"Hmm?"
Arya, who had just stood up, froze when she saw the message from Mickey Hayek appear in the channel.
Protecting her?
That line sounded far more like a threat than any form of kindness.
Magic potions were consumables. In fact, most products created through Alchemy were consumables, and they were highly practical ones at that. Anyone with even a little ambition would naturally want to control the person who could mass-produce such items.
Arya had understood this very clearly from the moment her crudely made potions went on sale.
This was especially true after she learned that Sector 666, the place where she was currently located, was known as an Evilman Valley—a den filled with criminals. Among criminals, the proportion of ambitious people was far higher than normal.
That was exactly why she had desperately avoided meeting anyone face to face.
As long as no one could locate her Shelter, she would be completely safe.
Fortunately, now that she had access to Alchemy and had figured out a clever trick of trading potions for herbs, she didn't even need to leave her Shelter to gather basic supplies and materials.
Under these circumstances, she had no idea how she could possibly have exposed herself.
"Heh… Mickey Hayek, is it? If you can find me, then by all means, come."
Arya sneered softly and flew out of the Shelter.
An hour later, she returned briefly, only to leave again almost immediately.
It wasn't until her third return trip, when she noticed that it was nearly midnight, that she finally stopped going out.
Mickey Hayek's threatening words earlier had intensified the sense of urgency in her heart. Knowing about danger was one thing, but having actual countermeasures was another.
That was why she had gone out so many times that day—to stock up on more food and open more loot.
However, out of more than thirty boxes, Arya failed to open even a single blueprint. Other than food and water, she received nothing valuable.
She didn't know whether this counted as good luck or bad luck.
Was it because she always opened ten boxes at once that she couldn't get anything good? Did she need to open them one by one to trigger some kind of miracle?
Unable to obtain anything useful, Arya could only pin her hopes on the Exchange.
She made a decision.
From now on, she would go out less. She would stay inside her Shelter, refining potions every single day, and avoid going anywhere else unless absolutely necessary.
Judging by how popular the Apprentice-level Magic Potions were right now, she would be able to collect the materials required for a Level 3 Shelter by tomorrow.
But that wasn't enough.
She also needed proper tools for self-preservation and defense.
The problem was that her output was extremely limited. Four hundred potions per day was her absolute limit, and that limit was defined by time.
Unless…
She could somehow increase the dosage.
With that thought, Arya decided to run an experiment.
She opened the friends channel and typed in a familiar name.
Natasha.
Natasha: "Something up?"
The friend request was accepted almost instantly. It seemed that Natasha had been watching the screen as well.
That made sense.
The "Green Ghost" had been appearing frequently in the regional channel that night, and it had put everyone on edge.
Arya: "Can you make wooden boards and stone slabs?"
That's right.
Arya had deliberately sought out this person, who seemed to have a strong combat-oriented Talent, so that she could use them as a processor.
Natasha: "I can. What specifications do you need?"
Arya: "Cubes. Ten centimeters, twenty centimeters, thirty centimeters, and fifty centimeters. Each one must be at least one centimeter thick."
Natasha: "Wait a moment. I'm going out."
…Wait.
Seriously?
You dare to go out at night?!
Arya was completely dumbfounded.
Was Natasha simply incredibly skilled and bold? Or did Karim's night restrictions have no effect on high-level combatants?
About two minutes later, a direct trade request popped up.
Arya took out the materials and examined them carefully. Everything met her requirements, and they were still warm to the touch.
In response, Arya sent over one Apprentice-level Magic Potion.
Both of them then sent blank trade requests.
A blank trade was a kind of transaction where one party could send items without requiring an immediate exchange, allowing the other party to receive the items instantly.
Arya: "I'll experiment with these first. If they work, will you accept a large order?"
Natasha: "I can. We'll discuss the price then."
Neither of them was the type to waste time.
Once the agreement was made, Arya immediately entered the experimental phase of the Alchemy Array.
And just as you might have guessed…
She intended to use the wooden boards and stone slabs as the base for her Alchemy Arrays.
After all, she didn't have iron ingots to make proper metal array bases.
The only option available to her was to make do with what she had.
Thanks to her previous successful attempts with Alchemy Arrays, Arya was now much more familiar with the drawing process.
After nearly an hour of constant drawing, testing, and recalibrating, she finally came to a conclusion.
Wooden boards would not work. They were too fragile.
Stone slabs, on the other hand, could be used as bases—but they were single-use. They shattered almost immediately when heated and then cooled.
No wonder Apprentice-level Alchemy Array bases were always made of iron.
Arya opened the channel again and sent another message.
Arya: "I need stone slabs. 10 cm × 100:1, 20 cm × 50:1, 30 cm × 20:1, and 50 cm × 10:1."
Arya: "I need 1,000 of the 10 cm, 500 of the 20 cm, 200 of the 30 cm, and 100 of the 50 cm."
Arya: "If you can make them, we'll trade tomorrow. If the price doesn't feel right, send me a quote."
After finishing the message, Arya yawned.
She then turned her attention to the Exchange.
She bought every container she had previously seen.
1.25-liter enamel mugs — bought.
3.6-liter double-layer stainless steel steamers — bought.
21-liter stainless steel soup pots used in hotels — bought.
20-liter thickened iron buckets — bought.
She purchased many different kinds of containers, but the 1.25-liter enamel mugs were the most numerous. She bought more than a hundred of them.
These were all meant to be used as experimental vessels.
Once she was done shopping, Arya took out the blueprints she had obtained earlier.
They were both single-use.
Single-Use Wardrobe Blueprint
Materials: Wood ×100, Sand ×20
Effect: Something to store clothes.
Description: Put all your beautiful clothes inside.
Single-Use Lantern Blueprint (E)
Materials: Iron Ore ×10, Sand ×10, Glowing Mushroom ×5
Effect: Illuminates the path ahead for you in the dark.
Description: No way, no way. Surely no one would carry this out at night.
"…It seems furniture doesn't have levels. I'll make the lantern, then."
She just happened to have a few Glowing Mushrooms she had taken from Albert's basement earlier.
After rummaging through her storage, Arya finally found them.
Counting them carefully, she had six.
Enough to make one lantern.
Without hesitation, Arya used a zero-frame technique and instantly completed the crafting.
Magic Lantern (E)
Remaining Duration: 10080 minutes
Effect: Illuminates the path ahead for you in the dark.
Description: No way, no way. Surely no one would carry this out at night.
"…Huh?"
Something felt wrong.
Why did the Magic Lantern have a duration now?
10080 minutes…
That was 168 hours.
Seven days.
Seven days!?
Arya slowly looked up.
Her gaze landed on the Magic Lantern that came standard with the Shelter, hanging quietly on the wall.
A strange sense of unease crept into her heart.
If