Chapter 3 : Make bread with free rocks

A National Power-level Alchemist.

Just the resonance of those words was enough to bring a broad smile to my face.

Yes, alchemy has always known the answer.

As I silently praised alchemy to the skies, I took great pleasure in mocking the players who had belittled alchemists until now.

‘If I had been possessed with the skills of another profession, would I have survived?’

The answer is an unequivocal no.

Each profession has its own specialty—mages have their magic, and swordsmen have their swordsmanship.

Even if I somehow dodged the aether Storm, no profession other than the alchemist would be particularly useful in this situation.

Where I am is the Ruins of the Fallen Nation.

But it’s not just ruins—monstrous beasts of the highest rank roam the area, and resources like food and water are almost nonexistent. It’s a barren wasteland.

Even if you had the strength of an army, crossing this desolate land without adequate supplies would be nearly impossible.

To me, someone who must journey to another country where human civilization still thrives, the alchemist’s ability to create shelters and generate resources is nothing short of indispensable.

‘If this were the world of the game, no matter what, I’d have to reach Arca, where the Origin Academy is located.’

This world is surrounded by dangers.

Not only are there the endless invasions of interdimensional entities known as the Abyss, but the chaos has also brought about the rise of criminal factions.

The most glaring representation of these dangers is the Fallen Nation.

Failing to withstand the Abyss’s invasion, it became a wasteland where criminals and drifters from across the continent converge, turning it into an inhuman hellscape.

‘I’ve heard there are survivor groups in the Fallen Nation, but there’s too little information, and the dangers of the region itself are insurmountable.’

Fortunately, I have a guide.

Though the world warp point function I used in the game is unavailable, the Aether Storm that swept through this area just before has taken its place.

The Aether Storm, a natural disaster, is feared not only by humans but also by the highest-ranked monsters in the Fallen Nation.

It’s akin to someone chased by a bear throwing themselves into a whirlpool; the bear, despite its desire for the prey, would abandon the chase rather than confront the force of nature.

Few beings dare to oppose such overwhelming power, even for a tantalizing prize.

Thus, by following the path of destruction left by the Aether Storm, I can proceed safely.

The dangerous monsters would have already fled, sensing the storm’s approach, and no vagrants or criminals would dare linger in the aftermath when even monsters and giants have run.

‘If my memory serves me correctly.’
Aether Storms behave much like the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics.

In the game’s lore, Aether moves from areas of high concentration to low concentration to achieve energy equilibrium, meaning the Aether Storm’s path inevitably leads out of the Fallen Nation toward regions with lower aether density.

It’s as if the storm itself marks the safest route out, while its catastrophic power eliminates threats along the way, ensuring my safety.

“Cleared out perfectly,” I muttered.

After synthesizing another bunker to escape to the surface, I let out a chuckle at the sight of the newly leveled trail left by the storm.

With the ground flattened like that, I wasn’t worried about getting lost or taking a wrong turn.

How many hours had passed?

I’d walked so much that my legs were starting to wobble.

With no watch and the sky awash in shades of violet, it was impossible to guess the time.

‘Maybe it’s time for a break.’

The residual effects of the Aether Storm were beginning to subside.

The once-silent wasteland was now occasionally punctuated by faint noises.

This meant that the beings who had fled from the Ather Storm were gradually returning.

‘If only I had a basic Aether Refinement Technique.’

The effect of All-Creation Alchemy allows aether to be used in place of mana, but only within the confines of alchemy.

Because of this, my body isn’t as strong as the superhumans of this world—the powerful individuals who roam the continent hunting monsters

. Even though I can wield alchemy using aether, without accumulating mana, I can’t enhance my body.

To use universal skills, accessible to all professions, mana is essential. And to obtain such mana, it must be refined and accumulated through the Aether Refinement Technique.

“Anyway, I should rest for now.”

This place is one where greed can swiftly lead to death. For a frail alchemist unable to enhance their body, every moment in Myeolguk is a razor-thin line between life and death.

Just as I planted my hands on the ground to create another bunker, it happened.
Clang, clang!

…Metallic clashing sounds?

From somewhere far off, beyond my line of sight, came the sound of metal striking metal.

What’s more, the sound was gradually growing louder. Instinctively, my head turned toward the direction of the noise.

Why would such sounds echo in this remote wilderness?

Thinking it might be a fight between monsters, I transmuted the ground beneath my feet into stairs leading underground. However, just as I was about to retreat into the bunker, I froze.

I could see something emerging from beyond the horizon, which had previously appeared empty.

What started as a faint speck grew larger with each blink.

“…A person?”

Yes, a person.

What appeared from beyond the horizon was a lone woman and a massive monster.

