Chapter 5

Leon showed the token to the guard at the entrance of the mountain and stepped inside.

He compared the drawings on the paper in his hand as he searched for the herbs.

There were three types of herbs he needed to find:

Planettia Dewgrass, Moonlight Moss, and Puan Sandgrass.

Sure enough, they seemed to be quite common, as he quickly found one.

For something that would be used to make an elixir, the difficulty in finding these herbs seemed low.

“Moonlight Moss…”

The problem was that these couldn’t be the only herbs needed to make an elixir.

Even if all the herbs were necessary, it was unlikely that the old man would list everything.

“That suspicious old man…”

Leon recalled the old man’s unsettling expression.

But he didn’t show it.

Even if something felt off, he didn’t have the strength to confirm it yet, and there was no one to ask for help at the moment.

After three hours of gathering herbs, Leon left the mountain as it began to get dark.

He thought he could finish today since there were only a few roots left to collect, but since he damaged the roots of some herbs due to inexperience, he decided to come back the next day.

After returning to the dormitory, washing up, and hastily eating some bread, Leon continued training until noon to earn his quest reward.

▶ You have acquired Null Essence (F-).

Null Essence?

Just from the name, he couldn’t easily deduce its use, but the grade in parentheses gave him a rough idea of its value.

A small yellow orb fell into his hand.

He didn’t plan to consume it immediately.

He intended to save it for after he had awakened his mana.

The next day, after completing his daily tasks, Leon collected the full amount of herbs the old man had requested.

And, as usual, he ended the day by drawing a reward.

▶ You have acquired the F-rank Elixir Recipe (E).

“Wow!”

Leon felt a thrill when he received the reward he had hoped for.

Unlike the elemental affinities, high-grade rewards appeared relatively quickly.

Well, that was just luck, though.

“I was right to change the rewards.”

The importance of the elemental affinity was undeniably high.

But if he got too fixated on getting a higher affinity, who knew how long it would take?

Moreover, even if he got a low-grade elixir, it wasn’t something he would have to discard.

And who knew?

He might even get an elixir recipe one day.

“Should I really try growing herbs inside the orb’s space?”

He entered the orb’s space with the extra herbs he had gathered.

He had already noticed that the clothes he wore remained the same when he entered the orb, indicating that he could bring items with him.

In this space, 1 hour was equivalent to 1 minute in reality.

In other words, only 1 minute would pass in reality for every hour spent here…

If things worked out as he hoped, it would be convenient for growing herbs.

The time passing quickly while growing herbs would be the best condition.

On top of that, the overwhelming mana concentration within the orb’s space was a huge advantage.

It was only natural that herbs used in elixir-making would grow better in mana-rich environments.

Even if it took time to set up initially, once things stabilized, he could potentially produce elixirs in abundance.

“I’ll experiment later to see if time flows even when I’m outside the orb.”

Leon couldn’t plant the herbs immediately.

To make space for planting herbs in this dense forest, he needed to clear some trees and prepare the ground.

He left the herbs wrapped in cloth where they were and exited the orb.

He then unrolled the F-rank Elixir Recipe he had just received.

‘Planettia Dewgrass…’

This was one of the herbs the old man had asked for.

But that was it; none of the other herbs matched.

“Is the old man trying to make something different?”

The herbs needed to make the F-rank Elixir weren’t many.

‘Planettia Dewgrass, Tear Mushroom, Petals of the Rainflower, Mist Dew.’

He reviewed the detailed illustrations, exact quantities, and the preparation process.

Most of the ingredients were related to water.

“Water is a common element everywhere, so that makes sense.”

The problem was the preparation process.

Boiling the roots, steeping the petals, and mixing the dew at the right timing—these weren’t skills that could be learned from reading alone, but something that practice could overcome.

‘Elixir Preparation Magic.’

He needed magic related to that.

It was said that any preparation magic could be used for the lowest-grade elixirs, but the problem was that acquiring that magic itself was difficult.

Then, an idea struck him.

‘The Magic Library!’

There was no way that vast magic library didn’t have preparation magic.

No matter how outdated, magic was still magic.

And it was said that any preparation magic could work for the lowest-grade elixirs.

Leon decided that after delivering the herbs the next day, he would immediately search the magic library, and with that, he returned to the dormitory and closed his eyes.

“You really gathered everything in just two days. Was it hard to dig them up?”

“I failed a few times, but I got the hang of it quickly.”

“Well done. Now, feel free to read what you want. But remember, if you want to copy or borrow, you’ll have to pay.”

The old man kept a warm smile on his face, but Leon no longer trusted that smile.

The old man returned to his room, and Leon, now alone, immediately began wandering around the first floor of the magic library.

‘Elixir Preparation Magic… Elixir Preparation…’

Since he hadn’t yet awakened mana, he didn’t need any other magic.

He didn’t use the book search artifact at the library entrance.

It would leave a record.

Leon was cautious, considering the possibility that the old man might check.

After about 30 minutes of searching, his efforts paid off.

Leon stopped in front of a bookshelf.

‘Brem-class Elixir Preparation Magic (Lower).’

