There was no variety of strange elixirs, no specialized oils for swords.
Only the all-purpose Witcher potion.
A sip before a fight would amp up your attack and reduce damage; another sip after injury would stop bleeding and alleviate pain.
After confirming with Vesemir once more, Eilin had no choice but to accept this hard truth.
Time slipped by as he handled the materials and pondered his future.
Even with his mind divided, Eilin managed to process the materials skillfully.
"Near-perfect dissection technique," Vesemir stated with crossed arms, inspecting Eilin's work with satisfaction. "The water wraith's brain is intact, and the cut on the tongue has avoided the magical nodules."
"If this were at Ban Ard Academy, you'd certainly receive a top score."
Such praise was almost exaggerated.
Ban Ard Academy was one of the only two magical institutions in the North, famous for its ambitious male sorcerers and an array of bizarre alchemical concoctions.
In alchemy, Ban Ard was undoubtedly the most specialized.
As a crucial branch of alchemy, material processing was vital, and Eilin certainly couldn't truly eclipse professional sorcerer apprentices in this area.
Eilin humbly nodded his thanks.
"Vesemir, have you been to Ban Ard?" Shus asked with curiosity.
Eilin was just as intrigued by the question.
Both Kaer Morhen and Ban Ard were located within the kingdom of Kaedwen, their castles having been hewn from the rocky slopes of the Blue Mountains.
One trained Witchers, the other trained sorcerers.
"I've been there a few times."
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Vesemir rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Of course, it was to deal with monsters."
"But doesn't Ban Ard have its own wizard academy? Why would they need Witchers?" Shus pressed, genuinely puzzled.
The apprentices were not completely in the dark about the world beyond Kaer Morhen.
There were always older kids who, having made the journey up the mountain only after experiencing the world, would share rumors: "Sorcerers created Witchers," "Ban Ard apprentices don't face the brutal trials," "The King of Kaedwen prefers sorcerers."
Those Ban Ard apprentices, not required to endure trials and with bright futures ahead, became objects of envy and jealousy for Witcher apprentices.
Sensing an undertone in Shus's voice, Vesemir paused his work with the materials, turning his serious gaze toward the two apprentices. "Because Witchers are the best monster hunters."
"It's how we make our living, and it's what ultimately leads to our demise."
The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, even Shus, with his carefree demeanor, could sense the gravity.
For a moment, a thick silence enveloped the three of them.
Vesemir resumed his examination of the materials.
Shus lowered his head, silver hair shading his eyes, concealing his thoughts.
To meet such a fate?
Eilin mused, staring blankly at the cold, ancient castle.
It wasn't until Vesemir's reprimand broke through the quiet that he snapped back to reality.
"Shus!"
"Were you even listening to me?"
Vesemir's voice cut like a knife through the stillness.
"The most crucial part of the water wraith's tongue is the magical nodule at its root."
"Look at how you processed it…"
"Tsk, tsk. With this quality, you could only fool some ignorant farmer."
Just then, Letho joined them.
Shus, intrigued, asked, "What would a farmer want with a water wraith's tongue?"
"Haha," Letho chuckled, skillfully dodging Vesemir's swatting hand. "It's for brewing. There are plenty who would try a strange recipe to boost a man's vigor, wouldn't they?"
"A man's vigor?" Shus questioned, bewildered.
Vesemir kicked at Letho, who dodged and took off laughing.
With Letho's diversion, Vesemir suddenly realized it was nearing midday.
With a weary sigh, he switched topics, thoroughly addressing Shus's questions and presenting Eilin with a portion of the exemplary materials as a reward.
Finally, he sent them back to the apprentice dormitory for lunch.
"Oh, and remember this."
"Stay away from Ban Ard; they don't welcome Witchers."
As he turned to leave, Vesemir suddenly recalled something and cast a serious warning glance back at the two.
With no further explanation, he headed in the direction Letho had gone.
…
Severing ties with Vesemir, Eilin and Shus returned to the apprentice dormitory located in the southwest corner of the castle.
The dormitory was sizable.
Even under the cold gray stone walls, forty beds were cramped together, leaving only a narrow path in the middle for passage.
In the empty room, only four beds had neatly stacked bedding on them, giving it a desolate and eerie vibe.
Who could have imagined that just ten days ago, this place had been filled with orphans and castaways from across the North?
With the pass rate for the Grass Trial for Eilin's batch falling below ten percent, it was woefully inadequate compared to the average of over forty percent.
For the Wolf School, this year might be considered a lean one.
Upon returning to the dorm, Eilin and Shus found little to say.
They put their things away, tidied themselves up, and changed into clean clothes.
Bont and Fred, who had already "lunched," were napping now.
Their portion lay waiting on the table at the entrance.
A mug filled with a gray, viscous mushroom brew.
That was Eilin's lunch.
For the past ten days following the Grass Trial, their meals consisted of various bizarre liquids.
These concoctions were designed to bring their mutated bodies back to a sense of "normal."
After choking down their lunch, Eilin and Shus returned to their beds, waiting for the effects of the potion to kick in.
…
It felt as though ants were crawling inside his muscles.
Throbbing pain and itching intertwined.
While nothing compared to the intense agony of having his insides dissolved by the Grass Potion, it remained a difficult ordeal.
Eilin instinctively squirmed in bed, mentally reciting [Monster Hunting Log].
The effects of the "lunch" would last a while, and he needed something to distract himself.
[Name: Eilin]
[Age: 13]
[Title: Child of Miracles]
[Level: 2]
[Health: 100% | Stamina: 56/56]
[Attributes: Strength 5.3 (+0.1), Agility 5.4 (+0.1), Constitution 5.6 (+0.2), Perception 7.2 (+0.3), Mystique 3.3 (+0.2)]
[Special Skills: Monster Hunting LV1, Appraisal LV1]
[Skill: Wolf School Two-Handed Sword LV2 (0/500)]
[Evaluation: Useless!!!]
?
His attributes had increased!
Surprise coursed through Eilin as he noticed his Constitution attribute had gone up by another 0.1.
The mushroom brew worked wonders!
In the past few days, though he'd felt a slight increase, it hadn't been measurable without the panel.
Now, witnessing a tangible uptick in stats eased some discomfort from his body.
Though the rate of attribute increase had begun to slow, at least he could see a bit more gain before "afternoon rest" wrapped up.
"No wonder those Witchers have such high stats," Eilin thought.
Ignoring the glaring evaluation, he collected the rewards from his tasks and opened his item inventory.
[Items: Essence of Water Wraith's Heart x3, Minor Experience Orb x19, Water Wraith Treasure Chest x8, Universal Treasure Chest x1]
The number of minor experience orbs was insufficient to upgrade his two-handed sword, so he decided to hold onto them for now.
"Should I wait until the effects stop before using the essence?" Eilin pondered, feeling a bit uncertain.
After a moment's reflection, he opted to drink one bottle and test it out.
Essence from the water wraith certainly wasn't a rare reward—he'd collect one every time he killed one.
Right now, they seemed scarce only because he was confined in Kaer Morhen.
Concentrating his thoughts, he clicked the item, and a bottle filled with blue liquid disappeared from his inventory.
A chill sensation coursed down his throat once more.
The next moment, Eilin's expression shifted dramatically.
"Sweet fates!"
"Is the water wraith some kind of treasure?"