Unqualified!

Later that evening, James returned from the market, carrying a sack filled with herbs. His face lit up as he approached Leonard, his admiration evident. "Brother, I got everything you asked for," he said, handing over the bag. "I even heard a foreign merchant might have the glassware you need, but he wasn't in town today. I'll check again tomorrow."

Leonard took the bag and nodded. "Good work, James," he said, rifling through the contents. James's eyes shone with a mixture of pride and curiosity. He had always seen Leonard as someone smarter and more capable than himself, but since his brother's return, there was an air of mystery about him that James couldn't resist.

"Thank you," Leonard added, his tone sincere. James grinned and dashed off, satisfied with his contribution.

---

That night, Leonard sat at his desk, his focus entirely on the blueprint he was sketching. The slightly yellowed paper was covered in precise lines and notes detailing the shapes of the apparatus he needed for his next alchemical experiment.

A soft sound came from behind him, and without looking up, Leonard spoke. "Haven't found anything yet, have you?"

David, who had just climbed onto the balcony, shook his head. "No," he said, his voice low. "Still no sign of him."

Leonard sighed and nodded. "Keep looking."

When Leonard purchased the family's new home, he had also secured the small building next door as a base for his alchemical work. David had moved in, and at Leonard's instruction, James left food at the door every day for David to collect discreetly.

---

As Leonard continued his experiments, a pattern began to emerge in his mind. He remembered how, during his time in his teacher's cabin, daily tasks would often trigger seemingly random benefits. Yet now, despite cooking or rearranging his laboratory, no such tasks appeared.

He pondered the mystery. Was it because the tasks were tied to the magical nature of the creatures he had cared for in the cabin? Or perhaps they were assigned specifically by his teacher, and not random at all? Another possibility lingered in his mind: the tasks might only trigger when a full experiment was conducted, not simply by organizing or performing mundane tasks.

"I need to test this theory," he murmured to himself, tapping his pencil against the desk. If completing a full experiment could yield even greater rewards, it would be worth the effort.

The thought of unlocking new knowledge filled Leonard with quiet determination. He would conduct the experiment meticulously, observing every step, and see if the results proved his theory. If he was right, the rewards could accelerate his progress in ways he could only imagine. For now, he had work to do, and he was ready to embrace the challenge.

"Have we been abandoned?" David asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

He glanced at Leonard, waiting for an answer, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

Ever since he'd been transformed into a lizard man, David felt more vulnerable than ever.

Once a human, now a creature rejected by society, he couldn't shake the feeling of being an outcast. Though he'd never dared to try it, David was certain that if he shed his cloak and walked down the street, he'd be met with terrified screams and horrified stares.

The only person who seemed to accept him for what he had become was the boy standing in front of him.

"No," Leonard answered after a brief pause. "At least, I won't disappear without a trace."

The next morning, Leonard focused on the intricate framework of the sleeping spell he had just completed in his mind.

It was like a tiny diorama, a complex design almost impossible to explain with words.

As the last node fell into place, the entire spell framework clicked together seamlessly.

Leonard noticed how detailed the model was. This marked the successful creation of the zero-ring sleeping spell.

But, there was one thing left: a test subject.

Heading out to the backyard, Leonard noticed the soil on the lawn shifting. Within moments, a metallic head emerged; a small iron earthworm, oblivious to the fate it was about to face.

There were two ways to cast the sleeping spell. The first method, which didn't require reciting an incantation, was more discreet. However, it wasn't entirely invisible. When casting, the mental energy needed would cause a noticeable surge in Leonard's mind. This wouldn't be sensed by ordinary people or creatures with weak mental faculties. But for those with comparable or greater mental power, the surge would be apparent, and the spell would take longer to cast.

The second method involved speaking the incantation aloud, making the spell easier to detect. However, the advantage of this approach was speed; casting the spell was significantly quicker.

Leonard wasn't sure exactly how much faster, as his magic book only mentioned that proficiency would improve casting speed with incantations.

Raising his right hand, Leonard focused his mental energy on the spell framework. It was like turning on a faucet; his mental power flowed into the spell as he concentrated.

Minutes later, more than a quarter of his mental energy had vanished. Leonard realized this consumed almost twice as much as casting a similar spell with a wand.

Was it because the wand conserved energy, or was it due to the spells being engraved on it?

Leonard pondered this, but the task at hand remained. As he successfully cast the spell, a swirling gray-white mist formed in his palm; just like the one he had seen Teacher Alfonso create.

