The most shameless alchemist in history

"He didn't seem like a good person, but he helped us at a crucial moment. Could I have another one? Thank you."

After the students received their bread, they immediately stuffed it into their mouths. Their impression of Charlotte changed drastically, and many began to speak well of her.

"Durey, this is for you. Oh, and there's water too. Aren't you hungry?" Lance grabbed a few pieces of bread from the crowd. He kept one for himself. He saw Durey sitting alone next to him. Durey didn't go over to take the bread, so he handed him two pieces, but Durey didn't take them.

"I have prepared my own food, you can eat by yourself, don't worry about me." Du Lei took out an oil paper package from his pocket, which contained dried meat.

"Sigh, did you anticipate this situation beforehand and prepare food?" Lance was somewhat surprised to see Dure holding the jerky, because in his view, no one would normally prepare food, since they were participating in a test, not on a long journey.

“You overestimate me. I didn’t expect anything to happen. It’s just a habit of mine to carry some food with me, just in case. If you’re giving me this because you want to befriend Sterling, it’s unnecessary.” Dure shook his head again when he saw that Lance didn’t take the bread back.

"Durey, what are you talking about? Didn't I say before that I don't have a good impression of Sterling? I was just asking you out of curiosity. Besides, this is a thank you gift for helping me during the day. Well, even if you went to get it yourself, you could have gotten it, but I'd feel better if you accepted it."

Lance, fearing that Dure might misunderstand, explained again.

"I see," Dure nodded, his impression of Lance changing slightly.

“That’s right, that’s right, we’ve exchanged names, right? In my hometown, that’s a symbol of friendship, so we’re friends, right? So hurry up and accept it.” Lance insisted on handing the bread to Dure. Dure hesitated for a moment, then looked to his right and chose to accept it.

"A friend? That sounds pretty good. So how I deal with a friend's gift should be my prerogative," Dure asked.

“Of course, we’re friends. Lance and Dure are friends, but you’re the first friend I’ve made here.” Lance nodded emphatically.

“In that case,” Dure said, taking the bread Lance had given him and walking toward the right side of the lake, where most people were getting their own bread.

But on the right side of the lake, there was a lonely figure huddled together. Usually, there are two kinds of lonely people. One is a reclusive person like Sterling, who looks down on everyone and keeps to himself. Even if others want to talk to him, they can only get his cold stare.

Another type of person is very vulnerable. Everyone looks at him and no one wants to deal with him. Even if he is there, he is like a transparent person.

Without a doubt, the poor fellow huddled up by the lake at this moment belongs to the latter category.

"You must be very hungry. Here, take this." Du Lei walked up to her and handed her bread and water.

The moonlight streamed down and shone on her profile, reflecting a crescent moon in her fearful eyes. A gentle evening breeze stirred the water.

123 It's really chewy.

Du Lei's sudden action wasn't because he needed to curry favor with anyone. Firstly, there was no need for it. Even Sterling, the star who ranked first in both rounds of testing, had taken the initiative to approach him, but he deliberately kept his distance. He had even less reason to curry favor with an inconspicuous, ordinary girl.

Secondly, although Dure was not as dazzling as Sterling and Keita, he earned many grateful glances for helping the people behind him cross the suspension bridge during the day. For example, Lance took the initiative to befriend him because of this incident, and he can be considered a well-known figure in the student group.

On the other hand, the girl with the sparkling eyes looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, perhaps even younger than Du Lei. She was very thin, partly because she was too young to have fully grown, and partly because she was definitely malnourished and underdeveloped.

Du Lei was only about 1.65 meters tall, which was already considered short, but she was less than 1.5 meters tall. She was wearing a black hooded coat, which wrapped her up tightly. Her face looked a little dirty. When Du Lei spoke to her, she shrank back and even trembled.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m not a suspicious person. My name is Dure. It’s okay if you don’t tell me your name. You must be hungry. If you don’t want to talk to me, I’ll leave it here. You have to eat something, okay?” Dure placed the bread on the stone next to him.

He had noticed it before; when Lance came to him with the bread, the girl's eyes were fixed on it. That's why he took the initiative to bring the bread over. To put her at ease, he put the bread down and left. Lance, who had followed him, wanted to say something.

But Dure stopped him. After the two of them moved away from the girl and returned to their original position, Lance finally couldn't help but speak up, "Dure, why didn't you let me speak just now? That person was really strange. She didn't take the food herself, but Dure, you kindly gave it to her, and she didn't even say thank you."

