Chapter 7 : Flame Alchemy

The Third Research Institute has appeared in the game so frequently that it’s almost suspicious.

It first gained attention due to the academy student raid incident, and as the story progresses, it transforms into a kind of workshop that players can use.

According to the official setting, the research field of the Third Research Institute is the study of mysterious materials engineering.

They research the materials and their properties that can be obtained from monsters, and work towards making them usable tools for humanity.

Monsters are a great danger to humanity, but if they can be defeated safely, they become immense resources.

This isn’t particularly unique. The concept of making equipment from monster byproducts is common in hunter web novels and various RPG games.

The typical products of mysterious materials engineering are the study of the materials obtained from hunted monsters, their characteristics, and then processing them into weapons and armor.

Perhaps that’s why the Third Research Institute is known for capturing and isolating various monsters. Sometimes, monster materials are sent to the institute in object form, but occasionally, live monsters are sent as they are.

It’s not just the byproducts like skin or bones that are researched; live monsters are captured, isolated, and studied in the institute.

“The problem is, this raid took advantage of that part of the Third Research Institute.”

This is a story commonly found in urban fantasy genres.

A captured monster escapes, and the monster’s abilities cause a series of failures in the containment system, turning the entire institute into chaos. This scene is quite familiar.

However, this academy student raid has a slight variation on that plot. It’s not just a containment failure due to the institute’s mistake; it’s an incident caused by an external force attacking the containment.

“Has the barrier been lowered?”

Sayulcheon muttered as she approached the institute. The barrier that the students had entered through had been lowered, complete with multiple layers of iron plates.

“This situation is more serious than I thought.”

This is a security measure put in place to minimize damage if a contained monster escapes. The exits of the institute are sealed off to prevent the monster from leaving and heading towards the city, turning the entire institute into a large containment facility.

“Step back.”

Sayulcheon, who had put me down, suggested that I move a few steps back. At the same time, golden magic energy swirled around her hand, and it quickly surged into a brilliant starlight.

Sword Qi Formation (劍氣成罡).

It was the kind of advanced swordsmanship one sees in martial arts stories. I was already familiar with Sayulcheon using martial arts in the game, but seeing it in person still left a strong impression on me.

‘Still, I can’t just stand here in awe.’

Just as Sayulcheon was about to break through the barrier with her martial prowess, I took a step forward and quickly approached the barrier. At my sudden action, Sayulcheon, who was about to strike, furrowed her brow.

“What are you doing?”

“If you break the barrier so aggressively, monsters may escape from the inside.”

“Do you think I would miss something like that?”

Did she feel that I was underestimating her?

Sayulcheon glared at me, clearly displeased. But I also had my reasons. In the original story, Sa Yulcheon had indeed broken through the barrier like that to rescue the students, but she had unwittingly left gaps that allowed several types of monsters to escape.

Because of that, I ended up letting it go.

Even worse, the monster that escaped turned out to be one with incredible reproductive abilities, and there was an incident caused by that very monster.

I can still vividly picture Sayulcheon in the game, bowing her head and apologizing while writing a report on the matter.

“There’s a possibility, of course.”

I hid my true feelings and smiled confidently.

Breaking through something doesn’t always have to be done with force. Humans are creatures that have developed various tools and methods to pass through barriers.

Perhaps thinking my point had merit, Sayulcheon withdrew her sword energy, sighed, and asked me:

“Then do you have a way to catch both of those hares?”

Both hares. I needed to deal with both entering the research institute and preventing any potential monster escapes.

“Of course.”

I confidently answered Sayulcheon’s question. Unlike other professions, alchemy is something I can confidently call all-purpose, even in situations like this.

To me, this wall wasn’t an obstacle to break through but just another flammable material that I could shape freely with Aether.

“If there’s no entrance, then I’ll just make one.”

“What?”

I placed my hand on the barrier. At the same time, I focused intensely on what I wanted to transmute.

Monstrous Transmutation allows me to create whatever I focus on. What I wanted to create was a door, one that could be easily pushed open from the outside but would require a strong pull from the inside to open.

I envisioned the material of the door. The structure of the hinges and how the materials should be aligned became clear to me. I flowed Ether into it, turning visible matter into molecules, then breaking those molecules down into atoms.

But it wasn’t enough.

The dense mixture of rock and metal in the barrier wouldn’t function as a door just by reshaping it. So, I didn’t stop breaking it down.

I took it a step further, splitting the atoms. I separated the atomic nuclei and electrons and deconstructed the entire structure.

I rebuilt the protons and neutrons from the atomic nuclei, along with the electrons, from the ground up.

The suitable material for this was steel.

