After Master Gose left with Isengard, the entire conference room fell silent.
Indeed, just as Master Gose had said, the moment Ian produced the ninth bottle of Damage-Resistance Potion, the champion had already been decided. The tenth alchemical potion had not even been for victory, but to prove that he could.
No matter how powerful a bottle of Full Enhancement Potion was, it could not be more valuable than ten bottles of Damage-Resistance Potion. The latter had made full use of every Origin Matter Structure within the ingredients, with almost no waste at all.
The value of this technique far surpassed all the rewards this assessment could offer combined.
It had to be said that Ian had received a perfect score only because the maximum score was one hundred.
No matter what, unless another alchemical genius could achieve a breakthrough in some other field and accomplish something beyond their imagination—such as using incomplete ingredients to create a complete Full Enhancement Potion... unless it was pioneering craftsmanship on that level, the champion could only be Ian.
But that was impossible...
Even masters could barely guarantee making one more bottle than him, while Ian was only fifteen. What terrifying talent and exquisite skill was that? The alchemists of the Imperial Capital all knew one another inside out. Where could so many freakish geniuses possibly spring out of some backwater place?
"...That's absurd."
Letting out a soft breath, Master Vana sat in her seat and rewound the light-screen recording in the conference room, watching Ian's smooth, flowing operations once again.
The elderly woman sighed. "Gose said he isn't Ian's teacher. That's true. Hunchback's alchemical methods are broad and forceful, known for their high success rate and heavy material consumption—the complete opposite of what Ian displayed. He has not studied this sort of technique.