Chapter 48 - Dekan's Elective Course

Today is another hopeful day because it's Friday again.

After finishing the Shadow World on Monday, taking a day off on Tuesday, submitting a report on Wednesday, and going for an association exam on Thursday, it has been a very eventful week for Dekan.

There was about three weeks before he could enter another Shadow World. Dekan needed to set aside some time to acquire some tier 3 cards for himself and Cornelia. It's time to create a tier 3 summoning card and update the Poisonous Spikes.

Additionally, he can also craft a tier 3 weapon card with higher durability for Cornelia. However, before all that, on this Friday, there's a class that Dekan has been looking forward to.

Dekan was determined to study well.

After attending trial classes during the past two weeks, he ultimately chose two electives: Medicine(1) and Pharmacology(2).

Hevenlit Magic Academy employed a flexible application mechanism for elective courses. Considering that every student has different talents and backgrounds, it's possible to be exempted from prerequisite courses if sufficient evidence was provided.

The prerequisites for Pharmacology(2) were Herbology (1) and Pharmacology(1).

Dekan provided enough evidence of his pharmacological work to the course director and was allowed to directly enroll in Pharmacology(2).

As for why Dekan is studying Medicine, let's put that aside for now. His motives were quite intriguing.

After the mandatory morning class, Dekan and Cornelia went their separate ways. Dekan has Pharmacology(2) in the afternoon, so he can't go to the library with Cornelia.

However, Cornelia knows that Dekan has class in the afternoon, so she doesn't plan to go to the library either.

Dekan noticed that Cornelia was heading towards the back of the mountain again. This time, he became genuinely curious. He decided he'll follow her and see what's going on next time.

Dekan also noticed that Cornelia's mood seemed to be a bit low today. Even though her expression was quite neutral, her eyes spoke volumes. It was possible that Dekan had a unique talent for understanding her thoughts easily.

...

The time for Pharmacology(2) class has arrived, with about twenty students gathered in the Pharmacology classroom.

After the trial classes of the past two weeks, the students who remained were the ones officially registered for this course.

Most of them were female.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm delighted that you all have decided to choose this course."

The teacher, also a woman, Maria, appeared to be around thirty years old. She wore a pair of glasses and had a very gentle demeanor. She looked like a compassionate healer.

"Pharmacology is a very practical field of study and is particularly important in real life."

"Furthermore, although it's difficult to bring finished potions into the Shadow World, often we can create the required potions on-site in the Shadow Worlds using materials."

"The knowledge you learn today may be immediately applicable tomorrow, and I will do my best to guide all of you!"

Listening to Maria's words, Dekan nodded frequently. This course not only taught theoretical knowledge but also provided plenty of materials and experimental opportunities. Dekan could maximize his use of the school's resources.

Honestly, Dekan wouldn't mind taking more courses like this, even though his motives differed from most students.

"In Pharmacology(1), we focused on restorative potions, but in Pharmacology(2), we will emphasize functional potions."

"Today's lesson will cover methods for dealing with unknown toxins."

As Maria spoke, she put on gloves and held a small vial in her hand.

"This is a toxin developed by the College of Alchemy, extracted from a new type of poisonous plant. It's highly toxic but relatively easy to neutralize. Today's lesson is about extracting antidote ingredients from its companion plants."

The part Dekan was most interested in had arrived. He felt like he could almost see through that vial of poison.

Next, Maria started demonstrating the production process, and Dekan listened attentively.

Unknowingly, the class time was coming to an end.

"So, your task is to successfully create an antidote once. You have one week to complete it. After class, you can continue to use this classroom and the alchemical laboratory in the College of Alchemy."

After saying this, Maria divided the diluted toxin sample and the required materials among the students. Due to safety considerations, experiments were conducted in pairs and every pair had two doses of antidote prepared by Maria in case of accidental poisoning.

During this class, Dekan was so absorbed in the lesson that he didn't even notice when his deskmate, his classmate sitting on a common shared desk, arrived.

It was time for Dekan to introduce himself properly to his deskmate. After all, they have homework to do together.

"You finally noticed me, Dekan."

Dekan turned his head and found that the other person's face was very close to him. A clear, enchanting fragrance wafted towards him. She was a beauty without a sense of distance, with black hair and black pupils, her eyes clear and bright. Her features were so delicate that it seemed as if she had been carved by the most skilled artist's hands, an outstanding masterpiece.

Even while sitting, you could tell that she had a tall and slender figure.

Had she been this close all along?

Dekan was surprised but didn't avoid her gaze or move away. He couldn't afford to lose face.

"If you had gotten any closer, I might have noticed you even earlier," Dekan replied casually.

"Well, then the teacher might have warned us," the girl with long black hair said, her smile still on her face.

As soon as she finished speaking, she leaned even closer, her body almost pressing against Dekan. It was as if she wanted to be right next to him.

Dekan felt a chill running down his spine. It was an instinctive alert. It was as if the person in front of him was a beautiful yet venomous flower.

Despite her wearing the uniform of a second-year student from the College of Alchemy, she gave off an unexpectedly strong sense of threat.

Reluctantly, Dekan leaned back a bit to create some distance and shifted his chair slightly away. While he acknowledged her attractiveness, he had no fondness for people who approached him inexplicably.

"Could you please maintain a normal distance for now?" Dekan asked.

"Sorry, I got a bit carried away with my observation," she replied, still smiling. She didn't seem to have any intention of making things difficult for Dekan and moved a bit farther away from him.

"What's your name?" Dekan inquired. She had only appeared as his new deskmate in this class, so Dekan didn't know her name.

"Mielle," she answered, sitting quietly with a smile on her face.

Dekan asked, "Are you busy after class?"

Mielle replied, "Not at all."

"In that case, let's finish the homework before leaving," Dekan suggested. He didn't want to leave anything for tomorrow that could be completed today.

Mielle nodded in agreement, showing that she also supported Dekan's idea.