I released a portion of my mana into the shimmering liquid tester and noticed it immediately started to harden slightly. "Is this how it's supposed to work?"
Prate nodded, keeping his eyes glued to the basin, but I couldn't quite tell what was going on inside his head.
I waited for a while, continuously releasing my mana into the mixture. "Do I need to stay completely still?" He didn't answer right away, just watching me intently. I kept channeling the energy, but a sudden thought made me anxious: why was this liquid absorbing my mana so rapidly the exact second it left my skin?
"Yeah, just hold still. I'm just checking a few parameters," he said, his gaze fixed on the shifting colors.
The liquid finally started to light up, but the glow was incredibly dim—neither too bright nor too dark. Prate checked the reading and sighed. "Looks like you have poor quality mana, Lucas." Hearing him say that out loud honestly made me a bit upset.
"Don't worry too much about it, though," Prate added quickly, seeing my expression.
"It's normal. They've been using this specific substance as a base mana tester for a long time. It works just like the orb you saw at the Association Awakening Center. I'm sure you already took a similar test when you first went to that place."
"I did," I replied, looking down at my hands.
So that explained it. That was the real reason there were so many guild scouts hovering around the exit gates at that time. They were filtering people based on the orb's reaction. I hadn't received a single recruitment offer back then because my base quality looked like absolute trash.
"The only reason those big guilds take these tests is to scan for players who possess immediate, high potential to grow strong," Prate explained, pacing around the basin. "They only choose specific elites so they can maximize their corporate growth."
He stopped and looked back at the container. "Also, one more thing. This isn't actually liquid silver. I'm sure a lot of newcomers make that exact mistake and start calling it liquid silver."
I blinked in surprise.
How on earth did he know that? I never once said the words "liquid silver" out loud.
"I can read it clearly on your face, hahaha!" Prate laughed, waving his hand. Why was he laughing like that? He still hadn't actually told me the real name of the testing substance.
"Ah! I forgot something," Prate suddenly snapped his fingers, turning toward the stone steps. "Can you wait here for a bit? I need to go grab a specific book upstairs."
"Sure," I said. He bounded up the stairs, leaving me completely alone in the massive underground room while I patiently waited for him to return.
After a few minutes, I grew tired of just standing around waiting for him. My mind drifted back to our conversation on the path yesterday. I tried mimicking the exact spell formulation he had executed in the plaza. What exactly did he say back then? Ah, I remember.
"Khar-thos… amun-ra… "
I tried whispering the words aloud, but I couldn't pronounce the syllables correctly. It felt like an ancient, heavy language that resisted my tongue. Sigh. Nevermind. It wasn't like I could just copy it on the first try anyway. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoing down the stairwell alerted me that he was already back.
"I apologize for taking so long to find it," Prate said, panting slightly as he walked across the floor holding a thick volume. "I completely forgot where I tucked it away. Anyway, what were you just practicing over there? You've been muttered those gibberish words to yourself." He started laughing again, and I felt like he had been teasing me the entire morning.
Gibberish... If he only knew.
"Anyway, here is the book I found in the restricted library archive a long time ago," Prate said, handing it over. "The leather binding on this thing is insanely durable. It literally cannot be torn, burned, or even melted by high-grade acid."
I took the heavy manuscript and opened the cover. I stared at the pages, but I couldn't understand a single symbol written inside. The letters looked like twisted geometric lines. Just how the hell did he read this yesterday?
"I think you're the only one who can actually understand this book, Prate," I said, handing it back to him.
"Huh? What do you mean? Let me see," Prate said, taking the volume and glancing at the text. His eyes scanned the pages naturally. "I can understand this perfectly, though. The syntax reads just like the standard words we've been using every day."
It was just as I suspected. The manuscript was an exclusive, bound-on-pickup quest item.
"I thought it would help both of us," I remarked, looking at the glowing runes on the cover. "But I expect that was a unique artifact. The exact moment you took it from the shelf and opened it, your soul already bound with it permanently."
"Really?" Prate looked completely dumbfounded. Looking at his blank expression, I could tell he had never cared about the system rules regarding soul-binding items.
