Bear School Astartes

Belengar himself was continuously making various movements with a look of surprise, testing the recovery performance of his body's vitality.

The poisonous accumulation that was originally terrifyingly black on his face actually subsided quite a bit after being helped up by Lann.

In less than two minutes, he had recovered from the fatigue state after drinking the potion to his peak physical condition.

"You mean 'effective'? Then why did you seem like the toxicity was beyond your tolerance just now?"

Lann placed the cap back on the "White Honey" in his hand and returned it to his Alchemy Pouch, asking puzzledly.

Belengar, still experiencing the sensations brought by the "new Magic Potion," responded with his eyes closed.

"It's not that the toxicity exceeded tolerance, but that the improved magic potion you made took effect too fast, at least seventy percent faster than the normal 'Maribo Forest!' The total amount of toxicity hasn't changed, but it surged up all at once, making it hard to bear for a moment."

"Fast effect... seems like a good thing. What about the magic potion's effects?"

"The recovery speed of bodily vitality is no different from the normal version, but the side effects are indeed reduced!"

"What symptoms would the original 'Maribo Forest' cause?"

Lann asked one by one, treating it as data collection for the potion experiment.

The Demon Hunter's potions not only carry toxins that could easily kill ordinary people but also have side effects that even Demon Hunters cannot ignore.

For example, when using "Thunderbolt," which greatly strengthens muscle tissues, the weaker muscle fibers could tear during exertion due to the strain of neighboring stronger muscles. The original source is M|V|L5EMPYR.

"The original 'Maribo Forest' would cause slight spasms after consumption, leading to decreased precision in physical movements, making high-precision actions more difficult. But now I..."

Belengar spoke with incredulity.

"Feel like my hands are as steady as usual!"

Lann nodded, consulting his bio-intelligence in his mind.

"Mentos, summarize the recent information."

"Understood, sir. Within 2.3 seconds after Mr. Belengar drank the magic potion, its effects began to take hold, increasing his body's vitality by 36% with stable body condition and no side effects."

The intelligence succinctly recorded the experiment data and entered Lann's improved formula into its database.

Meanwhile, having experienced Lann's modified potion firsthand, Belengar looked at Lann with a perplexed expression.

The recipes passed down and developed over hundreds of years by Demon Hunters... had been improved by a novice?!

"What kind of expression is that?"

Being stared at, Lann raised an eyebrow and pulled out "White Honey" from his Alchemy Pouch, giving it a shake.

"Thinking of removing toxicity?"

Belengar gazed deeply at Lann, pursed his lips, and shook his head, instead speaking of something else.

"Adding 'water' attribute materials to the 'Maribo Forest' formula has been considered before. But among at least 1,700 attempts documented, no one has ever seen hope for success. Yet in your hands... you didn't even use a measuring cup! Simply by feel and estimation, you grasped the amounts and timing we couldn't detect."

"Lann, with your talent in Alchemy... you should take a trip to Ker Morhan."

"You should search through Alzur's and Maraspina's alchemical manuscripts there, rather than listen to an 'Alchemical Pragmatist' like me give lectures."

"The 'Alchemical Pragmatist' only cares about 'how to use' alchemical products, but with your talent, you should be asking 'why.'"

Lann expressed great interest in Belengar's suggestion.

Simply being content with knowing how to use alchemical products would make it impossible to achieve his goal of transcending his era.

From the beginning, he was aiming for a position as an academic pioneer of his time.

"Ker Morhan? I heard that's your Wolf School's base camp. Would your companions allow a Bear School member like me to visit?"

Belengar dismissively waved his hand.

"As long as you have no hostility, there aren't so many rules among Demon Hunters. You just need to get the old man's approval."

"Old man?"

"That's Vesemir."

When mentioning this name, Lann sensed Belengar's emotions were quite peculiar.

As if a rebellious boy who ran away from home too long ago was talking about a father he reminisced about.

Fear, resistance... and hidden nostalgia.

"He's probably the oldest Demon Hunter alive. If you encounter him, I'd advise against throwing the first punch like you did with me; otherwise, even you will likely have a hard time."

"I never doubt how strong a warrior active for hundreds of years can be, but from your tone... can't you be a middleman and introduce me?"

Lann spread his hands towards Belengar.

"I'll even pay extra."

"It's not about the money, Lann. I'm a deserter among Demon Hunters; I'm ashamed and unwilling to face my former comrades. You'll have to find that old man yourself."

Lann somewhat understood this sentiment and didn't press further.

Besides, he figured, considering his foreseeable future reputation and increasingly handsome face.

Vesemir should have no reason to refuse him.

~~~~~~

After truly witnessing Lann's talent in Alchemy, Belengar quickly abandoned the limitations on teaching speed.

He understood that some geniuses can grasp in the time it takes to flip through a book what ordinary people can't catch up to in a day.

Thus, a proper immersion-style teaching method was completed within two days.

Belengar imparted all the alchemical formulas he knew, most of which belonged to practical applications, with few concepts on the principles of Alchemy.

This was very much in line with his self-proclaimed identity as an "Alchemical Pragmatist."

But when it came to another supporting knowledge of Demon Hunters—monster and curse lore.

Even in immersion-style teaching, Belengar found it a bit strenuous, as he hadn't constructed a knowledge system in his own mind.

This made his teachings scatterbrained and incoherent.

Only when doing so did Belengar acutely feel the effort Vesemir put into teaching them.

"You really should go see Vesemir now."

Lann, as the learner, showed no sign of exhaustion; on the contrary, Belengar, who was instructing, kept massaging his forehead.

"I must admit, one of the reasons I struggled with my work as a Demon Hunter before was due to poor study habits."

Lann had no complaints about this, as Belengar's provided alchemical formulas were already invaluable.

The Old Demon Hunter wasn't intentionally holding back, just limited in capacity.

His ability only went so far.

With the final lesson concluded, Lann naturally extended an invitation to Belengar.

"Looks like I've drained you. Here's the promised payment."

The young man tossed a bulging pouch of coins, which Belengar deftly caught.

"Want to join tonight's extracurricular activities and stretch a bit?"

Speaking of 'extracurricular activities', Belengar's smile, having just received a hefty sum, immediately froze.

"Those weird Half-Fishmen? No thanks... I don't want to get involved with the things you deal with."