The Witcher: Grinding Proficiency Starting with the Witcher

A brief silence fell over the room.

"No talent or ability?"

Li Wei pondered these words in his heart, feeling a mix of emotions.

"It's truly hurtful to hear such words from a sorceress."

"but……"

"What does it matter to me, Li Wei, if the Witcher is no good?"

"I can grind for skill proficiency!"

With his mind at ease, he raised his head, his eyes regaining their firmness.

"Ms. Mavis, I still want to give it a try."

Mavis scrutinized Levi's eyes, and the pure thirst for knowledge in them moved her, even more so than that of the apprentices in the academy.

She hesitated.

"Since you're so persistent, I can give you a chance." She relented. "I have a basic meditation book here, you can borrow it later."

A look of joy instantly flashed in Li Wei's eyes.

"However, I must remind you,"

Mavis's tone turned serious. "If you cannot sense any of the four elements—air, fire, water, or earth—within a month, you must give up."

Li Wei solemnly promised, "No problem, Teacher Mavis, I will not ruin my future for the sake of magic."

Mavis smiled approvingly. "A wise choice."

She walked to the second bookshelf and took out a plain gray-covered book.

"Basic Magic Meditation, written by an academician of the Saint Lia Magic Academy in the Emerald Kingdom, is worth... ten gold coins. Please keep it safe."

She handed the book to her.

Li Wei gently placed the star grass on the table, took off his white gloves, and even wiped the sweat from his hands on the corner of his clothes before carefully taking it with both hands.

This gesture further increased Mavis's positive feelings towards him.

"I will."

Li Weizhen held the book carefully.

"Bang bang bang..."

Just then, a knock on the door suddenly rang out.

"Ms. Mavis, it's me, Ravin Ferguson."

Lao Wen?

Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

What's he doing here?

Mavis had already sat back in the leather chair behind the worktable, her posture composed.

"Come in."

The carved mahogany door slowly opened, and Lao Wen's figure appeared.

Her light golden hair was meticulously styled, and her face was beaming with a warm smile.

If it weren't for the morbid pallor caused by the mutation, he would definitely be considered handsome, with a hint of aristocratic air about him.

"Ms. Mavis, I've come to get it..."

His words stopped abruptly when he saw Li Wei, his smile froze instantly, and a look of astonishment flashed across his gray cat-like eyes.

"Li...Li Wei? What are you doing here?"

Before Li Wei could answer, Mavis explained directly, "He's my assistant now."

"Li Wei, divide the potion in the crucible and have Lauwen take it back."

"Yes."

Li Wei ignored Lao Wen's fierce gaze.

He carefully placed "Basic Magic Meditation" back on the bookshelf, put his gloves back on, and began intently to use a wooden spoon to scoop the liquid from the crucible into glass test tubes.

Lauwen's gaze swept over the book's title, his eyes burning with jealousy.

But his good upbringing prevented him from losing his composure immediately.

He suppressed his emotions, turned to Mavis, and gave a standard apprentice's salute.

"Ms. Mavis, I'd like to be your assistant too."

"Thank you for your kindness, but one assistant is enough for me."

This answer made Lao Wen's face turn extremely ugly, and he couldn't help but point his finger at Li Wei.

"But why can he?"

"Because he is better than you."

Mavis was outspoken.

"That's impossible!"

Lauwen stood tall, his face filled with disbelief.

Mavis sighed: "Look closely, in the short time we've been talking, Levi has already dispensed four vials of the potion, and not a drop has spilled on the table."

"This level of meticulousness and focus is very rare among your group of apprentices."

A question mark popped into Li Wei's mind.

"Is Ms. Mavis praising me?"

Focus? Attentiveness?

"No, no, no, improving my skill level is the real deal!"

Alchemy Proficiency +1!

The system panel notification made Li Wei happy.

He's skilled at just scooping medicine and bottling it; he could do that kind of work all day!

Furthermore, the feeling of witnessing your own steady growth is more inspiring than any praise.

"But..." Lauwen wanted to argue.

Mavis frowned.

"There's no 'but' about it."

"I remember when I sent you back last time, I gave you a herbal medicine manual. Now I'll test you: what are the uses of sage?"

Lao Wen was stunned for a moment, his mind went blank, and he stammered out a few words.

"Sage...it's a restorative herb...it's...it's..."

That's enough.

Mavis's patience had clearly run out, and she turned to Levi.

"Li Wei".

Li Wei finished filling the last bottle of medicine and placed it steadily on the medicine shelf, exactly ten bottles in total.

"Tell me about sage."

After a moment's thought, Li Wei answered clearly.

"Sage, a restorative herb, often grows along the banks of rivers and lakes and has analgesic effects."

"very good."

Mavis nodded in satisfaction, her gaze returning to Lauwen.

"Lao Wen, you haven't had any training these past few days, have you?"

"The manual I gave you contains only the most basic knowledge, and sage is a herb that is mentioned repeatedly in it, yet you couldn't answer the question. This shows that you didn't pay attention at all."

She stood up, her words resolute.

"So, is there any problem with me choosing a more promising and hardworking assistant?"

Lao Wen lowered his head, clenched his teeth, and remained silent.

"Take the potion to Turka and tell him that the special swallow potion is ready."

Mavis's voice turned cold. "Don't come here again without my permission."

"...Yes, Ms. Mavis."

Lao Wen squeezed out those words through gritted teeth.

He walked with heavy steps and picked up the medicine shelf.

As he left, the look he gave Li Wei was so dark it seemed to drip water.

Li Wei frowned, puzzled.

Before Ethan's incident, the original owner had never provoked him, so where did such great hostility come from?

Is it really because he can't stand seeing others do better than him?

"Li Wei, it's getting late, you should pack up and head home too."

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Mavis."

Mavis smiled slightly.

"You're welcome. This is a win-win situation, isn't it?"

Li Wei paused, then laughed.

He took down the "Basic Magic Meditation" book and picked up the Star Grass.

Just then, a resonance came from inside the grass, faint but still alive.

A bold idea began to take shape in his mind.

"Perhaps... I can sustain it using [Herbal Resonance]?"

"Ms. Mavis, may I borrow a cultivation pot?"

"There are empty items on the shelves, help yourself."

Mavis had already reopened the books on the table and answered without looking up.

Li Wei thanked them, picked out a small cultivation pot, filled his arms to the brim, and hurried back to his room.

He dug a small hole in the red soil in the basin with his hand, planted the star grass, and tamped the soil down.

Upon sensing it again, the pale blue resonance aura seemed to have become slightly more active.

It works!

He fetched clean water and carefully poured it over the plants until the perceived resonance stopped expanding.

Upon closer inspection, the resonance and pulsation of the Star Grass felt slightly more solid than before.

Although small, it was enough to be encouraging.

According to Mavis, Star Grass is worth a fortune, and if its vitality can be revitalized, it will be of great benefit to one's magical cultivation.

I placed the pot on the windowsill and gently stroked the pale blue leaves of the star grass with my fingertips. The leaves seemed to curl up as if they were shy.

Li Wei's lips curled into a smile.

"Magic, here I come."

However, the smile on his lips froze on his face before it could fully bloom.

The resonance that had been so vibrant just moments before suddenly... weakened drastically.