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Potion Proliferation Arc: Chapter 8.
⟐ A day had passed.
Jing Hoo wanted to enter the simulation yesterday but felt like the
He put on the headset and was instantly bombarded with error messages that then immediately disappeared. He furrowed his brows for a moment but eventually shrugged his worries away.
"If it's broken then it won't let me log in. AVPC, resume session please."
⟐ You are now Lyle Cass.
Lyle Cass's vision cleared, spotting an unfamiliar ceiling. He was lying on the wooden floor with a salt circle and several candles surrounding the circle.
He was instantly bound by the conjured magical chains. He raised a single brow as he effortlessly broke the binding, feeling that it was weak.
⟐⟐⟐
The door violently opened, revealing a middle-aged man wearing a grey robe and holding a small wand, face full of surprise. It was the spiritualist.
The spiritualist stepped back, face now full of fear. He kept a focused yet fearful gaze on the possessed student, blankly staring back at him.
(I used the best and most expensive spells, enacted several rituals, prayed to different gods, and wasted several uncommon ingredients and tools. Yet, it was all for naught!?)
The spiritualist took another step back but then collapsed to the floor, heavily bound by a magical effect. He was aware of what this effect was.
(A spiritual recoil!? Whoever is possessing this kid is a powerful entity. I knew I shouldn't have agreed to his request, but who could turn away with that amount of money!?)
The possessed student approached, expression undiscernible.
"Please, spare my life. I offer my sincerest apologies. I promise to never disturb you again, that boy is a lost cause. Please, have him."
⟐⟐⟐
Lyle Cass raised a brow, somewhat aware of what was happening.
"What did you do to me?"
"I put the boy's body in a stasis and the middle of several rituals. The plan was to exorcise the possessive spirit and vanquish it. I was observing for a whole day, waiting for the possession."
The answer caused Lyle to exhale, crossing his arms.
(The original owner of this body was terrified and tried to exorcise me with the help of this guy. Wow. That is an amazing subplot. So this guy is a spiritualist then.)
There was a short pause before he grinned, smiling in surprise.
(Wow, I have to say. This
Lyle Cass smiled, concluding while watching the shivering spiritualist bound to the floor. As immersive as this was, he had things to do. He waved off the bindings, hoping for it to go away.
He was surprised because in an instant, the bindings were removed, freeing the terrified spiritualist who slowly crawled backward while facing him.
"I promise you dear strong spirit. Not a word of this. I've mentally made a worldly pact already, to not speak of this or I will die. In exchange, you will spare my life."
The spiritualist took the initiative and stretched out his arms, desperately hoping for the other party to accept the deal. Several beads of sweat rolled as the silent seconds passed.
"Deal." Lyle Cass accepted the deal, shaking the hand of the spiritualist whose expression instantly beamed up. Tears flowed down his eyes.
"Thank you for your boundless generosity, dear great spirit."
⟐ An hour later...
Lyle Cass used the phasing rune etched on a large slab of stone. The school was built atop a peak and climbing thousands of steps was a waste of time. He instead used the phasing rune, paying a small fee.
The gate guard sneered as the gate opened, confusing him since he didn't do anything wrong. It was even stranger upon entering his dorm, shocking his three dormmates with his appearance. Not even bothering to speak a single word.
He explained via a telephone to the headmaster that he was now fine and properly checked. The spirit was exorcised and the spiritualist said that it was only a minor familial possession. The administrator insisted on another check-up and a face-to-face but gave an excuse that he was exhausted.
Lyle Cass changed his clothes, swapping to his casual wear and tossing the dirtied uniform on a magical cleaning device, similar to a washing machine.
"Enough with the glares. If there are any questions. I will take it."
He addressed his dormmates who were keeping an eye on him. Jesse Yun was the first to speak up, raising a hand. His tight sleeveless shirt proved to be quite a distraction due to his feminine figure.
"Are you okay now? You were so terrified yesterday, screaming and shouting at us to go away. That you needed a spiritualist."
Jesse Yun asked, eyes forming into concerned sweet puppy eyes.
"I apologize for my behavior yesterday. That won't happen again. I assure you."
Lyle Cass assured, wearing his shoes and exiting the dorm room but not before turning back and promising that he would bring some treats as an apology.
⟐ Twenty minutes later...
A woman shifts around the makeshift laboratory, gathering several ingredients and herbs. The woman was gleamingly attractive while wearing an unkempt teacher's uniform. The hair on her head was scruffy yet long, untended and erratic.
While pacing around the laboratory, soft mumbling could be heard. Upon gathering the necessary items, the woman chanted a quiet spell, and a hidden latch on the ground revealed itself. The woman then descended, continuing her mumbling.
Lyle Cass witnessed all of this behind a small hole in the wall. He was spying on the herbalist, in a different laboratory, the cause for his future expulsion.
(This hole was found by Mary Anne Grace while practicing with different alchemical matters. I hate to take your spotlight but if I don't stop this. I will be kicked out.)
Lyle Cass mused, entering the herbalist's laboratory and slowly descending the stairs. The narrow passageway was dark, with not a single light nor illumination. However, he could spot the outline of a door in the distance.
"Just a few more steps."
He muttered, slowly opening the door and spotting another lab and the mumbling herbalist. She was busy filling up several glass vials while still mumbling.
The hidden lab was humid and acrid with only light illumination from the candles. Several vials of varying sizes were scattered all through out. Several shelves were stacked with books and scrolls.
Beside the herbalist, a few distance away, were several wooden trays with active potions.
(Sage's Mind potions. A lot of them too.)
(Alanna Steppes, a herbalist teacher by day and an illegal potion maker by night. The previous king passed a bill to ban and restrict potions due to their overuse and abuse. Almost all countries in this world have draconian restrictions when it comes to potions.)
(Alanna, she's doing this for the money. Using several students, minor nobles, and establishments to peddle her potions, causing a massive spike in criminal activities and undeserved performance boosts.)
(Potions in themselves are harmless, however, the potent ones provide a massive yet temporary advantage, and due to the huge demand: forests, animals, wildlife, plants, and other fungi no longer exist.)
(Only the government is allowed to use potions.)
Alanna Steppes, the herbalist, finished filling up the stack of vials. She placed the tray amongst the other trays, stacking them neatly.
Lyle Cass drank the recently bought Everflow Potion and hurled the glass vial toward the herbalist, sharply striking her head.
*Crack!* "Ahh! What the shit!?"
Alanna Steppes cried out, the back of her head was lightly bleeding.