The form I envisioned was a thick steel door, about the length of my arm, with an almost crude thickness. Using these two conditions, I transmuted a steel door that would solve both problems.

Understanding, breaking down, and rebuilding.

The three basic steps of alchemy.

“Alchemy of this level… without a transmutation circle?!”

Sa Yulcheon’s eyes widened in shock.

I had been using it so naturally that I had forgotten; alchemy generally requires a transmutation circle. It’s not strictly necessary in theory, but in practice, it’s almost essential due to various practical issues. For mages, magic circles are optional, but for alchemists, transmutation circles are almost required.

“I’ll make the door this way. It might be a bit thick, but it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Well, I can hear the explanation later.”

Sa Yulcheon threw a punch. However, this time, she didn’t surround it with sword energy, so her punch looked like that of an ordinary woman.

However, after seeing the result of her punch, I wouldn’t dare call it an ordinary woman’s punch.

Thud!

With the characteristic ringing sound of a heavy metal object being struck, the steel door, which could easily weigh several tons, swung wide open.

Well, how are you going to close the door now?

“Sorry! Please transmute it again and close it!”

Well, I suppose if I transmute it to a closed state, that should work. I applied alchemy to the wide-open steel door and changed it to a closed state, then entered the research institute with SaYulcheon.

“Do you know where the students are?”

“I do. I’ll head there directly now, so stay alert and follow me.”

Without hesitation, SaYulcheon smashed through the walls of the institute. As long as the final containment barrier between the inside and outside of the institute was properly secured, it didn’t matter if the inner walls collapsed. So, I didn’t stop her.

“But there are no monsters?”

More importantly, this wasn’t the time to worry about the inner walls of the institute. With the containment barriers down and all the final security measures activated, the institute was eerily quiet. Not a single trace of the escaped monsters was visible, so it seemed SaYulcheon noticed something was off and increased her speed.

“Wait! Hold on!”

I called out urgently to SaYulcheon, but she, impatient, kicked off the ground and sped away. My body, incapable of enhancing itself with magic, was at a normal human level, so I couldn’t keep up with her speed.

‘Well, it’s not like it’s dangerous though.’

By now, all the containment subjects in the institute should be gathered in one place. The ones responsible for this incident had intentionally caused a containment failure, sealed off the institute, and freed all the contained monsters, leading them to the students.

Aside from the somewhat ominous atmosphere, there wasn’t really anything that would pose a threat to me.

‘Then maybe I’ll go after the intruders instead.’

There were three criminals who raided the Arka Third Research Institute and caused this incident. The first was a Jumper who could manipulate spatial abilities, followed by a Trapper who could create various traps, and a mad doctor who was somewhere inside the institute.

It would be more beneficial for my reputation and impression to catch these three and hand them over, rather than dealing with the released monsters.

‘The problem is, where are they now?’

Is this something to consider good luck, or bad luck?

“I expected the Dragon Slayer to come in, but who are you, the one who entered with her?”

I didn’t have to search for them; they had noticed my presence and approached me first.

“An alchemist.”

“Is that all?”

“Is that all? I must say, you’re being a bit rude to an alchemist.”

I smirked, twisting the corner of my mouth. About ten steps away, the Jumper stared at me, with the Doctor and Trapper sneaking up from behind me.

They had probably realized I lacked magic energy, as they were deliberately making loud footsteps without trying to hide their presence.

The Jumper’s ability was to open warp gates.

Catching the Jumper here would require some thought, but capturing the Trapper and the Doctor alone would be a significant accomplishment. If only I had magic, I’d be able to target the Jumper, it’s such a shame.

The effort I’ve been putting into transmuting the surrounding air with alchemy seems almost pointless now.

“One problem, though.”

“You’re talking in this situation?”

The Jumper let out a chuckle, clearly finding it amusing, but I ignored it and made eye contact with him, raising my hand. I positioned my thumb and index finger in preparation to snap my fingers, and the Jumper’s gaze shifted to my hand.

“Do you know the three elements necessary for combustion?”

“Fuel, oxygen, and heat.”

The Jumper answered simply, as if it were an obvious question. I smiled brightly at his response and stomped my foot.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, a fiery spark erupted from the ground beneath my feet. My hand was only raised to catch their attention, the actual ignition point was in the soles of my shoes, which I had pre-transmuted.

“Correct. Three fools.”

Whoosh!

The spark that arose from where I stomped spread through the dust particles in the air I had previously prepared, scattering everywhere. As the invisible dust ignited, the flame advanced toward the three of them.

Boom!

The once-empty air suddenly erupted with intense heat, sweeping through a section of the research institute.