Bruce grabs someone's hand, uncertainty in his voice. "The one who scored an S-grade on the exam—is his name Aaron?"

  "Yeah, Bruce! You know him?"

  Bruce recalls Kaviz’s radiant, almost daisy-like smile and slaps his forehead. "Damn! Someone’s trying to steal my junior!"

  "No way—I need to find the Master Scott right away!"

  ……

  Outside, at Hunter Union’s square, the place is packed to the brim.

  Four giant screens hang from the plaza’s pillars, all simultaneously displaying the results for the senior pharmacist apprentice exam.

  Nearly a third of the force adept factions in Bert City have gathered in the square.

  The moment the exam results flash across the screens, the entire crowd buzzes with chatter.

  A few leaders from larger hunter groups stand together at the back of the crowd, smoking and chatting casually.

  On the screen, the list appears—only the names of apprentices who passed and their scores are shown.

  Landon from the Silver Fox Hunter Group glances at the list from afar and smiles. “Quite a few passed this time. We don’t have to fight so fiercely over them.”

  “True. This time, we’re all keeping some boundaries—no need to push prices up.”

  “Heh, I agree.”

  “As long as you don’t raise prices, I definitely won’t.”

  Though these hunter group leaders are all force adepts at the Awakening State, that doesn’t mean they don’t need potions from senior apprentices.

  It’s like having a miracle cancer cure but still needing cold medicine—it’s essential.

  Plus, hunter groups include plenty of Vitality State members and even ordinary folks.

  So whenever the senior apprentice list appears, these leaders compete fiercely to secure cooperation, often by raising prices.

  There’s no other way—between force adepts and pharmacists, it’s a clear seller’s market.

  “S-grade score?”

  “Holy crap, where? Where?”

  “Boss, there’s an S-grade this year!”

  “Boss, come quick! There’s a senior apprentice with an S-grade score!”

  ……

  The group leaders are chatting casually outside the crowd, while some group members stand under the giant screens, jotting down the names of the senior apprentices.

  Suddenly, the group leaders hear the excited shouts from the crowd, and they quickly toss their cigarette butts aside and rush toward the screens.

  Damn, an S-grade?

  Are you kidding me?

  I just can’t believe it!

  “Boss! Boss! It’s Aaron! That kid! That kid right there! He’s the senior apprentice with the S-grade score!” A bald guy from the Silver Fox Hunter Group yells excitedly from the crowd.

  “Are you sure?” Landon asks anxiously from behind, standing on his toes and craning his neck.

  “Yes! It’s him, no doubt about it! Hurry, hurry!”

  The bald man tries to push forward but gets shoved back by the crowd that’s flooding in, all eager to know the name of senior apprentice with S-grade.

  “Damn! I’ve got to find Master Scott right away!” Landon slaps his thigh, fired up.

  In truth, partnering with senior apprentices carries risks for hunter groups.

  They provide herbs for free, and if the apprentice can produce decent semi-finished potions, it’s not a loss. Even if the effects are mild, it’s something.

  But the real fear is if the apprentice brews worthless potions—that’s a total loss for the hunter group.

  Plus, once a contract is signed, it usually lasts at least three years, with the hunter group supplying large quantities of herbs every month for free.

  If they end up with a stupid apprentice, that’s basically three years of wasted effort.

  And once the contract is signed, the hunter group can’t just call it off on their own.

  If they do, they basically get blacklisted—no more potions from the Potion Hall ever again.

  In a city, there are only a few dozen pharmacists and maybe a couple hundred pharmacist apprentices.

  These folks aren’t just colleagues who see each other all the time—they might even be senior and junior brothers.

  Offend one, and you’re basically making a whole bunch of enemies. Life’s gonna get rough.

  For hunter groups, the ideal partner is someone who brews potions with a high success rate and can steadily become a senior apprentice pharmacist.

  During the apprenticeship, the cooperation is pure profit. Once the apprentice becomes a full pharmacist, the hunter group’s gains skyrocket.

  After all, there’s a bit of a “first love” factor here—it applies in every field.

  A senior apprentice from an ordinary background burns through cash before becoming a pharmacist.

  If a hunter group invests heavily at this stage without counting costs, the returns after the apprentice qualifies as a pharmacist are terrifyingly rich.

  One potion costs about a thousand gold coins to make.

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

  A skilled pharmacist can, with “tears” in their eyes, make a profit several times higher than the cost.

  What? You say that’s impossible? That potions never fail?

