The moment he stepped inside, the air hit him like a wall—smoky, sweaty, buzzing with excitement and desperation.
Players were crammed around the auction terminals like starving rats around a trash bin.
Ren wasn’t here for scraps, though.
He was here for the first cog in his big machine.
‘Alright, think it through,’ he told himself, weaving between the crowds.
‘What do I need for the Improved Healing Potion?’
He mentally pulled up the recipe he’d memorized back when he was still just a minor guild alchemist:
[Improved Healing Potion Recipe]
- Thornleaf Extract: to kickstart the rapid healing reaction.
- Sunblossom Petals: the primary healing catalyst.
- Clearwater Droplet: the neutral binding agent that fused mana to liquid.
- Gloomsprite Dust: cheap preservative, kept the potion shelf-stable.
Gloomsprite Dust?
He had that covered. Between the scraps he and the Scrap Rats had gathered, he had more dust than he’d ever need for this small batch run.
Clearwater Droplet?
He had some, not a ton, but enough to cover a few dozen brews at least.
The two real problems were Thornleaf Extract and Sunblossom Petals.
They weren’t rare—yet.
They spawned pretty commonly near sunny rocky outcrops and wide grassy fields.
Newbie players didn’t really bother harvesting them because everyone was still stuck on grinding horned rabbits and goblins for loot and experience.
‘Which means they’re dirt cheap—right now,’ Ren thought, grinning.
It wouldn’t last.
Once dungeon raids and open world PvP kicked off—hell, even once people hit Level 6 or 7—players would realize that over-time healing potions were awful in real combat.
They were fine when you were farming mobs slowly.
They sucked when you were bleeding out and needed to heal immediately before the next axe blow took your head off.
And the moment that realization hit, the demand for instant-heal potions would explode like a powder keg.
‘Better to be the guy selling the powder than the guy standing next to it,’ Ren thought, ducking into a corner booth to check the market prices.
He pulled up the listing screen, heart pounding a little faster.
He didn’t need to monopolize the whole auction house.
He just needed to buy enough to start—quietly—building a stockpile before the world caught on.
‘Alright, Ren,’ he told himself.
‘Time to do what you do best, be a sneaky rat. Quiet, quick, and very, very hungry.’
And he cracked his knuckles before opening the bulk purchase menu.
Ren started scrolling through the auction house listings like a man possessed.
First up—Thornleaf Extract.
There were about two dozen lots posted.
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Prices ranged from stupid-high “maybe someone desperate will pay this” to “normal newbie sell-off dirt cheap.”
Ren sorted the list by lowest price.
Perfect. A couple of players had listed bundles for 5 copper coins each.
‘Idiots,’ Ren thought gleefully. ‘They don’t even realize what they’re holding.’
He bought up every cheap Thornleaf Extract he could find under 8 copper.
It wasn’t about haggling or being picky. It was about speed.
In less than two minutes, he had thirty-seven bundles stacked neatly in his inventory.
Next—Sunblossom Petals.
Even more abundant.
3 to 4 copper coins a pop.
He bought fifty bundles without hesitation, snagging them before some other alchemist or desperate player realized these would be gold later.
Last—Clearwater Droplet.
There were fewer of these, which made sense.
They came from specific gathering nodes near water, and newbie players hadn’t exactly flooded into the swamp zones yet.
Ren picked up fifteen units, paying 10 copper each.
Not cheap, but still a steal.
Especially compared to what he knew was coming.
‘Good,’ Ren thought, opening his inventory.
Inventory Summary:
- Thornleaf Extract ×37
- Sunblossom Petals ×50
- Clearwater Droplet ×15
- Gloom Sprite Dust ×92 (still had some from before)
Not a bad starting pile.
Even better?
He hadn’t spent that much.
Total Cost:
– Thornleaf: ~2 silver
– Sunblossom: ~2 silver
– Clearwater Droplet: ~1.5 silver
So about 5.5 silver total.
