Chapter 6: A Gamble for Power

Aiden sat on a rock just outside Coldwater Village, his eyes surveying the bustling scene around him. Players were engaged in battles with beginner-level beasts—rabbits and squirrels that posed little threat but provided crucial experience points. Unlike them, Aiden was in no rush. He had a plan, a strategy shaped by his knowledge from his previous life.

He willed his status screen to appear before him, taking a moment to review his starting stats.

______________

Name: Aiden

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Level: 1 [0/200]

Title: N/A

Class: N/A

Health: 10/10

Mana: 10/10

______________

Stamina: 2

Intellect: 2

Strength: 2

Defense: 2

Vitality: 2

Agility: 2

______________

Aiden chuckled at the sight of his familiar, pathetic starting stats. The beginner stats ranged from 0 to 20, depending on each individual's prior condition. Given his lack of physical training and malnourished state, it was no surprise that his attributes were on the lower side. Yet, Aiden was unfazed. He had started with the same stats last time and had still risen to greatness.

He closed the status screen and opened his inventory. Inside were a worn-out pair of pants, a shabby pair of mismatched shoes, a sleeveless shirt with several rips, and a rusted longsword. These were the beginner items given to all players upon entering the game—Level 1 and nearly useless. Still, since Aiden was currently in his underpants, he equipped them all. The three items of clothing each provided 1 defense point, boosting his defense to a modest 5 points.

With his basic gear in place, Aiden opened the map to check his location. He had spawned in Coldwater Village, a small settlement in the northern part of the Gresh Kingdom. "An hour's walk to the next town... Alright, let's get started."

Instead of heading straight into combat, Aiden opted for the roundabout main route frequented by villagers and merchants. He did this to avoid encountering wild beasts, not because he feared them, but because he wanted to keep his slate clean for now. While others hunted for wild beasts and starter quests to level up, Aiden walked leisurely toward the next town.

It took him a little longer than an hour, but he reached his destination without any trouble. Unlike cities, towns did not have entry fees, so he was able to smoothly walk past the town guards.

"If I remember correctly..." Aiden muttered as he paused at the entrance of the bustling town, taking in the sights and sounds. Basla Town was significantly larger than the novice village, with several stores, vendors, and even an auction house. Aiden headed straight to one of the flashier buildings in the northern part of town—the bank. However, he didn't enter the bank, as it required a certain level of reputation and fame to borrow money. Instead, he went to a small building a couple of blocks away, a sign above it reading 'Gorim's Loan and Pawn.'

Inside, a fat salesperson with a big, suspicious grin greeted him. "Hello, hello! Good day to you, young man. What brings you to my small establishment this fine morning?"

Aiden rolled his eyes, skipping the formalities. "I need a loan of 1000 gold coins."

The fat man's grin widened. "Ooo... What a big sum for a little fella like you. Good, good! Youngsters need to be ambitious. I like your courage, young man! But should I give it to you or not? Hmm..." He rapped on the desk, eyeing Aiden up and down.

"Alright, I've decided. This is your lucky day. Though you don't look particularly reliable, I will still loan you this sum of money."

Aiden knew the man's words were hollow. Loan sharks in the game were notoriously cruel, and this one was no different. The interest rates were outrageous, but Aiden had no choice.

[Ding. Received a loan of 1000 gold coins]

[Ding. Interest: 100 gold coins a day]

[Ding. If the full amount is not returned by the end of the week along with the interest, the player will be stripped of everything and permanently imprisoned.]

[Ding. You are the first person to receive a loan.]

[Ding. You have obtained the title 'Rolling in Debt']

[Rolling in Debt: When the title is equipped, it gives a 5% bonus on auction house settlements]

Aiden stared at the notifications, not sure whether to laugh or cry. Despite the grim title, he was pleased with the small surprise bonus. He chuckled wryly and left the pawnshop, his mind already racing with plans for the gold he had just acquired.

His next move was critical. With the gold in hand, Aiden confidently hopped onto one street after another and ran across the town, only stopping when he reached the familiar Trade building.

