My D Rank Skill is Actually SSS-Rank

Chapter 7: The Elixir of Unbridled Honesty and the Festival's First Fiasco

Alaric watched Agnes waddle off, her terrifying smile still plastered on her face. The 'Elixir of Heroic Resolve'. This is it. My chance to truly break the social meta of Aethelgard. Forget combat, forget crafting. Information is power. And embarrassing information? That's SSS-tier leverage. He clutched the hidden vial of 'Elixir of Unbridled Charisma' tighter.

Master Elara, however, was still staring at him, her eyes narrowed. "You're up to something, boy. I can feel it. That mana signature on those banners... it's too... clean. And your comments... they reek of impropriety."

"Me? Never, Master Elara," Alaric said, affecting his most innocent tone, which probably just made him look more suspicious. "Just optimizing the festival experience. For everyone's enjoyment. And perhaps, for everyone's... enlightenment." He gave her another wink, just to push her buttons.

She scoffed, turning abruptly. "Hmph! I'll be watching you, Alaric. Don't think your D-Rank trickery will fool me." She strode off, her robes swishing, likely to go grumble about him to some other unsuspecting mage.

Alaric grinned. Good. Keep watching, Elara. You'll get a front-row seat to the most embarrassing festival in Aethelgard's history. The transparent slime jiggled beside him, its faint hum now sounding suspiciously like a full-blown, knowing cackle. Alaric shot it a warning glare. Don't you dare. Or I'll refine your 'transparency' into 'blinding neon green' and then use you as a giant, indestructible, self-lubricating, perpetually-bouncing stress ball for Master Elara. See how funny that is. The slime seemed to jiggle faster, definitely amused.

He made his way to the Guild's potion storage, a dusty, dimly lit room filled with shelves of various vials and bubbling concoctions. The air was thick with the scent of herbs, alcohol, and faint magical residue. He quickly located the 'Elixir of Heroic Resolve' – a large, unappealing barrel filled with a murky, reddish-brown liquid. It smelled faintly of stale courage and existential dread.

System Notification: Item Detected: [Elixir of Heroic Resolve (C-Rank Potion)]. Condition: Bland, Suboptimal Potency, Traditional.

"C-Rank, huh? Not F-Rank trash, but still plenty of room for improvement," Alaric muttered. He pulled out his previously refined 'Elixir of Unbridled Charisma' vial. This was the key. He just needed to figure out how to integrate it without anyone noticing.

He poured a small amount of the bland 'Elixir of Heroic Resolve' into a clean beaker. Then, with a conspiratorial glance around the empty room, he carefully uncorked his SSS-tier 'Elixir of Unbridled Charisma'. The shimmering golden liquid pulsed faintly, smelling of fresh spring water and something alluring, like a perfectly executed seduction.

Okay, Alex, think. This isn't just mixing. This is refinement. I need to merge the essence of 'heroic resolve' with 'unbridled charisma' and 'confess deepest desires' without making it obvious. It needs to be subtle. A hidden buff. A social exploit that looks like a normal, albeit very effective, heroic potion.

He dipped his hand into the beaker, focusing his 'Basic Material Refinement' skill on the mixture. The murky red-brown liquid began to shimmer, the two distinct liquids swirling together, not blending, but intertwining at a molecular level. The blandness vanished, replaced by a complex, invigorating aroma. It smelled like courage, but also like a really good confession.

System Notification: [Basic Material Refinement] activated. Material: Elixir of Heroic Resolve (C-Rank Potion) + Elixir of Unbridled Charisma (SSS-Tier Potion). Result: Perfected 'Elixir of Unbridled Honesty' (SSS-Tier Artifact). Condition: Grants Unwavering Courage, Compels Truthful Confessions (of Deepest Desires), Amplifies Emotional Expression, Lasts 2 Hours. Side Effect: Minor, Temporary Vocal Cord Optimization (Causes Singing).

Alaric stared at the new notification, then at the now shimmering, clear golden-red liquid in the beaker. "Unwavering Courage? Compels Truthful Confessions? Amplifies Emotional Expression? And... Causes Singing?" His jaw dropped. "Holy crap. This is even better than I imagined! This isn't just a truth serum; it's a truth and performance serum! The ultimate festival chaos!"

He quickly refined the entire barrel of 'Elixir of Heroic Resolve', transforming it into the 'Elixir of Unbridled Honesty'. The potion storage room now smelled faintly of courage, honesty, and a subtle hint of impending musical numbers.

The Grand Festival was a spectacle. Banners, now impossibly vibrant and subtly transparent (Alaric had ensured the 'variable' effect was set to 'just enough to make people double-take'), hung majestically. The air buzzed with excitement, the scent of roasted meats mingling with the faint, unsettling aroma of 'enhanced flavor' from the kitchen.

