chapter 45 trail 1 and hidden test

The Alchemy Trial Begins

As the golden rune beneath Raven's feet pulsed, a faint hum filled the air. The surrounding space blurred for a moment before shifting—the grand hall of the academy vanished, replaced by a dimly lit chamber lined with shelves of alchemical ingredients.

The chamber was circular, its stone walls engraved with ancient alchemical symbols that pulsed with faint blue light. A long wooden table stood at the center, covered with dozens of vials, herbs, minerals, and liquids—some glowing, others dull, a few emitting faint trails of smoke.

Across from Raven, an old man in dark robes stood silently. His gray beard was neatly trimmed, and his eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence. His robes bore the emblem of the Alchemy Academy, marking him as the Trial Proctor.

Varian's voice echoed from nowhere, his tone smooth and steady.

> "Your first test: Ingredient Identification."

The Trial Proctor finally spoke, his voice dry and emotionless.

> "Before an alchemist can create, they must first understand."

"On this table lie twenty ingredients—some common, some rare, some… entirely fake."

"Your task: Identify which are real and which are forgeries."

His expression darkened slightly.

> "However, there's a catch."

The air in the room grew heavier.

> "For each mistake, a penalty will be applied. Too many errors, and you fail the trial."

---

The Challenge: Fake Ingredients

Raven's gaze swept across the table. The sheer variety of ingredients was overwhelming. Dried herbs, shimmering minerals, bubbling liquids, glowing powders—some he recognized immediately, others were completely unfamiliar.

But Raven wasn't panicked.

> I expected something like this.

He reached out and picked up a small purple flower, its petals slightly curled inward. The moment he touched it, the texture felt off—too smooth, almost like wax.

> "Fake."

The Trial Proctor gave a small nod, expression unreadable.

Raven placed the fake flower in the discard pile and moved on.

Next, he picked up a small vial of green liquid. It bubbled faintly, but the consistency looked strange—too thick, almost gelatinous. He swirled the vial, watching how the liquid moved. A true potion of this kind should have separated slightly, but this one remained uniform.

> "Fake."

Another nod from the Trial Proctor.

The murmurs of distant voices—failed participants—echoed faintly through the chamber walls.

> "I got tricked by the silver dust! It looked real…"

"Damn it! I was so sure that was a real frost lotus…"

"The test is impossible. Some of these ingredients look identical to real ones."

Raven ignored them. He was making progress, but the challenge was escalating.

---

A Trick Within the Trial

As he examined a small pile of black powder, Raven felt something was… off. It looked like ground obsidian—a common alchemical catalyst—but something nagged at him.

> It's too perfect.

Real ground obsidian was never uniform—the crushed rock varied in texture. This powder, however, was too fine, too consistent.

> This isn't obsidian.

He ran a finger through the powder, then brought it close to his nose.

> No scent.

Real ground obsidian had a faint earthy, mineral smell. This? Nothing.

> "Fake."

The Trial Proctor's eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded.

> "Clever."

Raven moved forward, his process smooth and methodical. One by one, he sorted real from fake.

Moonroot Extract? Real—its faint glow pulsed in intervals.

Phantom Orchid? Fake—real ones wilted slightly when touched.

Fire Lotus Petal? Real—the edges curled inward when exposed to warmth.

---

Final Test: The Decoy Ingredient

Raven reached the last vial.

It contained a swirling blue liquid, thick but smooth, shimmering faintly in the lantern's glow.

> It looks real.

He carefully observed the label: Elixir of Lunar Clarity. A rare ingredient used in advanced mana potions.

Everything about it seemed perfect.

But then he hesitated.

Something was too perfect.

Every other ingredient, even the real ones, had small imperfections—cracks, inconsistencies, slightly different shades. But this vial? It looked flawless.

Raven narrowed his eyes.

> It's a trap.

The final ingredient wasn't fake—but it wasn't real either.

> It's artificially enhanced. A potion made to deceive those who only judge by sight.

A small smirk touched Raven's lips.

> "This is a counterfeit alchemical extract," he said. "Not fake—but altered to appear more valuable than it actually is."

The Trial Proctor's expression finally shifted—a flicker of acknowledgment.

> "Impressive."

The air in the chamber shimmered. The table and ingredients vanished.

Varian's voice echoed once more.

> "The first test is complete."

A notification appeared in Raven's interface.

[Trial Stage 1: Ingredient Identification – PASSED]

The golden rune beneath his feet pulsed again.

> "Let us see if you can handle what comes next."

The chamber shifted, darkness swallowing him whole.

---

As the golden rune beneath Raven's feet pulsed, the dimly lit chamber remained silent. The Trial Proctor stood motionless, his piercing gaze watching Raven's every move. Though he had passed the first trial, the air in the room remained heavy.

