Chapter 53: The Prodigious Alchemist 1

“Kobi, how far away is the fire lizard’s nest from here?”

The moment Kent heard the words *fire lizard*, a low-level potion formula immediately appeared in his mind.

Coincidentally, the most important missing ingredient in that formula came from the leader of the fire lizards.

With that special ingredient, the potion would not only restore magical power but also recover a certain amount of spiritual energy.

The potions currently known on the continent were incomplete versions.

Without that ingredient, they could only accelerate the recovery of magical power.

The difference might sound small, but the meaning was completely different.

One restored magic.

The other merely made the recovery process faster.

With the missing ingredient added, the potion could instantly restore twenty percent of a mage’s magical power, and another ten percent could be recovered over the following five minutes.

Thirty percent of magical power might not sound like much.

But in a life-or-death battle, it was an absolutely precious amount.

Kobi glanced at Kent before answering.

“Several kilometers from here.

“But there are several hundred fire lizards living there. Their leader might have already reached Level Three.

“And besides... that place is not easy to enter.”

Kent naturally knew about fire lizards.

These magical beasts were about one meter long. They possessed tough scales, sharp claws, and razor-like teeth.

Most importantly, fire lizards could instantly cast Lesser Fireballs.

Their resistance to magic was extremely high.

Because they had lived near volcanoes for generations, their scales were constantly covered with layers of magma residue and volcanic ash, forming a natural armor.

For that reason, ordinary people rarely wanted to provoke them.

Although fire lizard skin was an excellent material for making leather armor, and could also be used to create fire-element magic scrolls, it was only suitable for low-level fire spells.

The material Kent wanted was something much rarer.

The leader of the fire lizards possessed a tiny horn growing from its head.

It was only slightly thicker than a thumb.

This horn was unique to fire lizard leaders.

In some ways, it was similar to deer antler.

The blood contained within the horn had special properties.

The blood of the fire lizard leader itself had a similar effect.

However, the potion made from ordinary fire lizard leader blood could only restore around twenty percent of magical power.

The problem was obvious.

To obtain the horn, one had to face the entire colony of fire lizards.

Hundreds of creatures capable of instantly firing Lesser Fireballs.

Who would willingly face such a thing?

Only large mercenary groups or powerful organizations would even consider attempting it.

“Ah... what a waste.”

After hearing Kobi’s explanation, Kent could only sigh.

Even he was not arrogant enough to believe he could fight an entire colony of fire lizards.

Still, losing such a valuable alchemical material was frustrating.

The two quickly began heading back.

Fire lizards were extremely sensitive to fluctuations in fire-element energy, and staying there any longer would only attract unnecessary danger.

Kobi noticed that Kent looked as though he had just lost a fortune.

Unable to understand his reaction, he asked,

“Kent, what exactly are you regretting?”

Kent sighed.

“Fire lizards are excellent materials for alchemy.

“The leather made from fire lizard skin isn’t just resistant to low-level fire magic. It also provides some resistance against intermediate fire spells.

“It has excellent physical defense as well.

“And because it retains heat, wearing fire lizard leather armor in a frozen wasteland would still keep you warm.

“If you embedded a fire-element magic core into it and engraved a magic array on the armor, the result would be even better.

“Also, the blood of a fire lizard leader can be used to make potions that restore fire-element magical power. It can even help recover battle aura...”

Kent continued speaking as he walked quickly.

But after a while, he suddenly noticed something strange.

Kobi was no longer beside him.

Kent turned around in confusion.

“Kobi? What’s wrong?”

Kobi stood there completely frozen.

“Al... alchemist?”

His voice trembled.

“You’re an alchemist?”

Kent stared at him.

Kobi’s mind was in complete shock.

It was not that alchemists did not exist in the Underdark.

They did.

But those few remaining alchemists lived on the second level of the Underdark, where powerful figures treated them with great respect and protection.

And every single one of them was old.

Extremely old.

They were all people who had lived for many decades, even longer.

How could there possibly be such a young alchemist?

Yet everything Kent had just said was far too detailed.

The uses of fire lizard leather.

The properties of the leader’s blood.

The method of making restoration potions.

Even the additional improvements involving magic cores and arrays.

Kobi wanted to doubt him.

But he simply could not.

In the end, he could only ask the question that had already formed in his mind.

“You really are an alchemist?”

“Yes, I am. Though I’m only a beginner alchemist...”

Kent had just started answering when he noticed Kobi’s strange reaction.

The dwarf suddenly turned around and ran.

“Wait... Kobi, where are you going?”

Kent stared at him in confusion.

Something about this situation felt wrong.

But before he could finish his sentence, Kobi had already disappeared like a gust of wind.

For a moment, Kent thought the fire lizards had caught up to them.

He quickly turned around.

Nothing.

There were no fire lizards chasing them.

With no other choice, Kent hurried after Kobi.

