For now Ivan had one clear goal, and that was to secure his own life before anything else. Now in order to reach a goal one must first make smaller more attainable goals that would eventually lead to their grander goal.
That way they would have a clear path and know what they must do.
Now why is this relevant? Well, that's because currently Ivan had a decision to make before his time ran out.
As a soldier from another world great expectations were held for him. And similar to a kid who wants to play with new toys they got for Christmas, Ivan knew it was an inevitability that the Kingdom and Holy Church would send them out to fight for their lives sometime soon.
That's why it is imperative for Ivan to prove he is a force more beneficial within the safety of the Kingdom rather than out on the battlefield.
He is afterall a studious type of person, forget going out on a quest to slaughter a civilization of beings born more powerful than an adult male, he wouldn't even help the kid who sat next him from getting bullied.
Ivan is someone who seeks a peaceful life indulging in his favorite pastime, alchemy. Although, if you were to ask him how good he was in a fight, he'd say he wouldn't lose to anyone.
If Ivan were to estimate how long he'd have before he and his merry band of heroes were to be deployed onto a battlefield for training, then he'd estimate somewhere from two weeks to a month at most.
And he wasn't one to shy away from free stuff, so without any shame Ivan went ahead and demanded a list of items he'd need to produce products of his class. Captain Meld was baffled as to why he needed at least one of every herb and mushroom the kingdom could get their hands on, but after explaining the very basics of his job he complied in no time, sending that very same list to the king for approval.
Now having been 'reborn' into this new world as an 'Alchemist' Ivan was imbued with some basic information as to how his job works.
"Delivery for Ivan Korei!" A loud banging on his door was followed by an equally loud voice. Ivan opened the door to be greeted by a middle-aged man pushing two large crates on a trolley cart you'd see in a Home Depot.
"Ah, thank you so much sir! I didn't think they'd be able to deliver it in less than a day." Ivan spoke to the man courteously with a small smile hanging from his lips as he reached out to shake the deliverer's hand.
"No need for the thanks, young man, I'm just doing my job.Besides, it ain't very often that you get to meet a hero!" The man accepted his gesture gleefully, all the while laughing at his luck at having met a disciple of 'god.'
"No no no, I insist on showing you how grateful I am. Please, take this tip and get yourself something nice. As a hero it is my duty to help those in need, and as you have helped me it is only natural that I must thank you." Ivan separated himself from the man and handed him a small bag of Luta, this world's currency.
"Ah, thank you so much, hero! May Lord Ehit protect you, and may you have a blessed day." Bowing quickly to show his gratitude, the deliverer left all the while thinking of the things he could buy just from this tip alone. 'Lord please allow me to deliver for this young man again,' he thought to himself.
Closing the door behind him after pushing in the cart, Ivan wondered if he had made the right decision. Sure that was money given to him by the kingdom, and yeah while the kingdom has promised to pay for living expenses and training gear it wouldn't be too bad to have some extra currency just in case of emergencies.
'However, if that was enough to earn a favor from that guy in the future then maybe it was worth it after all.' For his plan of attaining his freedom back Ivan would need a little help, and who better to get some help from than someone whose job it is to enter and leave the city all day long.
'Now, let's get to work!' Clasping his hands together, Ivan looked at the crate of items within the crates and observed their contents.
His eyes gleamed green and soon after a small intangible screen appeared before his eyes.
Alrue Herb: Can heal small wounds and common illnesses when digested. Create into an elixir for a greater effect. (Maturity: Grown)
While this world did indeed possess things typically found in an rpg such as healing potions and stamina potions, Ivan couldn't help but notice they lacked the effect displayed in such medias, only being capable of healing minor wounds or turning someone from 'extremely tired to 'let me catch my breath, I'll catch up in a minute.'
And so extracting the herb from the crate, he alongside pulled out some glass bottles he ordered. Filling the bottles with water he brought from a well, Ivan returned to his room and placed a bottle right next to the herb on a table.
'It's showtime!'
A thin wisp of gray danced on Ivan's fingertips, though not yet at a level of Mana Manipulation, what Ivan displayed in his control of mana was far greater than most mages.
If controlling one's mana was attributed to one's concentration and focus, then Ivan as a researcher was to be considered a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will. After all, how could he not be after spending years researching and never giving up despite making zero progress.
