A New Subject for First-year Students

Starting up fire was not as simple as Arthur thought. Sure, it would be a lot easier if he had the means to cast a fireball, but that was not within his reach for the time being.

The sun was setting, and the nightly creatures went out chasing prey. Arthur spent hours trying the friction method to create fire. He accomplished that a few moments before nightfall.

Another thing he wished to master was hunting. Arthur was not entirely clueless about it, as he went to some summer camps back in his world. But the problem was that few animals lived in the academy's woods. And, as far as Arthur knew, no one could hunt there.

The only thing Arthur could think of was to train outside the academy. He wasn't sure if Marget would allow him to leave, but he would ask her, regardless.

"At least I started a fire. Other things will have to wait," thought Arthur. He left the woods after that, going directly to his dorm. According to his calculations, Wisa would start their training tomorrow, and that thought made him excited.

He also forgot to check how much experience he got after having sex with Lilia, so he did that on his way back to the dorm.

[Name: Arthur Willians(RANK F)

[Level: 6]

[Health: 220/220]

[Mana: 0/x]

Attributes:

[Strength: 5]

[Agility: 5]

[Vigor: 5]

[Wisdom: 3]

[Charm: 6]

[Free points: 6]

"I got two levels? Damn. I guess fucking seniors have an advantage after all," Arthur thought.

He thought that fucking stronger people gave him more experience than usual. Arthur thought that preying on his seniors more often would only benefit him.

After getting two levels, Arthur also got six free points to use. He opted to use them later, as usual. These points were precious, as he did not know if he could re-roll them.

It took him some time to get to the dorm. Jane was already deeply asleep. Arthur noticed how her face looked tired and worried. She probably spent the day training with Marget, which made her tired. That would explain why she was sleeping so early in the evening.

"But what can I do now? There is no one to talk to, and the class only starts tomorrow," thought Arthur.

He was not tired yet, but there was nothing else to do at that point. Picking up some books from the library would make his night more pleasant, but he had not done it because of laziness. That had been a mistake.

Arthur lay on his bed, staring at the roof. Millions of things crossed his mind, and he tried his best to maintain a focus on what he had to do. There was a tournament he had to win.

Sleep took some time to come, and Arthur could only wait. The funny thing was that when he finally slept, he snored so loudly that Jane woke up.

~~~~

The sun returned, and birds sang with it. It was early in the morning.

"You're finally awake. Here, I made breakfast for us," Jane said. She got up earlier to prepare food for them.

"Finally awake? Sorry that I did not sleep in the afternoon like you."

"Make fun now. Marget pushed me hard in training, and I'm sure Wisa will do the same with you."

"She can try. Resistance is one of my best traits," Arthur said.

Jane prepared some eggs for them. It was funny that some foods in that world were so similar. The taste of it was the same.

After they ate, Jane and Arthur went to the classroom. There were some new subjects, not only for Arthur, but for everyone in the class.

A woman entered the classroom. She had green hair and wore glasses. She differed from all the women Arthur had seen so far.

The class went silent, waiting for her to speak. Marget, the academy's president, punished whoever messed up inside the classroom. So, none of them wanted to enrage the teacher on her first day.

"Hello, everyone," she said, dropping her bag filled with things above the desk.

"I'm Myria. I teach Alchemy here in the academy. None of you heard of it because it is not a subject for first-year students. I do not know why Marget asked me to teach it, but there is nothing we can do about it," Myria said.

"Alchemy!" Arthur thought. That piqued his interest instantly. If it was like the idea he had in mind, then that was a subject he wished to master. Brewing potions seemed fun.

"Anyone of you heard about Alchemy?" Myria said. She waited only for a fraction of a second before talking again. It was common sense that they would know nothing about it.

"I suspected much. So, let me explain the basics," Myria got up and wrote on the board, 'The basics of Alchemy.'

"Alchemy is the art of brewing potions. Not only that, but it is also a meticulous study of all plants in our world,"

"Some plants helped our ancestors with a bellyache or other common issues,"

"But we, mages, went far in this field of study and researched about the plants that mutated because of magic,"

"Almost all raw plants harm our body. We alchemists experiment with the best combination of plants to do the opposite and strengthen our body in some aspect."

"Take Aglovil, per example. It is a common magical herb in our region, and if you eat it raw, it will harm your body. Some people experience pain, while others puke. But, if you mix it with Gekunut, boiling at the right temperature, this potion can improve your mana core and make you absorb mana easily for some time," Myria said.

Everyone listened carefully to it, and all of them were impressed. The effects of these potions could help them in many aspects. But all the students also knew that creating these potions was not something simple.

"This is awesome. Now I want to learn how to fight using a sword and potions. I'll look exactly like a fictional character from my world," Arthur thought.

Before Myria said these things, Arthur had a rough idea about how Alchemy worked. But maybe it could be different in this world, so he kept quiet when she asked if they knew about it. In the end, it was the same.

Now, that was a subject that grabbed his attention. The system he had improved his body by putting points in his attributes, like a game. If Arthur drank potions, then he would turn into a killing machine.

"Now," Myria picked up a pile of books from her bag and said, "all of you come here and grab one."

All students got up from their seats and grabbed a book. Arthur did the same. The book had the title 'Alchemy for Beginners: Basics Recipes.'

Myria took out some tools from her bag and gave them to each student. It was a cauldron.

"Open at page 12," Myria said.

The book was thick, and page 12 was only the beginning of it. Each page had a different recipe, and the one on page 12 was 'Flask of the Spirit.'

"This is a recipe for a potion that enhances the speed of your meditation, allowing you to absorb more mana from the atmosphere. Remember the example I gave a few moments ago? This potion has the same principle, but it actually uses other ingredients,"

"Alchemy is a new and complicated subject. The same combination of herbs can have multiple effects, and adding only one component can change the effect," Myria said.

The Flask of the Spirit had the same effect as the example potion, but the book said that one needed Nere Leaf and Ruccidamon to brew it. Arthur did not know what these ingredients were. It was a good thing that the book had images of it, as well as some of its effects. It also had a step-by-step of how to prepare the potion.

Arthur read the entire page and frowned. It was more complicated than he thought it would be. One needed the exact amount of each ingredient. The temperature was another problem. If it was too high, then the potion would fail. If it was too low, then the potion would fail. It was not a simple process, and Arthur understood why it was a subject only for older students. Alchemy required deep control. Most of these first-year students could barely control their own mana.

But none of that discouraged Arthur. That it was a new field in this world, and that it had room for a lot of discoveries, made him excited. He wanted to become the master, and the first step toward this goal was to produce this flask of the Spirit in his first class.

"I need to impress Myria."