Chapter 27 – Failure and Success

Apprentice-Level Conjuration Spell—Energy Conversion. Punk cast this spell on the increasingly hot sphere that had already reached at least two thousand degrees Celsius. The sphere’s energy began rapidly converting into peaceful ether energy. Within mere seconds, the once blazing bright sphere, resembling a miniature sun, transformed into beautiful white specks of light dissipating into the air…

Punk gently shook his left hand a few times. As the Mage Armor faded, the severe burn on his palm became visible. Gazing at the strikingly obvious burn against his fair skin, Punk let out a soft sigh. He applied an Apprentice Rank Evocation spell—Minor Life Healing—to his palm. Under the gentle coverage of life energy, the painful burn quickly subsided. In less than twenty seconds, the skin on Punk’s hand restored to its original state—still fair and smooth.

Punk flexed his slender fingers, their agility completely unaffected, then slowly raised his head. Before him lay a scene of utter devastation that came as no surprise. Staring at the wooden hut that had transformed from “damaged” to “completely ruined,” Punk fell into a daze.

The floor was littered with numerous wood fragments, many of which had been carbonized by the extreme heat. Several walls he had pierced through were in particularly dreadful condition. Through the gaping holes, most of which had turned to charcoal, Punk could see all the way to his laboratory. Now he had absolutely no confidence whether his Alchemy Tools had survived unscathed.

Suddenly, an inexplicable fury ignited within Punk’s heart…

He found no fault with the Apprentice Rank classification for the potion itself, as its effects were indeed at that level. However, the bastard who listed the brewing requirements as Apprentice Rank and categorized the difficulty as medium was absolutely malicious! While “theoretically” an Apprentice Rank mage could indeed brew this “Night Vision Potion”—provided they possessed basic Alchemy Tools and learned several fundamental alchemical spells… but note! That was only theoretical, only theoretical, only theoretical! Important things must be said three times!

In reality, Punk could confirm that even he, an Apprentice-Level mage with special advantages, found the brewing process this challenging. If an ordinary Apprentice Rank mage were to attempt it… unless they were the legendary once-in-ten-millennia alchemical prodigy, even if they wasted tens of thousands of Gold Coins worth of materials, even if they spent three to four years studying, even if they had a powerful and experienced mentor to prevent them from blowing themselves up—whether they could actually brew this so-called “Apprentice Rank difficulty” potion at their level would still remain a huge question mark! Therefore, for most aspiring mage apprentices dreaming of alchemy, this path—with its expensive knowledge, costly materials, and pricey tools—was not only a money-burning endeavor but also a trap! A divine trap! The kind that could cost you your life if you weren’t careful!

Thinking this, Punk began reflecting on the current state of magical civilization development. Mages who had greatly benefited from the Netheril civilization’s legacy showed no signs of reviving the glorious magical civilization, instead appearing increasingly stagnant and declining. The scarcity of mages served as clear evidence!Punk believed that the so-called “divine obstruction” commonly mentioned by people wasn’t the primary cause. The true hindrance to the revival of magical civilization lay in the various entrenched malpractices within the current mage community. Look at today’s mages—each hoarding knowledge like misers, writing books to pass down crucial information with a “hold back one technique, sabotage one step” mentality… These widely overlooked flaws were the real formidable enemies on the path to magical renaissance!

At this thought, Punk shook his head helplessly. Currently, he could do nothing about the deeply ingrained bad habits of mages. To acquire knowledge, one must strive to exchange, compete, or plunder… Such was the stark reality before him!

Feeling somewhat hollow inside, Punk decided to ignore the messy wood fragments littering the floor. “Consider it an alternative carpet,” he mused. The immediate priority was to analyze the reasons for his failure, learn from the mistakes, and prepare for the next attempt… Dusting off his impeccably clean Mage Robe, Punk expressionlessly made his way back to the Laboratory through the trail of broken holes. He was not one to give up easily!

“System, analyze the cause of energy conflict,” Punk commanded the System before meticulously inspecting each piece of Alchemy Tools. Fortunately, thanks to his timely “sacrifice,” the tools remained completely undamaged…

“Analysis result: Due to undesirable contact between Positive Energy Unit 7 and Semi-Energy Unit 213, Magic Operation Line 7648 failed to terminate the adverse interaction promptly, triggering a chain thermal energy conversion.”

“System, analyze solutions!”

“Analysis result: Adjust density of Positive Energy Unit 7, modify intervention timing of Dark Element Unit 335, and add magic control lines for Semi-Energy Unit 213.”

“Ve—ry well!” Putting down the Alchemy Tools, Punk stretched luxuriously. His raised arm accidentally knocked off his hood, revealing lustrous azure hair where every strand appeared crystalline under the faint light…

“Has my hair grown a bit too fast? Should trim it when there’s time.” Smoothing his hairstyle lightly, Punk readjusted his hood.

“Commence second brewing attempt. System, maintain detailed logs…”

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After a day and night of relentless effort—during which Punk would immediately meditate upon depleting his mana and resume brewing as soon as he recovered—he exhausted all ten sets of alchemical materials to finally produce one qualified Night Vision Potion. Though merely an Apprentice Rank auxiliary potion, it represented the very foundation and gateway to alchemy. From this moment, Punk could truly call himself an alchemist!

The Night Vision Potion was contained in a test tube sealed with an enchanted cork. Within the crystal-clear transparent liquid, faint dark-purple luminous threads spiraled slowly like a gently rotating helical coil. Under the illumination of Dancing Lights, the pristine potion appeared breathtakingly beautiful. This concoction could be preserved for three years under normal circumstances, with its shelf life extendable through magical “maintenance” methods.”So, after working all day and all night, I only just broke even?” Punk muttered to himself without any inflection in his voice, but deep down he felt a flicker of satisfaction. Throughout this alchemy learning process, he had gained substantial experience in mana control and alchemical energy fusion—these were the true rewards of his 27-hour endeavor.

As he examined his “masterpiece”—that test tube of Night Vision Potion—his keen Elven ears caught faint traces of ethereal music drifting from outside, interwoven with boisterous cheers and clamor.

Punk recalled BBQ Uncle mentioning that the Emerald Festival celebration was likely today. In his buoyant mood, he decided to venture out and experience this otherworldly festival, while also replenishing his depleted materials.

(End of Chapter)