Chapter 65: Botched Chants and Brilliant Polishing

“Where’s the student named Zion! Answer me!”

Professor Huein was searching for Zion.

Anyone who saw her would mistake her for a young sibling who had mistakenly entered the classroom and was looking for their older brother, she was so short and had such a youthful air.

…I heard she was a dwarf, is that what female dwarves look like?

“…Hey, Zion, she’s calling you.”

Patrick nudged Zion with his elbow.

Patrick’s gaze, looking at him with a ‘what are you doing?’ expression, stung.

The other students’ gazes naturally focused in one direction.

Unless Professor Huein was an idiot, she could tell who Zion was.

“Oh! There you were. Are you Zion?”

“……Yes, Professor.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’re deaf, so you were just not answering? Inefficient!”

Thump, thump!

Professor Huein approached Zion.

When she got right in front of him, she couldn’t see Zion’s face well, so Professor Huein took three steps back.

She pointed her index finger at Zion with a thump!

“I received help thanks to you. You’re doing quite well for a newly enrolled guinea pig, aren’t you? I’ll praise you!”

“…Thank you.”

“You can be happier!”

“Um… Professor Huein? The praise is nice, but behind you….”

“Ngyat?”

Soft—

Professor Shivrina approached Professor Huein.

Surprised by the sensation on the back of her head, Professor Huein jumped.

Shivrina tilted her head and asked.

“Are you acquainted with Zion, student?”

“No, I don’t know him! But I received help.”

“Help…?”

“That’s right. For my ‘The Energizer Maximum Power Cookie,’ which hadn’t produced clear results for nearly a year!”

Doo-doo-doo!

She took out a cookie from her white laboratory coat pocket.

It might look like a cookie she was saving to eat later.

But Zion knew what that cookie was.

That’s because Professor Lunia had given it to him to try.

“The feedback that the student named Zion gave was a great help in making this cookie!”

“…….”

“So I naturally became curious. What kind of process did he use to derive those ideas, and what kind of insight does he have?”

Professor Huein’s eyes turned to Zion.

A gaze full of expectation to the point of being burdensome.

Zion slipped away from that gaze.

“Didn’t you hear from Professor Lunia? I invited you to come to the lab.”

“Oh, well…….”

“Well, it doesn’t matter! We met today anywa—nyat!”

“Um, Professor Huein.”

Fluffy!

Professor Shivrina caressed Professor Huein’s cheek.

She put her index finger in front of her face as if saying, “Tsk!”

“I understand that you’re happy to meet Zion, student, but it’s class time, isn’t it?”

“…Th-That’s right.”

“So please proceed with the class. Time is flowing even at this moment. As for Zion, student, that’s after class, okay?”

“Y-Y-Yes, good! So let go of me!”

“Yes, hehe.”

Shudder!

Professor Huein was terrified to the point of being unnatural.

…Why is she trembling so much?

It can’t be that Professor Shivrina is scary.

While Zion had a slight question.

“Hoo, hoo… I was too excited. Sorry, guinea pig students! Then I’ll start the class right away!”

As if she had never trembled in fear, Professor Huein started the class in a dignified voice.

First, an explanation of the basics of alchemy magic.

“Alchemy magic, as the name suggests, started from the process of making gold. I believe that new magic department students already know the basics, so I’ll skip that! You can learn the detailed history and genealogy later in the Alchemy Magic Department…”

Thump!

She made a ‘V’ sign with her fingers.

“Just remember these things about alchemy magic: Magic Stone Crafting and Potion Making! First, Magic Stone Crafting… refers to the technique of refining the murky magic power of magic stones!”

The root of alchemy is, after all, the metal manufacturing technique ‘to make gold.’

What developed from there was ‘Magic Stone Crafting.’

It refers to all the work of processing and crafting magic stones from magical beasts to make equipment, etc.

“Potion Making is about mixing herbs and magic stones to make potions! Healing potions and mana potions are typical.”

Potions, which always appear in fantasy worldviews.

That was also a technique belonging to alchemy.

“I can’t teach you many things today. The world of alchemy is vast and deep! So today….”

