FAULT ; ARTIFACT

SEVEN

Yes, there are game laws, but this world is real. This is really some kind of parallel reality, the passage to which has opened up in a quantum network. To be honest, it looks like some kind of surrealism, but in fact, ore, rare metals, gold and other valuables are mined from here, which are already in short supply, in our world, which has depleted the resources of the planet due to a policy of unrestrained and endless increase in consumption.

"Well done," he wheezed. - Looks like you can really help me.

Quest: kill two slimes, bring Alast 2 pieces of remains.

Solved.

Award received: : 40 experience points. 2 small mana potions.

Thin, wrinkled skin-covered fingers, like a chicken's foot, quickly pushed back the latch, the loops creaked obnoxiously.

- Let's put the remains here.

I handed them to the alchemist.

"Take it, since you're a magician, you must have spent mana," he said, holding out 2 small glass bubbles filled with a blue ink-like liquid in response.

As soon as I picked them up, a small sign appeared next to them, which apparently only I see, since Alast did not react at all and did not pay attention to it.

Small mana potion. Instantly replenishes 50 mana points. The time between uses is 5 minutes.

So, every five minutes you can replenish 50 mana. Given that I have 20 mana, wasting a potion to replenish it is wasteful. I wonder if corporations will buy such potions? And at what price? Although logic dictates that they do not need it for fig, because magicians are considered useless. If it were a potion that replenishes life points, then that's another matter.

- Here, go ahead.

We found ourselves in a small living room, in the middle of which there is a large boiler, under it flames are burning. Inside the boiler gurgles green liquid, smoke rises from it. I squinted at him suspiciously.

- Don't worry, steam is harmless. I brew potions for warts and pimples. This brings me the main income - you know, such a product is in demand among women. But potions that treat or replenish mana are more expensive and take them less often. Even less often enhancing potions.

- What kind of amplifying potions? I asked.

- I'm just curious, but I can't afford that... for now, I replied politely.

Alast walked over to a long table by the window, on which were placed all sorts of jars of various kinds of liquids, flasks, bunches of herbs, powders, a mortar with a pestle and several open books. He extracted the remnants of the mucus from the magical space, threw it into a small deep plate, added powder. A hiss was heard, and gray smoke rose into the air. The alchemist stood over the plate for a few moments, then took a small flask with a clear liquid, poured it out.

"Well, that's it," he muttered.

I took out a dozen glass bubbles, similar to the ones he gave me, only empty. I inserted it into one funnel and tilted the plate. I was surprised to see the blue liquid fill the vial. Alast did the same thing with the others.

- Well, that's it. Yes, man, a small potion of mana is made from the remains of mucus, he said, noticing my surprise. - And in this regard, I will have an assignment for you. I've heard a few hunters say recently that they've seen a huge slime in the place where the slime lives. I want you to get it for me. You see, old Man Normar – he's our chief magician – ordered a strong mana restoration potion, but as I didn't try to concentrate a few remains of mucus and isolate the concentrate, all I got was an average potion that restored 150 mana points. I am sure that if I use the remains of that giant mucus, I can create a strong mana recovery potion that can restore 500 points at a time.

- Large mucus is clearly more dangerous than the usual small one.

"And you think," he quipped, but quickly pulled himself away, coughed and calmly said, "That's why I'm crying 3,000 Zen.

My eyebrows trembled. 3000 Zen is a huge amount.

- Still, I'll have to pick it up for a long time. Ordinary mucus accounts for half of the mana.

- So use fire spells. Slimes are afraid of fire spells.

A new knowledge has been gained: the vulnerability of mucus to fire. All fire attacks cause 50% more damage.

Received: 10 experience points.

72 xps, up to the next level of 128. Wow! That's progress. It turns out that here from any gain of knowledge you can increase the level? Well, yeah, Alex said something like that.

- But I don't know fire spells.

- Here's how? Hmm... I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to kill that mucus, if not impossible.

"And you won't be able to fulfill the order," I agreed.

The alchemist's eye jerked, he frowned harder, then turned sharply, moved to the shelves with books. After a couple of moments, he returned, holding a small scroll in his hands.

- Then let's do that. Here's the training for the "small fire strike" spell as an advance. As you bring me the remains of mucus, you get 1000 zen, but I have to cook the potion until tomorrow, so you will have time until midnight. I agree?

Mission: : Kill a large slime and bring the remains.

Reward: : 100 xp points and 1000 zen, your reputation in the city is +10.

Attention, if the task fails, your reputation in the city will decrease by 50.

Accept? Yes/No.

You don't even have to think about it.

- Yes, I agree.

- Hold on. And don't let me down, man.

I left the alchemist's house, moved towards the exit from the city. On the way, I looked at the central square, where the city hall is located. I sat down on a small bench near her and unfurled the scroll. A long text appeared to the eye, describing how and where to direct the flows of mana, what images to represent and a bunch of all that at first reading seems to be nonsense. But in a strange way, it was clear to me. Intuitive. It's like someone speaking to you in an unfamiliar language, but you would still understand perfectly well what is wanted of you, even if you cannot speak this language yourself. As soon as I finished reading, the letters on the scroll flashed and disappeared.

Wow, it's clearly more profitable than a normal attack, especially against slime, which has a general weakness for fire spells. Although without this weakness, the damage would have been enough to kill one. In general, even if I fail the task, it is already in the black, because I learned the spell of fire blow - and this is already something. Although, of course, I want to get zen and experience for completing the task. And it will not hurt to raise the reputation.

And yet, according to Alex, the price for one spell is 5,000 zen, while the old man gave me a scroll and subtracted only 2,000 from the total. That's weird. As I complete the task, you will need to look into the local magic shop, and see the prices for spells. Maybe I don't know something?

The sky cleared of clouds, they swam away and did not dare to flood the world with rain, which is gratifying - I would not like to get wet, given that I am wearing socks. I wonder how much clothes cost, at least the cheapest?

Dust is knocked out from under the old shoes. Although they are not new, they are made of cheap material, but they do not rub the foot and generally cope with their task. A forest stretches past. You could go straight ahead, but honestly, I'm kind of afraid to make your way through the thicket. Few monsters will come across along the way. And in general, the forest is simply frightening. Up to this point, I had never been to a real forest, my whole life was spent in a supercity, at most I was in a virtual one. But, despite the signs with characteristics and so on, this world is perceived as reality. Smells, warmth, people I talked to, even monsters – everything is real.

Thinking about how real everything was around me, I felt my heart speed up my run, and everything in my stomach tightened into a tight knot.

And that's true. It's a different world. A DIFFERENT WORLD! The real thing. Another planet where there is magic.

Only now have I acutely felt the reality of everything that is happening. I stopped, looked around the neighborhood. For some reason, up to this point, despite everything that had happened, the environment seemed to be just a game, but we must remember that death here is death in the real world. You can't be led to game elements. This world is real and all the monsters here are real.