Chapter 46

Chapter 046

-Whinny.

“Do you want to rest?”

Lee Han stopped walking when the white horse made a tired sound.

He was delighted that the horse, which had been so fierce just a moment ago, was now trying to communicate.

We're getting closer!

“Sure. Drink some water here. I’ll give you some sugar too.”

-Whinny...

The white horse, though reluctant, felt itself gradually submitting to this boy.

-Whinny!

The white horse suddenly opened its eyes wide.

The ancient wild blood flowing through its veins awakened its pride.

I can't submit like this!

Seeing this, Lee Han muttered seriously.

“How do you increase the amount of magic power absorbed?”

-...Whinny.

The white horse lowered its eyes and bowed its head again.

* * * *

Even though he got up early to take care of the horse, school didn’t wait for him.

He had to jump up and go to the next class, whether he was sleepy or hungry.

After finishing his chores, Lee Han handed a can of beef and a can of pickled cucumbers to his friends who were returning to the Black Turtle Tower.

Niliya, upon receiving the cans, looked through her pockets with a bewildered expression instead of being genuinely happy.

“??”

“I don’t have any money...”

“...I’m just giving them to you.”

Lee Han slightly regretted his own actions.

Was it too much?

“Really? Can I really have them? For real?”

“Think about it objectively. Is this really a situation where you should ask again?”

Niliya perked up her long ears and took the cans.

However, Ratford firmly refused.

“I cannot accept them.”

“......”

Niliya subtly observed.

‘Should... should I give them back too?’

“It’s an order.”

“Then I understand.”

Ratford took the cans, and Niliya felt relieved.

‘Thank goodness!’

After they left, Lee Han asked Yoner.

“I didn’t expect such a reaction. Yoner, was I too much?”

“Why not?”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Lee Han briefly thought about asking someone else for an objective opinion but decided to let it go.

“Let’s have breakfast. Yoner. The early risers will be in the lounge, so we should share a bit. Can you help me record it in the ledger?”

“Of course.”

The two were happy, thinking about treating their friends to a hearty breakfast.

...Of course, it wasn’t free, but being happy was still being happy.

* * * *

Lee Han spread mustard on a small piece of bread and placed it on a plate.

The fireplace in the freshmen lounge was always a good friend to the students. Lee Han cracked an egg into the sizzling bacon on the frying pan.

The egg quickly sizzled and cooked.

‘What kind of bloodline is this to go to such lengths?’

Right now, Lee Han wasn’t preparing his own meal. He wasn’t even preparing a meal for the friends in the lounge.

This was a meal for the princess in her private room.

-Wodanaz. We will pay you in silver coins. Can you deliver the meal to the princess like last time?

-I’ll ask you, Wodanaz!

Although he was getting paid more, Lee Han couldn’t understand no matter how he thought about it.

Power is supposed to be entrusted by the majority of the common people, not derived from some mysterious ancient bloodline.

Why go to such lengths for the royal family?

‘Gayanado is surviving on her own just fine.’

Gayanado, without anyone taking care of her, would wake up and go down to the lounge to eat breakfast every day.

She had excellent adaptability.

Considering this, the students’ consideration might actually be harmful to the princess.

Knock knock-

“?”

The door opened, and Adenart appeared as he did last time.

Lee Han shrugged and extended the plate.

“I prepared it downstairs.”

Lee Han felt Adenart’s expression subtly brighten.

Or maybe it was due to the morning sunlight coming in from the side window.

Adenart carefully took the plate, hesitated with the fork, bowed his head, and then closed the door and went inside.

‘She was eating outside last time, so she’s growing up.’

Lee Han thought as he went down.

Thinking about it, there seemed to be followers in other towers besides the Blue Dragon Tower...

If he spoke well to these followers, could they each receive silver coins separately?

‘Wow. I thought of it, but it’s really a devilish method.’

Lee Han shuddered at his own potential.

By the time he graduated, he might have enough funds to start a small workshop.

* * * *

“Huh? Why not outside today?”

“Don’t be fooled. There might be a monster hidden inside the classroom.”

The <Understanding Basic Alchemy> class was held not outside or in the main building, but in one of the annexes, the Joksu Pavilion.

Thanks to the greenhouses, the building was warmer inside than outside.

However, the freshmen were now somewhat wiser.

It’s not necessarily better inside!

“Everyone gather! Prepare for the monster!”

“Princess. Please come this way. We will protect you.”

“......”

Lee Han was speechless at the other tower students.

The princess is also a student of the Blue Dragon Tower!

“Don’t worry. Wodanaz. We’re not inferior to them.”

Asan Dalkard confidently smiled.

Lee Han’s group had also grown in numbers.

Lee Han, Yoner, Asan, and Niliya.

In terms of member quality, they were definitely not inferior to any other group.

“Everyone, take your seats.”

Uregeul stepped in, yawning. He looked exhausted.

“Professor, why not outside today?”

“What? It’s an alchemy class, so it’s done inside.”

