Chapter 2

Seth looked over the ingredients he had. They were all low quality. He wouldn't use a single one in his day-to-day life.

Now, as a Grandmaster's apprentice, he had to use the worst materials he had seen in a long time.

Seth placed all his newfound gains on the table in the room.

One thing he got from the storage lady was a piece of paper.

The title read as outer apprentice requirements.

It listed the details of a four-year apprenticeship. It mentioned the three potions that Arthur wanted him to be able to do by the year's end.

All a first-year needed to do was make a health potion, a mana potion, and a strength potion.

They could attend classes twice a week, depending on their level.

Once a year, there was a class that the Grandmaster taught. That wouldn't be for another few months. He would like to learn from him a little sooner than that.

Looking at the tools he had on hand, he began to create a minor health potion.

It had been a long time since he had made something so weak.

Testing the tools, he noticed they were better than they first looked.

While different from the tools he used at home. They were sturdy and well-made.

They would be able to take a beating from inexperienced alchemists.

That was a good lesson; he shouldn't be judgemental. He had gone a very different path than the standard apprentice. He would have a lot to learn to become a competent Grandmaster in the future.

Making the three potions was very straightforward. Seth warred with the idea of finding Arthur as quickly as possible.

Taking up the leftover ingredients and new potions, he made his way back up to his room.

He looked over the list of requirements on his way.

It was clear that he could get to inner apprentice without a problem.

All he would have to do was show competency with ten minor potions before the end of his first year.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find a list of requirements for becoming a core apprentice.

He supposed he would have to put on a show at the time of the appraisal.

He could think of various quicker ways to get to where he wanted.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel like he wanted to experience every level of the tower.

He was sure there were better ways to the level of Grandmaster. He just couldn't remember the last time he had done something other than crafting.

Instructor Hird told him he would have to show his work after a month.

He could spend that long exploring the tower and capital. He wasn't too worried about any restrictions around the area.

He doubted they employed the work of a Grandmaster for every enchantment in the tower.

He was confident he could bypass any rune they could put in his way.

There was one more place he did want to go before starting on his adventure.

Leaving his room, he was met with an empty dorm.

He was concerned that he hadn't met anyone in the dorm so far.

He retraced the path he had followed in the morning.

He didn't know if they would take kindly to his questioning, but he thought of asking whichever apprentice was on door duty. Senior Seira had been annoyed dealing with him the day before, so he thought it was better to leave that be.

He didn't meet anyone on the winding stairs to the fifth floor. He wanted to stop on every floor and stroll, but his urge to find the library was stronger still.

Making his way into the room, he saw it was as busy as before. The only thing different was the people.

Another instructor was sitting in the corner. This one with a red seam on his black robes.

He could only assume that meant he was of higher status than the instructor Hird.

Looking at the other apprentices in the room, they wore the same robe as his own.

He didn't think any of them were inner or core apprentices. He wasn't sure where to start with the introductions. Looking at the hole in the wall, he could see the same woman behind the counter.

That made his decision easier; he could start with her.

Her glassy eyes were a bit disconcerting as he made his way over.

Seth could understand her boredom; she didn't seem particularly busy.

She looked at him as he made his way over. A scowl formed on her lips; that wasn't a good sign.

"You can't have ruined all the materials we gave you already? What you say doesn't matter; you only get a new batch once weekly."

He wanted to start this off on the right foot. That now seemed difficult.

"No, miss, I am here looking for either directions or a map."

That gave her pause for a moment.

"Oh, okay. I can't give you a map of the tower. I can give you directions if it is open to outer apprentices."

That gave Seth enough information that there was a map of the tower.

He wouldn't worry about that for the moment. The library was more important.

"That's fine; I'm only asking for directions to a library I can use?"

She seemed even more relieved when I said that.

"That's no problem; the next floor up is the library. You must be an inner apprentice to go to any other library floor."

Seth thanked her as he went on his way. He was a little annoyed that his instructor hadn't told him that.

Heading to the next floor, he entered a more extensive room than any other. The library took up several floors; there were more books here than he had ever seen.

His grandfather had been a book collector, but they were all rare relics. He focused on quality rather than quantity.

Seth had never scratched his reading itch in earnest before.

Now he would have every chance.

A young apprentice was sitting on the desk at the entrance to the library.

He didn't even look up as he entered. He began to look through the bookshelves. He was amazed at what he saw.

There were books about alchemy, yes, but also about everything he could think of.

Primers on every type of magic. Compendiums of knowledge of different beasts and plants.

Countless journals from past Alchemists. Several of which were Grandmasters.

