CH 23

Time flew by, and several weeks passed.

“Baek Yu-seol. What did I tell you? Don’t use materials you haven’t been taught.”

Boiling! Professor Maizen Tyren directed my attention to the antidote on my experiment table.

“To improve the results, I slightly modified the professor’s recipe.”

“……What?”

“Take a look at this. When I substituted tomato ketchup for red iodine juice, the detoxification effect was nearly doubled…”

“You are…….”

Maizen checked the antidote I’d made, biting his lip as if looking for something to say and shouted.

“Why do you go to school if you’re just going to do whatever you want?”

That’s all there was to it. But my goal was to hurt Professor Maizen Tyren’s feelings, and I had no intention of changing my mind.

This is because the boss of [Episode 8 Erosion of Black Evil], which occurs later, was Professor Maizen Tyren.

The fourth episode hadn’t even begun yet… but I needed to prepare ahead of time. Because he was such a powerful and dangerous boss.

[Maizen Tyren]

*Black Magic Erosion Progression: 21%

(Inferiority, Jealousy) Black Demon Contractor

Professor of Alchemy

Episode 8 Boss

Black magic confirmed

Maizen was one of the villains who became a black demon after being unable to overcome his dark feelings.

If the rate of ‘Black Magic Erosion,’ in which emotions are gradually dyed black, exceeds 90%, it transforms into a completely black demon.

I could tell because of the copper glasses, but there was no way to prove it, so I couldn’t report it to the Black Demon Slayer, who hunts down and executes wizards encroached upon by black magic.

So I purposefully provoked him. Because I was able to rapidly raise the erosion level and dispatch for the Black Demon Slayer once it reached 50%.

If it was just normal black magic erosion, there might be a way to reverse it before it’s too late.

There were numerous ways to undo the black horse erosion until it reached 70%, such as drugs, magic, or voluntarily awakening.

But he was a ‘black demon contractor’. He himself made a pact with the Black Demon, a wizard who threw his own body into darkness.

He has already planted the seeds of a black demon in his body, and it is now impossible to recover them.

However, if he was going to become a Black Demon on his own, he was also a boss who threatened Stella by voicing a flair that affected other students and turned them into Black Demons.

Professor Maizen must have taken it anyway, so I believe that if I use this point to draw attention to myself, no additional damage will occur.

Of course, this is a futile hope.

However, in this episode, many characters were seriously injured, and in the worst-case scenario, there could be a ‘bad ending’ right away, so I decided to give it my all first.

“……Your attitude hasn’t changed. Expect to get low grades in alchemy.”

In some ways, the professor’s decision to bring up grading issues was natural. What should the professor do if the student is disobedient?

Still, my grades are good, and my goal was to graduate without academic warnings, so it doesn’t really matter.

Wait, if you think about it that way, I won’t get grades anyway, so why should I do alchemy assignments?

‘Oh, I need to bulk up during that time.’

But things did not go as planned.

“A practise test will be held next week.” ‘D Vitality Potion’ is the name of the drug you will create. You can make it quickly if you combine all of your previous knowledge, but it’s difficult to make alone because there are many materials and the process is complicated. As a result, we’ll conduct this hands-on test in groups of four. From now on, let’s form a group with a friend who shares your interests.”

I can’t help but be perplexed by Professor Maizen’s words.

Group Project. One of the greatest punishments a professor could inflict. But there was another reason for my dismay.

‘It’s a group assignment…? Was it in the game story?’

There wasn’t. No matter how much I think. Perhaps it was because the game had to progress quickly, trivial stories such as group tasks were not explained.

Is this the difference between the game and reality?

‘Is there anything like this in the original Ropan?’

I secretly stared at the Fuleim, but that dissatisfied expression made her thoughts completely unreadable.

‘Oh, what a group assignment…’

As I glanced around, the students slowly averted my gaze.

“Giggle. Isn’t that bastard doing it alone?”

“Ah, maybe. No matter how few friends you have.”

I heard a low sneer. They were students of Jeremy’s faction. After beating Morso in the practice the other day, their checks became even more severe, and even Professor Maizen started to bully me using his personal network, which made me feel even more outspoken.

Even if the professor and the Crown Prince group are scared, no one will come to me first.

The students began to form their own groups, and while they were busily wandering around, I had nowhere to go.

“The groups are almost done.”

About ten minutes later, Professor Maizen said. A total of 11 groups were completed. And 4 people were left behind.

“Have students who were unable to form a group come together.”

‘Phew.’

As I slowly moved to the desk located at the back, students without friends like me gathered.

The members were Kasahun, a boy with brown hair full of freckles, Maliwan, a boy with chubby hair, and Eisel and I. Come to think of it, Eisel didn’t have any friends either.

The death of Eisel’s father, Archduke Isaac Morph, did not remain as well known to the public.

Rumors that Isaac Morph, a descendant of the great Morph, who was once a hero of wizards, betrayed the magic world and turned to the Black Demons, spread all over the world.

Of course, it was a false rumor, but no one was able to uncover the truth, and in the end, Eisel was firmly branded as a ‘traitor’s child’.

It was only natural that there were no people around.

‘The other two… well, it’s just their personalities.’

I had no idea who that boy named Kasahun was. If you looked at his attitude, he seemed to be nobility on the outside, but he must have been bullied for not letting go of that personality that he boasted about entering Stella.

But the boy named Maliwan knew the name well enough. He’s not a major character and has absolutely no touch in the story, but I do remember I saw quite a bit of alchemy later on.

