Karen's Return

Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, another half a year had gone by.

It had been a full year since Drew arrived here via the teleportation array.

During this time, Drew's alchemy had grown day by day. Thanks to his promotion to Master Alchemist and the outstanding performance of the first batch of students, the academy flourished.

The second training session began amidst great anticipation, though Drew handed the entire process over to Joseph. Joseph had also selected several individuals from the first group of noble students to join the academy's administrative team.

The staff was increased because the number of applicants had risen significantly. However, based on the academy's current teaching capacity, Joseph acted within his means and limited the intake to a single class of fifty students.

Drew's daily routine consisted of researching new Concoction recipes, brewing True Perfect Healing Potion, and fulfilling the long order list in Nelson's hands.

Drew also poured his heart into teaching Nelson.

Having spent over a decade as a herb merchant, Nelson was highly proficient in herbs. His experience starting as a small shop clerk gave him a keen ability to gauge herb quantities with precision.

All potions were brewed using the recipes Drew had improved.

Nelson was progressing rapidly and had already begun brewing intermediate healing potions.

Nelson opened his own shop in Stormwind City, handling the brewing himself while leaving the procurement and sales to his son, Josh Eddie.

Currently, thanks to the high-end potions Drew sold there from time to time and the various promotional strategies he taught—such as five percent off for two items, ten percent off for three, one silver off for every twenty spent, and three silver off for every fifty—this newcomer shop had gained a firm foothold in the vast Stormwind City potion market and had even become somewhat famous.

Furthermore, the True Perfect Healing Potion produced by Drew proved to have miraculous effects, successfully curing the friend of the archmage Aegwynn's husband.

Consequently, Aegwynn's husband became a frequent visitor to Drew's place, and the two often spent time together.

One day, while Drew was brewing a potion, he suddenly felt a tremor and a momentary loss of control over his body.

The potion in Drew's hand failed as a result. Fortunately, he wasn't brewing a Concoction, just a standard potion, so there was no magical explosion.

Deeply concerned about his lack of physical control, Drew immediately performed a comprehensive scan of his body.

Beep... A sound he hadn't heard in a long time echoed in his mind.

Beep, Scanning System searching...

Database updating continuously...

System personalization program integrity: 20%

Scanning System integrity: 30%

Analysis and processing center integrity: 30%

Since arriving in this brand-new world with the system, the database had been continuously updating and was expected to do so until he became an omniscient and omnipotent god.

The Scanning System and the analysis and processing center had undergone a degree of repair due to long-term use and energy supply.

The biggest change lay in the integrity of the system's personalization program.

In the original technological world, the system, as an ultimate system, possessed its own personality.

It had its own thoughts and its own character.

However, during that accident, the system was severely damaged, and somehow it shifted from its physical state to its current one.

Most of its functions had been lost, but it now appeared to be slowly recovering.

The system's personalization program was constantly perfecting itself through its interactions with people.

It had grown from the initial 2%—where it barely interacted with anyone—to 20%, where it had even begun to make friends; the change was immense.

Although the scan results indicated the system was steadily recovering, Drew had yet to find the reason for that momentary loss of control.

After a long inspection, Drew found no problems or vulnerabilities within the system.

It couldn't be a system issue. Drew considered an explanation: there was a new development in Karen's soul fusion. Whether the fusion was about to be completed or if a problem had arisen during the process, Drew could not be sure.

Thinking that regardless of the situation, he was in no position to do anything else, Drew realized he needed to monitor the state of the soul fusion at all times.

He summoned his apprentice, Nelson, and instructed him to inform the others that he was going into seclusion.

Drew found a cultivation room in the Alchemist Association specifically designated for seclusion (one of the association's benefits) and activated the array above it.

Countless magical runes emerged, enveloping the entire room and severing its connection to the outside world.

Only a small section maintained a one-way connection; when it connected to the outside, it disconnected from the room, and vice versa. This was a channel specifically for passing items, such as meals, between the two.

After all, he was still in a mortal body and required sustenance.

When President Pierre received Nelson's notification and rushed over, he found that Drew had already activated the array.

Seeing that Drew had gone into seclusion without leaving any instructions, President Pierre knew that Drew must have encountered an unexpected issue, but there was nothing he could do but worry from the outside.

Fortunately, Drew had been focused on alchemy lately and had brewed many potions that hadn't been sold yet, leaving some stock behind.

Those in urgent need of the True Perfect Healing Potion could wait a while. Drew had already arranged everything else, leaving only the instruction of Nelson.

But since he had taught him everything he could, he would let him practice and consolidate his skills on his own.

After entering seclusion, Drew did nothing, sitting motionless in the cultivation room.

He waited quietly for the soul fusion to complete or for the situation to unfold.

Three days passed in this wait.

Drew felt his body continuously slipping out of his control, the force of this detachment growing ever stronger.

Yet Drew did nothing; aside from the basic necessities of life, he simply waited in silence.

Finally, the degree of detachment reached a critical limit. Drew lost all control over his body and collapsed instantly. Fortunately, he had been prepared and was sitting on the bed, so the fall caused him no injury.

After losing control, Drew did not panic; he kept the Scanning System active, monitoring the state of his body.

Should things take a turn for the worse, he would forcibly seize control of his physical authority, though he knew it carried certain risks and costs.

Fortunately, his body simply lay there as if in a deep sleep, showing no signs of change.

Only his eyes, though closed, betrayed movement, with the pupils shifting incessantly beneath the lids.

Suddenly, those eyes snapped open. The bewildered gaze indicated that Karen had returned; the soul fusion had been a success.

Karen surveyed his surroundings and stumbled as he climbed off the bed. It was clear that after being disconnected from his body for so long, he was still struggling to adjust.

Suddenly, a powerful aura surged from within Karen's body, slamming him back down onto the bed and pinning him in place.

However, the aura vanished as quickly as it had arrived. Within moments it dissipated, and thanks to the presence of the magic array, no one outside was any the wiser as to what had transpired.

Karen climbed back up from the bed and began to adapt to and inspect his body, taking the opportunity to search his memories to see what had happened during his long absence.