Chapter 27: Mentor Kurov

Chapter 27: Mentor Kulov

Dim pried open a brick in the wall, revealing a lever tucked inside. He beckoned to Xazo, gesturing a path with his hand, and said, "Pull this lever, then walk inside. Once the metal door on the other side opens, you may exit through it."

Xazo nodded silently and pulled the lever with his leather-gloved right hand. The metal door slid into the wall along its base track, revealing a narrow passage only wide enough for one person. Xazo walked in with a calm expression, and the door closed behind him.

On both stone walls, there were rows of small, dark holes. White mist sprayed from the holes on one side, filling the confined space. This continued for about a minute before the holes on the opposite side generated suction, drawing the white mist away. The metal door at the end of the passage slowly opened.

Xazo stepped through the door, his eyes fixed in a steady gaze. Before him lay a vast alchemical laboratory, easily half the size of a castle hall. Rows of glass display shelves lined the walls and pillars. Some were covered with black cloth, obscuring their contents, while others were illuminated by alchemical lamps mounted on the ceiling.

Xazo slowed his pace, walking past the shelves and scanning the glass bottles displayed upon them. The alchemical lamps here were not limited to a single orange hue; different shelves were lit by different colors—purple, green, red, and blue—each holding a distinct meaning. Red signified toxins derived from animals, such as snake venom glands; green represented toxins from plants, like poisonous tree sap; purple indicated toxins from minerals, such as mercury; and blue denoted gaseous toxins, like the foul odors emitted by excrement.

These details were all documented in *Foundations of Poison Alchemy: The Isolation of Toxins*. Now, the very things described in the book were right before his eyes.

Xazo cast his "Perception" ability toward the glass bottles. His face paled slightly, and his heart rate quickened. Touching the concentrated toxins in any one of these bottles would inflict at least 20 points of continuous damage per minute. This laboratory, filled with poisonous substances, was essentially a massive nest of toxins; if even a single bottle of the concentrate were to leak, it would cause widespread casualties.

Mason and Brandon entered the laboratory one after the other, their expressions mirroring his own. The three of them circled the shelves a few times before walking together toward the far end of the room. A middle-aged man with long, grayish-white hair sat on a red velvet sofa reading a book, a crucible and an alchemy bench nearby. This area was illuminated by a warm, cozy orange glow—a rare spot of comfort in the otherwise grim laboratory.

"Are you the students assigned to me by the Academy?" The man with the long, grayish-white hair looked up. He had a pencil-thin mustache beneath his nose, deep-set eye sockets, and soft facial features, making him look more like a learned scholar than a veteran poisoner skilled in the art of toxins. Despite his middle-aged appearance, his white hair and beard made him look remarkably elderly. "I am Kulov, Professor of Poison Alchemy. Please, introduce yourselves."

Mason stood on the left side of the group. Following the customary order, he bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, sir. I am Mason, from the city of Spirel."

Brandon was second. "Greetings, sir. I am Brandon, a native of Starry Night City."

Xazo followed the etiquette taught to him by Wilson when he received his naturalization papers. He pressed his left hand to his chest, bowed, and said, "Good day, sir. I am Xazo of Rosak. It is an honor to meet you."

"Xazo of Rosak..." Kulov sat on the sofa and flicked his fingers toward a bookshelf to his side. The rows of books rippled like waves, and a sheet of letter paper flew out from between two volumes. The letter unfolded in mid-air, facing the sofa, and after a few seconds, it flew back to its place.

Kulov looked at Xazo and remarked, "A fine young man."

This was the benefit of having a registered origin; there was no need to prove one's background or past achievements. The kingdom's bureaucrats would promptly relay Xazo's deeds to influential figures across the land. Mason and Brandon, standing to the side, clearly had not expected that the newcomer walking alongside them would be someone of such renown.

Kulov stroked his thin mustache and looked at their still-youthful faces. "You three are excellent seedlings. I do not wish to lose any of you to an accident while brewing toxins."