I greeted as brightly as possible.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Yu-seol.”

Then the two boys grew even more gloomy.

It made me realize that I was in the same group again.

There was no point in trying hard because the group would get a lot of deductions just because it had me. They must have been working hard for their own grades, but in reality, they stepped on the shit.

‘How do I do this…….’

When the awkward atmosphere that I hated the most came out, I became frustrated. However, unexpectedly, the atmosphere was relieved by Eisel.

“Are you going to be frustrated then? Please give your full name or something. Everyone knows my name, right?”

The two boys nod awkwardly.

“Oh, it’s so annoying. Are you being such a loser because of your grades? As long as you guys do it well, it will be good anyway, so why not stop worrying about it?”

“…what do you think you know? Our group is already dead. Let’s just do our own thing and finish it.”

Kasahun bravely refuted, but Eisel only snorted

“You have the personality to give up before even trying. How did you get to Stella? I’ve had it.”

“What, what?”

“I know that guy is very annoying in this group, right?”

I’m sorry about that.

“But it doesn’t matter. After all, at least three alchemists from the Alchemy Department come to examine the alchemy practice test. Professor Maizen cannot arbitrarily ruin our grades.”

“Oh….”

I had no idea. The other boys looked surprised, too, and Eisel flicked her own light blue hair behind her back as if proud of herself.

In fact, I believe I read somewhere that ‘information’ was the most important thing to Eisel, who had lost everything.

As Kasahun became silent, a quiet boy named Maliwan slowly opened his mouth.

“Well then… are we doing our homework properly?” “Do I have to say it twice?”

“I’m glad… I wanted to make this…”

“By the way, I’m glad you’re motivated.”

And then she looked at me for no reason. Why? If I stay still, I’m not motivated? I’m watching you guys work hard. As a brother.

“Hmm, then how are we going to distribute the ingredients?”

“Of course, each of us has to share it.”

Alchemy materials were difficult to obtain, the processing process was also quite complicated and the team members in the group had to separate them from now on.

“Then…What ingredients do you use?”

Now, I thought about pretending to know it, so I searched for the ingredients of ‘D Vitality Potion’ with copper glasses, but Eisel opened her mouth first.

“Twenty cut tails of the Firemane lizard, 300ml of iodine solution, 7g of pure silver, 10g of fairy grass, pine needles…….”

The ingredients’ names flew out of her mouth. Unlike me, who had to search for it, she had it all memorized.

Indeed, one of the characteristics of Azel was [Versatility].

Magic is magic, alchemy is alchemy, politics is politics, business is business, and stocks are stocks.

She was a woman who knew everything and was good at everything with her hands, and in another sense, she was more beautiful than Mayu-Seong and Haewon-ryang.

“Honestly, these are ingredients that are not difficult to find in the arcanium market. You’ll all be able to get it, right?”

The boys nodded their heads but did not say that they were going to ask for anything in the first place.

Because there were parts that were difficult to obtain even among those materials.

“Then, first of all, who’s going to get the ‘Firemane Lizard’s Tail’?”

This was the ‘monster corpse’ category.

No matter how hard I memorized the textbook, it was difficult to find out which material was better or not when actually obtaining a monster corpse. It was a material that everyone was reluctant to use because they had to take responsibility if the quality of the finished product deteriorated.

I raised my hand without hesitation.

“I’ll get you.”

Then Easel narrowed her eyes when my confidence was questioned.

“You know that monster corpses are the most important thing in alchemy, right?”

“Of course.”

“…to be so confident means there is something. Can I trust you?”

“It’s no problem.”

Eisel nodded her head reluctantly.

Wow, this little girl doesn’t trust people.

Obviously, it was true that selecting materials was difficult. If it wasn’t for the analysis function of copper glasses, I wouldn’t have been able to pick them out easily.

But I didn’t really think about the function of the glasses.

‘It’s a fire-mane lizard. I guess I’ll just have to catch it myself.’

At first, I was thinking of direct delivery.

“Herick. Will you send this note to the first-year C group alchemy students?”

Maizen Tyren handed the note to a student named Herick. The content of the note was nothing special.

[Notice. Please note that the assignment of the practice test is changed from ‘D Vitality Potion’ to ‘Tyren Point Potion’.]

A very simple statement about changing the subject of this exam. Tyren Point Potion, which will be changed, was a vitality supplement developed by Professor Maizen Tyren, and students will be able to practice easily with available materials.

“… except for Group 12.”

“Yes?”

At Maizen’s words, Herick looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled.

He immediately realized that Baek Yu-seol and Eisel belonged to group 12.

“Huh, of course.”

Herick was a student of the Jeremy faction, so he quickly recognized Maizen’s intentions.

‘I’m thinking of failing them in the exam altogether.’

The practical test of the Stellar Alchemy subject was unconditionally taken by a professional alchemist from the ‘Alchemy Tower’ of the alchemists.

Since Stella was not a professional alchemist training institution, it was intended to easily open an avenue for transfer or employment after graduation if a student with outstanding alchemist qualities was seen in the school.

Just use it positively. As an alchemist, they were given a chance to gain wings, but…

In other words, if you look ugly in front of them, it means that your path as an alchemist is more likely to be blocked.

‘Yes, your alchemy is amazing. But if you were a student, you should have behaved like a student.’

This opportunity will thoroughly inform you that no matter how good a student is, he is only playing in the palm of the professor’s hand.