The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

The church is hunting a monster today.

A monster that spews acid and has a human-like body.

Yunevo looked at the notice board, sneered, and turned to look at the adventurer's tavern not far away.

"It really is a life in another world starting from scratch," he said as he pushed open the wooden door of the tavern, but a heated discussion stopped him in his tracks.

A man with a thick beard downed his beer in one gulp, smacked his lips, and looked on with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Joel, I heard those two knights from the church were badly injured this time!"

It seems the corrosive spray is working even better than expected... Yunefu turned to the side, silently pricking up his ears.

"Sean, your alcohol tolerance seems to have decreased. You're already this drunk after just one drink? Anyone who becomes a trainee knight... are they all kind-hearted?"

Joel rolled his eyes and reached out to snatch Sean's glass.

Yunevo smiled and muttered to himself, "That's why they were tricked by those 'corpses' they didn't even care about."

"Besides, the church's standard equipment isn't just for show! Any novice knight could easily hack those bronze hunters to pieces!"

"How could it be impossible? When Bishop Uriel saw the horrific state of those two knights, he was so shocked that his holy crown tilted! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Sean stared wide-eyed and ordered another large glass of beer.

Uriel? Even that expressionless guy who looks at everyone like a heretic was startled? Yunevo stroked his chin and walked past a few more tables of drinkers.

"Whatever, it's worth having a couple more drinks!"

Yonivore found a corner to sit down, rested his chin on his hand, and examined the many bounties on the wall.

"Wayne Forest, hunting Ironcore Ancient Trees, rewards are distributed according to merit... This is something to consider," he said, summoning the system encyclopedia and quickly starting to look it up.

Organ name: [Root respiration sac]

Type: Natural

Replaceable site: Lung

Active skills:

【Oak Skin】: During organ activation, your skin will be harder than refined iron.

"This thing can protect my head in most situations, which can make up for the shortcomings of the super-fast regeneration," Yunevo quickly made a decision and walked towards the bar.

"Old Mike, can you contact the team hunting down the Ironcore Ancient Tree now?" He placed three copper coins on the table and looked at the well-dressed man wiping a wine glass.

"Oh? Yunevo, it's been a long time since I've seen you come to collect a bounty..." Old Mike touched his smooth head, calmly accepted the "consultation fee," and bent over to rummage under the counter.

"We're rushing to meet year-end targets, and we don't have enough money to buy materials," Yonivo said, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Hahaha... You're short on sales too, huh? Is it the Mage Association or the Alchemist Association?" Old Mike's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"Of course it's the Alchemists' Guild. The Church can't afford to mess with those mage masters for the time being."

"That's true... The church has recently turned Hart City upside down, but they haven't dared to touch their shops," Old Mike said, pulling out a communication crystal and pushing it along with a beer to Eunice.

"The church has turned the downtown area into a mess... a lot of people here hate them," Old Mike said in a low voice.

"Thanks," Yunevo said, taking the crystal and preparing to turn around and go to the private booth at the back of the tavern to start a communication.

boom!

The door was suddenly kicked open without any politeness, and the loud bang of it hitting the wall drowned out the lively noise inside the tavern.

"I am Gavin Morningstar, this is a routine church search! Keep your eyes peeled and don't look around!"

A paladin, clad in silver heavy armor trimmed with gold, held a golden "search warrant" and proclaimed in a loud voice.

He held his head high, his arrogant eyes sweeping over everyone who froze in shock.

"Now, get your damn asses off your chairs, get your IDs ready, and line up one by one for inspection!"

Yonivore silently put away the crystal, letting his body relax as much as possible, and buried his head in the amber-colored wine.

"Hey you in the hood, what are you hiding? Take off your hood and roll over here with your hands up!" Gavin's voice was directed at Yonivore in front of the bar.

Eunice's heart skipped a beat. He took off his hood, revealing a pale and haggard face, and gave a forced smile.

"Sir Templar, I am just an alchemy apprentice who takes on bounties to make a living. Yesterday, my mentor punished me by making medicine all night... I am a little afraid of light."

Gavin's gaze lingered on Yonivo's face for two seconds, a satisfied smile appearing on his face, before he spoke.

"The trash in the lower city... is actually quite cooperative, huh? Go line up, I don't want to say it a second time!"

"With your looks, you're still dreaming of becoming one of the most sought-after Templar Knights?" Yunefu thought to himself, but a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

Most of the people in the tavern sat there, sneering, seemingly having been unhappy with the paladin's actions for a long time.

"Sir Templar, I was blind to your true worth. Please, have some of the best wine in the lower town to calm your anger. I'll be in line right away..."

Yonivore picked up the wine glass behind him, bowed slightly, and spoke humbly.

"You're trying to bribe me with waste dumped from the sewer pipes? I want the real deal, understand?!"

Gavin sneered, then slapped the wine glass out of Yonivo's hand and spat on the wine on the ground.

Yonivore's smile became even more "humble," and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that many of the drinkers, provoked by him, had placed their hands on the weapons they carried, ready to strike.

"Sir, it's really kind of you to take such good care of us trash from the lower city so often..."

Eunice slowed his approach to Gavin, and then lit the final fire.

"Hmph, you trash who breathe my divine air... your taxes will double next month!"

Click!

Sean's iron axe shattered the wooden table in front of him first, and the patrons rose one after another, their eyes filled with the resentment of pent-up anger erupting.

Gavin was so frightened that he took a step back, but still shouted defiantly.

"How dare you defy God's will and attack a paladin!?"

Yoniv quietly retreated to the back of the crowd, and suddenly burst into a sob filled with grief and indignation.

"You've gone too far! If it weren't for those taxes levied only on the lower city, how could I have ended up in this state of ruin and death!"

"You dogs of the church! Today you must pay the price for the breathing tax you've been levying all this time!"

Joel's neck veins bulged, and the tip of his sword was pointed directly at Gavin's face.

"You've gone mad! You've all gone mad, a bunch of disgusting maggots! Kill me, aren't you afraid of Bishop Uriel's repercussions?!"

Gavin looked embarrassed and decided to give up entirely.

"Get out of the tavern! Get out of the lower town!" Eunice shouted as he grabbed a chair from behind the crowd and threw it at Gavin.

Clap!

Gavin's fist shattered the chair that had appeared out of nowhere, but what followed was a deluge of wine glasses.

"Church scum, get out of Hart City!" More and more people joined in the "condemnation," and the tavern was soon packed with people.

Gavin's face went from flushed to deathly pale—in a riot of this scale, the church would prioritize dealing with him as the one who ignited the conflict.

Yunevo had already sat back down at the bar, watching the paladin leave in a sorry state amidst a baptism of rotten tomatoes and eggs.

"That's fucking satisfying," Old Mike said, appearing from backstage as his gaze met that of Eunice.

"The chair is free," he said, taking out several new glasses from the counter, filling his own beer first, and then raising the glass high.

"Brothers! Old Mike's in a good mood today seeing the church dogs suffer, so this drink is free!"

The tavern erupted into a new round of revelry, and Yonivore finally went backstage and activated the communication crystal.

"An Ancient Ironwood? Ha, I just happen to need an alchemist. Let's meet at the tavern tomorrow morning," the hunter with the pipe in his mouth glanced at the badge that Yunevo had just taken out and agreed without hesitation.

"Let me make it clear beforehand, that thing has been very agitated ever since it started emitting golden light. Two groups of people from the church got involved, but none of them came out."