Chapter 2

It's a pity... if only I could really bind a Feng Ling Yue Ying modifier and bring it over.

Then I would directly modify all attributes and skills to the maximum value and be an ancestor in the other world.

Luo En flipped through the "Fundamentals of Potions" in his hand, earnestly memorizing and taking notes while stealing some leisure time to fantasize in his mind.

However, it's not bad as it is now; the attribute and skill growth bonuses stacked by multiple extraordinary professions will snowball, and the various values will explode as they go further.

【Basic Potions Experience +1】

Another prompt appeared, and Luo En could feel his understanding of potions deepen by another fraction.

This feeling was like weaving a large net, where every knowledge point was a node on the net.

And whenever understanding deepened, new connections would arise between these nodes.

This is growth—watching the numbers grow bit by bit, feeling knowledge take root and sprout in one's heart.

It is not the ethereal "I think I understand," but a clear, quantifiable progress.

If only learning on Earth could be like this? He couldn't help but think so...

If everyone could see in real-time that their efforts were permanently preserved and quantified into clear numbers, this sense of progress, this certainty that effort would surely be rewarded, would be enough to make anyone addicted to seeking knowledge.

In Luo En's view, this was more fulfilling than his past life; he could feel himself growing every moment, and every bit of effort left a clear mark on the panel.

......Subsequently, time passed quietly in the absorption of knowledge.

In the narrow room, the candlelight flickered day and night, casting swaying light and shadows on the pages and notes.

Over the past week, except for necessary eating and resting, he had devoted almost all his time to the study of potions.

"The activity of evening primrose decays as the picking time passes, but if picked during a full moon, its potency can be maintained for a whole month;

Spider grass must be cut horizontally, because this can preserve the magic power within it to the greatest extent; while silver calamus needs to be cut diagonally, which can make its potency stronger."

Those once obscure herb characteristics now formed vivid connections in his mind.

Knowledge was no longer rigid text, but understanding integrated into flesh and blood.

【Basic Potions Experience +1】

【Basic Potions Experience +1】

【Basic Potions Experience +1】

【Basic Potions (Entry 5/50) → Basic Potions (Proficient 9/100)】

【Additional Trait Acquired: High-Speed Memory (Memory increased)】

One week passed quietly in such near-obsessive study.

This increase in numbers could be considered to condense his countless moments of concentration; on average, hard study only increased experience by about ten points a day. Fortunately, the "High-Speed Memory" trait acquired was very good, which could be considered an unexpected joy.

And the further it went, the slower it became; it was foreseeable that it would take at least several months of hard work to upgrade to the next stage.

So the top priority was to quickly change profession to the most basic 【Potion Apprentice】; the experience accumulation speed of the skill for a non-professional blank slate was really as slow as a turtle crawling.

It's just that he didn't know what the profession change conditions for the combat profession 【Wizard Apprentice】 were; he currently didn't seem to have met the conditions to unlock the profession change information.

Just as Luo En was planning his next steps in his mind, the door was lightly knocked.

"Hey, Luo En? Are you still alive?"

A somewhat teasing voice came from outside the door: "I haven't seen you in the public area for a whole week; I thought you had already silently turned into a dried corpse in the room."

Luo En looked up and saw a handsome face looking at him through the half-open door.

The person had dazzling blonde hair, and even the most ordinary gray-white apprentice robe could not conceal the elegant demeanor in his gestures.

Luo En searched his memory; this guy who looked extremely familiar with him was—Andre, the thirteenth prince of the kingdom, and also one of the few fellow countrymen he had in this Black Mist Forest.

When they were still in the kingdom, unlike the sharp-edged other royal family members, Andre always appeared humble and polite, even a bit too low-key.

It was said that this made several of his older brothers heave a sigh of relief, thinking that this younger brother had no interest in the struggle for the throne.

However, now, this Thirteenth Prince was wearing the same gray-white apprentice robe as Luo En, leaning against his simple door frame.

"Is Your Highness concerned about me?" Luo En teased: "It's a pity that the object our Ralph family is loyal to is not you."

