Chapter 51: Professor Anna
The moment Aurelius’ gaze landed on the smoke, alarm bells instantly rang in his heart.
For a split second, he had the illusion that Priest Mayin had resurrected from the grave and had come to seek revenge for yesterday.
However, he soon realized he had been overthinking. His worries were meaningless.
As the black mist entered the second floor, it quickly dispersed throughout the room, with a large part of it flowing out of the window.
No one in the library showed any reaction, much less panic.
At most, they waved away the wisps of mist while casting a look of exasperation toward the staircase.
Then, they continued on with their reading as if nothing had happened.
Aurelius found it strange at first. Even if he had been wrong and it was not an Awakener attack, the explosion and black mist should have caused some reaction from these people.
Thankfully, someone soon took the initiative to answer his doubts.
"You must be new here," a voice suddenly rang from the side.
Its owner was the student seated at the next table.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Aurelius’ face, the student chuckled.
"You must not come to the library often. Don’t you know?"
"The third floor is Professor Anna’s exclusive laboratory."
"She has been conducting an experiment the past few days. Unfortunately... we have suffered as a result."
The student didn’t continue.
Even so, Aurelius understood his meaning: both the explosion and the black mist were the result of Professor Anna’s failures.
This name instantly evoked some of his deep-seated memories.
Professor Anna. This was one of the few names Aurelius remembered in the Ernst Academy.
Not because he had attended this Professor’s lectures in the past, but because of her infamous reputation.
Lunatic. Madwoman. Research-obsessed freak.
Walking disaster.
These were the words the students and other Professors used to describe her.
Even though Aurelius had never met her before, the image of a wrinkled old woman with wild hair, bloodshot eyes, and messy robes had been imprinted on his mind.
Just as his mind began to wander, another explosion occurred. More wisps of black mist flowed into the room, forcefully bringing him back to reality.
Aurelius initially chose to ignore it and was about to pick up a few more books regarding extraordinary materials.
But just then, a flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes.
The chime of a bell rang in his mind.
In his field of vision, lines of text appeared.
"Ding! Mission Issued!"
"Mission—Potion Maker: As an accomplished Alchemist, how can you possibly have no practical experience in Potion Refining?"
"Please assist Professor Anna in completing her experiment."
"Rewards: 1 Skill Point. 1000 EXP. Professor Anna’s Favorability."
A new mission had arrived.
Unlike the Chain Mission related to the Sunless Sect, this one was closer to the ones he had received during his many trips to the Dryad Forest, asking him to hunt down various monsters.
Even so, Aurelius was faintly surprised.
It was the first time a mission like this had appeared. Until now, the Player Panel had merely urged him to kill people and monsters.
Never before had it asked him to help someone.
Although the rewards were nothing impressive, this mere fact was more than enough to pique his interest.
Despite this, his movements only paused for a brief moment.
Soon, he grabbed a few books from each bookshelf and returned to his table.
Another round of reading soon began.
Page after page. Book after book.
Aurelius appeared immersed in the sea of information.
Unknowingly, several hours passed.
Most of the other students in the library had already left, while the remaining ones had moved onto the first floor.
Aurelius was the only one on the second floor by now.
Well... him and the black mist pouring in.
’Just what type of crazy experiment is Professor Anna conducting? Is she trying to demolish the entire library?’
He was full of complaints.
From the Mission, he knew she was merely attempting to refine Potions.
How was it possible to fail so many times?
Wasn’t refining Potions supposed to be easy? He had never failed before!
Aurelius shook his head dismissively, his focus turning back to the book in his hands.
Even so, part of his attention remained on the black mist.
He was trying to think of a reasonable way to come into contact with Anna and assist her in her experiment.
Exactly because of that, he soon noticed something unusual.
The black mist... had stopped pouring into the room. Moreover, there hadn’t been an explosion for several minutes.
Before Aurelius could process what this meant, the sound of heels clicking against the wooden floor echoed.
The door leading to the third floor swung open.
A cloud of black mist instantly spread throughout the room, and a woman in her early thirties stepped out of it.
Her chestnut-brown hair was tied into a neat ponytail, while she wore an elegant black academic robe over a white shirt and a skirt that reached her knees.
Her immaculate attire and the strict expression on her flawless face would make any student instinctively flinch, forcefully straightening their posture.
Of course, the only person able to see this sight was Aurelius.
And the woman immediately noticed it.
Her sharp amber eyes swept across the room before locking onto Aurelius’ figure.
Without a change in expression, she raised her finger and pointed at him.
"You, follow me!"
Without giving him time to respond, the woman spun around and climbed up the staircase, leaving the open door as though waiting for him.
Aurelius briefly hesitated.
But just as he was weighing whether to follow her or not, the same cold voice rang in his ears.
"If you don’t come, I’ll personally recommend your expulsion from the Academy."
--
"Yes! Put it in!"
"Use both of your hands to hold it steady!"
"Slowly... that’s right."
"A little deeper. Just a little deeper."
"...What? You’re exhausted already?" Anna’s cold voice rang out. "That’s all you’ve got? Are you even a real man?"
She clicked her tongue. "Tsk. How useless..."