The woman, wielding a sword, was locked in fierce combat with the enormous beast.

No, calling it a fierce combat was misleading. The distance had tricked me; as the gap closed and the scene became clearer, my body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The woman wielded her sword and sliced through the monster.
She cut, carved, severed, and shattered it.

The monster’s sheer size made its thrashing movements seem like retaliation, but the battle was entirely one-sided in the woman’s favor.

“Who is that?”

She was impossibly strong.

Could she be a character from the game?

I searched my memory but found no answer.

Too few individuals affiliated with Myeolguk had been revealed in the game so far.

Why did I have to end up in Myeolguk of all places…?!

Typically, game reincarnations start at the tutorial area—why am I the only one struggling in this unreleased late-game region?

Grinding my teeth in frustration, I began to turn away when a shiver ran down my spine.

Before I could even process the thought, my body reacted instinctively, my head snapping back toward her.

It was an instinctive animal response to danger, an attempt to evade the ominous sensation.

She noticed me!

There was still some distance between the woman and me. She was only a distinct speck in my vision.

But that was merely from my perspective. It would be foolish to assume the woman’s eyesight, who was currently slaying the monster, was on par with mine.

No doubt about it.

The woman had found me, and as soon as she finished off the monster, she would come charging toward me.
“Get to the bunker… NOW!”
If I didn’t want to die, I needed to hide immediately.

Alchemy was a powerful weapon, but with my current strength, if I faced that woman head-on, my head would roll before I could even blink.

Just as I turned my head to head into the bunker, something sliced through the air and came hurtling toward me.

Whoosh!

With a deafening noise, the object slammed into the ground before me at tremendous speed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

It struck with such force that the shockwave sent me sprawling backward.

“What just flew at me?!”

I immediately stretched out my hand and transmuted the surrounding dust that was obscuring my vision.

The thick dust quickly coalesced into a compact clump of dirt and fell to the ground.

Regaining my sight, I checked to see what had flown toward me.

“?”

Why is this here?

The moment that question crossed my mind, a piercing, loud death cry assaulted my ears, snapping my attention away.

I instinctively turned my head once more and saw the monster, which had just been getting slaughtered by the woman, with its head now bursting into hundreds of chunks of meat.

But the woman was no longer there.

The gears in my mind spun rapidly, trying to piece together the situation.

The woman had swung her sword.

The thing that had come flying toward me was also a sword. And immediately after, the monster’s head had exploded into chunks.

It wasn’t sliced by the blade—it was as if it had been struck by something overwhelmingly powerful.

“No way…!”

I immediately gathered aether into the hand resting on the ground.

There was no time to dawdle anymore.

To buy even a little time, I transmuted the dirt beneath me into stone, creating a barrier, and simultaneously formed a slide to take me deep underground into the bunker.

“An unfamiliar technique,”

But it seemed even that wasn’t enough.

“Interesting.”

The barrier I had hastily erected shattered.

My body, which should have been sliding into the underground bunker, was caught by something.

“Hey.”

White hair cascading down her back and eyes of a chilling crimson that evoked blood came into view.

Her face was as beautiful as an angel’s, but her lack of emotion made her expression doll-like, cold, and detached.

“I’m hungry.”

Her scarlet lips parted.

Still emotionless, she looked down at me coolly and voiced her hunger.

“Don’t you have anything to eat?”

I felt a primal sense of fear.

Her gaze, as if implying, “If you don’t have food, I’ll eat you instead,” pinned me in place.
The image of the monster’s shattered body flashed through my mind like a fleeting vision.

Surely, no human would eat another human… but sometimes, life throws you a situation where the unthinkable happens.

“I-I do!”

Panicking, I grabbed a broken piece of rock and transmuted it on the spot.

I didn’t have any food on me, but my alchemy could create even food as long as I had the materials.
If I could turn lead into gold, why wouldn’t I be able to turn a stone into bread?

A rock, slightly larger than a fist and about the size of a regular brick, transformed in my hands into a delicious-looking loaf of bread.

Since it was synthesized by merely altering the structure of the material, it wasn’t warm like it had just come out of the oven.

“Here, take it!”
I tightly shut my eyes and offered the loaf of bread I had transmuted to the woman.

But even after waiting a few seconds, the woman didn’t take the bread from my hand.

Could it be she didn’t like it? Maybe she wanted meat or vegetables instead of bread?

My anxiety compounded as the silence dragged on, and I eventually cracked open one eye.

“How… how did you do that?”

The woman’s eyes darted back and forth between me and the loaf of bread in my hand, trembling uncontrollably.

The hand that had mercilessly crushed the head of a massive monster just moments ago was now shaking like a leaf.
It was terrifying.