Enchanter

With Ryan's help, Gagnor moved into the craftsman's quarters at Gray Eagle Camp that very day.

As an apothecary, he had a private room, which, while not spacious, was still much better than what the soldiers got.

"There's something I should remind you," Ryan said. "You'd better get your Apothecary Guild badge as soon as possible, and the higher the level, the better—a level two apothecary gets twenty silver coins a month."

"I understand," Gagnor nodded.

Ryan remembered something. "Oh, right, there's an investigation mission next month, to investigate the Forest Trolls in the Stoneclaw Mountains east of South Sea Town. I'm the vice-captain of the mission team. Would you like to come along and take a look?"

"Are Forest Trolls very dangerous?"

Ryan thought for a moment. "They can be, but in my judgment, the chances of encountering trolls this time are very small. It's likely just a sightseeing trip."

Gagnor pondered for a while, but ultimately declined. "I think I'd rather get familiar with my new surroundings first."

"Alright then."

Before leaving, Ryan said, "Come find me anytime if you need anything. When I don't have a mission, I'm usually in the barracks or the Thieves' Guild."

"Thieves' Guild?" Gagnor was taken aback. He had no idea where the Thieves' Guild was, and even thought South Sea Town didn't have one.

"It's the Raven Inn."

After Ryan left, Gagnor tidied up his room again and tried on the clothes issued by the mercenary group.

Unlike combat classes, as an apothecary, he didn't have shoulder pads. After all, the primary purpose of those things was to identify friend from foe and to make it easier to collect corpses, and apothecaries didn't need to go to the battlefield—at least not under normal circumstances.

Instead, he received a white apothecary robe with the Gray Eagle emblem embroidered on the chest, which looked very similar to some kind of standard robe produced by the Apothecary Guild.

Putting on the apothecary robe, Gagnor stood in front of the mirror and took a good look, taking the opportunity to admire his good looks.

He had to admit, the appearance of this body was quite good. It might be an exaggeration to call him handsome and dashing, but he was definitely above average.

Because of this, in Driftwood Town, more than one girl of his age had expressed their affection for Gagnor, either overtly or covertly.

Unfortunately, Gagnor couldn't muster any interest in these country girls.

A burst of wailing suddenly came from the next room: "Ugh, ugh, ah, ah, ah—"

Followed by a complaint: "Why are you yelling so loud?"

"It hurts, it hurts!"

"This kind of ink is like this, you have to bear with it."

"Okay, ugh... ah, ugh..."

The groans were intermittent and didn't end for an hour.

Gagnor couldn't help but feel annoyed and curious, so he went next door.

The door to the next room was wide open, revealing a man with braids tattooing a soldier. The soldier had his arm bared, and blue ink was slowly being injected into his skin, outlining a series of patterns.

The braided man looked up. "You're the new apothecary next door? Sorry if I bothered you, but I promise this is a rare occurrence."

Gagnor watched for a while. "What are you tattooing?"

"A Sword Rune," the man explained. "Looks like it's your first time seeing a Sword Rune pattern, but that's normal, since most people choose transparent Magic Rune ink."

Gagnor nodded in understanding.

The so-called Sword Rune is a type of Magic Rune. Magic Runes can grant people various buffs and even spells. "Sword Rune," as the name suggests, is a Magic Rune that buffs swordsmanship and sword skills.

Because Sword Runes are relatively simple to draw, and the system associated with them is the most complete and rich, it is also the most common type of all Magic Runes. It's just that, as the braided man said, most people choose to use transparent Magic Rune ink, so it's not easy to see.

Before long, the Sword Rune was completed.

"Thank you, Marcus," the soldier said, finally relieved from the pain, he couldn't help but let out a long breath.

He put on his clothes and prepared to leave, but Marcus stopped him, holding out a hand.

"What?"

"Money. Transparent ink is a mercenary group benefit, colored ink requires extra payment, didn't you know?"

The soldier's eyes widened. "Colored ink hurts more than transparent ink, why do I have to pay extra?"

Marcus: "That's precisely why most people choose transparent ink."

"..." The soldier was silent for a long time. "I want to know, are there any benefits to colored ink?"

Marcus thought for a moment, then gave an answer: "It looks cooler!"

The soldier wanted to cry but had no tears, so he had to pay and leave.

After receiving the money, Marcus was in a good mood and introduced himself with a smile: "Marcus, a level one enchanter, specializing in Magic Runes—so you can also call me a 'Rune Master'. Nice to meet you."

Gagnor: "Gagnor, a level one apothecary, nice to meet you too."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Marcus asked, "Can you make Magic Rune potions?"

"I've only learned a little about them in books."

"That's okay, ordinary Magic Rune potions aren't more complicated to make than Pain Relief Potion. I have a recipe here, you can take a look." Marcus took out a booklet. "After you learn it, you can apply to the quartermaster to use ink to offset part of your potion-making tasks. I guarantee it will save you some time."

"Of course, there's also a benefit for me. After all, you live next door to me, so it will save me time too," he added.

This was a mutually beneficial thing.

Gagnor took the booklet. "Thank you, I'll learn it as quickly as possible."

The two sat down and chatted for a while.

Gagnor asked, "Are there any Magic Runes for bows?"

"Yes, but only a few enchanters are willing to research it," Marcus said. "After all, arrows are meant to be shot, which prevents them from maintaining a constant connection with a person's Magic Rune like a sword can."

"You use a bow?" he asked.

Gagnor nodded.

Marcus smiled. "I use a bow too. For non-combat professionals like us, and for low-level combat professionals, bows are actually a pretty good choice. But for high-level combat professionals, the situation is different."

"Indeed, historically, those battle-hardened saints and heroes rarely used bows as weapons," Gagnor casually agreed, but some other ideas were beginning to form in his mind.

"Oh, someone's here."

A soldier who had come to have a Magic Rune inscribed brought their conversation to an end.

Marcus became busy again.

Gagnor returned to his room and began flipping through the booklet Marcus had given him: A Basic Guide to Magic Rune Ink Production.

As he read, his expression suddenly changed, as if he had thought of something.

He immediately got up and retrieved the Blood Magic Notes from a hidden corner of the room.

He unlocked the book and flipped through it quickly, soon stopping and fixing his gaze on a page in the middle.

"Beast Blood Magic Ink!" After seeing these large words on the page, Gagnor's eyes lit up.