Bottleneck

Leylin drew out a red-colored potion from his black satchel and opened the wooden plug. He poured the red liquid onto his wounds caused by the ravens.

White mist continuously rose from the wound. Leylin did not react at all to the pain. His mind was numb to it because he had sparked his inner life energy.

He could almost feel his cells duplicating; his blood circulating. It was an invigorating experience, but he quickly adapted and the high subsided.

After the white mist dispersed, a red membrane was now covering the wounds, and the bleeding had already stopped. It had also closed the wound.

'This hemostatic potion is adequate, though I still need to work on it. An 85% purity does not cut it.'

[Let me guess, only 100% effectiveness will satisfy you?] -Aralis chimed in.

'Naturally. Anything less than perfection is not good enough for me. But as I said, it is acceptable. For now.'

'But enough about that. Have you found my party members? I am ready to move now.' -Leylin mentally said, as he got up from his spot by the tree and dusted himself off.

He no longer had his chest armor plate, so he discarded the rest of his armor like it was nothing. Right now, he needed to lessen his weight load since he was too tired. He just would buy another set when he got back.

[They're almost halfway through the road that leads to the academy. I'll mark their locations on your holo map.]

'It is good that I don't have to fetch them. I've already carried them enough for this mission... And I'll be sure to make them pay for leaving me behind at a later date.'

[Wait, don't tell me you actually feel betrayed because they fled?]

'Hahaha, of course not. On the contrary; it was thanks to their cowardice that I was allowed to kill the Violent Hilly Bear without exposing my trump cards. But they don't know that, now, do they? Plus, it'll be fun to make them believe I resented them during their last moments before I end their lives...' -Leylin thought with a smirk.

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After listening to Leylin's false account of his lucky escape from that powerful beast, the expressions of Kaliweir and the others showed regret and respect for Leylin's ability to survive despite not having any speed-boosting or teleportation items as they did.

"Brother Leylin, I owe you my life. If not for your stalling that foul creature, I wouldn't have made it out." -Kaliweir said solemnly.

"Us too!" -Neela and Lilisse spoke at the same time.

As for Raynor, he opened his mouth but no words came out, so he settled with a nod.

'I am surprised they are capable of eating solid foods without choking, seeing as they are so stupid to believe any story.'

[They trust you a lot, Doctor. Especially Kaliweir.]

'That they do...'

When the team finally saw the Abyssal Bone Forest Graveyard, everyone swore that they had never found this graveyard so lovable before now. All but one acolyte.

"Password!" -This time, the two-headed dog asked in a female voice.

"Abyssal Bone is paramount!" -Kaliweir said slowly.

The password changed whenever a certain period of time passed. However, the password will be told in advance to those who go out on a mission, like them.

"Correct." -The two-headed dog allowed them to pass and returned to being a statue on the platform.

Neela finally heaved a sigh of relief when they entered the academy's gates.

Although there were no deaths on this mission, they still met with several dangers along the way. If not for Leylin's help, it was very likely that their party would have been wiped out completely.

"Let's go hand in our mission." -Kaliweir's expression loosened and he smiled. As for Lilisse and Neela, they both seemed relieved as well.

The five of them walked towards the Quest Hall. Kaliweir queued in front of the counter while the other four waited to the side.

"Neela, did the missions cause so many injuries or deaths in the past?" -Leylin felt that the atmosphere was a little off. The number of casualties in the Quest Hall had obviously increased, and there were curses and sobbing heard from time to time.

"We don't usually have this many... I can guarantee that." -Neela looked at the many acolytes with darkened expressions on their faces. It seemed like not only did they fail their missions, but they had also paid a heavy price for them.

"Look, the quest board has been updated!" -Lilisse exclaimed.

Leylin raised his head and noticed a sign on the top of the black wall, with striking red words: 'Attention! There has been a significant increase in the dangerous creatures around the academy. We hope that the acolytes who go out in the future will be more cautious. If you aren't a level 3 acolyte, we recommend that you stay inside.'

Below the warning, there was a new mission also written in red.

'Quest: Find out the source of the abnormalities in the academy's vicinity. Reward: 500 magic crystals, high-grade information on 3 topics of the acolyte's choice, or an improved spell model. This mission is categorized as extremely dangerous.'

