Mysterious assassins(chapter 3)

prevously in chapter 2

"Well, definitely not what I was hoping for," he sighed as he continued. The second attempt was a failure, but the third was a success, as was the fourth time, but they were all 1st-grade potions, which he wasn't aiming for. So he continued to create more and more until on his ninth try, he got something that surprised him.

[Name: Verdant Elixir]

[Grade: 3rd]

[Description: Crafted from a blend of chemical and organic fertilizers, along with the liquefied essence of mulch and infused with the mineral-rich properties of basalt rock dust, Verdant Elixir is a potent concoction designed to nourish soil and promote vibrant herb growth.]

[Effects: +35% nutrient absorption, +40% soil fertility enhancement, +45% promotion of healthy herb growth.]

[Deterioration-Rate: 0%]

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Chapter 3

Inside his apartment, Henry was looking at the greenish liquid in a flask in his hand. "Why do I feel like I was playing the lottery?" he chuckled to himself as he looked at his first-ever 3rd-grade potion. "I'm not sure if I could call this a potion," he smiled as he then went up to his ten planters. "Well, guess I'm already starting my own farm," he chuckled as he added the Verdant Elixir to each of the 10 plants. Of course, it was only a small portion added to each one, so it wasn't nearly enough. "Looks like I will need to create more of this poop elixir," he sighed as he washed his hands, which were dirty for some reason even though he was wearing gloves.

"At least something good came out of making the poop potion. I am close to leveling up," he smiled as he looked at his own status panel. "Since I'm so close to leveling up, I might just speed level," he smiled to himself as he did just that. He created the Verdant Elixir, most of them were tier 1, with some rare occasions of tier 2 being created, but he was not able to create a tier 3 again. "Looks like I was really lucky to get a tier 3 potion," he sighed as he looked at the tier 1 potions he had as well as the 2 tier 2 potions with a sigh, "Well, at least I leveled up," he then broke into a smile as he looked at his status panel.

[Name: Henry]

[Mana: 100% (1 mana lasts for 1 minute, 1 mana can be recovered every 1 minute)]

[Class: Alchemy: lv.1 (25%)]

[Skills:

Potion-synthesis: You can synthesize two plants/materials by melting them together using mana, as long as the materials do not possess two opposing qualities, with a 30% chance of getting a second-grade potion and a 5% chance of getting a third-grade potion. Tier: 2 (0%)]

"Increase of 11% in chance of me making a tier 2 potion and 4% increase in making a tier 3," he pondered, only for an alarm to get his attention. "Right, work," he sighed as he remembered what the previous Henry did, which was moving cargo from ships into the docks and sorting it into different areas. It actually paid quite well, allowing the previous Henry to afford this place which wasn't the tip-top of apartments in New York, but it was at least better than being homeless. "Well, let's get ready to work," however, his eyes laid on the first-ever potion he made.

"Right, a 10% increase in muscle strength," he mused as he inspected the potion, noticing the deterioration rate slowly rising. "Well, I might as well try it since it's going to spoil soon," he sighed as he drank the potion. It tasted mostly like beetroot, with a hint of ginseng. Suddenly, he felt his muscles start to itch and swell slightly. "Hmm, oh it's still there, I feel it," he smiled as he flexed his muscles and tried to lift some relatively heavy objects, feeling some pressure lift off him.

"If I can grow enhanced ginseng and beetroot, I can try and make a tier 3 strength tonic," he mused as he suddenly thought of something. "Wait, I can make 10 of these and take them to work," he thought, looking at his remaining ingredients, especially the ginseng and beetroot. He quickly made more potions, which he then poured into bottles. "I can take a gulp or two to activate the effect and then wait 10 minutes before taking another," he planned as he left for work.

-scene change-

It was late at night, and Henry could be seen walking through the empty New York streets as he grumbled, "I should...*YAWN*...make some sleep potions." He yawned mid-sentence before burping and frowning, "Gosh, my breath smells like beetroot," he thought to himself as he walked past a large compound where a building was hosting a party. "Right, there was a Stark Expo going on. Maybe I should have accepted the job of cleaning after the party," he thought of a coworker who had invited him to take on a contract to clean the place after the party. He had rejected it because he had his plants to tend to.

"I should probably rent a van soon, after I get that paycheck," he planned as something suddenly flew over him. Henry didn't even look up as he knew what flew above him while he thought, "I am eventually going to make something better, an alchemical suit powered by liquid, tier 6 or 7," he smiled to himself as he passed by an alleyway where something heavy fell. From the corner of his eye, Henry saw it was the corpse of a man, but he pretended he didn't see anything and kept walking. Meanwhile, above the rooftop where Henry was walking, a couple of figures dressed in red cloths could be seen watching Henry's reaction whom continued to walk away as if he saw nothing. They turned towards each other before one of them made a cutting gesture, and some of them left, leaving one behind to follow Henry. The figure watched Henry walk home nonchalantly, then left after seeing him arrive and noting where he lived.

-scene change-

After arriving home, Henry sighed as he thought, "Well, that was something." Just as the ninja figures in red had suspected, Henry did see them and the body in just a second but pretended he hadn't seen anything, going about his business. "Well, it was a good choice anyway. Not only was the guy dead, but if I wanted to stick my nose into places it didn't belong, especially in this world where fucked-up shit is just starting to awaken, it's a sure way to die," he mused to himself as he looked through the ingredients he bought this morning. "Plus, the people in red seemed to be some sort of assassin or secret organization. I don't want to be on anyone's radar." However, that might have been too late. he sighed as he prepared different portions of elderberries and ginseng.

The reason why he prepared these materials was that both of them had effects that could help reduce fatigue or increase energy levels. "Hopefully I can get the desired product and make a potion that helps my fatigue," he thought. He was making these potions because he wanted something to help him recover faster from a day of hard labor, even though it was aided by 1st tier strength tonic. As an alchemist, of course, he wanted to have more time for making things rather than just sleeping.

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A/N: Well, here's another chapter. Hope you guys like it! I know the MCU's Hand ninjas wear black costumes, so don't worry about that. In the meantime, what potions do you guys want him to make? Please suggest mundane potions, no magical potions (yet, at least—that's a couple of movies away). also, unlike my other fanfics, with fanfic i already have the general plot down as well as the level in alchemy class he could reach and the tier of potions he could make, i am trying to create a story line here, which hopefully would allow me to do some cool plot twist and such. so no tier 9 potions,