Free Web NovelChapter 14: Chapter 14: Just Chug It
"Now that you can perceive the existence of Spiritual Power, your next step is to gather that chaotic power, fuse it, and forge it into a Spirit Rune."
"As your teacher, I must remind you: when you’re outlining the Spirit Rune, you must be slow!"
After Radak said this, his figure vanished from before Andre. Then, a great force sent Andre to the entrance of the Wizard Inheritance Hall.
’Slow... Could it be because the Spirit Rune might explode while I’m outlining it?’
Andre recalled what Radak had told him to be careful about when taking the Talent Potion, and he instantly understood.
’First, take the Enhancing Potion, then the Talent Potion. I can either keep the Spirit Potion or sell it.’
Having come to his senses, Andre’s gaze fell once more upon the small wooden box in his arms. The twelve Potions inside were what Radak had prepared for him for his apprenticeship.
In terms of Magic Stones, these twelve Potions were worth several hundred, perhaps even more. From this alone, it was clear that Radak was treating his apprentice exceptionally well.
Andre looked at the twelve Potions, and after a moment of thought, he placed the wooden box on a bookshelf. He took one Enhancing Potion from the box, uncorked it, and downed it in one go.
The liquid was sweet and slightly bubbly, almost like the cola from his past life. Before he could even savor the taste, a wave of heat surged from his stomach to the crown of his head, coursing through his entire body.
’The Potion is starting to work!’
Andre touched his arm. His body was growing hot.
"UGH... ARGH... HISS!" Under the Potion’s effect, Andre felt his tissues being torn apart, bit by bit, only to be healed again in a continuous, agonizing cycle.
About half an hour later, Andre collapsed onto the floor. fгeewebnovёl.com
He was completely drenched in sweat and gave off a foul odor.
’If a Basic Potion is this powerful, I wonder how much stronger I’d become with an Advanced Potion like Wild Bull Body or Frenzied Lion’s Strength.’
Andre got up, took the wooden box from the bookshelf, and went to his room in the Wizard Inheritance Hall.
As Radak’s apprentice, he had his own room near the entrance of the Wizard Inheritance Hall.
Back in his room, Andre set down the wooden box, went into the bathroom, and washed himself thoroughly.
After his bath, just as he was about to put on fresh clothes, his stomach suddenly let out a cry. It started as a mere GRUMBLE, but soon it sounded like a croaking toad.
’Damn it! I need to eat a ton of food after taking an Enhancing Potion!’
Andre didn’t have time to get fully dressed. He just pulled on his pants, threw on a jacket, and bolted out of the Wizard Inheritance Hall, making a beeline for the dining hall.
Only after downing five large bowls of meat congee, plus three slabs of dried wild bull jerky that were normally impossible to chew, did he finally feel full.
"Urp!" Andre let out a satisfied burp, rubbing his belly.
That meal was more than double what he usually ate.
Andre left the dining hall with a honeydew melon, eating as he walked and calculating in his head.
’Just one Enhancing Potion more than doubled my appetite. After taking the other three, my food intake will probably be five times what it used to be.’
’Although my appetite will gradually return to normal as the Potion’s effects wear off, until then, I’ll be spending half of my already limited time in the dining hall. That’s not acceptable.’
Munching on his melon, Andre returned to the Wizard Inheritance Hall. He grabbed a mop to clean the sweat from the floor. After he finished, Andre went back to his room, unrolled the Beast Hide Scroll, and began his practice, studying the Meditation Technique written on it.
As he began his practice, Andre noticed something was different. This time, he entered a meditative state much faster than ever before.
’Could it be that a stronger body also affects my practice of the Meditation Technique?’
Andre turned his head to look at the wooden box of Potions.
’The only explanation for this change is the Enhancing Potion I took.’
’If that’s the case, then the side effects of physical enhancement are acceptable.’
’But I definitely can’t take another Enhancing Potion today. My body wouldn’t be able to handle it.’
Andre knew this well. He turned his focus back to his Meditation Technique. With the boost from the Potion, now was the perfect time to practice.
The next morning, Andre brought an Enhancing Potion to the dining hall. Under the watchful eyes of numerous Wizard Apprentices and new recruits, he drank the Potion, then grabbed a bowl and started getting food.
"Drinking a Potion first thing in the morning?"
Many of the Wizard Apprentices didn’t understand what Andre was doing, but a few sharp-eyed ones recognized the Potion in his hand.
"An Enhancing Potion! Each one is worth ten Magic Stones! He’s so rich!"
The one who spoke stared at Andre, their eyes filled with envy.
"Ten Magic Stones, gone just like that? HISS!"
Many of the Wizard Apprentices glanced at their own coin purses, then back at Andre, and shook their heads. Comparing oneself to others was just asking for misery.
In a month, after covering daily expenses and buying cultivation supplies, they could only save about seven or eight Magic Stones. Andre had just swallowed more than a month’s worth of their savings in a single gulp.
"He’s the apprentice of a Master of Witchcraft. The Master only has one apprentice, so what’s a single Enhancing Potion to him?"
Just then, someone recognized Andre as the student Radak had taken in and revealed his identity.
"Master Radak’s apprentice? Well, that makes sense!"
Once everyone knew Andre was Radak’s student, their envious looks vanished, replaced with expressions of pity. Being the apprentice of a Master of Witchcraft was no easy task.
Meanwhile, Andre, carrying his meat congee and a few slabs of dried wild bull jerky, found a place to sit and eat.
As the Potion’s effects kicked in, Andre felt his appetite surge. To fill his stomach and satisfy his body’s demands, he began to eat rapidly.
Bowl after bowl of meat congee quickly disappeared down his throat.
「Two days later.」
Andre stared at the four Talent Potions in the wooden box. He recalled Radak’s words, hesitated for a moment, then finally grabbed one and downed it.
As he drank the Talent Potion, the headache Radak had warned him about never came.
Instead, a comfortable feeling spread through Andre’s entire body. He turned, unrolled the Beast Hide Scroll, and began to practice his Meditation Technique, taking advantage of the Potion’s burgeoning effects.
This time, under the Potion’s influence, he easily unified the scattered Spiritual Power in his mind.
When he took the second Potion, he completely unified his Spiritual Power. At this point, all that separated him from becoming a Wizard Apprentice was the task of outlining the first Spirit Rune in his mind.
