Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  The tedious training continued for a month, until one morning…

  Like any other days after breakfast, Lin Li resumed his training on elemental sequencing.

  This was not the conventional way of magic training. Usually, the mage would start off with sequencing the magical elements, and then unleash the magic through reciting a spell. But Andoine had adopted a different approach in his teachings. He made Lin Li summon the magical elements and had them arranged by making use of Lin Li's mental strength. Instead of unleashing the magic through spell, he jumbled them up and made Lin Li go through the whole process repeatedly until his mental strength finally wore off.

  On other days, Andoine would keep himself busy in the pharmaceutical lab after breakfast. However, he stayed in his room that day and quietly watched Lin Li train. It made the latter uncomfortable to know that someone was watching him, so he stopped and looked at the old mage as he asked, "Have you learned the formula of the Clarity Potion I taught you a few days ago?"

  "Uh, not yet…" Andoine turned red in embarrassment when asked about the Clarity Potion. Indeed, when compared to Lin Li's extraordinary gift in magic, he had nothing to show in regards to his talent in pharmaceutics. Lin Li had demonstrated over ten times the making of a simple Clarity potion, but he still could not get a grasp on it till this day. In fact, he nearly caused an explosion in the lab just the day before. No matter how thick-skinned Andoine was, he blushed involuntarily at the mention of the topic.

  "Are you alright? Why haven't you been able to master it yet?" Lin Li's expression that was clearly one of someone who'd expected better from Andoine made the latter wish he had a hole to crawl into. "So, what are you waiting there for instead of going back to the lab? Do you need my demonstration again?"

  "No need for it, I'll study it myself…" Andoine rubbed his hands awkwardly. After a few moments, he seemed to recall his goal. Putting on a serious face, he said, "Umm… Let's not talk about this today, I have something to tell you."

  "Oh?" They had been together for more than a month, yet this was the first time Lin Li saw Andoine serious. He could not help but be curious.

  They stepped out of the log cabin. Andoine thought for long while before asking Lin Li, "Do you know why I stopped teaching you new spells, and instead had you practice elemental sequencing?"

  "No," Lin Li replied honestly. "I know nothing about magic anyway. I'll just practice whatever you ask me to, surely you won't harm me?"

  "You kid have some conscience at least." Andoine nodded with satisfaction, a relieved smile on his aged face. "I have lived for over a hundred years and have never seen anyone as gifted as you. You are a monster, kid. I think even the legendary Geresco couldn't have been more gifted than you are."

  "Geresco?" Lin Li knew he was gifted, but he had never imagined he'd be this powerful. He knew more or less from the old man who Geresco was. He was the most powerful mage in the Dark Ages, the strongest of mortals nearest to the divine. The God of Mages who single-handedly defeated the entire Magic Legion of the High Elves. Lin Li could never have imagined his own magical gifts to be this strong.

  "But don't get too excited just yet." Seeing how bewildered Lin Li looked, the old mage chortled. "Talent is one thing, but achievements are another. From what I see, you are inferior to Geresco in at least two ways. First of all, you are not focused enough. In magic, only people who are absolutely focused can achieve real success. Too much knowledge is sometimes not a virtue. Take pharmaceutics as an example, you know that better than those old fellows from the Pharmacists Association at such a young age. A lot of energy is spent on pharmaceutics, how much time would you have to study magic?

  "What's really deadly is the second aspect: you've been exposed to magic too late. According to the records of the Dark Ages, Geresco was born into a family of mages. His parents were famous mages of the Dark Ages. He had been exposed to magic from birth; by the time he got to your age, he had already surpassed the standards of a Magic Shooter, and you're just beginning to learn the lowest level of magic.While a late start can be compensated for by talent, it does not give you a solid enough foundation. There are no shortcuts in the world of magic, and all powerful spells are nothing but talk until a solid foundation is laid.

