Sumir quickly stashed the [Tree Spirit Essence] into his backpack and stepped out of the station restroom.
He boarded the subway, but at every stop, Sumir would get off, sprint to the nearest restroom, and scour for small packets of free hand sanitizer, stuffing his pockets to the brim.
"Arriving at Ruhr Area."
"Passengers exiting, please prepare to disembark…"
The soft voice of the station announcer echoed through the car. As Sumir exited the station, a group of men in matching uniforms sped past him. The nearby civilians, upon seeing them, paled and quickly backed away.
"Members of the Evergreen Guild?"
Sumir also stepped aside quietly. Joining a guild was a mark of being an official player at the very least. These guys looked sour and in a foul mood—who'd dare cross them? If they killed you, it wouldn't even count!
"Who the hell cleaned out all the hand sanitizer in the restrooms?!"
"Damn it! When I was wiping just now, I accidentally tore the paper!"
"Are you kidding me? Broke enough to steal all the hand sanitizer? Not even leaving one behind?! Screw that!"
"If I catch them, they're dead meat…"
Sumir: "…"
Pretending not to hear, he hurried away. After navigating a maze of subway corridors, he returned to his home—a small shack nestled in an abandoned junkyard.
The area reeked of strange odors, but the rent was dirt cheap: only 500 dollars a month. Sumir could afford it.
He tidied up his room a little, grabbed a bag of trash, tossed it outside, and slammed the door shut behind him. Feeling a mix of nervous excitement, he pulled up the synthesis bar again. Before he could start, his phone buzzed with a notification.
Beep-beep!
A message popped up from his contact labeled "Medis Sis":
[Sumir, same place as usual—Club, 3rd floor, Room 13.]
Another was a mass text from the "Lone Wolf Club":
[Today's Job List—
Taylor Squad: Seeking one logistics staff, must partially act as a tank. 1,500 dollars.
Ford Squad: Seeking two logistics staff, no special requirements. 1,000 dollars.]
Ignoring the mass text, Sumir replied to Medis Sis:
[Something came up today. I might be a bit late.]
[Alright, I'll wait for you in the room.]
He put down his phone and felt a slight heat rising in his chest.
"With the synthesis bar, I shouldn't need to take gigs anymore. But as for Medis Sis, I still have to go."
The Lone Wolf Club was where Sumir worked part-time to support himself during college. He had taken on a support worker, assisting wealthy kids on their dungeon raids. Each job paid between 800 and 1,500 dollars.
On average, if he managed to land two jobs a month, he could cover rent and have enough left for food and other necessities. Over the past year, Sumir had saved up over 20,000 dollars.
However, he still lived frugally. Firstly, getting two gigs a month wasn't easy—there were way more applicants than jobs, and competition for support workers was fierce. Secondly, even if he earned money as a support worker, paying off his student loans from the Player Training Institute seemed like an impossible dream.
"Thankfully, the cheat loaded successfully. Otherwise, if I couldn't pay off my loans within two years after graduation, I'd have to follow the guild into the wild and become cannon fodder."
"That's a 'great job' with a death rate of 79% per year!"
At this point, Sumir felt a bit of fear creeping in.
In this life, he was born in an orphanage, raised by the government, with the condition that he had to join the Player Training Institute...
Becoming a player wasn't too bad—it meant he could easily pay off his student loans. But if he couldn't become a player and couldn't pay off over 100,000 dollars in loans, he'd have to become cannon fodder for the major guilds.
On Earth now, the wilderness covered more than fifty times the area of cities, and new monster dungeons were constantly appearing. Exploring these areas required large numbers of lives to be sacrificed.
The lives of ordinary people weren't nearly as useful as those of professional cannon fodder, who had received special training from the institutions.
In a month's time, the player assessment in the institution would determine who would make it and who wouldn't. For Sumir, not becoming a player meant... certain death!
"But now I have a chance."
He walked over to the wooden bed in his room and reached under it, rummaging around for a while before pulling out a small box.
When he opened it, there were eight bottles of sparkling potion inside.
"Medis Sis gives me one bottle of Physical Enhancement Diluent every month. After eight months, this is all I've managed to save…"
"Please, synthesis bar, don't let me down!"
Sumir's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
One bottle of Physical Enhancement Diluent could sell for 5,000 dollars!
