Zack's attention shifted to the one concoction that truly counted.
Spirit Restoration Draught.
It remained a scarce item, as no one had yet attained Adept rank in Alchemy since nothing available could come close to replenishing that much mana. All classes, particularly mages and priests, were already voicing complaints on forums about mana downtime.
Zack didn't hesitate. Opportunity wasn't about luck, it hinged on timing.
He reviewed his stock of materials, ran some quick calculations and initiated the cauldron sequence.
[Crafting: Spirit Restoration Draught ×4000]
[Success Rate: 50%]
[Result: 4000 Success / 3820 Failure]
By the time the cauldron's glow faded, he had spent nearly 280 gold coins, all for just 4,000 successful potions, including failures.
Average material cost: 5 Silver per potion.
Market price: 20 Silver each.( Zack estimated )
This provided a clear profit margin of 15 Silver, depending on luck and material costs.
He casted a glance at the progress bar for the [Spirit Restoration Draught] recipe.
[Proficiency: 10% (Maxed)]
Zack's eyes narrowed. After reaching Adept, gaining proficiency became much harder and the maximum progress from this recipe was now reduced to just 10%.
"So… that's the new cap…"
This indicated one thing, he required more high-tier recipes.
At least seven more Adept-grade recipes to advance to [Expert Alchemist].
Looks like the market's mine for the time being.
Even Zack didn't realize how his serene gaze sharpened in the flickering glow of the cauldron.
To an outside observer, he no longer resembled a priest or an alchemist.
He looked more like a hawk, quietly circling above the market, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Then he quickly crafted another recipe using his leftover materials for personal use.
Every attempt drained silver like a swift stream and each failure stung yet the results were worth the effort.
[Crafting: Blessed Distillate ×300]
[Success Rate: 50%]
[Result: 300 Success / 270 Failure]
[Proficiency +0.1% (triggered 20 times - randomly activates on success once Adept is reached)]
Proficiency increased by 2%.
He retrieved his final scroll — [Recipe: Elixir of Minor Swiftness].
Movement speed buffs were luxury consumables at this early stage of the server. Those who could afford them; guild scouts, assassin mains, dungeon runners, would pay handsomely.
He arranged the ingredients: Wind Petal ×2, River Dew ×1. Each radiated softly, resonating with light elemental energy.
[Crafting: Elixir of Minor Swiftness ×300]
[Success Rate: 50%]
[Result: 300 Success / 290 Failure]
[Proficiency Gain: +0.1% triggered 23 times]
A gentle breeze flowed through the workshop as the finished elixirs settled in orderly rows, their contents shimmering like trapped sunlight.
Zack examined one vial, the liquid inside sparkled with delicate golden ripples, lighter than air itself.
The cauldron's faint glow glimmered against his face, casting his calm expression in changing shades of blue and gold.
Zack moved back toward the Market Plaza, the familiar luminance of the trading terminals illuminating his vision. He opened his inventory window, scrolling through the extensive list of potions he had brewed over the preceding hour.
Zack uploaded the listings one after another, each potion shimmered on the interface as he finalized the prices.
[Listing Confirmed]
Spirit Restoration Draught ×4000 → 20 Silver each
Lesser Rejuvenation Potion ×250 → 2 Silver each
Frost Balm ×150 → 10 Silver each
Elixir of Minor Swiftness ×120 → 15 Silver each
The terminal registered as the system tallied the totals.
[Estimated Gross: 838 Gold]
[Marketplace Fee: 10%]
[Final Net: 754 Gold, 20 Silver]
"Seven hundred and fifty-four," he murmured.
The numbers looked good on paper but Zack knew better.
The profit ratio was slipping.
Material costs had nearly doubled and the reduced success rate at Expert rank had gutted his margins.
But Zack mused, profit was just another number to balance.
As long as he could keep his margins positive, even slightly, he could reinvest, restock and loop it back into production. The real advantage wasn't in single-batch earnings but in volume and timing.
Watching the trade logs update in real time. Prices shifted but Zack's listings stayed firm.
"As long as it sells fast" he murmured, eyes calm, "I can pull the margins back where they used to be."
Then Zack contemplated about his second profession… Alchemy was already set as his first, now he needed to select one from the remaining choices.
Cooking crossed his mind first.
He could cook a little in real life, sure but doing it in-game seemed like more effort than it was worth. And the stat bonuses? Probably not worth the trouble right now. He dismissed it.
Fishing came next. Peaceful, simple, maybe even fun. But could he actually catch anything? With his luck? Yeah, no. He scratched that off the list too.
Miner? He stared at it for a good three seconds before shaking his head. It didn't suit a Priest at all. Strength bonuses he didn't need.
Rune Scribe was interesting but the specifics were hidden and the materials sounded expensive. Too much mystery, too little guarantee.
Then came Tamer. And that made him pause.
He couldn't deny the temptation; even Obi's had been drooling over the idea of riding the Molten Drake field boss. Having a beast companion sounded amazing.