Something was off.

The test should have ended by now.

Instead, a faint mechanical click echoed through the chamber.

Raven's eyes flicked toward the Trial Proctor, who remained impassive. But in that instant, the shelves along the walls shifted slightly, as if something unseen had been triggered.

A voice, deep and calm, resonated through the chamber.

> "You're sharp. Let's see how sharp."

Varian.

Raven's fingers twitched slightly.

> He's still watching.

The test wasn't over. It had only just begun.

---

A Subtle Manipulation

The shelves slid open, revealing another set of ingredients.

At first glance, they were identical to the ones from the previous test—same vials, same powders, same glowing extracts. But Raven wasn't fooled.

> Something has changed.

He swept his gaze over the table, taking his time.

The Trial Proctor finally spoke.

> "One mistake. Just one."

"That's all it takes to fail."

The words were measured, almost challenging.

Raven ignored him. His focus was on the small, nearly imperceptible changes to the ingredients before him.

The Fire Lotus Petal no longer curled inward when exposed to warmth.

The Moonroot Extract pulsed at irregular intervals instead of its normal rhythmic glow.

The Black Obsidian Powder, which had been fake before, now had tiny mineral imperfections, making it seem real.

> He's changed them.

Varian hadn't simply repeated the test. He had tampered with it, adjusting the properties of the ingredients just enough to force a mistake.

This wasn't a standard trial.

This was a personal challenge.

A test beyond the normal Alchemy Apprentice Trial—one that no other participant had faced.

---

Raven's Understanding

Raven exhaled slowly, allowing the pressure to settle.

> He's watching how I react.

He wasn't expected to simply repeat the correct answers from before. Varian wanted to see if he could adapt—to recognize that something had changed and respond accordingly.

> If I rush, I fail.

If I assume things are the same, I fail.

A slow smirk touched Raven's lips.

> Nice try.

Carefully, he reached for the Fire Lotus Petal and rolled it between his fingers. The surface felt identical to the previous one. But when he exposed it to warmth, it didn't react.

> Fake.

Instead of discarding it immediately, Raven hesitated.

> No… not just fake. It's been treated with something.

A thin, nearly invisible film of alchemical residue coated the petal, suppressing its natural reaction. A lesser alchemist might have assumed it was real and missed the subtle interference.

He placed it in the fake pile.

The Trial Proctor gave no reaction.

Raven moved on.

---

A Hidden Trap

The next item was the Black Obsidian Powder—previously fake, but now looking real.

Raven scooped a small amount onto his fingertips.

At first, it seemed correct. Tiny mineral flecks gave it a natural appearance, the texture felt right, and it even had a faint earthy scent that was missing before.

But Raven wasn't convinced.

He rubbed the powder between his fingers.

> Too smooth.

Real ground obsidian had tiny, almost imperceptible sharp edges that made it feel slightly gritty. This? It felt refined, too uniform—as if someone had altered it just enough to make it seem real.

> It's not fake. It's manufactured.

He smirked.

> "Synthetic obsidian."

The Trial Proctor's expression finally shifted—just slightly.

> "Oh?"

Varian's voice resonated through the chamber again.

> "Clever. But how do you know?"

Raven's smirk widened.

> "Because it's too real."

He flicked the powder into the fake pile without hesitation.

Varian chuckled softly, his amusement evident.

> "Interesting."

---

The Last Challenge

There was only one item left.

A small glass vial filled with a swirling violet liquid.

At first glance, it looked exactly like a High-Grade Mana Extract—one of the most valuable alchemical ingredients.

The color was correct.

The viscosity was perfect.

The magic aura was faint but present.

Even Raven had to admit, it was flawlessly crafted.

> But that's the problem.

He stared at it for several long seconds.

Then, slowly, he placed it in the fake pile.

The Trial Proctor raised an eyebrow.

> "Why?"

Raven's eyes gleamed.

> "Because it's real."

A beat of silence.

Varian chuckled again.

> "And?"

> "Because it's too real."

Raven's tone was confident.

> "This is a real High-Grade Mana Extract… but it was placed here as a trick. Every other test was about identifying fakes—this one was meant to make me doubt myself."

> "The only correct answer… was to recognize the test itself had changed."

For a moment, absolute silence filled the chamber.

Then, a slow clap echoed.

The Trial Proctor, for the first time, smiled slightly.

Varian's voice followed, smooth and intrigued.

> "Well played."

The chamber shimmered, and the golden rune beneath Raven's feet flared to life.

A system notification appeared.

[Trial Stage 1: Hidden Test – PASSED]

As the light engulfed him, Raven's mind was already shifting forward.

Varian wasn't just testing his skill.

He was evaluating something deeper.

> He sees potential in me.

And if Varian was this interested, then that meant…

> The next trial will be even worse.