Chapter 220: Alchemy Genius
Goddess Freya! You’re finally back! Gara’s heart leapt with joy at the familiar voice. He hadn’t expected her to respond.
"Your request to evolve your Talent required me to handle quite a few things," the goddess replied calmly.
So that’s it! The kindhearted goddess was just busy! Gara smiled to himself. Then... are you free now?
"Of course not. I’m still very busy. I’m leaving now."
Wait— Goddess Freya, don’t go yet!
But it was already too late. Silence filled his mind once more.
After calling her a few more times and getting no reply, Gara gave up with a small sigh and turned his attention back to the front of the class— where Professor Ilyas was finishing his lecture.
He was the second human professor Gara had met in the academy, after Langga. Though technically, Langga wasn’t fully human. He was half.
The class wrapped up shortly after they discussed the basics of Alchemy.
As the students left, Professor Ilyas stayed behind, tidying his desk. Suddenly, the ring on his finger pulsed with a faint purple glow. Once the room was empty, he tapped the crystal embedded in it.
"Professor Ilyas, it’s been a while," a familiar woman’s voice echoed from the ring.
"Chief Ambar," Ilyas greeted with a polite smile. "Seems you’ve been so busy managing the association, you’ve forgotten to visit the academy."
"I didn’t want to bother our talented professor."
"Hahaha, stop flattering me. You should come by sometime, there are a few new students from Swargaloka in my class. They’re still amateurs, but one of them’s in Class S. Shows a lot of potential."
"Actually, that’s exactly why I’m contacting you. I’ve been meaning to visit the academy to meet a certain alchemy genius."
"A genius?" Ilyas blinked. "Who?"
He couldn’t think of anyone who fit that title.
"A mysterious prodigy," Ambar continued. "An alchemist who began as a herbalist. His herbal products have already spread far and wide... but what matters most is his skill in alchemy."
"Stop teasing me, Mrs. Ambar. Who is it? Don’t kill me with suspense."
Ambar chuckled softly.
"The one we’ve been looking for, the alchemist who created the Vena Pill."
"The Vena Pill?!" Ilyas shot to his feet, voice echoing in the empty room. "Who is it?! Tell me now!"
"He’s an Class S student."
"Class S... student?"
Ilyas’s mind raced. Only two human boys were in S-Class and both had become famous after defeating Maul.
One of them... was in his class.
He quickly flipped through his roster.
"Could it be... Gara?"
"Exactly. You’ve met him already, haven’t you?"
"He’s in my class. I had no idea he was the genius we’ve been searching for."
"Wait for me there, Professor Ilyas. I’m coming over."
The crystal dimmed, and the connection ended.
...
Meanwhile, Gara remained blissfully unaware that his name had just been stamped with ’Alchemy Genius’ behind the scenes.
Right now, he was just excited for his first weekend since entering the academy.
But before that, there was one last class: Professor Langga’s weekly Class S counseling.
The session went much like the first, students entered one by one to speak privately with Langga.
While waiting, the others passed the time the only way they knew how: gossiping.
And with Miki in the group, gossip was always fresh— straight from the source.
"This is brand-new info," Miki whispered conspiratorially, leaning over Gara’s desk. His grin was mischievous. "I just heard the Chief of the Alchemist Association is coming to the academy... to meet a human alchemy genius."
"If another top alchemist emerges from the human race," Jett muttered, "the current Chair’s position will only grow stronger."
Miki nodded seriously. "The alchemists from the Batu better tighten their belts."
Jett shrugged. "Looks like they’ve stopped putting too much focus on alchemists. Feels like they’ve already given up."
Miki shook his head, clicking his tongue. "What a waste."
His sharp eyes shifted toward Gara and Madha, who were staring back at him with puzzled faces. With a confident snap of his fingers, Miki grinned. "Alright, let me explain it to you two."
Since Miki and Madha were in the same strategy team, Miki already knew the two came from a small village —far from the capital— and weren’t exactly familiar with the politics here.
"Since ancient times," Miki began dramatically, "there have been two races most famous for their alchemists: humans and gnomes.
Humans rely on technology because most of them don’t awaken their bloodlines.
Meanwhile, gnomes are small-bodied and often underestimated— so they turned to technology as their equalizer, crushing anyone who dared to look down on them."
Gara, Madha, and even a few nearby students leaned in to listen. They might’ve known the basics already, but hearing it from Miki made it sound like fresh gossip— way more entertaining.
"Every five years," Miki continued, lowering his voice like a storyteller sharing a secret, "the Chief of the Alchemist Association in the capital changes.
The leader is chosen through voting but each member’s vote isn’t equal. Their vote’s weight depends on their contribution to the association."
"And this year," he said, raising a finger for emphasis, "marks the fifth year for the current head, who just so happens to be human."
"If they can discover a new alchemy genius, and that genius makes big contributions, the chief’s vote points will skyrocket. Which means she’ll stay in power."
Gara nodded along in understanding until a sudden thought hit him.
Wait... the association’s been looking for me too.
Last he heard from Hilda, they’d already found traces of him. But since no one had approached him yet, Gara figured maybe they’d lost interest... or forgotten.
Their discussion was getting livelier —touching on the association, race relations, and old rivalries between humans and gnomes— when Vania suddenly entered the classroom.
Miki immediately zipped his lips.
Not because he was scared of being caught talking to Gara, but because he was sure Vania would start badmouthing humans if she heard their conversation.
Their conversation wasn’t exactly flattering to humans, but it wasn’t insulting either— they were just talking about facts. They’d said similar things about gnomes, too.
Gara, Madha, and Jett —who were all from those races— took it casually. The mood was good, and Miki didn’t want Vania’s sharp tongue ruining it.
...