Chapter 98: Growing Fast
Max had ended up spending yet another afternoon with his penis trapped between Zerena’s thighs.
Compared to yesterday, things had somehow escalated even further. He’d managed to make Zerena orgasm several more times, leaving the bedsheets in an even more questionable state than before. Fortunately, Zerena had already prepared for exactly this kind of disaster. The expensive mattress protectors she’d bought the previous day had done their job admirably, sparing both the mattress and what remained of her peace of mind.
They were, admittedly, proving to be one of the better investments she’d made recently.
The moment they’d earned enough Forbidden Points for another batch of potions, Zerena’s priorities immediately returned to normal.
Without wasting so much as a minute, she’d hurried him straight back into the laboratory and ordered him to start brewing.
Now, several hours later, Max was almost finished.
To his surprise, brewing felt noticeably easier than before. Ever since forming his Healing Mana Ring, controlling the flow of mana had become far more natural, allowing him to shape every rune with greater precision while wasting far less mana in the process.
The difference showed.
Barely four hours had passed, yet the batch was already approaching completion. Even the rich scent filling the laboratory had changed. The familiar medicinal aroma carried a denser concentration of healing mana than before, making the air itself feel strangely refreshing.
As soon as Max lifted the lid off the cauldron, a rich wave of herbal fragrance rolled through the laboratory.
The fresh scent was noticeably stronger than before. Simply breathing it in made him feel as though the inside of his body had been given a light scrub, the dense healing mana lingering in the air with every breath.
A grin spread across his face.
Without wasting any time, he hurried over and began bottling the potions one after another before carrying them to the quality assessment array.
Several long minutes passed.
Then the machine chimed.
Quality Assessment: A
"...A grade."
Max couldn’t help smiling.
"Perfect."
The smile lingered as he looked at the bottles lined neatly across the table.
He could already tell this wasn’t his limit.
Forming the Healing Mana Ring had given him a much deeper understanding of the herbs than before. While brewing this batch, he’d noticed several tiny imperfections in his own process—small losses of mana, slightly inefficient extraction, and a few steps that could still be refined.
The improvement honestly surprised Max.
A single Mana Ring had increased his control over mana and rune engraving far more than he’d expected. More importantly, he could tell he was still improving. The ring wasn’t some one-time boost. It continued refining his understanding little by little every time he used healing mana.
The biggest change was his understanding of herbs.
He could now sense their healing properties far more clearly, instinctively recognizing where the richest essence was stored and how to extract it with less waste. Even the brewing process felt more natural, as though the herbs themselves were quietly pointing out where he was making mistakes.
Unfortunately...
The Healing Mana Ring had absolutely no interest in teaching him anything about fire.
His control over Healing Mana had taken a noticeable leap.
His control over Fire Mana remained about as cooperative as his penis whenever Zerena accidentally bent over in front of him.
It worked.
Just...
Not nearly as well.
The thought made Max wonder whether his second Mana Ring should be formed from Fire Mana instead.
After thinking it over, he shook his head.
That decision could wait.
For now, his priority was strengthening the Healing Mana Ring. Like the Mana Core before it, the ring could continue growing by being fed more mana over time.
Thankfully, it didn’t require Healing Mana specifically.
Any refined mana he absorbed would gradually circulate around the ring, slowly converting into Healing Mana as it completed its stable orbit around the Mana Core.
He would have to keep feeding mana into the ring until, little by little, the Mana Core itself became saturated with the ring’s attribute. As that happened, the core would gradually begin absorbing the Mana Ring, consuming it completely over time.
Only after the entire ring had merged into the Mana Core would it become possible to create another Mana Ring.
As for what the final result would be after all the Mana Rings had been created...
Max had no idea.
One thing, however, seemed certain.
The attributes of the Mana Rings mattered.
The order in which they were formed mattered.
And the elements he chose would almost certainly determine what kind of mage he ultimately became.
The problem was that nobody could tell him which path was the best.
Very few people on the planet Sureka had ever reached that stage, and those who had rarely left behind complete records of their journey. There simply wasn’t enough knowledge for him to follow someone else’s footsteps.
That uncertainty didn’t bother Max.
If anything, it made the journey more exciting.
For now, he intended to trust his instincts when choosing the attributes of his future Mana Rings.
Of course...
If he happened to stumble across some ancient inheritance, forgotten research, or mysterious knowledge pointing toward a better path, he wasn’t stubborn enough to ignore it.
For now, however, Max’s attention remained fixed on the twelve potion bottles lined neatly across the table.
The liquid inside carried a noticeably deeper shade of bright green than before, with far fewer impurities clouding the mixture. Tiny glowing specks drifted lazily within each bottle like scattered stars, each one a small pocket of densely condensed Healing Mana.
Those glowing particles were the biggest difference.
They were the reason the potions had reached A grade.
Although they were still Minor Healing Potions by recipe, the concentration of Healing Mana inside them gave them healing effects that could easily rival many Mid-Rank Healing Potions brewed from more advanced formulas.
"You did it..."
Zerena’s surprised voice came from the staircase.
Max looked up as she walked into the laboratory.
She was dressed casually in a loose shirt and a pair of shorts. The weight of her large breasts pulled the fabric downward, stretching the neckline enough to reveal the upper curves of her bosom and the faint edge of one areola whenever she moved.
Her attention, however, wasn’t on herself.
It was completely fixed on the row of potion bottles.
Max couldn’t hide the proud smile on his face.
He picked up one of the bottles and handed it to her as she approached.
"I managed to make them A grade," he said, sounding thoroughly satisfied with himself. "And... I think I can improve them even further tomorrow."