Earth's Greatest Magus

Once the old man – Grandmaster Hazard – made his decision, the matter was over. It was final, and there was no chance for Emery to bargain. He was quickly expelled from the hall, as the grandmaster still needed to continue his class.

Tomorrow, although not a Rank 4 Apprentice, Emery would undergo the Rank 5 Artisan exam. And if that wasn't disastrous enough, he had absolutely zero knowledge of what to do and what to prepare to tackle the said exam.

Unbeknownst to Emery, just as he was walking out of the room, a figure also came out and followed him right behind. While he was still in a state of trying to understand what had just happened, a familiar voice rang out in the air, causing him to turn his head.

"Brother Emery." It was Karin.

Seeing Emery turn his head, she continued to speak. 

"I am sorry for my master's earlier actions. He's very strict, hence the reason he did such a thing.. But you don't have to worry, I'm sure you will pass the exam with flying colors, " said the girl with such a sincere smile on her face.

Emery was actually happy with her efforts to help earlier. On top of that, he could definitely use some of the trust and confidence she showed towards him, as he himself felt that he was still too incapable of taking such an exam.

"Thank you, Karin. Unfortunately, it looks like you will be disappointed this time. I haven't touched apothecary for quite a while, so I'm not sure if I can pass the exam." said Emery with a wry smile.

Much to his surprise, the girl was still smiling at his words. She said, "Brother, do you have any plans available?"

A few minutes later, Emery had taken the girl to Cedric's lab. Upon arriving, he immediately informed his seniors about how things had gone earlier and the final outcome. Immediately after, a loud scream resounded in the air.

"WHAT?!! Artisan exam!?" To say that Cedric was surprised was an understatement.

Grabbing Emery's shoulders, the young man looked his junior in the eyes and said, "Emery, are you serious about this? It took me five years to finally pass the exam and move up from Rank 4 to Rank 5. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy at all."

It was at this moment that Cedric realized that Emery was not alone. He threw a brief glance at the young girl standing slightly behind Emery, before turning his gaze back to the latter and asking, "And who the hell is this?"

However, before Emery could say anything, Karin glared at Cedric and opened her mouth.

"Are you the fool who advised brother Emery to come ask Master Hazard for a private exam? Are you secretly trying to ruin brother Emery's future? You should know that my master can do exactly that!"

Caught off guard by Karin's straightforward and jarring words, for a moment Cedric looked like he was at a loss for words. He quickly regained his bearings, and this time, carefully observed the girl who had come with Emery. A moment later, a look of realization appeared on his face.

"You are… Karin? Master Hazard's protégé, the youngest artisan in the institute?"

The girl raised her chin hearing Cedric's words, and said, "That's me, the one and only."

Realizing that they were distracted, Emery quickly came in between and interrupted the two. "So, I have to take the Artisan exam tomorrow." Looking at the two people before him, he said, "Any ideas where to start?"

Hearing Emery's words, the girl's harsh towards Cedric earlier quickly disappeared as if it was an illusion. She suddenly became gentle again and said, "Yes, brother Emery. I can actually help you with that."

In front of Emery's expectant eyes, the girl took out two large books and handed them to him. As Emery was about to receive it, Cedric glimpsed the title of the books and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He quickly interrupted.

"What are you doing? Those are manuals for artisans only!" Cedric said in a stern tone. "Even Rank 4 Apprentices were not allowed to keep them and could only read them on the spot. You were not supposed to show it to him!"

"Don't worry," Karin replied nonchalantly. "Brother Emery will be an Artisan tomorrow, so it will be fine."

While Cedric was completely dumbfounded by the girl's words, Emery on the other hand could only shake his head and smile wryly. He couldn't help but wonder what he had done to make this girl think so highly of him.

Unaware of Emery's thoughts, Karin turned to him, held out the books again, and said with a smile, "Brother Emery, don't overthink it and accept these books. You will need to learn from them if you want to do well in tomorrow's exams."

At this point, Cedric seemed to have finally realized that nothing could stop Karin's actions. Hence he only heaved a sigh of helplessness before going along the flow. Together, the two of them explained to Emery one by one the requirements to pass the exam.

