Wizard: I'm leveling up by AFK in another world

A high ground on the outskirts of the base.

Nestled against a narrow mountain ridge, this place offers respite from the scorching winds of the wilderness.

Several campfires were concealed by some kind of magic, and could only be seen when one got close.

When Simon arrived with Claire and Rhodes, the place was already packed with people.

Besides Isabella, who was leaning against the rock with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, and Barton, who was as silent as an iron tower, there were two other groups that occupied the two sides of the high ground in a clear distinction.

On the left, a group of people dressed in uniform gray-brown robes were led by a thin, senior apprentice.

His fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles, and he was playing with several rune stones that emitted a faint glow, stirring the magic field around him.

The group on the right seemed to be shrouded in shadow, with the only one appearing in the firelight being a female advanced apprentice.

The campfire illuminated her pale skin, stark black lips, and a one-eyed strange bird perched on her shoulder.

"Is everyone here?"

Upon seeing Simon arrive with his men, the gaunt man who had been playing with the runestone spoke first: "Isabella, after all these days, you've only found two mid-level apprentices? And only one of them is even a trainee potion master."

His sharp gaze swept over Claire and Rhodes, making no attempt to hide his disappointment.

Isabella kept her eyes closed, as if she hadn't heard.

"Garret, the people we've found are all reliable; you can trust them," Simon said.

"Hmph, I hope so." The advanced apprentice named Garrett sneered. "Don't end up dying in the volcano and we have to collect your body."

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin."

The gloomy female advanced student on the right interrupted the argument: "Time is of the essence. We're already two days late for the operation date set by command. We only have ten days left!"

Isabella opened her eyes and nodded slightly to Simon.

Simon immediately understood, walked to the center of the arena, cleared his throat, and cast a magical projection.

That was the outline of a volcano, with a red line curving downwards inside.

"Gentlemen, according to the agreement, this reconnaissance operation against the 'Raging' volcano will be carried out jointly by our three teams."

Simon pointed to the red line on the projection and began to explain the mission.

"Not long ago, the command received intelligence that a Golden Beast Clan army was participating in an escort mission."

"Intelligence indicates that the mission may involve a sacred artifact of the orcs, which is believed to be able to awaken ancient powers."

"As we all know, orcs regard volcanoes as sacred sites, so the command speculates that the sacred object will be transported to a volcano by the orcs for some kind of ritual."

"A week ago, the command center detected abnormal magical fluctuations in the northern volcano, which were not of natural origin and were linked to the previous information about the sacred artifact."

"The Legion doesn't have much intelligence on the volcanic zone. Command speculates that the orcs are trying to use a sacred relic to awaken something slumbering at the bottom of the volcano. Although they don't know exactly what it is, they obviously can't let it have its way."

"Thus, this reconnaissance mission came about." Simon gestured with his right hand, and the volcano model on the projection shrank, revealing the surrounding geographical environment.

"This 'Raging' volcano appears to have an abandoned mine, which is a key target for our reconnaissance. The latest images transmitted back by the reconnaissance shuttle a few days ago show that there is orcish army activity in this area."

"Our mission is to determine whether this is the site of the orcs' ritual, and to draw up a detailed topographical map to investigate the crater."

Simon put away the projector and looked at everyone.

"This mission is rated five stars in difficulty, so the rewards are very generous. As long as we can confirm the existence of the ritual and bring back the map, in addition to the reward of 100,000 contribution points, we can distribute all the profits obtained during the mission ourselves."

"Now, is there anyone else who wants to quit?"

No one spoke.

With 100,000 contribution points distributed among the three teams, almost everyone can reach the standard, theoretically allowing them to launch campaigns at any time.

"Since there isn't one, then explain the specific tasks besides combat."

"Captain Garrett's 'Hand of Rocks' squad, according to the agreement, you are responsible for preparing the relevant magical equipment and using the puppets to carry out some dangerous reconnaissance missions."

Garrett snorted.

"Captain Sylva's 'Grey Raven' squad, you are all sorcerers. I'll leave those strange totem curses and mental pollution from the orcs to you."

The female apprentice nodded, stroking the strange bird on her shoulder.

"Our 'Frost Rose' team will be responsible for logistical support, such as potions. Any objections?"

As soon as Simon finished speaking, the scene fell into a suffocating silence.

"That's the problem."

Garrett suddenly stepped forward, staring intently at Isabella: "According to the agreement, the three teams each have their own responsibilities, and the final total profit will be split as follows: you will receive 40%, and Silva and I will each receive 30%, because you are the initiator."

"But now..." he pointed at Claire, "you've brought in a mid-level apprentice potion maker. Doesn't that seem to violate the agreement?"

