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He took a deep breath, his expression blissful, as though life was suddenly worth living again.

Starry coughed lightly to break the moment and motioned for him to compose himself. But the old man remained lost in his own little world, inching closer and closer to her.

Her jade-like hand pressed against his forehead. A vein visibly throbbed on her own. “Master… I’m here to become a Brewer.” Only then did he snap out of his daze, realizing his lapse in behavior. He sheepishly sat back down in his reclining chair.

“Of course, of course!” He raised a hand.

‘…??? What’s up with this guy?’

“Alright, you’re now an official beginner Brewer. Now, hurry up and hand it over!” he said, visibly impatient.
“Hand over what?”
“The Saintbloom Water, of course! Are you trying to kill this old man with anxiety?”

With a loud thud, a full bucket of water landed heavily on the ground, splashing droplets everywhere. Zenn’s eyes went wide with shock. He stared blankly, as if the sheer volume of water had stunned him into silence. His mouth hung open, speechless.

In a trembling voice, he asked, “Young lady… you didn’t steal this from somewhere, did you?”

“Of course not. I collected it myself from the Spring of Life in Saintbloom Village,” Starry answered truthfully.

“Don’t think just because I’m an old man, I’m that easy to fool,” Zenn said, eyes gleaming with suspicion. “Saintbloom Village has long been overrun by undead. A couple months ago, someone risked their life to reach the Spring of Life and found it completely corrupted, no better than poison.”

“But this bucket of Saintbloom Water… it’s far superior to the fake ones hoarded by those nobles!” He gave the bucket a gentle swirl, lifting a drop of water that had splashed onto the rim and holding it up to his nose. “Crystal-clear, faintly fragrant… and there’s even a trace of pure vitality that’s difficult to put into words. It’s as if the water itself has been reborn.” He breathed in deeply, eyes full of wonder.

He paused, as if piecing something together. “Could it really be… from the actual Spring of Life?”

“Yes, I collected it just yesterday,” Starry confirmed.

“Mew~” Starmew leapt from Starry’s arm and licked a droplet of water that had landed on the ground.

The old man took another deep breath. “It’s genuine, no doubt about it. How did you even… No, that’s not my concern,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Young lady—”

“Just call me Starry,” she cut in. Being called ‘young lady’ over and over was starting to grate on her nerves.

“Very well, Starry,” Zenn said. “I believe I know why you’re here. But let me warn you: brewing Saintspring Ale isn’t something a novice Brewer can hope to manage.”

‘Saintspring Ale?’ She opened the Brewer interface to check. As a Level 1 Brewer, there was only one recipe available:

All players started with 100 Skill Points, a shared resource consumed whenever a special skill was used. This system acted as a balancing mechanism, preventing players from abusing gear stacked with special skills to endlessly chain them. As for Drunkenness, it functioned as a status effect akin to Confusion.

As for the brewing process, it involved washing and prepping the ingredients, then combining them in a sealed container and letting it ferment over time. Once fermentation was complete, the brew was finished.

Although this was a game, they clearly couldn’t make players wait several days or weeks in real time. Otherwise, secondary professions would be unplayable.

“At what level can you make the Saintspring Ale?” Starry frowned.

“At least level five!” the master replied, raising his hand to show five fingers.

‘Well, that complicates things. No one really knows how long it takes to hit level five in a secondary profession. From what the forums say, the highest anyone’s managed so far is just level three.’

The biggest issue was the lack of raw materials. Since the game was still in its early stages, many maps remained unexplored, and available resources on the market were extremely limited. Most players had their professions stuck at level one or two.

‘So what now?’ Starry didn’t voice the question, because this old man already had a smug look on his face, as if the words “beg me” were written across it.

‘How did someone like him even qualify as a master? Well, fine. A true hero knows when to yield.’

“Please, Master, help me make the Saintspring Ale!” Starry bowed her head and asked sincerely.
“It’s not impossible, but…” he trailed off.
“I’ll split it with you, fifty-fifty.”
“Deal! I like your spirit!” He nodded in satisfaction. “As expected of my disciple, bold and decisive!”
“…”
“That said,” he continued, “since Saintbloom Water ran dry half a year ago, I haven’t made Saintspring Ale in months. One of the ingredients is extremely hard to find.”

…

Rainlily. It typically grew near the coast and could survive both rising and falling tides with remarkable tenacity. Whether used medicinally or as a vegetable, it held high value. Unfortunately, it was rare and difficult to preserve, which made it very expensive.

Zenn claimed the recent weather had made it even harder to find, and the herb was no longer available for purchase…

‘Suspicious.’ Starry had a feeling this guy was just stingy.

Still, he did mention that if she headed west from Oceanrise Village and kept going for two days, she’d eventually reach the sea. That area hadn’t yet fallen to the undead’s corruption, rumor had it that something massive in the ocean kept them at bay. In any case, it was best to harvest the herb and get out before the tide came in.

Zenn also gave Starry a small glass vial, saying it was used to store Rainlily.

“I’ll start preparations now. With any luck, you’ll return just in time,” he had said.

Starry left Oceanrise Village and raced west. With Zane’s Greywolf form, the trip shouldn’t take anywhere near as long as the old man claimed.

It was also worth mentioning that Rainflower’s people still hadn’t given up. Just as she left, she noticed two players tailing her, but they couldn’t keep up with Zane’s Rapid Stride, and were quickly left behind.

…

Before they knew it, three hours had passed. During that time, Zane had been running tirelessly, while Starry spent most of it bored, admiring the scenery. Occasionally, a clueless monster would wander too close and be instantly taken out by her.

Starmew had reached level 7. Its HP had surpassed 2000, and its physical attack had risen to over 70. Its magic attack still lagged slightly behind, but only in comparison to its physical prowess. With the level-up came a noticeable growth in size as well.

Previously, it had been about the size of a human palm. Now it was nearly as large as half an arm.

“Mew~” It yawned lazily, clearly bored. There was no saving that meow at this point, it was part of the identity now.

Glancing at the world map, it looked like they still had at least two hours to go at their current pace. Just then, a message came in from Endless Sea.

“Starry, we found a solo-grinding level 15 Priest!” He sounded excited. “Our party’s been lacking a healer, should we consider taking this one in?”

“A level 15 Priest?” Starry thought aloud. Before level 20, most classes didn’t have access to many skills and relied heavily on basic attacks. So for a Priest to solo-level that far, they’d need solid awareness and some serious determination. In fact, having healing spells gave them even more room for error.

Zane considered for a moment. “You guys keep testing them. If everyone thinks they’re fine, go ahead and bring them in. If tomorrow’s quest wraps up smoothly, I’ll take us somewhere new to level.”

“Got it.”

‘A Priest solo-leveling to 15…? That is honestly kind of impressive.’

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