Chapter 9 : Potioneering

After a successful and swift breakthrough Leylin approached Professor Kroft, excited to choose his specialization after becoming a Level 1 acolyte.

Kroft acknowledged Leylin's impressive talent, also commenting on his memory and teaching abilities before presenting three options:

Neutralization of Energy, Herbalism, and Potioneering.

Leylin, determined to earn magic crystals by selling potions and become self sufficient, selected Potioneering without hesitation.

Kroft handed him a yellow test tube, instructing him to drink its contents. The liquid smelled putrid, making Leylin gag and feel as though his body was dissolving.

He experienced a powerful illusion where his surroundings distorted, and even his body melted into liquid. When the illusion ended, Kroft explained that such experiences were common in magical learning. The knowledge of Elementary Potioneering had been directly implanted into Leylin's brain.

Afterward, Kroft assigned Leylin a task: sweeping Area 3 and freezing Fire Ant Grass. Leylin efficiently completed his work before taking a break, during which his fellow acolyte Bicky congratulated him on his quick progress, comparing his talent to Senior Merlin.

Instead of attending public lessons, Leylin visited the trading post, a bustling market filled with acolytes selling various items. He noticed the high demand for potions, as all potion stalls attracted numerous buyers. Level 3 acolytes dominated the potion trade, making it clear how valuable potion-making skills were.

The wooden huts clustered around the area stood out against the barren surroundings. Unlike the crude dwellings of most acolytes, these huts had an air of permanence, hinting at their owners' wealth and influence. The acolytes who occasionally walked in and out radiated strong energy fluctuations, making it clear that this was not a place for ordinary initiates.

Leylin stepped into a dimly lit shop filled with the thick scent of herbs and chemicals. The shelves were stacked with glassware, dried plants, and strange, bubbling concoctions.

A plump man in a gray robe looked up lazily from behind the counter. His greasy fingers toyed with a small, crescent-shaped magic artifact that gave off a faint glow.

"What do you need?" he asked, voice sluggish but carrying a hint of cunning.

Leylin recognized this man—Woox. He was a Level 3 acolyte and a well-connected trader known for his resourcefulness.

"Potion equipment," Leylin replied flatly.

Woox snorted, shaking his head. "Another one who is dreaming! And it's actually a Level 1 acolyte who wants to try brewing potions! You think you're Merlin?"

Leylin remained calm. "Merlin is my senior."

Woox's eyes narrowed. "Huh? You're Kroft's apprentice? But the new students arrived just a few days ago. How can you advance so early? It's been just eight days!"

His surprise was genuine, but realization quickly dawned on him. He smirked.

"Kroft is lucky—another genius! But remember, genius in advancement doesn't equate to talent in potioneering. Still, as Kroft's student, it would be a shame if you didn't learn it."

With a grin, he added, "Anyway, I'm Woox."

His cunning expression deepened. "I'd advise you, rather than waste time brewing, why not bring me some of Merlin's potions? I'll pay a good price. Of course, if you can get me something from Professor Kroft himself, I'd be even more generous…"

Leylin rolled his eyes. He had expected this sort of opportunism. It would be soon in the future, when Woox would be all over Leylin to buy his potions too. A businessman through and through.

"Can you show me what I asked for?"

Woox chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, of course! Of course! Quite an attitude, huh? Well, as expected of a genius."

He reached under the counter and placed several sets of glass apparatus on the wooden table.

"These are all second-hand but still usable. I recommend this set—it belonged to a Level 3 acolyte who no longer needed it."

Leylin inspected the equipment: beakers, a glass rod, a petri dish, test tubes, and a set of pale yellow tools. The quality was average, but the A.I. Chip confirmed it was sufficient.

"I'll take this one. How much?"

"Two magic crystals."

Leylin handed them over. Woox quickly wrapped the equipment and passed it to him.

"Give me the Strength Potion recipe as well," Leylin added. "And a set of ingredients."

Woox's grin widened. He turned and retrieved a black box from a shelf, then pulled an old parchment from beneath the counter.

"One Strength Potion formula—one magic crystal. One set of ingredients—also one magic crystal. Enough for ten attempts."

Leylin opened the black box. Inside were ten crimson fruits with cracked surfaces, a green plant root, and a small bottle of black powder. Satisfied, he tucked the parchment into his robe, placed the box under his arm, and handed over his last two magic crystals.

