Task

Everyone's attention was drawn over. An apprentice had collapsed on the floor, and his workbench was a complete mess, metal fragments scattered everywhere.

What he had tried to shape did not seem to be gold, but some hard, unstable metal. Guided by out-of-control mental power, it underwent a horrifying deformation and even exploded.

Even more terrifyingly, some of the flying metal fragments had embedded themselves directly into the apprentice's arms and face!

Those fragments did not remain on the surface. Instead, like living creatures, they slowly "grew" and "fused" deeper into his flesh amid his agonized screams.

Apparently, this reckless apprentice had unconsciously given the material a flesh-eroding property during the Alchemy process.

Clark's expression immediately darkened. He strode over, but did not treat the apprentice at once.

He cast a cold glance at the apprentice rolling around on the floor and howling in pain, as well as the metal fragments burrowing into his flesh. A mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Heh. Fool." Clark's voice was as cold as ice. "How many times have I emphasized this? Strictly follow safety procedures! Unknown or unstable materials are forbidden in basic practice! And you are even more forbidden from attempting dangerous Alchemy processes without authorization!"

He swept his gaze over the apprentices around him, whose faces had gone pale with fright.

"Every year, there are fools like this. They rely on a little cleverness and courage and think they can reach the heavens in a single step. This is what happens when your form control is inadequate! Inadequate mental power control and incorrectly guided energy will only create monsters that harm both others and yourselves!"

"As for you..." Clark turned toward the apprentice still wailing on the ground. "For causing severe damage to the laboratory, along with your treatment costs, fifteen points will be deducted in total. Pay it back within the next month, or there are plenty of wizards who would like another test subject!"

No sooner had he spoken than two bulges appeared on the silver-white metal wall beside them.

Two masses of silver-white metal flowed down like liquid, twisting and changing as they quickly became two humanoid golems.

"Take this fool for treatment!"

At Clark's command, the two golems' eyes lit up red. They grabbed the apprentice's hands and feet, completely ignoring his struggles, and forcibly carried him out of the laboratory.

During the struggle, the metal on the apprentice's body occasionally touched the golems' bodies and snapped apart. Yet bright red blood flowed from the broken metal surfaces.

Clearly, the degree to which the metal had fused with the apprentice's flesh far exceeded anyone's imagination.

This scene was like a blow to the head, utterly shattering every apprentice's romantic fantasies about Alchemy.

Alchemy was also a form of wizardry. It was not merely mystery and knowledge, but a rigorous and dangerous discipline.

"Before the next class, I expect to see that you can all skillfully shape gold into different forms!"

Thus, the first Alchemy class ended amid fright and the assignment given by their instructor.

After class, the apprentices left the laboratory carrying their variously deformed gold blocks and heavy hearts.

Benjamin held his ugly golden cube and seemed to suddenly have an idea. He stood before the workbench, lost in thought.

"I heard that unlucky guy's father is also an Alchemy wizard. He'd always acted like he knew a great deal about Alchemy, so even though he chose the Potions Department, he still planned to make a weapon that would make everyone see him in a new light." Amy appeared at his side at some point.

"...I didn't expect the consequences to be so terrifying."

Benjamin came back to himself and glanced at Amy. "What are you planning to do next?"

"Nothing in particular. I'll definitely go back and keep practicing Alchemy first... What about you?"

"More or less the same. Do you know any good ways to earn points?"

"The veteran apprentices have quite a few options. Selling Magic Potions, selling weapons, completing commissions, or submitting academic achievements can all earn point rewards."

Amy spread her hands. "But for us right now... we can only do grunt work for the Alchemy Workshop to earn points. What? Is there something you want to buy?"

"I have an idea. I might need to rent a laboratory." Benjamin did not hide his purpose.

He had many secrets. To be safe, he definitely needed to rent a laboratory to ensure his privacy.

And renting a laboratory was certainly not something he could keep hidden from others.

"Although I don't think you're the type to lose sight of what matters, I should still remind you that if you're simply using gold to practice Alchemy, the dormitory is enough." Amy offered a reminder.

Benjamin shook his head. "No. I just have an idea that I need to verify."

"Wow, as expected of the genius of our Alchemy class! I have high hopes for you!" Amy said with a smile, patting his shoulder.

She did not intend to pry further. After all, in the Wizard World, "knowledge" and "inspiration" were both extremely valuable things.

After frowning in thought for a while, Amy finally offered her idea. "Don't even think about proper laboratories. Their prices are astronomical. But... if you only need a short-term rental, quite a few low-grade laboratories can be rented."

"Those low-grade laboratories aren't very cost-effective, but they're quite suitable for apprentices like us if we only need them for a short time."

"Oh? Where can I find something like that?" Benjamin was intrigued.

"Every school's first-floor hall has a task area. You can take a look there. Those laboratories are certified by the Academy, so they're relatively safe."

"Thanks."

After saying goodbye to Amy, Benjamin headed straight for the first-floor hall of the Alchemy Workshop.

He had previously noticed many machines along the walls that looked like ATMs. He had arrived a little early then, so there had not been many people. Now, however, lines had already formed in front of those machines.

Benjamin saw a huge notice board on the wall, densely covered with various tasks and point rewards.

This was the Workshop's usual operating model. Apprentices needed to complete designated simple tasks in exchange for Workshop points.

There were many types of tasks, though most required a certain amount of knowledge.

For example, several tasks before Benjamin required preparing cleaning solution for laboratories, which required some basic knowledge of Magic Potions.

Making standard-sized quartz containers required precise Alchemy techniques.

Charging certain magic devices required mastery of the basic principles of energy conduction...

Besides that, tasks requiring absolutely no guidance were almost nonexistent, and even these tasks offered rather meager rewards.

Benjamin frowned as he looked at the tasks that could only earn a little over ten points a month.

"Looks like relying on these ordinary tasks alone won't be enough to earn points... I should first go see how much it costs to rent a laboratory for a short time."