Chapter 22

Speaking of the antidote, besides the low-grade antidote that Mei Li took out, Sain immediately remembered that he still had half a bottle of the mid-grade antidote given to him by Master Mosido.

However, Sain had left that antidote at his and Lina's home, and now he needed to retrieve it as soon as possible to take it.

"We'll head back first, see you all later!" Sain supported Lina's arm and said to Boss and Mei Li in front of him.

Sain at least had two close friends, Boss and Mei Li, and there were also several low-grade apprentices who were familiar with him but had a more casual relationship.

But Lina had always been a solitary figure, and besides Sain, she seemed to have no one to talk to at the Black Magic Academy.

"Sure, if anything happens, come find me in the East District, you know which shop I'm in," the fat Boss replied first.

This fat man was also extremely wary of Lina, a high-grade apprentice who was usually cold, but his performance was much better than Mei Li's, as he did not show obvious fear.

Mei Li, on the other hand, showed clear fear.

While secretly glancing at Lina, she quickly pushed the three vials in her red cloth bag into Sain's hand.

These three vials were all low-grade restorative potions made by Mei Li herself.

Potions involving mental and magical power recovery were too advanced for her to make at the moment.

These three low-grade restorative potions could only help heal some external injuries and accelerate the recovery of bodily tissues.

But this was no small feat, considering Mei Li's young age and the short time she had been learning alchemy from Master Diers.

In Mysobura City, the value of potions was not much less than that of magical items.

Even the lowest-grade potions were not affordable for ordinary magic apprentices.

Otherwise, Sain wouldn't have gone to trouble the saltwater crocodile with just his bare chest.

Looking at the three vials in his hand, Sain gave Mei Li a grateful look.

But Lina's condition could not be delayed, so Sain, without further ado, supported Lina and walked straight to the dormitory building.

Boss and Mei Li watched Sain and Lina leave the training ground before they prepared to leave.

Just before leaving, the fat Boss rubbed his fat hands and said to Mei Li with a smile, "Little Mei Li, you're quite capable, able to make low-grade antidotes and restorative potions."

"Why don't you take care of my business, and we can split the profits 70-30." Boss said to Mei Li.

Mei Li and Boss were not very familiar; they only knew each other through Sain.

Boss used to think that Sain was overly sympathetic to this little girl.

Now, it seemed that Sain had good foresight, while he himself had been shortsighted.

Faced with the fat Boss's flattering smile, the little girl Mei Li rolled her eyes.

When she first came to the Dark Region, she was indeed a pure and innocent little girl, but after studying and living at the Black Magic Academy in Mysobura City for so long, even the purest little flower had adapted to some of the underground world's environment.

Mei Li did not immediately fall for Boss's flattering smile but shook her head and said, "My success rate for making low-grade restorative potions is only 30%, and for low-grade antidotes, it's only 10%."

"If you can provide me with the necessary materials for making potions, I can consider working with you."

Mei Li's bargaining proved that she was gradually maturing at the Black Magic Academy.

Faced with Mei Li's proposed terms, the fat Boss first looked troubled.

But after learning from Mei Li what materials she would need, the fat man's expression visibly relaxed.

"The materials you mentioned are all low-end and won't cost much black gold, but I assume you'll need a lot of them."

"So, we need to discuss the specific profit-sharing for the potions," the fat Boss said.

This time, after a moment's thought, Mei Li nodded in agreement.

Due to the harsh environment of the Dark Region, there was never a shortage of fights, and there were many types of toxic substances.

Once Mei Li's antidotes and restorative potions were launched, there would certainly be a market for them.

The only thing the fat Boss was uncertain about was how long it would take Mei Li to make these potions and whether her success rates were as she claimed.

Leaving aside Mei Li's subsequent cooperation with the fat man, on the other side, Sain had already supported Lina back to their home.

To make Lina feel better, Sain, besides giving her the low-grade antidote and restorative potion, also handed her his strong acid staff.

The slow recovery of mental and magical power would also make Lina feel better.

"Don't worry about me, the injuries I sustained are not as severe as you think."

"Once we go to the mentor's place tomorrow, we can get a purification potion, and these death auras should be completely expelled," Lina reassured Sain.

It seemed that Lina's mentor really valued her. Besides what Lina mentioned, Sain also knew that the bracelet on her wrist, which increased the recovery of some dark elemental magic and helped her cast a spell—Shadow Assault—was also a gift from her mentor, Ferena.

These formal black mages seemed to be quite wealthy.

"Okay, you rest and meditate for a while, I'll go cook," Sain nodded.

...

When Sain came to Master Mosido's place again, Mosido, who was in the middle of an experiment, took the time to see Sain and acknowledged his achievement of winning the academy award.

The mentor must have known about this because his senior sister, Fei, had told him in advance.

Faced with the mentor's praise, Sain maintained his usual humility and respect.

"It is your guidance and magical notes that have greatly benefited me, and Senior Sister Fei has also taught me many techniques for using fire elemental magic," Sain said.

Nodding, Mosido said, "Advance to the mid-grade apprentice level as soon as possible. Once you reach that level, you can assist me in some experiments with your senior brothers and sisters."

"This will also help you integrate more quickly into our school's knowledge and explore the path of truth," Mosido encouraged.

After seeing Master Mosido return to his laboratory, Sain also returned to the side room that seemed to be exclusively his.

The strong acid staff was held in his left hand, and in his right hand, he held a small crystal ball containing the initial meditation method given by his mentor.

"Then, mid-grade apprentice, here I come."

Taking a deep breath, Sain used the slow mana recovery effect of the strong acid staff and the relatively dense elemental concentration in the room to meditate and try to break the limit of the magic his body could contain.

After a series of battles, and with Sain already at the breaking point, advancing to the mid-grade apprentice level was a natural progression.

A mid-grade apprentice at sixteen could be considered a little genius.

In Mysobura City, there were many low-grade apprentices over twenty-five years old.

However, there were very few low-grade apprentices over thirty.

Not all magic apprentices were so talented that they could advance to the mid-grade apprentice level before the age of thirty.

Rather, the black mages at the academy consciously cleared out those who had not advanced to the mid-grade apprentice level by the age of thirty.

The academy did not support the useless. In a situation with limited resources, those with limited talent and potential could only die.