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C1041

The Artisan exam was not an easy one at all. Devising an original recipe and creating said recipe from a selected environment was not something that could simply be done within a day, let alone mere 12 hours.

However, that was exactly what the exam was all about.

Currently, a hundred Rank 4 Apprentice Apothecary, most of whom had decades of experience under their belts, were all still unable to create a final product worthy of meeting the standard of the exam.

There was only an hour and a half of time left, and most of the examinees had similar expressions on their faces. Some even seem to have given up completely, eyes dazedly staring at their workstations. However, there were also others just like Emery, who had made either a Tier 4 product with level 1 originality or Tier 3 with level 2 originality – merely one step away from succeeding the exam.

In truth, if Emery had been able to harvest and use Tier 5 ingredients, he would have already passed this Artisan exam an hour ago. Unfortunately, this was the situation he had gotten himself in, so Emery had to just give his all and make the best out of it.

At this point, Emery only needed to improve his product to another level and he could finally pass the exam.

After racking his brains, he thought of a possible solution. Perhaps, it was time for him to turn to external help. He turned his gaze to a certain corner of the exam venue, where some equipment could be seen.

Even so, Emery needed to carefully consider how he would approach this before taking action.

"Alright, let's see what kind of treatment would be best for the two of you." He said while looking at the two finished products on his workstation.

In order to know the most optimal choice, the answer lay within the product.

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Emery went back and scrutinized the characteristics of the two products. The pill and the potion, and saw if he could alter any of them to further increase their potency. If he could improve them past their limits and reach 130%, he was confident that he would reach another level of originality in the final product.

[Spirit Pool Potion]

Thanks to the ingredients used to make them, the Spirit Pool Potion contained powerful energy that would help replenish the depleted Spirit Pool. However, for the same reason, the inherent nature of the potion itself was a bit too volatile.

Therefore, if Emery could somehow adjust and make the potion more stable, its potency and effectiveness would increase even more, which would then increase its grade.

[Health Regeneration Pill]

As for the Health Regeneration Pill, Emery realized that the pill was a bit too moist compared to its counterparts. He quickly checked what was wrong, and found that the humidity was a minor side effect that was caused by the ingredients.

One of the ways Emery considered to resolve the unexpected humidity was to use a bacteria that could dry up the pill from the inside. That way, he didn't need to reduce the amount of ingredients used, and the pill wouldn't have to lose its potency. He decided to choose one type available, per the manual that Karin had shown him before.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Emery decided to work on both products at the same time. He quickly went to that corner of the exam venue, and walked towards where the appropriate equipment was located.

Physics equipment for his Spirit Pool Potion, while Biology sampling for his Health Regeneration Pill.

Putting the potion in the equipment, Emery went on and fiddled with the complicated equipment, trying to remember and follow what he had practiced with Cedric and Karin. Moments later, he watched as the percentage shown on the equipment, which signified the potion's potency, gradually rose.

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100%... 110%... 120%...

The process went smoothly with no hiccups until it reached 120%. However, before it could reach the 130% potency Emery was aiming for, the potion suddenly burst and its content turned into steam.

He looked in bewilderment at the empty vial inside the equipment, his brain still processing what had just happened. It was only moments later that he realized his hours of hard work had disappeared just like that.

Emery heaved a sigh of disappointment. Even though he didn't expect to succeed on the first try, seeing his hard work lost like that still disheartened him. Smacking both cheeks, he turned his attention to his other product. This was also exactly why he created two products.

Unfortunately, Emery was forced to watch as the pill he made destroyed in front of his eyes. The bacteria infused into the pill absorbed the excess moisture and went further, turning the pill so dry that it immediately crumbled to dust the instant he tried to pick it up from the equipment.

Emery stared into the empty space in a daze. Both of his products failed their improvements, and were destroyed without leaving a trace.

[58 minutes]

There was less than an hour, and Emery had returned and stood behind his workstation without any product ready. He let out a deep sigh as he thought he had finally failed the exam now.

From these disastrous failures, it was clear that he couldn't play around with the two advanced studies, especially when he just learnt the basics overnight.

At this moment, Emery felt such a loss of hope. In reality, the two products he had made were great. But they were simply not good enough for the Artisan exam.

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No one ever wanted to fail, but it was not a life and death matter. He should properly practice the craft for the Rank 4 exam next month, and the Artisan exam the month after. He would try to attain the title just before he graduated and returned home.

Nothing to be downcast about.

Thus, at this moment, Emery eliminated the thought of the exam from his mind completely.

His thoughts then turned his attention to the next urgent matter, thinking of another way to help Master Dulin with. The grandmaster must be able to pull some string to find a way to get an Artisan to do the harvesting, while he himself would be the escort guarding.

On the same note, the idea of bringing the little girl Karin to help him came to his mind, and he was seriously contemplating it.

[50 minutes]

Emery still had 50 minutes before the exam finally concluded. Facing a workstation full of materials and with the pressure to pass the exam lifted off his shoulders, he suddenly had the thought of using the last 50 minutes to concoct a simple healing pill instead.

The reason for this was that he was suddenly reminded of two recent events that left an indelible mark on him.

The death of the servant girl Gennette at the Ouroboros prison, and the old man that he couldn't save in the midtest village.

In either case, it wasn't that the spell wasn't strong enough to heal their wounds. On the other hand, his healing spell was too powerful for them – a mortal and a lower realm individual.

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An idea suddenly came to his mind, to create a pill that would solve such a problem. A powerful reviving pill for such individuals.

Feeling pumped, Emery quickly went into action.

To be continued