NOVEL WEB Chapter 35: Potion
The experimental area buzzed with the crackle of spells and the chatter of apprentices, their robes a kaleidoscope of colors under the late afternoon sun. Edwyn and Elia strode through the crowd, an eye-catching duo that turned heads.
Elia, with her fiery blonde hair and confident swagger, was a known quantity, her Evocation prowess and charm made her a minor celebrity among the apprentices.
Edwyn, on the other hand, was a shadow, a prodigy who'd rocketed to full apprentice under Master Joron in less than six months but kept his name out of the gossip mills. His cocky grin, tousled red hair, and a stride that screamed I own this place didn't help him blend in, though. He played it low-key on purpose, dodging the social scene and letting rumors pass him by. His motto? Play dumb, stay quiet, and stack Mana Stones in silence.
But sometimes, flying under the radar drew the wrong kind of attention.
"Elia! Long time no see!" A smooth voice cut through the crowd, dripping with charm. "What's the deal? Out here setting the testing field on fire again?"
A tall, athletic figure in sleek black robes stepped forward, his golden shoulder-length hair catching the sunlight like a damn halo. Joseph, full apprentice under Arch-Mage Ulrich, radiated power, his magical aura was sharp, like a blade held just out of sight. An Arch-Mage's descendant, born with a silver wand and a pedigree to match, he was the kind of guy who could've had any apprentice eating out of his hand. Except Elia.
Her smile vanished, replaced by a frosty glare. "Yeah, just finished. Heading out now." Her voice was clipped.
Edwyn caught the vibe shift immediately, leaning in close, his voice low and teasing. "Who's the pretty boy with the shampoo-commercial hair?"
Elia's lips twitched, but her annoyance held firm. "That's Joseph," she muttered, her tone dripping with exasperation. "Thinks he's the academy's gift to magic."
Edwyn sized up the golden boy, his grin turning sly. Joseph's aura was no joke, strong, controlled, the kind of power that came from years of training and a fat Mana Stone allowance. The guy was a walking flex, and Edwyn could see why he'd be a problem. If Joseph was chasing anyone else, he'd have sealed the deal by now. But Elia? She wasn't falling for the charm.
Joseph, oblivious or just ignoring her cold shoulder, kept his smile dialed to eleven. "Elia, are you going to introduce me to your friend here?" His eyes flicked to Edwyn, sizing him up like a merchant appraising a questionable gem.
Edwyn didn't wait for Elia to answer. He stepped forward, his grin all teeth, and stuck out his hand. "Name's Edwyn, Alchemy School. What's good?"
Joseph's smile tightened, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "Edwyn, huh? Well, damn, looks can be deceiving." He took Edwyn's hand, his grip firm, too firm, like he was trying to prove something. "I'm Joseph, full apprentice under Master Ulrich. Who's your master?"
"Master Joron," Edwyn said, his voice flat but his grin unwavering. He felt Joseph's grip tighten for a split second, a subtle power play.
"Joron's disciple, eh?" Joseph's smile turned sharp, a fleeting sneer curling his lip. "One of his… projects, I take it."
Edwyn almost laughed.
Projects.
That's what people called Joron's army of Elementary Apprentices, grunts who fetched ingredients and scrubbed cauldrons while the master focused on his real students. Joseph clearly thought Edwyn was one of them, some nobody scraping by on Joron's scraps. The rumor about Joron taking a new personal student, an Elementary one, no less, must've flown right over his head. Or maybe he couldn't believe a nobody like Edwyn could be the one. Only Mage descendants, raised on mana and privilege, got that kind of honor, right?
As their hands clasped, a sudden burst of mental energy slammed into Edwyn's mind, sharp and direct:"500 Mana Stones. Leave Elia."
Edwyn blinked, then his grin widened, a low chuckle escaping his lips. Well, damn. Did I just walk into a soap opera? This guy was pulling the rich-kid card, thinking he could buy him off like some two-bit thug. Five hundred stones was a decent chunk of change, but to Edwyn, it was an insult. He'd seen bigger bribes in his dreams.