He didn’t know how outdated Brem-class magic was.

But what mattered was that he found something.

Leon memorized the location of this book.

He planned to learn it as soon as he awakened mana.

Then, Leon returned to his seat and resumed his mana perception training.

It was time to awaken mana for real.

Leon targeted his one day off per week for intense training.

During the five workdays, he didn’t use the orb’s space, saving up time.

Over those five days, all the elixir rewards he received were one-star elixirs.

Null Essence (F-) x 2
Orc Essence (F-) x 1
Goblin Essence (F-) x 2

At first, he wondered if these essences dropped from monsters when they died, but he soon realized that the names were just that—names.

Since they were lowest-grade elixirs, they simply had the names of lowest-grade monsters.

He would have to consume them to figure out the differences.

Anyway, he had accumulated 101 hours in the orb.

Leon planned to use all this time in one day.

If he got too sleepy and his concentration wavered, he would come out, rest, and then go back into the orb.

It didn’t matter how long he spent inside the orb.

Even after spending 101 hours in there, only 101 minutes would have passed in reality.

The key was to allocate the right amount of time for resting to alleviate his body’s fatigue.

As soon as he woke up, Leon declined his roommates’ offers to hang out and immediately headed to a secluded place where he entered the orb.

In the densely packed forest, Leon sat down in a small space between the trees.

He closed his eyes and began to breathe.

Inhale. A breath to calm the mind.

Exhale. A breath to empty the old.

Inhale again. A breath to fill with the new.

Exhale again. A breath to circulate the newness.

One hour… Two hours… The sense of time started to blur.

The consciousness that had been chasing faint mana in reality now eagerly absorbed the mana that filled the space, as if it had been waiting for it.

The process of expelling and absorbing reached a state of ecstasy.

Before he knew it, the intangible energy was whirling through his body at a speed so fast that he couldn’t tell what was entering and what was leaving.

This was not just air; it was mana.

The fullness that swelled his body was the source of wisdom.

The mysterious order of nature.

The wave of energy resonating with our will.

Leon then felt as if something was whispering to him.

It was trying to communicate.

Was this the message of wisdom from mana?

Or was it a connection to the source?

Before he knew it, he felt a fullness swirling through his body.

It was different from the fullness he had felt before.

He felt the fullness of mana.

His solar plexus tingled, and for a moment, he thought he heard a crackling sound.

Leon’s eyes flew open.

A pea-sized core squirmed in his solar plexus.

“Haa…”

Mana flowed from his mouth like a breath.

He saw the flow.

“Haha… Haha… HAHAHA!”

He had awakened mana.

Leon’s face was filled with ecstasy as he beheld the brilliant particles that filled the world.

Only now did he fully appreciate just how dense the mana concentration was in this space.

A regular kid who lived without knowing what mana was could now see its flow.

Without the guidance or teaching of any magician.

Self-taught!

Of course, it would be ungrateful not to acknowledge the help of the growth assistant.

—--------------------------------------------------- [Growth Assistant]

- Information
▶ Name: Leon
▶ Rank: Apprentice 1st Rank
▶ Mana Quality: E-
▶ Elemental Affinity: Tri-element Affinity (Water, Wind, Earth)

- General Quest
▶ Mana Perception Training (Complete)

- Breakthrough Quest
▶ Awaken Mana (Complete)
—---------------------------------------------------

The general quest was marked as complete even though he hadn’t completed it in reality.

Did completing the breakthrough quest also complete the general quest?

What caught his eye next was his rank and mana quality.

Apprentice 1st Rank was the lowest rank for a magician.

It was expected since he had just awakened mana.

The only slight disappointment was his mana quality.

It was the talent that determined the strength and efficiency of magic, and an E- rank was a bit disappointing.

But it was still mana quality.

Unlike elemental affinity, which was a fixed attribute, mana quality could be improved by consuming elixirs, so it wasn’t much of a concern for Leon, who was already planning to produce elixirs in large quantities.

Leon happily received his general quest reward.

▶ You have acquired Null Essence (F-).

The reward felt expected by now.

Then he received the breakthrough quest completion reward.

“Hmm…?”

▶ Reward chances increased due to rank advancement.
▶ 100 hours of Space-Time Orb have been granted.

“Chance increase? Space-Time Orb?”

Leon immediately exited the orb to check it.

The number displayed on the orb was 179.

Leon originally had 101 hours.

Including the time received for completing the general and breakthrough quests, he should have 211 hours.

“Was I inside for about a day?”

He had continued practicing the breathing technique for 32 hours.

He hadn’t even taken a break and had been in a state of ecstasy.

Although he had expected to use up most of the time he had saved, he hadn’t anticipated awakening all at once.

The change in his elemental affinity seemed to have had an effect.

“So they call this orb a Space-Time Orb.”

Only then did Leon realize how heavy his eyelids were.

“Let’s sleep first.”

Leon returned to the dormitory and closed his eyes with a happy heart.

Someone visited the old magic library where Leon worked for the first time in a long while.

It was someone Leon recognized.

“Leah!”

Overcome with joy, Leon jumped up from his seat.