When I left in the morning to attend classes, I distinctly remembered there not being a gigantic trunk in my room, but I paid that no mind.

Incredibly large and bulky, it was planted directly on top of the gateway to the dream. Shaped like a rectangular prism, the trunk appeared to be made from wood, with a golden lock right where the top and bottom met.

Digging out the brass key to my room, I swiftly inserted it into the lock and turned, with the lid immediately popping out and opening as I did so.

The contents inside of which becoming exposed to the air, I quickly dove into the trunk, finding all that I had stored within my golden ring in the dream, though with the two times multiplier I had, the actual amount was much greater.

Thirty hemoroots of varying size and quality stored in a smaller, air tight wooden container, thirty six stalks of purifern similarly stored, as well as an extra two planted in a pot of dirt, and finally, thirty small, clear glass containers of green goblin’s blood.

Except the pot of dirt with two purifern plants growing from it, which I placed on my window sill, I took the contents of the trunk out and moved it all onto my desk, the thought of just going to sleep and working tomorrow in my mind.

But the exhilaration I felt was too great, the time too perfect. During the day, all of the buildings, save the library, would be filled with hundreds of people, to the point that I could barely even hear my own thoughts it was so loud.

And it’s not like I particularly enjoyed sleeping. I nearly always felt fatigued regardless, so it just felt like a pointless activity.

Opening the two smaller wooden containers, I took out a couple stalks of purifern, two heads of hemoroot of middling quality and three of the glass containers of goblin’s blood, before also taking with me my leather bound notebook and fundamental alchemy book.

Not only were both the night and I still young, but I also had energy to spare.

As I began to make my way to the alchemy building, I gradually sped up, eventually reaching a sprint, the desire to better feel the humid spring air growing stronger as I neared it.

I felt as if I was flying, and a smile spread across my face.

***

“Hey, are you okay?”

Being shaken awake by someone I didn’t recognize, I shot up, disorientated, and began to survey my surroundings.

Surrounded by a myriad of different alchemical instruments, stands, and tables, my mind was foggy, and it took me a minute to remember what had happened last night.

After coming back to my dorm room last night, I was met with a trunk that contained that which I had harvested in the first dream, and overestimating my energy levels, I immediately rushed to the alchemy building to begin my potion brewing, but in the process, had evidently fallen asleep.

But by some miracle, I had succeeded, judging by the five corked glass tubes in front of me.

“Yeah,” I nodded to the person standing next to me, “I’m fine.”

Confirming that he had left, I turned back to the fruits of last night’s labor.

Three of the test tubes contained a dull red colored liquid, while the other two were a dirty yellow. Beginning to read through my opened fundamental alchemy book I was previously sleeping on, what was contained inside of the test tubes in front of me quickly became apparent.

Judging by it’s red color, I had most probably used the hemoroot and purifern to brew the first three tubes, likely creating a sub-level 1 blood-clotting potion. And a poor quality one at that, going off how dull and cloudy it looked.

As for the other two, they were probably also sub-level 1, but unlike the first three, were numbing potions, that as a side effect, sterilized the wound it was poured on. It too, didn’t look very high quality.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I surveyed my work station, a sense of dismay quickly overcoming me.

To make such poor quality product, I had ended up using almost all of the purifern, an entire head and a half of the hemoroot, as well as two and a half containers of the goblin’s blood.

Sighing at how much material I had left, I decided to just use the rest, too lazy to just carry them back with me to my dorm.

It would also make good practice for me, as I had absolutely no memory of brewing these potions last night.

Bringing all of the glass containers and tools I had used last night to the area designated for dirty equipment, I quickly retrieved clean appliances on the shelves that lined the walls around me.

Filling a round bottom glass container with water from a small fountain up to a certain point, I set it down in front of the activated heating artifact at my work area, before beginning my other preparations.

Taking a pair of scissors, I began to cut off the leaves of the last remaining purifern, and using an artifact, weighed it, before eventually dumping it all into the water once it had begun boiling. The leaves of purifern, immediately after hitting the water, sunk straight to the bottom.

Setting the heads of hemoroot down on a wooden cutting board, I first cut it horizontally at the bottom so that it wouldn’t roll around. Then, I began to finely dice it into small cubes, weighing that as well.

The blood red juice of the plant dyed my fingers such that it appeared as if I had just finished disemboweling some unfortunate soul, but I paid that no mind, instead being concerned that the liquid would make my gripping things more difficult, before just deciding to wipe my hands onto my clothes.

Leaning on the counter, I stared deeply at the boiling water, waiting for the right moment, when,

The purfiern leaves all rose straight to the surface of the water.

Using a metal strainer, I quickly fished out the leaves, before dumping all of the hemoroot straight inside and staring straight at the clock on the wall.

I would need to wait for exactly one minute, where I would then need to turn off the heating artifact and dump one container of the goblin blood inside.

Seeing the second hand reach a certain point, I immediately did as I planned, tapping on, and thus shutting off the circular heating artifact from which a flame shot out, before taking the unscrewed glass container of goblin’s blood, and slowly dumping it inside the concoction, making sure to stir as I did so.

Having fully incorporated the goblin’s blood, I smiled to myself, absentmindedly staring up again at the clock.

12:13.

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. But even as I checked, and rechecked, and rechecked again, the time didn’t change.

I had missed Mana 101 and Alchemy 101. The only classes I actually went to.

Sighing in defeat, I slumped over, my reaction to that revelation oddly subdued.

Though, that made some sense. My missing class was a problem the me of the future could deal with. Not only that, as long as I made sure to not repeat such mistakes again, I wouldn’t beat myself too much over making such an admittedly stupid error. Not to mention, by actually brewing potions, I was getting real world experience, which probably worked as a substitute for my actually going to Alchemy 101.

Redirecting my attention back to the boiling potion, the nauseatingly gray liquid, after being left to slightly cool, had reduced down, and become more vividly colored while still maintaining a semi translucent quality. The closest comparison I could draw was that it looked like a liquid red stained glass.

Despite lessening in overall volume from when I began, what I had just brewed was not only still greater in quantity than yesterday’s batch, with there probably being enough to fill five corked vials, but it was also of better quality too.

I rubbed my eyebrows in frustration, the last vestiges of drowsiness leaving my face, as I realized that I had genuinely, not exaggeratedly, wasted my hard earned resources. With my unexpected success in potion brewing, it was very apparent that my previous night’s shit product wasn’t a result of my ineptitude, but rather, arose from my inability to properly work when I truly toed the line between conscious and unconscious being.

I hadn’t even done anything particularly complicated or special either when I was brewing, having just exactly followed the directions written in the fundamental alchemy book.

Shaking my head in exasperation, I quickly retrieved a steel funnel and a number of empty glass vials, before beginning to empty the glass container of the newly brewed blood clotting potion.

Though, my mood was slightly improved at the revelation I had actually underestimated my yield, as in the end, I was able to fill seven of the glass vials.

In all, including the “work” I had done the previous night, I had created seven vials of high quality blood clotting potions, three of lesser quality, and two low quality numbing potions.

Briefly contemplating whether I should or shouldn’t, in the end, I went through with it, deciding to just take the wooden stand that held the vials with me.

It wasn’t like there was any rule explicitly stating that I couldn’t. And even if the worst possible situation were to occur, where an instructor or sentinel were to somehow discover my thievery, I’d just vehemently repeat that I found it.

Carrying the stand which held my potion vials, I immediately my way out of the alchemy building, a carefree, content feeling forming within my heart.