When Ethan took out the potion, Claire and Emily looked at it with puzzled expressions.
But the moment he pulled out the cork and the fragrance reached them...
Both women’s eyes widened in shock.
"Is that... a Strength Potion?" Claire asked.
"It is."
"Though it’s not the highest grade."
"I’d call it somewhere around mid-tier."
Emily looked even more astonished.
"Mid-tier?"
"I’ve never seen a potion better than that in my entire life."
"I have," Claire said with a sigh.
"Unfortunately... I couldn’t afford it."
If she had been able to buy that potion back then...
If she had become stronger...
Would she have been able to save their settlement?
"Buy one?"
"Where?"
Ethan asked curiously.
So far, he hadn’t encountered a single real shop.
The only marketplace available to him was the in-game Exchange.
But that was simply players bartering with one another.
There were no actual merchants.
"It’s the Skyhammer Merchant Guild."
"No one knows how it was founded."
"No one knows where its headquarters are."
"Or who leads it."
"But they somehow possess all kinds of incredible goods."
"Potions are among them."
"Of course..."
"They’re incredibly expensive."
"I still remember the merchant quoting me one thousand pounds of fresh meat..."
"Or an equivalent amount of food."
"Our settlement struggled to feed itself."
"There was no way we could afford something like that."
Ethan nodded thoughtfully.
"The Skyhammer Merchant Guild..."
"Another organization I’ve never heard of."
"Do they have permanent stores?"
"Or how do people contact them?"
Claire shook her head.
"As far as I know, they don’t have permanent locations."
"They only establish temporary camps."
"They’re wandering merchants."
"You might run into them anywhere..."
"Or spend your whole life searching without finding them."
"It all depends on luck."
"Of course..."
"The truly powerful people and major factions probably have ways to contact them."
"As for a small settlement like ours..."
"The fact they even passed by once was already considered fortunate."
"Interesting."
Ethan chuckled.
"So no one’s ever tried..."
"...shopping for free?"
"Huh?"
"Shopping... for free?"
Claire looked completely confused.
"I mean..."
"Robbing them."
Ethan laughed awkwardly.
Another joke from Earth...
One the natives obviously wouldn’t understand.
Probably best not to use that expression again.
"It’s not that nobody has thought about it."
"But after seeing one of their caravans casually kill a Tier 5 monster..."
"...and turn it into a taxidermy display..."
"No one dared entertain that idea anymore."
"They’re that strong?"
Ethan couldn’t hide his surprise.
If he fought Brutus right now...
He still wasn’t confident he could win.
And Brutus had only just entered Tier 3.
According to Brutus...
Every tier after that represented a qualitative leap.
The gap between tiers became enormous.
"Yes."
"And that wasn’t even one of their combat units."
"It was merely an ordinary merchant caravan."
"They also have forces dedicated solely to combat."
"I can only imagine how terrifying those people are."
"The strange thing is..."
"They only seem interested in making money."
"And only through legitimate trade."
"Otherwise..."
"With their strength..."
"They could have conquered every settlement long ago."
"Looks like surviving in this world is going to be a long journey."
Ethan sighed.
Then he dismissed the Skyhammer Merchant Guild from his thoughts.
They weren’t enemies.
At least not for now.
There was no point wasting brainpower worrying about an organization he hadn’t even met.
None of the Survivors had mentioned them either.
Perhaps the guild intentionally avoided Survivors.
Or maybe they simply believed newcomers had nothing worth trading for.
Whatever the reason...
It wasn’t worth dwelling on.
Putting the matter aside, Ethan held out the potion.
"You drink this one."
"Then tell me how it feels afterward."
"...Me?"
Claire stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you really giving something this valuable to me?"
To her...
This potion was every bit as precious as the one she’d once seen at the Skyhammer Merchant Guild.
And she had absolutely nothing she could offer in return.
Then...
An embarrassing memory surfaced.
She remembered the passionate sounds coming from Ethan and Natasha’s room the previous night.
Almost instinctively...
Her hand tightened around the collar of her clothes.
Perhaps...
She did possess something valuable enough to repay him.
Completely unaware of what she was thinking, Ethan simply pressed the vial into her hand.
"Go ahead."
"This isn’t particularly valuable to me."
"If it helps make you stronger..."
"It benefits all of us."
Seeing his unwavering attitude—and noticing there wasn’t the slightest hidden implication in his words—
Claire nodded firmly.
"...Alright."
"I’ll drink it."
She uncorked the bottle and swallowed it in one gulp.
As the potion took effect...
She immediately felt a noticeable increase in her strength.
Meanwhile...
Using the Leader System, Ethan watched her attributes update in real time.
Her maximum Strength increased by two points.
The improvement was noticeably smaller than what Natasha had gained.
But...
If Claire could drink four or five bottles as Walter had suggested...
Her total increase would likely reach eight to ten points.
The cost was certainly higher.
Still...
If it allowed his subordinates to rapidly become combat-effective without any side effects...
It was well worth stockpiling more potions.
"How do you feel?"
Ethan asked.
"My strength has definitely improved."
"I don’t feel any discomfort."
"Though..."
"I feel a little..."
"...full."
She lowered her head awkwardly before finishing.
Ethan nodded.
"Looks like your body needs time to absorb the potion’s energy."
He then produced another vial and handed it to Emily.
"Your turn."
Emily blinked in surprise.
"Me too?"
"But... I’m just a healer."
"I don’t have much fighting ability."
Claire was an assassin.
Increasing her Strength naturally improved her combat effectiveness.
But Emily...
She was purely a support specialist.
Giving such a precious potion to her felt wasteful.
"Who says healers can’t fight?"
"I’m not asking you to charge into battle."
"But you should at least be able to protect yourself."
"Go on."
"Drink it."
As Emily accepted the vial Ethan had practically forced into her hands...
Her eyes gradually turned red.
She had always wanted to become stronger.
To stand on her own.
But with limited resources...
Every opportunity had always gone to the frontline fighters.
Now...
Someone was willing to invest in her.
Even if the improvement wasn’t enormous...
It was still a chance to grow.
Maybe...
One day...
She wouldn’t have to hide behind everyone else’s backs.
Maybe...
She could become someone capable of protecting the people she cared about.
"...Okay."
"I’ll drink it."
Emily uncorked the bottle and swallowed the Strength Potion in one gulp.
Watching her wear an expression as though she were marching toward certain death...
Ethan couldn’t help muttering,
"It’s just a Strength Potion."
"Why are you making it look like some heroic sacrifice?"
"It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me."
Although he’d deliberately lowered his voice...
Both Claire and Emily heard every word.
Emily nearly choked on the potion.
Even so...
Thinking about how valuable it was...
She stubbornly forced herself to swallow every last drop.
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