Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Mission

The process of crafting natural potions was even more challenging than Hughes had imagined. From a single set of ingredients, he could produce only one vial. The magic potion was somewhat easier; although it was Hughes’s first attempt, he managed to make five vials. He decided to keep one for himself—not that he expected to use it, but it seemed wise to have one on hand just in case.

Hughes took his freshly concocted potions to present to Lindsay. He planned to hand over the natural potion as well; only by demonstrating his worth could he secure the greatest benefit.

When Hughes returned to the trading district, he found the place transformed from his previous visit. Market stalls now lined both sides of the street, displaying all manner of herbs and materials harvested from magical beasts, awaiting buyers.

The empty quiet of before was gone; the entire trading district now bustled with activity.

Hughes entered Lindsay’s shop, which was crowded with people, most of whom seemed interested in potions.

“Hey, Hughes!” Lindsay greeted him as he walked in.

“Here.” Hughes handed over four vials.

With a faint click, Lindsay opened the wooden box.

Inside were one vial of natural potion and three vials of magic potion.

“You—Hughes...”

“The natural potion is incredibly hard to make—one batch of ingredients only yielded a single dose,” Hughes replied nonchalantly.

“Boss, is this natural potion for sale?” Before Lindsay could respond, an apprentice nearby caught sight of the vial and immediately expressed interest in buying it.

Lindsay hesitated, glancing at Hughes for guidance.

“It’s yours now—do as you see fit.”

Relieved by Hughes’s words, Lindsay made his decision. “Buy it? Of course. This natural potion is ten magic stones!”

The apprentice promptly handed over ten magic stones, and Lindsay exchanged them for the potion.

“My fellow apprentice, let me introduce myself: I am Caravey Risley. Do you have any more of these natural potions? If so, I’d like to buy more—the price isn’t an issue.”

From the brief exchange between Hughes and Lindsay, Caravey had deduced that Hughes himself was the potion’s creator. He was curious which academy had produced such a skilled alchemist.

“Senior Caravey, I’m Hughes Brooke. This was the only natural potion I managed to brew in recent days—there aren’t any spares for now,” Hughes replied with a smile.

“That’s a shame. My team is preparing to go on a mission, and we hoped to purchase a larger supply. At this academy, only Professor Matt and his students regularly make potions. Who is your mentor, if I may ask?”

“Professor Matt,” Hughes answered frankly.

“So you’re one of Professor Matt’s new students! You must have joined the Shadow Ring not long ago. Professor Matt has truly found himself a remarkable apprentice!” Caravey exclaimed in admiration.

“Hughes, your biannual mission must be approaching soon. If you run into trouble, come find me—my team has some strength to spare.” Caravey was clearly hoping to win Hughes over; having such a talented alchemist join his squad would be a boon to anyone.

“Thank you, Senior Caravey. If I really can’t manage, I’ll seek you out—don’t turn me away then,” Hughes replied with a playful grin.

“Haha, don’t worry, Hughes—I certainly won’t.”

After purchasing a few hemostatic potions, a few stamina vials, and two vials of magic potion, Caravey gave Hughes his address and departed.

“If you really can’t handle your mission, our family can help too!” Lindsay chimed in from the side.

“Is it really so difficult to complete the academy’s assigned tasks?” Hughes was puzzled by the repeated offers of help.

“You don’t know, Hughes—the academy’s assignments are always risky, often beyond the students’ current abilities. Though they’re called biannual mandatory missions, they’re really a test. Pass it, and you won’t be forced to do missions every six months anymore—unless you need magic stones and seek out tasks on your own. Time is precious for sorcerers; who has spare time for biannual missions? But as an alchemist, once you pass this trial, you’ll truly be a member of the Shadow Ring.”

“Oh? Are the missions’ failure rates really that high?” Only after Lindsay’s explanation did Hughes realize the full implications.

“Very high. Of the more than three hundred new apprentices the Shadow Ring recruited this round, fewer than half will pass their missions.”

“So high?” Hughes frowned, recalling how Professor Matt had promised to handle his assignment—he realized he owed a significant favor.

“So, Hughes, if you can’t handle it, just let me know—I’ll find a way.”

“My mentor has already taken care of my mission for me. I’ll probably stay at the academy for a while. If you can send more ingredients, I’d like to brew a larger batch.”

“It’s great having a mentor. If I were Professor Matt, I wouldn’t let a genius alchemist like you risk yourself, either!” Lindsay said enviously.

“I’ll get the potion materials to you as soon as possible.” As Lindsay spoke, he handed Hughes the magic stones he’d just earned from selling the potions.

Hughes accepted them without protest, exchanged a few more words, then left the shop.

He headed to one of the academy’s own stores and selected a zero-level spell template: “Frost Armor.”

“Frost Armor: Forms a layer of ice on the body’s surface to resist attacks. Increases defense against fire, water, and ice elements.”

This was Hughes’s choice for a zero-level spell this time. As for how much damage it could actually withstand, he’d have to wait for the chip to finish its analysis and simulation.

“Ding! Task established! Analyzing and simulating Frost Armor. Estimated time: 1 day, 8 hours, 1 minute.”

Hughes walked along the academy’s winding paths, noticing that the campus was steadily growing busier. Every day, he saw more second- and third-level apprentices returning from outside.

Passing through the mission area, he saw crowds gathering there as well. The so-called mission area was really just a single large building—but because of the constant flow of people and teams, the academy had set it aside as a distinct zone.

Stepping inside, Hughes saw the enormous crystal screen light up. Many people were scanning the posted missions, evaluating their own abilities and deciding whether or not to accept. He heard some apprentices threatening others over a particular task, but none of this concerned him—he simply took a look and moved on.

Time passed quickly. Hughes had already spent half a year in the Shadow Ring, and by regulation, it was time for him to accept his mandatory mission.

He went to request a leave of absence from Professor Matt, who readily agreed and assured Hughes he needn’t worry—the matter was already handled. He told Hughes simply to return to the lab once his “mission” was complete.

Hughes made his way to the mission area, entered the hall, and approached the counter.

After explaining his purpose to the third-level apprentice behind the desk, he watched as the apprentice produced a large tome and began verifying Hughes’s identity.

“Hughes Brooke, your assignment is to patrol the academy’s perimeter for one month, two hours each day. Here is your crystal pendant.” The apprentice handed Hughes a diamond-shaped crystal pendant.

“Each day during your patrol, activate it with your spirit. It will record everything around you. When your time is up, simply deactivate it,” the apprentice explained.

“A sort of recorder, I suppose,” Hughes thought, examining the crystal pendant in his hand.

“Your patrol hours are from six to eight in the evening each day.” The apprentice handed Hughes a map, indicating the area he was to cover.

“That’s all. In a month, just return the crystal pendant. You’re dismissed.” With that, the apprentice paid him no further mind.

Hughes thanked him and left the hall. In truth, his assignment was remarkably simple.

Patrolling the academy’s perimeter was mainly to watch for mutated beasts. There were many such creatures in the Shadow Ring, some kept by the academy for experiments. The ambient energy in the academy often caused some to mutate—making them bloodthirsty and dangerous. Still, it wasn’t anything too serious. Compared to others, Hughes’s mission was among the easiest. In fact, if he didn’t want to do it himself, he could hire someone to walk the route each day for a couple of hours. As long as the crystal pendant was turned in at the end, no one would care who had actually done the job.