Chapter 76: Confirmation

Ain finished his business before the sun reached its zenith, allowing him to preserve the remainder of the day for his studies. Before embarking on experiments to deduce the supreme traces, he decided to investigate a specific subject.

Ain spent half an hour studying the inheritance book before setting it aside. He found the information he had been seeking. His quest was to understand the distinction between attributed and non-attributed medicines, especially in relation to the supreme traces.

All spirit pets and spirit beasts possessed unique attribute traces. While not entirely one-of-a-kind like fingerprints, the decimal numbers still varied within the same species. Furthermore, the differences between different species extended beyond just the decimal numbers.

Previously, Ain had learned that matching the attribute traces of a medicine with those of a spirit pet would significantly enhance the medicine's effectiveness, regardless of its grade.

For instance, if a fire-attribute spirit pet with the following attribute traces: 93.542% fire, 2.456% earth, 1.240% wind, ..., and soul 0.001% consumed a medicine with the exact same attribute traces, the effect would be greatly amplified.

This concept paralleled the notion of supreme traces for non-attribute items. Thus, Ain had assumed that non-attribute spirit beasts and spirit pets must all share the same attribute traces, which were the supreme traces.

However, his study led to an unexpected revelation. There were no such creatures as non-attribute spirit beasts! Only non-attribute medicines, artifacts, and spirit plants existed. The inheritance book briefly mentioned numerous attempts to create non-attribute mechanical spirit pets since the Technological Era, all with unsuccessful outcomes.

Such creatures were only theorized to exist if they possessed the supreme traces, which remained a mystery, making it impossible for anyone to achieve.

Reading this, Ain tucked this information into the recesses of his mind, finding the topic deeply intriguing and planning to revisit it in the future.

With his curiosity temporarily satisfied, he continued with his research and studies.

As dusk descended, the red sky gave way to darkness, prompting the city's streetlights to illuminate the surroundings. Ain, engrossed in his studies, was suddenly interrupted by his hololink's incoming call.

Beep! Beep!

The nearby cat, previously lounging, perked up briefly but lost interest upon identifying the source of the noise, lying back down.

Ain glanced at his hololink, revealing the caller's name: Frans Vaughan.

He leaned back in his chair to alleviate the strain from sitting for an extended period before answering the call. "Hello."

"Hello, Ain. Do you have time to talk?" Frans' voice emerged from the hololink.

"Mhm, what is it?" Ain inquired.

"I plan to leave the city for training this weekend. I wanted to invite you to join me. It'll be just you, me, and Paula," Frans proposed.

Upon hearing Frans' invitation, Ain fell silent, deep in thought. "I had just decided to reduce my trips today," Ain reflected with a sigh.

Frans waited patiently, understanding that Ain was contemplating the risks, given the recent Order of Blood Origin incident involving the students. Though the incident seemed to have faded from public memory, it still weighed on everyone's minds.

After a brief pause, Ain asked, "Can I add someone to the group?"

"Add someone? Who?" Frans inquired, taken aback by the unexpected request.

"Hugo Ravenfall. He was matched against Paula in round four. He's a good friend and can serve as our scout," Ain explained, not missing the opportunity to promote Hugo.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Hugo Ravenfall? I remember him. His spirit pet was a Grand Eagle, right?" Frans recalled the interclass competition.

"Yes, that's him. His innate talent is Sensory Enhancement," Ain confirmed.

Frans considered the proposition for a moment before agreeing, "Alright, I'll trust your judgment."

With this decision made, the two discussed some details before ending the call. Within minutes, Ain received an invitation to a new group chat named "Team." Without hesitation, Ain accepted the invitation, finding only Frans and Paula in the group chat. After exchanging greetings, he proceeded to call Hugo, who promptly answered.

"Hey, Ain. What's up?" Hugo's casual voice came through.

Ain explained the situation and asked for Hugo's opinion.

"Are you kidding me? I'm in! I'm definitely in! The top two students are in the group, and Paula's ranking was higher than mine!" Hugo replied excitedly upon hearing the news. But he quickly regained his composure, asking in a concerned tone, "But do you think they'll mind? I only ranked in the top fifty."

