The Second Life of a Legendary Necromancer

Chapter 24: The Alchemist’s Street (3)

A small topic began sparking interest on Eltube, the Elthera Online community.

It was about a potion crafted by an alchemist named “Yeonwol,” which reportedly outperformed the low-grade potion from the prestigious guild, Levian.

This wasn’t just a baseless rumor.

Several players purchased the potion, took screenshots, and attached them to their posts.

The rumor that Yeonwol’s potion surpassed Levian’s low-grade potion in performance quickly spread, catching the attention of many players eager to share information.

Even the alchemist’s username, “Yeonwol,” became another hot topic.

After all, it was the same username as the player who recently captivated the world.

[User79: Could it really be the same person?]

[User107: But that person switched to the swordsman class. Didn’t they cause a stir recently with the Mad Wolf incident, massacring with sword skills?]

└ [User174: I heard they’re not a swordsman.]

[User198: Didn’t Yeonwol use alchemy during the novice trials? I heard that’s an incredibly difficult alchemy technique.]

└ [User314: Oh, right? Could it actually be the same person?]

The community was ablaze with debate.

Was the Yeonwol who crafted the potion the same person as the one who killed Khazaram, or not?

[Original poster: So does that mean Levian is a water rocket? They got beaten by a beginner?]

[Original poster: Hasn’t Yeonwol only been playing for three months? And Levian is worse than that?]

Some users deliberately posted provocative comparisons to stir up fights.

This tactic worked because even casual readers, driven by curiosity, would click on the posts and get swept into the discussion.

Levian didn’t respond to the growing rumors.

The guild master of Levian, Rabitus, understood the situation.

“When public opinion is hyping up Yeonwol, it’s the perfect time to create a reversal image!”

As planned by Rabitus, the hype about Yeonwol’s potion being better than Levian’s quickly died down.

This was because prominent rankers unexpectedly began uploading potion review videos en masse!

Rankers, who often sought out trending topics for video content, did not raise suspicions when they started reviewing beginner-level low-grade potions.

[The Potion Trending on the Community Lately, I Tried It! / Zenkei]

[A High-Performance Recovery Potion Made by a Mysterious Alchemist! Detailed Review! / Retop4]

[Great Performance, but an Unexpected Side Effect?! / Eldires]

The videos garnered significant views.

Depending on the country, the most popular Eltubers varied, but even the least popular video surpassed 50,000 views, while the top ones easily crossed a million.

As time passed, the views skyrocketed even further.

[Views: 2,397,109]

“Hello, everyone. This is Milten from the Altus Guild. After the friendly potion seminar of the Monday Clan, many people asked me to review user-made potions instead of just NPC ones.”

For players over level 100, potions were almost essential, making such analysis videos extremely popular.

On top of that, posting a review with a sensational title about the currently trending low-grade potion guaranteed high viewership.

“Many people are saying Levian’s potion performs worse than the potion of some unknown alchemist. Such misunderstandings are common. Look at this. It’s a prototype received from a certain clan. It hasn’t been released to the public, but its performance surpasses Yeonwol’s potion. However, due to ‘side effects,’ it’s not available for sale.”

The video showcased a low-grade potion capable of recovering 600–660 HP.

However, the description below listed its side effects.

[Low probability of halved HP recovery and intense pain. Extremely low probability of temporary strength reduction.]

“For large-scale clans or guilds, a potion with a side effect rate above 1% is never distributed. Most major guilds follow this standard. But, as everyone knows, potions crafted by individuals are bound to have side effects.”

In the video, the ranker Milten displayed the “Potion Registration Certificate.”

“There’s one puzzling thing. It’s been days since Yeonwol’s potion hit the market, yet the registration hasn’t been filed.”

He pulled out Yeonwol’s potion—five bottles in total.

“I bought these at a high price, considering only 100 bottles were released on the market. Though they’re just low-grade potions, they cost about the price of a few chickens. We conducted direct experiments and analyses. Does Yeonwol’s potion truly have no side effects?”

Side effects were often omitted from descriptions.

