Hellbents
Chapter 21: Herbalists

Booms!

Black smoke billowed in Ava's room, a potion of double EXP that failed to explode on her face. Although there were no serious injuries, the loud noise and thick smoke that were as dense as charcoal made the situation look more serious than it really was.

"Rina!" River who was opposite the room with him immediately banged in panic. Ava was instantly pulled out as soon as she opened the door, River almost dragged her if only the girl had not braked with a strength whose status points were higher.

"No fire, just smoke, just calm down" though Ava had calmed him down, River still had not let go of his tight grip.

The girl also took River to enter her smoke-filled room, then opened all the windows. Soon the black fog was thinning, revealing a chaotic table and broken glass reaction bottles on the floor.

"My hands are also just scratched, given a little treatment tomorrow is cured." Staying still, River picked up the glass fragments on the handkerchief he took out, would have thrown it in a place that would not hurt anyone later. The man also wiped clean the table that was stained with a jet liquid that was still warm and smelly.

"What's wrong?! What's up?!" Selena barges in when Ava is about to take a broom from River's hand, followed by Roy and Ezra behind her.

"The experiment failed" Ava answered briefly. The priestess came up to him, immediately saw Ava's finger that had a red line, then instantly healed her.

"You're a ... chemist?" this time it was Ezra who spoke. Maybe previously thought of Ava as a warrior or other class of fighter. But after a few seconds, he nodded in understanding, "Think of it, yesterday you fought using a magic powder that made the opponent unconscious." Roy agreed.

"But you haven't joined us yet" River, who still doesn't know, questioned Roy. His role back then was the leader of the bandits, so he shouldn't have indicated his whereabouts were undercover. "I told him," Ezra said aloud, not letting his crappy servant act answer with a sigh of excitement.

River just muttered "Oh", unsuspecting. The prince and his servants were still trying to fool them.

After whispering her thanks to Selena, Ava pointed the broom she held at everyone in her room, "Now, you're all out, I'll clean up."

"Eh, let me help you," Selena replied cheerfully, wagging her long silver hair that was not covered in a hood.

"Me too," River had intended that way earlier.

"Um, Tu-Ah, I mean Eza, it looks like you were called uncle earlier, let me help them clean up." It seemed that the prince's servant did not want his master to touch the dust in the slightest.

Although not willing, arguing about this will only open up the opportunity to dismantle their identity, he meant Roy who had even stuttered in his first sentence earlier, considering this, Ezra complied and came out after seeing what was intense on Ava's table.

"It was just a small experiment" Ava replied, avoiding. And River did not press him further, maybe already familiar with Ava's closed attitude, if he really intended to tell him, sooner or later he would understand.

While Selena and Roy, who despite being curious, can not ask further because of the closeness of their relationship which is basically still a stranger. After all, asking about the research process of a chemist will be considered rude, because it is usually kept secret. Alchemical products that exist in the future will be sold, if the ingredients are made high-class with efficacious effects will later be worth very expensive, low-quality ones are still worth hundreds of coins, even though they are still worth hundreds of coins, so many are competing to learn the secrets of alchemical recipes to trade in business. So if an alchemist tells the recipe, it is the same as giving up all patents and profits that will be achieved later.

That is, Eve journal will be a source of abundant income in the future.

"So you're an alchemist?" Roy repeats the question from Ezra, making sure.

Ava was silent for a while, then put on her professional smile, "Not really, because I can't use mana, so rather a grade of herbalist?"

Herbalists are an extended sub-category of alchemists, in general a herbalist collects plants as well as animal body parts and monsters that are useful to be utilized in various ways. The difference with the main class of alchemists was the absence of magic involving mana in the manufacturing process, alchemists whose level was already high could combine magic with his artificial potions to produce more significant, complex, effects, or varying.

"You don't have any mana?!" Selena gasps. River also squeezed his shoulders, flipping Ava into direct contact with his eyes, the first time he heard this.

Ava thought their reaction would not be this big, the use of mana for magic would not be able to be covered up, so Ava had already planned to reveal it first. Based on the references he read, the population of people who do not have additional status in the form of where many. The example in front of him is already there, Selena. The woman has no mana, but holy power.

"But you have the skill to attack and defend, right?"

When it comes to skills, all he has is [Observation], but, "I can defend and attack without difficulty." What he said was true, Ava had good martial and fighting skills, and, coupled with the amount of status points he easily gained every time he killed a monster made him stronger than even someone with level 40. But all of that is not "skill".

Roy was the first to leave after that, possibly reporting what he had heard to his master. Then followed Selena after the woman was satisfied to look at River's face while smiling indistinctly. River, of course, managed to expel Ava after he was lectured at length about self-protection for people who do not have mana, he said, almost gave a protective artifact if Ava did not refuse firmly because her debt is still piling up.

Ava was alone in her room. He immediately continued the failed experiment, this time not allowing a milliliter more than the recipe, mashing alternately the roots of sharkodil, rabbit horns, and fiery flowers more delicate than the previous one, then finally boil until boiling. After it cooled down, he poured the ingredients into the small cylinder bottle he bought. Ava got ready, put up the horses if this time it still failed. Finally, he shuffled the bottle aggressively, until the liquid that was originally dark gray turned transparent red.

Ava's waiting, maybe there's a late reaction. But there is no.

Succeeds.

Ava can now make a potion of double EXP.