Without another word, he left.

The moment he stepped out, Leylin frowned slightly. He had arrived with four magic crystals and spent them all on just the bare essentials for potion brewing.

Potioneering is expensive.

This was a field where even a small mistake could lead to wasted materials. No wonder many acolytes hesitated to pursue it.

But for Leylin, this was just the beginning. A. I. Chip will show its magic, Leylin has no problem projecting himself as a genuis at the level of Merlin.

'When the academy is under attack, Kroft would personally advise me to leave, unlike Fang(original mc) who was left to fend for himself. I can be considered as a core genuis of the academy, if I show same speed in my progress to Level 2 Acolytes my value would only increase.'

Time passed in a blur. Leylin's daily routine became rigid: dorm, dining hall, Academic Area, laboratory, and library.

Days turned into weeks.

During lectures, he absorbed everything like a sponge. When assisting Kroft in the laboratory, he observed every detail meticulously. But his real advantage lay in the library.

The dim candlelight flickered as Leylin sat alone at a long wooden table, books piled around him. His fingers flipped through yellowed pages, his eyes scanning formulas, notes, and old research.

Each book he read was analyzed and stored by the A.I. Chip, indexed for easy access.

Many acolytes struggled for weeks just to comprehend the basics of potioneering. Leylin, however, had accumulated enough knowledge in a month to surpass them.

[The gathering of data has been completed!]

The A.I. Chip's notification rang in his mind.

Leylin closed the book he was reading and leaned back.

"Whew… I've finally understood the formulation of potions."

Kroft's initial lessons had given him a foundation, but there had been countless gaps in his understanding. Most acolytes had to pay for advanced lessons. Leylin, however, had taken another path—self-study with the help of the A.I. Chip.

Most acolytes would spend weeks just looking for information, but Leylin had condensed months of work into mere days.

The library had its limitations—truly advanced potioneering knowledge required payment. But even the freely available information had been enough to give him a strong grasp of the subject.

He smirked. Now, when he looked at the basics of potioneering, it felt like standing on the roof of a tall tower, looking down at the streets below.

And more importantly—

'I should be able to successfully brew a potion today.' Leylin stood up. His eyes glowed with determination as he left the library.

...

"Hey! Leylin!"

When he walked out of the library, an acolyte greeted him. Leylin raised his head, "Ryan! Kaliweir!"

'These two.' Ryan and Kaliweir were the acolytes who travelled with Leylin from same continent. These two were also fourth-grade talent like Leylin, but unlike him they just advanced recently.

Kaliweir wore the grey robes of an acolyte, and his original haughtiness had lessened, he looked at Leylin with a bit of complex expression and said, "Congratulations on becoming a level 1 acolyte!"

"Thank you, congratulations to you too!" Leylin replied with a smile. His name as a genius has spread a little amongst the acolytes courtesy of Bicky, but Leylin didn't particularly cared, once he starts selling potions and kept advancing quickly, his name was bound to be famous in the academy anyways.

He sensed that Kaliweir had turned into a level 1 acolyte just recently, and had some indignation because both of them were technically same grade of talent.

"The few of us in the clique have already turned into level 1 acolytes!" Kaliweir stressed the first few words and seemed to have automatically excluded Guricha and the others who had worse talent.

"We have taken up a few missions recently, do you have any interest in joining us?" Kaliweir asked.

Kaliweir seemed to be trying hard to maintain the previous group of friends.

"As Level 1 Acolyte?" Leylin's expression remained the same, "The black forest outside academy has been getting dangerous lately, increasing number of Red-Eyed Raven in proximity. It would be unwise especially for those at level 1 acolytes who do not even know any spells to take missions."

"There's no choice, any high-tiered information here has to be bought, and magic crystals are the only form of currency! The magic crystals that we brought have already been spent!" Kaliweir smiled bitterly.

"If you want to be a Potions Master, the expenditure of resources will be extremely great..." Ryan commented.

"I am sorry, that would be a no from me. Take my advice and wait till you are at least Level 2 Acolyte." Leylin firmly declined, he knows that their team would suffer a huge catastrophe, he warned them but knew full well they would take this risk.

"Alright then! I heard that you are earning magic crystals by giving tuition to others. Could you also teach us, it can be in accordance with your rates!"