To be honest, Kent was also afraid.

A colony of hundreds of fire lizards was not something he wanted to face either.

So while running, he shouted after him.

“Kobi! Wait for me!”

---

“Little Kobi is acting strange today. He ran into the workshop so quickly.”

Near the forge, two dwarves responsible for transporting ore looked at Kobi as he rushed inside and exchanged puzzled glances.

“Normally, whenever he comes here, isn’t he always dragging his feet?”

His companion nodded.

“That’s right. He hates blacksmithing more than anything. Every single time he comes here, it’s because his father has to yell at him and force him inside.”

The first dwarf stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“He must have caused some kind of trouble. Otherwise, there’s no way he would willingly come here.”

“That makes sense.”

His companion nodded in agreement.

---

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Inside the forge, Tanis was still working.

He was repeatedly striking a piece of refined iron.

Once this final round of hammering was completed, the metal would transform into true refined steel.

Tanis worked with his upper body completely bare.

Large drops of sweat rolled down his muscular arms and fell onto the ground.

Every now and then, he took a drink from his wine flask.

For a dwarf blacksmith, drinking while forging was not only a pleasure—it also helped prevent dehydration from the intense heat of the forge.

Then suddenly—

Kobi rushed into the workshop.

From a distance, he saw his father still hammering away at the piece of refined iron.

Normally, Kobi hated this place.

The smell of sulfur, sweat, and burning metal mixed together into an unpleasant scent that always made him want to leave immediately.

But this time, the matter was too important.

He had no choice but to interrupt his father.

Kobi ran forward and grabbed Tanis by the arm.

“Father! Kent says he’s an alchemist!”

Tanis was completely focused on his work.

The sudden pull caught him off guard.

The heavy hammer in his hand nearly slipped and smashed into his own leg.

He turned around.

The moment he saw that it was Kobi, his anger exploded.

“You little brat! Are you looking for a beating—”

Then he suddenly froze.

“Wait... an alchemist?”

Tanis stared at him.

“Who is an alchemist?”

“It’s Kent,” Kobi hurriedly replied.

“The Kent who defeated me.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire workshop went silent.

The sound of hammering stopped.

The flames continued burning, but every dwarf inside had turned their attention toward Kobi.

“What happened?”

A deep voice suddenly sounded.

An old dwarf slowly walked over.

His beard was so long that it almost dragged along the ground.

He looked at Kobi with a slight frown.

Kobi immediately became nervous and quickly explained everything that had happened.

He described how Kent had identified the value of fire lizard materials, explained their uses, and even knew how to turn them into potions and equipment.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Kobi noticed something strange.

Everyone around him was breathing faster.

Their eyes had begun to glow with excitement.

It was almost as if they had suddenly discovered a mountain of treasure.

“Let’s go.”

The oldest dwarf slowly raised his head.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

“It’s only a group of fire lizards.”

“We’ll kill one first and let him prove whether he can really make those things.”

The moment he finished speaking, the entire workshop erupted into movement.

The sound of hammers being thrown aside echoed everywhere.

Some impatient dwarves released their battle aura immediately.

In the blink of an eye, several figures rushed out of the forge.

“Wait for me!”

Kobi stood there dumbfounded.

A moment ago, the entire workshop had been filled with dwarves.

Now, the enormous forge was almost completely empty.

Everyone had already run away.

Kobi hurried after them, shouting as he ran.

---

Kent watched helplessly as Kobi disappeared into the distance.

There were no fire lizards behind him, and no danger seemed to be approaching.

So instead of continuing to run, Kent stopped beside the lava river and began examining the surroundings.

The lava streams of the Underdark contained countless precious materials.

Mithril.

Adamantine.

Fire crystals.

And many other rare resources.

If he could collect even a small amount, they would be incredibly valuable.

However, before Kent could investigate further, several figures suddenly rushed toward him.

A group of dwarves surrounded him from every direction.

Their breathing was heavy, as if they had run here at full speed.

Kent was stunned.

“Uh... is there something wrong?”

One of the dwarves stepped forward.

His beard was so long that it almost touched the ground.

The old dwarf looked directly at Kent.

“Your name is Kent, correct?”

The moment he spoke, every dwarf around him turned their eyes toward Kent.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely serious.

Kent looked around.

The situation felt almost like a formal trial.

A group of dwarves surrounding him.

Serious expressions.

Questioning eyes.

For a moment, Kent almost considered denying everything.

But then he noticed Dex standing among them.

There was no way to pretend anymore.

Kent slowly nodded.

“Yes.”

But inside, his thoughts were in complete chaos.

The pressure coming from these dwarves was overwhelming.

Their mere presence and aura were enough to make him feel completely suppressed.

Even Dex, who had always treated him kindly, gave him no hint or warning.

For the first time, Kent realized—

Perhaps revealing that he was an alchemist had caused a much bigger reaction than he had expected.