5 A MEETING OF MINDS

And so, Ivan spent the past two weeks cultivating a mass supply of potions and earning xp in the process. Of course with the abundance of resources he had requested he went beyond creating basic healing potions and stamina potions.

Going as far as creating potions of invisibility, defense, speed, and even strength. Ivan was confident that his proposal with the King and Pope Ishtar will be far more beneficial for him than it is for them.

After all, it was a part of his plan to skedaddle before they abuse his products and grow drunk on power. At that point he has no doubts the kingdom would do the unspeakable just to detain him and turn him into their personal brewer.

Thus Ivan worked hard the past two weeks creating products to escape that inevitable fate. Of course as mentioned before he even steered away from alchemical potions altogether. A basic skill of alchemists in both fiction and media is the ability to transmute the world around them, this can range from turning copper to gold or manipulating the forms whatever they can get their hands on.

And yet in this world the skill 'transmutation' allowed the bearer to possess both abilities

Transforming his coins into arrowheads and daggers, Ivan had plans to coat these with some of his more dangerous potions in case things get dangerous. Poison, paralysis, and potions of drowsiness were well within Ivan's arsenal, though the materials needed for them were quite rare, they were a necessary expense that he was glad not to pay for.

Finding some nice sticks and twigs, Ivan used his transmutation to refine them into perfect arrows while combining them with the aforementioned arrow heads.

He wiped a tear from his eyes seeing his weekly allowance dwindle so much, but then again it was a price he was willing to not pay!

Finishing his daily potion limit, Ivan fully readied himself to go out outdoors. Where was he going? Well, ever since the first day when he reached his limit he made it a part of his routine to make his way to the library and learn about the world while he recuperated.

He took a moment before he left his room to take a look at his status plate.

Ivan Korei Age: 17

Male Level: 5

Job: Alchemist

Strength: 30

Vitality: 80

Defense: 70

Agility: 30

Magic: 500

Magic Defense: 150

Skills: Language Comprehension - Mixing - Plant Appraisal - Elixir Appraisal - Quality Enhancer - Transmutation - Increased Mixing Speed - Increased Transmutation Speed - Forager - Cat's Eye - Encyclopedia - Auto Harvesting - Fast Learner - Fast Reader - Herbalist - Wakeful - Increased Mana Recovery

Nodding his head, Ivan was quite satisfied with his results. While his level was quite low that in itself was a good thing as that meant he could raise his stats without having to worry about maxing his level.

'So much room for improvement!'

Though it was quite a shame that though he has a high magic stat, he had no offensive magic spells he could use. In this world one must have an affinity with the corresponding element to use said spell effectively: an example would be having an affinity with fire to use the fireball spell. While it is possible to use a spell while having no affinity with its element, it's effectiveness would be extremely reduced, alongside other determinants like longer casting time and more mana used to cast.

Now that isn't to say Ivan has no affinity with any of the 8 elements that are used in many magic spells. It's just that he found much more enjoyment in using his mana itself as a weapon. And his control with mana made it a much more effective and quick to learn tool for him to use. It after all required no magic circles or chanting to use his mana as a flail.

Sometimes going as far as turning his mana into tangible tentacles he uses to brew multiple potions simultaneously. It wasn't that using his mana like that expended any of it, in fact it's as if the mana had become an extension of himself, like a limb it would exit his body to do it's work then retract itself once he desired. The mana would just return to his body so long as it stays attached to him.

Once he found out that using his mana so freely like that wasnt exactly normal, he made sure to never reveal it, he decided it would become his secret weapon in case of emergencies.

To him it was a better compromise than giving up his brewing time or learning time just to yell some chants out in the open field with his classmates.

'Well, it's time to go.' Closing the door behind him, Ivan leisurely put his hands in his pockets while he made his way to the library, all whilst humming a peaceful tune.

Exhausting the library of books he hadn't read yet was quite easy for Ivan who had a skill that let him receive eight hours worth of sleep in only three hours. With the extra hours he would have wasted sleeping he instead used to read any books he could find that seem helpful.

So on a day like any other day, it was quite interesting to see a sight he hadn't seen before, and that was there seemed to be a new visitor of the library, at least one he hadn't seen before.

"Hello Hajime, it sure is a surprise to see you here." Patting the shoulder of his classmate who had been rather distracted reading picture books, Ivan shined a smile to show good-faith. He was sure Hajime was quite wary of others considering the incessant bullying he received each day.

"E-Eh, oh it's you Ivan… How could I help you?" Though not entirely familiar with Ivan, Hajime felt that it'd be quite rude to just outright ignore him.

An action Ivan greatly appreciated, though if it were him he would have ignored anyone who disturbed his reading time.

"No no no, it's fine. It's just that as a frequent visitor it's quite a rare sight to see you."

'But I've been here every day…' Hajime didn't bother correcting Ivan, he was someone he hadn't interacted with much. For now his plan was to see how to get out of this conversation as quickly as possible.

"Um ,well as the weakest in the class, I got to make up for it somehow, hahahah. So I thought that if I can't be useful in combat then maybe I can help with my knowledge." Hajime sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while avoiding eye contact with Ivan.

"Hmmmm, I see. Well that in itself is quite admirable. Instead of lying down and accepting your fate, you stay determined to work on your strengths!"

Hajime could only laugh embarrassingly, a little shy at Ivan's praise.

"And that is why I precisely need your help, Hajime." Ivan put a hand on Hajime's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, full of hope. "Please, if I can have a moment of your time I would greatly appreciate that you hear me out for a moment."

