Ch. 19 - Potion Effects, Spell Experiments

Leaving the herb shop after his shift, Robb carefully tucked the bottles of alertness draught inside his clothes.

Though Lady Elena had called them substandard, for an Initiate like him, they were still a valuable haul.

In the Black Mist Forest, a single bottle of perfect-quality alertness draught could fetch over a dozen Mana Crystal Fragments.

Even a substandard batch like this would sell for at least two or three fragments on the market.

And this was only the most basic alertness draught, brewed primarily from moonlight grass and carbon-breath grass, supplemented with other supporting ingredients.

Compared to high-tier potions crafted from rare materials, the effects were naturally far weaker.

But for Robb right now, it was more than sufficient.

The draught couldn't directly increase spirit power, but it could keep the user in a state of intense mental clarity for a short period.

Compared to the bitter black nettle tea, the alertness effect was several times stronger, and the nauseating bitterness that such a potion should have carried had been tempered to just the right degree.

No wonder some of the better-off High Apprentices were willing to pay premium prices for a few bottles in reserve.

Lost in these thoughts, Robb returned to his room.

Though the morning's work and training had drained considerable energy, he had no intention of resting.

The evaluation deadline drew closer by the day. Every second counted.

More importantly, he was itching to test the idea that had just taken shape in his mind.

Taking out a bottle of the alertness draught, Robb first studied the clear amber liquid within.

Under the faint light, tiny silver particles could be seen drifting inside, residue from the moonlight grass.

"Here goes."

Robb sat on his bed, adjusted into the most comfortable position, and carefully sipped a small mouthful of the draught.

A cool sensation spread instantly from his throat through his entire body, like a clear spring flowing over a parched riverbed.

The fatigue from his morning training and work vanished completely, replaced by a state of extraordinary lucidity.

"This effect..." Robb marveled inwardly. "No wonder so many people clamor for these."

He closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

This time, he tried combining the flow of spirit power with the clarity the potion had granted him.

In this unprecedented state of sharpness, Robb could perceive the movement of spirit power with far greater clarity.

Subtle fluctuations that were normally impossible to catch were now plainly visible.

"So that's it..."

He suddenly realized that the residual energy fluctuations within the potion bore a striking resemblance to the rhythm of spirit power.

This was perhaps why alertness draughts could help stabilize spirit power.

[Basic Meditation initiated]

In his consciousness, the basic rune formed from three arcs began to take shape.

But this time, Robb didn't trace it mechanically as before. Instead, he allowed the rune to form naturally in time with his spirit power's cadence.

It was like writing beautiful calligraphy, the point wasn't to rigidly copy each stroke, but to master the flow between them.

Gradually, he felt a fluidity he'd never experienced before.

Spirit power flowed like a gentle stream, gathering steadily under the rune's guidance.

[Special effect triggered. Potion Amplification, this meditation session's effectiveness slightly increased]

[Basic Meditation EXP +1]

[Basic Meditation EXP +1]

[Basic Meditation EXP +1]

...

"This rate of improvement..." Robb opened his eyes, pleasantly surprised by the experience points accumulating on his panel.

Beyond the potion's amplification, the Potion Apprentice class's bonus to spirit power accumulation was also quietly doing its work.

Just as Robb was about to resume meditating, Dagon's frustrated voice erupted from next door.

"Why does the spell model for Sonic Tremor keep destabilizing..."

A clattering crash followed, apparently some experimental apparatus being smashed in frustration.

The tenacious sonic magic researcher had clearly hit another wall.

Hearing this, Robb was suddenly reminded of something.

Come to think of it, he had never seriously studied the zero-circle spell Slime Splash.

Among the basic spell scrolls the faction had distributed to all Initiates, aside from Fundamentals of Meditation, this was the only spell included, the simplest zero-circle spell available.

In the Magus World, spells were like precious seeds. Every mage would pour a lifetime of effort into cultivating a select few, nurturing them into unique wellsprings of power.

The "circle" designation represented the complexity of a spell's model, not its raw destructive capability.

Most apprentices would never truly master more than two or three spells in their lifetime. Even the exceptionally gifted found it difficult to achieve deep proficiency in multiple spells simultaneously.

Because true mastery of any spell meant integrating it into one's own combat framework, an extraordinarily long and arduous process.

Opening the notebook he carried with him, Robb found the casting notes he'd jotted down in haste long ago.

Some zero-circle spells, in the hands of a true mage, can exhibit power surpassing that of higher circle spells... Every spell is a seed. An apprentice's task is not to mechanically memorize casting procedures, but to find a way to resonate with that seed, to let it take root and sprout in the soil of their own spirit... The zero-circle spell Slime Splash requires condensing a droplet-shaped spirit power structure. It appears simple, yet conceals multiple distinct energy circulation patterns...

Robb reviewed these passages carefully. His understanding of spirit power was leagues beyond what it had been. Especially after his recent insights into "rhythm", perhaps he could approach this spell from an entirely new angle.

Pressing his cool palms against his face to clear his head, he began condensing spirit power according to the notes.

The clarity from the alertness draught still lingered, allowing him to perceive every whisper of spirit power with heightened sensitivity.

Shaping the droplet form in his consciousness wasn't the hard part. The challenge was keeping it stable and imbuing it with the correct "rhythm."

Robb recalled what the instructors had said.

True spell mastery was a long road.

An Initiate who could command one or two spells was already impressive.

Intermediate Apprentices typically spent years deeply studying a single spell's variations and applications rather than blindly chasing quantity.

Only as a High Apprentice would one begin attempting to refine and fuse mastered spells, creating more personalized expressions of power.

And only upon ascending to Morning Star Mage did one earn the right to attempt creating entirely new spells.

By that point, their handful of mastered spells had been woven into their very souls. A casual gesture could command the forces of this world.

This was why, to ordinary people, mages seemed to cast devastating spells without so much as an incantation, those spells had become as instinctive as breathing.

Just as he had when preparing potions, Robb tried using a similar approach to guide his spirit power.

Rather than forcing it into shape immediately, he followed its natural flow, gradually coaxing it into a droplet form.

[Zero-circle spell Slime Splash, casting initiated]

[Optimized spirit power control method detected]

[Potion Apprentice class bonus. Spirit power manipulation precision slightly increased]

"Looks like I'm on the right track..." Robb could feel the spell model forming with unprecedented stability.

The sensation was just like finding the perfect balance point between ingredients during potion preparation.

When all the forces reached a state of harmony, the spell took shape naturally on its own.

[Slime Splash EXP +2]

"So that's how it works..."

Robb opened his eyes and looked at the small glob of slime that had condensed in his hand.

This casting had been not only smoother than any before, but also noticeably less draining on his spirit power.

Yet he knew he still had a long way to go before truly mastering this spell.

This was only a preliminary understanding.

Internalising it as a genuine part of his power would require countless rounds of practice and failure.

As the instructors often said, a mage may spend an entire lifetime and still only achieve mastery of a handful of spells. But it is precisely this focus and depth that allows those spells to reach heights beyond ordinary imagination.

It seemed that potioneering wasn't the only path governed by specific principles, even the most basic spells followed the same pattern.

And through his understanding of "rhythm," he appeared to have found a shortcut to improvement.

Just as Robb was about to continue experimenting, he heard hurried footsteps in the corridor, seemingly accompanied by muffled sobbing.

He pricked up his ears in alert. At this hour, any unusual disturbance was worth paying attention to.

Especially after everything that had happened yesterday...

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