  "That is why I stopped teaching you new magic." At this point, Andoine laughed guiltily. "Actually, at the beginning, I just wanted to make an exchange. You'd guide me in pharmaceutics, and I'd help you in magic. Though it might not be much help, it shouldn't be a problem for you to reach the level of a Magic Shooter within ten years.

  "But I soon regretted it. Your talent is too great, such talent may not appear for thousands of years. I can't bear to see you going down the wrong path, so instead of teaching you new spells, I let you practice the most basic sequencing of elements every day. Never underestimate the tedious practice. Every world has its own rules, and the world of magic is no exception."

  After more than a month in this unfamiliar world, Lin Li felt warmth for the first time. He bowed to Andoine respectfully and said, "Thank you."

  Chapter 4 - Ghostskin

  After the long talk with Lin Li, Andoine seemed to have forgotten about the matter.

  As usual, he spent his time in the potion lab, making Lin Li's blood run cold with the things he did from time to time.

  Lin Li had been wondering whether the stubborn old man would be blown up one day.

  But for the time being, his body was still intact despite being subjected to various accidents every day.

  It was not until the seventh day after the long talk that the stubborn old man, who was still in one piece, called Lin Li out of the log cabin.

  "How about helping me?"

  For reasons unknown, Lin Li constantly felt that the smile on the old man's face was somewhat sinister.

  But thinking it over, he had been living as a freeloader for the past month and still had magic to learn from him. It was hardly justifiable if he couldn't even offer a little help. Hence, he braced himself and replied, "Tell me about it. I'll do my best to help if it's within my means."

  "Actually, it's no big deal…" Andoine rubbed his hands embarrassedly. "You know, I've been unlucky these days. There have been many accidents in the lab for a few days in a row. Although the accidents weren't serious, they cost me a lot of ingredients."

  "Afraid it's not just bad luck…" Lin Li muttered to himself. After living here for more than a month, he could see that old Andoine's attainments in magic were truly unparalleled. But in pharmaceutics, he was worse than an apprentice who had just started out. An apprentice would at least learn how to do it gradually, but Andoine completely ignored the proper steps and chose to take up challenging tasks from the beginning. Now that there was a potion master around to clean up whatever trouble he caused, the old man became more brazen in his actions, making it seem as if there was Spring Festival celebration every day in the lab. If there were no explosions someday, it would be because the old man had taken the wrong medicine.

  "But, fortunately, I did an inventory count this morning. Most of the ingredients are no problem, only the wild steelbloom stock suffered the biggest losses…"

  Only a large number of wild steelbloom was lost—that was indeed a stroke of good luck in the midst of bad. Compared to the leaves of the Wisdom Tree, wild steelbloom was much more common. The only condition for its growth was shade. The darker and damper the place was, the more it thrived. Such environment could be found anywhere—there were countless such places just in the Sunset Mountains alone.

  "So, you want me to…" Lin Li had guessed what Andoine was about to say. Thinking it was not a big deal picking wild steelbloom for him, and that there was nothing else he could do but practice elemental sequencing anyway, Lin Li answered coolly, "No problem. If you can't excuse yourself for the moment, it'll be the same if I go and pick some for you."

  "Thank God…" Old Andoine heaved a sigh of relief and explained rather embarrassedly, "I am waiting for some very important news thes
e days; it's really hard to find time to go. It's great that you're willing to help!"

  After inquiring about the location where the wild steelbloom grew, Lin Li went out without much delay.

  It was the first time he wandered far from Andoine's cabin since having transmigrated here.

  Walking in the dark forest, Lin Li felt complicated emotions. He was split between curiosity and nervousness.

  Being both curious and nervous, Lin Li naturally could not have noticed that Andoine had recited a spell the moment the former stepped out of the cabin. Following the completion of the spell, a figure of Lin Li began to emerge on the crystal ball in front of him…

  According to Andoine, not far away—only a few minutes of walk from the log cabin—was a spot where the wild steelbloom grew. It was said that the place had once been the nest of Manticores, but they had died out during the last black tide. No one knew which demons had killed them, and even Andoine could only guess based on the traces in the surroundings. According to him, they had probably encountered their nemesis, the Black Dragon, during the black tide.

