Chapter Seventy-Six: Increase

"Time passes so quickly," Hughes murmured to himself as he watched the sun about to rise.

Having used up all the medicinal ingredients, Hughes tidied up his workbench and collapsed into bed. As for the matter of the basic mental elixir, Hughes decided to wait a couple of days before delivering it to Anker; bringing it over too soon would be suspicious.

It was only after delaying for two days that Hughes finally prepared to bring the two vials of basic mental elixir to Anker. Following the address Anker had given him, Hughes wandered around the academy for quite some time, even stopping to ask a few people for directions, before finally finding the place inside one of the buildings.

"At last, I've found it—this is the one," Hughes said to himself as he saw the door number matching the one Anker had given him.

Standing outside the room, Hughes could already hear voices coming from within, and Anker's laughter was among them. As he was about to knock, Hughes realized the door wasn't locked—only lightly closed.

Hughes gently pushed open the door, and as it swung inward, the voices inside came to an abrupt halt; all eyes turned toward him.

"Hmm? Hughes, what brings you here?" Anker hurried over as soon as he saw Hughes.

"Boss, isn't this the guy from the secret realm...?" Someone in the room clearly recognized Hughes; his skill with a bow had left a deep impression.

"Alright, I have matters to discuss with Hughes. You all can go for now," Anker said, knowing Hughes must have something important. The others didn't protest—some of them seemed aware of Hughes and Anker's dealings, and one or two cast Hughes a lingering look before leaving.

Once everyone had left, Anker closed the door and, seeing Hughes already seated, quickly asked if something had happened.

Hughes placed two vials of pale blue elixir on the table in front of him, saying nothing.

Seeing Hughes produce two vials, Anker seemed to realize something. He stepped forward, picked up one vial, and examined it closely.

"Hughes, you've already refined them?" Anker asked, almost in disbelief, as he touched the vial as if in a dream.

"I just followed the formula you gave me. I don't know the exact effects," Hughes replied honestly. A potion whose efficacy varied from person to person was something not even the chip could fully predict.

"As long as you managed to make it," Anker said, his gaze burning with anticipation as he stared at the elixir.

"I thought you were coming because you ran out of ingredients! It's not easy to gather all these in the academy nowadays. But you actually succeeded—and made two!" Anker couldn't take his eyes off the vials.

"It was just luck," Hughes admitted, and he told Anker about the instability during the refining process.

Anker believed every word. He had researched the formula thoroughly after obtaining it, and knew both the difficulty and the instability involved; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Hughes for help. Yet Hughes managed to deliver not just one, but two vials in just two days—that was truly astonishing to him.

"The title of genius potionist suits you well," Anker sighed, envious of Hughes' mastery of alchemy. He had once aspired to be an alchemist himself, but had been forced to give up.

"Are you planning to use it yourself?" Hughes asked, voicing his concern.

"Of course! Why would I just give it away for nothing?" Anker looked at the elixir in his hand, hesitated, then handed one vial back to Hughes.

"I don't need it for now. Just help me gather some more ingredients," Hughes replied, naturally not revealing that he had already kept two for himself.

"Alright, I'll get on it as soon as possible," Anker said, not pressing Hughes further, assuming he wanted to wait and see the effects before deciding.

Hughes didn't linger long. Noticing Anker's eager expression, he tactfully took his leave.

"With this basic mental elixir, my assimilation of the mental runes can speed up again," Anker muttered as soon as Hughes left, unable to wait any longer. He seized one vial and drank it in a single gulp.

"Hahaha, it's working!" Anker exclaimed as he felt a surge and fluctuation in his mental energy.

His eyes then drifted to the remaining vial. "Mental power... more mental power..." Anker stared at it obsessively, his rationality clouded. He forgot entirely the rule that this elixir could only be taken once.

He quickly downed the second vial as well. "My mental power!" he cried, clutching his head as a wave of pain washed over him. The pain persisted, unrelenting, until Anker finally fainted.

Hughes, by then far away, knew nothing of this. He couldn't have predicted that Anker would foolishly drink both vials at once.

Hughes brought another vial of elixir to Billy's quarters.

Influenced by Hughes, Billy had been diligently studying the witchcraft templates lately, and his strength had improved significantly.

Bang! Hughes knocked, then entered Billy's dorm directly.

"What brings you here, Hughes?" Billy asked, pouring Hughes a cup of black tea as he sat down.

"Am I not allowed to visit?" Hughes replied, noting Billy's stats had indeed increased since last time.

"Of course, just curious," Billy grinned—he knew Hughes rarely dropped by without reason.

"Drink this when you have time," Hughes said, tossing the vial to Billy.

Billy caught it, and examined the unfamiliar elixir.

"What kind of potion is this?" he asked, certain he'd never seen or heard of anything like it.

"It's a basic mental elixir—it boosts your mental power," Hughes replied offhandedly.

"A basic mental elixir..." Billy's composure faltered as he gazed at the pale blue liquid.

He recalled how casually Hughes had just tossed it over, as if it were nothing special, and was a little stunned.

"No, Hughes, this is too valuable—you should keep it for yourself!" Tempted as he was—this being the dream of countless witch apprentices—Billy hesitated, and decided to decline.

But Hughes simply pressed the vial back into his hand. "I've already used it, and a wizard apprentice can only benefit from it once; a second dose is useless. So just keep it."

"Really?" Billy asked, now wavering.

"Take it. But remember to help me search for the things I need," Hughes added, seeing Billy's continued reluctance.

"Alright, I promise I'll do my best!" Billy finally accepted, unable to hide his eagerness for the elixir.

With Billy having accepted it, Hughes' purpose was achieved. After all, among the entire Shadow Ring, Billy was the only one Hughes considered a real friend; the rest were mere collaborators.

"So, how effective is this elixir?" Billy asked, turning the vial over in his hand. He felt truly lucky to have befriended Hughes—otherwise, he'd never have laid eyes on such a potion.

"It's hard to say—it varies from person to person," Hughes replied honestly.

"But if you practice the breathing technique I taught you before taking it, the effects should be even better," he added, recalling what the chip had speculated with him.

Hughes had already taught Billy his own foundational breathing technique some time ago.

"Got it," Billy nodded. He trusted Hughes completely, and had already noticed that the breathing method Hughes taught him was different from any he'd seen before, prompting him to continue practicing it diligently.

"Good. And don't tell anyone about this elixir," Hughes warned. He didn't want word of the basic mental elixir spreading—not just yet.