Lance felt indignant for Dure and was very dissatisfied with the girl's actions. He turned back to look at the girl's position and, by the moonlight, saw that the bread Dure had placed on the stone was gone. Although he could only see her back, he knew that the girl must be eating bread.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a small favor, and it doesn't take much effort." Dure shook his head slightly. He wasn't angry about the other party's rather impolite behavior. He shared some of the jerky he had prepared with Lance, who was initially a little embarrassed.

But Du Lei insisted, so he took it and chewed it. "Du Lei, what kind of jerky is this? It's so chewy! I've eaten a lot of jerky, but I've never tasted anything like this before. What kind of meat is this? Oh right, where were we?"

"This is the meat of a demonized gorilla, which can be considered a low-level magical beast," Dure told Lance directly, without hiding anything from him.

"What? Monster meat, Dure? Where is your hometown? Do you people actually eat this kind of thing?" Lance was shocked. His face changed drastically, and he almost vomited. However, seeing that Dure was eating with relish, he forced himself to continue chewing.

"There's nothing we can do. My hometown is in the snow-capped mountains. There's no fertile land, and food is limited. We only have wild beasts and magical beasts nearby. As the old saying goes, 'Those who live near the mountains eat from the mountains,' which perfectly describes us. As long as we can eat whatever kind of meat it is and fill our stomachs, that's enough. Why worry about so much?" Du Lei said dismissively.

“I thought my hometown was already considered poor, but I didn’t expect your hometown to be even poorer, Dure.” Lance looked at Dure with sympathy, as if there was a sense of mutual understanding between them. He saw Dure eating with relish, stuffing food into his mouth from time to time, but Lance really couldn’t eat.

"Originally, thanks to the hot springs, everyone's lives had finally improved a little, but then this accident happened, and even the hot springs are gone. I don't know if Hart managed to get the money." Dure looked at the eastern sky, where his hometown was located, and he still missed that place very much.

"What are you saying, Dure?" Lance finally managed to swallow the jerky with great effort. It would be too embarrassing to spit it out in front of Dure. However, he would never eat the jerky again. He hadn't heard what Dure said clearly, so he asked again.

"He didn't say anything. Now that you're full, get ready. We still have a lot to do. By the way, do you want more?" Du Lei pointed to the oil paper package in his hand.

"No, no, I'm full. What else could I be doing so late? Shouldn't I be resting?" Lance quickly waved his hand. He didn't want to taste the jerky again. No matter how greedy he was, he wouldn't think about eating something like magical beasts.

"What do you think Charlotte brought us food for?" Dure asked as he wrapped the remaining jerky in oil paper and carefully put it away again. The jerky was very filling, and he could eat the rest for at least two more meals.

“Perhaps he had a change of heart,” Lance replied without hesitation.

"Do you think today's test is over so easily?" Du Lei didn't answer directly, but asked another question instead.

"We've already had two tests today. What, Dure, do you mean...?" Lance paused, taken aback.

"Just you wait and see." Dure shook his head, still not answering, but looking towards Charlotte's position.

"Sigh," Lance said, completely baffled and very dissatisfied with Dure's riddle-like way of speaking.

However, having no other choice, he could only watch Charlotte along with Dure, just as Charlotte coughed twice.

"Ahem, now that everyone has finished eating, I, the examiner, have something to announce." Charlotte glanced around and began to speak.

"What's there to announce?" The students stopped and looked at Charlotte in surprise.

"This examiner announces the content of the third test. Listen carefully. The third test requires you to cross the Misty Forest, that forest over there. See it? It gets its name from the mist that is always there. You need to cross the Misty Forest to reach the Maple Leaf Academy campus."

Charlotte pointed to the woods on the left. Even at night, mist still lingered in the Misty Forest, giving it a somewhat desolate and eerie feel.

"As for when the test will start, it's now. You must arrive before dawn, or you will be eliminated," Charlotte suddenly announced, catching everyone off guard, which immediately caused an uproar.

124 Three people traveling together

Charlotte's words had barely left her lips when the crowd erupted in chaos. After all, it was nighttime, and apart from the moonlight which offered a sliver of light to see the road, everything was pitch black. Moreover, anyone with even a slight knowledge of Maple Leaf Academy would know what the Misty Forest was.

Not only was there a misty fog, but magical beasts also roamed the area. These deadly beasts were far beyond the capabilities of the students. The students' initial goodwill towards Charlotte vanished instantly after hearing his words, leaving only doubt and resentful rebukes.