This applied not only to potions but also to most consumables and equipment.

Identifying such details required high-level analysis skills.

“My analysis skill couldn’t detect any side effects. At first, I thought it was a perfectly safe potion. But there were a few undetectable side effects.”

He frowned.

“The first is that it tastes horrible.”

Levian’s potion, known for its pleasant taste, made this an amusing point for viewers.

He then made a cut on his forearm and poured Yeonwol’s potion over it.

“The second is… like this. When applied to a wound, its healing effectiveness is surprisingly poor.”

Potions were often used for drinking but were also frequently poured over wounds.

This method typically yielded better healing results.

In emergencies, a potion’s ability to quickly stop bleeding was its most critical function.

However, the potion Milten poured on his forearm healed the wound at a noticeably slow pace.

“If you’re using it just for drinking, it might be worth buying. But potions are emergency supplies. A potion that’s only effective when consumed orally loses much of its value, in my opinion. What do you all think?”

Similar reviews appeared in most videos.

When applied to wounds, Yeonwol’s potion was only half as effective.

Upon hearing this, other Eltubers eagerly tried to purchase Yeonwol’s potion.

If a product causing such a buzz in the community had flaws, creating a video about it could ride the trend and gain massive views.

However, there were too few bottles available in the market, and most were being swept up by someone else, leaving many Eltubers no choice but to abandon their reviews.

“Is this enough?”

Milten ended the recording and scowled as he spoke to the vice-master of the Levian Guild.

Who would’ve thought he’d have to drink a “Reduced Healing Potion” and shoot a video like that?

“Yes, it’s sufficient.”

“Make sure you’ve deposited the money, as promised. I agreed to join your raid in exchange for a year’s worth of potions, not to shoot this kind of video.”

Milten, a combat ranker affiliated with a top guild, had been seeking sponsorship from the Alchemist Guild to save on potion costs.

Their demand was simple: participate in any video Levian required.

He thought these videos would involve promoting potions during raids or assisting weaker alchemists, but never imagined he’d end up filming a video that undermined someone else.

However, the amount Levian offered was enticing, and he was confident the deception wouldn’t be discovered.

On top of that, knowing several other famous rankers and Eltubers were also participating put him at ease.

“We won’t get caught, right?”

“Of course not. He’s just a beginner.”

“That’s true.”

“No one will want to buy that user’s potions anymore. We’ve been buying up every Yeonwol Potion on the market at 100 times the price, so none of them will reach other players’ hands. Soon, we’ll invite that user to join our guild.”

“That’s a pretty good plan.”

If Yeonwol joined the Levian Guild, there wouldn’t be any backlash against the Eltubers who filmed these videos.

Even if it was later revealed that Yeonwol’s potions had no side effects, Levian could claim their technology resolved the issue.

“It wouldn’t even be a bad deal for that user. People would envy a novice alchemist wearing Levian’s guild emblem.”

Muttering to himself, Milten wiped his face with a hand.

“Anyway, if we’re done here, you should leave. I’ve got a hunting appointment.”

“Uh…”

As Milten began equipping his gear, he frowned upon noticing the vice-master of Levian still lingering in the hideout.

“What are you doing?”

“Well…”

The vice-master was staring at a floating system window.

Since players couldn’t see someone else’s system messages unless shared, Milten grew impatient.

“Are you just trying to annoy me?”

“It’s just that…”

“Just show me already.”

When Milten pressed the system sharing request, the vice-master reluctantly accepted.

Milten read the content with an annoyed expression, but his face hardened instantly.

[Low-Grade Potion Mk.1 (Yeonwol)]

Officially registered as an authentic product with the Alchemist Association.

Judged to have 0% side effects upon consumption and excellent efficacy, warranting a high rating.

Ownership of the recipe belongs to “Yeonwol.”

Milten realized too late that the screenshot in the system window was shared within Levian Guild’s internal community.

“What… what is this? Doesn’t this look bad for us?”

Milten asked in a trembling voice, but no response came.

Perhaps no response was needed.

“We’re screwed.”

The abyss of ruin loomed before Milten’s eyes.