Junior Potion Master, Unexpected Surprise

He left the room.

Hal's servant led Ian to the work area.

Before an experimental table piled high with materials, the servant stood with his hands on his hips and said, "Currently, the laboratory mainly produces three basic potions: Minor Hemostatic Potion, Minor Stamina Potion, and Minor Antidote Potion.

"Lord Hal has instructed you to begin by processing the materials for Minor Hemostatic Potions. You must produce at least fifty portions a day, with no more than five portions lost. Any excess losses must be compensated for. After that, you'll process materials for the other two potions."

Fifty portions?

Ian frowned.

It took him roughly fifteen to twenty minutes to brew a single Minor Hemostatic Potion.

That did not include the time needed to process the materials.

He was fairly skilled at material processing, but it still took ten minutes. In an hour, he could only prepare five or six portions at most.

Fifty portions would take nearly ten hours.

That was absolutely not a normal quota!

"And what if more than five portions are ruined?"

Ian raised his question.

"Each portion beyond that costs four Magic Stone Shards. I trust that won't be a problem for someone of your standing."

The Servant Witch leaned back as he spoke.

"Fine."

Magic Stone Shards were a unit smaller than magic stones. Ten Magic Stone Shards could be exchanged for one magic stone.

They were rarely used within the Academy, generally only appearing in marketplaces.

Seeing Ian's meek demeanor, the Servant Witch immediately felt a swell of superiority. Straightening his back, he said, "Of course, if you think that's too much, you can beg Lord Hal for mercy. His lordship is still—"

The next instant.

Before the servant could say anything more, a powerful spiritual pressure bore down on him. His breath caught sharply in his throat.

It came from Ian.

The servant apprentice's expression froze.

Only then did he abruptly realize that, no matter what, the man before him was an official member of the Potions Department, while he was merely a Servant Witch.

Within the Academy, even if an Official Wizard killed a Servant Witch, at most they would be punished with a fine of magic stones.

That was an absolute gulf in status.

"What were you about to say?"

Ian looked at him calmly.

"Nothing. I'll go fetch the materials for you right away, sir."

The servant's straightened back bent once more, and he no longer dared meet Ian's gaze.

"Good. Don't try to fob me off with junk."

The servant apprentice could only murmur, "Yes."

Then he slunk away in disgrace.

The wizards throughout the laboratory had naturally noticed the scene long ago, and some of them looked surprised.

They apparently had not expected Ian to be so much less frail than he appeared.

Ian's gaze remained calm.

But he understood clearly in his heart.

A Servant Witch would never dare act so boldly on his own. Hal had clearly given his tacit approval.

At a time like this, he could not afford to show weakness.

Otherwise, the situation would only grow worse.

Especially when he was surrounded by an enemy faction.

"Brother, that was impressive."

At that moment, a voice came from Ian's left.

Ian turned to look.

A wizard with a somewhat waxen complexion walked toward him with a smile.

"My name is Mamen Brook."

Ian was a little surprised.

Because of Hal, no one had casually approached him.

"I'm also under Lady Vivian."

Mamen shrugged.

Before long, Ian learned that Mamen came from a small Wizard family. Because he had connections with Vivian during his apprenticeship, he too had been assigned under Hal.

It had already been nearly three years.

"Every day is nothing but endless work. I often have to compensate with Magic Stones, and it's slowed my Mental Power growth to a crawl. In a few months, I'm planning to transfer to the Combat Department."

Mamen spoke helplessly.

Normally, transfers between departments were not allowed, but after three years in a department, there was one opportunity to transfer.

Of course, the other department had to be willing to take you.

With the war going on, the Combat Department was desperately short on people, so that was not much of a concern.

Ian frowned.

He did not want to stay here for long. In fact, he was already planning to leave as soon as possible.

"Then how can I get out of here?" Ian asked.

"Become a Junior Potion Master," Mamen said.

Only then did Ian recall that Vivian seemed to have mentioned this before.

"A Junior Potion Master?" Ian asked.

"If you can skillfully prepare three basic potions, with three successful batches out of every five portions of materials, you can become a Junior Potion Master.