  Well, here’s the success rate: ten batches of herbs, one successful potion. Take it or leave it.

  The Potion Hall has around two hundred people, but there are tens of thousands of force adepts.

  This is a seller's market.

  If you ask a pharmacist why they’re so ruthless, they’ll tell you about their youth—running under the sunset, dodging debt collectors before they made it big.

  And when it comes to their “first love” hunter group, the same potion costing a thousand gold coins? They can make ten potions from it.

  That’s right.

  The other nine potions? They’re earning those from other hunter groups.

  Money earned from hunter groups is spent back on hunter groups.

  Makes perfect sense.

  Let’s bring the topic back to the start.

  What does it mean to have a senior apprentice with an S-grade score?

  It means that during his apprenticeship, his potion brewing success rate is insanely high—pure profit when cooperating.

  It means he is almost guaranteed to become a Level 3 pharmacist.

  So seriously, why wouldn’t you do something?

  ……

  Inside the brewing room,

  Master Scott sets down the beaker in his hand.

  A relieved smile spreads across his face.

  Beside him, Alex quickly brings over a cup of warm water, tending to him carefully.

  “Congratulations, Master, the potion’s successfully maked!”

  Though Alex has no clue what exactly Master Scott is making, seeing his usually cold master crack a smile, he quickly throws in some flattery.

  “Hm, go tidy up the lab,” Master Scott nods, a hint of fatigue showing on his face.

  Just then, a sharp doorbell rings outside.

  Master Scott frowns slightly.

  When a pharmacist is brewing a potion, his focus is razor-sharp, and interruptions are strictly forbidden.

  Otherwise, one moment of distraction, and the entire batch could fail.

  If the experiment isn’t finished yet, that doorbell could easily break his concentration.

  Alex glances at Master Scott, sees his impatience, and quickly rushes to open the door.

  It’s Bruce. Alex’s brow tightens, and his voice rises a few decibels as he scolds, “Don’t you know the master is brewing a potion? Disturbing him now—aren’t you afraid you’ll cause the brew to fail? No manners at all!”

  Bruce ignores Alex, shoving him aside, then rushes up to Master Scott, face full of urgency.

  “Master, something’s happened.”

  Master Scott takes a sip of water, sets down the cup calmly, and asks, “What is it? No need to shout.”

  “Master, Aaron passed the senior apprentice assessment.”

  Master Scott is a bit surprised but stays composed.

  “Not bad. He didn’t disappoint me.”

  Back at the Snow Forest Camp, when he discovered that poison powder, he already suspected Aaron’s skills in potion-making were impressive.

  Especially later, when Aaron used that poison powder to kill Sam at the Snow Forest, Master Scott was even more certain Aaron was at senior apprentice level.

  For someone Aaron’s age to be a senior apprentice is quite remarkable—and the fact that he’s skilled in poisons fits perfectly with some of Master Scott’s plans.

  Though Master Scott already knew this, Bruce didn’t.

  Bruce came to share the good news.

  A bit reckless, but forgivable.

  “Remember, next time don’t be so disrespectful,” Master Scott reminds him.

  “Master, it’s not just that—junior brother scored an S-grade on the assessment!”

  “What?!” Master Scott’s eyes widen instantly.

  There’s a big gap even among senior apprentices.

  An S-grade means a lot.

  At the very least, it guarantees a future as a Level 3 pharmacist, with a solid chance at Level 4.

  When Master Scott took the senior apprentice exam, he only managed an A+.

  More than that—

  For him, an S-grade potion disciple skilled in poisons is what he dreams of having.

  Could his dream finally be within reach?

  Master Scott trembles with excitement.

  The moment has finally come.

  “Master! Kaviz took Aaron away! I have a bad feeling—he’s trying to ‘poach’ him from you!”

  “What?! Son of a bitch! How dare he do this! He’s courting death!”

  Master Scott flies into a rage, smashing his cup on the floor. A fierce aura bursts from him.

  He leaps up, his speed astonishing—like a gust of wind, he vanishes from the room in an instant.

  The two disciples left behind stare in shock.

  Master Scott is still a force adept?

  ……

  “Aaron, have a seat, have a seat!” Kaviz says, his face full of eagerness.

  “Hall Master Kaviz, is there something you need from me?” Aaron asks cautiously.

  They don’t know each other, and Kaviz’s overly enthusiastic smile makes Aaron a bit uneasy.

  “Nothing major. Just wanted to let you know—you passed your assessment.”

  “Passed?” A flicker of joy crosses Aaron’s face.