In order to pass the third exam – the Rank 4 Apprentice, the participants needed to create an original potion, with a minimum quality of Tier 2 with level 3 originality or Tier 3 with level 2 originality. This was something Emery had done in the past and also the basis as to why Cedric previously suggested such a plan.

As for the fourth exam – the Rank 4 Artisan, in order to pass, Emery had to create a potion with a minimum quality of Tier 3 with level 3 originality or Tier 4 with level 2 originality. On paper, the difficulty only rose one level, but in reality, this exam was the gulf that separated those who were talented and those who weren't among apothecary apprentices.

However, the difference and difficulty didn't end there.

For the third exam, the participants could present any potions, using any ingredients, as long as they could prove that the recipe was an original of themself. However, for the fourth exam, the ingredient used for the option would be decided on the exam.

To put it simply, tomorrow Emery would have to create an original, completely new potion from scratch and on the spot, within 12 hours of the exam's duration. The thought itself brought a chill down the spine.

After learning of such sky-high difficulty, Emery couldn't help but recall the best original products he had ever made.

[Acid potion - Tier 2, originality level 3]

[Gaia Serum - Tier 2, originality level 2]

No matter which angle he looked at, Emery was still far from the skills needed to pass the Artisan exam. Hence the reason Karin showed him the manual which was only for artisans and Rank 4 apprentices.

"Simply these manuals will teach you apothecary beyond just herbs"

Hearing such words, without further ado, Emery opened the books and read its contents. One was titled [The Biology Theory in Apothecary], while the other was titled [The Physics Theory in Apothecary].

In an instant, Emery's attention was attracted by new words he had never heard before – Biology and Physics. Seeing his expression, Karin stepped forward and quickly tried to explain about them.

"To be honest I don't know much about Physics, but for Biology, I'm very confident."

Saying those words, Karin took out a potion vial from her storage ring and showed it to Emery. A proud smile on her face, she said, "This here is my original potion, created using one of the Biology methods."

[Paralyzing Potion - Tier 4, originality level 2]

From afar, the liquid in the vial looked ordinary with a grayish tint. However, when Emery took a closer look, there were actually dozens of miniscule spider-like creatures moving to and fro in the liquid.

When he realized that, a fascinated look appeared on Emery's face. It was at this moment Karin's voice was heard again.

"Here is another one." The girl cheerfully flaunted a dark red pill that gave off an absolute repulsive stench, causing Emery to involuntarily take a step back, which the girl immediatley laughed at.

[One Million Ants Pill - Tier 4, originality level 2]

"This is a very effective torture pill made from the carcasses of flaming ants. You see, brother Emery, Biology, is the use of living or dead organisms within our products."

Although very impressive, the two products made Emery and Cedric fall into an awkward silence. The girl looked so young and innocent, but the product she made gave them both a slight chill.

On the other hand, trying not to be outclassed, Cedric also explained the Physics section by showing off various equipment in his lab. Stopping in front of a metal box with a door-like hatch, he introduced the instrument with a smile on his face.

"This here is a Cryochamber. It sprays a liquid that will freeze and preserve live plants."

He then showed the two another piece of equipment that gave off a beam of light when activated. "This particular equipment would destroy the cell and recreate it into a new, mutated one." Cedric explained that both were considered Physics transformations.

Both were advanced methods that were used by high-rank apothecarist to further help the creation of higher-tier potions or pills.

"For the Artisan exam, since the ingredients will be limited by the examinee, what will be taken into the marks was the advanced method used to create the required original potion. Hence the need to know about the related knowledge and the reason the girl gave those manuals. Do you understand, Emery?"

To be honest, Emery was quite overwhelmed by what he had just seen. However, the truth was that his hands couldn't stop shaking, itching for action. The demonstration the two showed earlier was such a mind-blowing experience that he couldn't resist picking up the manual and sinking himself into the study already.

However, that didn't mean that Emery would automatically pass the test. After all, he only had until tomorrow morning to improve his apothecary skills. The two helped him understand the advanced manual, and thanks to that, after long hours without rest Emery was able to understand the basics of it. Hopefully, it was enough for the exam.

When the morning sun arrived, Emery came straight to the place where the exam would be held.