The brimming bag's content of thousand yellow spirit stones were then spread out across the dining table, which had been cleared of the drink and food. Klea took over the accounting and divided the fortune equally, giving each person two-hundred yellow spirit stones. This was equivalent to each person having twenty-thousand white spirit stones.
Next day arrived and the group met up at the Magus Hub first thing in the morning. This Magus Hub wasn't only a place to receive tasks, but a place where they could also purchase items. In fact, this location was a collection of hubs where they could get help with almost anything.
The reason for their arrival here wasn't getting a new task, rather, it was to buy a specific item called spirit serum. Like what Magus Darius had mentioned to them, according to Julian, getting to rank 6 should be their top priority in order to have a wider access to spells.
They went in front of one of the many counters and asked the receptionist to show them how much a spirit serum cost.
[Spirit Serum level 1 - 1,000 white spirit stones]
This item's main function was to help acolytes boost their spirit force so they could reach rank 6 at a faster rate. Actually, this was the liquified essence of multiple spirit stones after processing. Consuming the spirit stones' essence through this resulted in a much higher efficiency than directly consuming the stones. Once consumed, it could increase a person's spirit force.
Each dosage of the serum could increase 1 to 3 spirit forces. How high the spirit force would increase depended on the person's body ability to absorb the energy as well as the level spirit stone they currently have. Apparently, although this serum was considered a luxury product for most acolytes, ingesting it was one of its most common uses. It had other uses too, such as being a reagent in alchemy. But for now, Emery and his friends had decided to use it as a way to rapidly increase for acolyte rank 5 and 6.
This, however, would be harmful if used by people that were lower than rank 5 and as for people with higher ranks, it wouldn't have any effect. Reading through more of the description, this made Emery understand why his green potions were actually quite valuable.
Similar to the green essence potions, this spirit serum was actually also a product created by an apothecary practitioner. As Cedric had explained to him, these serums weren't difficult to make but the tools and skills of the alchemist had to be at least advanced. So, even if Emery had thought about making the spirit serums himself with 200 yellow spirit stones he had on him, he wouldn't be able to since he had no access to those information, not yet anyway.
Still, with their newfound wealth, the group bought serums with hopeful thoughts that they could quickly boost their spirit force to 100 and reach rank 6 acolyte as soon as they could. Each one of them bought what they thought they needed since their current spirit force varied from one another and their bodies would react depending how their bodies absorbed the serum, the serums weren't collective rather individually.
Klea, for example, had already reached rank 6 and according to what they had shown them last time, her spirit force had reached 105. She had a couple of options she could do, she could either still buy the serums, which would surely be more than what the boys would have to buy, increasing her spirit force further, she could buy new spells here in the hub, or better equipment instead.
While Emery was standing in front of the counter, checking the spirit serums, Klea walked up to him and said, "If you don't have enough spirit stone to reach rank 6, I can share mine with you mine, if you'd like."
Emery rejected her offer. He shook his head and said, "That won't be necessary but thank you for your concern."
At the moment his friends still had no idea as to how much his current battle power and spirit force was. As his gaze fell onto the spirit serum once more, an idea then came on top of his head. He could reason out to them later that it was due to these spirit serums why his strength had increased by a lot. Therefore at the moment he doesn't need to explain about Killgrara and Khaos. As Emery's spirit force was already 90, he didn't think he needed the spirit serum, still he decided to purchase just one so he could better understand how the spirit serum functioned.
[Spirit serum - 1,000 white spirit stone]
[Purchase?]
Emery hit yes on the glowing interface. He held out his hand that had the symbol and the floating cube interacted with his storage ring. It placed the spirit serum, which Emery could tell was in a white box with labels on it, and then took 10 yellow spirit stones.
Once everyone had gotten the spirit serums they had come for, Emery looked at the symbol on his hand and confirmed they still had five more days until the Magus Games started. And like what they had agreed upon last night, Emery, Chumo, Thrax, Julian and Klea would focus on their personal growth and meet a day before the Magus Games commenced. All of them had their own plans on how to increase their strengths.
"Good luck, everyone," said Klea cheerfully to everyone, giving Emery a wink, and then all members separated their own ways.
Emery, however, didn't exit the Magus Hub. He went to another section of the Magus Hub and went to a counter that had a signage of a triangular container on the side. Although he could buy these basic apothecary tools and ingredients from all the other counters, since he was an apothecary apprentice, albeit rank 1, he had a discount of buying off items related to the Apothecary Institute.
He showed the receptionist his identification and after confirming his association with the Apothecary Institute, the receptionist returned it with a warm smile. Emery didn't have to look through the list of the tools tab since what he was searching for was on top already. He bought a basic cauldron, basic mortar and pestle, some ingredients to test out his apothecary skill, as well as a level 1 comprehensive guide for basic concoction. All of these cost him a total of 4,000 white spirit stones.
So far, all that Emery knew about alchemy had been taught by Granny. Similar to how his father had taught him the sword but became better after Emery had received a manual from the Combat Institute, he believed this concocting skill would give him the same benefit.
Once more, Emery looked at the time through the symbol on his hand. Although he understood that time was limited, he believed that learning more about Apothecary would bring value to the Magus Games later. Thinking about the tight 5 days schedule, he might as well just practice apothecary in between his training.
Exiting the information about the time left, Emery opened a different set of information through the symbol on his palm. It read:
[Emery Ambrose]
[16-year-old]
[Plant Spirit - Peak Stage]
[Water Spirit - High Stage]
[Earth Spirit - High Stage]
[Battle power: 27]
[Spirit force: 90]
[Spirit Core of Darkness - Foundation]
[Fey Bloodline - stage 2]
[Acolyte Rank 5]
In order to reach rank 6 as soon as possible, Emery knew that the boost from the spirit serum wouldn't be enough for the main requirement was to have a breakthrough in the understanding of elements. He needed to reach the peak stage for all his elements and now he still has two more elements to master. Having more element affinity then the others were both his advantage and disadvantage. Therefore, without wasting any more of his limited time, Emery headed toward the Earth Institute to have his earth element reach peak stage, then water would be next.