Alchemy is Correct

“Now that I understand well, please… please stop…”
“Hmm.”
I thought she might consider it magic when she sees me casting alchemy against monsters on the way to Fern.
So I tried to explain what alchemy is along the way, but before I could even start a proper explanation, I received such a response.
I hadn’t even gotten to the main point yet, but to show such a reaction already…
I became sullen.
“Anyway, alchemy isn’t treated as magic here, so there’s no need to explain it that way.”
“The alchemy I’m trying to explain seems slightly different from the alchemy you know.”
From what I heard, alchemy in this world literally refers to mixing ores to create alloys or manufacturing medicine.
It’s a kind of specialized profession, and particularly the creation of alloys is an important element for blacksmiths, so it’s a popular profession.
Because with better alchemists who can make better alloys, they can make better swords through contracts.
It’s said that the weapons used by rankers are mostly made by skilled blacksmiths and alchemists working together.
Of course, some of them obtain good weapons by encountering fortunate circumstances in raid bosses or ruins or deep in mountains, but those are the minority.
However, despite being a popular profession, making good alloys or potions is so difficult that very few people take up alchemy as their occupation…
‘Surprisingly well-researched?’
Yes.
That’s the essence of what alchemy is.
Even when I use magical power to spread alchemy through formation circles, I’m ultimately using that principle.
However, since they keep considering the creation of formation circles in the air using magical power to cause phenomena as magic, I couldn’t help but clarify this.
If they think it’s magic and then find out it’s not, the repercussions would fall back on me.
What I use is magical power alchemy, which I learned from Elrina.
It’s different from mana alchemy.
It’s about simply forming something by using magical power as an energy source.
It’s a sophisticated technique that utilizes the fact that magical power is used as energy based on the user’s origin.
It’s not magic.
I don’t particularly want to become famous, but I don’t intend to hide myself either.
Especially for Elrina, who has worked hard to establish and prove the theory for a long time, I must absolutely prevent this technique from being incorporated as magic.
This is solely alchemy, and it should not be called magic.
To maintain this determination, it’s important to clearly inform this woman first.
“I’ll show you if monsters appear later.”
“Anyway, there won’t be many dangerous monsters on the way to Fern, so there’s no need to worry too much…”
Right after saying that, an arrow flew from afar, grazing Mae’s side.
“Eek, that startled me…!”
Looking toward where the arrow came from, a green monster was licking its lips as if disappointed.
It looks familiar, like I’ve seen it many times before.
As soon as the ambush failed, monsters hiding in the forest revealed themselves.
They all looked similar.
“It’s a goblin horde… Living in the forest, they sometimes appear like this. Usually, they often ambush when there are few people in a party.”
“Didn’t you almost die just now?”
“Ah, well… I did, but if I die, I can just come back in tomorrow, so it’s fine.”
“…”
Oh right, this is a game.
It’s so realistic that I momentarily forgot this is a virtual reality game.
“I can handle this much alone…”
Fzzzt
“Ms. Silvia?”
“It’s bothersome, so let’s deal with them quickly and move on.”
In the past, I would have turned all of them into magical stones, but…
In this game where the magical power density is already very high in most places, there was no need to go through the trouble of making magical stones.
Of course, there might be places with low magical power density, but carrying a goblin’s magical stone in anticipation of that would be meaningless.
“You’re still level 1, goblins are impossible to kill even if you die and come back…”
Kwagagak!!
Activating the formation circle, spikes shot up from the ground, skewering all the goblins.
Goblins that were around level 5 to at most level 8 were all killed in one shot.
This was impossible for a user who had just started the game.
Mae, who was blankly staring at the transformed ground, cautiously turned toward me.
“Um… is this possibly magic…”
“Argh…”
I knew this would happen.
I had been explaining about alchemy since earlier to avoid hearing such words, but she doesn’t seem to have been listening properly to my story.
Since I had already anticipated this, I wasn’t upset.
I wasn’t upset, but it was just frustrating.

.
.
.
“Of course I was listening! I think alchemy is amazing!”
“…”
Looking at Mae, who was giving a thumbs up saying “Alchemy rules!”, I couldn’t erase my complicated feelings.
Until just a moment ago, she was making a fuss asking what kind of magic I had just shown, saying she had never seen this form of earth magic before.
As soon as I revealed that this was the alchemy I had been talking about all along, she froze.
And then seeing her awkwardly smiling, claiming she had been listening well to everything I had explained until now, I felt betrayed even though I hadn’t been betrayed.
Even if she shows such a reaction now, I have no intention whatsoever of explaining alchemy to her.
The bus has already passed.
In other words, it’s useless to regret and cling to it now.
“We’ve arrived.”
Fern isn’t that far.
Of course.
I heard that Fern is usually a town for levels 10 to 20.
Most towns in this area are like that, but if you had to name the largest city among them, it would be Fern.
Due to its location, it has the grand epithet of “City of Opportunity” and is said to be a city where numerous merchants and adventurers flourish.
“This game doesn’t have what you’d call a main quest. I heard that when specific events occur, quests derive from there. Looking at it this way, doesn’t it feel like a real adventure?”
“Ah, yes…”
She was smiling happily, saying she really liked this aspect.
Honestly, from the perspective of someone who has lived in such a world, it doesn’t feel entirely pleasant.
“So… are you really not going to teach me?”
She had been showing signs all along, but I had been ignoring her because I couldn’t erase the feeling of resentment.
“Thank you for bringing me this far.”
“There’s no need to thank me. Of course, other users might say they’re too busy leveling up to guide someone, but… I’ve always enjoyed playing the game this way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have approached you earlier.”
She seems to be someone who genuinely enjoys the game.
Thinking I had met a good connection, I was about to quickly make my way to the adventurer’s guild, but…
“Alchemy… Tabula Smaragdina…”
The moment I heard those muttered words, I unconsciously turned my head to look at Mae.
She was somehow looking at me with a smile.
“I only mentioned it slightly, but I didn’t expect such an immediate reaction. Huhu…”
“… Did you know?”
“Of course I didn’t know at first. But seeing how you kept insisting it was alchemy and used a form of magic I’ve never seen before to kill goblins in one hit at level 1, wouldn’t it be natural to be suspicious?”
“Hmm…”
That was… true.
“I didn’t intend to hide it, but it seems I was being too obvious.”
“For someone who says they had no intention of hiding it, the announcement went up as private? Usually, people who develop unique magic set it to public and research.”
She added that this is to increase recognition.
“Weren’t you just full of intentions to hide it?”
“It wasn’t particularly intentional. I didn’t even know such a thing existed… above all, this isn’t magic, I’m telling you.”
I’m already dying of injustice for being called unique magic.
“Hm? Is that so? Right now, people already think it’s magic and are in the middle of analyzing what kind of magic it is.”
“What?”
What’s that all about all of a sudden…?
“Go check the forum. They’re probably still talking about Ms. Silvia’s unique magic.”
“…”
I need to check.
I can’t forgive this being called magic, if nothing else.
“Um… this is also a connection, so maybe a friend request…”
“Thank you. Then I’ll be…”
“Ah… being ignored…”
Right now, checking the forum was more important.
Quickly escaping from her, I headed toward the alchemy branch of the adventurer’s guild while opening the window to check the forum.
And,
[Unique Magic: Tabula Smaragdina Analysis.txt]
[So who made it?]
[Is there still no information uploaded to the World Magic Association?]
I was shocked.
Because everyone was thinking of alchemy as magic.