Agnes's words left Edwyn a little stunned.
I'm just here to submit a task, how did this turn into a recruitment pitch?
"Join the Alchemy Faction," Agnes said earnestly. "You have real talent in alchemy. This bottle of Red Quicksilver, its purity is so high that even my mentor would struggle to achieve it. You're absolutely a natural in alchemy."
Her tone was so sincere, Edwyn almost started believing it himself.
"But Miss Agnes, I'm still just an Initiate. Don't Lord Joron's students need to be at least Elementary Apprentices?"
"Initiate?" Agnes frowned and, in an instant, a powerful surge of Spiritforce swept over Edwyn.
"Impossible. You're already at the level of an Elementary Apprentice."
"Huh?"
Edwyn froze. He had only just reached 16 Spiritforce, not the 20 needed to qualify as an Elementary Apprentice. How had he suddenly crossed the threshold overnight?
Seeing his confusion, Agnes shook her head. "You must've done something recently that triggered a jump in Spiritforce?"
"Done something…?" Edwyn thought it over. The only unusual thing he had done lately was the Bloodline Alchemy.
Could Bloodline Alchemy also enhance Spiritforce?
Just as Edwyn pondered this, Chayle chimed in.
"Probably the feedback effect. Edwyn, have you done Bloodline Alchemy recently?"
At his words, Agnes also picked up on the subtle imbalance in Edwyn's body. Even though he had adapted quickly to his physical upgrades, there were still minor signs of uncoordinated movements typical of someone who'd just undergone a massive change.
"I did, yes."
"Then that explains it," Chayle said knowingly.
"Senior Chayle, what's this feedback effect?" Edwyn asked.
"Sounds like you haven't taken the Soul Studies course yet," Chayle said, with a wise glint in his shiny forehead.
"According to research by the Soul School, the soul and the body aren't entirely separate. There's a hidden link between the two."
"This connection maintains balance between body and spirit."
"When a being's physical strength increases dramatically, their Spiritforce also increases so the soul can properly control the body. The reverse is also true, if the soul grows too strong, the body will catch up, so it can contain the more powerful spirit."
Though Chayle usually gave off a greasy middle-aged vibe, when he spoke theory, his entire demeanor shifted. His previously comically shiny forehead now radiated maturity and reliability.
"Simply put, if one side, body or mind, becomes much stronger than the other, it pulls the other up. Your body surged to Elementary Apprentice level through Bloodline Alchemy, so your spirit naturally grew to catch up."
Edwyn nodded in realization.
"So… if a knight trained their body to a high enough level, could their Spiritforce increase too?"
"In theory, yes," Chayle replied. "But the human body's ceiling is too low. Even a Grand Knight caps out at 29 Physique. Compared to meditation-based growth, it's incredibly inefficient."
"You, little man, achieved in a couple of hours what takes some knights decades, all from one Bloodline Alchemy session."
"And unless a knight reaches a certain level, they can't connect to the Sea of Souls. Without that link, any Spiritforce gained from the feedback effect is just latent potential, not true strength."
Edwyn thought it over and found it hard to argue.
"Also," Chayle continued, "don't think you can rely on physique to boost your spirit indefinitely. The feedback effect only kicks in when the gap is huge. Like now, your Spiritforce is at Elementary Apprentice, but your physique is already at Intermediate Apprentice. That triggers the effect. Once you become a full Mage, the next thresholds are between Rank One and Rank Two Mages."
He patted Edwyn on the shoulder.
"Our mentor has connections with many Alchemists. If you become his official student, you could replace your current bloodline with a more refined, optimized formula in the future."
Clearly, Chayle assumed Edwyn had recklessly chosen a basic bloodline for his alchemy.
Edwyn managed a strained smile but made a note to himself, next time he used the Infinite Forge, he'd mix in impurities.
"Alright, Chayle, step aside," Agnes said. "Whether or not Edwyn joins the Alchemy Faction is his choice."
She moved Chayle away, giving Edwyn space to think. Choosing a mentor was serious business. The academy had strict rules about changing mentors. If a student switched too casually, they might end up with no mentor willing to take them in.
A few minutes passed. Edwyn took a deep breath and locked eyes with Agnes.
"Okay, I've made my decision."
"I want to join the Alchemy Faction and become a student of Master Joron."
"Good. I'll take you to him right now."
Agnes clapped once, then took Edwyn with her as they flew up the tower.
Central Black Tower, 99th Floor
Alchemist Joron was deep in the midst of yet another chimeric beast experiment.
As the most accomplished Alchemist in the Black Tower Magus Academy, his lab had the strongest protections in the entire tower.
Nothing could disturb his work, unless the whole tower collapsed.
"Roooaaar!"
Before him, yet another chimera's body crumbled. Joron, having faced a month of failures, rubbed his temples and summoned a flame to reduce the remains to ash.
"Where's the issue…? What's missing from my teacher's old notes?"
He stepped over to his desk, sighing at the stack of research papers.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
The door opened. Agnes led Edwyn into the lab.
The moment Edwyn entered, he felt a powerful restraint, something was actively suppressing his magic.
He glanced around. The entire lab was built of black bricks etched with runes. Despite several magic lamps on the ceiling, the room remained dim.
At the center was a stone platform made of carved obsidian, dividing the lab into two sections.
On the right, rows of metal shelves held glass containers filled with yellow fluids, each suspending a bizarre organ or gland.
On the left, the walls were covered in anatomical diagrams. Between them stood a massive bookshelf, cluttered with books, notes, and manuscripts.
At the desk in front of the bookshelf stood an old man with white hair, lost in thought.
"Mentor, I've found an alchemical prodigy," Agnes said, placing the bottle of Red Quicksilver on the lab table.
Joron, widely known for accepting many students, looked like a typical elderly man, white hair, bushy beard, face full of wrinkles.
But that was just the surface.
Edwyn noticed something strange about his eyes, deep within his pupils were clusters of tiny compound eyes.
Joron opened the bottle and used a magic thread to extract a drop of Red Quicksilver.
"Hmm? This purity… impressive."
He casually activated the substance, gauging its explosive power, then fixed his strange eyes on Edwyn.
For a moment, Edwyn felt completely exposed. That gaze pierced through his clothes, skin, bones, all the way to his soul.
"Bloodline Alchemy… Just became an Elementary Apprentice. With this level of ability to refine Red Quicksilver… yes, I'd call that genius."
Joron retracted his gaze and spoke calmly.
"Agnes, you brought him here to make him your junior, I assume? I trust your judgment, but procedures are procedures."
With that, Joron opened a drawer and pulled out a crystal orb without even looking.
"Create this item. If you succeed, you're in."