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Chapter 22: Intermediate Initiate

He quickly put Leena’s arm over his shoulder to support her, then told his two friends, “We’ll be heading back first. Catch up with you guys again next time!”

Sein was grateful to have Bousse and Marie as his close friends, along with a handful of other junior initiates he considered friends.

However, Leena had always been a lone wolf at the Black Magic Academy and seemed to have no one to confide in except for Sein.

“Well, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me in the East District. I’ll be at the shop,” Bousse replied.

Bousse also harbored a certain level of fear toward Leena, given her powerful status as a senior initiate and her usual cold demeanor. However, he concealed his feelings better than Marie, who wore her fear more openly.

While stealing glances at Leena, Marie quickly took out three more vials of potions from her red bag and shoved them into Sein’s hand.

They were all basic healing potions crafted by Marie herself.

Marie was not skilled enough to create advanced potions that could restore focus and mana yet, but the three vials of basic healing potions were capable of healing minor injuries and speeding up tissue regeneration.

Though basic, crafting such potions was still no easy feat, considering Marie’s young age and the limited time she had been studying under Master Daelis.

In Mystralora City, the worth of potions rivaled that of magic items.

Even the most basic potion was not something many magic initiates could afford.

Had that not been the case, Sein would not have gone to challenge the Giant Saltwater Crocodile without any healing potions.

Looking at the three vials of potions in his clutch, Sein cast a thankful glance in Marie’s direction.

Given Leena’s condition, Sein knew he should not prolong his stay here. He supported Leena and led her back to the dormitory.

As they watched Sein and Leena depart from the training ground, Bousse and Marie also prepared to take their leave.

Before parting ways, Bousse rubbed his pudgy hands together and struck up a conversation with Marie. “That was quite impressive, Marie. You can actually craft basic antidotes and healing potions huh?”

“How about we collaborate? I’ll handle the business aspect for you, and we can split the profits 30-70,” Bousse suggested to Marie with a friendly smile.

Marie and Bousse were actually not familiar with each other. They only got to know each other through Sein, their mutual friend.

Bousse had initially considered Sein’s compassionate assistance to this young girl, without expecting anything in return, as excessive.

In hindsight, it became apparent that Sein possessed keen foresight, whereas he himself had been somewhat shortsighted.

Marie merely rolled her eyes in response to Bousse’s attempt to flatter her.

She was indeed a pure and innocent girl when she first arrived in Gloomhaven. However, after studying and living in the Black Magic Academy of Mystralora City for some time, she had inevitably adapted to the environment of the Underworld.

Marie was not immediately swayed by Bousse’s flattery. She shook her head and said, “My success rate in making basic healing potions is only thirty percent. For basic antidotes, it’s only ten percent. I’d consider collaborating if you could provide me with the necessary ingredients for crafting the potions.”

Marie’s negotiation skills demonstrated her growth during her time at the Black Magic Academy.

Bousse initially seemed disappointed when he heard Marie’s conditions for the collaboration.

However, his expression soon brightened upon learning from Marie the required ingredients for crafting the potions.

“The ingredients you mentioned are all quite basic and shouldn’t be too costly. However, considering the substantial quantity you’ll require, we may need to revisit our profit-sharing arrangement,” Bousse said.

After a moment of consideration, Marie finally nodded in agreement

Due to the perilous environment of Gloomhaven in the Underworld, there was always a steady stream of people who were injured from battles or fell victim to poisoning during their explorations.

Marie’s antidotes and healing potions were bound to find a strong market once they were introduced.

The only uncertainty that lingered in Bousse’s mind was the time required for Marie to produce the two types of potions and whether her claimed success rates were accurate.

While Marie and Bousse were deep in discussions about their upcoming collaboration, Sein had already helped Leena back to their dormitory room.

In order to provide some relief to Leena, Sein not only fed her antidote and healing potions, but also handed her his Acid Wand.

The slow regeneration of focus and mana would help improve her condition.

“Don’t fret over me. My condition isn’t as dire as it may seem. I’ll request for a vial of purification potion from my mentor tomorrow. That should be able to completely cleanse my body of the remaining decomposition gas,” Leena reassured Sein.

Leena’s mentor seemed to hold her in high regard. In addition to her earlier comments, Sein also found out that the bangle on Leena’s wrist was from Master Fareena.

Besides enhancing the recovery of mana for the umbra element, the bangle also enabled Leena to cast a magic spell called Shadow Strike.

The bangle was a gift from Leena’s mentor to commemorate their apprenticeship. It seemed like these full-fledged black mages were quite well-off.

“All right. You should rest and meditate for a while. I’ll make you something to eat in the meantime.” Sein nodded.

***

When Sein returned to Master Morsidor’s residence, his mentor was engrossed in his experiment as usual. Despite his busy schedule, he spared a moment to meet Sein and conveyed his approval for Sein’s achievement in winning the academy award.

It was quite evident that Master Morsidor had learned of Sein’s accomplishment, likely due to Faye informing him beforehand.

Regardless, Sein responded to his mentor’s praise with humility and respect.

“It was all thanks to your guidance and the valuable magic notes you’ve provided, master. Faye had also generously shared her knowledge of the pyro element magic with me,” Sein replied humbly.

Master Morsidor nodded and encouraged Sein, “Keep working and aim for your promotion to intermediate initiate as soon as possible. Once you reach that rank, you’ll be able to assist me in certain experiments like Zorro and Faye.”

“That will not only help you integrate knowledge faster but also pave the way for your pursuit of truth," Morsidor added.

After watching Master Morsidor return to his laboratory, Sein also headed back to the side room he usually used for his studies.

With the Acid Wand in his left hand, Sein held a small crystal ball in his right hand. It was the very one he received from his mentor some time ago, containing a record of the elementary meditation technique in their faction.

“All right, time to earn that promotion!”

With the help of the slow mana regeneration effect of his Acid Wand and the rich concentration of elements in the room, Sein took a deep breath and began focusing through meditation. His goal was to break through the limits of his mana capacity.

After successive battles, Sein was already on the cusp of a breakthrough. It was only a matter of time before he was promoted to an intermediate initiate.

At his age, becoming an intermediate initiate was definitely a significant achievement that could earn him the label of a genius.

In Mystralora City, most junior initiates were in their mid-twenties, with only a handful of them exceeding the age of thirty.

It was not that most magic initiates possessed the talent to promote to an intermediate initiate before turning thirty. Those who failed to attain the promotion by that age were deliberately weeded out by the black mages of the academy.

The academy had no tolerance for mediocrity. With limited resources, only inevitable death awaited those who lacked talent.