Chapter 79

"Why are you back so late?" When Cook and Dunkes returned to the dormitory, Micky whispered in complaint.

"Hehe! Nothing much, I found another job to earn points," Cook explained in a low voice.

Since Dunkes had a meal at Cook's place, he would always come on time for every meal. Martha already had a lot of complaints about Dunkes because most of the cooking was done by her, although Cook also did some, but Dunkes didn't care.

Dunkes had just sat down and saw the table filled with various dishes, his heart couldn't help but be eager, but the host hadn't started eating yet, so as a guest, he couldn't eat first. However, when Dunkes heard Cook's words, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Cook, what kind of job did you find to earn points? You didn't go anywhere else this morning!"

Cook, hearing Dunkes' words, spread his hands helplessly and replied, "Sigh, I was intercepted halfway."

"What do you mean?" At this moment, Lori also came down. It was clear that Lori had just woken up. There was no way around it; Lori was now a dual-element Fire and Thunder mage, so her meditation time was particularly long. Some people said it would be more convenient to use magic cores.

Yes! Using magic crystals or magic cores for meditation is not only convenient but also quick. However, the greatest benefit of meditation is not just to restore magic power and increase its purity, but also to train mental strength. The continuous absorption of elements increases the resilience and flexibility of mental strength, making it grow gradually. Therefore, meditation generally does not use magic crystals or magic cores.

"It was the examiner in charge of the assessment..." Cook quickly explained the whole story.

"Impossible! How dare someone do this? Don't they fear the crazy mentor Lyle?" Dunkes opened his mouth wide, asking in disbelief.

Cook sighed, "Sigh! There's nothing I can do. The examiner said he wasn't afraid, but I have a plan. If Mentor Lyle causes trouble, I won't go, hehe!" Cook finished with a chuckle.

"Did you see the examiner's name when you signed the contract?" Dunkes had a bad feeling and asked after thinking for a moment.

However, after Dunkes spoke, he noticed that everyone around him had a strange expression. Finally, it was Lori who burst out laughing, "Haha, haha! Cook only knows magic script, not the common script of the continent."

"Bang!" The juice in Dunkes' hand fell to the ground with a bang, and he stared at Cook in a daze.

"That's right! I don't know the common script of the continent, but I do know magic script!" Cook, seeing Dunkes' questioning gaze, had no choice but to spread his hands helplessly.

"Damn! Are you kidding me? You know magic script but not common script, you, you!" Dunkes was speechless, dodging to let the angry Martha clean up while exaggeratingly asking. After all, magic script is the hardest to learn, and it usually takes five to ten years to master because magic script is the most basic part of magic, and magic runes and magic arrays are closely related to magic script.

"Alright, alright! Then you should remember how the examiner wrote his name, I want to see who is so bold as to not give Mentor Lyle face." Dunkes had no choice but to ask helplessly.

"Remember!" Cook dipped his hand in some juice and wrote it on the table.

After writing, Cook said angrily, "What kind of name is this, so long? Fortunately... Uh! What's wrong with you guys?"

"Cook, Cook, never, never write this name again, this is Mentor Lyle's full name." Dunkes quickly erased what Cook had written and warned in a panic.

"What's wrong with the name? What? You, you, you mean this is the crazy Mentor Lyle?" Cook sat up suddenly but was slapped on the shoulder by the sleeping Rea, and he sat back down, clearly Rea didn't like being disturbed while sleeping.

"Cook, this is Mentor Lyle's full name. Do you know, many curses only need the full name to harm someone from a distance, so a mage's full name cannot be easily revealed," Dunkes explained with a bitter mouth.

And Lori added, "Yes, unless it's the closest person, the full name is not easily given to others. But how did you pass Mentor Lyle's assessment, and what is the split?"

"After I went in... the split on the contract is 5%, and it's for three years." Cook repeated the assessment process and then stated the split.

Dunkes' fat face immediately turned green, "What? 5%! Oh my God, you're killing me, and for three whole years, oh my God, I beg you, no, Cook, how did you do it?"

"How did I do it? I just did what Mentor Lyle did!" Cook answered matter-of-factly, of course, Cook wouldn't mention the magic eye. In fact, Cook found that the magic eye was the best for refining potions because the magical fluctuations of the potion and the materials to be added were clearly visible, and the heat control was excellent.

"Easy to say! Damn!" Dunkes was speechless by Cook's words. Yes, it sounds good, do what the mentor does, but to reach that level, how many times of practice and experience are needed?

"No, as a reward for taking you there, you have to provide meals, and for three years." Dunkes felt he had lost a lot and shouted, while Martha glared at Dunkes.

But Micky asked, "Cook, what kind of position is the dedicated assistant to Mentor Lyle?"

