Chapter 53: Unexpected outcome
The Alchemist, still holding the bizarrely effective knife with a delicate grip, slowly turned his gaze across the courtyard. His eyes landed on Nolan—disheveled, tense, and trying his best to shrink into the background despite being the accidental star of the moment.
"You made this knife?" the Alchemist asked, his tone not accusing, but genuinely curious.
Nolan blinked. His first instinct was to deny it. But what was the point? He just gave a student a mystery weapon that solved a problem none of the Mana Knights could. Pretending would be worse.
He gave a short nod.
The Alchemist tilted his head, examining Nolan more carefully now. "Huh. It feels sloppy—but it works. Maybe you could become a Mana Alchemist too."
Nolan twitched. His eye twitched. His lip twitched. His soul twitched.
In his mind, he uppercut the man so hard he bounced off a cloud.
Sloppy? Internet-made weapon? You think that’s sloppy!? You donkey-livered parchment sniffer! That’s a high-tier survival blade with twelve user reviews and five upvotes on the Underworld Forge subreddit!
But none of that made it past his clenched teeth. On the outside, Nolan simply gave another curt nod, looking as indifferent as ever. Keep it together. You’re still alive. That’s what matters.
The Alchemist shrugged, clearly unfazed. "It’s a pity," he said. "You might have something there. Unorthodox, yes. But promising."
He returned the knife to Calien, who took it with a slightly stunned look, as if only now realizing how odd—and powerful—it was. The glow had faded, but the weight of the moment hadn’t.