Operation Error

Bill truly lived up to his reputation as an information broker. He immediately answered, "Kent Library on Marquis Kent Street has them." Then a hesitant expression appeared on his face. Although Brian's words had been harsh, they were right.

No one could teach themselves to make potions.

"Don't worry, I'm really just going to take a look." Colin guessed what Bill was thinking, smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and gave him a reassuring look.

"Mm." Bill breathed a sigh of relief. It was fine if Colin was merely interested, but if he truly became obsessed with Potionry and planned to make a fortune from it, he would definitely hit a wall.

Then Bill looked up and asked, "Want me to go with you?"

"No need. I know where that library is." Colin shook his head.

That was the end of the conversation, because Ms. Anna entered the classroom shortly afterward. At Will Knight Academy, mornings were generally for academic classes, while afternoons were for training.

Today was the same. Nothing special happened. After school, Colin and Bill left the classroom together and said goodbye at the main gate.

Colin tightened the strap of his black backpack across his chest, then turned toward Marquis Kent Street. This was Marquis Kent's territory. Every sizable city had a Marquis Kent Street, along with a corresponding Kent Library, Kent Square, and a statue of the first Marquis Kent.

These facilities all reinforced one idea: this was Marquis Kent's territory.

As a landed marquis of the Empire, Marquis Kent's authority was beyond question.

The people living in the houses near Marquis Kent Street came from far more complicated backgrounds. There were merchants, nobles, and commoners. The place was clearly livelier, more prosperous, and noisier than Wright Street.

Colin rarely came to Marquis Kent Street. He looked around curiously, finding everything rather novel. He passed through Kent Square and the enormous statue of the first Marquis Kent standing within it.

It was a white stone statue. The first Marquis Kent sat astride a fine horse, clad in armor and holding an enormous greatsword, looking majestic and imposing.

Before long, Colin arrived at Kent Library. It was a gigantic library that covered a vast area, with a frightening number of books inside. The number of people who visited it every day was equally frightening.

After entering through the old bronze gates, Colin asked a librarian—a woman with a warm smile—for directions before arriving at a certain section.

Tall bookshelves lined both sides of the narrow aisle, filled with countless books, some new and some old.

"Basic Runology," "Basic Alchemy," "Basic Forging," "Basic Meditation," "Basic Swordsmanship." This area was called Supernatural Beginnings.

Basic, publicly available supernatural knowledge could all be found here. Amid the sea of books, Colin spotted "Basic Alchemy" at a glance, but it was placed too high up. Colin was only a short twelve-year-old; even standing on tiptoe, he could not reach it. He was about to fetch a ladder from nearby when a blonde woman walked over, easily took down "Basic Alchemy" on tiptoe, and asked Colin, "Boy, do you want this one?"

A pleasant feminine perfume drifted into his nose. Colin looked up and quickly appraised the woman. Judging by her face, she was probably in her early thirties. Her long golden hair fell over her shoulders, her smooth skin was snow-white and seemed soft enough to squeeze water from, and her curvaceous figure was quite voluptuous. Her fitted purple dress accentuated her excellent figure even more.

The etiquette Colin had learned since childhood told him that staring at a lady was impolite. After one quick glance, he immediately lowered his head slightly and said gratefully, "Yes, that's the one. Thank you."

"You're welcome." The woman smiled softly, handed the red-covered book to Colin, then turned and left, her slender waist swaying.

Colin impatiently opened the red-covered book in his hands and began reading.

"Ding dong. Basic Alchemy discovered." The system's cold voice sounded beside his ear. Colin opened the system interface and thought, Convert 2 Energy into 2 Skill Points.

The Energy field on the interface immediately became 0, while the Skill Points field became 2.

"Ding dong. Basic Alchemy discovered. Spend 1 Skill Point to learn?" There was a change in the system's voice.

Colin was delighted. Sure enough, simply coming into contact with the book was enough. Then he chose without hesitation.

"Learn."

At once, the system interface before him underwent further changes.

Colin Russell

Class: Novice Knight.

Vitality: 2

Intelligence: 5

Strength: 3 (+1)

Agility: 3

Bloodline: Black Bear Bloodline (Faint) Note: Requires 1 Bloodline Point to upgrade

Bloodline Effect: Strength +1

Skills: Roer Military Swordsmanship (Poor) Note: Requires 1 Skill Point to upgrade, Horsemanship (Mastery) Requires 1 Skill Point to upgrade, Basic Alchemy.

Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Note: 1 Energy can be converted into 1 Attribute Point.

Unassigned Skill Points: 0 Note: 1 Energy can be converted into 1 Skill Point. Note: Skill Points can also be used to learn skills.

Unassigned Bloodline Points: 0 Note: 2 Energy can be converted into 1 Bloodline Point.

Energy: 0 Note: Energy can be converted into Attribute Points, Skill Points, and Bloodline Points. Unused Attribute Points, Skill Points, and Bloodline Points can also be converted into Energy.

Note: Any item containing magic can be used to collect Energy.

Status: Healthy.

Colin turned his attention to the Skills field. Unlike Roer Military Swordsmanship (Poor) and Horsemanship (Mastery), which had notes attached, Basic Alchemy had no note.

Colin soon understood why. Basic Alchemy was essentially an encyclopedia of basic potions, containing densely packed information on hundreds of basic magical potions.

And now, all of that information had been imprinted in his mind.

Colin felt somewhat annoyed. He could have memorized this thing by rote; there had been no need to spend a Skill Point. However, he quickly collected himself. Fine. Learning Basic Alchemy quickly meant he could move on to potion-making more quickly.

Colin quickly raised his head and scanned the many books, swiftly finding his target. "Basic Strength Potion Crafting." This book was not placed very high up. Colin bent down and pulled it out. Its black cover was filled with a mysterious air, and the book itself was thin, only a finger's width.

"Ding dong. Basic Strength Potion Crafting discovered. Spend 1 Skill Point to learn?" Colin opened the first page, and the system's cold voice arrived right on cue.

Colin's mood inexplicably improved. The corners of his lips rose slightly, and he said with a smile, "Learn."

A moment later, much new knowledge appeared in Colin's mind. He opened the system interface again. The Skills field had changed once more.

Skills: Roer Military Swordsmanship (Poor) Note: Requires 1 Skill Point to upgrade, Horsemanship (Mastery) Requires 1 Skill Point to upgrade, Basic Alchemy, Basic Strength Potion Crafting (Poor) Note: Requires 1 Skill Point to upgrade.

Unlike Basic Alchemy, Basic Strength Potion Crafting could be upgraded.

Colin pinched his chin thoughtfully.

"A Basic Strength Potion raises Strength by 1 point, but there is a certain chance of failure. As for quality, there seems to be no difference. In other words, different skill proficiency levels may represent different success rates in crafting."

Colin began regretting it again.

"If I'd known, I should have memorized that Basic Alchemy book and used that 1 Skill Point to raise Basic Strength Potion Crafting instead. Now I'm in trouble. There's no medicine for regret."