Chapter 43
Potion and Kiss
The difficulty of brewing the Silverleaf Awakening Potion was more than ten percent higher than that of the Devouring Contamination Potion.
This was not only due to the difference in potion levels, but also because the Mental Strength Enhancement Potion itself was far rarer than resistance potions.
Whether it was the extraction of the ingredients or the fusion of the potion liquids.
Lucy had secluded herself in the dormitory for two days, ruining six sets of ingredients one after another, before she finally triggered the guaranteed 20% success rate of Intermediate Potionology.
The pungent, choking aroma of the concentrated potion filled the laboratory, while an illusion of thorny vines rose from the cauldron, sharp illusory shadows instantly spreading across the tabletop.
The silver-haired girl forcibly endured the phantom pain of the sharp thorns piercing her skin as she poured the potion into the test tube. Only then did the brewing of this potion finally declare success.
She dimmed the Everbright Lamp on the table, and sharp spikes continued to emerge and twist on the surface of the yellow-brown liquid inside the potion vial.
Lucy could not help but suspect that drinking this thing would turn her stomach into a watering can...
After triple-checking that there was no issue in the brewing process, Lucy finally felt slightly relieved.
She once again raised the potion to her lips, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and swallowed the viscous liquid in the test tube in one gulp.
As the thick liquid slid down her throat, it brought searing pain like thousands of razor blades slicing through, extending all the way to her stomach.
She barely endured for half a second before her slender body curled up and collapsed to the ground, as if plunging into the extremes of ice and fire. With the rise of pain, she twisted continuously like a shrimp thrown ashore, and the laboratory was filled with suppressed moans of agony.
[Mental Strength: 8.3] [Contamination Value: 36%]
[Mental Strength: 8.5] [Contamination Value: 38%]
[Mental Strength: 8.6] [Contamination Value: 41%]
9.0, 45%...
9.4, 49%...
9.5, 54%...
10.0, 59%...
The blue characters of the system kept flashing, with Mental Strength and Contamination Value increasing almost simultaneously.
Whispers of unknown origin, strange hallucinations... one by one, symptoms of contamination value exceeding the limit appeared.
Sweat soaked the roots of her silver hair, her porcelain-like swan neck was covered with crimson scratch marks, and her feet stretched straight from the intense pain.
'Con... Contamination Value, no... it cannot rise any further...'
The girl, who briefly regained consciousness, used the last of her strength to pounce toward the experiment table, where several pre-brewed anti-contamination potions were placed.
The agony struck again.
Her trembling fingertips knocked over the Devouring Contamination Potion onto the floor. Accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, Lucy’s heart also sank to the bottom.
In the very last second before losing consciousness, she heard the sound of the door being broken open and Talia’s startled cry.
...
"Didn't expect the side effects of the Silverleaf Awakening Potion to be so severe. Almost suffered a huge setback because of that incomplete manual."
If the potionology notes had been complete, they would surely have documented the side effects of this potion.
Half-reclining on the bed, Lucy regained consciousness after being comatose for half an hourglass.
Her forearm was wrapped in bandages, the wound caused by the broken potion vial.
Beside her was the worried Talia and two empty bottles of Devouring Contamination Potion.
Thanks to the potent effect of the anti-contamination potion, the rampaging contamination value in her body was finally controlled down to 36%, and the pain had completely vanished.
But whenever she recalled that near-death pain, Lucy still felt a lingering dread.
Had Talia not come to check on her after noticing she hadn't left her room for three days...
And happened to hear the sound of glass shattering outside the door, then broke in and saved her...
She would probably have become a Humanoid Enchanted Beast by now.
However, when she looked at the system interface, she felt deeply gratified.
[Name: Lucy Felicia]
[Rank: Official Apprentice (Mental Strength: 11.8)]
[Meditation Method: Bramble Loop Meditation I]
[Witchcraft: Basic Magical Trick (Tier-0), Basic Ring of Resistance (Tier-0), Basic Magical Energy Storage (Tier-0), Basic Screech of Agony (Tier-0)]
[Skills: Devouring Contamination Potion (Advanced), Silverleaf Awakening Potion (Intermediate)]
[Equipment: Gear Staff (+2° magical energy), No. 3 Alchemical Scalpel of the Midnight Dissector (ignores all illusions)]
[Contamination Value: 36%]
[Academic Points: 108]
Under the stimulation of the Silverleaf Awakening Potion, her Mental Strength had soared to 11.8, successfully advancing her to an Official Apprentice.
After the advancement, the first sensation Lucy felt was the increase in magical energy capacity.
Though Mental Strength of 9.9 and 10 seemed to differ by only 0.1, Lucy could clearly feel that the amount of magical energy she could control had at least doubled.
It was like a swimming pool, where the surface area expanded by only the width of a single tile, but the depth had been dug several meters deeper.
With little change in surface area, the total volume had increased severalfold.
No wonder that once Mental Strength reached ten, the status of an Official Apprentice was far superior to that of a trainee apprentice.
With this, the latter part of the meditation method could also be unlocked, and the modeling for Tier-1 Hybrid Witchcraft could be scheduled.
There was also the brewing of new resistance potions, the modeling of the degenerated dragonkin heart...
Lucy casually counted on her fingers and found countless tasks waiting for her.
This wizarding world full of unknowns was, after all, much more interesting than the corporate worker's life on Earth.
Of course, except for turning into a girl.
"Lucy..."
Talia’s hesitant voice interrupted her thoughts. The girl's fair, round face still carried lingering fear. Talia finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Me? Of course not. There’s never been a better time than now." The silver-haired witch grinned mischievously, suddenly reaching out and pinching Talia’s slightly chubby baby-like cheeks.
This girl might not have been particularly beautiful, but she was fair and clean, full of youthful vitality.
The latter slapped away Lucy’s claws in mock annoyance, still worried.
"What exactly happened to you just now? If you hadn’t pointed at the shattered potion bottle on the floor, I wouldn’t have thought of feeding you the resistance potion."
Even now, Talia still felt lingering fear.
"I was testing a new potion. The effect was excellent, just that there was a small problem during the process."
As long as someone was present while drinking the potion, the first intake of the Silverleaf Awakening Potion could increase Mental Strength by more than three points.
This increase was almost equivalent to three months of meditation for an ordinary trainee apprentice, which showed how remarkable its effect was.
A trace of doubt appeared on Talia's face.
Lucy did not bother explaining and directly unfolded her Mental Strength field.
At once, Talia, who was sitting at the bedside, turned pale.
Fortunately, the sensation came and went quickly, and Talia’s pale face instantly turned to one of surprise and joy.
"You advanced to Official Apprentice?!"
Lucy nodded. "How much Mental Strength do you have?"
"6.4."
"A bit low," Lucy pondered. "Once your Mental Strength exceeds 7, taking the potion will guarantee breaking through 10."
Before her words even fell, Talia had already leapt off the bed in excitement.
She threw her arms around Lucy’s neck, planting excited, rain-like kisses on Lucy’s face.
"Lucy, you are absolutely the best potionology witch I’ve ever met!"
The silver-haired girl helplessly received this burst of enthusiasm, suddenly feeling that gender transformation might not be entirely bad.
At least, the soft touch on her cheeks at this moment was indeed much more pleasant than the bear hugs from those rough male colleagues in her previous life.
However...
"Talia, may I ask, how many potionology witches have you met?"