  Lin Li stood outside the nest. It had only been a year, but the nest was completely deserted.There were weeds all around and a bed of wild flowers bloomed in brilliance at the entrance of the cave.

  Lin Li could only feel a rush of cold, damp air on his face as he approached the overgrown cave. As soon as Lin Li came near, he knew he had not found the wrong place. The cave was dark and damp—the perfect place for wild steelbloom to grow.

  As in most places where the wild steelbloom grew, the cave entrance was dark and damp, and the surrounding stone walls so slippery it almost felt like touching a giant python. There was no light in the darkness ahead. Lin Li had no choice but to light a torch and explore the depths of the cave with it as his only source of light.

  In fact, Lin Li saw a sea of wild steelbloom not long after entering the cave.

  But he did not pick any, and instead continued to explore with the torch in his hand.

  It was because he remembered that there was another herb which had the same habitual nature as the wild steelbloom, the ghostskin. It preferred dark and damp environment, and mostly grew in caves. However, the ghostskins were buried deeper and hidden better than the wild steelbloom.

  Lin Li's experience told him that the ghostskins were more likely to be found where the wild steelbloom flourished best.

  He wanted to find out whether his past experiences could be applied to this world.

  So, he didn't even look back.

  The route ahead seemed to be getting wider; it was only a small cave when he just came in, but as the forest grew deeper, the cave seemed to have turned into a maze.

  Lin Li circled the maze for a long time and went through one passage after another before he suddenly saw light ahead.

  It was a stretch of underground wilderness, empty and vast. Seas of wild steelbloom prospered on the wild land. The blaze of purple and red was interspersed with dots of gray, the color of ghostskin.

  Lin Li felt his heart leap upon seeing the little gray dots among the flowers.

  No one in this world could ever understand how Lin Li felt at the moment—not even Andoine who was the closest to him.

  His experience in the Endless World could be adapted to the world of Anril.

  What did this imply? This implied that in the world of Anril, Lin Li was also a master of all professions!

  It included not just professions like pharmacy, metallurgy, and forging. It was more on the knowledge aspect, like the knowledge of herbs—he also had a mastery level in it!

  It was not until the ghostskins had been gathered that Lin Li was able to contain his excitement. This was probably what made him the happiest since he had transmigrated. Lin Li knew very well what it meant to be a master of all professions. It was almost like being an omnipotent superman. With a background like that, his future in this unfamiliar world seemed to become clearer.

  It took Lin Li almost an hour to gather all the ghostskins from the underground wild land. Even with his assets, he was not willing to let go of any of it. Compared with the wild steelbloom, ghostskin had too many uses. Besides refining the Wisdom Potion, it could also be found in potions that had broader applications, like the Hastening Potion and Fossilizing Potion.

  Wild steelbloom was also picked by him on the way. But a Herb Master like Lin Li would not be interested in that kind of cheap herb. He simply picked some, thinking it'd be enough for the old fellow to squander away, and refused to waste any more energy bending over his back.

  Lin Li was about to leave the cave after finishing his errand when he inhaled a foul stench.

  The stench was thick with blood, like a pool of fresh, viscous blood.

  Lin Li had yet to regain his composure when a low roar came from behind him.

  He turned his head in a hurry, just in time to see a dark-red shadow lurking there.

  "F*ck!"

  Chapter 5 - The Manticore

  Just as Lin Li turned around, the dark-red shadow sprung on him along with a gush of foul wind like a horde of ferocious wolves.

  It was fortunate that Lin Li had been living in Andoine's log cabin for more than a month. In this past month, though he had only learnt ten low-level spells, he was far more adept in his execution of the spells than an average mage.

  Lin Li pulled back before the red shadow came close and begun reciting the Delaying Spell in haste.

  After unleashing the Delaying Spell, he quickly recited the Illuminating Spell.

