Florent stared at the three-colored potion in the crucible, feeling a slight ache in his teeth...
But after reminding himself that he had followed the potion formula precisely and that the preparation wasn't particularly difficult, he quickly put his mind at ease.
Picking up the crucible directly, Florent knew that potion-making didn't require an open flame, so he had no qualms about handling it carelessly.
He then poured the potion from the crucible into a test tube.
Just as he had expected, the completed potion was a liquid that seemed almost solid, with no residual droplets left in the crucible.
"Mmh... Should I drink this or eat it?" Florent found himself slightly puzzled by this, but the thought quickly passed, "Well, I'll just have to try it and see."
He lifted the test tube containing the potion, which was mixed with various ingredients clearly not meant for human consumption, and earnestly began counting which ones were inedible.
"Purified water, drinkable... Red chestnut flower, barely edible... String grass powder, barely edible... Hornbeam essential oil? Plant-based oil should be drinkable, right? Hmm..."
Holding the test tube in his left hand, Florent continued to count off the ingredients, "Whatever, it's drinkable. No need to overthink it. Deep-sea Marlin's blood, drinkable. Spirit Eater's stomach pouch, edible? But it's not cooked. Am I really supposed to eat raw meat? Wait, can Spirit Eaters even be eaten?"
After some deliberation, Florent finally convinced himself that he could drink it. Tipping his head back, he downed the potion in one go.
In the end, he confirmed that it was indeed a liquid meant to be drunk... his throat made it abundantly clear that there were no solid particles in the potion...
That said, the thick, viscous texture was something he never wanted to experience again.
In an instant, as Florent closed his eyes, he felt as though bursts of colorful fireworks were exploding before him.
His consciousness seemed to fragment into individual cells within his body, while the white, red, and blue potion he had just consumed dispersed into tiny droplets, gradually merging with his Spirit Body and cells.
He immediately sensed a significant surge in his Spirituality, so much so that it threatened to spill over. Hurriedly, Florent visualized a series of layered doors in his mind to rein in his overflowing Spiritual energy...
"Haaah…" He exhaled and opened his eyes, which had reflexively shut during his cogitation.
It was a strange sensation. After stabilizing his excess Spirituality, Florent could effortlessly perceive certain things, as if knowledge had been imprinted into his mind by instinct.
He knew (and the Abraham family's records had mentioned) that cogitation/meditation allowed one to perceive everything about themselves.
Though ordinary humans lacked divinity and had shallow Spirituality, they could still observe their current physical and spiritual states.
The records also noted that those who possessed both Spirituality and Divinity could even glimpse into their past, meaning they could recall things they had seen before, even if they hadn't paid attention at the time.
Some Extraordinary individuals from specific Pathways could even vaguely foresee their future trajectories...
However, Florent suspected that only those of the 'Monster' Pathway could achieve such a level. Perhaps the 'Seer' and his own Pathwayʼs 'Astrologer' Sequence might grant similar insights.
Of course, the primary purpose of cogitation was to unite oneself with the transcendent 'I', the infinite 'I', and the cosmic 'I', thereby gaining revelations and insights into truth... knowledge that could only be comprehended through personal enlightenment.
This was the 'Mystical Experience'. The knowledge bestowed by potions was acquired precisely through this 'Mystical Experience', or in other words, cogitation...
Unsurprisingly, Florent discovered that he had gained a variety of peculiar but weak spells... seven in total. Though numerous, none of them were life-saving abilities, which left him somewhat dissatisfied. Compared to the 'Magician' and 'Witch', the 'Trickmaster' was genuinely underwhelming.
Pursing his lips, Florent identified the seven spells... or rather, tricks:
- Freezing...
- Fog...
- Wind...
- Flash...
- Electric Shock...
- Burning...
- Tumble...
While the 'Trickmaster' mastered these spells (or more accurately, spell-like abilities), they required almost no spiritual energy to use.
In contrast, they were akin to cantrips in D&D, though even D&D's weakest spells were far more lethal. These tricks were truly just that... tricks, more suited for performances than combat.
Though the tricks covered various elements; ice, water, wind, light, electricity, and fire... their effects were underwhelming. The most offensive were Electric Shock and Burning, while the most peculiar was Tumble...
The others were barely worth mentioning...
Beyond these, Florent noticed a sharp improvement in his vision, gaining dynamic visual acuity. His physical capabilities had also silently improved by a significant margin, with the greatest enhancement being the dexterity of his hands.
He mused that if he chose to become a pickpocket now, he'd probably achieve remarkable success.
Considering the potion's name, Florent understood the abilities it granted. His eyes were for learning magic tricks and observing audience reactions, his hand dexterity for performing them, and his physical fitness... well, stage magicians needed far greater stamina than the average person. Performing on stage was exhausting...
Stretching lazily, Florent acknowledged that he was now a Sequence 8.. the highest tier among Low-Sequence individuals. He had also gained multiple Beyonder abilities, along with significantly enhanced physical and spiritual attributes.
"Things are looking up, aren't they?" He narrowed his eyes, "Those greedy mercenaries better be ready for payback. Though, realistically, I still can't beat them. A pure close-combat Sequence 8 isn't something a 'Trickmaster' like me can handle..."
"No,"Florent shook his head, "I probably can't even beat a Sequence 7. Sequence 7 enhances divination abilities. If I'm lucky, after advancing to 'Scribe', my spellcasting abilities should improve dramatically. Then, maybe I could take on a Sequence 8 combat oriented Beyonder? Well, that depends on how strong the 'Scribe' Sequence upgrades are."
Grabbing his hair in frustration, Florent groaned and clutched his head, "Ugh, this is infuriating. My parents never even hit me growing up. Damn it, I'll curse those bastards with voodoo dolls!"
"...Guess I'll have to lay low. Stay hidden until I reach Sequence 5 or become a demigod before making my move." Reluctantly, he came to this conclusion, "It's not that I'm weak, it's just that warriors are overpowered in the early game. They completely outclass 'Apprentices' at this stage..."
Looking at the burning candles around him, Florent smirked smugly and adopted an air of mastery.
With a casual wave, he used Wind to extinguish the flames, making the motion look effortlessly elegant...