“Are you alright?!” Galin yelled as he ran over to Liam. “What the hell was going on over here?”

Before Liam could say anything he and Galin heard someone running in the room next to them.

“What the hell was that?!” Alicia shouted as she swung open the Poison Crafting room door. “I heard some glass shattering. Are we under attack or something?!”

“No, we’re not under attack,” Galin said, trying to calm her down while claiming his own heart rate. “I don’t know what happened, but we’re not under…” His voice trailed off as he stared at the vial that was right in front of Liam.

Galin’s face flashed through several emotions. First was confusion. The next was astonishment. The third was curious. Then finally his face turned back to confusion as he looked at Liam and asked, “Did you just make a Liquified Lightning Mana Extract?”

Feeling proud of himself, Liam replied with a raspy voice, “Yes.”

Still feeling weak from the amount of effort it took to make, he pulled out a Mana and Stamina Potion and drank them.

Galin stared at him. “How? You shouldn’t have been able to make this, let alone know how to make this.”

“Hold up,” Alicia started. “What did he make?”

Galin grabbed the vial of Purplish-yellow liquid with small arcs of lightning flashing within it and turned to show her.

Alicia’s eyes widened as she saw the item. “That’s so pretty,” Alicia cooed as she looked at it.

“It is,” Galin agreed. “It’s called a Liquified Lightning Mana Extraction. It’s an ingredient used for many different types of crafting. In Alchemy, for example, it can be used for Poison Crafting, Chemicalized Creations, Magical Potions, and Medicinal Creations.”

After explaining this to Alicia, his face turned serious as he looked back at Liam and repeated his question, “How did you make this? And how did you learn how to make it?”

“I didn’t know how to make it,” Liam replied. “I had a random thought that maybe I’d be able to extract different mana types with Mana Extraction. I thought I’d experiment to see if the method I used to learn how to control and manipulate different types of mana would be usable. I didn’t expect the Lightning Mana I was trying to extract would connect back with the mana I was channeling and cause it to arc out the way it did.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t,” Galin suddenly snapped before scolding, “Making something like this isn’t something you’d be taught here at the Tutorial Area. It’s something you’d learn in the outside world after you train your Control over different mana types to a sufficient level. If your understanding and control over a certain mana type you’re trying to extract isn’t sufficient enough there are chances where the process will backfire.”

“Some cases of backfire ended with the item being processed exploding, destroying buildings, and wiping people out. Other cases involved mana types surging back within the one processing the item and destroying them from within.”

Galin narrowed his eyes as he stared into Liam’s eyes. “I know majority of the things I have taught you have been safe minus the poison crafting, but Alchemy is not something to take lightly. You can die just from making an item you have little to no knowledge of crafting.”

Liam stared back at Galin and took in the words he was saying. After watching the arcs of lightning that had escaped while he was struggling to make this new item was evidence he wasn’t blowing smoke. He knew Galin was right.

If he didn’t stand his ground and struggled till the end, the extract he was trying to make could have ended very poorly. However, his results showed that when experimenting on something with little to no knowledge of the proper process could still end in success.

“You need to proceed cautiously and slowly when working on Alchemy. You can’t go off the path that the many people who have come before you and made ways that have been proven to be safe,” Galin added as he continued his scolding.

Even though he understood what Galin was saying, Liam felt that that last part was wrong. Sure, if he followed the safe route and proceeded forward the same way all the others have he would reach Galin’s level eventually. However, he felt something in his blood telling him that it he wouldn’t grow as a crafter if he didn’t take risks.

Trial and error was always something that helped many learn. If he followed the same path that other Alchemists took then maybe he would miss something no one had ever thought. He felt what he was thinking and feeling was right.

Backing up his logic was the fact that he discovered how to change the taste of potions when he created the Minty Shallow Bell Extract which led to making the Weak Mint Health Potion.

By not following the logic other Alchemists had, he was able to create those plus the other two flavored potions. So, while Galin was right on some accounts, Liam knew he was wrong at the same time.