Still, he forced himself to think logically.
Enhancer, Blacksmith, Tamer…
Those were the final three glowing on his list.
He needed more information; what stats they granted and whether they actually complemented a Priest's build.
He refused to lock himself into a profession that would drag down his growth instead of boosting it.
For now, he'd gather intel. Then he'd choose.
Zack felt it was the right time to pause and have dinner before contemplating his next steps. He also wanted to check his channel in case Rin decided to lounge around.
He adjusted his cloak and gave the listings one last review, everything was prepared, profits awaiting.
"That should keep me going for a while" he murmured, the words came out soft, almost an exhale.
He accessed the system menu.
[Log Out]
The virtual world faded, dissolving into light.
Reality came rushing back.
Zack reclined in his VR Capsule, releasing a soft sigh. "Hours just vanished like that."
His stomach let out a soft growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since morning.
Before making his way to the kitchen, he headed over to Rin's capsule for a quick glance. The pod's entrance was tightly shut, with faint status lights fluttering along the edges, showing that the system was still on.
Zack smirked slightly and opted to order takeout for both of them. While he awaited the food, he switched to another platform to check his channel and stopped in his tracks.
His subscriber count had skyrocketed overnight.
On GStreamHub, his channel had surged past 312,000 subscribers, with his recent boss highlight achieving over 19 million views.
On VirtualGaming, short clips of his boss defeat were saturating the algorithm, boosting his follower count to 178,000 in a single day.
Even EchoLive, the newer streaming site, revealed a sudden increase, an additional fourty thousand followers, pushing his total to nearly 65,000.
Donation alerts and sponsor notifications kept flashing on his dashboard, filling the quiet room with the steady buzz of success.
He had already gathered close to $15,000 to $18,000 in donations alone and that didn't even include ad revenue or upcoming sponsorship deals.
Yet, he understood it wouldn't last unless he produced something new. The audience was eager and he had to provide them with fresh content before the excitement faded.
However, he didn't want to compromise his character's progress just yet.
Every moment was important and with the next patch approaching, he needed to extract every advantage possible before the inevitable balance changes occurred.
***
The boardroom was silent except for the low murmur of the holo-display cycling through red financial graphs. The Haze family crest glowed faintly on the wall, a silver wisp over black glass.
"Fourteen- percent" one of the investors snapped, stabbing a finger toward the plummeting stock chart.
"Our portfolio's valuation dropped overnight and every firm linked to Draven's legal affiliates has frozen contracts with us. That's deliberate sabotage, not coincidence!"
Across the long table, Lina Haze sat still, her posture straight, eyes unreadable.
Her father, Elias Haze, stood at the head, his voice low but heavy with restrained anger.
"You swore we'd secured legal insulation after the Haze-Draven fallout. Yet now every compliance partner under House Draven's banner is pulling out. Our predictive models are stalled, the funding pipeline's choking and investors are questioning our credibility."
Lina didn't flinch.
One of the older board members slammed a fist down. Do you have any idea how much we've lost this week alone?"
"Three hundred fifty-eight million" Lina replied calmly. And another twelve project if the audit delays hold through Friday."
Her composure only made the room quieter.
Elias's jaw tightened. "You knew this would happen when you backed from that marriage proposal. "We entered that arrangement to balance power, not trigger a feud."
Lina gaze shifted to him; calm, analytical and far too perceptive for his comfort.
Her assistant stepped forward, tablet trembling slightly. "We're also getting reports that media outlets connected to House Mireille are amplifying the story, saying Haze family manipulated insider data access."
"So they're painting us as the aggressor" Elias muttered.
Lina exhaled slowly. "Then we'll respond the same way they attacked us quietly."
She stood, gathering her files. "Issue an internal audit. Suspend three minor projects for optics. Then, leak a report about Draven's 'regulatory favoritism' to the Journal networks, anonymously. Mireille feeds on scandal; we'll give them fresher bait."
Her voice was calm, reflecting the demeanor of someone who remained composed and instead evaluated the situation.
Elias frowned. "That could backfire."
"Everything backfires eventually" Lina said, walking toward the exit. "The goal is to choose which explosion burns slower."
She paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder. "Draven wants a war of reputation? Fine. But tell our partners to stand by because when his father's ethics bill hits committee review next quarter. I'll make sure it dies in silence."
The door hissed shut behind her, leaving the boardroom in uneasy quiet.
Outside, Lina pulled out her phone. A single unread message blinked at the top:
Iris Vale: "Heard about the board meeting. You okay~?"
Lina stared at it for a moment, the concern was simple, genuine; she started typing, fingers hesitating for only a moment before continuing.
"Yeah. Honestly. I'm glad I turned him down."
She then hit send without regret. The screen reflected faintly in her eyes, as a small tired smile appeared.
She lifted her gaze and observed the city lights from the high-rise "Yeah" she murmured to herself, "just another day in the Haze family."