He walked inside and went to one of the open windows.

"Hi, I would like to rent a crafting room," Aiden asked the sales representative.

The woman nodded and took out a medallion from under the desk. "That will be 10 silvers."

Before paying her, Aiden grabbed a sheet of paper from a stack on the side and scribbled on it with the pen tied to the counter. "I would also like to buy these ingredients." He handed it over to her.

The lady looked at the paper, her eyes slightly widening in shock. Everything listed was extremely expensive and she now held the scrawny-looking young lad in front of her in much higher regard.

"That would be 100 gold coins in total, sir. If you give me a few minutes, I, Clara, can personally deliver all the items to your room." The woman batted her eyelashes, even introducing herself, and gave a coy smile to Aiden.

He was amused, but he was not a noob and he didn't have time to mess around with NPCs. "Alright. Thanks." He muttered bluntly and then walked over to room no.5 which was the number on his medallion.

[Ding. You have entered a crafting room.]

[Ding. Your chance of success in crafting is now increased by 5%]

A couple of system notifications popped up in front of him, which Aiden swiped away. He then sat down at the center of the small room, leaving the door open.

Soon, Clara arrived, flashing a big smile on her face. She bowed and greeted him again, revealing her ample breasts, and then took out all the items one by one from her inventory.

Within a minute, the small room was completely filled with various things including a big cauldron, several packets of herbs, bones, vials of blood, and lastly two big pails of clean water.

Aiden nodded in satisfaction. "That'll be all. Thanks." The NPC flashed another coy smile before closing the door and leaving the room.

"Here we go." Aiden calmed himself down and then first started by activating the rune on the cauldron which simply required him to place his thumb imprint on it.

This rune enabled a user to regulate the heat produced by the cauldron but something like that required Aiden to have a much higher level and huge amounts of mana at his disposal, not to mention more control on his mana usage.

The current him simply pressed his thumb against the cauldron once and then removed his hand to activate the automatic heat regulation. Though it was not that great, it was still decent enough to serve his current needs.

Aiden then started unfolding the herb stalks, while waiting for the water in the cauldron to reach a rolling boil.

"Ginseng. Maricharin. Linti root. Bonasitu." He took the herbs in his hand one by one, smelled them, remembering their texture and their properties which had already been deeply drilled into his brain.

There was a time in the past when he had been a slave. He and several others were forced into doing dull manual labor from dawn to dusk collecting herbs from a mountain.

But that was just the beginning and in fact, that was one of the more pleasant memories he had. He had experienced far worse things in his life.

"Hai! Let me not dwell on the past." Aiden smiled bitterly and started adding the herbs to the boiling water. He added them in a specific series according to the recipe that he remembered.

In 'Infinite Realms' there were many ways to obtain recipes for crafting but Aiden's method was a unique one as he was replicating everything from his mind.

Once the herbs were added, the boiling water in the cauldron turned into a shade of light yellow.

Aiden then added the beast bones and drops of blood at the same time which turned the liquid into deep red in color.

Almost immediately he backed away, just in time to avoid a powerful roaring aura that seeped out of the cauldron.

[Ding: Body Cleansing Low Grade potion created]

[Ding: Body Cleansing Low Grade potion recipe obtained]

[Ding: You have acquired the trade skill Alchemy]

[Ding: Your Alchemy skill proficiency has increased to Beginner Level]

The temperature in the small crafting room instantly shot up and Aiden was drenched in sweat from top to bottom. The crafting room had suddenly become his personal sauna!

"Looks good enough." He nodded in satisfaction and then started unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his frail body.

He removed his pants, shoes, and his underwear as well and when he was completely naked, he stepped into the sizzling boiling cauldron.

[Ding: Health -1]

[Ding: Health -1]

Danger notifications immediately started popping up, but Aiden leisurely made himself comfortable in the cauldron.

Though it was a huge vessel, it was still awkward for him to fit his entire body inside, submerging it under the boiling red liquid.