“Do you understand what I am saying?” Galin asked.

Liam nodded. “I do…,” Liam started before resolving himself. “However, while there are dangerous risks when crafting, I can not agree with just following one way to do it.”

Galin let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Liam, you can’t be stubborn about this. If you can’t follow…”

“Minty Shallow Bell Extract,” Liam interrupted.

“What?” Galin questioned.

Liam lifted a finger as he repeated, “Minty Shallow Bell Extract.”

He lifted a second finger. “Weak Mint Health Potion.”

A third came up. “Weak Blueberry Mana Potion.”

A fourth rose. “Weak Orange Stamina Potion.”

Confused by what he was talking about, Galin stared at him thinking. After realizing what Liam was going on about, Galin countered, “Those do not count. You were lucky on creating them and they pose no threats while making them.”

Liam shook his head. “No. While you can call it luck I call it being flexible and creative. If I had listened to you and followed the path all alchemists took, I wouldn’t have taken the chance to try. I would have given up and moved on.”

“We would also be stuck drinking those nasty potions too,” Alicia added.

Galin turned to look at her. “Alicia don’t encourage him.”

Alicia shook her head. “Sorry Professor Galin. I have to side with him on this. I have been thinking about how to effectively make my toxins either stronger or more potent or new toxins that haven’t been discovered yet.”

“You too?” Galin gawked. “It is dangerous to make things without the proper knowledge or understanding. Especially with Toxins. What if you get poisoned with something you cannot cure?”

“Then I die,” Alicia stated. “If something like that kills me then I just wasn’t good enough. However, if I also don’t try to find a way that is better or something different then what the hell am I doing?”

Galin was taken aback.

“Crafting isn’t just all about making something with a process that has been tested and proven,” Liam jumped back in. “Crafting is all about learning new things and new ways to make them. If we are too afraid to test new theories or try new things then we can’t properly call ourselves crafters. We’d be essentially cowards who are too afraid to reach for the top of our craft through our own means, talent, and hard work.”

Galin stared and took in what Liam was saying. It triggered a memory in his mind; bringing forth an image of someone who was very dear to him as he heard Liam finished saying, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be stuck in someone’s shadow throughout my entire crafting career. If I’m going to put my heart and soul into something I want to do it with the freedom of knowing there’s a chance I could fail and learn from it.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The words pulled on his heart as he remembered Lici saying the same exact thing to him when they were just beginners. She, too, took risks and tried thinking of new ways to make things while she practice her Alchemy.

Galin continued to stare at him as the image faded away. He then noticed Liam’s pupils thin into slits.

Galin let out a sigh as he slumped a bit. “You’re right. I was just worried since you did something that could have hurt you very badly without you knowing what the consequences are, but I also forgot you have the Cait Sith race running through your blood.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Liam questioned with a confused expression.

“Never mind,” Galin responded as he waved a hand out. “You’ll understand as time goes on.”

“Okay,” Liam said with a raised brow.

“So can we make something out of this with our current level?” Alicia asked changing the topic.

“At your current level no. You won’t be able to make anything with this ingredient until you hit level thirty in Poison Crafting. Or when you hit level twenty in Alchemy and can make Medicinal Creations, Chemicalized Creations, and Magical Potions,” Galin answered.

“Damn,” Alicia frowned.

Galin let out a chuckle before saying, “I can make you something out of it if you’d like.”

“Oh?” Alicia said with an excited look. “What can you make for us?”

“Well, that depends on how many vials of this ingredient Liam can make,” Galin said as he looked at him. “I don’t have any Lightning Mana I can control or manipulate so I won’t be able to make the Liquified Lightning Mana Extract.”

Liam looked over at him. “I can make as many as you need.”

Galin nodded. “I’d also like to see what method you used to make it. Maybe I can help you with any issues, so you don’t have the mana rampage out of control again.”

Liam nodded. “I’d like that.”

