Although many people were not accustomed to the merging of regions, it was an unavoidable development.
After all, everyone had lived together in their respective areas for nearly a month. No matter how strained or harmonious those relationships had been, a fragile balance had already formed. Under such circumstances, the sudden merging of regions would inevitably shatter that balance.
As the population of a region expanded, social circles naturally expanded with it. Humans were social creatures by nature, and surviving without interaction was nearly impossible—especially in this Otherworld, where cooperation and information exchange often meant the difference between life and death.
However, for Arya Qingyou—or rather, for "researchers" like her—the merging of regions was nothing short of a blessing.
A tremendous blessing.
At this moment, Arya stood inside her workshop, holding the arm of her appraisal glasses with one hand while examining a light-blue potion in the other. The liquid was even paler than a standard Magic Potion, almost translucent, and faint traces of cold mist escaped from the bottle's surface.
Apprentice-Level Frost Potion (E)
Effect: Causes an explosion within a 5×5 range, instantly dealing 50 HP damage and applying a freezing effect that lasts for 10 seconds.
Description: A near-perfect potion. Whether used against monsters or for chilling food, it is a remarkably versatile item.
This potion was the result of Arya's entire day of work.
It had been brewed using herbs she collected from the Abandoned Beach, combined with careful control of magical output and temperature during the refinement process. While the freezing effect only lasted ten seconds, that duration was more than enough for Arya's purposes.
There were several reasons she had decided to create this potion.
First, Roy had recently sent her a batch of materials, so she was no longer struggling with scarcity. Second, she had not gone out to act as a "bomber" for several days, and her hands were itching for action.
But the most important reason was far simpler.
Arya wanted to level up.
For over a month, she had barely gone out to fight monsters properly. Most of her time had been spent researching, brewing, and improving her base. As a result, despite possessing the attributes of a Level 40 character due to her title, she herself was still only Level 1.
That situation could not continue.
She needed real levels.
Leveling up was not just about stats—it was an essential part of one of her long-term plans. That was why she was so eager to complete this potion before the next surge of magical currents arrived.
And so, on that very day—
That very same day—
Arya flew straight to the swamp region, where countless Sludge Monsters still lurked.
Hovering in the air, she wasted no time on words or hesitation. She tossed a Frost Potion downward, freezing the slow-moving creature beneath her. Almost immediately after, she followed up with an explosion potion, blasting the frozen monster apart.
Without pause, Arya descended. Drawing her dagger, she plunged it into the largest remaining chunk of ice.
Though the dagger itself was small, it more than made up for its size with layers of enhancement. The moonstone dagger—now boosted by Magic Potions to provide an additional +35 Strength—cut cleanly through the frozen mass.
The E-grade Sludge Monster was instantly slain.
After killing a monster, a portion of magic will be used for individual leveling.
The system message echoed clearly in Arya's mind.
"Oh?"
She blinked in surprise. This was the first time she had received such feedback directly from killing a monster. There was no numerical display like EXP + N, which felt slightly strange, but she did not dwell on it.
Instead, she crouched down and picked up a frozen chunk of sludge from the ground.
Sludge (E)
Effect: Can be used to cultivate certain low-level flowers and plants.
Description: Soil containing a moderate amount of magical energy.
Arya smiled faintly as the appraisal panel appeared in her glasses.
"This is exactly what I needed."
She had long planned to grow some herbs herself for emergencies. But cultivation required proper soil, and ordinary dirt simply would not suffice. Sludge extracted directly from swamp monsters was unquestionably superior.
Most importantly, because it dropped from monsters, its magical content far exceeded that of mud she could dig up manually.
Previously, relying only on explosion potions, she had struggled to deal with Sludge Monsters efficiently. Now, with Frost Potions added to her arsenal, the situation had completely reversed.
Killing them was as easy as slaughtering chickens.
In just two hours before nightfall, Arya collected an entire medicine bag—nearly one cubic meter—of high-quality sludge. Naturally, she consumed a significant number of potions in the process.
All the Frost Potions she had brewed that day were gone.
But she was more than satisfied.
Because she had reached Level 3.
Yes—after killing nearly two hundred Sludge Monsters, she had only gained two levels.
There was no visible experience bar, and she still did not understand exactly how the leveling system calculated progress. Even so, two levels were two levels.
She gained two additional points of mental power, bringing her total to twenty, while her magic power finally reached a clean, satisfying round number.
Upon returning home, Arya poured the sludge directly from the medicine bag onto the second-floor terrace.
The moment it hit the ground, a foul stench spread through the air.
After all, it was sludge. No matter how magical it was, the smell was never going to be pleasant.
Even so, Arya did not mind in the slightest.
Are you underestimating an alchemist?
She had endured far worse odors while brewing potions. Compared to those experiences, this pungency was nothing. Once the second-floor door was closed, the smell would not reach the interior anyway.
She chose the terrace specifically so the excess moisture could evaporate. Only once dried could the sludge function as proper planting soil.
The cleanup afterward might be troublesome, but she had a magic broom.
And that alone made everything easy.
Holding her breath, Arya shut the terrace door and finally let out a relieved sigh.
Afterward, she went downstairs and tossed the medicine bag into a wooden barrel filled with Magic Potion, soaking it together with the moonstone dagger.
On a normal day, she would have gone to shower at this point.
But today was different.
Because of the sludge harvest, she still had much to do.
She retrieved several stones from her desk and used them to mark out a small section of the already empty first floor. This area would become her future planting zone.
It received ample sunlight and was conveniently located next to the Alchemy Workshop. With minor modifications to the workshop's water tank and the addition of a drip irrigation system, the plants could be maintained almost automatically.
She had already decided what to grow.
First on the list was the flame bell.
With Fire Elemental Essence, it could be grown even inside a tree hollow. For similar reasons, several water-attribute herbs would also thrive in this space. She could even experiment with cultivating luminous mushrooms.
Thinking about it further, the already limited space on the first floor might not be enough.
But that was fine.
She had no concrete plans for the third floor anyway, and expanding the planting area upward was entirely feasible.
In the future, the Alchemy Workshop and the second floor would be dedicated exclusively to potion brewing.
Moreover, once the Shelter reached Level 4, expansion would become possible.
Having already learned the monthly disaster cycle, Arya felt confident in finalizing the overall layout of her home.
After finishing all her preparations, she finally took a shower and headed back toward the second floor to sleep.
Because the sludge was drying on the terrace, she used the internal passage within the treehouse instead.
Yet, for reasons she could not immediately explain, the moment she arrived on the second floor, a sudden chill ran down her spine.
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