The well-Balanced Yamamoto-san Gets Caught up in a Death Game

Chapter 8

The next day…

I thought that after sleeping on it for a night and waking up, the problem might have been resolved, but seeing that the logout button hadn’t been restored, I understood the situation.

The World Chat, where anyone could write messages, seemed to be in chaos since yesterday. Seeing the terrible insults flying around, I decided to stop looking.

Yeah, you could say I gave up.

For now, I’m thinking of treating this as a forced vacation and trying to enjoy the game.

Well, eventually, someone will probably figure out how to beat the game.

Me? I’m in a production profession, so I won’t be on the front lines of game clearing. Nope, not at all. Rather, I’d refuse even if asked. I’m not okay with pain.

“Good morning. I’m heading out.” “Okay, have a good day!”

After informing the serving girl from yesterday that I’m going out, I head towards the Commerce Guild today.

I want to get my ID made early, considering the temporary entry permit issue. Also, after paying for five days of lodging, my funds are quite tight. I’m in the mood to earn a little money.

I pass through winding alleys to reach the main street.

From there, I first look for the Adventurers’ Guild.

In VRMMORPGs, it’s common sense to group similar facilities in the same area for user convenience. This layout has become even more prominent since players started walking on their own feet, hasn’t it?

“Oh, it’s you.”

While wandering around the main street, I was spotted not by an NPC, but by Instructor Lilica. I should at least greet her.

“It’s been since yesterday, Instructor Lilica.” “That’s an interesting greeting. And drop the ‘Instructor.’ That was just a job I took for rank assessment. Now I’m Lilica, a B-rank adventurer.”

She says this with a shrug.

She’s still wearing that risqué outfit, something like a leather high-leg leotard, but no one seems to pay it any attention.

Apparently, among the diverse demon races, a high-leg outfit isn’t enough to stand out.

Well, it’s still embarrassing enough that I can’t look directly at her…

“So? Have you finally come to register as an adventurer at the Adventurers’ Guild today?” “No, I’m looking for the Commerce Guild. I was lost.” “Hmm, the Commerce Guild is across the street. Look for the sign with a potion and a bag.” “Ah, thank you very much.”

Yesterday she tried to recruit me somewhat forcefully, so I felt a bit uncomfortable around her. But talking like this, she seems like a nice person. Maybe I misunderstood her a bit.

After thanking her, she even advised me, “There’s a map of the town posted at the Adventurers’ Guild for errand quests. If you’re lost, you should come take a look.”

Hmm, is this an indirect invitation?

For now, I thank her and start walking towards the pin stuck in the black-painted map.

The auto-mapping function brightens the areas I’ve walked through, but I wonder if checking the map in advance would brighten up the entire town area?

Still, given yesterday’s events, it’s a bit uncomfortable to enter the Adventurers’ Guild right now.

“Oh, is this it?”

While I was lost in thought, I somehow arrived at the Commerce Guild.

The sign shows stacked bags and an upright potion bottle. If I trust Lilica’s words, this should be the place.

“Excuse me!”

Opening the old-fashioned door, I find the interior furnished with a chic bar counter and high-legged round tables with round chairs.

The ceiling is high, with hanging fans spinning, giving the impression of being in a Central or South American tavern.

Perhaps it functions as a tavern normally.

“Oh, a customer?”

I was greeted by a Lamia woman whose chest was so large it seemed about to burst. Even bigger than mine…

Not that I’m trying to compete or anything!

This woman looks at me from behind the counter, adjusting her monocle.

“What brings you here today?” “Um, I’d like to register with the Commerce Guild.” “Eh? Ah, hmm, registration… Registration, huh…”

Huh? Can’t anyone register?

Her reaction doesn’t seem very positive.

“Is there a problem?” “Well… It might be quicker to show you rather than explain.”

Saying that, the woman brings out five or six glass vials that look like test tubes.

These are probably potions, right?

It’s my first time seeing them in person, but they match the ones drawn on the guild’s sign, so I’m pretty sure.

But what about these… Hm? Hmmmm?

“Aren’t all these potions different colors?” “That’s right. But according to [Appraisal], they’re all [Basic Potions]. It’s quite troublesome.”

As I couldn’t quite grasp the situation, I asked the woman for more details. Apparently:

Yesterday, they received an order for a set of ten basic potions, and a new guild member took the job.
When checking the delivered items, they found the quality was inconsistent, making it impossible to sell as a set to tool shops. So the request was deemed a failure.
The newcomer protested but wasn’t accepted.
The newcomer then accepted every available guild request and disappeared. ← They’re at this point now.

“Isn’t that like sabotage, accepting requests and then vanishing?” “That’s right. I warned them it was too much for one person to handle, but they wouldn’t listen…”

Well, if the goal was sabotage, they wouldn’t care about successfully completing the requests.

They’d just accept as many as possible.

“Wouldn’t it be better to mark the requests as failed if nothing is completed after two days? It must be disrupting your operations here.” “You’re right. It’s not fair to people coming here looking for work either. Maybe we should do that~”

What a laid-back person…

I wonder if the Commerce Guild can function like this?

“So, in the end, you’re being cautious about accepting new guild members because of that newcomer’s bad attitude?” “The attitude isn’t really the issue. We have plenty of members with bad attitudes and foul mouths. The problem is the [Basic Potions] that were delivered. If we distribute items with such varying quality, it could become a matter of the Commerce Guild’s credibility. The higher-ups are furious about it… And they’re also angry at the newcomer for complaining without understanding this.”

So it’s about trust being paramount in business.

For players who were thinking of doing light production in-game, they might not have understood this aspect.

