Adam did not use these two items immediately. He only glanced at them and kept it back inside the trunk. He remembered one of the professors at the administrative building mentioned that these two items must be utilized with a calm state of mind.
This was something that was of utmost importance to Adam. So he wasn't impatient about it at all. He decided to use these two items after orientation was over tomorrow.
The following day, a handful of senior students and faculty members gave the new students a tour of the academy. The students were made aware of all the amenities available to them.
It took almost the entire day for the students to be acquainted with everything. An hour before sunset, after all the students had gone back to their respective dorms, Adam decided that it was time.
"Ed, let's go to meet up with your sister," he spoke excitedly.
"Alright, let's go!" Edward nodded. The two of them grabbed their respective flasks and scrolls from the trunk, put them safely inside a satchel, and left their dorm room.
Elaine had agreed to assist them with the whole process. Even though detailed instructions on how to advance to a Magus were stated in the scroll, she still insisted on helping Edward. She doted on him very much, after all. And since Adam was his roommate, she decided to help him as well.
The two boys excitedly ran through the campus and made their way to Elm Grove, a small forest where students usually came for a stroll and to relax. After about ten minutes, they reached a gazebo at a clearing inside the woods.
Inside the gazebo, two young ladies wearing olive-colored cloaks were chatting with each other.
"Elaine! Elaine! We're here!" Edward shouted excitedly.
Looking in the direction of two boys running toward them, Elaine smiled brightly. "Eddie, come. We've been waiting for you."
After the two roommates stepped inside the gazebo, Elaine introduced her friend to them. "Eddie, Adam, this is my good friend Jenna." She then looked at Adam and smiled. "And she'll be the one helping you with the advancement."
Adam looked at Jenna and sincerely said, "Thank you for agreeing to help me out, Miss Jenna."
Jenna, who was initially disdainful toward Adam after seeing him wear commoner clothes, was now in a slightly better mood after seeing the youth's respectful behavior toward her.
"You should thank Elaine instead. It's only because she asked me to," She replied flatly.
Adam looked at Elaine and spoke genuinely, "Thank you, Miss Elaine."
Elaine ruffled Adam's hair and spoke with a gentle smile, "Anything for Eddie's friend. And you can just call me Elaine."
Adam blushed slightly and lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the beautiful girl.
"Alright, let us get this over with. I still have to go back and study," Jenna muttered, slightly impatient. She walked to the center of the gazebo and then spoke, "Adam, come sit in front of me."
"Yes!" Adam had a solemn look on his face as he sat cross-legged at the center of the gazebo.
"First, unfurl the scroll and press it against the floor." She instructed.
Adam did as he was told and opened the scroll. A mysterious aura emanated from the strange characters and symbols inscribed on it. Then, he pressed the scroll against the floor.
Following that, the mysterious symbols slithered out of the scroll and imprinted on the floor! And very soon, they formed a circular formation with Adam at the center. Furthermore, the scroll also transmitted secret knowledge directly to Adam's mind.
"Whoa!" Adam looked at this process with his mouth agape.
"Focus, Adam!" Jenna reprimanded. "Now uncork the flask and drink the Potion of Hope!"
"Y-Yes!" Adam came to his senses and then opened the ivory flask. Inside, was a transparent green liquid that looked very unassuming. However, it was anything but unassuming as it was the single most important thing required for a normal person to become a Magus!
For as long as one can remember, from the dawn of magical civilization, humans have always consumed this magical potion to unlock the raw potential inside their mortal bodies.
For hundreds of thousands of years, the recipe for this potion had been passed down for generations. And over time, it had been refined and improved repeatedly. This potion served only one function, and that was to allow a person to feel mana.
And that is why this potion was named the Potion of Hope. For it gave a mortal hope to transcend boundaries and become a Magus!
Adam had a solemn look on his face as he saw the transparent potion inside the flask. Without hesitating, he gulped the entire thing in one go.
The moment the potion entered his mouth, it magically transformed into gas and spread through every fiber of his body and even his mind. Adam closed his eyes and involuntarily entered a trance-like state.
He could feel a silent metamorphosis happening inside of him. He was completely lost in this feeling and didn't know how long had passed. But when he opened his eyes again, the world had completely changed!
Although he couldn't physically see it, he could feel a mysterious element that seemed to be found in abundance in his surroundings.
Only one word echoed in his mind — mana!
Jenna's timely instruction entered Adam's ears. "Now circulate the Mana Extraction Technique. This is the final step!"
When Adam opened the scroll, an extremely valuable piece of information was also directly transferred to his brain. This was a technique that allowed him to gather mana from the air and store it inside his body.
This was Clover Academy's very own secret manual known as the Clover Mana Extraction Technique!
Adam recalled the information he received from the scroll and immediately began practicing the technique. With the help of this technique, he began attracting the mana in the air. He imagined mana to be small fireflies that were slowly being absorbed into his flesh.
The moment the mana entered his flesh, Adam's body trembled ever so slightly. He could feel the mana thoroughly washing his flesh and slowly burrowing deep inside. After about ten minutes, Adam felt as if he was at his limit and finally stopped. He was now reborn.
At that point, he knew deep in his heart that he had finally become a Rank 1 Magus!
"Congratulations, Adam!" Elaine and Edward were very happy for the youth. Even Jenna was nodding her head in approval.
Adam smiled brightly and was about to reply when suddenly his smile froze. From the depths of his soul, he could feel a strong resonance, and he instantly knew what it was.
The white lotus!