I loved Circus.
My dream was to become a world renowned Clown.
Seeing others smile made me happy. Maybe that was the reason. I went against my parents' wishes and chose the circus as my career path.
They didn't support me.
I was kicked out of the family.
It just made me work harder. I wanted to show my parents that my dream wasn't childish.
But I failed.
My dream wasn't realistic.
In the end, I worked part-time jobs to support myself.
Wake up.
Eat
Part-time job.
Eat.
Part-time job.
Sleep.
Wake up.
I stopped smiling before long. I couldn't do it even if I tried.
I was going crazy. There was no joy in my life. Just constant repetition, like a zombie waiting for its end.
Then I found [Destiny Fall].
I planned to stop playing after a few tries. But I got hooked.
The game's narrative, characters, lore, and combat. Everything about it was addicting.
It was around then I noticed [Merryman].
A third-rate villain who was the bodyguard of a heroine.
He was a goofy character with no redeemable features. He was a villain, lacked combat skills, and was unreliable.
I couldn't take my eyes off him. Merryman was a [Clown].
He would die in every route in the game.
Killed by his boss, killed by the heroine he was protecting, discovered and killed by the academy, killed by monsters, killed by the metahumans.
His fate was more tragic than the protagonist in more ways than one. But he never stopped smiling.
I was envious of his tenacity.
I wanted to be like him.
…I saw myself in him.
There was only one reason I played the game for 10 years. To find a route where Merryman didn't die and lived happily ever after.
"And now I'm him."
Fate truly loved irony.
I erased those thoughts to focus on the task at hand.
Tingle!
I opened the door and entered the potioneering shop 'Gazi Green'.
Gazi Green was a run down potioneering shop in a narrow alley on Planet Falco. For now, at least.
This place would help me increase my Power Level.
"Hello, dear customer. What can I do for you today?" The red-haired, freckled beauty spoke from behind the counter.
She was a head smaller than me and wore a dirtied lab coat that didn't do much to hide her attractive figure.
I walked up to her while running my finger on the desks.
My finger got covered in dust.
The condition of the shop was worse than in the game, perhaps due to differences in visual quality.
"I'm here to rent a potioneering room." I spoke with a slight smile.
The girl frowned.
"Are you an Apprentice Potioneer?" She asked with a hint of doubt.
"No."
Potioneer were people who created potions.
The potions could help with increasing training efficiency, temporary stat boost, healing, and much more.
As a production job, Potioneering earned thick cash. It wasn't rare to see upstarts trying their hand at potion making.
However, it was anything but easy.
My answer caused Sarah's frown to grow deeper.
Sarah wasn't very enthused to rent the shop.
Accidents were common during the potion creation process. If this dilapidated shop was damaged anymore, she would be forced to close for eternity.
After all, she did not had the money to repair it.
Her frown made my mischievous side bubble up. I wanted to tease her more.
I sent her 50,000 Coins through the intercom.
"...What are you doing?" Her annoyed expression collapsed instantly.
"I want to rent the shop for one month."
"...But one month's rent is 10,000 Coins."
"Hehe, the rest is a security deposit in case I cause some accident."
I could tell that Sarah was barely holding back from agreeing. She tried to make sure that I wasn't a scam.
"I can't allow this. If you are trying to create drugs, then—"
"Woah, woah, that's an amazing imagination, but I have to disagree. The security deposit is to show my sincerity, because your expression was saying that you would punch me if I didn't leave soon."
She blushed as if she was caught red-handed.
"Even so, 50,000 Coins is a bit too much…"
Despite saying so, Sarah made no gesture of returning the money.
I suppressed my laughter and spoke.
"Shall we make a bet then? What do you think about my potion making skill?"
"They are shi— err, lacking. You are too young to be Master Potioneer and you said you aren't an apprentice. I feel like this this your first time creating a potion."
I nodded.
She was technically correct.
"Then if I can create an exotic potion within one month, you can do me a favor. If not, you can have that security money. Ah, I won't ask for a ridiculous favor, so no need to worry."
Although I spoke with a smile, just the possibility of losing my money made me tremble.
