Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“The crucial question is when to use what’s inside.”

I had already checked the contents of the black pouch as we left the pavilion. It contained translucent solids made by drying a sticky, resin-like liquid.

Glancing around, I saw Arajin was busy dealing with Lee Kang-to. Before his attention could return to me, I moved to a corner and turned the black pouch inside out.

Three pill-like objects, resembling lumpy pebbles, were revealed.

[Wailing Pill (B)]

[Thorn Pill (B+)]

[Flame Pill (A)]

Coincidentally, the pills were red, yellow, and blue, just like Arajin’s eyes. Each pill had a different effect, as varied as their colors. While they could be useful if utilized well, I couldn’t quite grasp how best to use them.

While feeling perplexed, I also had some doubts. I had heard these were byproducts from the physicians’ efforts to develop a plague cure. How on earth did they end up creating something like this?

‘The system classifies these as general items, not potions. Considering that, it seems more like alchemy than pharmacology…’

[Oh my, Gaho. Where did you pick up such strange things? Didn’t I tell you that picking up just anything shows poor taste!]

As if reading my thoughts, Kalia popped up at the perfect moment. Despite recently overexerting herself and needing to rest, she apparently couldn’t stay out of this.

[I can tell at a glance. This wasn’t made by a proper alchemist, was it?]

“Well, this world probably doesn’t even have the concept of alchemy to begin with.”

[Is that so? No wonder it seems a bit shoddy. The idea is brilliant, but what a waste!]

Despite one of them being A-rank, Kalia’s evaluation was far from impressive. She explained that while the ingredients used were of good quality and their properties well extracted, the manifestation method was flawed.

[If it had been just a little different, it could have been a really interesting item. This is why the basics are so important.]

“Is it that bad?”

[Why don’t you check for yourself? What I can see, you can see too, you know.]

Perhaps because it was treated as an item rather than a potion, when I focused my mana into my eyes, I could see the structure just as Kalia said, even without an alchemy skill.

The three pills had similar structures, suggesting they were made by the same person.

‘The overall composition seems fine, though.’

Without time to examine all the knots in the circuit, I quickly scanned the parts Kalia had pointed out. Indeed, even I could notice a fatal flaw in this item.

‘The manifestation method doesn’t harmonize with the properties of the ingredients at all. It would have been better if they had designed it to release outward instead.’

This problem seemed to arise from focusing too much on creating a “medicine.”

The ingredients used in these pills were all quite assertive in nature. In trying to suppress them to work without side effects inside the human body, the advantages of the ingredients couldn’t be fully realized.

“I can see why you said it was a shame.”

[Right? If only they had a slightly broader perspective. Well, being perfect in everything is what makes a true master craftsman, I suppose.]

“If it were an offensive item instead of medicine, it could have been truly remarkable… Ah.”

[Hey, why did you stop mid-sentence?]

An outlandish idea flashed through my mind. No, on second thought, it might be feasible. With Kalia here, and if Arajin doesn’t interfere, it might be worth trying.

“Kalia, do you think I could modify the circuit of this item with my abilities?”

If this is possible, it could turn the tables.

‘While it’s true they have flaws, the rank of these pills is by no means low.’

Especially the A-rank Flame Pill. If its rank increases like when I fixed the mask, it could become something even S-ranks couldn’t ignore.

[There’s nothing stopping you from tinkering with it. But there’s one problem.]

“Is it serious?”

[Hmm, from your perspective, maybe?]

For Kalia, who’s usually so nonchalant, to react like this… Her ambiguous answer made me even more uneasy. Sensing my silence revealed these feelings, Kalia hastily continued.

[Ah, forget what I just said! It’s not terribly serious or anything.]

“When you bring up a problem, Kalia, I doubt it’s trivial.”

[Just hear me out! Remember when I touched that rag you’re wearing recently? Well, I found out I’m experiencing some aftereffects.]

“What?”

What’s imbued in the monocle is merely a fragment of Kalia. When all the mana stored along with the memories is depleted, it will revert to an ordinary monocle incapable of speech. She had been accumulating mana for a long time for future students, but forcibly twisting the result of the enchantment consumed more than expected.

[Defying the laws of nature is thrilling no matter how many times I do it, so I have no regrets!]

“You won’t disappear like before, right?”

[Heh, Gaho, did you miss me a lot while I was gone?]

I kept my mouth shut, but that didn’t hide my true feelings. I thought about denying it belatedly, but that seemed even more ridiculous.

Amidst the noise created by Lee Kang-to and Arajin, an untimely laugh mixed in.

[Hahaha, don’t worry, Gaho! I have no intention of disappearing until you beg me to leave. A human life is only a few decades at most, after all.]

“…So, what’s this problem you mentioned?”

