Having obtained Nickel Lifehill, I immediately returned to the academy. As soon as I arrived, I left my carrier in the room and ran without even wiping away the sweat. I barely managed to arrive on time by grabbing the exhausted body that was screaming and dragging it with my mental strength.
Thud!
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry for being late. panting"
Although I was about 10 minutes late to call it "on time," the professor didn't seem to care and resumed the class.
Due to the rough opening of the door, some gazes were directed at me, but I ignored them and sat in an empty seat. And as expected, the stares that were directed at me faded away in less than 5 seconds.
"I see. As you know, Mohaim leaves have excellent nutrient-boosting effects, but if the consumption exceeds a certain threshold, it becomes a chronic poison. This poison causes hallucination and induces headaches, but interestingly, we can make use of this..."
Professor Beoban's intermediate herbology.
The relationship between mages and herbs is an inseparable one. Herbs serve as basic experimental materials and mediators in handling numerous reagents and magical substances.
Of course, not only herbs but also various ingredients, such as monster by-products, were used, but they were relatively cheaper compared to other ingredients. Of course, the prices of rare herbs were exorbitant, but let's set that aside for now.
Even in the game, I memorized the names and recipes of herbs for doping potions and healing potions, even though I wasn't a mage.
"By mixing Mohaim leaves with three additional ingredients, an excellent stamina-boosting potion can be created."
While listening to the professor's words, I realized something strange.
"Three ingredients? Wasn't it six?"
In the game, it took a combination of seven ingredients, including Mohaim leaves, to synthesize a stamina-boosting potion. The addition of only three ingredients meant it was a temporary nutrient booster with heightened effects. Moreover, it was an item that caused a significant drop in vitality once the buff ended.
Since no one seemed to raise any objections, I eventually spoke up. I couldn't resist my curiosity.
"Um, Professor!"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Are the three ingredients you mentioned the Jaha's Fruit, Totol Tree Sap, and Mel Fruit?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Are there no ingredients like Hwonsi Sap or Matara Bark included?"
"Huh. Why would they be included? If you want to find out, you can try it yourself."
The professor sarcastically replied, and the mocking laughter of the students spread. I was momentarily taken aback, but I thanked him and took my seat without showing any sign of it.
"Why is it different from the game?"
If it wasn't for any other reason... Could it be that the recipe hasn't been discovered yet?
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, a shiver ran down my spine.
"I should go to the library once the class is over."
I wanted to check the book that listed the types of potions and reagents. If I had the textbooks for my major, I could have checked them, but as a slacker like Adrian, I had never bought a single book.
Finally, after the class ended, I headed straight to the library, but someone called out to me, stopping me in my tracks.
"Senpai."
At first, I thought it wasn't me who was being called, but upon hearing the voice again, I halted.
"Adrias Cromwell-senpai."
Addressing me by my full name, the girl with drowsy eyes looked at me. A gust of wind blew, and her short white hair fluttered like cherry blossoms. I managed to relax my stiffened face and barely recognized her.
"Lucia Everlast."
The girl with a mysterious atmosphere, with sleepy eyes, slowly approached me.
"I have something to ask you."
"What is it?"
I didn't know why she called me, but unknowingly, I became tense. If my awkwardness was noticeable, Lucia seemed slightly puzzled, but she didn't mind and asked her question.
"Why did you ask that question earlier?"
I never expected her to be attending the same class. Considering it was still early in the semester and Adrias had recently become a student, I didn't know much about the surroundings.
Come to think of it, if it was her, there was a good reason for her to take herbology. She would have been studying advanced herbology if she weren't just a freshman.
"Well, I just thought it would fit."
"Hwonsi? Honestly, I can understand up to Matara, but why did Hwonsi suddenly come up?"
That combination was the result of my efforts. This unfriendly game only provided hints when mixing items for doping potions and reagents, besides the basic recipes.
So, one day, I spent a week mixing various random items, even if they failed. Fortunately, the game provided hints even if the items failed to mix.
Based on those hints, I eventually came up with the recipes in my head.
"That was because of the Mohaim fruit."
"Why did the Mohaim fruit suddenly come up?"
"As you know, the Mohaim fruit is much more potent than its leaves. However, it has more side effects. One of those side effects is a highly addictive narcotic substance."
"So?"
"To neutralize that, you need the Matara Bark I mentioned earlier. But since you can't completely eliminate it, I thought Hwonsi would be suitable for a proper neutralizing effect."
"Do you think, Senpai, that you can make a stamina-boosting potion with just the fruit?"
"Hmm."
I can't say anymore. This might be a story that could be my source of income.
Of course, there are dozens, hundreds of other combination methods. I can't remember them all, but I should write down at least the ones I can think of somewhere.
"Honpisira..."
When I suddenly saw her lost in thought, I wondered if I said something unnecessary. It was a random thought, but seeing a character I used to see with shabby graphics come to life was mind-blowing. In the game, it was all mashed up, but in reality, it was like slapping a celebrity's cheek.
Along with such random thoughts, a vague memory came to mind.
'Ah. You also had a hard time.'
She was the character I raised as the third, or rather, the last magician. In total, the ninth character, if you count them all.
The difficulty level was insane.
She had an incredible talent, to the point where it was appropriate to say that she was crazy talented. Just a little bit of training would skyrocket her mana and skill proficiency, breaking through the speed that was once blocked.
In terms of talent alone, she might have surpassed Dienes, whom I encountered the previous day. But why was the difficulty level so insane...
"Hmm? Are you still here? You can leave now. I'm done with what I needed."
"Yeah. Good work."
Are all geniuses this arrogant? But I didn't want to show my displeasure, so I smiled and left.
Anyway, that guy will die within a few years, so I don't have to worry about him. The reason for her high difficulty level was none other than the terminal illness.