Sarah gave me a long look before answering.
"...Okay."
I pumped my fists inwardly.
Sarah had good instincts for business. In future she would make Gazi Green into a business empire.
I didn't want to ask for any big favor from her. All I wanted was to be her friend while she was still a struggling upstart.
After knowing her better, perhaps becoming her best friend, I planned to leech off her in the future!
It was my perfect plan.
Just the thought of that made my smile bigger. This was the start of my easy life!
…
Exotic potions were rare types of potions that could permanently increase stats.
However, creating them was anything but easy.
An Apprentice Potioneer had to create one Exotic Potion to pass the promotion test for Master Potioneer rank.
A Master Potioneer was a respected figure who carried the same authority as an Earl ranked noble in any Galactic kingdom. There were less than one thousand Earls in the Moretti Galactic Kingdom, which had a population of several thousand quadrillion citizens!
This alone proved how difficult it was to create an Exotic Potion.
"Hah," Sarah snorted as she saw Zain.
The boy said he could create an Exotic Potion?
Then she was a Queen of the Moretti Kingdom!
"But why did he made a loosing bet..." Her words trailed off. She recalled what he had asked for a reward.
A favor.
Sarah's face twisted into a knot.
Sarah knew she was beautiful. If she had to exaggerate a bit, she was a head turner. People would turn twice to take a good look at her whenever she went.
She would have laughed at Zain's childish attempts to get close to her — if it was a normal situation.
He reminded her of her brother.
The bastard brother of her was a skirt chaser. He spent all of the house's money on the girls. Their household was on the verge of bankruptcy because of him!
Zain had the same frivolous smile as her playboy brother. He was also loose with money.
Sarah imagined her brother alongside Zain. The more she thought the more similar they appeared.
'That bastard is missing again. He probably found his 61st true love.'
Sarah gritted her teeth, recalling the note her brother left before he disappeared last night.
She decided to kick out Zain without any mercy after he failed his bet.
"Of course, I won't return the security deposit either." The corner of her lips rose into a wicked grin.
She hoped that a month would pass quickly.
...
'Isn't she glaring too much?'
Sarah's gaze was so intense that it could drill a hole in my back.
I realized my mistake.
She must have misunderstood my intentions.
In the game, Sarah thought of Ezio as an upright and kind individual. It was the same in every route.
But I was being compared to her brother, a skirt chaser.
'If she thinks I'm a playboy, then I must have the looks for it!'
I wasn't ugly! The zero charm was a bug!
Ahem, why am I getting happy for being insulted.
"You can use this room." Sarah showed me to the backroom inside the shop.
The room wasn't very big, had a low ceiling and bad ventilation. It reminded me of my cheap apartment where I lived for a long time.
The familiar feeling helped me relax.
No matter how cheerful I seemed with Sarah, my personality was the exact opposite.
I acted jolly to leave a bright impression on Sarah for our first meeting.
As a Clown, I was a master in acting. It wasn't hard to fake a bright personality, more so with my Eternal Smile disposition.
Glass flasks, beakers, and graduated cylinders were meticulously arranged on the steel desks that lined the lab.
On the left side, Sarah had stored some common herbs. I could call her if I needed other types of materials as per the agreement. The cost of extra materials would be charged later.
I calmed my breathing and focused.
It was dangerous for me to fight monsters with my current Power Level. Even a newborn was stronger than me.
I turned to a safer method to grow stronger.
Training.
It was an inefficient method that only worked for Grade 1 Power Level. Anything higher and the returns wouldn't match the efforts.
There was another problem.
Increasing the Power Level from 1.56 to 6 in a month was impossible through training alone.
But it was perfect for me.
I was Grade 1 and I could increase the efficiency of Training With Potions.
Specifically, potions that increase the effect of training by 10 times.
I checked the materials stored in the room and made a note of everything I needed.
"Dragon Lavender, Silk Grass, Thorn Needle, Black Lotus, Glass Hair, Shard Of World Seed."
Since I was going to create a beginner level potion that affected only Grade 1 metahumans, the process wasn't difficult and the materials were easy to gather.
"Everything is here except for monster cores."