  What was originally a low-grade magic spell used for lighting released an extraordinary power in this dark and damp cave. A cry of horror ensued—the savage beast was badly wounded.

  Lin Li took advantage of this opportunity and retreated another dozen steps. In the blink of an eye, the distance between them had been drawn to a safe one.

  Only then did Lin Li have the chance to see the appearance of the monster that had attacked him from behind.

  It was a dark-red lion with a tail that was much longer than the average lion's. The tail had an inverted hook at the end, giving off a faint blue shimmer under the afterglow of the Illuminating Spell. Lin Li could see clearly that it had attacked neither with its claws nor teeth a while ago, but instead swooped in on him with the inverted hook on its tail.

  Even if Lin Li had been blind, at this moment, it would still have been clear to him as day—it was a Manticore, the level-five magical beast that Andoine had mentioned!

  "Old bastard Andoine…" Lin Li cursed between clenched teeth, paying greetings to all eighteen generations of Andoine's family in his heart. How irresponsible of the old fellow, sending him to the cave lightly without having any idea whether there were any Manticores inside.

  In the little log cabin, Andoine watched the scene on the crystal ball and blurted out a praise. "Nicely done!"

  Lin Li's performance was far beyond his expectations. He was calm yet efficient. Even when the Manticore's tail was right in front of him, he never stopped reciting of the Delaying Spell. The Illuminating Spell that followed right after was even more so a stroke of genius. Even Andoine himself had not thought that the Illuminating Spell could be put to such use.

  Dealing damage to a level-five demon with a level-one spell was a feat that even Andoine himself had not accomplished.

  With the delicate touch of the Illuminating Spell, it brought the distance between Lin Li—who had been just exposed to magic for barely more than a month—and the level-five beast infinitely close.

  The badly wounded Manticore was still ferocious. But it had lost both its eyes, so most of the time it was merely expressing its anger and malice. Wild roars echoed throughout the cave; the strikes that seemed like lightning came down repeatedly, most of the time missing their target.

  Lin Li was constantly struggling to keep up amidst the relentless attacks.

  The Delaying Spell was used alternately with the Hastening Spell, allowing Lin Li to escape from the lion mouth again and
again.

  He seemed a little clumsy with this. But Lin Li knew that all he needed was a chance. A chance for him to recite his spells.

  Lin Li had waited for long before he finally got his chance.

  He'd even exposed himself to the claws of the Manticore for this opportunity.

  It was because he knew very well that the most terrifying thing about the Manticore was not its claws, but the inverted hook at the end of its tail.

  After unleashing another Delaying Spell, Lin Li suddenly broke his stride. He did not turn and run after unleashing the Delaying Spell like how he did before. This time, he stood rooted to the spot, and large verses of spells poured out of his mouth as if he had not noticed the advancing Manticore right in front of him.

  There was a thick smell of blood carried by the Manticore's roar.

  Lin Li could even sense the chill of its claws…

  Just as the claws fell, a wave of wind blade tore the air apart. Then, it tore apart the soft abdomen of the Manticore as well. The cries of the Manticore were filled with despair; the sharp claws were so close, so very close to tearing the body of the human in front of it apart. But it was this small distance that became a gap never to be crossed…

  At that moment, Lin Li had not forgotten to shoot an icicle to clog the wound of the Manticore, preventing the gushing blood from spilling over Lin Li's body.

  The action fell into the eyes of Andoine, who deemed it a waste of power. He stomped his feet in anger and chided, "Wastrel!"

  In the eyes of the old mage, magical power would always be the most precious of things. Even the smallest amount of power could let you unleash the last spell—enough to save your life. What Lin Li had done was a crime in Andoine's eyes, wasting his power just for the sake of keeping his clothes clean!

  Though, of course, there was more or less some helplessness in his scolding.

  Andoine knew that the kid in the crystal ball was not an ordinary mage. He was a born psychopath, a psychopath with a super-deformity of the mind.