And it was in high demand!
As a commoner, Sumir didn't even have access to a purchasing channel.
This potion could slightly enhance physical attributes, with the effect varying depending on the person's physique.
But the first time it was used, it could unlock the full potential of the body.
Sumir hadn't used any yet, because he felt the chances of becoming a player were too slim. He wanted to find a chance to sell the Physical Enhancement Diluent on the black market to pay off some of his student loans.
But now, with the synthesis bar, he had a bold new idea.
Sumir dragged two bottles of the potion into the empty slot of the synthesis bar, and immediately, the properties of the potions appeared.
[Physical Enhancement Diluent]
Description: A special potion crafted from various herbal ingredients and the blood of a wild creature known as the "Wasteland Wolf." When consumed, it permanently enhances physical attributes but causes serious damage to the kidneys and liver.
Ingredients: Wasteland Wolf Blood, Wood Blossom, Firefruit…
[Synthesis? Yes/No?]
"Seems like it works!"
Sumir was quite pleased, but when he looked at the description of the Physical Enhancement Diluent, his expression shifted. This thing actually caused serious harm to the body?
But the official channels never mentioned this side effect!
Still... even if there were side effects, who cared? A little physical damage was worth it if it meant becoming a player.
Sumir shook his head and shifted his focus.
He couldn't help but think…
How powerful is this synthesis bar? It can even break down the potion's formula?
Sumir marveled to himself, but even though it could break down the formula, it was useless.
This potion was made in a lab, requiring precise measurements and sophisticated equipment. Just knowing the formula wouldn't help him make it.
"Synthesize them."
He silently recited to himself.
With a flash of light, a new potion appeared in Sumir's hand.
[Physical Enhancement Fluid: A refined and improved version of the potion that enhances physical attributes, with some side effects that damage bone marrow production and kidney function...]
"It worked!"
Sumir swallowed nervously, his body a little stiff.
Although he suspected the synthesis bar would work, he was still anxious! If he lost two bottles of Physical Enhancement Diluent, he wouldn't be able to afford it!
Excited, Sumir held the enhancement liquid up to his nose, gently waving it through the air. He could smell a strong medicinal fragrance, which cleared his mind and made him feel invigorated.
"This new item definitely has a stronger enhancement effect than the diluted Physical Enhancement Diluent!"
He silently cheered.
In his excitement, Sumir quickly completed another synthesis and produced a second bottle of physical enhancement fluid.
Next, he placed both bottles of physical enhancement liquid into the synthesis bar.
"Synthesize them!"
His eyes were filled with expectation. As the golden light flashed, a liquid container with a gemstone-like structure appeared in Sumir's palm.
The container's shell was exquisitely crafted, resembling a work of art, while the liquid inside was as clear as water.
[Physical Enhancement Solvent: A top-tier crafted enhancement potion, produced using a variety of rare medicinal herbs and 16 types of monster blood, perfectly adapted for humans. It significantly enhances physical attributes with minimal side effects.]
"It still can be upgraded!"
Sumir's heart raced.
The next step was clear. He used four bottles of Physical Enhancement Diluent to synthesize another Physical Enhancement Solvent, then placed the two amplification solvents into the synthesis bar.
"Synthesize them!"
Sumir's face tensed with anticipation.
[Synthesis Successful!]
With a prompt sound, a flash of golden light appeared, followed by a shimmering rainbow flame burning above the gold.
[Congratulations! You've triggered a Superior Synthesis! The item gains enhanced attributes!]
The synthesis bar then displayed more detailed information.
[10% chance to trigger Superior Synthesis, which adds enhanced effects to the synthesized item.]
[1% chance to trigger Special Synthesis, which may create a stronger effect, but with potential mutations. Items of the same type are likely to mutate in the same direction.]
[0.1% chance to trigger Advanced Synthesis, significantly improving the quality of the item.]
Wait…
So, this means...
So, this time the product synthesized is even more powerful than the one synthesized from the two Physical Enhancement Solvents?!
Sumir was ecstatic!
Unable to contain his excitement, he reached out and grabbed the item from the flashing panel, now glowing with both rainbow and golden light.
Immediately, a message popped up in front of Sumir's eyes.
As soon as the item was taken out, the air around him was filled with a strange fragrance!