"Ah, s-sure…. Though we should make it quick, we have training soon." Though Hajime didn't know Ivan very well, his first impression made quite the imprint on him. And just by a small bit, he stopped behaving warily.

"WELCOME TO MY SECRET LAIR!" Flailing his arms out exaggeratedly, making sure his coat would briefly flow in the wind, and striking a cool pose at the same time. Ivan only had one thought.

'I've always wanted to do this!'

Repressing the urge to sigh, Hajime instead looked around the room Ivan had brought him to. If he had one word to describe it, then it would be 'barren.'

The walls and floor were just made of earth, the ceiling also being dirt just supported by stone pillars for structure support. After all, the last thing Ivan wants is for his little stash cave to collapse in on itself.

In the middle of this cave was a small wooden table with a lantern on it, though dim it was strong enough to illuminate the rest of the objects in the room. Rows and rows of crates appeared before Hajime's eyes.

'To think there'd be a small little hideaway just a few meters away from the training grounds.' Hajime thought to himself, after all he had zero knowledge of Ivan's job, and even if he knew he wouldn't assume an alchemist would also possess the same 'transmutation' skill as he does.

Then again, this level of transmutation was very far from Hajime, who could only make pitfalls and protrusions in the ground.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Dragging some wooden chairs he stole from the lobby of their residence, Ivan took a seat and pointed at the chair he placed on the other side of the table.

Hajime sat down compliantly, and looked over at Ivan who had laced his hands together and tilted his head down to hide his expression.

"..."

"....."

All of a sudden Hajime felt the tension in the room rise significantly, all to the point where he was nervous to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Raising his head to allow the candle light to illuminate his face, Ivan showed a small smile before deciding to go forth with his explanation.

"Now Hajime, I've brought you here for a very specific reason… I'm aware you haven't had the most fortunate experience in this world."

Hajime dropped his head ashamedly

"However I brought you here not to promise you immeasurable power, nor did I bring you here to flaunt anything. I only ask that you consider my offer." This finally caught Hajime's attention, 'straight to the point huh.' He thought.

"Let me let you in on a little secret Hajime…" Ivan spoke mysteriously, "I TOO HAVE A NON-COMBAT JOB!" Ivan rose from his seated position and stomped his left leg on the table while having his right leg on the chair he jumped from.

Meanwhile Hajime was busy contemplating how he should react to this news. Should he say 'sorry?' No, that'd probably come off as patronizing. But Hajime couldn't understand Ivan's enthusiasm, 'I mean all of our other classmates have combat jobs, and those are rarer than our jobs…'

So, coming to a conclusion he thought it'd be best to clap silently.

"Eh, so anyway what job do you have?"

Ivan, unperturbed by Hajime's lack of enthusiasm, went ahead and told him his occupation. After all, nothing builds trust like telling people your secrets.

'An alchemist huh..' Once again Hajime was baffled as to how to react, there were many types of alchemists he can recall from fiction. From old people that turn copper into gold to bat-shit insane researchers that turn their daughters' into chimeras.

Either way he didn't know what Ivan expected of him, he however felt a large amount of relief at having known that this was the goofy kind of conversation he was brought to, not the hard-boiled feelings matter he had earlier expected.

"Mhm, now that that's out of the way, let's dive into the real subject matter." Clearing his throat, Ivan tidied his clothing and returned to his seat.

"Here's my proposition, as you know there are only three non-combat job members in our classroom: Sensei, you, and me. While we were not blessed with the same strength our classmates possess, we specialize in a different field. Should we choose wisely, we can make the kingdom eager to please us…"

Giving a moment for Hajime to pick up what he's getting at, Ivan took a sip from his canteen.

"Now listen clearly to what I'm about to say, Hajime. An army does not march on an empty stomach, a wolf is only as fierce as it's fangs, and finally, every battle is won before it's even fought."

A realization hit Hajime as he sat upright in his chair, though he wasn't quite sure about the last line, he understood what Ivan was implying.

"I don't know about you Hajime, but as much danger as these people are in, don't you feel it's important to look after ourselves before we can even consider looking out for others? I mean look at us, we're just kids!"

Neither nodding or denying his claims, Hajime only stared at Ivan attentively.

"Please understand that though I've only known you guys for two weeks, you all mean a lot more to me than people like Pope Ishtar who expect us to wipe out an entire civilization. That's why I ask you to join me, and potentially Aiko-sensei, in negotiating with the King and Pope Ishtar to allow those who wish to refrain from fighting to reside within the kingdom's walls. At least doing other work aside from killing, after all what use are soldiers too afraid to pick up their swords? In exchange we shall offer up our services, of course we must show them we have value first. So what do you say Hajime, would you join us?"

Ivan extended a hand to Hajime, who was deep in pondering.

Meanwhile, having an internal dilemma of his own, Hajime laid out his thoughts. He wasn't one to play hero, or well at least he didn't think of himself to be one. His current goal was to return to his home world. As for whether he cared for any of his classmates, well there were two that came to mind.

He was sure it would be as Ivan said, though there would be those who choose to stay within the safety of the kingdom, there would surely be those who see it as their mission to put their lives on the line for this world's humanity.

Looking at the hand in front of him, Hajime made a gamble. "I will accept your proposition- However, I wish to remain in the battle."

While self aware of his own weakness, Hajime couldn't live with himself if the only girl who showed him kindness were to die in a dungeon while he remained in the safety of the kingdom.

"Of course, so long as you help me get what I need, I'll make sure you get what you want. Welcome to the fold, let's make this meeting a fruitful one!"

And so standing in solidarity, these two shook hands dreaming of the future.

At least until Hajime reminded them that they were about to be late for training.