"What a shame," he muttered, looking genuinely disappointed as he closed the book. "I thought it would help us boost your capacity. Just forget about it, I guess. It's not like I'm going to benefit much from keeping it locked away if you can't read it."
He tucked the book under his arm and gestured deeper into the basement. "Why don't you come with me further into the laboratory instead, Lucas?"
I followed him into an even deeper, reinforced sector of the underground ground. Stepping through a heavy steel door, my eyes widened. The room was lined with secure workbenches displaying all different kinds of magical artifacts he had personally collected and created over the years.
"You've been creating all of this yourself?" I asked, looking at the rows of gear.
"Yeah! I have been tinkering with these for the past few years," Prate said proudly, his posture straightening. "I've also been actively collecting specific magical artifacts from the market that are highly suitable for the Mage class."
I honestly didn't know just how insanely rich his family was. Prate suddenly ran his hands over a row of glowing rings on a velvet cushion. "My babies! Did you miss me?"
I stared at him. Why the hell did he talk to those inanimate artifacts so weirdly? He was totally eccentric.
Prate stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. "What are you doing? Why are you looking at me with those judgmental eyes?"
I looked away.
"Anyways, look around," Prate said, gesturing to the shelves. "Pick anything you want from the lower tiers that you think will be useful for you to use in the upcoming tournament."
I began scanning every edge of the laboratory. For a few seconds, nothing stood out, but then a specific artifact hidden in a corner glass case caught my attention. It was a sleek wand, and its system details flashed in my vision when I stepped closer.
[Name: Wand of Wisdom]
[Rank: B]
[Type: Wand]
[Effect: Increases mana regeneration by 10% and maximum mana by 20%. Increases projectile speed by 40%.]
"Why are you picking that specific one?" Prate asked, walking over and leaning over my shoulder. "There are a lot of much more destructive, useful artifacts on the main shelf."
I told him I liked the design and that it felt right. He smiled faintly, mentioning that it was actually the very first magical invention he had ever completed, so he let me take it without further argument.
"Why don't you hurry up and choose one more supplementary piece?" Prate urged, moving toward a heavily guarded central pedestal. "There's something massive I need to show you. This has been my biggest, highest-priority project that I've been working on for the past few months."
I walked over and looked at the central device. It was a massive, uniquely shaped mechanical artifact. I couldn't quite tell what its final function was supposed to be, but I noticed there were six empty sockets lined up precisely on each side, with one large master socket embedded dead-center.
"You've been building this for months?" I asked, looking at the intricate wiring. He was a complete genius. Even if his raw combat level couldn't match the top physical elites, his craftsmanship alone put him in a league of his own.
"That is right," Prate nodded, his face turning serious as he touched the metallic frame. "I've been pouring all my resources into this for months. I just need one more specific, rare material to finally complete the circuit and activate the artifact."
Checking my interface clock, I realized it was already approaching lunchtime. I needed to escape back to my dorm before he had a chance to drag me to the kitchen and cook another mountain of food.
"I think I have to go back to my place now, Prate," I said, backing toward the stone stairs. "Thanks for the tour. I'll see you at the academy grounds tomorrow morning."
Before I could even take a single step toward the exit, a sudden, freezing chill rushed through my skin. Prate's hand shot out, grabbing my tracksuit sleeve with surprising force.
"Ah, where do you think you're going?" he grinned mischievously. "You're not leaving on an empty stomach."
An hour later, I was sitting at his dining table completely stuffed, letting out a loud, accidental burp. "Burp! Man... why do you always insist on making such a massive amount of lunch, and why the hell do you eat so much yourself?"
Prate huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's honestly kinda rude, asking a person who genuinely loves the art of making food and eating why they cook so much."
I shook my head, amused.
In the end, after finishing our conversation and helping him clear the dishes, I finally managed to leave the villa and head back to my basic dorm room. Sitting on my old bed, I pulled out the secondary utility artifact he had forced me to take right before I left the laboratory door.
[Name: The Desire of Night]
[Rank: C]
[Type: Gloves]
[Effect: Increases projectile speed by 20% and overall damage output by 5%.]
Paired with the Wand of Wisdom, my spell casting speed was going to be significantly faster. I closed my interface, satisfied with the haul, and prepared for the academy tournament.