"Come on, don't call me Your Highness."

Andre waved his hand, leaning limply against the door frame:

"Here, we are all the same. Whether it's the son of a count or the thirteenth prince, in front of wizards, these secular titles are just empty names."

His gaze swept across the desktop and suddenly stopped on that frayed "Fundamentals of Potions."

The pages were densely inserted with sticky notes, and some page corners were already curled from reading.

"Don't tell me," Andre's voice carried a trace of disbelief, "you've been studying this all week?"

Looking at Andre's somewhat surprised expression, Luo En suddenly realized how crazy his behavior this week might look to outsiders.

You know, most candidate apprentices with no hope of promotion would choose to kill time in the public area or try to find some shortcuts, such as currying favor with seniors who had already become formal apprentices.

Someone like him who locked himself in his room to study hard was probably very rare.

"Indeed." Luo En nodded, his fingers unconsciously brushing over the pages, "I found potion study unexpectedly interesting."

"Interesting?" Andre raised his eyebrows, his expression becoming serious.

As a prince who grew up in the palace and was good at observing words and expressions, he could naturally see the changes in Luo En.

The concentration and calmness in those eyes could never be faked.

"It seems you have really gained something from this."

Luo En was about to answer when he noticed Andre's gaze fall again on the thick stack of notes on the table.

Those notes were almost twice as thick as "Fundamentals of Potions" itself, and every page was filled to the brim.

"Did you write all these this week?"

Andre looked at the top notebook that was half-spread open; what met his eyes were neat handwriting and clear charts.

Many places were also marked with supplementary explanations and questions; judging from the newness of the handwriting, some questions had already been answered in subsequent studies.

"To be precise." Luo En pointed to the thickest notebook: "This is what I wrote at the beginning. At that time, many concepts were unclear, so I wrote them down in great detail. Later, as understanding deepened, the notes gradually became more refined."

Andre's gaze lingered on that "Fundamentals of Potions" for a moment, his expression somewhat complex.

Too many people hit a wall in potion study; some apprentices studied for years and found it difficult to get started, let alone reach the proficiency standard within a few short months.

He had given this book to Luo En back then; at that time, he had already determined that he had no talent for potion study, so he simply transferred this book that had cost quite a few magic stone fragments.

"Do you still remember where this book came from?" Andre asked seemingly casually.

Luo En thought for a moment and soon recalled: "It was given by Your Highness; at that time, you said potion study didn't quite suit you and planned to switch to researching enchanting."

Andre's gaze swept over the dense notes on the other's table, and a strange look appeared on his face:

"It seems you are much stronger than me in terms of effort; it's only been a week, and you've managed to take so many notes."

"To be honest." He spoke feigning ease:

"I didn't expect you to choose the path of potion study. You know, many experienced apprentices have stumbled on potion study. Just relying on reading books and taking notes, I'm afraid..."

Andre chuckled, not finishing his sentence, but the attitude of not being optimistic was already very obvious.

Enchanting, alchemy, potions... these are all playthings exclusive to the talented; he had tried several mainstream wizard skills, but undoubtedly all failed.

How could he not have also been like Luo En, desperately looking for a way out under the pressure of tight time?

But reality is cruel—any wizard skill is not a field that is easy to master; those with talent are not one in ten thousand, but at least one in a hundred, and this "one in a hundred" is chosen from among these candidate apprentices.

Luo En smiled, probably knowing what Andre was thinking, and didn't care, casually bringing up another topic:

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Trish for a long time. She recently..."

Before he finished speaking, he noticed that the expression on the face of this Thirteenth Prince, who had always shown good cultivation, actually lost control for a moment.

Although the other party quickly adjusted back to that elegant and calm appearance, that brief loss of composure was still captured by Luo En.

"Oh, you mean her, she is already a middle-level apprentice." Andre maintained an elegant smile, his tone light to the point of being deliberate:

"She just completed the promotion ceremony last month; she is worthy of being the only genius among us few fellow countrymen."

(End of this chapter)