Chapter Seventy-One: Potion of Vitality

Milan had absolutely no objections to Hughes’s request—he was eager to seal a partnership. Seeing Milan’s excitement, Hughes laid out his terms.

“I know you want to cooperate with me mainly for the potions. We can work together on that,” Hughes said slowly.

Milan listened quietly, waiting for Hughes to continue.

“I won’t sign any contract with you. Each month, you can send someone to collect potions from me. The quantity will be decided by me, but I promise it will be satisfactory. What do you think?” Hughes finished and fell silent, sipping his tea while observing Milan’s thoughtful expression.

After hearing Hughes’s demands, Milan shed his earlier excitement, settling in to ponder the proposal. Each of Hughes’s terms seemed reasonable on the surface, but all the initiative rested firmly with Hughes—a fact Milan had to consider carefully.

Hughes watched Milan across the table. He was in no hurry; even if the partnership fell through, he could still sell his potions elsewhere. It mattered little to him.

“Alright, I accept!” After nearly five minutes, Milan finally agreed.

“Pleasure doing business with you!” Hughes extended his hand, and Milan grasped it tightly.

Hughes then brought out a small box and handed it to Milan.

Milan, feeling the weight of the box, was puzzled as to why Hughes was giving it to him.

Driven by curiosity, Milan opened the box. Inside, rows of potions were neatly arranged: stamina potions, blood-staunching potions, and a few nature potions.

“Hughes, these potions…?” Milan stared at the box, barely able to believe his eyes. There were at least fifty potions—just like that, in his hands.

“Consider this our first collaboration,” Hughes said, giving Milan half of his accumulated potions.

“These potions…” Milan rarely felt tempted, but his own lack of resources made him hesitate.

“I’m afraid my magic stones are insufficient,” Milan admitted, blushing. He had sought Hughes out, Hughes had agreed, and now he found himself short on payment.

“No worries! The magic stones can wait. The Shadow Ring is sealed anyway—you can’t leave,” Hughes teased, sensing Milan’s embarrassment.

“By the way, could you help me find out if any third-level apprentices have potion formulas? If possible, introduce me to them.” This was Hughes’s true aim—he wanted to use Milan’s network to collect more potion formulas.

Already feeling guilty, Milan immediately agreed—such a simple favor cost him nothing, and if he found new formulas, it would benefit both Hughes and himself.

“Rest assured, Hughes! Once I return, I’ll have someone look into it. If needed, I can have my family help collect them,” Milan replied, delighted.

“Thank you!” Hughes smiled, pleased that his goal had been achieved.

And so, Milan left happily, cradling his box of potions, while Hughes had accomplished his purpose. Both were well satisfied.

The only thing troubling Hughes was that the second-level apprentice assessment was still unresolved, and there had been no response to the message he’d sent Billy.

A day passed quickly. Hughes continued his routine of meditation and potion-making.

That night, as Hughes slept deeply, the chip’s alert sounds abruptly roused him.

“Beep! Attention! Intense energy reaction detected nearby!”

“Beep! Attention! Intense energy reaction detected nearby!”

…

Hughes sprang awake at the cascade of alerts. “What’s going on?” he asked, sitting up.

“Beep! Attention! Intense energy reaction detected around the host!”

“Can you scan the exact location?” Hughes demanded, anxious and tempted to rush out of his dorm.

“Beep! Unable to accurately interpret specific location.”

“Beep! Energy reaction changing! Host advised to leave!”

Still groggy and confused, Hughes was preparing to leave when he noticed blue energy lines appearing across the floor of his room.

He stepped onto the lines, finding nothing amiss, which calmed him somewhat. After all, this was the Shadow Ring—it was unlikely anything would harm him.

The blue energy lines continued to emerge from the floor, and Hughes stood watching, curious about their purpose in his room at such an odd hour.

As the lines appeared, they gradually formed a pattern.

“Is that the Shadow Ring’s emblem?” Hughes recognized the familiar design.

“But what’s the purpose?” he wondered, noticing that the lines stopped moving after forming the emblem.

“Beep! Energy changing! Host advised to leave!” The chip’s warning made Hughes focus intently on the emblem.

Sure enough, the raven at the center of the Shadow Ring’s emblem began to reveal something.

From its outline, Hughes could tell it was some sort of box.

As the box rose, the energy lines faded in color.

Once the box fully materialized, the energy lines vanished entirely.

Thus, a small box lay quietly on Hughes’s floor. For a moment, he didn’t dare approach.

“Beep! Energy reaction resolved!”

Hearing this, Hughes knew it was safe and hurried over to pick up the box.

It was a wooden box, about twenty centimeters long, not particularly heavy in his hands.

Examining it, Hughes saw his own name engraved clearly—Hughes Brueck.

With that, Hughes guessed the contents. “I suppose this must be the Vitality Potion,” he mused, weighing the box.

“To deliver it in the dead of night, and in such a peculiar manner, only the Academy could pull off something like this,” Hughes grumbled.

Though he didn’t know why the Academy insisted on delivering it at this hour and in this way, at least the item was here.

He placed the box on the table, eager to open it.

Hughes slowly channeled his mental power into the box.

It was similar to the one Mage Matt had given him—requiring a certain amount of mental force to unlock.

With a soft click, the box opened.

Inside was a palm-sized violet crystal bottle.

Hughes picked it up—the bottle was icy cold. Inside, golden liquid shimmered like a dream.

“So this is the Vitality Potion that can help a third-level apprentice advance to a full-fledged mage?” Hughes stared at the crystal bottle, his gaze burning, whispering to himself.

“Chip! Can you analyze the potion’s ingredients?”

“Beep! Estimated time: 64 days!”

“As long as it can be analyzed!” Hughes didn’t mind the wait; after all, the experiment for the defensive spell template would take a long time. The duration mattered little.

What concerned Hughes was whether a single Vitality Potion would suffice—he wanted to experiment and increase his chances of advancing.

“This must not be discovered by others,” Hughes decided, placing the crystal bottle back into the box. He resolved to keep a low profile until he became a full mage.

“Phew!” After securing the potion, Hughes relaxed. The Academy’s midnight delivery, though unsettling, had been considerate—no one else would know.

“All I can do now is wait,” Hughes thought, lying back on his bed. The arrival of the Vitality Potion had banished all sleepiness.

“Mental assimilation, first-level defensive spell template, guidance for enchanted items…” Hughes counted off his tasks—each crucial, each demanding his attention.