The sun rose and the new day began. Elora sauntered out of the Potion Hall. Her eyes filled with excitement and vigour. She couldn’t sleep last night due to the shock she received—the healing spell Kadyn gave was a priceless treasure.

Though as she lifted her smiling gaze, her face froze. 

“What happened to you?!” She squealed, ogling at her brother’s haggard appearance. His face was pale and cheeks sunken deep and eyes appeared dim and his breathing was hurried. His body seemed nothing but an embodiment of a skeleton. 

Kadyn glanced at his sister and remained silent. He had no intention to talk about his embarrassing and stupid and deadly endeavour from the previous night.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I will be fine after some rest.”

Elora looked concerned but she’d not force him to tell anything, so she nodded in acknowledgement.

“I’ll go get the breakfast,” she said and strolled out of the shop.

Kadyn gazed at her scurrying figure and took a deep breath and continued to sit there with his cramping body. He looked inside his fire pool and couldn’t help but feel a pang at the sight in front of him.

The stars he tried to assimilate with each other, had cracks all over their surface. They looked dimmer than the other seven orbs—when he attempted to cast the spell, he failed. 

He pondered it might be because of the crashes on them. Then he tried to cast an Arrow Rush with the aid of the remaining stars, alas, he still failed and couldn’t complete the spell pattern.

“Damn, what is this about?!” He couldn’t help but swear in frustration. His most powerful element became useless. Of course, he’d feel the urge to kill someone. But this entire thing happened due to his stupidity. It was his fault. Who could he blame for his losses?

“It must be sequela, as the [Crack Melding Potion] described. I have to concoct it to mend the cracks before I could use the fire element again. Damn!” he stomped on the floor in irritation.

“But its main ingredient is Five Star Spirit Grass. I don’t have it. I doubt anyone would sell the medicine either.

“It’s the most effective medicine for the elementary mage to soothe the backlash of the breakthrough. Alas, I need to concoct a potion.” He rubbed his temple and his brows furrowed.

Just as he was deep in contemplation, Elora strolled into the shop with a bag. “Let’s have breakfast.” She said and the duo sat on the ground.

All this while Kadyn remained absent-minded. Elora could tell he wasn’t in a good mood. Therefore she tried to cheer him up—Kadyn felt bad seeing his sister trying so hard for his sake. Won’t he be a bastard if he wasted her effort? He put a smile on his face.

After having breakfast, Elora headed to the Potion Hall as she had become obsessed with potion-making, and spent most of the time brewing them.

Kadyn slouched in his chair and waited for customers. Thinking, how could he solve his problem?

Not long after a group rushed into the shop. Their faces shone with excitement. They were eager to meditate or practice. Everyone wanted to enjoy the unbelievable blessings of this bizarre shop.

“Six hours.”

[Energy Points: 448+12→460]

“Two hours.”

[Energy Points: 460+4→464]

.

.

.

After half an hour a familiar face appeared. Kadyn looked at the boy and recognised him. He was the same kid who had offered money to Hicka last time—Epora. 

Kadyn asked. “Do you know where Hicka is? I have given him a task. He was supposed to give me medicines yesterday.”

“Eh?” Epora seemed stunned at his sudden question. Then his face turned ugly.

“What happened?” Kadyn inquired in alarm when he saw his expression.

“That…” Epora glanced at Kadyn and hesitated but in the end, he went through and explained. “It was Fenon. Yesterday, he had beaten up Hicka. Now he is badly injured and his condition isn’t favourable. He might not survive this ordeal.”

“What?!” Kadyn sprang on his feet and his gaze turned cold. When he looked at a long queue in front of him, he calmed down and asked. “Can you bring him here?”

“Alright!” Surprisingly the boy agreed and dashed out of the shop.

Kadyn’s mood was already in a mess. After hearing this piece, it turned even sour. Last time, Kadyn queried about Hicka from his friends. The kid was honest and hardworking and determined.

An orphan without any backer. He was bullied and sneered and looked down upon by others—he never gave up, no matter how many sufferings went through.

His condition changed when he awakened as a magus and his talent was not bad either. So he was chosen as a student of magic school.

Alas, how could an orphan compare with the scions of other families? He was lacking in resources while they could have anything they wanted from their elders.

To shorten this gap, he worked as a part-timer, trying to gain a place in this cruel society. However the gap widened day by day, and his determined heart started to falter. The dismay had engulfed him when he stumbled upon Kadyn’s shop and his faith once more revived.

Last time, Kadyn invited him to buy medicines for him from other dealers. In return, he would pay his labor. With this, he could support the kid and earn from it. After all he needed herbs for potion making, anyway.

Today he perceived he might have made things worse for the kid. He couldn’t help but feel hatred for Fenon. He always ignored that nuisance as he never saw him as a real threat.

“I’ll make you pay, bastard. Just you wait.” He gritted his teeth in indignation. The flames of fury burned inside his eyes.

Half an hour later, Epora appeared with Hicka. His hand was placed on Epora’s shoulder while his face was swollen. His clothes tattered, and he looked haggard. He stumbled and swayed and grimaced from time to time but Epora held him.

When Hicka’a gaze fell upon Kadyn and his eyes turned wet. “Boss, I have failed you.”