Although his Hand of Rock only recruited three apprentice mages at the intermediate apprentice level, he himself was an apprentice mage, despite being a senior apprentice.

Needless to say, Sylva's Grey Ravens, including herself, were all sorcerers with an affinity for dark ice elements.

Although Frost Rose has the most advanced apprentices present, it cannot use this as an excuse to deny the agreement's stipulation of "at least three apprentice potion masters".

"Isabella, besides fire poison, the orcish volcanoes also contain 'blood flames.' Those are things even formal wizards wouldn't dare underestimate; the team's potions must be up to par!"

Although Silva didn't speak, her gaze towards Claire was filled with distrust.

After all, in the execution of a mission of this level, the prepared materials are never enough.

Either the dosage exceeds expectations due to various strange reasons, or unexpected situations arise, requiring temporary modifications to the prescription to suit local conditions.

This requires not only skilled potionists accompanying the team, but also extensive experience.

While you can't expect that much from a wizard apprentice-level potion master, you need to increase the margin for error by increasing the number of such masters.

Claire alone clearly couldn't have done it.

"If you can't find suitable candidates, I can help you contact a few. Although it's a bit pricey, at least it will ensure everyone's safety."

"But in that case," Garrett licked his lips, "the profit distribution will have to be changed. You take 30%, and the extra 10% is mine."

"Furthermore, given your breach of contract, I believe the command authority for this operation should also be re-discussed."

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Simon's smile froze on his face, while Barton remained silent, though a faint magical power surged in his hands.

Isabella didn't speak, she just looked at Garrett quietly.

The surrounding temperature began to drop rapidly, and tiny ice crystals condensed on the tips of her hair.

"Um, may I say something?"

Just as conflict was about to erupt, Claire took a step forward and walked to the center of the field.

"Lord Garrett, your doubts are quite valid. It's understandable that people are worried about me being the only one responsible for the team's potions."

Garrett frowned: "Since you know, then..."

"but."

Claire interrupted him directly: "I believe I am capable of replacing three apprentice potion masters."

"How arrogant!" Garrett sneered. "If he were a high-ranking apprentice, I might believe him to some extent. But you, a mere mid-level apprentice, what makes you think you can?"

“I can prove it right now,” Claire said, looking at Isabella. “But I have one condition.”

"You speak," Isabella said for the first time.

"During this mission, apart from targets with special significance, all orcs encountered should be captured alive while ensuring the safety of the team, and then handed over to me for processing."

"This is what I need to make potions."

"For alchemy purposes?" Sylva spoke for the first time, narrowing her eyes as she sized up Claire. "You're not from a wizarding academy?"

The potion-making techniques that require blood sacrifices are naturally nothing special to wizards.

However, this method is considered outdated by modern wizards because it is resource-intensive, inefficient, and unstable, and is far inferior to modern potions. As a result, no potions department in any major wizarding college offers related courses.

Claire revealed the silver maple leaf emblem of the Grey Amber Wizarding Academy: "Since I have to do the work of three people, I naturally need some special methods."

"I can show you right now, as long as someone can provide a few slaves."

"If you can really do it, I have no objection," Silva said.

Isabella nodded.

Seeing their reaction, Garrett could only snort coldly.

"Orc slaves, huh? I'll give them to you!" He waved his hand. "However, you must concoct enough calming and soul-soothing potions for three people within the standard timeframe, and the quality must be guaranteed."

"If you fail to complete the task, you'll have to compensate my slaves at market price!"

“No problem,” Claire said to Simon. “The potion-making process is a potion master’s secret, and I don’t want anyone to see it.”

Simon immediately understood: "I'll help you."

He tapped the ground with his wand.

Rumble.

The ground churned, and thick earthen walls rose up from the ground on all four sides, quickly closing in to form a closed stone house.

At the same time, Garrett's men also brought several orc slaves.

They were all missing limbs and had weak auras, but the extracted pain should be enough for one refining.

Claire led the orc slaves into the stone house, closed the door, and activated the shielding field.

soon.

From inside the stone house came the mournful screams of the beastmen, filled with despair and indescribable pain, sending chills down the spines of those outside.

"What kind of blood sacrifice method is this?" Sylva's eyes lit up slightly, clearly showing interest.

As a sorcerer, she was extremely sensitive to such fluctuations of pain.

The screams inside the stone house didn't last long before they subsided.

There are three minutes left until the standard refining time for the Soul-Cleansing Elixir.

crunch.

The stone door opened, and Claire stepped out.

His robes remained clean, and there was no trace of blood or corpse in the room behind him.

Silva was somewhat disappointed.

She had hoped that by using her level advantage, she could at least see some traces of "blood sacrifice" on Claire, who had just finished the refining process.