“I want to see this as well,” Alicia commented. “I need to know how this is done so I have an idea what to do when I start trying this out.”

“Alright,” Liam said as he got a vial full of purified water ready.

Alicia and Galin watched as Liam proceeded to coat his hands with the Lightning mana.

Alicia’s eyes widened as she watched Liam chant the Static Grasp spell and stop halfway through. She then watched as he connected his arcane mana to the Lightning mana and then pulled it equally to spread over his hands and wrists.

“That was amazing,” Alicia said almost in a whisper with a look of awe on her face.

Galin’s face scrunched as he stared at Liam. After the mana stopped a little past his wrists he asked, “How did you come up with this process? Did someone teach you this?”

Liam thought about how Eri talked him through how to control and manipulate his Shadow Mana. He knew he couldn’t tell him that a Goddess taught him so instead he decided to lie a bit.

“I came across this process by accident,” Liam started. “I was practicing chanting a spell and was interrupted in the middle of it and noticed the mana still lingering. Before it disappeared I tried to grab it with my Arcane mana without thinking and succeeded. Why?”

Galin looked at him with a confused and concerned look. “This method is a very old and a dangerous way to learn how to control different types of mana.”

“How old and how dangerous?” Liam asked with a frown on his face.

“It is so old that it first originated back when people were first learning how to use magic. I can’t place a date on it but it’s pretty damn old,” Galin started. “As for how dangerous…One wrong move and it could cause a spell backlash so powerful you could lose both your hands.”

Liam’s eyes widened as he stared at Galin. “It’s that dangerous? But I’ve failed a few times and never had something like a spell backlash happen.”

Galin brought a hand to his chin as he thought about it. “It might be because you aren’t channeling enough mana to have that happen.” Galin nodded as he believed that was the reason. “Yes, I’m positive that it is because you aren’t channeling a lot of mana beforehand for a spell backlash to happen if you fail.”

“The amount of mana you channel before proceeding to try and control the Lightning Mana is a safe amount and won’t cause any damage if a backlash were to occur. So, I am glad you are going about this safely,” Galin sighed. “However, I must tell you that you must not teach anyone this method.”

“Why?” Alicia questioned.

“Because, this method was deemed so dangerous that it is banned to be taught,” Galin answered.

“But you just said that how he was doing it was safe,” Alicia stated with a confused look.

Galin nodded. “That’s right. Only because of the amount he channeled. Many do not think things through and would have channeled a lot more mana before attempting this method, leading to massive damage to the user’s body or harm to those around them.”

“Wait…,” Liam started. “You’re saying that I can channel more mana? I always thought you were only allowed to channel a certain amount before you couldn’t anymore.”

“That’s true for most people,” Galin started. “Their bodies have a good feel for the amount of mana they can channel before it exceeds what they can hold. However, there are people who bypass this due to their pride or sheer stupidity.”

“I can understand that,” Alicia stated before switching her focus back to the vial. “Now enough about that I want to see how this goes.”

Galin shook his head while sighing. “That’s the problem with you youngsters. Always in a hurry to learn more instead of listening to warnings.” He then looked at Liam and said, “Go ahead and proceed.”

Liam nodded as he placed his hands close to the side of the vial, palms open.

He slowly channeled the Lightning mana as he created small thin strings and snaked them into the vial.

This time, instead of pushing one line down the middle, he pushed both strings along the sides of the vial.

He watched as the mana started to thicken into the water and liquify while it sank to the bottom.

He waited until the liquified Lightning mana filled about a quarter of the vial. Once when it did he focused on the liquified mana and broke it down into small specks while pushing them up into the water.

“Ooooo, it’s like a lava lamp,” Alicia whispered with awe.

Liam continued to focus on the specks of Lightning Mana until it completely spotted the water. Once when he did that he started to swirl the specks until a small vortex was made inside the vial.

Sparks of lightning started to flash inside it.

