Time passed quickly.
For Lynn, whose days were packed and whose life was fulfilling, the winter felt as short as a few days.
By late February, even though the Blue Mountains were still blanketed in white, the snow at their foot had long since begun to melt.
Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert all left the castle around this time.
The supplies they had brought back last winter had been completely used up over the season.
If they did not want to spend this coming winter living on nothing but air in the castle, they had to work with their own diligent hands to earn their meager pay.
Since Lynn's swordsmanship and Signs had both reached the standard of a full-fledged witcher, Vesemir could finally leave him alone at Kaer Morhen without worrying.
After all, having four people support one was better than having three support two.
And so Lynn was left alone at Kaer Morhen.
After Vesemir and the others departed one after another, Kaer Morhen suddenly felt empty.
Lynn's heart felt empty too.
Although he had been in this world for less than a year, Lynn already considered Vesemir, Geralt, and the others his family.
Perhaps it was because he had been an orphan in his previous life and had never experienced familial affection for even a day, while life in the big city meant everyone was always rushing about, worn out by an increasingly restless society.
After transmigrating, although little time had passed, everyone in the School of the Wolf, including the sharp-tongued Lambert, had cared for him like a member of the family, which was why he treasured it all the more.
But having transmigrated here, he knew very well what would happen in the future.
And so, to prevent the tragedies to come.
Even without anyone supervising him, Lynn did not slack off.
He went into the mountains to fight monsters every day.
Of course, he was very careful.
He tried to seek out only weak monsters that were alone.
He knew very well that even full-fledged witchers who had passed every trial faced an extremely high mortality rate during their first year after leaving the mountains.
Being a full-fledged witcher did not amount to much. Only upon reaching the level of veteran witchers like Geralt and the others could one claim to have a foothold in this world full of dangers.
So he would rather earn fewer experience points and prioritize his own safety.
Then, at night, he spent the entire evening in the library, reading the castle's vast collection of books.
Ever since the School of the Griffin's headquarters, Kaer Seren Fortress, had been buried beneath an avalanche caused by mages, Kaer Morhen was the only place left that still preserved a large collection of witcher knowledge and books.
Lynn meditated for only three hours each day, replacing sleep with meditation, and spent the rest of his time utterly absorbed in a sea of books.
In this way, he spent three months reading every book related to monsters.
Then he discovered that he suddenly had a great deal of free time.
His original plan had been to spend the year memorizing all the knowledge about monsters, finishing just as the year ended.
That way, when Geralt and the others returned that winter, he could have them teach him alchemy.
But thanks to his memories from his previous life, Lynn was very good at learning about monsters. He grasped things with the slightest guidance and could even apply what he learned to other situations.
Thus, contrary to his expectations, it had not taken a year. In just three short months, he had memorized every book on monster lore.
Lynn could not help sighing.
How had I never noticed before that learning too quickly could be a problem too?
He went into the mountains to kill monsters every day.
But now that he no longer needed to study, his evenings were free.
Doing nothing would be rather a waste of time.
As Lynn sat alone in the empty hall eating breakfast, inspiration suddenly struck.
Why do I have to have Geralt and the others teach me alchemy?
I can teach myself.
The castle has an alchemy laboratory and books on alchemy.
The herbs needed for alchemy can be found in the mountains.
As for monster materials...
Lynn had collected quite a few over the past few months.
Even if studying on my own is slower than having a teacher, I can just make a few more attempts.
As long as it appears on the attribute panel, I can put points into it.
It doesn't cost anything anyway, so I might as well give it a try.
Lynn was a man of action.
Whenever he thought of something, he would do it immediately.
If he did not put it into practice, he would not even be able to sleep well.
So after breakfast, he went to Kaer Morhen's alchemy laboratory.
Kaer Morhen's alchemy laboratory was different from those elsewhere.
The laboratory's walls were built of thick stone blocks, lending it a gloomy atmosphere.
He picked up a potion notebook from the laboratory's bookshelf and began reading by candlelight.
The first thing he studied was a potion called Swallow.
As a symbol of spring and rejuvenation, the swallow lent its name to this potion, which accelerated healing and recovery.
Swallow Potion was quite common, suitable for use in many situations, and had no particular side effects.
In addition, Swallow Potion could counteract the side effects of several other potions.
Lynn first read through the process for brewing Swallow Potion several times with great care.
Only then did he put down the potion notebook, take some celandine and drowner brain from the herb rack, and place them in a mortar.
He crushed and ground them vigorously with a pestle.
Then he set a cauldron over the fire pit and poured dwarven spirit into it.
He snapped his fingers.
He lit the fire with the Igni Sign.
Once the dwarven spirit in the cauldron gradually came to a boil, he added the crushed celandine and drowner brain and began stirring.
As he kept stirring, the liquid in the pot slowly turned red.
A quarter of an hour later, he extinguished the fire, waited for the potion in the cauldron to cool, then poured it into a cylindrical bottle he had prepared and set aside.
He swirled the cylindrical bottle, watching the liquid inside turn from red to black as a foul stench drifted out.
"Did it fail?"
Lynn felt no emotional stir.
He picked up the potion notebook and reread the process for mixing Swallow Potion, then set it aside. Supporting his right elbow with his left hand, he curled his right hand into a fist and gently tapped his cheek in thought.
"It should be a problem with the heat. I'll try lowering it next time."
Three days later.
As Lynn looked at the cylindrical bottle of red liquid in his hand, joy welled up within him.
He had succeeded.
Although Swallow Potion was a basic witcher potion, successfully mixing it still left Lynn exhilarated and excited.
He opened the attribute panel and found that it had not changed.
Witcher alchemy primarily covered three areas: blade oils, potions, and alchemical bombs.
"So this still isn't enough? Don't tell me I have to make every single formula before it appears on the attribute panel."
Unfortunately, he had hit the nail on the head.
Half a year later, after Lynn finally managed to mix all eight blade oils, eighteen potions, and seven bombs, at last...
A line of golden text cascaded before his eyes:
New skill: Alchemy (beginner)
Lynn poured all three attribute points he had saved from killing monsters during this time into the Alchemy skill.
He watched the text after it blur, first changing to "proficient," then to "expert."
A vast quantity of alchemical memories flowed into his mind.
Once the transfer was complete, Lynn discovered that his mind now held knowledge and experience equivalent to ten or twenty years of work.
He closed his eyes, carefully taking in these additional memories.
These memories felt as though he really had stayed in this alchemy laboratory, repeatedly mixing alchemical items countless times, day and night.
"Phew."
He let out a stale breath.
He stood and walked toward the materials on the table.
Once again, he began mixing.
But this time, the process was incredibly smooth. He no longer needed to think as he worked as he had before, sometimes even having to stop and consider things.
Instead, when he "thought" of making a bottle of Swallow Potion, his body moved instinctively. The entire process flowed seamlessly, without a single pause.
When he finished mixing, not only had he successfully produced a satisfactory potion that had previously required his complete concentration, but the time needed had also been greatly reduced.
This meant that, in alchemy as well, he had reached the level of a full-fledged witcher.