"Could it be that you're angry?"

“How could that be... I am the Helmet of Wisdom. My only purpose is to provide wise answers to the seeker, not such personal…”

'It seems angry.'

Yi-Han thought to himself.

It was rare for someone who spoke in such a long-winded manner to not be angry.

Of course, the Helmet of Wisdom was an artifact, but there was no rule saying it couldn't hold a grudge.

"Hmm. Helmet of Wisdom... An artifact like you, with self-awareness and the ability to answer questions once a month, must be very rare, right?"

“You could say that.”

The Helmet of Wisdom answered with delight.

It thought that this young student had finally realized its value.

The purpose of the Helmet of Wisdom was to explore and accumulate all the knowledge in the world.

For that purpose, it didn't matter how much danger its owner faced.

In order to pursue its purpose, the helmet's owner should keep asking questions while relying on the helmet, but...

This impudent student had thrown it into a pile of luggage and only picked it up after a long time.

Still, it seemed he had realized its value now, so it could forgive him.

"Thank you."

“Wait... Why aren't you asking a question? Since you can ask once a month, it would be best to ask as many as possible, right?”

"No. It's troublesome when selling."

“Wha...!”

Yi-Han carefully packaged the helmet and put it in a wooden box.

He was overjoyed at the thought of exchanging it for silver coins along with the ring.

Yonaire sighed as she saw Yi-Han walking from afar.

She felt helpless that she couldn't stop her friend from walking into the valley of darkness.

"I really told you, right? You can't blame me later, okay?"

Yonaire said worriedly several times.

Yoanen Maykin's alchemy workshop, located in the western guild district of Granden City.

It was a notorious hell of an alchemy workshop that every alchemist who knew someone knew about.

A place where not a single mistake or a single second of waste was allowed.

Yonaire had avoided going to this workshop since she was young, after being scared and crying while holding onto her sister's clothes when she went to play.

"Yonaire. I told you, right? I'll have nothing to say to you later except thank you."

"...Yi-Han. I like silver coins too, but... life may not be all about silver coins, you know."

Yonaire never imagined such absurd and embarrassing words would come out of her mouth.

"Silver coins aren't everything. I know that too. But it's convenient to have silver coins, isn't it?"

"That's true."

Yonaire and Yi-Han's personalities were too similar to deny what he said. While Yonaire absentmindedly agreed, Yi-Han opened the door of the workshop and went inside.

"Wai..."

Splat!

As soon as he entered, what Yi-Han saw was an alchemist pouring a potion on another alchemist's face.

"You made trash. Get out. I don't need someone like you."

"Wha... What! Do you know where I've worked to say such things?! At the Green Pine Guild and Classen Workshop...!!"

"I don't care where you've worked. I only look at your current skills. And you wasted more of my time with useless words."

Before the words were finished, a golem appeared. The golem grabbed the alchemist's arms and threw him out the door of the workshop.

The alchemist who gave the order didn't even say, 'Get back to work.'

The alchemists in the workshop were focused on their own work without even glancing at them.

"Is this Einroguard?"

"That's why I told you..."

Yonaire said in a weakened voice.

She was worried about losing a friend after the break ended.

Yoanen greeted the two, fixing her amethyst glasses with her gloved hand.

"Nice to see you. I was waiting, but you came earlier than the promised time?"

"Thinking about working in this renowned workshop in the city made my heart race, and I couldn't wait."

"..."

Yonaire looked at Yi-Han with a gloomy expression.

She knew her friend was good at flattery, but this was really...

Yoanen's eyes softened behind her amethyst glasses at the appropriate flattery.

"To already have this mindset while still being a junior... There's a reason for the rumors."

"Thank you. Wait. What rumors are you talking about?"

"I heard you overwhelmingly won against a mage from Baldurguard?"

"There's some misunderstanding about that rumor..."

"You subdued a basilisk at the imperial prince's residence."

"That's true, but there's also..."

"I heard you went and exterminated an evil being from another realm a few days ago."

'Is there something like a professors' bulletin board in this city too?'

Yi-Han shuddered at the fearsome social circles of Granden City that shared information as quickly as the professors at Einroguard.

Of course, it wasn't bad for his reputation to spread.

However, a reputation that didn't match his level would only be poison.

What if they misunderstood him as 'someone who has a hobby of reverse-summoning evil beings from other realms or catching basilisks'?

Yi-Han had already had such an experience once at Einroguard. He didn't want it a second time.

"I don't think he exterminated a being from another realm. It must have spread incorrectly."

Yonaire took Yi-Han's side, looking puzzled. Yi-Han said bitterly, "Actually, I did."

"...When?!"

"With those guys from the White Tiger Tower, after registering as adventurers. Those guys attacked unnecessarily..."

"..."

Yonaire gave up on defending her friend.

At this point, it seemed like it wasn't Yi-Han's misfortune but his own doing.

"You don't have to worry too much. The tasks you'll do in the workshop aren't such dangerous things."

"Really?"

Yonaire asked in a worried voice.

She already felt like she was 30 minutes away from losing a friend.

"Of course. Think about it, Yonaire. The alchemists working in this workshop have at least ten years or more of experience and are outstanding alchemists. No matter how talented, they can't immediately put a 1st-year student to work."

"Is that so?"

Yonaire was slightly convinced by her sister's persuasion.

