Angor rested on the chair and wiped some sweat off his forehead. He was trying to get over the painful experience during the test.
He took out the bottle of Potion of Austere Night from his pocket and wondered if he should drink it.
This was an elementary potion but it was actually harder to make than a medium-level one. It required some of the most valuable materials, and even expert alchemy wizards could still botch their work when brewing it. Only the best of the best, such as Jellal “The Mythril Innovator”, could guarantee an acceptable success rate in making such potion. For this reason, the Potion of Austere Night was always rarely seen, even at the Sky Auction.
Sunders stopped his work and saw Angor uncapping the bottle and sniffing the cold smell with a doubtful expression.
“The Potion of Austere Night increases your spiritual power indicator by 2. However, it does so by overworking your future potential, so I suggest that you don’t use it for now,” said Sunders. However, he added, “Of course, go ahead if you believe that you won’t ever further increase your spiritual power again. The potion won’t do you any harm in this way. Otherwise, wait until you improve your spirit in other ways before taking the potion.”
The Potion of Austere Night would overwork my potential?
Angor did not know this. There were books explaining that this potion would improve people’s spirit limit for 2 points. However, they never said how the potion worked.
If a wizard exhausted his or her potential, when the wizard found another destiny again which could improve spiritual power, it would no longer help. Still, such destinies were extremely hard to find. Hence, most supernaturals would drink the potion right away when they found one.
If Angor possessed the potion before going to Nightmare Realm, Sunders would not stop him from using the potion. When the man thought about the strange wall in the Nightmare Realm, he decided to suggest otherwise. If the wall really could keep improving someone’s spirit, using the potion now would be a worse choice.
Angor also recalled the wall protected by the Glutton Flowers.
Angor kept a lot of information to himself, such as the patterns drawn on the wall, and the fact that he recorded a lot using his tablet.
Wait, tablet?
He had almost forgotten about it. He went to the Nightmare Realm as his soul, so the hologram tablet should be something like an illusion. He was unsure if all the videos and images were brought back.
Angor would be really sad if they were not. Apart from the patterns on the wall and the parchment he found along the Stairs of Hanging Prison, he really wanted to keep the alchemy books found in the secret chamber in the warden’s room.
He decided to check his tablet once he got back to his room.
Since Sunders meant to stop him from using the potion, Angor listened to him and carefully put the potion away. If he had the chance, he would give the potion to his brother Leon. This way, maybe Leon could reach a spiritual power of ten, and the Padt Family would have two supernaturals and enjoy greater status in Goldspink Empire.
After pocketing the potion, Angor walked to Sunders politely.
“Professor, do you need me today?”
“Have you started learning meditation?”
Angor shook his head in embarrassment, “I was too tired yesterday and fell asleep right away, and I just woke up.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” said Sunders. He handed his notebook to Angor and said, “I’ve made some speculations about the channeling method here, along with some points of caution while training at it. Take it and read when you study the channeling method.”
Angor took the book and went over it briefly. Along with the texts on Singularity Dispersive Meditation Angor wrote down, there were a lot of small, additional words explaining the experience summarized by Sunders during the man’s own training.
Angor immediately realized how valuable this was. With the experience, Angor could avoid lots of unnecessary effort on his way.
In excitement, Angor thanked Sunders who simply waved a hand.
“As your professor, I do hope you achieve something great,” said Sunders. He paused a moment before saying, “My experience was nothing compared to what you brought back. You already know how much value the book holds. Considering the equivalent exchange convention in the wizarding world, since you gave me the book, I can fulfill one of your wishes.”
“I would never know about this book without you, or go to the Nether City to find it. Professor’s information is one end of the exchange. I already have you to teach me, I don’t need anything else,” replied Angor.
Angor meant those words. He was worried about being taken by Sunders before, but since his doubts were solved, the boy gladly accepted his teacher.
Jon’s education during all these years taught Angor a lot of cultural virtue from Earth. No matter where he was at, Angor always respected his teachers. Now that he regarded Sunders as his real teacher, naturally, the boy would show proper manners to him.
“Are you sure you don’t want a wish? Let’s say, if you ask me to save that previous teacher of yours, I will comply,” Sunders said.
Angor wavered at Sunders’ suggestion. If Sunders personally helped out, Jon would certainly be saved. But… Angor thought about Jon’s identity—an illegal traveler from another world. What would Sunders do if he found this out? Angor was unsure. Considering how wizards treated otherworldly creatures, it would not be anything pleasant.
With that in mind, Angor decided to improve himself and go save Jon on his own. This way, Jon would not be exposed.
After Angor made it clear that he would not wish for anything, Sunders only nodded with a smile and did not say anything further. However, the man was regarding Angor with a more pleasing expression now.
Next, Sunders told Angor some other things to note and something related to the Nightmare Realm. The man was mostly interested in Angor’s experience inside the Glutton Flower tunnel, so Angor told that part of his story many times. He almost slipped his secret about the flashlight at one point.
Before Angor left the room, Sunders pointed to the bar stand, “Take your paintings with you.”
Angor looked to the direction and found the two oil paintings he brought back from the Nightmare Realm.
They were placed upright, so Angor could observe the paintings from his position. He glanced at the Milking Shepherd unconsciously and did not notice anything in particular.
… If he did keep the images in his tablet, he would see if those paintings were the same as they were.