“Now that I’ve heard this explanation, couldn’t I register with the promise to be careful about quality?” “Words are easy to say. It might be too weak to convince the higher-ups~” “But if you keep saying that, no one will be able to register, right?” “Well, we’re not so short-staffed that we desperately need newcomers. So we’re thinking it might be okay to suspend registrations for a while…”

This is not good. I don’t think I can break through in this direction.

“Um, you keep mentioning ‘higher-ups’, but don’t you have the authority, miss?” “I’m actually the deputy guild master, but… I’m in a weak position, being left to mind the store like this. I’m sorry~”

No, that sounds like a very strong position to me.

Rather, it feels like the deputy guild master herself has come out to act as a barrier, preventing half-hearted registrations, doesn’t it?

I guess the correct approach here is to persuade her.

“I have [Compounding], [Blacksmithing], and [Alchemy] skills. Is that still not enough?” “……. Even if I use [Appraisal]?” “Yes, go ahead.”

▶ You were [Appraised] by Milene. ▶ You did not resist the [Appraisal].

▶ [Balance] has activated. Returning the [Appraisal].

▶ [Appraisal] was successful.

[Appraisal Monocle] A monocle that can appraise people and objects.

………

Wait, [Balance] skill, what are you doing!?

“? Is something wrong?” “No, it’s nothing……”

Fortunately, Milene doesn’t seem to have noticed. … Maybe because it returned the appraisal on an object?

However, this skill is too inconvenient, activating on its own!

“This is… Quite…”

Milene mutters.

…Quite what? I wonder.

“I understand. Well then, if you can make and bring ten potions of consistent quality, I’ll approve your guild membership!”

Whoa, suddenly the path of a production profession has opened up!?

Great!

“We’ll provide the materials, so please do your best, okay?”

▶ Quest: A request from Milene has been generated. ▶ Please deliver 1 set (10 bottles) of [Basic Potion]. ▶ Time limit: 5 days left

▶ Received 15 herbs from Milene. ▶ Received 15 water from Milene. ▶ Received 15 empty bottles from Milene.

“Huh? There’s enough for 15 bottles?” “I don’t expect you to succeed right away. So, please use the extra materials to adjust. If there’s any left over, you can use them as you like. Just make sure the quality is consistent, okay? If it’s too concentrated, the taste will be too harsh and

“…undrinkable, and if it’s too diluted, the effect is weakened. So, please make ten bottles of just the right concentration.” “Can I get a sample of this ‘just right’ concentration?” “Sure. You can return it later, or deliver eleven bottles instead. …Oh, and there’s a compounding room at the back of the guild. Feel free to use the equipment there. The instructions are also written there, so please refer to them.”

And so, I received a sample potion and headed to the back of the guild.

There was also an alchemy room at the back of the guild, but no room suitable for blacksmithing. I guess if I want to do blacksmithing, I’ll have to go to a specialized place?

“So this is the compounding room.”

The compounding room had equipment called a basic compounding set. It seems you can’t use the [Compounding] skill itself without this.

“I wonder if this equipment is sold somewhere? I guess I’ll have to buy it eventually.”

Ideally, I’d like a facility where I can do [Blacksmithing], [Alchemy], and [Compounding] all together.

If that’s difficult, I might have to buy land, build a building, and make it myself, but the funding for that seems quite challenging…

Well, putting aside these worldly concerns, let’s make some potions.

“Let’s see… What’s this? ‘How to Make Potions Even a Goblin Can Understand’? What a title!”

Reading the book in the compounding room, I found information that wasn’t explained by the [Compounding] skill alone.

Apparently, using the [Compounding] skill can create potions instantly, but the quality tends to be low. The book says that while your [Compounding] level is low, it’s better to do the process manually for higher quality.

So, let’s try doing it by hand, step by step.

First, crush the herbs in a mortar.

Grind, grind~

Then, put the crushed herbs into a beaker with water and heat it with a burner-like device.

This tripod with a wire mesh is nostalgic~

When the green liquid boils, turn off the heat, filter it, and fill an empty bottle. That’s it.

“Hmm. The color is dark…”

Comparing it to the sample, it’s too dark.

It was supposed to taste harsh, right? I definitely don’t feel like tasting it. But it would be a waste, so I’ll keep it for now.

“Was the cause that I took it off the fire too late after it started boiling?”

As the water temperature gradually rises, the color in the beaker changes from light green to dark green. It seems the perfect timing is right when it’s about to boil, or just starting to.

“I should probably measure the water too, right? And time it…”

The boiling timing probably differs depending on the amount of water, so I decide to measure everything precisely.

I can leave the burner on. It’s not like I’ll be billed for it. More importantly, I want to keep the flame intensity constant.

“Okay, so 500cc of water without herbs boils in 27 seconds… So if I remove the beaker at about 26 seconds, it should be fine?”

With that, I prepare everything and start the real attempt.

“It’s done.”

Using the system’s stopwatch, I timed it precisely, and easily made a potion identical to the sample.

“It was pretty easy, but I wonder if that new person who failed did it by feel?”

Trusting their intuition and internal clock without timing the boiling point, thinking “Now!”? If you do it that way, of course you’d end up with inconsistent quality.

Even though I timed everything carefully, three out of ten still ended up as failures, either too concentrated or too diluted. This happens if you misjudge the boiling timing even slightly. I’m glad I got extra materials—or so I was thinking when…

▶ [Balance] has activated.

Equalizing the quality of [Basic Potions].

“Eh…?”

When I checked, even the potions that should have been failures had all been replaced with successful ones.

“……”

Game developers.

In a world where such cheat skills are rampant, a death game is really impossible, you know? It’s not too late to change course.

Maybe you should hurry up and prostrate yourselves, and prepare some compensation gifts?