Tharvis was stunned by Linda's beauty. In all his life, he had never seen a woman as beautiful as her. His heart pounded, but he quickly suppressed the feeling.

With a slight nod, he said, "Yes, I am Tharvis. May I… know your name?"

From the aura she exuded, he could tell she was a high-ranking figure who had to be treated with respect. Otherwise, his life might end right there.

"My name is Linda. You can call me Headmistress," Linda replied indifferently. "All right, let's not beat around the bush. My disciple said you can brew potions using only a pot. Is that true?"

In front of Merlin, she might appear gentle. But toward strangers, she was harsh and firm, no matter who they were.

Tharvis was surprised to hear that Merlin was her disciple, but he quickly composed himself and gave a short nod.

"Yeah, I do. I don't have proper tools, so I use a pot and… a stove," he said.

"I see…" Linda's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although she had already heard it directly from Merlin, it was still surprising to hear Tharvis admit it himself.

Taking a deep breath, she asked again, "Do you realize that your method is unusual?"

"Unusual?" Tharvis was taken aback. "What do you mean, Headmistress?"

"An alchemist needs many tools to make potions, such as alembics, crucibles, and the like. They're quite expensive and hard to find, except in specialty stores that carry them all," Linda explained calmly. "So what you're doing is… strange. And, frankly, unreasonable."

Tharvis was stunned, unable to believe it. To his knowledge, making potions didn't require the complicated tools Linda mentioned.

Yet the woman couldn't be lying. He glanced at Ardhis and Linda, then at Merlin and Catrine—each of them wearing expressions that agreed with her words.

'So… all this time I've been wrong?' Tharvis muttered, staring at his hands in confusion.

At first, he had thought what he was doing was normal. Even without proper tools, a pot and stove seemed like reasonable alternatives for making potions.

But now he realized—the strange one wasn't anyone else. It was him.

Noticing his confusion, Linda was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought.

A few moments later, she shook her head and said, "There's no need to worry. If you can use tools that shouldn't even work, it proves that you're exceptionally talented. Oh—and I haven't properly introduced myself yet."

She placed a hand over her left chest and said, "I am Linda Thalsis, head of Saint Freya Academy. At my student's request, I will take you to my academy to develop your talent. Are you willing?"

The moment Tharvis heard the name Saint Freya, his mind went blank.

'Saint Freya Academy!?' he thought, his face turning pale.

One of the strongest academies on the continent—Saint Freya—was a dream destination for talented individuals with special powers. Tharvis had once dreamed of becoming one of its students.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. He didn't possess any special powers. But after discovering his talent for alchemy, he continued to practice, holding on to the tiniest hope of being accepted into the academy.

Of course, he knew the odds were nearly impossible. His chances were less than 0.00001 percent. And now, the head of the academy was offering him a place—something he had never even imagined.

Merlin couldn't help but smile at his reaction.

'He must be shocked,' he chuckled quietly to himself.

But that was only natural. Who wouldn't be surprised if the head of the academy personally offered them a spot at Saint Freya? If he were Tharvis, he would likely react the same way.

A few seconds later, Tharvis snapped out of his shock and nodded repeatedly, enthusiasm shining in his eyes.

"I want to! I want to join!" he said firmly, clenching his right fist.

Only by entering Saint Freya Academy could he truly develop his abilities.

"Good. I like your enthusiasm," Linda said with an approving nod. "However, I still need to confirm your abilities. I'll prepare a stove and a pot for you to make a potion. Can you do it?"

Without hesitation, Tharvis stood and patted his chest confidently.

"I can do it!"

***

In a special room, Linda, Merlin, Ardhis, Livia, Catrine, and Maya stood side by side.

They all looked ahead, where Tharvis stood in front of a table about eighty by one hundred centimeters in size.

On the table sat a pot, a stove, and several ingredients for brewing a bronze-level healing potion.

Linda stepped forward and said, "The test I'm giving you is to brew a bronze-level potion with the highest possible precision. Even if the result is slightly flawed, I'll still consider it a success. Just show me how you do it. Understand?"

Tharvis nodded firmly. "I understand, Headmistress."

Linda said nothing more and returned to her place.

'System, do you think Tharvis can do it?' Merlin asked casually.

"[Of course he can. It's easy for him,]" the system replied.

Merlin simply nodded. Beside him, Livia, Ardhis, Catrine, and Maya couldn't hide their curiosity.

"Will he succeed, Master?" Maya asked softly.

"I don't know," Ardhis replied, shaking his head. "But if Merlin believes in him, then so do I."

Maya stayed silent for a moment before deciding to trust Merlin's words.

Meanwhile, Tharvis began making the potion. He lit the stove, placed a pot on it, and poured water inside. After waiting a few minutes for it to boil, he started adding the ingredients one by one in the proper order.

Making a healing potion was actually quite simple. The ingredients included morning dewdrops, moonflowers, kirt stone essence, and several others.

They weren't difficult to obtain, since all of them could be found in the mountains behind his house. That was why Tharvis often made this potion and was already familiar with the process.

The process took about twenty minutes before a pleasant fragrance filled the room.

Linda, Merlin, and the others twitched their noses, as if drawn to the aroma.

Tharvis wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Merlin and Linda with a faint smile.

"It's done. You can check it."

Linda blinked in surprise. "Already? Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that," Tharvis replied calmly.

Linda and Merlin exchanged glances before walking toward him. Linda lifted the pot and examined the liquid inside.

It was light green with tiny black specks floating in it.

"This…" Linda gasped. "It really… succeeded!"

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