From Alchemy Apprentice to All-Powerful God King

After the alchemist assessment was completed, the residents of Val Town dispersed in a great uproar.

However, the discussion shifted from the original two Tier 1 magical insects to the advanced version of the exploding insects—the swarm exploding insects.

On the contrary, Luca and Leon became Matthew's foils, and neither of them looked very happy.

The former remained silent and followed the alchemist back to the guild, while the latter picked up the greatsword again and walked to the side of the goddess Elena.

"Elena, are you here to watch me alchemy too?"

"Yeah, it's a bit boring outside, so I came to town to take a look."

Elena nodded, then spoke to the middle-aged knight.

"We could try to contact Matthew. If the swarm of exploding bugs could be mass-produced, it would save the Empire a lot of material costs."

"The goddess's vision is indeed beyond that of ordinary people."

The power of swarm bugs is undeniable; compared to exploding bugs, it's like heaven and earth.

The two discussed Matthew, completely ignoring Leon.

After everyone had walked away from the square, Leon's face gradually darkened, and he crushed the alchemist's badge in his hand into powder.

"Matthew, I'll remember you."

......

In the deserted alley on the west side of town, Jimmy followed Matthew, looking left and right as if they were meeting for the first time.

"What's gotten into you now?"

Matthew looked at Jimmy, who was following him around like a shadow, and was somewhat speechless.

So what if you pass the exam to become an alchemist? You don't even have a tail growing out of your body, what's so interesting about that?

"Matthew, tell me the truth, did you already know that the Goddess and the others were coming to town, and deliberately delay until this time to participate in the assessment?"

"If I had known beforehand, do you think we'd still be standing here?"

Matthew was somewhat impressed by the other person's imagination.

"You didn't see it, but when that magical insect you created exploded, Elena's eyes were practically drooling over you. She's definitely fallen for you! How awful."

Jimmy stood in front of him, stroking his chin with a confident look, though his expression was somewhat regretful.

Hearing him say that, Matthew seemed to have really not noticed the figure of the goddess Elena.

However, it's obvious that what the other party wants isn't him as a person, but rather, like the Alchemist Bishop, the recipe for the Demon Insect.

"Alright, stop blocking the door. I recently bought some rice and noodles, and I can't finish them all by myself. Take some back to the store."

As he spoke, Matthew pulled Jimmy away.

The moment they made contact, several lines of transparent text appeared above the other person's head.

[Jimmy: 14 years old, male, no magical insects or powers, no bad habits.]

[A model citizen of Vale, besides helping out at the waffle shop, his greatest hobby is visiting his neighbor Matthew's house.]

Price: 25 gold coins

"Forehead....."

Seeing the information that suddenly appeared above Jimmy's head, Matthew finally understood what the "black-hearted businessman" label was for.

No wonder there are no levels, only an ability description.

"Holy crap, Matthew, did you strike it rich or steal all this stuff?"

As soon as Jimmy entered the room, he saw the stack of rice and noodles, which was taller than him.

Matthew ignored him and, after seeing the man off, began to examine his day's haul.

"One label, two recipes for demonic insects, should all be demonic insects from Flynn's body."

Matthew is not considering the magical insects in the new recipe for the time being. Even though he is now an alchemist, he cannot afford the materials to refine first-tier magical insects.

Moreover, the guild doesn't pay him a salary; he has to take on quests to earn money.

His attention then shifted to the 'unscrupulous businessman'.

"This label is interesting."

Matthew casually picked up a piece of broken stone from the ground and channeled magic into his eyes.

The semi-transparent text reappeared in the air.

[Gravel: None....]

[A seemingly insignificant stone in the town of Val.]

Price: 0

Then he picked another leaf from the tree.

Maple Leaf: None....

[Insignificant leaves in the town of Val.]

Price: 0

After several trials, Matthew roughly figured out how to use the label.

Not only can we price any item, but we can also obtain specific information about it; we can even get information about people...

Just as he dropped the rubble, a daring idea popped into his mind.

"etc!"

"So, can you tell if there are demonic insects inside a magic stone?"

Matthew immediately took the last two gold coins he had and headed straight for the jade gambling site.

The afternoon is usually the busiest time at the quarry.

With the guild's alchemist selection process concluded today, young people in Val Town with spare cash who wanted to try their luck, or hardcore gamblers, all gathered here.

Matthew walked in openly, just like a regular customer.

Following the crowd, we approached the most basic area.

This area is entirely composed of gray pebbles and is also the area with the most visitors.

After picking up a piece at random, a semi-transparent message popped up.

[Gravel: None....]

[An ordinary stone that has been soaked in a magic potion.]

[Price: 1 Gold Coins]

"..."

Sure enough.

Matthew thought to himself, but didn't say anything. It was better for him to know this himself. If he told others, it would be like ruining the event, and he might not be able to get out.

After touching dozens of stones, I found that the vast majority of them were fake, and only occasionally could I find one or two genuine gray whetstones.

"The proportion is too small, it's difficult to find a bargain."

Matthew immediately changed direction and headed towards another area.

As soon as you get close, you can clearly feel that the magic in the air is much stronger.

There weren't many magic stones on the table here, but without exception, they were all star stones.

It contains far more magic power than gray whetstone, and the probability of finding magic insects is much higher, so its price is naturally several times higher.

Just as Matthew picked up a starstone, a hand suddenly reached out and snatched it away.

"I'll take this one!"

The unexpected scene annoyed Matthew, who turned around to teach this ill-mannered person a lesson.

"Matthew!"

"Luca?"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, neither of them expecting it to be the other.

"I've got my eye on this one. Two gold coins, give it to me." Luca pulled out two gold coins and stuffed them into Matthew's hand, not giving him a chance to refuse.

Matthew was dumbfounded. Was this how you used gold coins?

However, he was still very happy about it. Why not make two gold coins for free from a magic stone?

Out of goodwill, he reminded Luca, "I suggest you get a different one; there's a high chance that one doesn't contain any."

The moment I touched it, all the information appeared: it was indeed a starstone, but there were no demonic insects inside.

[Do a good deed every day: 50/100 experience points, +5 luck]

Matthew was already used to the prompts in his mind.

Luca, on the other hand, turned around when he heard this, looking displeased.

"You managed to get first place in the assessment by sheer luck, and now you're going to teach me how to gamble on stones?"

"I'm just reminding you, it's not really teaching you. If you don't believe me, then you can explain it."

Matthew spread his hands, indicating that he should do as he pleased.

Luca, however, took it as a provocation: "Fine, I'll solve it. You can't beat me, you believe me!"

Seeing this, Matthew casually picked up a magic stone from the side, and after seeing the pop-up message, the corners of his mouth gradually turned up.

[Star Stone: Medium quality, Exploding Bug.]

[This is a magic stone that has been artificially processed; the magic insects inside are dead.]

[Price: 4 Gold Coins]

"So, are you willing to bet with me?"