[I’ve used up all the mana I had in reserve. So now it’s difficult for me to actively help you. You know, things like drawing circuits for you or intervening in the results.]

The reason she had been unusually quiet when she would have normally interjected several times was for the same reason. Even talking consumes mana, so she was trying to minimize her words.

‘Though she seems to have been quite talkative just now.’

[With my current permitted limit… hmm, I can probably only check in here and there. Still want to do it?]

“Yes, of course.”

To be honest, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t taken aback. But since I had subconsciously known this moment would come someday, I was able to regain my composure quickly.

“I never intended to rely on given answers for my entire life anyway.”

[That’s the spirit! That’s how a true craftsman should be.]

All that remained was execution. I summoned the last mist bead into my free hand and crushed it. The vision that had just started to clear became hazy once again.

‘For once, Lee Kang-to is being surprisingly perceptive.’

I shrugged, sensing the presence of the two people on the opposite side of the bedchamber.

As if realizing I was up to something, from some point, Lee Kang-to had been trying his best to keep Arajin as far away from me as possible. Without that, it would have been difficult to have this conversation with Kalia.

The higher the rank, the harder it is not to affect one’s surroundings. Arajin, unlike us who don’t care if Cheonyogun gets destroyed, is in a different position, so Lee Kang-to should be able to handle him for a while.

“Still, we don’t have much time, so let’s start right away.”

First, the Wailing Pill, which has the lowest rank. After putting the other pills in my inventory, I firmly grasped the clear blue pill in my hand.

According to the item description, this pill originally had the effect of making the consumer shed tears. While it might be amusing to see Arajin crying his eyes out, this wasn’t the time for such spectacles.

[How do you plan to modify it?]

“I’m thinking of turning the pill into an explosive. It’s not like that guy would quietly eat something we offer him anyway.”

[Hmm, simple but not a bad idea.]

Kalia seemed to give it a passing grade, albeit barely, as she fell silent after her brief comment.

“I wonder if the person who made this is still alive? If so, I’d like to meet them sometime.”

As I examined the circuit, I couldn’t help but become curious about the physician who made this medicine. It’s true that the three pills had their shortcomings. But that was only when viewing these pills as ‘items’.

From the perspective of ‘medicine’ meant to heal people and boost vitality, the evaluation should be different. Throughout the circuit, it was clearly evident how meticulously the physician had refined, combined, and researched the ingredients.

“Just looking at the circuit, I can tell this wasn’t made by an ordinary meticulous person.”

It was a different approach from Kalia, who is whimsical yet simultaneously calculates and controls everything thoroughly. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was closer to being deeply thoughtful.

I finally understood what my master meant when he said that he and I would become different types of craftsmen. Even if creating an item with the same effect, this physician and Kalia would likely go through entirely different processes.

“In any case, it’s fortunate that it lessens my workload.”

There wasn’t a single small mistake to be found in the way the material properties were extracted and woven together. This was the realm of experience; if I had done it, it wouldn’t have reached this level of completeness.

It was so neatly done that it seemed only a few places needed to be fixed.

“That shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Haven’t I accomplished much more challenging tasks? The confidence bolstered by recent experiences seemed to push me forward, urging me not to hesitate.

First, I erased the parts that acted as safety measures. It seemed they had used contradictory ingredients out of concern for side effects, but now, aiming for an explosive force all at once, these were all hindrances.

‘Ah, the glass cannon I saw on the ship. Couldn’t I do something like that?’

A timely and appropriate example came to mind. I remembered it clearly because the circuit had been so crude. I moved my hand to the area near the center, the part that manifests the extracted properties.

“To concentrate the power and make it explode all at once…”

I slightly twisted the part designed for uniform effect manifestation, modifying the circuit so that power would flow back to the center only under specific conditions. Then, I destabilized the circuit controlling the output at the center to a precarious level.

When I called Kalia for confirmation, she exclaimed in an excited tone, unlike when I first proposed the idea.

[What’s this, what’s this! You’ve made something even more interesting than I predicted!]

“Is it okay to proceed like this?”

[Since we’ve come this far, wouldn’t it be better to be a bit more reckless? Try shaving off a bit more there!]

“Even more?”

If it becomes any more unstable from here, the pill itself might crumble. I hesitated, but at Kalia’s urging, I reluctantly put my hand to it again.

By the time I finished working, the appearance of the Wailing Pill had changed significantly from its original form.

“I’d believe it if you told me this was a completely different item.”

The outer part of the pill had lost all its color and become transparent. In contrast, the color at the center had deepened, with a dark blue energy concentrated in a sphere.

For some reason, the texture had also become squishy, and just as I was about to knead it unconsciously, a popup appeared.

[Choose an effect to apply to ‘Wailing Pill (B)’:

– Innate: Multiplier Earthquake (A)]

Again?