"Buddy," Edwyn said, his voice dripping with mock pity as he leaned in, "500 stones? That's cute. You wanna play the big-shot, you gotta come with at least 5,000." He let go of Joseph's hand and, in one smooth move, slung an arm around Elia's shoulders, pulling her close with a devilish grin. "For a treasure like this one? Make it 50,000, and maybe we'll talk."
Elia's eyes widened, her cheeks flushing as she registered the sudden closeness. "Edwyn, what the hell are you on about?" she asked, her voice a mix of confusion and amusement.
Edwyn's grin didn't falter. "Oh, nothing major. Pretty boy here just offered me 500 Mana Stones to ditch you. I told him he's gotta up the ante, way up. You're worth a fortune, babe."
Elia's gaze snapped to Joseph, her expression morphing into pure contempt. "Seriously, Joseph? That's your move? Buying people off like some sleazy merchant?"
Joseph's smile froze, then he sighed, shaking his head like a disappointed teacher. "Elia, come on. Sweet talk and charm don't pay the bills in the Magus World. You need Mana Stones, knowledge, power. Your Evocation path? It's a money pit. And your mentor, Lady Susanna? Her inheritance demands resources most apprentices can't even dream of."
He turned to Edwyn, his pitying look dripping with condescension. "Friend, there's a world of difference between formal apprentices like me and… well, whatever you are. My offer's still open. Take it before you're begging for scraps."
With that, Joseph turned on his heel and melted into the crowd, his black robes billowing like a villain in a drama. Edwyn watched him go, then glanced at Elia, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't tell him I'm Joron's personal student?"
Elia smirked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Nope. You told me to keep your secrets, didn't you? No spilling the beans to outsiders."
Edwyn stared at her, then burst out laughing, the sound rich and infectious. "You're trouble, you know that?" He let go of her, stepping back with a grin. "Come on, let's grab some grub. I've got potions to brew tonight, and I can't afford to fall behind. Gotta keep up with Miss Future Grand-Apprentice of the Chancellor."
"Support me?!" Elia scoffed, playfully waving her fists. "I'll have you know I can handle my own, hotshot. You're the one who'll need to keep up!"
They walked off, still laughing, their banter echoing through the experimental area as the other apprentices watched, whispering about the mysterious alchemist and his fiery partner.
---
Evening – Dormitory Tower
The sky was a deep indigo, streaked with the faint glow of academy wards, when a sharp caw, broke the silence outside Edwyn's dorm. An owl-sized courier creature hovered at his balcony, its leathery wings beating steadily as it clutched a crate nearly as big as a person. Its eyes glowed faintly, and its talons gripped the package with surprising strength for such a small beast.
"Apprentice Edwyn! Your package is here!" it squawked, its voice a mix of chirp and rasp. "CAAW!"
Edwyn's Death Raven, perched on the balcony railing, let out a piercing shriek in response, its feathers puffing up defensively. Though smaller and weaker than the courier, it wasn't about to let some delivery bird invade its turf without a fight.
"Chill, Grim, it's just the mail," Edwyn called, sliding open the window with a grin. "No need to start a bird brawl." He took the crate, its weight heavier than expected, and set it down with a thud. "Thanks, little guy. Got a pen for me?"
The courier extended a parchment with a tiny claw, its glowing eyes fixed on him. Edwyn signed with a flourish, and the parchment burst into a brief flare of blue flame, signaling a completed transaction. The creature chirped, snatched a shiny but worthless gem from Edwyn's desk as payment, and flapped off into the night.
Academy couriers were a marvel, cheap, reliable, and obsessed with shiny trinkets instead of Mana Stones. Edwyn shook his head, chuckling. "Easier to please than most mages."
