TRPM 262

chapter 262

I could understand Rachel’s situation, but it was still unpleasant.

The term homunculus comes from medieval European medical theory, which claimed that a tiny, fully-formed human already existed inside a man’s semen.

In other words… the material for a homunculus was…

No, don’t think about it.

Of course, modern alchemists know—thanks to advances in medicine—that life is created when a man’s sperm and a woman’s egg meet.

So they use not only male material but also female material when creating a homunculus.

That’s why the common homunculi made nowadays—whether as assistants for alchemists or for infertile couples—always require two essential ingredients.

As for the other materials… well, they’re important, but they can be substituted as needed. Anyway…

“I’m not planning to make a homunculus, so don’t get your hopes up. If you absolutely need one, ask another alchemist instead.”

“…Alright.”

Rachel looked visibly disappointed at my words.

Even if I understood her reasons, I still found it distasteful to create a homunculus using such materials.

Of course, it’s not impossible to make one with alternative ingredients…

But even then, the substitutes aren’t exactly normal. That’s why I had no intention of making a homunculus at all.

“Gunwoo…”

“Yeah?”

“What potion… are we making today?”

As I was refusing Rachel’s request, Kim Eun-yeon tugged at me.

Right—after all, the reason I’d come to her lab was to make a potion.

Strictly speaking, it had just been meant as a club activity. But the others had blown it up into “let’s make a new potion.”

“…Let’s call it a diet potion for now.”

“!”
“!”
“!”

All the girls in the lab instantly locked their eyes on me.

That meant not only my female classmates, but also Rachel—who’d been talking about homunculi with me earlier—and even the Association staff member overseeing Eun-yeon.

“…What kind of potion is it?”

Eun-yeon’s eyes burned with strange desire as she asked.

“It’s nothing complicated. Drink it, and you’ll feel full. It doesn’t actually contain nutrients, so it should help with dieting.”

There were, of course, side effects.

Because the potion doesn’t provide proper nutrition, it could cause fatigue afterward.

If you drank too much, it might go beyond simply feeling full—you could end up vomiting, or even suffer from malnutrition.

I explained all of those warnings in detail, but…

Hmm…

The look in their eyes didn’t change.

It was as if they were silently demanding I make it for them immediately.

“Alright then…”

I arranged the lab equipment and pulled out some usable ingredients from my subspace.

But once I had them all out, I sighed.

“…I won’t be able to make much.”

“What?!”
“Why not?!”

They all leaned in at once.

Among the ingredients needed for the diet potion—or rather, the satiety potion—there were a few rather rare ones.

Even with my spacious subspace, I didn’t keep a large stock of such rare items. Supply on the market was scarce to begin with.

So I explained that, and…

“…What ingredient do we need, then?”

“Huh?”

“I’m in a hurry. Just tell me already.”

At Rachel’s words, I told her the most important one.

“…Slime mucus.”

“…Slime?”

“Slime.”

That’s right.

The key ingredient in a satiety potion is slime mucus.

A satiety potion makes the body think it’s full, after all.

Once the stomach “believes” food is present, it releases gastric acid, and the small intestine secretes enzymes.

But since there’s no food, the stomach and intestines could be damaged unless something protects them.

That’s where slime mucus comes in—it absorbs the gastric acid and enzymes so they don’t harm the body.

Technically, there are substitutes, but slime mucus is the most stable and cheapest option. That’s why it’s essential…

The mucus itself wasn’t expensive.

But harvesting it was so troublesome compared to its price that few people bothered to collect and sell it.

Some specialists harvested it for cosmetic companies or food producers who made things like puddings, but it wasn’t easy for private individuals to get unless they went themselves.

Hearing this, the women all made determined expressions.

“Fine. Slime mucus it is, right?”

“For starters.”

Other ingredients were also needed, but they were widely available on the market.

“Alright, girls! Let’s go! I already reserved a dungeon where slimes appear!”

“Yes!”

“Let’s hurry!”

And just like that, the girls in the lab rallied behind Rachel and headed off to a slime dungeon to get slime mucus for the potion.

With Rachel, Lee Ha-eun, and Elena among them, there was no way they’d get hurt against ordinary slimes.

