This wizard only wants to take students

Chapter 37: Successful Concoction; A Sudden Mission

This is even worse than just saying I failed the concoction!
Lucien grumbled to himself but quickly pulled out another set of ingredients from his spatial ring.

“Again!” Lucien began processing the Blue-ring Mushroom once more, carefully repeating his previous steps.

This time, he paid extra attention to the part where he had previously made a mistake, handling the potion with even more meticulous control of his mental energy.

Soon, the active components of the two ingredients in the cauldron gradually began to merge. When they reached a certain point, a qualitative change seemed to occur from the accumulated quantity. As a large number of bubbles gurgled up, the previously distinct layers of liquid quickly fused together.

Fire! Lucien swiftly adjusted the alchemy array that controlled the flame. The previously mild array now spat out golden-white tongues of fire.

Gurgle… The potion began to boil more intensely, releasing continuous steam.

Final step!
Lucien picked up a Healing Herb, tore it slightly by hand, and tossed it into the cauldron.

…

“It worked.”
Once the cauldron had cooled, Lucien smiled as he looked at the successfully layered potion inside.

He carefully separated the top layer of the dark green liquid and poured it into a specialized vial for storing finished potions.

“Almost 1.2 standard units,” Lucien said with a faint smirk.

“Appraise!”
After calming himself, he spent 1 Respect Point to appraise the finished product.

[Item]: Substandard Healing Potion
[Type]: Potion · Recovery
[Ingredients]: Coldwater Grass, Blue-ring Mushroom, Healing Herb
[Description]: A healing potion concocted by an apprentice. Due to significant errors in the process, the resulting potion has defects.
[Details]: …

Lucien looked at the detailed report, particularly the long list of mistakes. Surprisingly, he felt quite pleased.

After all, when practicing, the worst thing isn’t making mistakes—it’s not knowing where you went wrong or how to improve.

With this detailed appraisal, Lucien now had a very clear direction.

“Continue!” His eyes burned with determination. He had discovered that the feeling of steadily improving was incredibly rewarding.

Time flew by in these focused, fulfilling days.

Aside from daily teaching sessions with Carly, Lucien spent several consecutive days immersed in his laboratory, surrounded by potions.

Though it might seem monotonous, the sense of accomplishment was immense.

“Whoo… after over a hundred attempts, I finally created a flawless potion.”
Lucien lifted a vial containing a crystal-clear emerald liquid, his eyes filled with admiration.

This potion, even under appraisal, revealed not a single flaw—a truly perfect product. It differed in color and clarity from ordinary Healing Potions.

According to the appraisal, this perfect-grade potion had much purer medicinal properties, and its effects were significantly stronger than those of regular healing potions.

Lucien carefully stored the perfect potion, then glanced at the test tube rack holding his batch of finished products. A satisfied smile spread across his face—like a farmer reaping his harvest.

“I used 150 sets of ingredients and succeeded 51 times. Of those, 13 potions were defective with minor flaws. Still, even among seasoned potion makers, this is considered a high success rate,” Lucien nodded, clearly pleased.

“Now that I’ve succeeded in making a perfect potion, I understand the recipe and process much more deeply. I’m confident that my future success rate will improve even further. But for now, it’s time to trade these potions for lovely magic stones.”

He waved his hand, collecting the potions he intended to sell. His mood was excellent.

“Mentor Lucien! Mentor Lucien!”
Suddenly, Carly came rushing in from outside. There was panic in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Lucien frowned at the sight of her distressed state.

Huff… huff… Carly gasped for breath. After a short pause, she looked up with urgency in her voice.
“I just overheard two third-level wizard apprentices talking. They said you’ve been assigned a suicidal mission—one of the academy’s mandatory death missions!”

“A suicidal forced mission?” Lucien was stunned. But almost immediately, the image of Noria’s cold, snake-like yellow eyes appeared in his mind.

“Yes…” Carly was about to say more, but a screeching sound echoed from above.

A red-eyed raven, bearing the Graybone Academy’s metal insignia on its claw, descended upon the entrance of Lucien’s laboratory.

Its scarlet eyes stared at Lucien, seemingly confirming his identity.

Then, with a sharp squawk, it opened its beak and dropped a mission scroll bearing the seal of Graybone Academy.

“Lucien Kevin, this is your mandatory mission. As per academy regulations, every member must undertake one such task every three years. You must depart within one month of receiving this scroll and begin execution within three months…”

Carly wanted to protest, but Lucien silenced her with a look.

He appeared unusually calm. Watching the raven prepare to leave, Lucien held up a magic stone.
“Harrington, sir?”

The red-eyed raven paused in midair, attracted by the glittering stone.
“Magic stone? Harrington likes magic stones!”

Lucien flicked the magic stone into the air toward the bird.
“Would Lord Harrington be willing to tell me which council member issued this mission?”

The raven hesitated. But when Lucien revealed a small pile of additional magic stones, it fluttered to his side, snatched up the stones, and whispered a name that only Lucien could hear.

Lucien’s pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly returned to his usual composure.

“As expected,” he murmured to himself, then looked up and watched the raven disappear into the distance.

“Mentor Lucien, can you refuse the mission?” Carly asked, worried.

After all, she’d overheard how those two third-level apprentices had sounded almost gloating—relieved it wasn’t them.

Worse, she’d heard that several apprentices had already died on this mission before—including a third-level apprentice!

(End of Chapter)