From Alchemy Apprentice to All-Powerful God King

"Be careful, the beasts have better visibility than us after dark. Now, move forward in groups of three!"

"Always be aware of your surroundings!"

The middle-aged knight's reminder rang out in the dim forest, and the Hunter's Guild members instinctively huddled together.

The deeper they went, the more clearly they could feel the pressure of the beast tide.

Along the way, they have already encountered at least three second-tier exotic beasts.

Fortunately, the knights intervened, and the middle-aged knight provided support; otherwise, they probably wouldn't have been able to get into that position at all.

However, alchemy materials were readily available around them, and some of them had already collected quite a lot.

"Where did Leon run off to? Did he find another place to slack off?"

The remaining knights walked together, discussing things with relaxed expressions, showing no sense of crisis about the impending attack on the alien tide.

As a knight of the empire, he is already quite capable. The demonic insects are all specially selected and cultivated elites. In addition, his armor is made with anti-magic stones using a special process, which can neutralize magic power other than his own.

With this equipment and strength, he would be capable of fighting opponents of higher levels, no matter where he is.

"Who knows? People are different. We're on a mission, they're here on vacation."

Immediately, explosions rang out again all around, one after another.

Upon hearing the sound, the knights' expressions turned serious, and they each headed in different directions; another wave of monsters was approaching.

Shortly after they left, Matthew emerged from the bushes behind them, wearing armor and a helmet that obscured his face.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who dislikes Leon. It's true that spoiled brats are disliked everywhere."

Matthew shook his head, looked around for a while, and then chose a direction completely different from the other knights.

After approaching the blast radius, they made no attempt to conceal themselves and appeared directly in front of the guild's ability users.

Seeing the intense battle, Matthew conjured magic in his hands and charged straight into the center of the explosion.

The two alien beasts that had just dodged the explosion hadn't even landed when Matthew suddenly barged in and grabbed them by the neck. After two more explosions, two alien beasts with their hearts ripped out lay on the ground.

He then quickly moved on to the next explosion site.

The guild members who originally wanted to help hadn't even had a chance to make a move before the battle was over.

"This... truly lives up to his reputation as a knight."

"What a load of rubbish! He even took the demonic insects! I've never seen such a stingy knight."

Staring at the beast lying on the ground with its heart empty, the three ability users stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. They could only accept their bad luck and continue their search.

Guided by the sound of explosions, Matthew moved swiftly and decisively between different locations, killing with a single strike.

He became increasingly proficient in using the explosive bug's abilities.

With the added power of the magic-suppressing stone armor, he felt that he could easily fight five first-tier beasts alone, but only if he consumed his magic power to activate the armor.

"No wonder everyone says knights are powerful; it turns out their power comes from their equipment."

Matthew then thought of Leon, whom he had killed. If he hadn't been hiding his strength, Leon wouldn't have let his guard down and not been wearing a helmet, giving him an opportunity to win. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to defeat him.

Of course, without the damage from the swarm of volcanoes and fire bees, he wouldn't have been able to defeat his opponent so easily.

As time went by, Matthew committed crimes in various places, and the number of Death Worms in his possession had increased to twenty.

And rumors about him gradually began to circulate around him.

Wild Knight.

The Poor Knight.

Wherever he goes, the demonic insects among the strange beasts will never be left behind.

Matthew just thought, "Shouldn't this be the case?"

The demonic insects inside the beasts he killed naturally belonged to him; it was only right for him to take what was rightfully his.

Soon, his movements attracted the attention of the other knights, who began to move closer to him.

Seeing this, Matthew immediately ran away, heading deeper into the area.

Without a doubt, the other knights must have noticed something was wrong. With Leon gone, there couldn't possibly be an extra knight in Val Town.

It's highly unlikely that a rich young master like Leon would help the guild's ability users clear out the alien beasts and take away those dead demon insects.

"Phew, thank goodness I ran fast."

In the distance, Matthew, who had taken off his armor and was hiding behind the dense forest, watched as several knights gathered at the spot where he had last appeared, and was glad that he had reacted quickly.

After taking stock of his gains, Matthew realized that one shouldn't be too greedy, or trouble might easily arise.

"Nearly thirty of them, selling them for a hundred gold coins shouldn't be a problem! It's time to head back."

After the knights had all left, he carefully headed back in the direction of his journey.

This battle against the alien tide is also nearing its end. With this victory, Val Town should be safe from the invasion of alien beasts for the next six months.

Matthew didn't go back the way he came; that would have been too conspicuous and would have made him an easy target.

An alchemist without magic would be suspected even if he joined a large group of knights and ability users without doing anything.

It's better to take a detour and avoid unnecessary trouble.

The way back was much quieter than the way there. Even on the side paths, the corpses of strange beasts could be seen everywhere.

As Matthew walked, he gathered materials from the surrounding area. Although they weren't anything rare, they could still be sold for some money.

Upgrading your label ranking is extremely difficult without money.

Just as Matthew looked up again, a long, snarling demonic worm suddenly descended from the sky, its limbs outstretched as it lunged at his face.

The sudden scene startled Matthew. He reacted quickly, swinging his left hand. The power of the dung beetle exploded instantly, his arm leaving afterimages in the air as he grabbed the attacking insect.

[Demon insect detected - New recipe captured]

[Hidden Segment Insect Lv.1: When releasing magic, it creates a layer of shadow that perfectly conceals itself. The duration depends on the amount of magic it possesses.]

It has been refined and is ready for use at any time.

Alchemy Maniac Lv.1: 1320/2000 experience points, 15% success rate

Matthew was taken aback when he saw the new recipe pop up in the Otherworld Chronicles.

"So this is a chance for me to snag a bargain?"

Clearly, this cryptid worm voluntarily detached itself before the beast died. Although it was not dead, it was extremely weak and could only hide on the material and wait.

Unexpectedly, Matthew ran into him, and before he could even use his magic, he was directly refined by the Otherworld Record.

Lying in Matthew's palm, she offered no resistance, instead absorbing his magic and slowly recovering.

"She's too weak right now to use. Let her rest for a couple more days and see."

After applying a few drops of magic potion, Matthew put the mitten worm away.

At the same time, footsteps and voices of discussion could be heard getting closer from not far behind.

Seeing this, Matthew quickened his pace and headed towards Val Town.

Overnight, no more strange beasts appeared in the mountains and forests near the border outside Val Town.

It cannot be seen within a range of at least ten kilometers.

Before dawn, some alchemists and ability users had already returned to the camp.

Matthew was no exception, packing his things to return to town.

As soon as he stepped out of the tent, he saw the middle-aged knight already standing outside, as if waiting for him.

Elena stood behind the knight, waving at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

At the same time, the middle-aged knight Gareth looked at him and asked a question.

"Someone saw Leon come looking for you the night before last. Do you know where he is now?"