Chapter Seventy-Eight: Consequences

"But the chip didn't detect anything wrong!" Hughes was increasingly perplexed, yet he had no desire to drink another dose. "Wait! The chip should have recorded the previous data!" He hurriedly commanded the chip to list the data from his earlier use of the potion.

"Irritability?" Hughes recalled what Anke had just mentioned, and also what Billy had told him before. "But I didn't feel that way when I drank it." He hadn't experienced the agitation they described after taking the potion.

"Chip! Lower my physical attributes and simulate the effects of the basic mental potion!" After much thought, Hughes concluded that the main difference between himself and the others was his physical attributes.

"Beep! Analysis and simulation in progress!"

Hughes waited quietly for the results.

"Beep! Host's physical attribute falls below five points. Basic mental potion produces irritability as a side effect!"

"Why didn't these side effects appear in the earlier analysis?" Hughes was puzzled; logically, the chip shouldn't make such mistakes.

"Beep! The potion reacts with human blood. Effects can be ignored based on host's physical attributes!"

"So that's it!" Hughes finally understood why he was unaffected.

"What if I drink another bottle? What would happen?" He thought back to Anke's mental collapse.

"Beep! Host's body produces antibodies. The potion is ineffective for the host!"

"Then what about Anke?" Hughes knew antibodies would form; the formula had stated it clearly. But why had Anke ended up like that?

"Beep! Two bottles consumed simultaneously! Mental rune collapse rate: 85.61%!"

"Simultaneously…" Hughes never expected such a result, nor that Anke would actually drink two bottles of the basic mental potion at once.

Unable to solve his own issues for the time being, Hughes could only help Anke prepare potions. He gradually accepted the delay in his promotion to a full-fledged wizard—after all, it wasn't too long.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, and the Shadow Ring looked much the same as before. The only noticeable difference was the appearance of seasonal changes within its bounds.

Hughes only realized this after noticing some leaves in the academy turning yellow and brittle. He didn't know why the Shadow Ring experienced such changes, nor did he care to ponder it.

"Has it started snowing?" Hughes watched the snowflakes drifting from the sky. He felt that the academy's weather matched that outside, but he still wore a simple apprentice wizard robe. With his affinity for ice elements, winter posed no discomfort—in fact, the coolness felt pleasant.

"Another year has passed!" Hughes looked at his reflection in the mirror. Counting this year, he was now sixteen, appearing much more mature. He stood at one meter eighty, his face thin, his build unremarkable and somewhat frail, yet his overall presence was comfortingly pleasant.

His eyes had grown deeper and more mysterious; gazing into them for long seemed almost hypnotic. Hughes never understood the peculiarity of his eyes, and over time, he simply let it be.

"I wonder how Bors and the others are doing?" The snow reminded Hughes of Bors and his father.

Unconsciously, Hughes realized he had been at the Shadow Ring for a year and a half. In that time, he had become one of the outstanding third-level apprentices—a rapid pace, far surpassing many of his peers.

The snow at the academy grew heavier, flakes swirling and falling, transforming the Shadow Ring's appearance. Hughes watched the snowfall outside; he had always loved snow—its dance in the air had enchanted him since childhood.

He became absorbed in watching, his mind wandering through countless memories—from the moment he entered the Shadow Ring to now as a third-level apprentice. Suddenly, a sense of unreality struck him, a fear that all of this was a dream that might vanish upon waking.

"What's that?" Hughes, lost in thought, was startled by a sudden beam of light shooting skyward.

The beam scattered the snowflakes, driving them outward. Gathered together, the snow formed a vast white ring expanding in the air. The beam, reaching a certain height, stabilized and transformed into the Arlen script.

"With the arrival of spring, the Shadow Ring will lift its seal and welcome new apprentices—Shadow Ring!"

The announcement was straightforward and clear—just two sentences. Hughes cared little for it; it held no major consequence for him.

The immense Shadow Ring, sparsely populated, felt even more desolate in the cold winter. Hughes never ceased his potion-making. Anke frequently sought his help with basic mental potions at first, but as the seal endured and ingredients grew scarce, her requests dwindled.

Anke seemed to have sold several basic mental potions within the Shadow Ring. Though traded privately, news of the potion spread among many. People sought Anke out to buy it, but she was loyal and never revealed Hughes, claiming it was an old family recipe and in limited supply.

No matter what methods others tried, Anke never divulged more. No further rumors of potion use surfaced in the academy, and gradually, people believed her story.

The news of the academy's unsealing greatly affected the other apprentices, and the task hall quickly responded.

Passing the task hall, Hughes noticed that the previously closed area had reopened. He glanced at the holographic screen—hundreds of tasks listed, all dated after the Shadow Ring's unsealing.

The news of new tasks spread, and more and more apprentices flocked to the hall to find suitable assignments and earn resources.

Hughes gave it only a passing glance; such tasks offered him little benefit. Aside from some combat experience, he cared nothing for the magic stones offered—he had earned enough through potion-making. If he wanted more, brewing a few extra vials in his dormitory was far more efficient.

Returning to his dormitory, Hughes brushed the snow from his clothes, brewed a cup of coffee, and settled comfortably on the sofa.

He checked the chip's simulation of his first-level defense spell template—it was nearly complete. By the time the Shadow Ring was unsealed, his wizard simulation should yield results.

Hughes felt both nervous and expectant; if the chip's simulation failed to match the first-level defense spell template, he would face difficulties.

The academy's weather grew colder, with frequent heavy snowfall, prompting Hughes to reduce his outings. He only occasionally chatted with Billy or delivered potions to Lindsay. Thanks to the task hall's various assignments, Lindsay was overjoyed, treating Hughes with even greater warmth.

Hughes, with time to spare, provided Lindsay with significantly more potions than usual. It was his intention; with the academy about to unseal, he might finally have a chance to craft the Guidance Guardian, a potion he had long been unable to produce.

The materials for Guidance Guardian were mostly rare. With his current savings, a single purchase would deplete his funds. With nothing else to do, Hughes increased his potion output, all for the sake of that low-level magical item.

He also quietly gave Billy a vial of Focus Potion. Hughes did not tell Billy what it was, and Billy did not ask—he knew Hughes would never harm him.

When Billy felt his mental strength grow even faster than when he had taken the basic mental potion Hughes had given him before, he realized the Focus Potion was far more precious.

Billy's gratitude for Hughes deepened, and the potion's effects did not disappoint. Billy's mental strength was about to break through to the third-level apprentice.