Indeed, no matter how talented Yi-Han was, he hadn't learned all the complex secrets of alchemy yet.

Yi-Han, who was listening next to them, whispered to Yonaire.

"Hmm. Yonaire. I don't really want to say this, but you can fully exploit someone even if their level doesn't match."

Just like Professor Beavle Verduus, even if Yi-Han's magic level wasn't satisfactory yet, he had one outstanding advantage.

An immeasurable amount of mana.

"So..."

"Ah, right. Yonaire. Could you deliver this letter to Mrs. Onet? Mrs. Onet will be really happy to see you after a long time too."

Yoanen interrupted their conversation and handed Yonaire a letter.

Yonaire, who received the letter, looked at Yi-Han with a mixture of anxiety and worry. It was as if she was afraid her friend would die if she took her eyes off him.

"Go and come back. I'll be fine."

"...Be really careful. Yi-Han. Remember what I said earlier."

After Yonaire closed the door and left, Yoanen asked curiously, "May I ask what my sister said earlier?"

"She said life may not be all about silver coins."

"There's no way she would say that, right?"

Yi-Han was slightly taken aback by her firm trust in her sister.

"Well. Anyway... Now that my sister is gone, shall we start working?"

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Yoanen got up from her seat and started walking down the corridor of the workshop.

The complex fragrances pouring out from all over made it clear that this was an alchemist's workshop.

"Do you know where this is?"

"Is it Maykin's workshop?"

"You guessed well."

Yoanen waved her staff and summoned ingredients from the cupboard.

The water in the cauldron rose, and the medicinal herbs were ground above it. As the flames of the cauldron were drawn, heat rose.

"The potion I'm trying to make now is <Dobruk's Soul Amplification Potion>. Do you know about it?"

"I only know what kind of potion it is."

Professor Uregor was a mischievous person, but he wasn't someone who threatened to make an impossible potion right now like a certain crazy vampire professor.

In that sense, <Dobruk's Soul Amplification Potion> was a high-difficulty potion that Yi-Han couldn't make at his current level.

It required several magics that Yi-Han couldn't use yet, and the ingredients and methods used were much more complex...

"Even knowing about it is amazing. Today, what Mr. Wardanaz will do is prepare the main ingredient of this soul amplification potion, Draphila, and put it in. In summary, you'll be taking on the role of my assistant."

At first glance, it sounded quite simple, but Yi-Han never let his guard down.

Things in the world weren't so easy that you could earn silver coins that easily.

"Is there anything I should be careful about when putting it in?"

At Yi-Han's words, Yoanen's eyes lit up.

As expected of Einroguard's top student, he was quick to understand without needing an explanation.

"Prepare it according to this picture, but do you know how to use the <Component Amplification> magic? You probably haven't learned it yet."

"If you teach me, I'll learn."

"Learn it within 30 minutes since we have a schedule today."

Yoanen slowly started to reveal her madness.

If Yonaire had been next to her, she would have stopped her, saying, 'Please come to your senses, sister, he's my friend.'

What kind of mage would ask to learn a magic they've never seen within 30 minutes?

"I understand."

However, Yi-Han wasn't surprised or startled.

He had already experienced crazier people at Einroguard.

Yoanen briefly explained the staff movements, incantation, and the flow of mana.

"It'll be easier if you think of it as an extension of the <Component Separation> magic."

"I understand."

"Try it."

Yi-Han waved his staff. And succeeded on the first try.

Yoanen was amazed.

She had expected it within 30 minutes, but to succeed on the first try.

The anticipation that she had brought a really good talent rose.

"Excellent."

"Thank you."

"Then extract and amplify the liquid components of Draphila."

This was also simple, but it was absolutely not a simple task.

Draphila, a plant in which the liquid components were firmly fixed inside the roots, was not an easy task to extract from the beginning.

If you forcefully applied strength, the liquid would get mixed up messily before coming out as the roots were destroyed.

To accomplish this, not only excellent mana control but also an understanding and experience of the water element were needed.

Squish!

With a sound like squeezing a piece of cloth, the liquid components were extracted from inside the Draphila.

If there had been other alchemists in the workshop, they would have been shocked.

No matter how outstanding, for a 1st-year student to be at this level already.

However, Yoanen shook her head.

"There are impurities in the components. You'll have to do it again."

Yoanen's full-fledged madness that Yonaire had been worried about.

A perfectionist personality that pointed out to do it again even if the other person achieved 99 out of 100.

If there had been other alchemists, they would have stopped her, saying, 'Madam Maykin, this is why you can't find an assistant, please calm down,' but unfortunately, there was no one else in this workshop right now.

"I understand."

Yi-Han extracted the liquid again. Yoanen said regretfully, "There's some waste in the extraction. You'll have to do it again."

"Yes."

"There was a problem with the amplification. There was a change in quality, so you'll have to do it again."

"No problem."

Normally, if they were told to do it again for a trivial reason even after succeeding in such a high-difficulty process, they would grit their teeth on the second try and run out the door on the third.

However, unfortunately, there was no sane person in this workshop right now.

"How about this?"

"It seems almost done. You'll have to do it again..."

"Yes."

Yonaire opened the door, panting.

"I'm back! Did anything happen?!"

"Not really."

"I told you the work was going well."

Yi-Han and Yoanen greeted Yonaire with a subtle smile that meant, 'Why are you making such a fuss?'

Yonaire found their smiles strangely eerie.