Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 9 Mrs. Allen's Job Application
Ron nodded. He still felt uncomfortable after the exercise, but since he had agreed to go, he couldn't break the promise.

"Then I'll go with you," Andre said thoughtfully, "That store manager... is said to be a very important figure."

"You mean?"

"I don't know the details," he shrugged. "But anyone who can open a shop in the Black Mist Jungle must have a remarkable background."

The two returned along the same path they had come. The morning light had already dispelled most of the haze.

When passing by a group of mutated fungi, Ron noticed that the colors of the fluorescent fungi seemed to be brighter than when he came here.

"This is."

"Your perception has improved," Andre explained with a playful smile on his face.

"After training the body, the five senses will become more acute. This level of change is roughly equivalent to an improvement from an ordinary person to..."

He paused, as if weighing his words. "A qualified knight's squire, perhaps? Still no match for a novice apprentice."

Ron's heart moved. This change was indeed obvious. Not only the visual aspect, but even the subtle magical fluctuations in the air seemed to have become clearer.

Of course, a considerable portion of this gain came from the bonus from the Potions Apprentice, but he didn't intend to tell Andre about this yet.

"arrive."

The two stood in front of the herbal medicine shop. The mottled wooden door was closed tightly. A bronze wind chime was hung on the door frame, making a crisp sound when the breeze blew.

"Strange." Andre frowned. "The door should be open by now."

At this moment, the wind chimes suddenly shook violently, making a sharp sound.

Then, a hoarse voice came from the store: "Come in, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Ron and Andre looked at each other and saw a hint of vigilance in each other's eyes.

This strange situation often means some kind of danger in the black fog jungle.

But since I'm already here, I can't just leave like that. And if I turn around and run, I might completely anger the other party. I can only take it one step at a time and see.

The moment you open the door, all kinds of strange smells hit you.

Compared to the last time he came here, Ron's perception has been enhanced, and he can clearly distinguish the magical fluctuations contained in it - some are full of vitality, while others are deadly toxic.

The store manager was sitting behind the counter with a crystal ball emitting purple smoke in front of him.

He didn't dare to look closely last time, but this time, Ron found that the other person's huge eagle-beak-like nose, hunched body, and skin wrinkled like a dry riverbed made him look like Yubaba in "Spirited Away", weird and scary.

At this moment, the old witch was looking at the two of them meaningfully with her eyes that were glowing with a faint green light.

"The protection of the sun"

She suddenly spoke, her eyes lingering on Ron for a moment, "Although it's only incomplete, it's still rare."

Ron was shocked. He had clearly changed his clothes, so the golden patterns should have been completely covered.

"Don't be surprised." The store manager smiled mysteriously. "In the face of mystical means, this disguise is nothing."

She turned her eyes to Andrea again:

"As for you, the little prince of the Farouk family, it seems you are planning to cash in on the family inheritance?"

Andre's expression changed slightly: "You are..."

"Relax, kid, you can call me Mrs. Allen." The store manager waved his hand and began to tidy up the messy utensils on the table.

"I have no interest in your secular royal family stuff."

She took out a rusty iron box from under the counter:

"Back then, your grandfather often came to me to buy medicine. He was only fifteen years old at the time, and he kept saying that he wanted to be a great wizard."

Having said this, she suddenly stopped, as if she was lost in some memories.

After a moment, her gaze refocused on Ron: "So, you're applying for the assistant position?"

"Yes." Ron nodded, trying to keep his voice steady.

Although the other party was very friendly, the sense of oppression from someone more powerful still made people uncomfortable. "Well," Mrs. Allen stared at Ron deeply, "you have a good talent for potions and a solid foundation. However..."

Ron was shocked. The other party could tell his Potions skills with just one look? He hadn't even revealed anything yet.

"However, the accumulation of written knowledge alone is not enough." Mrs. Allen stood up. "Come with me, let me see your actual level."

She led the two of them through the shelves and into a room deep inside the store.

The moment I opened the door, a strong medicinal fragrance hit me in the face.

This is a simple refining room with several workbenches filled with various tools.

Medicinal herbs were neatly stacked on the shelves by the wall, some of which were still glowing faintly.

"Use these ingredients." She pointed to a few herbs on the workbench, "make a bottle of tranquilizer."

The old witch glanced at Ron's slightly hesitant expression and said, "Don't worry about failure. These are the most basic materials. And..."

An intriguing smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "With your current level, there shouldn't be any big problems."

Ron walked to the workbench and began to carefully identify the materials.

The [Medicinal Herb Identification] ability he gained after changing his job is taking effect, allowing him to more accurately judge the properties of each material.

On the workbench, there are several different kinds of herbs:

The leaves of moon grass are translucent silver, and the medicinal properties of those soaked in moonlight are the mildest;
The mandrake root was sliced ​​into thin slices, with a faint blue glow around the edges;
The thorn vines still had sharp thorns on their stems, and each thorn tip flickered with a faint red light;
There were some plants that Ron couldn't name, but through his ability of [Medicinal Herb Identification], he could at least determine their basic properties.

"These are all things I've learned before, so it shouldn't be a problem." Ron muttered to himself.

The combination of these materials is quite particular - moon grass can calm the mind, datura root can slightly stimulate the spirit, and thorn vine can preserve the medicinal properties. Other materials are also arranged around this direction.

The problem lies in the proportion. The medicinal properties of different materials will conflict with each other, and the slightest mistake will result in all the efforts being wasted.

Ron began to recall the records about tranquilizers in "Basic Potions".

Although this basic potion is simple, to make it perfect requires the refiner to have an understanding of the properties of various materials.

"Feel free to use any tools you want," Mrs. Allen added, but her eyes remained on Ron, as if observing something.

Andre leaned against the door, watching this scene, and couldn't help sweating.

He was really a little worried that the other party would not be able to refine it, which would make the mysterious store manager angry and prevent the two of them from leaving the store.

Ron took a deep breath and began to prepare.

First is moongrass – tear the leaves along the veins to keep the medicinal properties intact;
Then there's the mandrake root—the medicinal properties are too strong if cut horizontally, so it's cut diagonally to release the effects more slowly.

As for the thorn vine, you need to use silver tools to peel off the skin, otherwise it will affect other materials.
[Medicinal Herb Identification (Beginner) Experience +1]

[Potion Refining (Beginner) Experience + 1]

He could clearly realize at this moment the difference between being employed as a [Potions Apprentice] and having no previous job as a blank slate. When practicing skills related to potions, it was obviously much easier to gain experience points.

Every detail increases his understanding, and this perception of the material will in turn help him make more accurate judgments.

"Nice technique." Mrs. Allen suddenly said, "It seems you've put a lot of effort into studying the basics."

Ron didn't answer, he was concentrating on mixing the proportions of the medicine.

With the help of the perception ability he gained after changing his job, he can clearly feel the interaction between different materials.

When the last medicinal ingredient was added to the copper pot, the color of the liquid began to change - from the initial turbidity to gradually becoming clear, and finally showing a light amber color.

"It's just the right time."

Mrs. Allen shifted her gaze from the pocket watch in her hand, and finally glanced at the liquid medicine in the copper pot: "The color and concentration are very standard."

She scooped up some with a silver spoon and gently fanned it in front of her nose. "The degree of medicinal properties extraction is also perfect. It seems that you have a thorough understanding of the characteristics of the material."

At this moment, Ron noticed that her eyes suddenly became sharp: "But."

(End of this chapter)