"Five hundred! If only I had that many magic crystals..." -Lilisse was intimidated by the generous reward.

"Didn't you read the warning sign? If you aren't a level 3 acolyte, then going out is practically throwing your life away." -A voice sounded, and Kaliweir appeared behind Neela.

"Back so soon?" -Leylin asked.

"Yep. Here is the reward for our mission; 15 magic crystals." -Kaliweir opened a brown pouch and there lay 15 magic crystals.

"According to our prior agreement, each of us gets 3 magic crystals." -Kaliweir divided the magic crystals and then opened a large black sack. It was filled with many red-eyed raven claws, as well as feathers, eyeballs, and other miscellaneous materials.

"There is also this stuff. Each of the red-eyed ravens' claws can be sold for about 1 magic crystal. As for the other materials, they're worth roughly 15 magic crystals in total. Do you guys have any questions? If not, we'll be dividing them fairly."

The red-eyed raven claws were only needed to prove that the mission had been completed. After it had been confirmed, the acolytes were allowed to keep them. Hence, they could be considered as additional income.

"I have no problem with that." -Leylin smiled. This time, he merely wanted to gain the data on the academy's vicinity and his skills, so he was not too fussed about the number of magic crystals.

'Look at their dumb grins. Earning 30 magic crystals worth of loot at once, they consider a lot. However, there is also their expenditures of this mission to factor in. If they were to add up everything, the mission would be considered a complete failure for them.'

[You were the only one to profit from the quest, then.]

'Indeed. My expenses represent what I make every week with my potion selling.' -Leylin inwardly shrugged.

Seeing as Leylin had accepted, Neela, Lilisse, and Raynor could only nod their heads.

"In this mission, you obviously did the most, Leylin. If not for you, we would have long been dead. I think we can all agree it's alright if you take a little more than us." -Kaliweir was extremely sincere, and it seemed as though he had made up his mind about it long ago.

[At least they have the common sense to let you keep the best loot.]

Leylin wordlessly picked out the red-eyed raven claws, as well as some other materials from the bag. After estimating that the things he had taken out were worth around 8 magic crystals, he stopped.

"Alright, then we will distribute the remaining items..." -Kaliweir told.

All of them, more or less, had wounds on their bodies. Therefore, accepting missions would no longer be a possibility for them if it turned out to be this dangerous.

The group chatted only a bit more and then left the Quest Hall.

Kaliweir was the first to go. He needed to get medical help since the item he had used to escape the bear was now bothering him with its secondary effects.

"Goodbye!" -Lilisse and Raynor bade goodbye as well.

Leylin had been left alone with Neela.

"So... I blew it with that giant raven, I know. But! I can give you my share of the materials!" -Neela was referring to the promise of going out Leylin had made if she managed to impress him. In the end, Leylin had to kill that raven with his crossbow.

Leylin raised an eyebrow as he took the sack from her hands.

"Is this... enough to give me second chance?" -The redhaired acted in a shy manner not conforming with her usual extroverted personality.

"We'll see... For now, this is all I can give you." -Leylin told softly, as he placed a gentle kiss on her left cheek. His eyes lingered on her crimson lips for a second.

The Farlier heir then flashed a half-smile and waved his farewell, leaving behind a blushed Neela standing on the entrance to the Quest Hall.

'She's on the right path to becoming my obedient pet. Good.' -He coldly determined.

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As Leylin opened the door to his room, he ordered Aralis to scan everything to make sure nothing was amiss. Couldn't be too sure that someone had not broken in while he was gone.

Leylin shut the door once Aralis ok'd the safety of the room. He put away all of the baggage including his cross blade, before lying on his bed with a thud.

He enjoyed the soothing comfort of his mattress, but he immediately turned his attention to the matter at hand.

'After advancing to a genuine Knight, all my stats have risen. They will continue to do so for some time, but unless I progress to Grand Knight, it'll be the same story of when I bottlenecked as preparatory Knight all over again.'

'Unfortunately for me, the useless Farlier Family is only a newly established line of Knights. They have no training methods to pass on for after one turns into a Knight, so I have no inkling on how to move on...'

[So it's back to your original conclusion of focusing only on magic?]