  Now he can finally save the superpower seed growing in his mind.

  “Aaron, do you have a master?”

  Hearing this, Aaron blinks, secretly amused.

  Looks like his results impressed Kaviz enough to want to recruit him.

  From his understanding of others’ progress in potion-making, Aaron already has a clear sense of his own talent.

  He’s pretty gifted.

  “Yes, I have a master—Master Scott. He’s my teacher.”

  “Oh, really? Since when has he been teaching you?”

  “Master Scott hasn’t officially started teaching me yet. I’ve only been his apprentice for a month.”

  At this, Kaviz’s face lights up with delight.

  An apprenticeship of just one month? That’s practically like not having one at all.

  But just as quickly, Kaviz masks his thoughts and puts on a regretful expression.

  “What a shame, really a shame.”

  Aaron’s expression flickers.

  He sneers inwardly—this old guy’s acting in front of me.

  “Hall Master Kaviz, what exactly do you mean by that?”

  Kaviz feigns hesitation.

  “It’s not that Master Scott is bad—I don’t like speaking ill of others behind their backs.”

  “It’s just that his personality is... reclusive and strange. He’s hard to get along with, impatient when teaching apprentices, and lashes out as he pleases. You can probably tell from his looks—who’s a good person with a face like that?”

  Aaron hesitates.

  “I see. I hadn’t really noticed those things.”

  “Besides, his personal skill in potion-making isn’t that advanced. Over the years, the potions he’s brewed can be counted on one hand. He spends all day holed up in the lab, fiddling with who knows what.”

  “I truly pity you. For a pharmacist apprentice, the basics are crucial. If you find a great master to build a solid foundation, your path ahead naturally climbs higher and higher. But if your master isn’t good, and your foundation’s shaky, all your efforts will be for nothing.”

  After hearing Kaviz’s words, Aaron sighs, a trace of worry crossing his face.

  “That may be true, but once someone’s my master, they’re like a father for life. No matter how many faults Master Scott has, I have to be a good apprentice carefully. Otherwise, what would people think of me?”

  He blinks, the unspoken message clear: I expect a raise.

  “Aaron is truly a rare, loyal, and sincere person. Sigh, why can’t I find a good apprentice like you?” Kaviz says wistfully.

  “I grew up poor and was always careful with money. Now, after decades of saving, I’ve got a decent fortune tucked away. But without children or favored disciples, it’s just gold sitting idle, unused. Sometimes I imagine—if I had an apprentice like you, I’d give him ten thousand gold coins a month, let him spend freely, no need to scrimp like I did in my youth.”

  “Ma… Master Kaviz, that’s incredibly generous. I know all too well what it’s like to live frugally. Sometimes I dream that if someone gave me twenty thousand gold coins a month, I’d gladly give everything for him.”

  Kaviz smiles faintly to himself.

  There’s hope here.

  “Ten thousand gold coins is just for ordinary folks. But if the person is someone exceptional, like you, I’d give at least thirty thousand gold coins a month.”

  Aaron’s eyes light up as he stands.

  Kaviz rises too, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes. Then he asks, “Aaron, Is the person you are willing to give everything like me?”

  At that moment, a chilling voice cuts through from outside.

  “Like your father!”

  Master Scott storms in, face twisted with menace.

  Aaron glances at the embarrassed, slightly fearful Kaviz, then at the murderous glare of Master Scott.

  He makes a quick decision and bows to Master Scott, saying, “Master...”

  “Get lost!”

  With a flick of his sleeve, Master Scott uses the force to shove Aaron out the door.

  The door slams shut behind him.

  Inside the office, the sound of a heated argument erupts.

  “Scott, don’t fight! Let’s talk this out...”

  “Master Scott, we’re all respectable people here. Hey, come on, don’t be like this!”

  “Damn it! I'll fight you to the death!”

  “Go get help! Scott’s about to kill me!”

  Standing outside, Aaron wears a look of regret.

  Crap, I’ve betrayed too soon.

  He hesitates.

  Maybe I should go back in and kick Kaviz a few times to prove my loyalty?

  No, no—Scott’s temper is unpredictable. If he kicks me out of the apprenticeship, I can still choose Kaviz as backup plan.

  Aaron sighs deeply.

  Thirty thousand gold coins a month...

  He’s just seconds away from happiness.

  But better safe than sorry. Money’s great, but my life’s more important.

  Some people may look like respected potion masters on the surface, but behind the scenes, they’re running kidnapping schemes.

  Definitely not someone you want to mess with!