"What are you talking about? Sending us to the Misty Forest so late at night? Don't think I don't know what that place is. There are magical beasts there. Are you sending us to our deaths?" A student stood up and questioned loudly, throwing his unfinished bread heavily on the ground.

"I knew he was being kind by feeding us. Turns out he wanted to feed us first and then feed the monsters. That old guy is so wicked, he's no good." Some people also scolded Charlotte, saying that getting into Maple Leaf Academy was indeed a very important thing.

But if they were to lose their lives because of this, it would be a simple matter of weighing the pros and cons. In addition, Charlotte had turned a blind eye to the terrible thing that Bosis had done during the day—the suspension bridge ropes had been cut—which fueled the students' growing discontent.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing. I've already read out the rules. If you're not happy or don't want to participate, just withdraw. If you don't even dare to venture into the Misty Forest, what will you do when we need you on the battlefield? Maple Leaf Academy doesn't need useless people. Let's begin."

Charlotte was humiliated by the barrage of accusations. His face darkened, and after a sharp retort, he realized that no matter how high his status or how powerful he was, he couldn't withstand the students' condemnation. He could only slink away as the night remained silent.

"Hey, why did you just slip away like that? Why didn't you stay? Damn it, that old man, what are we going to do now?" A student tried to grab Charlotte, but Charlotte was quick and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving the students looking at each other in bewilderment.

"What else can we do? I came to Maple Leaf Academy to learn how to use magic energy, not to feed magical beasts. That bastard Charlotte, just because we didn't give him any benefits, does he have to push us to the brink? How could he let someone like that be the examiner?" someone complained unwillingly.

“It’s come to this point, there’s no use complaining now. If you want to leave, then leave. Before I came to Maple Leaf Academy, I had no way out. No matter what lies ahead, I can only keep my head down and charge forward. Misty Forest, huh? Let’s go.” Some people could only choose to compromise and accept it.

After Charlotte left, some of the remaining students chose to return, abandoning their plans to continue their studies. There was no need to delve deeper into the adventure, since there were other options besides Maple Leaf Academy. Others, however, had made up their minds early on and were determined to move forward without hesitation.

"The Misty Forest? What do you think about this, Dure?" Kelly, who had just been arguing with her brother, came over and asked for Dure's opinion. As for her brother Keita, he had already excitedly headed into the Misty Forest, leaving Kelly feeling helpless.

"The answer is obvious. There is no other choice but to move forward. And no matter how despicable Charlotte is, he is only a little greedy. He shouldn't deliberately lead the students to a dead end. So even if they encounter magical beasts, they should be able to handle it."

Du Lei looked at the crowd surging into the Misty Forest, pondered for a moment, and although he could guess the general idea, he still dared not make a guarantee.

“How about we continue our journey together? As you can see, I’ve been abandoned by my brother again. A weak woman like me would be in danger if something happened to me on the road without anyone to protect me.” Kelly winked at Dure and offered to travel with him.

"Durey, what are you doing standing there so slowly? Let's hurry up and get going. Oh, is that lovely lady your girlfriend, Durey?" Just then, Lance turned around and beckoned Durey to come with him, just in time to see Kelly greeting Durey.

"You're overthinking it, she's just a friend." Du Lei quickly waved his hand, not wanting to be misunderstood.

“That’s right, I’m Dure’s friend, my name is Kelly, and you are…” Kelly was very generous and didn’t mind at all, greeting Lance with a smile.

"My name is Lance, and I come from the Land of Swamps in the south. Since you are Dure's friend, you are also my friend, Lance." Lance introduced himself. He was a very frank person and always maintained a vibrant spirit, which was similar to Keita, but without Keita's arrogance.

“The Land of Swamps? I’ve heard of that place. It’s very close to my hometown, the Land of Wind.” Kelly immediately found a way to start the conversation.

“Oh, Kelly, are you from the Land of Wind? I’ve heard that the Land of Wind is a very beautiful country. I’ve always wanted to go and see it, but I’ve never had the chance. Now that I’ve met you, Kelly, you must take me there sometime. Dure, you should come too.” Lance was very excited about the topic of the Land of Wind.

"If that day ever comes, I'll definitely treat you both well, so until then, we need to get along well, especially for this trip to the Misty Forest, I'll be relying entirely on the two of you," Kelly said half-jokingly, her smile was very beautiful.