'Why, yes. Unless I stumble upon a convenient way to physically cultivate further, magic is the way to go. With that said, I still need to decide where to go next. Sitting on my hands inside this academy any longer will ultimately result in me ending up as that hag on the Senior Market.'

'Aralis, open the fully-detailed version of the map. I wanna see what my options are.'

[Certainly.] -The assistant projected the image of a huge map on his holo display.

Faint blue lines formed the general outline of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy as well as its surroundings. On this map, the path that Leylin and his party had taken was the clearest. Furthermore, the vicinity of where the Violent Hilly Bear had been found was even marked as a dangerous zone.

'From this map, it can be seen that the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy is only taking up an insubstantial area of the South Coast. It could also be said to be in a rural area.'

'Moreover, with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in the center, the Death Seas would be to the south. To the north, it would be the Mountain Plains of Despair. To the west is Sage Gotham's Hut, and lastly, the Poolfield Kingdom to the east.'

The north and south areas were all forbidden regions, with countless dangerous creatures residing within them. They were also haunted by evil spirits filled with grievances. Any acolyte stepping foot in those regions would die ten times out of ten.

'As for Sage Gotham's Hut, it is that other academy that was recruiting on Death Beach Camp. I've heard rumors in the Dining Hall that there are conflicts between Sage Gotham's and Abyssal Bone Forest, so I can't go there either.'

[The only place left for you to explore would be the Poolfield Kingdom, Doctor.]

The factions in this world were similar to those of the European feudal lords during the Middle Ages, where various factions were divided in accordance to their territory and they controlled the various regions from the shadows.

In the Magus World's kingdoms, the Magi bloodlines would be either royalty or nobility. As for the Knights, their bloodlines would commonly be those of wealthy families a step below the high nobility.

'Tell me everything you have on that country.' -Leylin ordered.

[A few Magi families are supporting the Poolfield Kingdom behind the scenes. The kingdom has a total of 19 provinces. Each area is extremely vast, with many small Magi families, wandering Magi, and travelers living there. They would definitely not come to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy to do any trade, so there should be some business opportunities for you over there.] -Aralis dutifully reported.

'Excellent. I'm glad to see you did your own independent research.'

[I strive to serve you well, Doctor.]

'Then there's nothing more to discuss on that topic. I shall conceal my identity and head to the Poolfield Kingdom to sell my product.' -Leylin decided.

'Moving on to the last point on my agenda for tonight; simulate the requirements for me to advance to a level 3 acolyte.' -The Farlier heir commanded.

[Task established. Processing...]

A few moments later, the A.I.'s voice sounded.

[Done. You would have to raise your Spiritual Force to 7, master at least 3 spell models, and then consume 500 grams of Reactive Elixirs to aid with your breakthrough.]

'I already have the 3 spell models thanks to you copying Kaliweir's Negative Energy Fireball, but the Reactive Elixirs will be somewhat troublesome to obtain. I will need at least 500 magic crystals to acquire the necessary amount since the average price is 1 crystal per gram...'

Leylin's expression was extremely serious. As a Potioneering acolyte, he naturally knew what Reactive Elixirs were. These potions were not the same as elementary potions like the strength or hemostasis ones. These required someone to have reached the basic level (which was above the elementary level) of Potioneering to even attempt to brew one.

There are those which increase Spiritual Force, Vitality, or even some that can bolster the formation of mind runes at an alarming rate. Nonetheless, the most important fact to consider was that the demand was always greater than the supply for these Elixirs, making them insanely expensive.

'However, after I have finished playing around with the elementary Potioneering techniques from Kroft, I can then start practicing with basic potions. I might only need to purchase 100 magic crystals worth of ingredients to make the potions myself.'

'All in all, it appears that the most crucial thing will be for me to raise my Spiritual Force up to seven points...' Leylin appeared to be deep in thought.

'Regrettably, I have already developed a resistance towards the Elementary Meditation Technique. Changing to a higher-tiered meditation technique would solve that issue. Another option would be to find ingredients that are compatible with raising the effects of meditation...'

'Aralis, I want a full debrief on my current mediation progress status, and I want you to search for and analyze feasible ingredients I could look for.'

[I knew you'd say that. Here.]

The holo display was instantly loaded with fluctuating data blocks and diagrams.

'Very well. Let's see...' -Leylin squinted as he did his calculations.