The items on the table were slowly lifted into the air as if hoisted by invisible ropes, slowly but surely they spun around each other over and over all the while gaining speed each full rotation.
It wasn't until the items became a blur that they were slowly attracted to each other before they merged into one.
SHIIING
"Argh!" Covering his eyes to shield himself from the bright light that shone from his result, Ivan looked back down at the table to see a bottle full of liquid with a dark red hue.
In inaudible excitement he quickly used his 'Elixir Appraisal' to reveal the effects of his first potion.
Potion of Moderate Healing: Can heal moderate wounds such as lacerations and broken bones, effective against common diseases. (Warning: the pain from wounds will not dissipate from consumption)
"It's a success!" His first ever potion had been a success, Ivan yelled at the top of his lungs in celebration. After years of no results in his world he was ecstatic at finally having done something fitting to his occupation.
'-but wait!' Calming down at his first success, Ivan immediately thought of using another skill of his, a skill that as of now did not seem too effective but he knew if it can be upgraded will raise the value of his work.
Holding the potion in his hands, Ivan slowly directed it to his chest, where he held it for a moment with his eyes closed.
PHOOM
A thick fog engulfed both Ivan and the potion before silently dissipating. Looking down at the potion held to his chest he noticed it turned from a dark red hue to a light violet. Once again he used his 'Elixir Appraisal' in hopes of seeing something new.
Potion of Moderate Healing +: Can heal moderate wounds such as lacerations and broken bones, effective against all diseases (Clears pain immediately)
While not exactly the 'Greater Healing Potion' he was expecting, this was still a great advancement.
"Mwhahahaha! It's perfect. THIS! This is exactly what I needed to prove my worth."
Though it was only one of his creation, Ivan was sure he had plenty of other valuable recipes that came along with the other info that came with his job.
Such as 'Encyclopedia' it's a skill which keeps track of the ingredients he's used, what effects they have, and what potions they could be used for, Essentially it is a notebook that writes its own notes, just by thinking of the potion he wants to make his brain will select ingredients he knows of from his memory and teach him how to create said potion.
You can think of it as a crafting table. As long as you have one of the ingredients it'll show you what you can make with it.
Reveling in his momentary success, Ivan calmed himself down and remembered that xp is gained from honing his skills, not slaying monsters. Pulling out his status plate, he observed the numbers displayed for any changes.
Ivan Korei Age: 17
Male Level: 1
Job: Alchemist
Strength: 30
Vitality: 80
Defense: 70
Agility: 30
Magic: 210
Magic Defense: 150
Skills: Language Comprehension - Mixing - Plant Appraisal - Elixir Appraisal - Transmutation - Increased Mixing Speed - Increased Transmutation Speed - Forager - Cat's Eye - Encyclopedia - Auto Harvesting - Fast Learner - Fast Reader - Herbalist - Wakeful - Increased Mana Recovery
His magic stat had increased by a staggering 10 points! This was phenomenal as he estimated he'd be able to create 20 potions before completely emptying his mana reserves. That means so long as he does so diligently, he can boost his magic stat by 200 a day, that is of course assuming he earns the same amount of xp each time he makes the same potion.
'Hm…. Well the only way I can figure this out is with more tests.' Crafting another potion of Moderate Healing, Ivan observed his stats again, this time the magic stat only rose 3 points. Converting the potion into a + grade, it raised again by 2 points.
'I suppose that means the xp earned from making a potion is halved if it's one that's been made before. Well at least I know that enhancing a potion gives me xp.' Making a third potion, he found out that it's xp gain was halved again, even with enhancing the xp gained was not very substantial.
'This is going to take longer than I thought.'
But who was Ivan other than someone who spent years of research with no gain without ever giving up. Spending his whole days and nights brewing alchemical potions for that xp gain was something he saw as part of the process.
And it's not like it'd be a bad idea to stock up on some life saving potions in case of emergencies. His only worry is that the Kingdom will want to see where the resources they've given have been allocated to.
Though he intended to show off his results to the Kingdom in exchange for an abundance of resources and protection, he preferred if he could put it off until he has a more exciting stock of wares.
'Ah yes, something that'll really knock their socks off.'
Ivan predicted that he'll be under the scrutiny of the King and Pope Ishtar, so he'll have to work extra hard to impress them.
He also wants to make a point when that day comes, that point being that he is not just a potioneer. He is, after all, the Alchemist.