Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Basic Magic Potion Making (Skilled), Genius Trish What a pity... If only I could actually bind a Wind Spirit Moon Shadow modifier to come over, that would be great. At that time, I could directly max out all attributes and skills and become a patron saint in the Otherworld. Ron flipped through the "Basic Magic Potion Theory" in his hand, carefully memorizing and taking notes while sneaking moments to indulge in his imagination. However, this isn’t bad either. The growth bonuses from stacking multiple extraordinary professions will snowball, with various values exploding as they progress. [Basic Alchemy Experience Points +1] Another prompt appeared, and Ron could feel his understanding of magic potion making deepen further. This feeling is like weaving a large net, with each knowledge point as a node on the net. And each time understanding deepens, new connections arise between these nodes. This is growth—watching the numbers creep up, feeling knowledge take root and sprout in one’s heart. It’s not an elusive "seems to understand," but a clear and quantifiable progress. If learning on Earth could be like this, how wonderful would that be? He couldn’t help thinking... If everyone could see their efforts being permanently retained in real-time, quantified into specific numbers, this sense of tangible growth, this certainty that effort will pay off, would be enough to make anyone addicted to knowledge pursuit. In Ron’s view, this was more fulfilling than his past life, as he could feel himself growing every moment, with each effort leaving a clear mark on the panel. ...Then, time quietly passed by in the absorption of knowledge. In the small room, the candlelight flickered incessantly day and night, casting wavering shadows on the pages and notes. Throughout this week, apart from necessary eating and resting, he almost devoted all his time to studying magic potion making. "The activity of evening primrose will decay as time of picking progresses, but if harvested during a full moon, its potency can last a whole month; Spider grass must be cut horizontally to retain its magic power as much as possible; and silver calamus should be cut at an angle, to increase its efficacy..." These properties of the once obscure materials are now forming vivid connections in his mind. Knowledge is no longer stiff words but has become an understanding integrated with flesh and blood. [Basic Alchemy Experience Points +1] [Basic Alchemy Experience Points +1] [Basic Alchemy Experience Points +1] ... [Basic Magic Potion Making (Beginner 5/50) → Basic Magic Potion Making (Proficient 9/100)] [Acquired Additional Trait: High-speed Memory (Memory Enhancement)] A week had quietly passed in this near-obsessive research. The increase in this number represented countless moments of focused attention, with an average daily intense study yielding about ten experience points. Fortunately, acquiring this "High-speed Memory" trait was quite nice, considered an unexpected delight. Moreover, the progress becomes increasingly slow at later stages; it’s foreseeable that reaching the next phase would likely require months of hard work. Therefore, the urgent task is to quickly transfer to the most basic "Magic Potion Apprentice," as the experience point accumulation speed of a professionless whiteboard is akin to a turtle’s pace. It’s just unknown what the transition conditions for the "Wizard Apprentice" combat profession are, as he seemingly hasn’t yet met the conditions to unlock the transition information. Just as Ron was planning the next steps in his mind, there was a gentle knock at the door. "Hey, Ron? Are you still alive?" A slightly teasing voice came from outside the door: "I haven’t seen you in the common area for a whole week; I thought you’d quietly turned into a corpse in your room." Ron looked up to see a handsome face peering at him through the half-open door. The person had brilliant blonde hair, and even the most ordinary gray and white apprentice robes couldn’t conceal his elegant bearing. Searching his memory, Ron recalled that this familiar-looking fellow was—Andre, the Thirteenth Prince of the Kingdom, and one of his few countrymen in this Black Mist Jungle. When they were still in the kingdom, unlike other royal members showing sharpness unveiled, Andre always behaved modestly and courteously, even overly low-key. It’s said that this relieved his several elder brothers, believing this brother had no interest in competing for the throne. Yet now, this Thirteenth Prince was leaning against Ron’s simple doorframe, dressed in the same gray and white apprentice robes. "Is Your Highness concerned about me?" Ron teased: "Unfortunately, the Ralph Clan we serve is not loyal to you, Your Highness." "Come on, don’t call me Your Highness." Andre waved his hand, leaning limply on the doorframe: "Here, we’re all the same. As the Count’s son, or the Thirteenth Prince, these worldly titles are merely nominal before Wizards." His gaze swept across the table, suddenly pausing on the well-thumbed "Basic Magic Potion Theory." The pages were densely interleaved with sticky notes, some of the page corners were curled from frequent reading. "Could it be..." Andre’s voice held a note of incredulity: "You’ve spent this whole week studying this?" Seeing Andre’s somewhat surprised expression, Ron suddenly realized how crazy his week’s behavior might seem to an outsider. It’s known that most candidate apprentices with no hope of advancement choose to spend time in the common area. Or they try finding shortcuts, like trying to ingratiate themselves with those who have already become official apprentices. Locking oneself in a room to intensely study, like Ron did, is probably rare. "Indeed." Ron nodded, his fingers unconsciously stroking the pages: "I find magic potion making unexpectedly interesting." "Interesting?" Andre raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming serious. As a prince raised in the royal court adept at observing nuances, he could naturally perceive Ron’s change. The focus and composure in Ron’s eyes were not something that could easily be feigned. "It seems you’ve truly gained something in this field." Ron was just about to respond when he noticed Andre’s eyes falling once more on the stack of thick notes on the table. These notes were almost twice as thick as the "Basic Magic Potion Theory" itself, with every page filled to the brim. "Are all these what you’ve noted this week?" Andre looked at the topmost notebook, neatly inscribed with charts and annotations. Many places were marked with supplementary notes and questions, with the age of the handwriting showing that some queries had been answered in later studies. "To be accurate," Ron pointed to the thickest notebook: "This is the one I first started with. Back then, many concepts weren’t clear, so the notes were particularly detailed. As my understanding deepened, the notes gradually became more refined." Andre’s eyes lingered on the "Basic Magic Potion Theory" for a moment, his expression somewhat complicated. Too many have hit a wall in magic potion making; some apprentices struggle for years without mastering the basics, let alone reaching proficiency in a few short months. This book was initially given to Ron by Andre, after realizing he had no talent in magic potion making, thus handing over the book that had cost him significant Magic Stone Fragments. "Do you remember where this book came from?" Andre asked seemingly casually. Ron thought briefly, quickly recalling: "It was from you, Your Highness. You mentioned at the time that magic potion making wasn’t suited for you, so you planned to shift to studying Alchemy." Andre’s gaze swept over the dense notes on the table, showing a strange expression: "It seems you’ve surpassed me in effort. To do so many notes in just a week is impressive." "Honestly," he said, feigning a relaxed tone: "I didn’t expect you to find such reward in this field." Laughing lightly, he didn’t finish his sentence, but the underlying disbelief was evident. A talent in this isn’t common, not one in a million, but at least one in a hundred, and even he, Andre, had tried magic potion making and failed miserably. He, of all people, once locked himself in a room like Ron, only to fail to master such a demanding field. Ron, sensing what Andre was thinking, wasn’t offended. He casually changed the subject: "By the way, I haven’t seen Trish in a long time." Just then, Andre’s elegant face showed a moment of emotional turmoil. Though he quickly readjusted to that characteristic refined smile: "Oh, she has already become an Intermediate Apprentice." Andre spoke with an air of lightness, almost as if on purpose.