Liam watched while he continued to swirl the liquified mana into the purified water. A sudden arc of lighting swiftly tried to escape, but Liam was ready this time. As the arc jumped out from the vial, he mentally focused the arc to redirect back into the vial.

Galin was shocked as he watched this happen four more times.

After the fourth arc of lightning was redirected back into the vial, Liam heard a couple of chime sounds in his mind, indicating he was finished.

He released his control inside of the vial and watched as the vortex calmed down revealing a completed Weak Liquified Lightning Mana Extract.

“That was awesome!” Alicia shouted as she stared at the vial.

Liam felt his body was less tense this time and notice he had more Lightning Mana coating his hands. He still felt tired though.

Galin shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose once again.

“What’s wrong Professor Galin?” Alicia questioned as her excitement calmed down.

“Liam,” Galin started up again, wariness in his voice. “How did you come up with this method of process?”

Liam shrugged. “When I first tried doing this I couldn’t figure out how to blend the mana and the water together. I thought I just had to channel some mana inside just like I did with my Arcane Mana, but the water just absorbed the mana. Leaving nothing behind.”

He looked back at the vial and continued, “So I channeled the mana continuously until I noticed the vial was getting too full. After that I cut off the channeling and saw the water was absorbing it again, so I thought I’d treat it like when I was learning how to control and manipulate it. So, I held on and tried to figure out a way to mix it. Then I remembered how I used to mix things back on Earth and started swirling it.”

Galin shook his head. “I applaud you for coming up with a new way to do this, but that’s not how you do it. At least not the swirling part.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked.

“Separating the liquified mana into specks throughout the vial was the correct way to do it, but instead of making the mana swirl until it blends together and the water extracts the mana, you are supposed to connect the specks together by using a mana string,” Galin explained.

Liam stared at him. He then thought about what he said and tried to picture how that would work. It would take a lot longer to extract the mana and the method would be much safer.

“How much longer would it take to do it that way?” Liam asked, curious, if he saved time this way.

Galin grimaced. It looked like to Liam that Galin was hoping he wouldn’t ask this.

“It normally takes about thirty minutes to make a weak version of this if you did it with the method I mentioned,” Galin said.

“So, what I’m hearing is…Liam just saved a lot of time by coming up with this method?” Alicia commented.

“He might have come up with a faster way, but that way has some risks,” Galin argued. “If you didn’t catch those arcs of lightning that tried escaping, then it would have shattered more glasses or hit us.”

“You’re right,” Liam agreed. “I remembered it happened last time, so I was on the lookout for it this time.”

“I won’t scold you this time since you learned from your first mistake,” Galin started before a grin formed on his face. “And I won’t charge you any money to pay for the equipment you did break. Instead, I’ll have you make me a few extracts. Is Lightning the only different mana type you’ve learned how to control?”

Liam shook his head. “I have Gravity as well.”

Galin nodded. “Good. Good. I think I can make you both some nice things as well as show you the wonders of what you’ll come to learn soon enough.”

“Yay!” Alicia shouted with excitement.

“Liam, I’ll need you to make a lot more Weak Liquified Lightning Mana Extracts,” Galin stated. “Since I don’t have that mana type I’ll have you make it. Also, a lot of Weak Liquified Gravity Mana Extracts.”

“How much more?” Liam questioned.

“Twenty each,” Galin stated.

Liam’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

Galin nodded. “Since you came up with a new way that speeds up the extracting process I am serious. Don’t worry I have plenty of Mana and Stamina Potions available if you need them.”

Liam let out a long deep sigh. He then muttered to himself, “Why did I have to go and do that.”

Galin let out a loud laugh. “Don’t worry you won’t be disappointed with what I’m going to make you. These items I am going to make you aren’t something you’d see in the Tutorial Area. So rejoice. You both get something others will be jealous of.”

“Ooooo, I can’t wait!” Alicia smiled as she turned to Liam. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and make the ingredients. Chop, chop!”

“I’ll give you a chop, chop,” Liam commented back as he brought a hand up and swung it in a chopping motion to her.