It barely scratched the surface of his remaining stash.
And once he started cranking out Improved Healing Potions?
He could easily sell each one for 15 to 20 copper—maybe even 25 once the wars and dungeons started.
And the materials for each one would cost him maybe 7 to 9 copper at worst.
Double profit—at minimum.
Ren’s grin stretched wide.
‘First the rats. Then the whole damn city.’
Ren stood outside the Auction House for a moment, leaning against one of the heavy stone pillars, double-checking his system wallet.
‘Let’s see…’ he thought. ‘After the last shift, after selling all those minor herbs and Cyclopile mats…’
He brought up his balance.
8 Gold, 197 Silver, 140 Copper
After the herbs were subtracted 5.5 Silver (5 Silver, 50 Copper):
Final total:
8 Gold, 192 Silver, 90 Copper
‘Still sitting on close to 10 gold ,’ Ren mused, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. ‘Not bad. Even after buying all those reagents for the first batch of real healing potions.’
He tapped the side of his helmet lightly, thinking.
‘All the Bitterspore Mushrooms got handed in for the quest. No regrets there. That reward is gonna pay off way bigger later. As for the rest—’
He shrugged.
Small loot, small profits.
But every little bit counted.
And now? Now he had enough seed money to start laying down the first serious move.
A small foundation—
one batch of potions, one sale, one sucker guild at a time—
to start snowballing real cash.
He pushed off the pillar, adjusted his cheap gear, and headed straight for the Alchemy guild.
Time to start making history.
Ren headed straight for the Alchemist’s Guild, moving fast.
The building was tucked into one of the quieter corners of Greenwild Cross, past the blacksmith’s forge and the marketplace square. A simple stone building, marked by a giant bubbling potion symbol hanging above the doorway.
The guild hall wasn’t busy.
Most players were still out grinding horned rabbits or goblins for EXP, not even thinking about professions yet.
Only a few curious newbies had wandered in, poking around and asking the NPC instructors questions about what alchemy might be like once they hit Level 10.
A couple of local NPC apprentices shuffled between tables, brewing basic starter potions under the strict, watchful eye of a heavyset guildmaster who looked like he hated life.
No serious activity.
No serious players.
Just some bored looky-loos wasting time.
Perfect.
Ren walked up to the counter, dropping five silver coins with a satisfying clink.
The few players and NPCs in the room turned to look.
The bored guildmaster—Master Halwick, according to his nametag—lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed.
“You want to buy something, newbie?” he said gruffly.
Ren smiled lazily.
“Nope. I want to test for my Level 1 Alchemy Certification.”
The guildmaster blinked.
Several players nearby turned fully toward him now, openly staring.
“You’re not even Level 10,” Halwick said flatly.
“Don’t have to be to test,” Ren said smoothly. “It’s in the rules.”
It was.
Buried way, way down in the Towerbound tutorial book that most people didn’t bother to read.
You could technically attempt your profession certification at any level—but you still had to pass a basic skills test.
And if you failed?
Well, that five silver was non-refundable.
At the current exchange rate, that was basically blowing real-world credits for no reason.
No wonder nobody tried.
Halwick gave him a long, squinting look.
“Fine,” the guildmaster said at last, clearly expecting him to fail.
He motioned Ren toward a side room.
The certification room was small and clean.
One table, one simple cauldron, and a shelf full of common Tier 1 ingredients.
“Here’s the deal,” Halwick said, crossing his arms. “You get thirty minutes. You have to craft three working Basic Healing Potions. Full effect. No shortcuts.”
Ren smiled.
‘I could do that blindfolded.’
Halwick barked a laugh when he saw Ren’s expression.
“You’re cocky. I’ll enjoy seeing you crash and burn.”
Ren just shrugged.
“Better watch closely,” he said. “You’re about to witness history.”
And with that, he stepped up to the table, flexed his fingers, and began.
It was time to show TowerBound, the guilds, and everyone in the world, the power of a tier 7 alchemist.