Chapter 134: Mastery

Merlin opened the glass container and was met with a dark, foul-smelling substance.

"Is this supposed to be Coagulant Potion?"

Merlin's expression was peculiar. According to Mage Hall's description, the Coagulant Potion should have been inky black with a faint, refreshing aroma. Yet, what he had produced bore none of these characteristics.

"Let's test it out."

Despite the unusual appearance of his potion, Merlin decided he needed to try it to confirm his results.

He took a sharp dagger and lightly scored his arm until a shallow cut emerged. This action alone demonstrated the impressive resilience of his body. Applying the concoction to his wound, he expected the potion to perform its function and quickly stop the bleeding. Since the potion was meant for external use, there was no need to consume it, minimizing risk.

However, as soon as he applied the potion, a searing pain surged through his arm, and his wound began to rot almost instantly.

Alarmed, Merlin quickly used his dagger to scrape the potion off his wound. The pain was intense enough to make him gasp despite his high pain tolerance.

Glancing at the rotting flesh that had fallen to the ground, he frowned. There was no doubt that the potion was a failure.

Merlin pondered over his approach. The minor injury didn't concern him much, as he was confident his robust body would heal in a matter of days. The real issue was understanding why the potion failed, despite his meticulous adherence to every step and exact measurement as instructed by the Matrix.

"The key to potion-making lies in controlling both the ingredients' quantities and the preparation process."

Merlin reviewed each step he had taken. With the Matrix's guidance and precision tools, he was confident the measurements were correct. Likewise, his execution of the steps seemed accurate upon reviewing the Matrix's records.

As he thought it over, it dawned on him—the problem could be the heat.

Perhaps, during the heating stage, subtle reactions were triggered that had gone unnoticed. Potion-making often involved heating, cooling, or other specific techniques to induce changes in the ingredients. This control of "temperature" or "timing" was akin to a chef's mastery over their cooking, something that came with familiarity and experience—an intuition even the Matrix couldn't replicate.

With this new insight, Merlin decided to try again. Thanks to the Matrix's guidance, Merlin had a significant advantage. While others might have wasted many materials in trial and error, he only needed to focus on perfecting his technique.

The second attempt failed as well, but by the third try, he successfully produced a Coagulant Potion with a 30% success rate.

A 30% success rate was astonishing for a novice. Even Mage Hall, with his extensive experience in potion-making, likely achieved similar results only after much practice.

"A 30% success rate is acceptable."

Merlin felt relieved. Though he couldn't dedicate himself entirely to potion-making, he was confident in his abilities to make basic concoctions, especially for the sake of preparing for the illusion potion.

Over the following days, Merlin continued honing his skills. He spent a portion of each day practicing potion-making to improve his sense of timing and temperature control, all while continuing his meditation.

A few days later, Lorinka visited him again. She had finally completed her preparations to leave the Dark Spirit Realm, making these last few days with Merlin a brief respite before her departure.

After a moment of intimacy, she lay beside him, speaking softly. "Merlin, I'm leaving soon, so there's something I need to tell you. My family, the Shadison family in Dolan City, is a small mage family. The strongest member is a third-level mage, but they've been missing for years. The family has very few resources to support lower-level mages. That's why they send promising members to mage organizations..."

She detailed the structure and history of her family, information Merlin found valuable.

For generations, her family had sent members with potential to various organizations, yet few had managed to become full-fledged mages. Most, like Lorinka, returned without support and faded into obscurity. Those on the verge of leaving would often try to forge alliances with promising mages, taking their chances with fate.

"Rest assured, I remember: Dolan City, the Shadison family! I'll come find you," Merlin said, his tone firm and decisive.

Lorinka smiled faintly. "Good. I'll wait for you. A first-level mage with six elements—no one in the Dark Spirit Realm's history has accomplished that…"

With a glint of hope, she gazed at him, and the two fell into each other's embrace once more.

---

Three days later, Lorinka left the Dark Spirit Realm. Before leaving, she transferred her seventy contribution points and the equivalent of fifty thousand gold coins to Merlin, giving him a total of 150 contribution points. This was an impressive sum for someone who had been in the Dark Spirit Realm for less than a year.

Visiting the Tower of All Things, Merlin searched for additional recipes for potions that could enhance mental strength. Unfortunately, while he found some ancient recipes, they were prohibitively expensive—each costing over five hundred points, more than even some magical tools. Surprisingly, these recipes were also dusty, seemingly untouched for ages.

Upon inquiry, he learned from the tower's gray-robed mages that the prohibitive cost was not just due to the price but rather the rarity of the required materials. Even among neighboring organizations, many ingredients were nearly impossible to find.

The Dark Spirit Realm's resource limitations meant that these potions were almost obsolete, reinforcing the harsh reality: resources were scarce and critical. It was this shortage that compelled mages like Lorinka to sacrifice their freedom for access to these precious resources.

"The Illusion Potion must be handled with utmost care," Merlin thought. "I'd rather delay it than waste precious ingredients. Each material is invaluable."

Preparing for the upcoming exchange event, Merlin was determined to increase his strength. Confident in his potion-making skills, he began his final preparations for creating the Illusion Potion, knowing he could not afford to fail.