The SSS Ranked Villain's Return-Chapter 72: The Vial Game

"I’ll do it. Why not?"

"Great! That’s the spirit!" Liora let out a small chuckle and immediately put the materials inside each of their vials.

The students beside her seemed a little more experienced than him, but in the end, he couldn’t see himself doing this normally anyway.

"Are you all ready?" Liora asked, met with the clack of vials, signifying the answer—yes.

And without further ado, she lit up three alchemy furnaces, each one the same in heat and size.

In the end, it all depended on their skill, since without it, the vial would crack nearly instantly.

Neraxis readied himself and soon placed the vial holding the materials atop the alchemy furnace, the flame immediately doing its job.

However, while that was happening, he noticed something strange. The entire process seemed a tad bit slower than he was expecting.

His Intelligence stat was high, but it was definitely not high enough to simulate something like this. So, in the end, there was only one culprit.

The affinity... he thought as a faint smile formed on his face before quickly going back to controlling the vial.

Even with the added advantages he had, it seemed like the two students were not having any trouble either—their speed was even slightly higher than his own.

In the end, it was not a sprint. All he had to do was finish brewing the potion without ruining it.

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Therefore, he decided to test his limits. Instead of cautiously placing the vial atop the alchemy furnace and taking it away seconds before it would crack, Neraxis opted for the more dangerous option.

That being precise control—more precise than what he was currently doing.

To ruin the potion, he would need to completely shatter the vial or take it off too early.

Alas, Neraxis could use that to his advantage.

Holding the vial a few milliseconds longer than usual, he quickly took it off. To both the others’ and his surprise, that made a much bigger difference than he anticipated.

If he had done it as he had before, each time he put the vial on and off the flame, 5% of the potion would be finished.

In this instance, however, at least 10% or even 12% was brewed in one go—the mere difference of a couple of milliseconds.

Yet Neraxis did not let up and continued using the same strategy, while at the same time earning a look of amazement from Liora.

Of course, the students beside her noticed what he was doing as well, and with frustrated looks, tried replicating it.

But, as one would expect, they did not succeed.

One of their vials shattered immediately, whereas the other student managed to replicate Neraxis’s process two or three times—until he, too, met with the cracking of his vial.

As for Neraxis, he watched as the contents of the potion began mixing perfectly together, forming a clear golden color.

And not even a few moments later, he was done. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he took a glance at the shocked Liora.

"Is this good enough, Miss?" he questioned teasingly, but she shrugged it off without answering, merely walking toward him and picking up the finished potion.

[Seems like it worked out in the end.] Evangeline’s soft voice rang out.

Thank you for the encouragement. Neraxis expressed as a small smile formed on his face.

Liora turned back to him with a conflicted look on her face and spoke. "I... How did you do that? I’ve checked your records multiple times—you’ve never practiced alchemy or even bought an alchemy kit in your life. Neither has your family."

Neraxis raised a brow. "Oh? Are we spying on each other now?"

He was met with a shrug. "I am a cautious woman. I don’t want just anyone using my reputation. But... you are a bit of a special case."

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As her words hung in the air, the two students beside her suddenly stood up and placed a hand on their faces.

Immediately, they pulled downward, revealing themselves to be two elderly people—even older than Liora herself.

A few questions popped into Neraxis’s mind, but before he could ask them, Liora spoke up again.

"These two are the Alchemy Association’s instructors. Their ranks aren’t the highest, but they’re definitely enough to school some kids."

Makes sense. He nodded in response. It wasn’t hard to tell these two were somebody important.

"Now... I am a bit surprised they lost against you," Liora stated before glancing to her side, where the two instructors wore embarrassed looks.

"Can you blame us?" one of the instructors with short black hair said in a deep voice. "We can’t preserve the integrity of the vial so many times in a row. Frankly, I thought it was impossible for anyone aside from you, Miss Liora."

"Tch..." Liora clicked her tongue before shrugging. "You old coots are just trying to make up excuses. It’s fine to say that you lost."

The two instructors grumbled and said in unison, "We admit defeat."

"Great!" Liora clapped her hands together and turned her gaze back onto Neraxis, her face immediately sporting a wide smile.

"Now, what should I do with you, genius? I don’t think being a member of the alchemy club is enough for you..." she trailed off before seemingly getting an idea.

"Oh! I know. Why don’t you become my assistant instructor instead? You could learn more directly, and, if need be, skip the clubroom lectures."

Neraxis thought about it for a moment before nodding. "That’s fine, but how am I supposed to teach anyone? It’s just as you said—I’ve never practiced alchemy before."

"It’s fine," she waved dismissively before walking back to her desk and pulling out a schedule—the one he had asked for in the first place.

"Before each clubroom lecture, I want you to come in early. Since most of the clubroom activities are several hours after the last academy lesson, it should be fine," Liora said enthusiastically.

Neraxis agreed right away. "That works for me."

He quickly took the schedule and looked it over. Most of the lectures were around 3:00 PM, so he had more than enough time to do anything he wanted during the day, since most lessons and lectures ended around 2:00 PM.

"Great. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity, by the way," she added. "I honestly expected you to be a one-trick wonder, but color me surprised. I await the day you finally decide to become my real disciple."

He chuckled at her tone, which held a bit of possessiveness, and made his way out.

The students had dispersed for the most part. Only a few were still trying to get into a club, though more than half of the clubs were already full.

Neraxis felt a bit bad for them. After all, those who didn’t get into a normal club only had the choice to join the after-academy club—which essentially meant doing nothing for an hour right after lectures.

Nonetheless, he finally arrived in his classroom, noticing that almost everyone was back, including Aurelia.

Soon, Magnus came back as well, carrying a stack of papers that he plopped onto the lectern before turning to the blackboard and writing a few words.

"Today we’ll be discussing the second floor of Dreamspire. Pay attention."