Kulov leaned back, sinking into the sofa, and frowned in thought. "However, you lack innate affinity, and your mental oceans have not been sufficiently developed. You cannot distinguish the potency and utility of toxins by the radiance of elements, and you must rely solely on willpower to overcome the interference of the poisons..."

The "mental ocean" was a term from meditation techniques, corresponding to the Spirit attribute on a character's template. Once wild elements were tamed and absorbed into the body, they would transform into docile elements residing within the mental ocean.

Kulov knitted his brows, speaking as if to himself. "And you do not possess the robust physiques of the demon-hunting apprentices from the Eastern Continent... If you were to come into contact with a lethal toxin while under the influence of hallucinogens, even if you managed to hold on until I could save you, you would likely be left a cripple."

"The Dean has truly dumped a great burden upon me." He sighed heavily toward the ceiling and fell into deep contemplation.

Seeing his mentor hesitant and seemingly lost in thought, Xazo quietly cast his "Perception" ability and reviewed the feedback in his mind.

[Character Name]: Kulov
[Identity]: Professor of Poison Alchemy at Starry Night Academy, High-Level Mage, Master Poison Alchemist
[Health]: ??? (Slightly poisoned)
[Resistance]: ???
[Strength]: 3
[Agility]: 5
[Stamina]: 6
[Vitality]: 6
[Perception]: 9
[Willpower]: 9
[Spirit]: ??
[Charisma]: 6
[Character Perks]: [Mastery of Alchemical Language], [Meditation Technique (Unknown Level)]... [Poison Alchemy - Master Level], [Toxin Mastery - Composite]: Capable of formulating master-level toxic agents using composite toxins.
(Due to insufficient perception and knowledge reserves, more information could not be obtained.)

Kulov's Spirit attribute was marked with question marks. Xazo checked his previous feedback records. The highest Spirit attribute he had encountered was that of Thales Mesor, the resident mage of Rosak, who had 25 points. This meant Kulov's Spirit value was certainly above 25, perhaps starting at 30.

Beyond that, Xazo reviewed Kulov's template several times, using the act of rubbing his eyes to hide his urge to stare in astonishment. Kulov's Vitality was the only one he had seen so far that exceeded 5 points! Neither Thales nor the fat mage from Piek Fortress had more than 3 points in Vitality. Audrey and the others were even lower, averaging only 2 points, likely a common ailment resulting from the hidden injuries caused by breathing techniques.

Xazo pulled up the template for Dim, the castle manager.

[Character Name]: Dim
[Identity]: Order Manager of Starry Night Castle, Official Mage, Unknown Melee Profession
[Health]: ??? (Healthy)
[Resistance]: ???
[Strength]: 13, [Agility]: 10, [Stamina]: 12, [Vitality]: 4, [Perception]: 9, [Willpower]: 9, [Spirit]: 22, [Charisma]: 3
[Character Perks]: [Breathing Technique - Ultimate]: Has cultivated the breathing technique to its peak, eliminating all hidden injuries and successfully expanding the mental ocean with the aid of secret potions. [Meditation Technique (Unknown Level)]...

Dim had transitioned from a breathing technique to a meditation technique and was a dual-class mage and melee fighter—an extremely rare feat, indicating top-tier talent and perseverance. Even such a person had only 4 points in Vitality.

It seemed that Kulov's Vitality reaching 6 could only be due to two reasons: either he was born that way, having randomly rolled a high Vitality as a base attribute at birth, or certain aspects of poison alchemy could enhance one's Vitality. Xazo had long since experienced the benefits of high Vitality, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Kulov suddenly coughed lightly, drawing the attention of the three distracted boys. He walked up to them and said with a stern expression:

"I have thought of a compromise. In the field of poison alchemy, the more mistakes one makes, the poorer one's physical condition becomes, and the shorter one's remaining lifespan. The three of you will have one chance to make a mistake while refining or testing toxins. If anyone commits a second error, they will be expelled by me and forcibly transferred to another alchemical branch."

The three of them were stunned, and they replied in unison, "We will strictly follow your instructions."