How could he have never thought about that? If the answer were in one of those books, he would be a Grandmaster in no time. He may not need to apprentice under Grandmaster Amos after all.

He had picked up nearly a dozen books to read. He made his way over to an empty table. After all, it was still early in the morning. He needed to figure out how many books he could take overnight.

No matter what, he could make a good start with the reading.

He started the first journal of a Grandmaster that had been alive close to three hundred years ago.

The copy of the journal was in excellent condition. It seemed like few people had read it.

Seth didn't worry about that as he started on the first pages.

He had hoped that it would be a direct copy of the journal. As he read on, he started to lose hope. It seemed far more like a biography than a journal with any helpful information.

He supposed it made sense. Giving apprentices access to a Grandmaster's journal might get them ahead of themselves.

That didn't stop Seth from reading the rest of the book. It didn't give him any extra information about how to break through the barrier.

It told of how the Grandmaster managed to break through himself.

He had lived through a siege of his hometown. What seemed like a hopeless situation became the catalyst for his growth.

He managed to create a new potion that increased the magical strength of a person for a brief period.

It was a masterwork considering his materials and the amount of time.

Seth knew that times of stress were the most significant periods of growth. His family had been trying several things for years on end.

That was the curse that plagued the Masters family.

At the same time, his maternal Aunt had recently become a grandmaster enchanter. His paternal side had none. Masters Yes, but not a single Grandmaster.

He didn't have any interest in getting caught up in a siege.

He wasn't too interested in losing his life to become a Grandmaster in alchemy.

If apprenticing under Grandmaster Amos failed, he would apprentice under his Aunt to try to become an enchanting grandmaster.

Only if that failed would he be interested in taking to the battlefields and risking his life.

He started with the second journal from another Grandmaster.

"Who are you?"

He had managed to get through the first few pages before someone interrupted him.

Looking up, he came face to face with another apprentice.

A young man stood, staring down at him. He was wearing a different robe with a similar shade of brown but blue accents along the side.

He must ask someone what the colors all meant.

A scowl adorned his face. He had to wonder why everyone was in such a bad mood. Did no one else like alchemy?

He thought he would prefer the plain robes no matter what level he reached.

The robe looked far worse with the clashing colors.

"Hello, my name is Seth; I am a new apprentice. Got here yesterday."

Seth tried his best to be civil, after all. If he embraced the lifestyle of being an outer apprentice for the next month, he would be of a lower rank than the man in front of him.

That only caused the young man's scowl to grow deeper.

"Another noble who bought their way in; what are you doing in the library?"

Seth took a second to respond. No one had ever confused him with a noble before. That was another novel thing.

He wondered about the background of the man accusing him of being a noble. He certainly wasn't scared about anything Seth could do to him if Seth were a noble.

He couldn't be sure if he were an inner or core apprentice. He had no idea what the colors were.

"Don't worry. I am no noble; Grandmaster Amos owed my father a favor; that is the only reason I could join when I did."

The young man continued to stare at Seth. He finally nodded as if agreeing with himself before sitting beside Seth.

"My name is Andre, an inner apprentice here; nice to meet you."

Seth was reeling from Andre's quick change of attitude; he was a little shocked at how friendly he was now.

"Nice to meet you too; what are you doing in the general library?"

Andre looked at him for a few seconds.

"You are new here, huh? This is the only library in the tower. The first floor is open to everyone. The second is only open to inner apprentices. While every other floor, you must be a core apprentice or an instructor. You will see people of all levels around here."

That didn't answer Seth's question. He judged the standards of books on the first floor. Anyone who didn't have to be there should stay on the higher levels.

That wouldn't stop Seth from reading as much as he could on this floor. But if he were interested in advancing through the lower levels of alchemy, he would only stick around for a short time.

"I saw you from the second floor; we rarely have new people in the library. It's rare for nobles to deign to come here before they are inner apprentices."

That explained a little why Andre had come down. But why was he so hostile if nobles were rarely on the first floor?

Seth couldn't answer that question. Andre continued to tell him about the library and its benefits. There was little that an outer apprentice could take advantage of.

"If you have any questions about alchemy or want me to test one of your potions, let me know."

Now that Andre knew he wasn't a noble, he was far more friendly.

"I will do that; thanks for that, Andre."

Andre, content with that, got up and continued back up to the second floor. It was through stairs he hadn't seen before.

Judging by the quick flash of magic as Andre went up. It was a simple enchantment that stopped people from traveling to a floor they were not allowed.

That wouldn't do much to stop Seth. He planned to head to the higher floors when no one was around.

That would be for a different time. For now, Seth would read through the rest of the journals.