Without hesitation, he directed the mist toward the iron earthworm. In an instant, the mist seeped into the creature's body, causing it to freeze. The earthworm fell lifelessly to the ground.

When Leonard tried to contact it through his metal ring, he felt nothing, there was no response.

Leonard understood now the range and speed of the sleeping spell. He took out his staff and cast the spell again.

This time, as his mental energy drained, Leonard felt an unexpected force emanating from the staff. It was strong, persistent, and seemed to replenish his energy as he cast.

It didn't take long for him to realize: the staff was the key to reducing his mental strain.

With the staff, his magic was far more efficient. Without it, Leonard could only cast about three zero-level spells before exhausting himself. But with the staff, he could easily manage six or seven.

Checking his progress, Leonard examined his stats:

Leonard

- Level: 3 (0/100)

- Physical fitness: 1.63

- Mental strength: 3.7

- Mastery: Earth Ring Meditation (11%)

- Life Occupation:

- Level 1 Mutation (11%) (0/10)

- Level 1 Blood Science (1%) (0/10)

- General Experience: 0

His physical fitness had improved slightly; just 0.01, a minor increase, but his mental strength had received a significant boost thanks to his level-up and the meditation techniques he had been practicing.

Leonard estimated that without the staff, casting a zero-ring spell would consume a full unit of mental energy. But with the staff, that consumption was halved, bringing it down to just 0.5.

For an ordinary person with no enhanced mental power, casting a zero-ring spell without a wand would completely drain them. Even with a wand, it could still leave them exhausted.

"Brother, I bought the glassware you wanted, but the merchant jacked up the price and asked for two more gold coins," James grumbled, holding the laboratory equipment. "I swear, I almost wanted to hit him with a club when I saw his sly face. Two extra gold coins, what a scam!"

James felt guilty, thinking he'd failed his brother by spending more than necessary. 'How many loaves of bread could I have bought with that extra two gold coins?'

"It's okay," Leonard reassured him, checking the glassware James had brought back. "As long as we can use it for the experiment, it's worth it."

Apparently, the glassware had originally belonged to a priest who had a keen interest in pharmacology. But after something happened to the priest, the merchant was left with it and had priced it at a premium, selling it to Leonard for a hefty sum.

Leonard inspected the glassware, making sure everything was in order, and then gave James a pat on the shoulder. "Good job, brother."

James beamed, filled with energy after the praise.

Later, after dinner, Leonard couldn't wait to dive into his work. He hurried back to his room, carrying the glassware into his alchemical lab. He also took out the herbs he'd asked James to buy for him a couple of days ago.

"Now, let me think... What else do I need?" Leonard rubbed his forehead, mentally reviewing the steps.

To make the potion, it was best to use pure water and a flame that maintained a constant temperature. Pure water had to be condensed using magic, but distilled water would work as a substitute. For the flame, an alcohol lamp could create a simpler, low-end version of a constant flame.

He had already prepared everything he needed, placing the items carefully on the table.

Step by step, he began extracting the plant essences, heating, mixing, and stirring different herbs in precise proportions as his mind followed the knowledge stored within it. It took nearly two hours.

At the end, Leonard looked at the dark purple-black liquid in the test tube with a frown. He had hoped for a turquoise color, but this was all wrong.

What went wrong? He retraced the steps in his mind.

His head started to ache with frustration, but then, a notification flashed across his vision.

"Daily task completed: Experiment (I)—A low-difficulty experiment."

Completion level: Unqualified (︾)

Reward: None

Leonard's heart sank. Unqualified? He had hoped for at least a "pass." But there was more:

An expandable symbol appeared next to the "Unqualified" rating. As Leonard expanded it, an explanation appeared:

"Completion: Unqualified (︽)

- Error ①: The yellow bud grass was not thoroughly stirred during extraction.

- Error ②: The neutralizer was not preheated for 30 seconds; it exceeded the time by 2 seconds.

- Error ③: (Additional notes)"

Leonard was surprised to find a detailed explanation. While it was just a text breakdown, it was far more useful than nothing. Now, he could avoid making the same mistakes next time.

He quickly grabbed a notebook and wrote down all the errors. Then, he began cleaning up the lab equipment on the table.

"Daily task completed: Clean the laboratory (II)—Keep the lab clean."

Completion: Pass

Reward: 10 general experience points

The difficulty of the cleaning task seemed much lower compared to the experiment. Leonard wondered if the evaluation criteria for the lab cleaning were tied to how well the lab was maintained. But even with the low difficulty, he was still curious why the experiment had only been marked as "unqualified." Was it really so hard to earn an excellent rating?