Even if a King Slime showed up, their combined strength would handle it easily.

In fact, they’d probably welcome it, since a bigger slime meant more mucus.

“…Make sure you use the special collection containers sold by the Association, okay? Put the mucus in those.”

I had no intention of stopping them, so I just gave them that advice.

If you put slime mucus in an ordinary basket or plastic bag, it could dissolve.

Once they left, I checked who remained in the lab.

Just me, non-combatant Eun-yeon, the Association staffer, and then Arthur and Elliot—who looked like they’d been intimidated by the girls’ fervor.

“Uh… I’ll head back now.”

“M-me too. I’ve got something to do in the dorms!”

“…Elliot I can understand, but Arthur, shouldn’t you be following Rachel?”

“It’s just a slime dungeon. She’ll be fine.”

More importantly…

“I may be stronger than Rachel overall, but right now? I wouldn’t dare face her head-on.”

“…”

And so, Arthur and Elliot slipped away, leaving before the others returned.

“As for you…”

“Me?”

“I had them fetch the slime mucus because it’s rare, but we’re still short on other ingredients too. Could you order the ones on this list? You can use this card.”

I handed the Association staffer a slip of paper with the missing materials and my card.

They nodded and began making calls to order the supplies.

With preparations underway, I turned to Eun-yeon.

“…Let’s make a sample with what we’ve got first. Eun-yeon, pay attention to the process—it’ll double as your lesson.”

“Okay. I’ll memorize everything.”

“I’ll give you the recipe. It’s not that difficult, so you don’t have to memorize every detail.”

Saying that, I began crafting the satiety potion.

This time, unlike when I’d made the zombie virus cure, I avoided any special methods that only I could perform.

It was just standard potion-making for educational purposes.

Some time later…

“We’re back!”

“And the ordered ingredients have arrived too.”

The girls returned from the slime dungeon, and the staffer returned with the deliveries, just as my sample potion was nearly finished.

“Oh, perfect timing.”

I bottled the sample potion.

That alone was enough to change the girls’ eyes.

They looked like predators staring at prey.

At least, that’s how it felt to me.

“…It’s only a sample, but who wants to try it first?”

“Me!”
“Me too!”
“Please, me!”

Of course, that’s how it would go.

But I had only made three sample bottles.

And there were seven girls vying for them.

Naturally, a struggle broke out.

The ingredients are here—if they just wait a little, I can make plenty more…

They probably knew that much.

But with their eyes blazing, none of them seemed willing to wait.

While they fought their little “battle,” I quickly grabbed the newly delivered ingredients and flasks and retreated to safety, then started brewing additional potions.

I figured the only way to calm them down was to make enough for everyone.

BOOM!

“…Lovely.”

An explosion echoed from the direction of the lab.

Sounded like someone had actually used force to claim a potion sample while I was gone.

Among the girls, the only one capable of such a blast was probably Lee Ha-eun.

Well, no one should be hurt.

She was clumsy with offensive magic.

Even so, she was still an archmage, so the power wasn’t negligible.

But Rachel and Elena were both there—they could handle it.

And judging by the sound, Ha-eun had held back.

So there shouldn’t be any injuries.

Satisfied with that thought, I gathered the potions I’d made and the equipment, then returned to the lab.

What I saw was…

“All mine!”

Ha-eun, triumphantly chugging all three sample potions I’d left behind.

…I’d expected three winners to each drink one, but instead, Ha-eun had gulped them all down herself.

“Stop—!”

I rushed forward to stop her.

But…

Gulp…

She was already lifting the third bottle.

I barely managed to stop her from drinking that one.

But the first two were already gone.

So she really drank two already…

I sighed at the sight of the empty bottles.

“What the heck?! Why are you stopping me?!”

“Why are you doing this? Didn’t you hear me earlier?”

I had clearly warned them that overdosing could make them vomit or worse.

“U-ugh…?”

Even as I said it, Ha-eun’s face twisted in discomfort.

“One bottle per meal is the proper dose. Any more than that, and…”

It simulates overeating.

“Blaaaargh—!”

And sure enough, Ha-eun doubled over and began throwing up everything in her stomach.

I just sighed and patted her back.