"What! Dedicated assistant to Mentor Lyle, go, that's a 3000-point-per-month position, you, you, no, I must eat you for three years." Dunkes finally realized and tore open the package Cook brought back, which contained a silver-white robe with a flask on the chest, and the magic script for "assistant" on the flask, then he cried out in sorrow.

"What? 3000 points a month!" Micky shouted.

"Rich! Rich! I saw a magic necklace in the comprehensive area yesterday that increases mental perception distance by 5%, but it costs 500 points. This time, with points, I must buy it," Lori said excitedly.

Cook was drenched in sweat, and Dunkes looked at Cook with burning eyes, then patted Cook's shoulder and said, "Cook, when Mentor Lyle refines any potion, notify me first. Don't worry, you'll get your share of the benefits."

"Alright!" Cook, hearing Dunkes' words, felt a stir in his heart and answered. Cook could fully imagine what Dunkes meant. Cook carefully recalled and found that the contract with Mentor Lyle did not include the leakage of potion refinement information, of course, the formula was definitely included.

"Eat, eat!" Lori was now very excited, thinking of the beautiful magic necklace that increases mental perception, she was very excited.

Dunkes, on the other hand, saw everything. This lunch was different; the originally ravenous Dunkes was somewhat restless, while Cook continued to eat ravenously. Micky and Lori were a bit excited, and Lucy and Connie were also very excited, while Bell and Besu curiously observed Cook.

"Cough. Actually, you don't know, Mentor Lyle has already advanced to Master Alchemist ten years ago," Dunkes thought for a moment and decided to reveal this information.

"Bang!"

"Spit!"

"Uh!"

The bang was the sound of several people dropping their utensils, the spit was Connie, sitting opposite Cook, spitting out the juice she had just drunk, and the uh was Cook being splashed with juice on his face.

"Sorry!"

"Master!"

"Master Alchemist!"

The scene was chaotic, with surprise, apologies, and all sorts of reactions, but most were shocked, including the usually cold-faced Besu and the always cool Bell, of course, the most excited was Connie.

"Also, after you became Mentor Lyle's dedicated assistant, you automatically became a formal student of the academy, no longer a listener, and you have the opportunity to have a residence in the garden on the mountaintop," Dunkes added.

Lori's eyes widened, and she asked hurriedly, "Is it the legendary forbidden area, the location of the three major magic crystal cannons of the magic city, the mountaintop?"

"Yes! There is a garden on the mountaintop, specifically for mentors and their dedicated assistants. It can be considered one of the safest areas in the entire magic city," Dunkes, who seemed to have considerable influence, knew all this.

"Cook!" Lori almost pounced on Cook.

"Alright, alright, I'll try!" Cook quickly raised his hand.

"Not try, but you must do it, this is what you should do as a guardian knight," Lori said with wide eyes, almost shouting.

Cook shrugged helplessly and asked Dunkes, "How do you know so much in detail?"

"Cough. Because I lived there when I was a child, and my grandfather still lives there!" Dunkes answered with a smile.

"Your grandfather?" Cook was puzzled.

"A deputy commander of the third legion of the magic city," Dunkes answered with a smile, but the expected shock did not appear, only a chorus of "ohs." Then Dunkes understood, these people didn't know the power structure of the magic city, but Dunkes didn't explain in detail, as it would seem pretentious.

Dunkes revealed his identity at this moment, clearly wanting to get on good terms with Cook. Dunkes valued Cook's position as a dedicated assistant to a Master Alchemist, which was a worthwhile investment. As for Cook's combat ability, Dunkes didn't think it was worth investing in, as everyone in the Unrivaled Academy had excellent talent.

After finishing his meal, Dunkes hurriedly left, and Cook was forced by Lori to find Zogot to learn about the mountaintop garden. However, before Cook could even leave the door, Zogot came to him.

"Cook, just call me Zogot," Zogot said warmly as he entered.

"Hello, Zogot!" Cook was taken aback but then smiled.

"Hello, Cook. I'm here to brief you on some matters. Your workplace is in the A3 laboratory on the first underground floor, which is also Mentor Lyle's dedicated experimental area. This is your access pass. If you need anything, just find me, whether it's work-related or personal.

Additionally, as Mentor Lyle's dedicated assistant, you will receive 3000 points per month, but Mentor Lyle has stipulated that you must independently complete 100 bottles of potions each month, relative to your level, before you receive the 3000 points. Of course, your 5% commission will be given to you together.

Your main profession is a hunter, and Mentor Lyle has already communicated with the mentor of the Hunter Department. They will send someone to tutor you, and the time will be set by you. Also, considering your talent in Wood Magic, Mentor Lyle has enrolled you in four auxiliary subjects: Magic Planting, Harvesting, Monster Identification, and Mineralogy, as they are closely related to potion-making.