Inside his cramped dorm, he cracked open the crate, revealing a treasure trove of alchemical materials: glowing vials, bundles of herbs, and chunks of shimmering ore. He lined them up on one side of his desk, next to a chaotic array of glass instruments, beakers, tubes, and a rune-etched cauldron that looked like it belonged in a mad scientist's lab. Each piece gleamed under the soft light of his mana lamp, promising both potential and peril.
Edwyn pulled out the crystal orb containing the Focus Oil formula, his fingers brushing its cool, starry surface. He scanned it with his mind, double-checking every step. Satisfied, he stepped outside and hung a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on his door. It wasn't like he had a parade of visitors, but Elia had a habit of popping by unannounced, and he needed zero distractions tonight.
He sorted the materials, keeping only what he needed for a single batch of Focus Oil. The potion's effect was simple but vital: physiological calm, steadying the body and mind to prevent errors during spellcasting, especially under pain or stress. For an alchemist like Edwyn, whose work demanded precision, it was a game-changer.
"Alright, let's rock this," he muttered, cracking his knuckles with a grin. He picked up a black, plum-like fruit, Gastrodia Fruit, known for its numbing properties. "Juice it, heat it for ten minutes. Easy enough." He crushed it in a ceramic mortar with a crystal pestle, the fruit's sharp, tangy scent filling the room. After filtering the juice into a beaker, he set it over a low flame, watching it bubble gently.
Next up: White Rhino Horn. The cracked, ivory-like chunk was a pain to process. Edwyn grabbed a magical knife, its blade humming with faint energy, and sliced the horn into smaller pieces before grinding it into a fine powder. The air grew heavy with the horn's earthy, metallic scent. He moved on to Sunlime, a citrusy, glowing fruit that burned his fingers slightly, and Focus Grass, its delicate blades shimmering like green glass. Each ingredient was prepped with care, following the formula's exacting steps.
Potion-making was a high-stakes dance, governed by one ironclad rule: order was everything. Mix the ingredients wrong, and your miracle cure turned into poison faster than you could say "oops." It also demanded the "three steadies": a steady hand, a steady heart, and a steady flow of magic. Mana was the catalyst, and even the slightest fluctuation could ruin the brew.
Edwyn set up his small ceramic cauldron, its runes glowing faintly as he channeled a trickle of mana into it. One by one, he added the ingredients, his movements deliberate but fluid, like a gunslinger drawing a weapon. He poured in the Gastrodia juice, stirred in the Rhino Horn powder, and added the Sunlime extract, each step punctuated by a pulse of mana to bind the components. The cauldron hummed, the liquid inside swirling with faint sparks of light.
"Almost there," he muttered, his grin fading into focus. "Last step: Blackbone Stone powder. If this turns deep blue and transparent, I'm golden."
He sprinkled the powder in, holding his breath. The dark liquid shimmered, shifting toward a promising blue. "Hell yeah, it's working!" he said, his voice low but triumphant. He added a bit more, his eyes locked on the cauldron.
Bubbles erupted, violent and sudden. The liquid turned pitch black, and,
BOOM!
A cloud of black smoke exploded from the cauldron, coating the room in a layer of soot. Edwyn coughed, waving a hand to clear the air, his face smeared with grime. "Well, that was a spectacular faceplant," he deadpanned, wiping his cheek with a sleeve.
His grin returned, undeterred. "Guess I'm not brewing miracles tonight."
He cleaned up the mess, his movements quick and practiced, then sank into his chair, staring at the charred cauldron.
"Steps were right. Mana was steady. So what's the deal? Bad materials or bad luck?" Joron's formula was a nightmare, vague terms like "roughly" and "approximately" left too much to chance. Materials varied by origin, growing conditions, even how they were processed. Mage wisdom had a blunt solution: Suck at it? Practice more. A true alchemist was forged in the crucible of countless failures.
Edwyn leaned back, rubbing his chin, his grin turning sly. "Wait a sec… potions can yield technique extractions, right?" His eyes gleamed with the spark of an idea, the kind of reckless inspiration that could either make him a legend or blow up his dorm. "Time to get creative."