After hearing that Leylin was unwilling to go, Kaliweir felt a little dejected, but he continued to ask. He wanted to rope Leylin into his group, not only Leylin was comparable in talent with Jayden, his enemy but also student of a potion master. If Leylin talent is even slightly reflected in potioneering being his friend have huge perks.

"Definitely." Leylin smiled lightly, exchanging benefits was always the norm for Magi.

...

Leylin walked briskly through the dimly lit corridors of the academy, his steps silent but purposeful. Soon he returned to his dorm, every acolyte in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had a dorm of their own, so secrecy and safety were not an issue.

A large black coloured table occupied the room, and Leylin's previously bought apparatus set had been placed on it.

Leylin placed the black box he just brought again from Woox, and put them on the worn wooden table and began unpacking its contents. The crimson fruits, the dried green roots, and the vial of black powder were laid out carefully in front of him.

With a deep breath, he activated the A.I. Chip.

[Commencing Potion Brewing Sequence. Analyzing external factors... Air temperature: 19°C. Humidity: 47%. No magical interference detected.]

Leylin nodded slightly. Everything was within optimal conditions.

He retrieved the hologramic slide from A. I. Chip containing the Strength Potion formula and read through it once more. The process itself wasn't overly complicated, but potion-making required absolute precision. A single mistake could render the concoction useless—or worse, create something volatile.

He began with the first step—extracting the essence from the crimson fruit. Taking a small silver knife, he carefully sliced one of the fruits open. A thick, sticky liquid oozed from the cracks in its skin, carrying a faint, bitter scent. He collected the essence in a small glass beaker and noted the volume.

[Extracted essence: 5.1ml. Within acceptable range.]

The next step involved grinding the green root into a fine powder. Using a small mortar and pestle, he applied steady pressure, breaking down the fibrous material until it resembled dust. The black powder, which acted as a stabilizing agent, had to be added at the precise moment when the root and fruit essence were combined.

With everything prepared, Leylin lit the small magical flame beneath the beaker. The liquid inside began to warm, turning a deeper shade of red.

He added the powdered root slowly—one grain too much and the mixture could become unstable.

"Marliwoosha!" Leylin chanted. A thread of spiritual force travelled through the glass rod and entered the bubbling liquid, and a few wisps of black gas continued to be produced. It was the poison inside the Blood vitality Fruit.

[Reaction stable. Proceed with final step.]

The black powder was the catalyst. He sprinkled it in, watching as the mixture began to bubble and thicken.

Then—the liquid turned a deep, blood-red.

Leylin exhaled slowly. It was a good sign.

"The next part should be the stem of the Silk Fruit..."

What Leylin did next was to prepare the rest of the Blood vitality Fruit and Silk Fruit together.

After cooling the potion down, he poured it into a small glass vial.

The black powder caused a strong reaction after coming into contact with the frozen green substance. The frozen green substance continued to swell and let out a humming noise.

"Ice!" Leylin muttered an incantation in the Byrn language.

White mist suddenly appeared from the petri dish, condensing into a layer of ice and solidifying the frozen green substance yet again.

The final product had a slightly viscous texture, and a faint glow shimmered across its surface.

[Strength Potion (Grade: Average) – Increases physical strength temporarily by 20%. Side effects: Slight fatigue after effect wears off.]

Leylin stared at the result in his hand. It wasn't perfect, but it was a successful first attempt.

He had taken the first step into the world of potioneering.

'Unfortunately I can't sell my potions just yet.' Leylin shook his head, his potioneering talent powered by A. I. Chip is too monstrous.

To put things into perspective, if someone were to estimate Leylin talent based on Merlin's success rate who is a renowned potioneering genius. Merlin had a huge amount of ingredients and continuously practiced brewing back then. Only after a month did he manage to brew his first potion.

Leylin did not have many magic crystals, nor potion ingredients, his total experiment compared of Merlin is insignificant yet, he also achieved a success after one month. It's just too much, too eye catching.

'I guess I will show my first potion success after I breakthrough to Level 2. It would make more sense, and currently I don't need too many magic crystal anyways.' Leylin concluded, he was currently still a few months away from breakthrough and without reaching Level 2 Acolytes he can't learn spell even if he buy spell models.