"Don't worry, it's just a mere magical beast. Kelly, your safety is in my and Dure's hands. Dure, let's go, let's cross the Misty Forest in one go!" Lance was full of fighting spirit, especially in front of Kelly, he wanted to show off his courage.

"The Misty Forest? I have a feeling a lot is going to happen here. I hope I'm just overthinking it." Du Lei looked at the forest shrouded in mist from afar, and a bad feeling arose in his heart. This was the intuition of a natural hunter that he had honed over many years of activities in the snow-capped mountains.

"Durey, what's wrong?" Lance noticed Durey's unusual behavior and asked curiously.

"It's nothing, let's go." Dure shook his head, not wanting his worries to affect Lance, Kelly, and the others.

Soon the three of them entered the Misty Forest. The moonlight was still shining, but when it was reflected in the misty forest, it appeared somewhat pale, no longer as bright as when it was reflected on the lake.

125 Unique flavor

If the previous two rounds of testing were a test of students' endurance and perseverance, then this third round of testing goes far beyond that and can be called a "challenge," since most of the students participating in the test are only around fifteen or sixteen years old and lack practical experience.

Not to mention them, even experienced adult mercenaries dared not be careless when passing through the Misty Forest. It is no wonder that after learning about the content of the third round of tests from Charlotte, it caused a great uproar among the students. The mist shrouded the forest.

"Achoo! It's really a bit cold at night. I should have brought an extra layer when I went out. And I'm getting hungry so fast." Lance walked ahead and touched his stomach. Although he had just eaten two pieces of bread not long ago, he was still growing.

Although he didn't look fat at all, his appetite was astonishing. That little bit was not enough to fill his stomach. He looked at the desolate forest nearby and fantasized that a restaurant selling ham would suddenly appear. But all he could hear in the darkness were the cooing owls.

"If you're hungry, I still have some jerky." Dure pulled out a paper packet containing leftover rations and intended to hand it to Lance.

"Ha, jerky? Forget it, I suddenly realized I'm not that hungry anymore, hahaha." If Lance had heard the word "jerky" from someone else, he would have jumped up excitedly, but when Dure said it, he immediately thought of Warcraft and his stomach churned.

"Hey, do you have any jerky? You actually have some dried food hidden away, Dure. Give me some, I'm a little hungry." Lance wasn't interested in Dure's jerky, but Kelly was starving. She had been so busy arguing with her brother Keita that she hadn't eaten dinner, and her stomach was growling at just the right time.

"Here you go, Lance, are you sure you don't want it?" Dure handed the jerky to Kelly, then asked Lance again.

"No, no, I already said I'm not hungry. By the way, Kelly, are you sure you want to eat this?" Lance quickly waved his hand. Just thinking about the ferocious and terrifying appearance of the monsters made him want to stay far away from the jerky. Seeing Kelly holding the jerky, he guessed that Kelly must not know about it, so he reminded her.

"What, I can't even eat something, do I need your permission? Or am I too fat to eat anymore, Dure? Am I very fat?" Kelly glared at Lance, finding his words inexplicable, but she quickly realized a terrible problem.

She immediately pointed to herself and asked Du Lei, "For girls, their body shape is often a big concern."

"No, Kelly, you have a beautiful, slender figure, not an ounce of fat on you, you're perfect, not fat at all." Du Lei gave a thumbs up in praise, his expression serious, and he spoke with genuine sincerity.

"Oh, Dure, I'm a little embarrassed by what you're saying all of a sudden." Kelly considered herself a very poised and generous person, but Dure's praise made her feel a little awkward for a moment.

“So you can eat without worry. The Misty Forest is very large, and it will take us a long time to get through it. We also don’t know what might happen at night.” Du Lei held up a torch to light the way ahead. The torches had been given to them by the staff before they entered the forest.

Moreover, at the request of the academy staff, they needed to enter the Misty Forest in batches from different locations. According to the staff, this was to allow them to train better, but the real purpose was obvious: to prevent students from forming cliques.

If two hundred people formed a large tour group and marched into the Misty Forest, it wouldn't be a test, but a tour.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that, Du Lei. By the way, what kind of meat is this? It tastes a little sour." Kelly breathed a sigh of relief and finally put the jerky in her mouth. After chewing for a few bites, she asked in confusion.

"This is beef from my hometown, it has a rather unique flavor," Du Lei said casually, scratching his head when Kelly asked him.

“Ha, Beef Dure, you didn’t tell me this before. You said this is…” Lance immediately questioned.