"After becoming a Junior Potion Master, your benefits and authority will both increase, and you'll be able to prepare potions independently."

Mamen felt nothing but stifled frustration.

He had finally entered the Potions Department—who could have imagined it would turn out like this?

"Brother, I think you should start making plans early too."

Mamen looked at Ian with a trace of pity.

Because of Hal's grandson, this kid was being targeted even more than he was.

He was probably going to have an even harder time making a name for himself here.

"Three potions!"

Ian was not discouraged.

For Mamen, improving proficiency in this environment was indeed difficult, but Ian was different.

Even processing materials could raise his proficiency.

It was especially useful when he was just starting out, allowing him to rapidly increase his proficiency. The only drawback was the sheer quantity of materials required.

"Isn't this exactly what Hal told me to do?"

Ian's expression turned strange.

It seemed that coming here was not as terrible as he had imagined.

At that moment, servants delivered several baskets of materials. Their quality could not be called good, but it certainly could not be called bad either.

Ian took a deep breath.

Then he bent over and began processing the materials.

Elsewhere.

Watching this scene, Roger could not help curling his lips into a smile.

Because of his fourth-place ranking and his family, Hal had not made things difficult for him. He had even given him fairly good treatment.

"Ian, oh Ian, without the department's support, just how far can you go?"

Roger clicked his tongue.

As a Wizard from a family, he knew perfectly well how difficult it was to become a Junior Potion Master without departmental support.

If Ian kept this up, he would be nothing more than another Mamen.

The gap between the two of them would soon widen.

And once he became a Junior Potion Master first—

No one would ever say again that his ranking had been stolen!

"Time will bear witness to everything."

Roger watched Ian's retreating back, brimming with confidence.

That afternoon.

Ian finished his work.

"Ten hours, fifty portions of materials, two damaged, and twenty points of proficiency gained."

Ian was slightly stunned.

He had handled materials before as well, back when he was in Victor's laboratory.

He had raised Minor Hemostatic Potion from beginner to mid-proficient, but after that, the rate of improvement had gradually slowed.

Afterward, he had continued improving through brewing potions.

But he had never expected that even after reaching the expert level, he could still improve by processing materials.

"No, I processed nearly fifty batches of materials. On average, only every three batches gave me one point of proficiency. If I were brewing them instead, I'd have gained at least over a hundred proficiency points."

Ian suddenly came to his senses.

Compared like this, it really was absurdly little.

And only an assembly line like the Potions Department could produce such a situation.

Ian glanced at his proficiency.

[Skill: Minor Hemostatic Potion (Expert 80/400)]

He was still 320 proficiency points short.

"So that means half a month?"

Ian's gaze flickered.

Maybe... Hal's laboratory

wasn't all that bad?

"A set of the most basic potion-brewing tools costs three Magic Stones to rent for a month, and nine Magic Stones for three months. What a rip-off!"

Ian carried away a somewhat worn set of equipment, his teeth aching at the cost.

On his way past the Castle, he spent another twenty Magic Stones to buy the formulas for two potions.

Before he had even begun anything, Ian's Magic Stones were already running low.

"I've gained more resources, but my expenses have grown too!"

Inside his room, after putting the equipment in order, Ian felt poorer than ever before!

For the final assessment, he had only five Magic Stones left. The rest came from Ross and the Silver Moon Lake Family's support.

Twenty from the former, twelve from the latter.

Thirty-seven in total. After this round of spending, he had only eight Magic Stones remaining.

Actually, it was more than that. He also had around ten Minor Hemostatic Potions from his previous brewing practice.

"Under normal circumstances, one vial sells for one Magic Stone. I can sell them cheaply to Logan and the others when they return next time."

Ian shook his head.

Unfortunately, he truly did not have enough time now. Otherwise, he would already have started selling potions to earn Magic Stones.

So his next goal was still to become a Junior Potion Master.

A Junior Potion Master could brew independently and would also receive a certain material quota.

And most importantly, he would be free to act on his own.

That was what he needed most.

"Only by becoming a Junior Potion Master can I truly be considered part of the Potions Department. It'll be a completely different level—and I'll be able to get away from Hal."

Ian's gaze gradually hardened.