Vice Guildmaster. Was this your plan?

One look at her expression told me everything. There was no way this was her choice. She was being forced.

My old company president had been the same.

All talk from the top, no real work, golf every week. His favorite phrase had been, “That’s why you’re no good!”

The moment you did something he didn’t like, he’d demote you as easily as breathing, cut bonuses like washing his hands, and spit out dehumanizing garbage like it was nothing.

I left a single Advanced Recovery Potion on the table and spoke to the receptionist.

“…Please buy just this one Advanced Recovery Potion.”

The one I set out was the Advanced Recovery Potion I’d bought from “AAAA.”

It was a 400,000 Col loss, but it couldn’t be helped.

“R-Really?”

She stared, stunned.

“Yes. I don’t care about the Vice Guildmaster, but your staff have treated me well…”

While I internally vomited blood saying that, every receptionist in the room bowed their heads.

“Th-Thank you very much!!!”

There was only one thing I could say in response.

“You’re welcome. Please don’t worry about it… But tell the Vice Guildmaster one thing.”

“Y-Yes. What would that be?”

“At that purchase price, I doubt anyone but a terminally soft-hearted sucker would ever think about selling to you.”

With that, I took the 100,000 Col and left the Adventurers’ Guild.