Having completed the quest, Taesan returned to the territory of the gremlin.

The forest on the way back was eerily quiet. It was natural, considering Taesan had killed them all. Those who survived were holding their breath, waiting for Taesan to pass by.

All the while, they harbored hatred for him and the gremlin.

“I’m back.”

The gremlin was waiting silently outside his house. Taesan handed him the white horn of a unicorn.

“Ha, haha. You really brought it…”

He fiddled with the white horn, laughing dryly.

“With the things you’ve brought… I can finally achieve what I wanted.”

He gripped the horn tightly.

“First, I must give you a reward. Take this. It’s the power I’ve gained over a lifetime.”

[You have learned basic alchemy.]

“Find out how to use it yourself. I have no intention of teaching you that.”

Taesan nodded. The gremlin continued speaking while fiddling with the horn.

“And… since you’ve perfectly brought what I wanted, I must give you more rewards. Tell me, what do you want? I assume you’d want the wings of a fairy.”

“Can you really give me that?”

Wings of a fairy that allowed free flight through the air. Certainly, it would be a great advantage for an adventurer.

The gremlin nodded.

“That’s alchemy. It requires a lot of materials, but with the ingredients you’ve brought, it should be enough.”

“Appealing, but… I’ll pass. I’ve already obtained it.”

“Already?”

The gremlin, initially puzzled, then showed realization.

“Is it from that place created by the dragon…”

“Yes. So, I don’t need it.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Well.”

Currently, as he was breaking through the floors, there wasn’t anything inconvenient enough to specifically ask for. The only aerial combat issue had been resolved by obtaining the fairy wings.

After a moment of thought, Taesan spoke.

“It would be nice if you could increase my attack or defense power. Is that possible?”

His current attack power was already high. However, most of the beings he faced were from the lower floors, so the reduction in damage due to their defense power was significant.

Taesan wanted to solve that problem. The gremlin stroked his chin at Taesan’s words.

“Attack power… it’s not impossible.”

“You mean it’s possible?”

“But if so, it will be made as equipment. Which part do you want?”

“A ring.”

Taesan answered immediately. The gremlin went inside as if he had expected that answer.

“Follow me.”

Taesan followed him inside.

The interior was as barren as before, with only a few pieces of furniture necessary for living and alchemy tools visible everywhere else.

“Give me one of your rings.”

Taesan took out a ring.

[Ring of Deep Scars] [Attack Power +20] [A ring engraved with an indescribable scar. The aura of its owner, who engraved the scar, curses all that approach.]

It was a ring he had used for a very long time. It might be a useless ring for others, but for Taesan, it has been very useful.

The gremlin looked at the ring with a puzzled expression.

“The ring’s intrinsic value isn’t bad, but it seems utterly useless.”

“I’ve met Ainzhar.”

“Ah… that nasty old man. I see.”

The gremlin accepted the ring, nodding in understanding. He placed the ring on a cluttered table.

“Alchemy is the art of mixing materials together to create something of great value.”

He started sprinkling something onto the ring one by one.

“However, unlike magic, alchemy isn’t a safe art. It’s unstable and seeks that instability. Strong materials mix and clash, and the power generated from their reaction is what’s captured in the ring.”

He sprinkled white powder, then green powder. The powders collided, generating heat that melted the ring.

The gremlin continued his work. Taesan watched the incomprehensible process repeat.

About ten minutes later, the gremlin sprayed a blue liquid towards the melting ring.

And quickly ducked under the table.

Boom!

The moment the liquid met the sparks, an explosion occurred.

It was a massive explosion that could have blown away everything inside the house. Debris hit the walls and fell. Only the table, seemingly treated with something, firmly remained in place.

Chiiiik.

After the explosion, the ring reappeared, now imbued with the powders.

The gremlin peeked out and picked up the ring.

“It turned out well. Take it.”

[Ring of Deep Scars Refined by Alchemy] [Attack Power +150] [A ring engraved with an indescribable scar. The aura of its owner, who engraved the scar, curses all that approach. Petals that engulf everything and living fog have combined with the water from the explosion.]

The attack power had increased by an astonishing 130.

Taesan was taken aback by the unexpected change.

Looking intently at the ring, the gremlin shook his head.

“Just in case you’re wondering, you won’t be able to achieve this level if you tried now. Even a slight mistake in the process can lead to failure, and the equipment itself could be destroyed.”

“That’s tricky.”

But it also meant that if one could improve their skill, such transformations were possible.

“If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. From now on, you figure it out.”

He rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a few gray pouches.

“Take these too.”

[You have received five pouches of Blessed Powder made from Fairy Wings.] [Blessed Powder made from Fairy Wings] [Continuously recovers health and mana for a certain period. The recovery speed is quite fast.]

The effect was similar to what Lee Taeyeon had received, but even better. With five pouches, it looked like they could be very useful in dangerous situations.

Taesan accepted the powder. The gremlin then handed him a compass.

“This compass will guide you to the path to the 52nd floor.”

Then he started to tidy up.

“Now go. I have no more business with you.”

Taesan, holding the compass, asked.

“Do you really think you can be satisfied with that?”

“I’ve come this far.”

The gremlin smiled, though it was more of a sob than a smile.

“I… can’t back down.”

“Is that so?”