"Your abilities are more valuable than you think, and from what I can tell, Frans won’t judge you solely based on your ranking," Ain reassured him.

"Alright, let's give it a try. Honestly, I've been pondering this issue for a while. It's the only way for me to obtain resources. Thank you, Ain," Hugo expressed with a touch of emotion.

"No problem. I'll send you an invite to the group chat," Ain responded and they continued chatting for a few more minutes before ending the call. Ain then invited Hugo to the "Team" group chat.

After some brief introductions, Frans outlined his tentative plan to accept and complete missions from the Spirit Tamer Association. Since there were still five days until the weekend, the exact missions had not been decided yet.

Ain, having ventured out on his own multiple times, shared some advice and experiences, particularly about preparations. The other three absorbed his insights carefully, preparing for the upcoming adventure.

…

Saint Heart Arcane University.

Leila ran her fingers through her hair as she reclined in a chair, her gaze fixed on the package resting on the table. It was the same package she had sent to Wise Man earlier that day.

After retrieving the returned package, her hopes and expectations had steadily grown as he arrived from the Cyberspace transmission hub to her room.

She closed her eyes, her mind filled with thoughts, and then sat up straight, reaching for the package. She decided to open it.

The familiar pill bottle appeared in her hand, accompanied by a note. Leila deliberately kept the note facing away from her, preventing herself from seeing the results. First, she opened the pill bottle and inspected the five medicinal pills she had sent. Once she confirmed their authenticity, she stored the pill bottle away and focused on the blank side of the note lying on the table.

Releasing her slightly clenched fists, she finally summoned the courage to turn the note toward herself. With a single glance, she absorbed its contents: a name followed by a list of attribute traces.

But before she could read the attribute traces, her beautiful black eyes widened with incredulity upon seeing the name. Her delicate face trembled slightly as she exclaimed, "Mystic Sight Pills? How do they know this name?"

Leila stared at the name, her outburst momentarily forgotten. This medicinal formula was unique, not due to its rank or effects but because the likelihood of its existence elsewhere in the world was nearly nonexistent. The name should have been unknown to anyone. So, how could Wise Man identify the pills?

With complex thoughts swirling in her mind, Leila eventually turned her attention to the attribute traces, causing her contemplations to come to a halt. After a few seconds, she murmured in a low voice, "The same attribute traces..."

Leila fell into silence, considering various scenarios. She pondered whether the results might be fake, given that they had knowledge of Mystic Sight Pills. Perhaps they possessed additional information. But then she questioned how they could calculate these attribute traces without knowing the precise concoction process and conditions at the time.

She reached a singular conclusion: "It's real."

This time, her voice was filled with joy and a sense of relief. Her unsettled heart could finally find peace. She wouldn't have to compromise her potential.

After composing herself, Leila's thoughts turned toward another matter. Few were aware, but she understood that there were profound secrets behind the inability to measure accurate attribute traces. She had conducted experiments herself, only to end up puzzled.

"Does Wise Man possess special knowledge? Can he bypass these limitations?" This seed of curiosity took root in her heart, waiting to grow.

"I'll have to investigate this further. But for now, let's set that aside," she decided, her spirits high. Leila began preparing the ingredients for the Torchlight Dragon's evolution potion, along with a sample of its blood.

…

Aethralis.

In his laboratory, Lord Trystum observed the five spirit beasts before him with a smile on his face. If he had harbored any doubts previously, these five trials had confirmed it.

Wise Man's service was indeed authentic.

Lord Trystum brought up his hololink's screen and revisited the updated post. "They've raised the limit to Rank-2. Could it be an experimental device? Perhaps they're working on improving the limit. I hope so."

After his customary mutterings, Lord Trystum contemplated for a moment. Should he consider a closer collaboration with Wise Man? His warehouses were brimming with Rank-1 and Rank-2 resources awaiting measurement. If it was an experimental device, it would eventually be released to the public. But gaining early access could be advantageous.