The opening ceremony began. The Guild Master, a portly man with a booming voice and a rather obvious toupee (which Alaric resisted the urge to 'refine'), stood on a grand stage. Sir Grady stood beside him, looking suitably heroic. Master Elara stood off to the side, her eyes narrowed, clearly still suspicious.

"Brave adventurers! Esteemed citizens! Welcome to the Grand Festival of Silverhaven!" the Guild Master boomed. "And to mark this auspicious occasion, we shall partake in the traditional 'Elixir of Heroic Resolve'!"

A line of Guild staff, including a very nervous-looking Helga, began distributing goblets filled with Alaric's 'Elixir of Unbridled Honesty'. Alaric watched from the side, a triumphant, slightly manic grin on his face. This was it. Show time.

The Guild Master took a large gulp. His eyes immediately widened. He cleared his throat. "Indeed! This elixir... it fills me with... with an overwhelming desire to confess! I, Guild Master Bartholomew, hereby admit that I secretly dye my beard! And my toupee is, in fact, a very expensive, enchanted badger pelt!"

A stunned silence fell over the crowd. Then, a few nervous titters. Sir Grady, beside the Guild Master, looked utterly mortified. Master Elara's eyes widened, then she actually smirked.

Suddenly, the Guild Master's voice changed. It became… melodious. He began to sing, a surprisingly high-pitched tenor. "Oh, the badger pelt, so fine and grand! It hides the truth across the land! My hair is grey, my head is bare! But no one knows, I swear, I swear!"

The crowd erupted in a mixture of laughter and gasps. Sir Grady's face was beet red. Alaric, however, was struggling to contain his own laughter. Side effect: Minor, Temporary Vocal Cord Optimization (Causes Singing). Oh, this is glorious!

Next, Sir Grady took a sip. His eyes glazed over. "By the Holy Light! This elixir... it compels me! I, Sir Grady, The Resolute, confess that my 'Chivalrous Pose' skill is actually just me holding my breath until I almost faint! And I'm secretly terrified of squirrels! They look at me with such judgment!" He then launched into a surprisingly heartfelt ballad about his fear of bushy-tailed rodents. "Oh, bushy tails and beady eyes! They haunt my dreams, my brave disguise!"

The festival was rapidly descending into chaos. Adventurers, nobles, and common citizens alike began taking sips of the elixir, and one by one, their deepest, most embarrassing desires and secrets spilled out, often accompanied by impromptu singing.

"I, Master Blacksmith Grimgor, admit I secretly use goblin-made tools because they're 'optimally efficient'!" a burly dwarf bellowed, then burst into a surprisingly delicate soprano about the joys of tiny hammers.

"I, Lady Marly, confess I'm only attending this festival to find a rich husband, and I think Sir Grady's armor is terribly outdated!" a haughty noblewoman shrieked, then launched into a rap about fashion trends.

Alaric watched, tears streaming down his face from laughter. This was peak content. This was the ultimate social exploit. He carefully took a tiny sip of the elixir himself, just to test its effects.

System Notification: [Elixir of Unbridled Honesty] consumed. Effect: Unwavering Courage, Compels Truthful Confessions (of Deepest Desires), Amplifies Emotional Expression, Lasts 2 Hours. Side Effect: Minor, Temporary Vocal Cord Optimization (Causes Singing).

Alaric felt a surge of confidence, a strange urge to tell everyone his deepest, most embarrassing thoughts. He quickly clamped his mouth shut. Nope. Not falling for that. I'm the one pulling the strings here. He then realized his vocal cords felt... optimized. He tried to hum. It came out as a perfectly pitched, resonant baritone. Oh, no. This could be a problem.

Master Elara, who had been watching the entire spectacle unfold, finally took a cautious sip. Her eyes widened. She gasped. "I... I confess! I secretly find Alaric's perverted comments... mildly intriguing! And sometimes, I wonder what he'd do if I asked him to 'optimize' my robes for 'flexibility'!" She then burst into a surprisingly powerful opera aria about the hidden desires of grumpy mages. "Oh, the robes, they bind my soul! But freedom calls, to make me whole!"

Alaric froze, his face going pale. She... she just confessed that?! And she's singing about it?! Oh, god. This is worse than I thought. This isn't just embarrassing; this is a direct threat to my plausible deniability!

The transparent slime jiggled beside him, its purring hum now a full-blown, joyous, perfectly pitched cackle. Alaric shot it a look of utter betrayal. You knew! You knew this would happen! You SSS-tier menace!

The Grand Festival of Silverhaven was rapidly becoming the Grand Festival of Unbridled Confessions and Unexpected Operas. And Alaric, the cynical, perverted skill-optimizer, realized he might have just optimized himself into a whole new level of trouble.