After all, it must be very urgent for one person to prepare enough for three people within the standard time.

Unexpectedly, Claire not only finished ahead of schedule, but also had time to remove the traces.

But this only made her more interested.

He was clearly only an intermediate-level apprentice.

Claire's image magnified in her pupils, every angle and even a single strand of hair beginning to be etched into her spiritual sea.

Garrett's gaze was fixed on the tray in Claire's hands.

There were ten bottles of medicine on it.

They all have a refreshing emerald green color, and just looking at them from a distance through the glass bottles makes one feel relaxed and happy.

This characteristic not only indicates that the potion is of extremely high quality, but also that it must be a freshly made potion, not a pre-made one.

What alarmed him even more was that Claire, having already prepared enough for three people by herself, had actually made an extra bottle!

What Garrett didn't know was that this was actually the result of Claire deliberately hiding it.

With the support of [Sweet Pain], many of the time-consuming reactions of the Heart-Cleansing Elixir have been replaced by a crude and simple direct neutralization, saving a lot of time.

With the added benefits of psionic energy, the native materials of the Ironblood Continent not only perfectly replaced the original ingredients but also reduced the variety of materials, resulting in a greater yield of medicinal liquid.

If she went all out, Claire estimated she could brew twenty bottles of calming and soul-soothing potions within the standard time.

Even in the blood flames inside the volcano, which are even more potent than fire poison, his potions can keep up perfectly.

"Then, Captain Garrett, please examine it first." Claire handed the potion to Garrett.

Garrett took the bottle with a grim expression and uncorked it.

As an advanced apprentice, he still knew the basic appraisal skills and wasn't afraid of Claire's tricks.

"It really is a calming and soul-soothing potion..."

Garrett's hand trembled.

While these potions are not as good as the standard ones sold at the Wizard's Tower, they are at least 80% accurate.

This is made entirely with alternative materials, and the level of accuracy is simply incredible!

Moreover, for some reason, he always felt that these potions contained something superior to the standard ones, but as a layman, he couldn't put his finger on it.

"You actually managed to do it?"

Seeing that Garrett hadn't moved yet, the curious Sylva couldn't wait any longer and came over, put a bottle of potion to her nose and smelled it, her face immediately showing a look of shock.

"How...how did you do that? What did you do to those orcs?"

"I'm sorry, I can't comment on that," Claire said. "Now, do you two still have any questions?"

Facts speak louder than words.

Claire's demonstrated abilities not only replaced the roles of the three apprentice potion masters, but even surpassed them.

"He does have some skill."

Garrett said through gritted teeth, but he didn't want to admit defeat so easily.

This is not just a matter of face as a senior apprentice and team leader, but also about who gets that one percent of the profits.

"Your potion-making skills are indeed superb, but you are only an intermediate apprentice after all." Garrett changed the subject. "The situation during the mission is complex and unpredictable."

"If we encounter a battle, you have no ability to protect yourself, yet you are the only potion master in the team. We will have to be distracted protecting you, which will seriously slow down the team's progress."

"Therefore, I think that extra 10% of the profits should not be given to you."

He looked at Isabella, whose robes fluttered without wind, radiating an imposing aura of a high-ranking apprentice.

"This 10% of the profits should be redistributed, as a way for me to protect him..."

boom!

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a loud bang.

No one saw what happened; they only felt a flash of blue light.

next second.

Garrett had already crashed into the rock wall dozens of meters away, the immense force pressing him deep inside.

"Cough cough... Pfft!"

Garrett coughed up a mouthful of blood, then was horrified to discover that his limbs had been frozen to the rock wall by thick ice, leaving him unable to move.

His prized robe, which had a built-in protective energy shield, proved to be completely ineffective in providing any protection.

"When...?"

He looked ahead in utter horror.

Isabella remained standing in the same spot, without even moving her feet an inch. She simply slowly withdrew her raised right hand, a trace of lingering extreme cold still clinging to her fingertips.

Her gaze toward Garrett was utterly calm, as if the sudden blow had not come from her.

Barton and Simon stood behind her.

"I take 40% because I'm strong," she said.

Only then did the magical energy emanating from her body begin to spread.

"Almost at the level of a formal wizard..." Sylva gasped, silently taking a half-step back. "Grey Raven Squad, obey orders."

The audience was silent.

Those apprentices who had previously harbored some ulterior motives were now all silent with fear.

Isabella looked around, and no one dared to meet her gaze.

Finally, she looked once more at Garrett, who was struggling down from the rock face.

"The Hand of Rock... also obeys orders." Garrett, who was being stared at, turned pale and didn't even bother to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Let's go then."

The blue-haired witch turned around, her cloak billowing in the wind.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the best!