NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62: Mana Salves
Gabby thought to himself:
"I spent the last two months perfecting the Drunken Sword technique. While I was in the Academy's library, I saw Aurora, one of my classmates. She was reading a book. Not just any book, but a theoretical one that usually requires the knowledge of an eighth-core magician. She was even taking notes, like she really understood it.
That gave me an idea."
But before Gabby could think it through, he overheard two students whispering. They weren't loud, but just enough to catch what they were saying.
One of them leaned in and whispered, her voice laced with disbelief, "Did you hear? Maya actually survived the exam."
The other girl scoffed, her eyes narrowing with contempt. "That useless girl made it instead of Von and Robin?" She shook her head, her tone sharp and bitter. "Unbelievable."
Then, with a clenched fist and a twisted smirk, she added coldly, "I swear, once she's out of the infirmary, I'm going to punch her again."
The insults and backstabbing against Maya continued, along with their detailed plans to punish her. Gabby sighed and thought to himself, 'Classic bullies. I think I should visit Maya in the infirmary."
Gabby arrived at the infirmary, where Maya lay on a wooden bed, a thick bandage wrapped around her head.
With calm, deliberate steps, he approached and asked, "How are you, Maya?"
He sat down on a nearby chair, crossing one leg over the other.
"I'm fine. Thank you for saving me," Maya replied softly.
Gabby looked at her with a cold expression. "You don't need to thank me. Anyone would've done the same."
But in his mind, he thought bitterly, "Of course, you're the outlier. You're the reason the expeditionist died. Your uselessness brought the squad down, including Von."
Maya sensed Gabby's hostility and quietly turned her gaze away.
Maya softly said, "You know, I really feel sorry for what happened."
Gabby stared at her in silence, his thoughts swirling. "If I didn't know her past, any man could fall for those innocent eyes and gentle look. She's always played the victim. If it weren't for Von protecting her, her life would've been daily torment. Clinging to anyone who shows her the slightest kindness. She's not strong. She's not brave. She's a leech, feeding off sympathy and protection from others, dragging everyone down with her."
Gabby handed Maya a folded piece of paper and said, "I know you're feeling guilty and ashamed. Right now, there's no one left to protect you from bullying. From here on, it's only going to get worse, and your heroic blessings and abilities won't help you at all."
Maya took the letter, her fingers trembling slightly. "How do you know all of this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Gabby's face remained expressionless. "That doesn't matter. What matters is, this letter will help you solve your problems. All at once."
Gabby added quietly, "Take care, Maya."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the infirmary, as if nothing had happened.
As he walked through the quiet hallway, his thoughts drifted. "I'm confident I can pass the Practical Exam with Professor Ava. But the Basics of Magic… that's a different story. Even with everything I learned from the Tower of Vestige, their curriculum is completely different. After all, I'm not omniscient."
He paused for a moment, deep in thought.
"I could use my Phantom Sight to cheat… but the pain it causes is beyond tolerable. I wouldn't last long under its effects.
There's the painkiller I developed, the one that counteracts the Rose of Disease. It dulls the pain, yes, but it doesn't solve the core issue. Continued use would risk permanent vision loss. Not a viable long-term solution."
Ren Restes once mentioned that channeling mana into the Phantom Sight nullifies the drawbacks. That's the only sustainable path forward."
Gabby's gaze lingered on the floor for a moment, his expression unreadable, "That's it. If I can develop a salve that supplies mana directly to my body, I can bypass the pain. No more limits."
He continued, "I have one month before the exam. That's more than enough time to develop the salve. I won't waste a second studying. Every moment will go into perfecting that salve."
And so, Gabby spent the next one month conducting experiments in Yin's personal laboratory. Progress on the painkiller continued steadily, as he occasionally took time to teach Yin the production formula in fragments. It was a slow process, but deliberate. Meanwhile, he worked on developing the mana-infused salve under the guise of Yin's name, an arrangement that allowed him to operate without drawing attention.
Yin stared at the chalkboard, eyes narrowing in disbelief as Gabby scribbled a string of unfamiliar letters and numbers:
[C₁₇H₂₁NO₄] + [MnAe₂] + [AgTh₃] + [LuCr₄] + [CxHₙ]
"What is that?" Yin asked, his voice laced with confusion.
Gabby didn't look up. "Future business," he said flatly. "This salve will temporarily grant someone mana."
Yin blinked. "Wait—are you insane? No scholar has ever created a salve that can do that."
Gabby finally turned to him, his expression unreadable. "I developed the cure for the Rose of Death. No one else could."
Yin fell silent. He couldn't argue. That single breakthrough had earned him the title Saint Alchemist of the Academy, though the formula had come from Gabby. And now, with Gabby on the verge of another alchemical miracle, Yin's mind began to race.
A salve that grants mana… he thought. If I claim this under my name again, I won't just be a saint, I'll be a hero. A legend.
He looked at Gabby, who had already returned to his notes, calm and focused. Yin forced a smile, hiding the ambition burning behind his eyes.
Forc one month, Gabby continued his experiments in silence. The lab smelled of herbs, oils, and faint traces of burnt mana residue. Once again, Weedsprout, a plant known for its potent, morphine-like properties, was part of the formula.
This time, he used rats as test subjects. Each trial was meticulously recorded. Dosages adjusted. Reactions observed. Failures discarded without emotion.
Then, finally, one evening under the dim glow of alchemical lamps, the results aligned.
Gabby observed the rat as it moved with unnatural energy, its mana signature briefly flaring. He noted the readings, then spoke to himself in a low, flat tone:
"It worked. I've developed a salve that temporarily provides mana without mana core. If the subject already has an open mana core, it simply boosts their reserves."
He paused, watching the rat slow down, its movements becoming sluggish.
"But there's a problem. After two hours, the subject experienced extreme euphoria followed by drowsiness. The Weed sprout's addictive properties are too strong.