The next morning, Ian was preparing to continue his alchemy when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.
'It's Simon!'
When he opened the door and saw who it was, Ian tensed.
He was far weaker than Simon, not only in terms of his Realm, but his mastery of Witchcraft was also worlds apart.
The Wizard's Hand on his panel had only been learned for convenience in Alchemy; it had no combat applications whatsoever.
"Ian, my friend, have you finished your potions? I've got some more ingredients here. Interested?"
Simon strode in as if he owned the place, once again peddling his potion ingredients.
"Simon, I just bought some from you the other day. I still have plenty," Ian responded cautiously.
Since transmigrating, he had seen Simon for who he truly was: outwardly friendly, but greedy and ruthless to the core.
"No problem. I brought the ingredients with me anyway, and it'd be a hassle to carry them back... I'll sell them to you for a bargain—15 Magic Stones."
Simon tossed the cloth bag in his hand onto the table, his eyes locked on Ian.
He was clearly trying to force the sale.
A dangerous aura began to emanate from Simon. The hair on Ian's arms stood on end, and his mind raced.
These ingredients weren't even worth 5 Magic Stones, but arguing at this point was meaningless.
"Simon, I'll take the ingredients, but I really don't have the Magic Stones on hand right now. As soon as my family sends some, I'll pay you back immediately. How does that sound?"
Ian's family sent him 20 to 25 Magic Stones every two months for his cultivation, an amount considered quite generous among Low Level Apprentices.
"Oh?" Simon paused, staring at Ian. 'He's out of Magic Stones already?' he thought.
But Ian had never been late with a payment before, so Simon wasn't too concerned.
"Fine, I'll leave them here for now. Just get the Magic Stones ready as soon as you can." With that, Simon turned and walked straight out the door.
'The kid's not going anywhere, anyway. I'll come back to collect in a few days.'
Ian stood at the window, watching Simon's retreating figure, his expression grim.
Once Simon was out of sight, Ian immediately left and headed straight for his next-door neighbor's house.
As he reached the courtyard, he called out, "Kenna! Are you home?"
A moment later, the courtyard gate opened with a CREAK, and a burly man walked out. It was Kenna.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back. Long, golden hair was draped over his shoulders, and two deep lines framing his mouth gave him a stern air.
"What's all the racket so early in the morning?" Kenna's tone was gruff, but he let Ian in.
"Kenna, it's been a while. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing."
"Bullshit. Didn't we just have a meal together a little over ten days ago? If you have something to say, spit it out. I need to get back to my cultivation."
Kenna shot Ian a glare, cutting off his pleasantries.
"Heh, well, there is a small matter I was hoping you could help me with."
Ian recalled from his memories that Kenna had been a powerful Knight before entering the High Tower. He was an upright man—gruff on the outside, but warm-hearted on the inside—which made him something of an oddity in this area.
"A little while ago, Simon forced a batch of herbs on me. I managed to put him off for the time being, but he'll definitely be back."
The previous Ian had almost no one to turn to. After racking his brain, he realized Kenna was the only one he could ask for help.
"As is the custom among Wizards, I'm willing to offer one Awakening Potion as payment."
An Awakening Potion was worth 5 Magic Stones on the market.
"Oh?" Kenna hadn't been particularly interested in the matter. Though he'd long disliked Simon, he couldn't be bothered to get involved.
But hearing that Ian was willing to pay with a potion, a flicker of interest showed in his eyes. He looked at Ian, surprised.
"You've... already reached the Beginner level in Magic Potion Science?"
Magic Potion Science, Alchemy, Runes, Enchantment... these were all the domain of geniuses.
And not just ordinary geniuses, but the true prodigies among Wizard Apprentices.
Kenna himself had little talent in these fields and had always been envious of those who did.
He had taken the path of bloodline modification, and his combat prowess was considered quite good for his rank.
'But in the world of Wizards, what's the use of being a good fighter if you don't know how to earn resources?'
'Those geniuses who could earn resources cultivated at an incredible speed, and they were often even better fighters than he was.'
"I'm almost there. For some reason, I seem to have a bit of a knack for Magic Potion Science, but I'm mediocre at everything else."
Ian scratched his head, looking a little sheepish.
"Alright, I'll handle it. Just give me a shout if he causes trouble."
Kenna agreed readily, and Ian instantly felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
The two chatted for a few more moments before Ian took his leave.
Kenna stood outside his door, watching Ian's retreating figure for a long time.
...
After returning home, Ian's mind finally settled, and he threw himself back into Magic Potion Refining.
Late at night on the third day, the world outside was pitch-black.
Ian's eyes were bloodshot, but he continued to work tirelessly at his bench.
Three straight days of non-stop refining had taken a huge toll on his focus, but the rewards had been immense.
Seeing that his Skill Level for the Awakening Potion was on the verge of a breakthrough, he took out another set of ingredients.
...He mixed the pale green Fern Juice, extracted using Menthol Crystals, with a paste made from ground Moonlight Grass. Stirring the mixture over a low heat, he watched it gradually transform into a clear, light blue liquid...
He then carefully poured it into a glass vial, sprinkled in some Magic Catalyst Powder, and infused a trace of Magic Power to trigger the reaction.
A moment later, the liquid in the transparent vial stabilized, glowing with a soft, captivating blue light.
Just then, his mind reeled as a torrent of new insights flooded in.
Ian closed his eyes and focused, absorbing the influx of information.
[Awakening Potion: Beginner (1/100)]
Gazing at the finished potion in his hand, Ian's eyes filled with excitement.
'I finally did it... From now on, I can rely on potions to sustain my cultivation!'
Looking at the potion he had created with his own hands, his heart swelled with a profound sense of accomplishment.
Only then did he feel the immense mental exhaustion, and pangs of hunger began to wrack his body.
He hastily ate a little something. Once he'd calmed his mind, he sat cross-legged on his bed and drank the freshly made potion in one gulp.
The potion went down his throat and immediately exploded in his mind.
His weary mind felt as if it were being washed by a cool spring, a refreshing sensation spreading through it.
Ian recalled the essentials of the Star Moon Meditation Method and sank into meditation.
His Light Attribute Affinity gave him a natural boost when practicing this Meditation Method.
To advance to Low Level Wizard Apprentice, a beginner only needed to construct three Will Runes.
To advance further to Middle Level Apprentice, one needed to construct nine.
In a trance, Ian "saw" three crescent-shaped Runes floating in the center of his mind.
Zooming in, he saw the Runes were complex, three-dimensional structures with interlocking sharp points, rotating slowly.
Specks of Starlight twinkled on the surface of the crescent-shaped Runes.
Only by constructing these three fundamental Runes could his formless Spiritual Power have a foundation to anchor itself to.
Only then could he use meditation to continuously refine and strengthen his Spiritual Power.
As for the strengthening of his physique from Magic Power entering his body, that was merely a side effect.
Ian noticed that two slightly smaller Runes had already formed next to the central crescent-shaped Rune.
However, the spaces next to the other two remained empty.
[Star Moon Low Level Meditation Method Skill Level +1]
[Star Moon Low Level Meditation Method Skill Level +1]
...
「Two hours passed in a flash.」
His thoughts suddenly grew sluggish, and a dull, stabbing pain emanated from his temples.
A Low Level Wizard Apprentice like him, with only average aptitude, could meditate for four hours a day at most.
If he exceeded that limit, his body would be unable to withstand the Erosion from Magic Power, and his mind would be damaged as well.
Ian opened his eyes, gently rubbing his temples as he summoned his panel.