Finally, Mentor Lyle hopes to see you in the laboratory tomorrow morning." Zogot finished in one breath.

"Uh! Can I skip these subjects: Magic Planting, Harvesting, Monster Identification, and Mineralogy?" Cook licked his dry lips and asked.

"Cook! How can you skip them? Zogot, Cook is my guardian knight. Cook just heard that dedicated assistants have the opportunity to be assigned a residence in the mountaintop garden, so he said that..." Lori stepped forward, smiling at Zogot.

Cook, sweating, quickly defended himself, "No, no, I didn't mean that..."

"Ha, no problem, it's just the mountaintop garden. As long as Cook performs well, he can move in after a month," Zogot chuckled, interrupting Cook.

"That's fine, if there's a problem, we'll do the ideological work for Cook," Lori's eyes lit up, and she glared at Cook, stopping him from speaking.

Zogot, seeing Cook's reluctance and the number of people in the room, smiled and said, "Actually, you don't know, in the mountaintop garden, the speed of meditation increases by at least 20%."

"Really!" Cook's eyes lit up, knowing that a 20% increase in meditation speed means faster advancement.

"Of course, that place is one of the key nodes of the magic city's defense magic array, with a very high concentration and purity of magic elements," Zogot added.

"Alright! I'll report to Mentor Lyle tomorrow morning," Cook finally made up his mind, seeing not only Lori but also Micky excited, despite Micky not usually demanding much, but Cook could tell she really wanted to go there, as it meant faster advancement.

"Ha, do you have any other requests?" Zogot asked with a smile.

"Can I ask, can Magic Planting, Harvesting, Monster Identification, and Mineralogy be made into memory scrolls? That way, I can save time and help Mentor Lyle refine more potions," Cook asked weakly.

However, Zogot shook his head seriously, "Cook, I can do it, but I don't want you to use it. Using memory scrolls can cause strong shocks to the soul, which is not beneficial for future cultivation and advancement. You might not feel it at a low level, but at a high level, you'll realize I did it for your own good."

"Alright!" Cook, seeing Zogot's serious expression, had no choice but to give up.

The next morning, Cook was woken up by Lori's shouting, and for the first time, he took the initiative to take Rea, as only Lori could approach Rea without her disliking it. Then Cook was kicked out of the house by Lori. When Cook appeared at Mentor Lyle's dedicated laboratory, Mentor Lyle was already working intently. As for the lake exploration mission, it was given to Lucy, Bell, and Besu, with Lucy being a Silver Swordmaster and Bell and Besu being Sky Knights. Lori, Micky, Martha, and Connie stayed at home to watch the house.

"Hmm! You're here!" Mentor Lyle glanced at Cook and asked.

"Mentor, I'm here!" Cook had no choice but to answer and wait for Mentor Lyle's instructions.

"The materials are already prepared over there. You can start refining the potion you refined yesterday. That potion is a Lesser Invisibility Potion. One qualified bottle counts as one, a good one counts as two, a superior one counts as five, and an excellent one counts as 50. As for perfect, ha, let's say 200 bottles," Mentor Lyle said, chuckling at the end.

"Mentor, can I research something after I finish my tasks?" Cook asked weakly, not really understanding what Mentor Lyle meant.

"Research? What are you researching?" Mentor Lyle asked with a smile.

"A potion to detoxify, here is a sample of the venom," Cook quickly took out a crystal bottle, which contained Connie's blood (originally I meant body fluid, but I didn't want to mislead the audience).

"Hmm! You can use the materials here after you finish your tasks. The fifth experimental area has materials related to detoxifying potions. Go ahead and get to work!" Mentor Lyle glanced at it and instructed.

"Yes!" Cook, getting Mentor Lyle's permission, was a bit excited and immediately went to the experimental table for refining the Lesser Invisibility Potion.

Cook looked at the familiar materials. Although Cook didn't understand how these materials reacted, he could follow the steps, so there was no obstacle in refining. Today, Cook had specially prepared a pair of glasses, a common piece of equipment for many potion masters, mainly to protect the eyes from certain potions.

What Cook didn't know was that Mentor Lyle was observing him. When Mentor Lyle saw that Cook successfully refined two bottles of potion, he was surprised. After all, the Lesser Invisibility Potion required many materials, and the process involved dozens of steps. One mistake would ruin the potion.

However, instead of being happy, Mentor Lyle frowned because Cook's movements were too clumsy. The clumsiness was so bad that Mentor Lyle couldn't bear to watch. Mentor Lyle stood up, but when he saw what Cook was doing, he hurriedly went over.

"What are you doing?" Mentor Lyle asked angrily.