Chapter 3: This is the Right Way to Open It

Chapter 3: This is the Right Way to Open It
Their eyes locked, and Rulin froze.
He had no idea what was happening or why she had attacked so suddenly. Her stare held something he couldn’t understand, something unreadable. Just looking into her eyes made him feel like he was trapped in ice, his whole body going cold.
Neither of them moved. Time seemed to stop, locking them in that silent standoff.
How long had passed? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? To Rulin, it felt endless.
Then a night wind slipped through the cracked roof, whistling faintly with a strange, mournful sound. The healing crystal on the bedside table clattered to the floor. The wind had knocked it over.
The girl glanced at the crystal, paused, and abruptly released Rulin’s throat. She crawled over and picked up the now-useless object. After staring at it for a moment, she clenched her fist and crushed it into dust.
Rulin’s breath caught. Healing crystals weren’t unbreakable, but they were hard, like tempered glass. Shattering one took real force. Crushing one into powder? Unthinkable.
What if that strength had been used on his throat instead?
She rubbed the dust between her fingers, muttering, “Not… no… not…” Then she lifted her head and scanned the room with empty eyes.
That was when Rulin realized: he had brought home a madwoman.
Not just eccentric, truly broken.
Rulin’s thoughts raced.
This girl was far more trouble than he could’ve imagined. Since waking, she hadn’t spoken. After blankly observing the room, she’d crawled under the dining table and curled up in a corner, hugging her knees, eyes hollow.
He didn’t dare say a word. Though she hadn’t attacked him again, her mental state was clearly shattered.
He recalled what had triggered the earlier attack: his voice. His words must’ve set something off, some form of trauma or PTSD. But what exactly? What he said had been utterly mundane. Why had that triggered her?
Now, he remained silent, too afraid to provoke another outburst. The image of that crushed crystal still haunted him. He had no desire to feel those hands on his neck again.
However, in light of her current condition, Rulin figured she probably wouldn’t be asking him to repay the debt anymore.
The Obsidian Alchemy Cauldron he had always dreamed of was finally his. Not only that, he had over a hundred silver coins saved up. For once, he felt rich.
Maybe bad luck and good luck really did come in pairs.
The only issue now was the girl curled up in his house, making him nervous.
Glancing at her huddled beneath the dining table, Rulin hesitated before picking up the summoning scroll.
Since things had come to this, he’d deal with problems as they arose. First, he needed to teleport the cauldron and complete the task.
He spread the teleportation scroll over the cleared space. After confirming the girl was still zoning out, Rulin carefully poured the vial of magic potion onto the scroll.
As the liquid touched the parchment, it began to glow. A force pushed Rulin back two steps before the massive obsidian-colored cauldron materialized in front of him.
His dream cauldron.
As the teleportation completed, the long-static menu in Rulin’s consciousness finally updated:
[The Path of the Wise: Journey Begins (Complete)]
[Task Objective: Obtain Obsidian Alchemy Cauldron (1/1)]
[Task Reward: Beginner Alchemist Ability]
The words glowed, then faded—replaced by:
[Task reward distribution…]
Suddenly, Rulin felt something shift within his mind—like bubbles rising and popping inside his consciousness.
With each pop, new knowledge filled his mind. More bubbles burst, until it seemed as though the starry sky itself was unfolding before him. Countless stars poured into him, flooding his body with knowledge.
When he finally blinked awake, Rulin looked down at the cauldron. Usage methods, precautions, pros and cons, all surfaced naturally in his mind.
“This is the beginner alchemist ability?” he murmured, staring at his hands.
From today onward, he was a real alchemist?
No more struggling to survive?
He began to grin, nearly laughing aloud, until his gaze met the hollow stare of the girl beneath the table.
Rulin’s smile faded. He gulped, scratched his head, and awkwardly shuffled aside.
The menu updated again:
[The Path of the Wise: First Alchemy · Stage 1]
[Task Objective: Collect Materials]
[Fluffgrass x3 (0/3)]
[Masked Mushrooms x3 (0/3)]
[Curly Leaf x1 (0/1)]
[Task Reward: Newcomer Materials Processing Equipment]
Rulin’s vision blurred. He wiped at his eyes, shocked to find tears.
Finally!
Proper tasks!
Making a clueless newcomer to another world acquire an Advanced cauldron had been pure madness. These materials, though these were common. With his recent foraging experience, he could gather them within two hours. Even buying them would be cheap.
This was how newbie tasks should be.
The girl had turned away again, staring blankly at the wall.
“Still early enough to forage,” Rulin decided, grabbing his bamboo basket.
Buying from town would be quicker and cost only a few copper coins, but he chose to gather them himself.
Why?
Old habits die hard when you’re poor.