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n“Why am I so unlucky?” Arthur thought.

nThere was no way to argue against a teacher, especially Matilda, so he got up from his chair and went in front of the class.

nWhile he did that, Matilda grabbed her alchemy kit and installed it in front of everyone.

nPhilip sighed in relief, as he knew she had chosen Arthur only because they had just met.

nThe moment Arthur saw Matilda building the cauldron, he knew it was a test of alchemy on the first day.

nWould she ask him to make a potion without proper guidance? What was the reason for such a test?

nArthur did not have the answer for that, and after Matilda finished preparing the alchemy tools, she handed him a paper with a recipe on it.

n“Just follow the recipe and craft the potion. All ingredients are here.” Matilda said.

nShe put all the ingredients above her desk. Arthur knew that alchemy wasn’t as easy as just follow the recipe..

nOne had to have proper control of the fire to not overheat, and also mix the ingredients at the right time, and a slight delay could ruin the potion.

nThe other students may not know that, but Arthur had a few classes of alchemy back when he was inside Frostpeak with Jane.

nA potion called Mermaid’s Tears. It was said in the note that the potion could change one’s body to that of a mermaid or mermen. The key ingredient was the tears of such creatures, as the name suggested.

nArthur had crafted a potion before, but not one as hard as that one. Was Matilda asking a student to craft an impossible potion in purpose? Perhaps if it was a beginner’s potion, a student may at least have a chance of success.

nNow, a potion like that was truly impossible for a new student to craft, but Arthur, with his knowledge and talent in alchemy, had a chance.

nThe first ingredient listed on the recipe was called Onyx Bay Leaf. It was a plant that grew underwater, and it was common on the archipelago they were in.

n“Maybe I can use my sunlight energy to purify the plants? It is surely better than ordinary fire magic from humans, right?” Arthur thought.

nHe could create a small flame using his magic, but Arthur was not as comfortable doing that then using his dragon skills.

nThe sunlight energy he absorbed every day to strengthen his Dragon Fire Body, and also store to use his fire wings and claws, should work on that.

nArthur put water on the cauldron, touched it with his hands, and heated the water.

nOnyx Bay Leaf needed to be heated at a certain degree, and it couldn’t pass by a lot, or else it would ruin the plant.

nWith great mastery, Arthur waited for the water to reach the heat and tossed the herb inside.

nThe sunlight energy was already part of Arthur, so he could sense it perfectly. It was easy for him to adjust to the right temperature.

nMatilda, who was watching all of it, just like the rest of the students, had apparent surprise on her face.

n“Interesting.”

nAll the impurities of the Onyx Bay Leaf were being destroyed. The grade of the flame used was the difference between a good potion and an excellent potion.

nThe same potion had different grades depending on their level of impurities. That is why a high grade flame was needed if one wanted to become a top tier alchemist.

nThese flames could be spells, magic items, or could even be found around the world. So, even if one wasn’t a fire mage, you could still find other ways to purify the ingredients.

nNot only that, but there were tools available that did the same job, but weren’t that effective, at least not yet.

nArthur followed the recipe with the heat, and time before adding the next ingredient.

nThe water first turned black, then crystal-clear right after. That happened because of all the impurities that were purified from the Onyx Bay Leaf.

n“Let me see what is next.”

nHe looked at the recipe and saw the name of the next ingredient. Pearl Blade.

nDifferent from the other ingredient, Pearl Blade was more rare. It was a pearl found inside the mouth of a magical creature, and it wasn’t a weak creature.

nArthur tossed that inside as well and tried his best to maintain the right heat for that ingredient.

nHe was already sweating with nervousness, and the heat coming from the cauldron amplified that.

nAll the students gazed at him, and were shocked. The outcome they all expected was a cauldron exploding. Matilda also expected that.

nThe first ingredient was also a success, and now the only one that left was the key ingredient, Mermaid Tear.

nNow, that ingredient was super rare. Arthur did not know how Matilda had such a thing.

n0)ᴠʟ “She is strong, so I should not be surprised.” He thought.

nIt was the last part of the recipe, and the hardest. Mermaid Tear could be ruined if Arthur heated more than what the recipe told. A one degree difference would ruin the entire process.

nFor that reason, Arthur tried his best to not focus on the students, and especially not on Matilda. He looked at the cauldron and the cauldron only.

nTime seemed to have stopped, and Arthur’s hand was shaking.

nEven the students were excited and curious about what would happen.

nThe cauldron shook a few times, which made all the students head back, afraid it would explode, but in the end, nothing happened.

nA myriad of colors on the water, and after a few minutes of heating, the process was over.

nEveryone could not take their eyes off the cauldron, and even Arthur was excited to see if the potion had been a success.

nMatilda got up from her desk, walked towards the cauldron, and looked at it.

nShe did not mutter a single word, and that increased the excitement of everyone.

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