The dwarf professor looked at the student who asked the question as if he were an idiot.

The student, flustered, asked again.

“But last time, you said alchemy is about gathering materials, so it’s done outside...”

“That’s when you gather materials. You ironhead. Do you think you’ll make potions outside too? What a rigid-minded brat.”

After finishing his words, Uregeul looked around.

“Most of you probably had similar thoughts, right? But don’t worry. Unlike alchemy classes held outside, the ones inside are very safe and comfortable.”

‘Lies.’

‘Lies.’

‘If you believe this, you’re 100% a fool.’

The students weren’t fooled. Uregeul, noticing their skeptical gazes, smiled.

“Alright! Everyone, pour water into the pot in front of you. Alchemy is a comprehensive art. From gathering materials to putting out the fire, there are no unimportant actions. But among them, the process of making this magic potion is especially important. A student who wastes the gathered materials can never become an excellent alchemist! Open your books! And make a <Low-Level Magic Power Recovery Potion>!”

Rustle-

The sound of pages being turned was the only thing heard quietly.

‘This is going to be difficult.’

At first glance, alchemy might seem easier than other magic.

After all, you don’t need to learn complex and difficult magic; you just need to put the materials in the pot in the specified order, right?

But when he actually tried it, Lee Han immediately understood why alchemy was difficult.

Alchemy was similar to making a very difficult dish in a short time without stopping.

-Cut the base of the Galamaldu and slice the remaining part into the size of two pinky fingers. At the same time, tear the Sugangcho by hand, but do it quickly before the Galamaldu dries. Boil the cut Galamaldu for 3 minutes and the Sugangcho for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. During this time, prepare the ground red magic stone powder and add it precisely when the boiling water turns green. When the water turns orange, stir three times clockwise, three times counterclockwise, and five times from north to south...

You had to prepare all the materials on the spot (most couldn’t be prepared in advance), remember in your head when and how to add them (you didn’t have time to look at the book while working), and perform overly detailed actions without missing a single one.

It was strange if your brain didn’t freeze.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Sure enough, explosions and various smoke began to rise from all over. Uregeul laughed happily.

There was nothing better than seeing the greenhorns, who were aspiring alchemists, coughing in the smoky air.

If you didn’t enjoy this, when would you enjoy it?

“...?”

Uregeul, who was laughing happily, suddenly stopped and looked at one side.

It was because he saw Lee Han’s pot.

‘Why is this guy so good?’

Uregeul’s eyes widened.

Of course, Uregeul knew that the young Wodanaz was a talented boy.

Not just smart, but also persistent and hardworking.

He definitely had the talent to be an alchemist.

...But even a student with the talent to be an alchemist should make a few mistakes and errors when first learning alchemy.

Otherwise, wouldn’t the senior alchemists feel too embarrassed and bored?

However, Lee Han moved without stopping, as if he had worked in an alchemy workshop for over ten years.

He cut the herbs to the exact size and quickly put them in the pot, turned a few hourglasses in sequence, and poured the liquid from a glass bottle into the pot. All these actions were performed without stopping, like a dance.

Uregeul had to admit it.

Geniuses really existed.

Otherwise, how could a student just starting alchemy show such perfect movements?

‘By the beard of the insane ancestor, no one will believe me if I tell them what I saw!’

Actually, this wasn’t a genius-level talent.

It was just the sad result of rolling around under the professor for a long time!

The inside of Lee Han’s pot turned a deep, rich blue. Seeing this color, Uregeul knew the potion was perfectly made.

But Lee Han tasted it slightly, tilted his head, and threw the potion away.

“???”

Uregeul couldn’t understand.

Why is he throwing it away?

Lee Han started making it again.

To show that what he did earlier wasn’t a fluke, his movements were just as perfect.

And a potion with the same perfect blue color was completed.

Lee Han tasted it again, tilted his head, and threw the potion away.

“......”

Uregeul couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Originally, Uregeul would leave students to overcome their own problems, but this was too curious.

Uregeul quietly approached Lee Han and asked.

“Why are you throwing away the potions?”

“It doesn’t seem to recover magic power.”

“What?”

Uregeul was shocked.

He read the book again, thinking he might have written the recipe incorrectly, but there were no mistakes in the recipe.

“????”

If he made it correctly and definitely drank it, why doesn’t it recover magic power?

“Make it again.”

“Yes.”

Lee Han made it again.

Uregeul, who was waiting anxiously, immediately drank the potion with a ladle.

As the blue liquid went down his throat, it immediately turned into magic power and filled his entire body.

Uregeul couldn’t have made it more perfectly himself.

“Isn’t it good?”

“Is it?”

Lee Han, looking puzzled, drank it. Then, like before, he tilted his head and said.

“It’s not good.”

“......”

Uregeul was stunned.

Could this Wodanaz genius be suggesting a better recipe than the one Uregeul confidently provided?

‘No! My pride...!’

“Oh. Maybe it’s because my magic power is already full.”

“......”