Ttaak!

When she snapped her fingers.

Several objects popped out of thin air.

With the sound of chak chak chak, the objects were placed on each of their desks.

‘…Is this a sack?’

A sack the size of a book bag. When he opened it, there were various materials.

Lowest-grade magic stones, herbs used to make potions, and bottles to hold the potions, etc.

“What I’ve given you is a basic alchemy magic set. You can learn Magic Stone Crafting and Potion Making as a set.”

Thump!

Huein crossed her arms and raised her chin.

She shouted proudly.

“Today’s class will learn the 1st circle magic, ‘Polishing,’ and ‘Potion Making’!!”

‘Polishing,’ which crafts magic stones, and ‘Potion Making,’ which creates potions.

A smile bloomed on Zion’s face when he heard that story.

‘Good. I can learn…! 1st circle alchemy magic!’

Zion clenched his fist.

Professor Huein’s interest is burdensome, but he can learn 1st circle magic.

This is because magic below the 2nd circle can be acquired simply by looking at it.

If possible, he wanted to learn up to the 2nd circle… but for now, he decided to be satisfied with the 1st circle.

“Of course, you guinea pig students will think this: It’s impossible to learn the 1st circle in a few hours.”

Woo-oong!

The sack placed in front of Professor Huein floated up.

“But… it’s possible if you have talent. Alchemy magic doesn’t create something from nothing, but uses materials as a medium. It also means that it’s easier than other magic with different levels of difficulty.”

“…….”

“So keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully! You guinea pig students!”

Leaving the materials embroidered in the air, Professor Huein raised her magic power.

Pink magic power, the same color as her hair.

It began to meet in the air and cause changes.

“First, I’ll show you polishing!”

Swish!

Pink magic power surrounded the pea-sized magic stones.

Crude magic stones of about F grade or E grade.

It began to change when it met magic power.

“Pure energy, drive away the wicked energy and reveal your true self, Polishing!”

Hwaaaak!

Zion couldn’t take his eyes off the magic that started with a fairly long chant.

The alchemy magic he observed with his magic eye, ‘Identification Eye.’

It was… like several geometric patterns that changed in seconds.

‘Magic power moves differently for each magic… amazing.’

Elemental magic has a variety of colors that can be changed into any element,

Necromancy feels sticky like tar.

On the other hand, alchemy magic… As much as it creates new materials from existing materials, the vicissitude came out in the magic power.

Zion watched the ‘Polishing’ magic without blinking an eye.

Before he knew it, the bumpy magic stone was beautifully cut and sparkling like a jewel.

[Magic Name: Polishing]
[Tier: 1st Circle]
[Explanation: Crafts magic stones in their natural state. After crafting, it can be used to strengthen equipment.]

[Discovered magic of a lower circle than your own!]

[A new magic has been registered in the Magic Tome.]

[You can use Polishing magic.]

‘…This is alchemy magic.’

Zion clenched and unclenched his hands and looked at the Magic Tome.

As it was a 1st circle magic, it naturally went into the Magic Tome as soon as he saw it.

In the meantime, Professor Huein was proceeding with ‘Potion Making.’

The process of Potion Making was more complicated than Polishing.

“You must make it with reference to the recipe! Be careful, or you’ll fail.”

There was paper in the sack given to each person.

A piece of paper with a recipe and chant for making the lowest grade healing potion.

According to the recipe, what was needed was magic power, magic stones that had been polished, and a certain amount of water.

For reference, magic power is a weed that is commonly found in the mountains and grows by eating magic power.

“Essence of nature, pure energy! Meet in this place and create a new water drop, Potion Making!”

Woo-oong!!

Several ingredients went into an empty bottle at once.

It was mixed with magic power and a red drink was completed.

A healing potion commonly seen in games was made.

Immediately after making the potion, all the ingredients went back into the sack.

“The showing is up to here. Now it’s time for action. Ask if there’s anything you don’t know! Then it’s starting.”

“Yes!!”

Perhaps the magic that was shown directly made them motivated, and the students’ answers were loud and full of energy.

