Each of the three professional Alchemists inspected their individual vial with scrutiny, examining them for even the smallest of flaws. Due to this, the room was silent for five minutes before Master Uriel became the first to speak. "It shouldn't be too surprising, but we took notice of the recipe you chose to follow, and I can't help but wonder why you chose it." He inquired the lad, who then stated that the freshness, quality, and age of the ingredients for the Mana Improvement Potion were the closest to ideal, while others were less so, giving him greater confidence in attempting to concoct it. "A wise observation. Indeed, age, quality and freshness have great impacts on the alchemic process. Very few are able to make top-quality potions from ingredients that are considered poor in these three factors."
The young boy bowed politely, "Thank you, sir. Still, even though I did have appropriate ingredients, I had a number of slip-ups... Otherwise, I could have made more than six... But, since this was my first attempt at alchemy, that would require me to be a super genius. I'm happy I managed to do it without failing." Though Luca was certainly humble with his words, his overall meaning was clear, and the trio of judges knew what he meant. Alchemy prodigies were extremely rare, and the easiest way to find one was during an exam. Almost all alchemy prodigies were capable of mastering any recipe within no more than three attempts. One, in particular, was the person who received a title from both the gods, the world's will, and Paracelsus, the one and only esteemed Alchemy King, who proved himself to be the only alchemist to have never failed a single attempt in his career, something even the Alchemy Sage dared not claim.
Master Quinn spoke next, "Indeed, we did not expect you to manage such a feat. That would be an unreasonable expectation. We're already far more than satisfied with just this." The yellow-eyed Cat Tribe beastman peered at the young lad, "Now, I have one question in mind, and I'm sure these two might be thinking the same. The recipe for the Mana Improvement Potions has been stated to take more than three hours, even for a Master Alchemist like myself. With a Grandmaster Alchemist, such as Edgewick here, it would still be two hours. Nonetheless, you, an untested and complete novice to the alchemic profession, managed to concoct it in roughly an hour and forty-five minutes, even with several slip-ups. Dare I ask how you did so?"
Having expected this question, Luca was prepared to answer with information the System had provided, "With the nature of the Mana Improvement Potion's ingredients being entirely cold-based and having next to no adverse reactions with any of the others, the general need to add the ingredients separately is unnecessary in this case. By adding the Veiled Frost Tulip petals, Snow Blossom Fruits, and Frost Salts to the Spirit Water immediately after it was poured into the cauldron, all three could combine together much quicker as all three were heated to a boil simultaneously. The following step was the same, as the already heated and assimilated first set of ingredients would repeat the process, though I should have added Spirit Water Crystals at the same time to properly do so. As for the last step, the potion is usually bottled while it is hot, making it take longer to cool and having less of a shelf-life due to the lack of concentration after constant evaporation and then condensation within the bottle. By adding Spirit Water Crystals, the concentration was still lowered slightly due to the addition, the potion cooled faster and suffered less evaporation, thus lasting far longer. Also, by using this method correctly, the Mana Improvement Potion should theoretically be 15-25% more effective on average." Luca did not feel proud of his work, as it was really just him being guided by the System and therefore not truly his own actions, as he shook his head with a sigh, "Due to my slip-ups, I did not manage to complete such improvements to my own attempt, though it did still see a growth in potency. From my guess, it should be about 10% stronger than others."
The singed Grandmaster Edgewick's eyes sparkled with that brilliant look again as he laughed, "I can't believe nobody thought of this before. Extraordinary!" He peered at the slowly darkening vial with wonder, "If it's done as you've described, the improved recipe for Mana Improvement Potions could become a peak B-grade recipe, reducing the time necessary for concoction and having little to no impact on costs!" Taking a quick look at his fellow examiners, the A-grade Alchemist declared, "The three of us agree that you have completed your exam, not just to the letter, but exceeding our expectations. On your very first, your Alchemist License will already have one Professional Accomplishment it, as your improvement of an important potion recipe certainly deserves recognition."
This surprised Luca, who had not expected to hear such. Professional Accomplishments were acts of academic or productional meritorious acts that were essential for building up one's prestige in the world of business. The more of these attached to one's name, the greater their prestige along with their reputation and capabilities. Depending on the significance of the accomplishment, Merit Points were given to the possessor, which could be exchanged for several things, such as teachings from seniors of their profession, special materials, or recipes and manuals. While Adventurers had this as well, they did not have the merit system that profession guilds do. With an accomplishment on his belt immediately upon his license's issue, Luca was bound to make a stir in the alchemy business.
After the young lad hastily bowed with grateful words, the singed Grandmaster Edgewick chuckled, "Alright, you've performed outstandingly. Go take a short break before you go deal with Runette and her critical glare. You've earned it, kiddo."