From Alchemy Apprentice to All-Powerful God King

On the ring, Gale was covered in sweat.

He also couldn't believe he had made such a basic mistake.

If you spill the magic potion and soak all the ingredients in it, the ingredients will become ineffective and you won't be able to continue refining it.

"Hurry! Gale, there's still time. That kid over there hasn't finished forging it yet. Hurry up and start forging it again!"

A sudden reminder from the audience brought Gail back to her senses.

"Yes, I still have time. I'm not in a hurry. The other side is just a kid who doesn't know how to refine. The advantage is still with me."

He then cleaned the alchemy table and took out another set of materials to refine it again.

Matthew also noticed the situation on the other side and was amazed by the power of the tag; it had already exerted its influence even before it was successfully activated.

He realized that the person opposite him was preparing to refine a Sleeping Insect. This magical insect is not commonly used, as it is only useful when dealing with people. Its price and quality are relatively advantageous.

Although it was his first time refining it, the recipe and such were already firmly in his mind.

As his movements became more and more skillful, the addition and mixing of materials and magic potions were just right.

The crowd below fell silent.

Even if they didn't want to admit it, they could tell who was more skilled, Matthew or Gail.

"Didn't he say he only knew a little bit?"

"Is this what you call knowing a little bit?"

Some experienced gamblers were completely disarmed after witnessing this scene.

Even if someone were to jump out now and say that Matthew is a first-order archmage, no one would doubt it.

But none of them wanted to believe it was true.

[Public Enemy: Activation Progress 681/1000]

[Public Enemy: Activation Progress 721/1000]

......

As time went on, more and more people came to the alchemy arena, and through word of mouth, Matthew's story spread.

Some even exaggerated his despicable qualities.

The activation process was completed in no time.

Matthew was refining the magical insects while looking at the effects of the new labels in the Otherworld Chronicle.

[Public Enemy Lv.1: The more hatred you receive, the wider the range of your sanity affected, and the higher your success rate.]

Experience points: 1000/10000

He was still thinking about whether to give it a try, but Gale on the other side made it before him.

That finally made him give up the idea.

"Gail refined it first, so she should be able to win, right?"

"Not necessarily. It looks like Matthew can also succeed in forging it. Unless the quality and appearance are better than the other one, there is still a possibility of losing."

After Gale finished refining, everyone's eyes turned to Matthew.

He remained unhurried and showed no sense of urgency, just like a seasoned master craftsman.

But the more they acted this way, the more nervous they became.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats until Matthew successfully crafted the Sleeping Worm.

The referee at the gambling den collected the two men's sleep pheromones, examined them, and then loudly announced the result.

"Matthew's sleeping bugs are of excellent quality and appearance."

"Gail's Sleeping Bugs, good appearance, but below average quality."

The moment the result was announced, the audience erupted in chaos.

If it were a different kind of demonic insect, they could raise some questions, but since it's exactly the same species, no amount of explanation would be very convincing.

"How is this possible! That kid won again?"

"Could he be a mage too? Playing dumb to fool everyone?"

Soon, different voices of doubt arose, with some suspecting that Matthew had come here on purpose to provoke them.

Some even suspect that Matthew is a member of the gambling den, and that they are working together to rig the game and cheat people out of money.

In an instant, different voices formed several factions in the alchemy arena, but without exception, they were all directed at Matthew.

The gambling den was so frightened that it was completely shut down.

"Our casino has no connection with Matthew; he took the written test on his own."

As for Matthew, the main character, he had just retrieved the gold coins and his share of the winnings from the gambling den, and before he could even step out the door, he was blocked inside by a large number of ability users.

"Everyone, calm down. If you want to resolve this issue, you can do it outside. This gambling den is not a place for fighting."

Seeing hundreds of people with special abilities surround the place, everyone in the gambling den was stunned.

The key point is that they really have no connection with Matthew. Although they transferred some money, it's not worth ruining their reputation for such a small amount.

However, these people with special abilities didn't listen to him at all and pointed at Matthew, asking him questions instead.

"Matthew! This isn't your first time making this! You're definitely faking it, tricking us into betting so you can make money!"

From the crowd, someone shouted through gritted teeth; clearly, this was a gambler who had lost gold coins.

Someone was trying to get revenge on Matthew, wanting to escalate the situation and make the casino lose money.

Matthew just chuckled.

"When did I ever mention my first alchemy attempt?"

One sentence instantly calmed the originally furious crowd down.

"Yeah, he never seems to mention that it's his first time."

"Did any of you hear that?"

The crowd whispered among themselves, asking each other questions, but no one stepped forward to say that they had heard it.

"I don't care! What you're doing is cheating! You're colluding with the gambling den to deceive us!"

But some people still insisted that he did it on purpose, regardless of the consequences.

Seeing this, Matthew shook his head and laughed.

"So, where did I lie?"

"Is he deliberately exaggerating his strength to bully those weaker than him?"

"Or was it created by borrowing external forces, rather than by my own hands?"

Matthew's every word precisely exposed the man's trap, causing him to blush and stammer, unable to speak.

Firstly, he did not exaggerate his strength; with the strength of a first-tier ability user, he competed against both an alchemist and a mage.

According to normal procedure, this can be considered a case of the weak defeating the strong.

Both are first-tier ability users, but the other party is an alchemist and mage from a guild, with rich experience, giving them a natural advantage.

Secondly, he created all the demonic insects himself, so there was no possibility of him faking it.

With so many eyes watching, he had no chance.

Neither of these rules were violated.

"I don't care! You just need to give us an explanation!"

"Pay up!"

"Pay up!"

Seeing this unreasonable scene, Matthew was so angry he laughed. He really wanted to say, "If you can't handle losing, then don't play."

However, to avoid escalating the conflict, he quietly activated the "Public Enemy" label, causing all those who hated him within a kilometer radius to instantly lose their rationality.

"Who pushed me? Are you blind?"

"Screw you, you stepped on me first!"

"What are you looking at?"

"Let me see what's wrong with you!"

Instantly, a cacophony of curses and shouts erupted from the crowd.

Some people even used magic, causing chaos in the scene.

Matthew seized the opportunity to slip away, blending into the crowd and activating his Hidden Slug ability. He then grabbed the thousands of gold coins he had earned that day and made his escape.