Professor Huein, looking at the guinea pigs… no, the students, with a happy expression.

Zion looked at her grinning face and turned his gaze to his desk.

‘…Okay, so how do I do it.’

The students were just wiggling their magic power.

Some were fiddling with magic stones, and some were already meditating with their eyes closed.

…For reference, Geibolg was holding a magic stone in both hands with bulging muscles.

I’m worried that the magic stone will break if he does that.

‘If I succeed right away even though it hasn’t been a few minutes since I started, I’ll get attention again.’

Everyone was trying hard to succeed in alchemy magic.

On the other hand, Zion could use both ‘Polishing’ and ‘Potion Making’ without chanting if he wanted to.

But Zion was worried about the aftermath.

The students’ gazes, the distorted rumors, and the professor’s hot interest.

It’s a good thing he was still a freshman, if he was a senior, he would have become a graduate student somewhere.

Zion wanted to refuse the future of becoming a graduate student with all his might.

‘Okay, now is the time to be considerate. So… let’s pretend I can’t do it.’

Zion thought.

He had already learned two 1st circle magic.

So there’s no need to reproduce it here.

It’s something that can be practiced alone later.

If I pretend to struggle with the magic stone and magic power properly—

“Huh? Zion! I can’t see any magic power at all?”

“……Professor?”

“Eucha!”

Professor Huein jumped and sat on Zion’s desk.

She looked down at Zion.

Zion felt choked by the gaze full of expectation.

“Come on, let’s chant as written in the chant here!”

“……Yes.”

The paper with the potion making recipe clearly stated the chant.

If he reads it as it is, the magic will be activated unconditionally.

But he can’t not follow what the professor tells him to do in front of him.

So what should he do?

‘…Deliberately get the chanting wrong!’

Zion read the recipe with a nervous expression.

The chant is about 10 words, so it’s definitely not short.

If he accidentally bites his tongue or stutters, the magic won’t work naturally.

Then Professor Huein’s interest will fade.

‘Hoo… let’s calm down.’

Zion calmed his mind for a while by taking a deep breath.

He wasn’t nervous because he wanted to succeed, but because he was nervous that he might succeed.

Professor Huein waited for Zion with a look of watching a cute student.

“Don’t worry. You can’t be full on the first try! I just want to see how you use magic power. Is this your first time using alchemy magic?”

“Yes, it’s my first time, but… I’ll try my best.”

“Good!”

Hold the magic stone in one hand and the paper in the other.

“Pu…Pure energy.”
“Uhm.”

The chant went horribly wrong from the start, stumbling.

Zion, who confirmed that Professor Huein’s beautiful brow was frowning….

Began to get the chanting wrong more carefully.

“Receive the wicked energy… No, drive it away! True… I mean, reveal! A, show… Ah, reveal it! ……Polishing!”

“…Zion, you don’t need to be so nervous. Just calmly—Eung!?”
“…Huh?”

Originally, it is natural to fail if you stutter and repeat the chanting like this.

Even if you read the chant as it is, the magic will fail if the operation of magic power is wrong.

But if there was something Zion overlooked….

The bizarre performance of the Magic Tome he had, more than enough to cover up even minor chanting mistakes.

Hwaaaak!!

The magic stone Zion was holding began to shine.

The magic stone is gradually scraped off.

The remnants of magic power on the outside were washed away, and the clean flesh revealed its appearance.

The 1st circle alchemy magic, ‘Polishing’, worked properly.

“Hoo-ooh!! Amazing! Amazing! Zion! As I heard from Professor Lunia! The best guinea pig!”

“……Ah.”

Huein snatched the magic stone from Zion’s hand and stared at it.

Like a child playing with a toy.

The magic stone she was holding was not a bumpy magic stone in its natural state, but a smoothly crafted magic stone.

“It’s Zion after all! Be sure to come to my lab!”

“…….”

“For sure, for sure!”

Zion silently looked at his palm.

The ability called ‘Magic Tome’ that he obtained after falling into this world.

…It’s also a problem that the ability is too good and I can’t control my strength, Zion thought.