We're Pretty Overpowered For "Harmless Trash"

[New Skill Alert!

Name: Essence Fusion

Grade: F

Description: The ability to mix and meld extracted essences and complete alchemical purification. The higher the Grade, the more thoroughly essences will be fused and purified.

Name: Pill Stabilization

Grade: F

Description: Completes the pill concoction process seamlessly and decides the number of pills in a batch. The higher the Grade, the more thorough your control over the process and the higher the chance of success for increasingly complex pills.

Name: Alchemical Appraisal

Description: Derived from integrated knowledge via Plant Identification, allows you to instantly appraise any Rare Class Pill or below along with some Unique Class Pills.]

[Skill "Alchemical Appraisal" triggered.]

[Appraised Status:

Name: Sleepless Pills (2)

Rating: Poor (51%)

Grade: Lowest

Description: Created out of inert ingredients of the Lowest Grade and by a clear novice among Apostle Alchemists, it's a miracle these pills even formed. Each pill can be consumed to substitute a single night's worth of sleep; though, the effect is restricted to beings with F+ Constitution or below. Taking more than three in a week will also poison users that are effected by this pill with a case of Mild Pill Toxicity.]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Even if everything my Skill told me was correct, it felt like I'd taken a punch to the gut after being told exactly how bad my first "successful" pills were.

Knock, knock...

Perfect! I needed the distraction.

I stood up, walked to the door, and opened it to find Alex. "You need something?" I asked.

"Er… It's three hours past noon," Alex squirmed every time our eyes met.

It saddened me, knowing he would probably never even think of fighting back against the bullshit situation we'd been forced into. It would have made my life infinitely easier if I had another Otherworldly Heroes to scheme an escape with. But, with his current attitude, I believe Alex would first turn on me than risk making an enemy out of the Emperor.

"Ok? Do you want something?" I returned to the matter at hand.

"Um… You, er… I haven't seen you eat since we got here yesterday and I made an extra portion of lunch, so..."

"Ah," I felt my stomach ache at the mention of a meal. "Thank you," I said, gratefully accepting the plate from Alex's hands. On it was what looked like a club sandwich.

Now, I wasn't a fan of club sandwiches in particular; not like I'd ever go out of my way to make or buy one. But compared to the rations of bread and raw fruit and vegetables Alex and I had been subjected to on the carriage ride over to the farmhouse, the sandwich might as well have been a delicacy.

I took a bite and paused. 'What the hell?'

"I-is it bad?" Alex squeaked, apparently put-off by the expression on my face. "We weren't exactly given the best quality ingredients, but I tried my best..."

I swallowed the bite of food in my mouth and asked, "Did you use some sort of Magic on this? It honestly tastes too good to be a regular sandwich."

"Oh, ah… Ever since I started working on farming those crops and herbs you wanted, I've been using the one Skill my Spiritualizer Title granted me, [Amplification], to improve the quality of everything I touch like you said I should in your notebook. It worked well enough for my food, so I thought I should improve yours too…" Alex shyly explained.

"Oh? Sounds like— Wait," I stopped and stood up. I quickly walked over to my workshop and back to the kitchen in a matter of seconds before showing Alex the two crude Sleepless Pills I'd made. "If [Amplification] works on anything you touch, see if you can use it on these."

I shoved the pills onto Alex's hands before I returned to my seat and resumed my meal. Damn, it was fucking delicious…

Alex hesitated for a moment, probably confused by why I'd given him two ugly grey-speckled marbles, but he eventually got around to using his Skill. From my point of view, it looked like the pills in his hand returned to their nascent pill-forming state for a moment as a bit of black smoke rose from Alex's hands and the pills became ever-so-slightly smaller, more compact, and more… well, refined.

After Alex handed me the pills back, I re-appraised them.

[Skill "Alchemical Appraisal" triggered.]

[Appraised Status:

Name: Sleepless Pills (2)

Rating: Mediocre (64%)

Grade: Lowest

Description: Reforged through the activation of Amplification, these pills have ascended to a higher overall rating. They now effect beings with E Constitution or below and can be taken up to four times a week before suitable users are poisoned with Mild Pill Toxicity.]

"This is ridiculous," I shook my head.

"Huh? What happened?" Alex nervously asked. He looked like he was afraid he'd just ruined my pills.

"Heh," I grinned. "Those idiots back at the mansion actually dismissed us as harmless trash before they confirmed the extent of our abilities." They would be paying dearly for their impudence, I vowed.

"We're so fucking overpowered, it's not even funny," I said.

"You're not making a lot of sense, Quarth..."

"You're Skill made my Poor Quality pills rise to Mediocre Quality," I started. "If that's the result of you using a Skill you created less than a day ago, imagine what it'll do in a week! Imagine what we'll be capable of after a month or even in a year!"

"As our Skills and increase, we can consistently create more higher quality pills. We'll be making exponential progress if we ourselves use some of the pills as supplementation. In fact..." I handed Alex one of the reforged Waking Pills. "If you eat one of those pills with me, you won't have to sleep tonight. You'll be able to keep working, getting closer to fulfilling your quota for the Emperor, and I'll be able to keep making more pills."

"I… I see," Alex accepted the pill.

"Anyways, thanks for the lunch, but you'll have to excuse me as I am way too amped to think of doing anything other than practicing alchemy for the rest of the day," I said and left back to my workshop.

I ate my Sleepless Pill and lost track of time as I started the [Essence Extraction] process to make a stock of Waking Pills. I wanted to have at least enough pills to last both of us until we couldn't handle any more for the week. After that I'd move on to other pills and in no time we would be more than capable of meeting the Emperor's demands.

...

Before I knew it, I felt the need for sleep again and paused.

'Where has the time gone?' I thought as I looked at the assortment of ten-pill bottles that were capped and ready for consumption to the side of the workshop table.

Had it already been four days?

Surely Not…

[Skill "Alchemical Appraisal" triggered.]

[Appraised Status:

Name: Waking Pills (9)

Rating: Poor (50-54%)

Grade: Lowest

Name: Mind Sparking Pills (11)

Rating: Poor (50-55%)

Grade: Lowest

Name: Will Empowering Pills (12)

Rating: Poor (50-54%)

Grade: Lowest

Name: Blood Energy Pills (15)

Rating: Poor (50-56%)

Grade: Lowest]

"Well, ok then," I stand corrected.