'She was the character with the most retries. No, to be precise, it wasn't even a retry. I had to start a completely new game, not save or load.'
I counted up to the 20th time when I started anew, but after that, I gave up counting. Her treatment difficulty was high, even for me now...
'Wait...'
Let's think for a moment. There seemed to be a possibility.
'Can I save her?'
Because I already had the experience of clearing it. She was the one who made me come up with hundreds of combination methods.
Her treatment was difficult only because it was difficult to find the right combination method, but once you have the ingredients, it could be easily resolved.
'Of course, those ingredients are not easy to come by either.'
But it's true that if I know the combination method, I can save her. The problem is what would happen if I saved her.
'When I played, I definitely killed Adrias.'
If I couldn't cure the disease, she would die before I could even harm Adrias. But if I cure the disease, she would be the one to take Adrias' life. While I was deep in thought, I found myself at the library.
"Where can I find books on potions and reagents?"
"Oh, if it's that, they were just returned. Here."
Someone seems to have brought them to the herbology class. They returned the books immediately after the lecture ended?
I wanted to check the books right away, but there was something I had to do before that.
'I should go see the self-proclaimed master.'
I should go quickly, hand over the body, and do what I have to do.
.
.
.
.
When I arrived, Charon's lecture was still in progress. Thanks to that, I had some spare time, so I could eat at the cafeteria with the coupon I had prepaid.
"Adrias."
"Yes, Professor."
"You smell."
"Excuse me?"
"I smell food. It's disgusting."
"...I'm sorry."
Why does this crazy guy start a fight as soon as he sees me? I mean, what do I eat? Do I eat dew? Charon didn't say anything and closed his book, briefly glancing at the carrier I brought.
"I said I'll give you two days; did you bring it already?"
"Yes."
I thought two days meant yesterday and today, but it seems that wasn't the case. Well, I didn't have much time anyway.
Without saying anything, Charon closed the book and got up from his seat.
"Follow me."
Just like the day before, we cast a barrier and entered the lab. As soon as we entered, Charon ordered me to take out the body. The inside of the carrier, enchanted with spatial expansion magic, was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
I reached out my hand and pulled out the larger of the two bodies that I could feel.
"Here."
"Good."
Indeed, it was the body of a young knight. It was big and heavy, probably because he was a young knight. As I struggled to pull out the body, Charon stroked his chin and stood silently, lost in thought.
While he remained silent, I glanced at Angela out of curiosity.
-Cool...
She looked quite pleased.
Well, at least it didn't go wrong. If something had happened to her, even without evidence, she would have become an experimental subject due to Charon's anger.
"His condition is better than I thought. I will turn him into a chimera undead."
The word "Chimera" triggered an automatic reflex of rejection in my body. It's not because of any physical discomfort, but simply because it means I have more tasks to accomplish.
Fortunately, it wasn't an immediate action. It required a period of seasoning, like applying various reagents to a corpse brought along, before activating the magic circle. Of course, most of the work had to be done by me.
"Already, it's come to this,"
Charon said while handling the reagents beside me. Without saying another word, he left the laboratory.
"When everything is ready, place it on the magic circle I created and activate the spell," a voice faintly heard from the connected office, and the laboratory was closed.
"Ah, this guy," I muttered. He orders me around without even giving me a penny.
"Oh, money!"
I suddenly realized I forgot the train fare.
Next time, I must remember to mention it and rip it off. Finishing the meticulous work, I activated the magic circle and stretched while observing the ominous aura, just like before.
I relied on my mental strength to endure the fatigue that accumulated after pushing myself for two days.
"Ah."
Just as I was about to read some dark magic books, I remembered the remaining Nickel in my carrier bag.
"Should I make it now?"
If I make it, storing it becomes a problem. I haven't raised a necromancer before, so I'm not exactly sure, but I often saw them storing the creatures they faced in a pocket dimension and summoning them later...
"Do I have a pocket dimension too?"
Originally, only high-level mages could use spatial magic. After thinking for a while, if it doesn't work, I decided to store it in the carrier bag anyway.
It doesn't matter even if it's in a corpse state. Charon won't check it. When I took out the corpse, an old man with a polite demeanour appeared. Seeing his body, I had some doubts.
"Is it really an Aura Master?"
I wondered if I had made a mistake. If it's a mistake, then I've made a huge blunder.
"No, an Easter egg can't be fake."
Trust me and trust the game.
...Having such thoughts, neither side seems reliable, and I feel a bit discouraged.
Now that I want to use my necromancy, I feel a bit regretful. If my necromancy level were higher, I could summon not just an ordinary skeleton but a Durahan, Dark Warrior, or even a Ghoul.
That's why most necromancers store exceptional corpses instead of using them.
"Now isn't the time to be choosy."
Besides, I chose my abilities with this situation in mind from the beginning. If it's an evolution, it will solve it somehow.
Nevertheless, I added Charon's reagents and some materials without revealing anything, with the mindset of doing what I can.
[Basic Necromancy: Summon Skeleton.]
[A corpse has been detected.]
[Materials helpful for necromancy have been detected. Additional effects will be applied.]
"Ugh."
Mana starts to rapidly deplete. No, how much mana does it take to raise just one corpse?
As the mana entered, the flesh of the lying Nickel corroded away.
In the end, only pure white bones remained, and Nickel rose from its place.
[Basic Necromancy: Skeleton Summoning Successful.]
[A Legendary Skeleton has been summoned.]
[Basic Necromancy: Skeleton Summoning Level increased from 1 to 3.]
"The raised corpse is of exceptional quality. Stat bonuses will be applied."
"The raised corpse's level is significantly superior. Tier is increased. It becomes a Skeleton Soldier."
"The raised corpse's level approaches transcendence. It regains some of its former self."