Taesan left without saying anything more.

Left alone, the gremlin stared blankly at the room before starting to tidy up.

Then, he began throwing ingredients into a bubbling cauldron one by one. Lastly, when he added the unicorn horn, thick smoke spread out from the pot.

When the smoke cleared, powders stuck to the bottom were visible.

The gremlin scraped together the powder.

“I am…”

He closed his mouth.

‘I am.’

Sometimes, he thought that.

If he hadn’t possessed a self.

If he had a mind worse than animals, like his kin.

Maybe then, he could have been happier.

Gremlins. An ugly race living in the sewers, unable to properly use tools, monsters among countless others.

Among them, he was the only one with intelligence.

It was despair in itself.

Moreover, being inherently small, he was subjected to the contempt and violence of his kin.

Monsters are less than animals. And animals, when survival becomes difficult, kill their weakest offspring first.

The gremlin barely escaped from his kin and parents trying to eat him.

Entering deep into the forest, the gremlin was determined.

To abandon the gremlin race.

To acquire abilities and live among other races worthy of his intelligence.

Entering the boundary of magic, he worked desperately in the forest alone, gathering ingredients and nurturing his strength without anyone’s help. As a result, he obtained alchemy skills unmatched by anyone else.

Pleased with his achievements, he ventured out of the forest.

With his current self, he could be like humans. He diligently read books left behind by humans in the forest, learning their language and writing. Since he could communicate, he could be of help to them and live together.

He believed that.

Until the first human he met was amazed by a talking gremlin and threw him behind bars.

He became a circus animal.

He shouted desperately, claiming he could use alchemy, that he could be of help to them, that they could be together.

But no one listened to his words. They were merely amazed that a gremlin could speak.

That’s when the gremlin realized it didn’t matter what he learned or had.

Even with whatever power he possessed, he was still just a worthless monster.

The same was true when he was released by a group known as the Monster Liberation Group. They regarded the gremlin with curiosity, not as a sentient being.

He returned to the forest.

And he delved madly into alchemy, gathering information until he discovered the existence of the labyrinth.

The Labyrinth.

A place where all the world’s mysteries converged.

The gremlin was excited. There, he believed his existence could be accepted. He believed he could converse as an equal with others.

And so, he entered the Labyrinth.

But in the Labyrinth, he remained just a gremlin.

Mystical, beautiful beings still scorned him.

“It’s the gremlin that’s the problem.”

He sobbed. No matter his achievements or accomplishments, no one recognized him. No one accepted him. No one befriended him.

He was alone his entire life.

Driven to madness, he made a decision.

Then it would suffice to no longer be a gremlin.

To become like them.

He looked at the clumped powder with dangerous eyes.

This was the end. Whichever way it went.

Picking up the powder, he staggered out.

The gremlin headed deep into the forest.

[It looked dangerous.]

“It’s his own choice. I have no right to stop him.”

Lee Taeyeon had said this while expressing regret. She wanted to help. But she couldn’t.

But Taesan couldn’t stop him either. Whatever he said, the gremlin would react just as he did with Lee Taeyeon.

Whatever the outcome, it was the gremlin’s own choice.

As Taesan returned to the village, he collected various medicinal herbs and flowers from the forest. Perhaps because he had learned alchemy, he noticed things he hadn’t before.

[Flower Bearing Blue Blood] [It carries the aura of cold flames. Its repulsion is strong, making harmony difficult.] [Root Hidden Deep] [It carries the aura of solid earth. Its repulsion is weak, making harmony easier. It easily combines with specific attributes.]

“What’s all this?”

Just phrases that were hard to understand. The ghost didn’t seem to know much about alchemy either.

[Alchemy. I've only heard of it, never seen anyone but the gremlin use it. Learning the basics must be quite hard, right?]

“It’ll be difficult alone.”

Doing it alone seemed like it would require staying in the forest for at least a month unless someone helped.

Taesan, after collecting materials, arrived at the village.

At the entrance to the village, Darien was waiting. His face visibly brightened upon seeing Taesan.

A vastly different expression from their last encounter.

“You’re back? How did it go?”

“There’s no reason for me to come here anymore.”

“Did you, did you pass?”

“Yeah.”

Darien’s eyes wavered, but he forced a smile onto his lips.

“Congratulations! I knew you could do it!”

Taesan looked at Darien pensively.

“What do you want?”

The last time he left, Darien had hurled insults at him. There was no reason to treat him warmly now.

“No, I feel sorry for speaking too harshly before. You risked your life to get here, and I didn’t even properly congratulate you.”

He grabbed Taesan’s arm and pulled him into the village.

“Come on in. I’ll celebrate for you.”

Taesan looked at him expressionlessly. Anxiety showed on Darien’s face.

He took a step. Seeing Taesan follow, Darien’s expression brightened.

The moment Taesan stepped into the village, he could feel a chill sensation brushing through him.

A force he hadn’t felt before.

It was emanating from the bottom of the village.

“Finally ready, then.”

Taesan muttered.

He had thought the Guides would be waiting in the forest.

But the forest was a place they couldn’t live.

Meaning, as he passed through the village, the Guides were inside, quietly waiting for him to pass by, for some reason.

“I hope it’s not disappointing.”

Taesan entered the village.