Dekan's Elective Course

Today is another day full of hope, because it is already Friday.

After clearing the Shadow World on Monday, resting on Tuesday, submitting reports on Wednesday, and taking exams at the Association on Thursday, it has been a very fulfilling week.

With about three weeks left before the next trip to the Shadow World, Dekan needs to set aside some time to replenish Tier 3 cards for himself and Cornelia.

It is time to craft some Tier 3 summon cards for himself.

And the Venomous Ground Spikes are due for an upgrade as well.

Additionally, he can craft more durable Tier 3 weapon cards for Cornelia.

However, before that—specifically this Friday—there is an elective class that Dekan has been looking forward to for a long time.

He has decided to study hard.

After auditing classes for the past two weeks, the two subjects he ultimately chose are Medicine I and Pharmacy II.

This school has a rather flexible application mechanism for elective courses.

Considering that every student possesses different talents and foundations, if one can provide sufficient proof, it is possible to be granted an exemption from prerequisite courses.

The prerequisite for Pharmacy II is Herbology I and Pharmacy I.

Dekan provided the course Dean with sufficient demonstrations of his pharmaceutical work, successfully convincing the teacher to allow him to enroll directly in Pharmacy II.

As for why Dekan wants to study medicine, let us set that aside for now.

His motives are quite intriguing.

After the morning's compulsory classes ended, Dekan and Cornelia went their separate ways.

Dekan's Pharmacy II class is in the afternoon, so he could not go to the library with Cornelia.

However, Cornelia knew Dekan had class in the afternoon, so she did not intend to go to the library either.

Dekan noticed that the direction Cornelia left in was toward the back mountain again.

This time, Dekan is truly a bit curious.

Next time, he should follow her to see what is going on.

Because he discovered that Cornelia's mood seemed to have become a bit low today.

Although her expression is very monotonous, she has a pair of eyes that can speak.

It is also possible that Dekan possesses a unique talent for understanding, allowing him to easily read her thoughts.

The time for Pharmacy II arrived, and about twenty students gathered in the pharmacy classroom.

After the auditing period of the first two weeks ended, those remaining are the students officially registered for this course.

The majority of them are female.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I am very happy that you have ultimately chosen this course."

The teacher is also a woman; Maria looks to be about thirty years old, wears glasses, and seems very gentle.

At a glance, she is the type who truly possesses a benevolent heart.

"Pharmacy is a very practical field of study, especially important in real life."

"Furthermore, although it is difficult for us to bring finished potions into the Shadow World, we can often produce the potions we need on-site in the Shadow World using available materials."

"The knowledge learned today might be put to use immediately tomorrow, and I will do my utmost to guide you all!"

Listening to Maria's words, Dekan nodded repeatedly.

This course not only imparts theoretical knowledge but also provides a large amount of materials and experimental opportunities.

Dekan can maximize his use of the school's resources.

To be honest, Dekan would not mind taking more of these conscientious and practical courses.

Even if his motives are quite different from most of the other students.

"In Pharmacy I, we focused on restorative potions, but in Pharmacy II, we will focus on functional potions."

"The topic for today's lesson is how to deal with unknown toxins."

As Maria spoke, she put on gloves and held up a small bottle.

"This is a toxin newly developed by the Alchemy Academy, extracted from a newly cultivated poisonous plant. Its toxicity is fierce, but it is easily neutralized. Our lesson today is how to extract the antidote ingredients from its companion plant."

The point Dekan is most interested in has arrived.

His gaze is practically piercing through that bottle of poison.

Next, Maria began to demonstrate the production process to everyone, and Dekan listened with rapt attention.

Before he knew it, the class time was almost over.

"The task left for you is to successfully produce the antidote. You have one week to complete it. After class, you may continue to use this classroom, as well as the Alchemy Academy's pharmaceutical laboratory."

After finishing, Maria distributed samples of the diluted toxin to each group and provided the necessary materials for the students.

For safety reasons, the experiment was conducted in pairs, with each pair ensured to have two vials of the antidote prepared earlier by Maria.

In the event of accidental poisoning, they could rescue one another.

Each pair was assigned a long table for this class, providing more than enough space—so much so that Dekan had been too focused on his work to notice when his desk mate arrived.

However, now was the time to properly greet his partner.

After all, they had to complete the assignment together.

"You finally noticed me, Dekan."

Dekan turned his head and discovered that her face was already very close to his.

A faint, elegant fragrance wafted toward him.

She was a beauty who lacked any sense of personal boundaries, with black hair and black eyes that were clear and bright.

Her features were exquisite to the extreme, as if carved by the Creator's hand as a masterpiece.

Even while sitting, it was evident that she had a tall, slender figure.

Had she been this close to him the entire time?

Though surprised, Dekan neither averted his gaze nor recoiled.

He couldn't afford to lose his composure.

"If you had leaned in any closer, I might have noticed you even sooner."

Dekan replied indifferently.

"Then the teacher might have warned us."

The girl with long, straight black hair said this without the smile ever leaving her face.

As soon as she finished speaking, she leaned even further forward.

She was practically pressing herself against Dekan.

Dekan felt a chill shoot straight to his brain.

It was an instinctive sense of danger, as if the person before him were a beautiful yet highly toxic flower.

Despite the fact that she was wearing the uniform of a second-year student at the Alchemy Academy, she radiated an intense sense of threat.

Helpless, Dekan leaned back to dodge her and shifted his chair a little further away.

While he admitted she was very beautiful, he had no fondness for people who inexplicably invaded his personal space.

"Could you please maintain a normal distance from me?"

"Apologies, I was just a bit too absorbed in my observation."

She replied with a smile still plastered on her face.

Without any intention of making things difficult for Dekan, she moved slightly further away.

"What is your name?"

This new desk mate had only appeared for this class, and Dekan did not yet know who she was.

"Mie."

She sat quietly, her smile remaining fixed on her face.

Dekan: "Are you busy later?"

Mie: "Not busy."

"Then let's finish the assignment before we leave."

Dekan did not like to drag tasks into tomorrow if they could be completed today.

Mie nodded, clearly in agreement with Dekan's idea.