Joseph Advanced

Before looking for a suitable fusion solution, Drew first needed to study the other ingredients in the Healing Potion formula.

He wanted to see if he could find any clues that matched, after all, the Healing Potion was made by combining these ingredients.

The properties of the solution should be similar to those of its ingredients.

The Healing Potion was made from five magical ingredients and five nonmagical ones.

Drew first needed to study the five magical ingredients. After all, ordinary people could only withstand a very small amount of magic.

If he could use his study of the formula to create substitutes for those five ingredients, then optimize the formula into one magical ingredient and nine nonmagical ones, ordinary people might be able to withstand the resulting Healing Potion.

However, Drew felt that this approach was unrealistic too. Improving formulas this way was a common approach.

Yet nobody had ever succeeded, which meant there must be a flaw in this method. There was a bottleneck, a dead end. Still, it was worth learning from.

One day, while Drew was studying the formula, someone both familiar and unfamiliar approached his house.

The person was familiar because Drew knew him, but unfamiliar because his state had changed.

That person was Joseph. He had finally advanced.

Drew opened the door and saw Joseph. He noticed that Joseph wasn't as excited as he'd expected. He seemed calm, perhaps because of the oath binding him.

He had successfully advanced, but had become Drew's follower. He was no longer a free man.

But that didn't quite make sense. Joseph had treated Drew like a master for some time now, which was almost the same as being a follower. He shouldn't have reacted so differently.

It must have been the few months of study and learning that had changed his temperament.

They said reading could change a person's life. It wasn't just about getting good grades, attending a good school, or finding a good job. More importantly, reading made a person more steady.

The weight of knowledge gave people a new understanding and made them less shallow. That was the impression Joseph gave now: a learned man with depth.

"Lord Drew, I've advanced. I came today to formally swear my allegiance to you."

"Good. Did your advancement go smoothly?

"Sorry, I've been busy studying alchemy lately, so I haven't been keeping an eye on your progress."

"No, my lord. I didn't deliberately try to advance.

"I'd finished studying everything there was to learn these past few days, and I felt like I'd hit a bottleneck.

"So I thought I'd try constructing magic runes to clear my head. But as soon as I started, everything went incredibly smoothly. Before I knew it, I'd finished constructing the magic runes for an intermediate mage.

"And I'd already built up a solid foundation. So once the magic runes were complete, I advanced naturally.

"Did I get distracted?" Joseph asked, a little embarrassed.

"Uh, did you forget why you started studying in the first place?

"Studying is just a method, a tool to help you advance.

"It's meant to help you advance and explore deeper levels of magic. I was planning to tell you during this period to shift your focus to advancing.

"I didn't expect you to succeed so easily.

"It seems this method really works."

"Yes, it really does. It's like I've been completely remade. The bottleneck that had troubled me for over ten years broke through without me even realizing it."

"By the way, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. How did you end up with so many students?

"Based on the usual population estimates, this town only produces one person with a talent for magic every five years.

"I see that your students are all between fifteen and thirty years old.

"There should only be five or six students in that age group in this town at most, yet you have more than ten now.

"Where did you find so many students?" Drew asked, voicing his doubts.

"Actually, early on, when the town was supporting my studies, around the time I became a formal mage, I was studying somewhere else. I took on a few disciples there.

"Later, when I reached a bottleneck and realized I couldn't advance, I returned to my hometown, hoping to contribute to it. My students came with me.

"After returning to town, I paid to have every child of the right age in town tested for talent.

"Then I took in all the children with talent.

"After that, the parents of talented children from the neighboring towns heard that I was taking on disciples and teaching them well, so they came to me.

"You know, most mages are still pursuing magic themselves. They don't have much time or energy to teach apprentices.

"But since I had no hope of advancing, I devoted myself entirely to teaching apprentices.

"That made me a particularly good and well-known teacher, so many people came to me because of my reputation.

"I didn't want talented children to waste their potential, so I took them all in. That's how I gradually ended up with so many students.

"But with so many students, there are too few resources to give each of them. I'm starting to feel the strain." Joseph explained.

"So you're a real enthusiast for education," Drew teased.

"What does 'education' mean?" Joseph asked, confused.

"Like how you taught your apprentices, or how I taught you all geometry.

"Teaching, imparting knowledge, and answering questions—that's education. It's the work of teaching and nurturing people."

"Yes, I do feel fulfilled when I teach students. It feels wonderful.

"It seems I really am interested in this."

"Since you're interested, I have a suggestion. Would you be interested?"

"What suggestion?"

"How about we make this method available to everyone?

"If word gets out that you've advanced, people who are paying attention will hear about it, right?

"Some people will probably come ask you how you did it."

"Just tell them the method? That would be far too generous."

"I didn't say we should just tell them the method.

"Besides, telling them directly wouldn't help your educational work. What I mean is, you tell them that learning is a systematic process. It's hard to master this knowledge by studying at home on your own.

"They have to come here for systematic training and guidance. And they won't be studying for free.

"Think about it: we need to provide the premises, textbooks, and teachers. And this method is valuable, isn't it?

"So they'll have to contribute something to study here.

"You can decide what they'll have to contribute."

"But what should I tell them?"

"Tell them we've opened a magic academy here, a special intensive training program for studying magic runes.

"I'll be the principal, an alchemy grandmaster. You'll be the head teacher and instructor.

"As for your disciples, those who've mastered the material can form intensive study groups.

"They can tutor students who are having trouble, one-on-one, just like you all used to help each other.

"But remember, they'll have to pay. This will give your disciples some benefits too.

"They'll have to pay to join our program—textbook fees, tuition, and so on. You can figure out the details.

"Anyway, they need to have something at stake. It has to hurt a little, so they'll study hard and take it seriously. You should know what I mean.

"Handle everything else yourself. I'm leaving it all to you.

"You're my follower now, so you'll take charge of this for me. After all, you're passionate about teaching."

"Can I really teach the classes? I don't think I'm up to it. Why don't you teach instead? I could help out."

"Don't worry. I'm asking you to teach because I know you can handle it. You've learned everything you need to know, and you understand it through personal experience. Besides, who knows more about this than you do?

"So it's only right for you to teach them. Have some confidence.

"And they'll have come all this way because they heard you advanced. Wouldn't your personal experience be more convincing?

"They'll definitely be more willing to learn from you. All right, it's settled."

"Yes, my lord. I'll make sure the task is completed."

In the days that followed, the caravans made a deliberate effort to spread the news of Joseph's advancement.