Ron flipped through the book "Fundamentals of Potions" in his hands, diligently memorizing and taking notes while taking a break to let his mind wander.
However, it's not bad as it is now. The attribute and skill growth bonuses from multiple extraordinary professions will surely be helpful, with the various values increasing explosively as you go further.
Basic Potions Experience +1
Another prompt appeared, and Ron could feel that his understanding of potions had deepened a little more.
This feeling is like weaving a large net, with each piece of knowledge being a node on the net.
And as understanding deepens, new connections will emerge between these nodes.
This is growth—watching the numbers increase little by little, feeling the knowledge taking root and sprouting in your heart.
It's not a vague "I think I understand," but rather clear, quantifiable progress.
How wonderful it would be if learning on Earth could be like this! He couldn't help but think...
If everyone could see their efforts permanently recorded and quantified into concrete numbers in real time, the tangible sense of progress and the certainty that their efforts would be rewarded would be enough to make anyone addicted to the pursuit of knowledge.
In Ron's view, this was more fulfilling than his past life. He could feel himself growing every moment, and every effort left a clear mark on the panel.
...And so time quietly slipped away as knowledge was acquired.
In the cramped room, the candlelight flickered day and night, casting swaying shadows on the pages of books and notebooks.
For the past week, aside from necessary meals and rest, he has devoted almost all his time to studying potions.
"The activity of evening primrose decreases as the harvesting time progresses, but if it is harvested during a full moon, its efficacy can last for a whole month."
Spiderwort must be cut horizontally to retain its magic to the greatest extent; while silver calamus needs to be cut diagonally to enhance its potency.
The properties of those medicinal herbs that were once obscure and difficult to understand have now formed vivid connections in his mind.
Knowledge is no longer just rigid words, but a comprehension infused with life and emotion.
Basic Potions Experience +1
Basic Potions Experience +1
Basic Potions Experience +1
...
[Basic Potions (Beginner 5/50) → Basic Potions (Proficient 9/100)]
[Additional Trait Acquired: High-Speed Memory (Increased Memory Ability)]
A week passed quietly in this almost obsessive dedication to research.
This increase in his score is the culmination of countless moments of focused study. On average, he only gains about ten experience points a day through hard work. Fortunately, the "high-speed memory" trait he acquired is quite good, which is a pleasant surprise.
Moreover, it gets slower as you progress, and it's foreseeable that it will take at least several more months of hard work to advance to the next stage.
Therefore, the most urgent task is to quickly change jobs to the most basic [Potion Apprentice]. Without a job class, the speed at which skill experience points accumulate is really like a snail's pace.
It's unclear what the requirements are for the [Wizard Apprentice] combat class to advance to, as he doesn't seem to have met the conditions to unlock the advancement information yet.
Just as Ron was planning his next move, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Hey, Ron? Are you still alive?"
A slightly mocking voice came from outside the door: "I haven't seen you in the public areas for a whole week. I thought you had quietly turned into a dried-up corpse in your room."
Ron looked up and saw a handsome face looking at him through the half-open door.
The man had dazzling blond hair, and even the most ordinary gray-white apprentice robe could not conceal his elegant demeanor in every gesture.
Ron searched his memory, and the guy who seemed to know him very well was—Andre, the kingdom's thirteenth prince, and one of his few fellow countrymen in this black mist forest.
While they were still in the kingdom, unlike other members of the royal family who were outspoken, Andrei always behaved humbly and politely, even excessively so.
This reportedly relieved his brothers, who believed that their younger brother had no interest in the struggle for the throne.
However, at this moment, the thirteenth prince was wearing the same grey-white apprentice robe as Ron, leaning against his humble door.
"Is Your Highness concerned about me?" Ron teased. "Unfortunately, the Ralph family's loyalty is not to you."
"Come on, stop calling me Your Highness."
Andrei waved his hand and leaned limply against the door frame:
"Here, we are all the same. Whether you are the son of an earl or the thirteenth prince, in front of a wizard, these worldly titles are nothing but empty names."
His gaze swept across the table and suddenly stopped on the well-worn book, "Fundamentals of Potions".
The pages were densely covered with sticky notes, and some of the corners were even curled up from being read so many times.
"You wouldn't have," Andrei's voice held a hint of disbelief, "have you been researching this all week?"
Seeing Andrei's somewhat surprised expression, Ron suddenly realized how crazy his behavior over the past week might seem to outsiders.
It's worth noting that most aspiring apprentices who have no hope of promotion will choose to kill time in public areas or try to find shortcuts, such as currying favor with senior apprentices who have already become formal apprentices.
There are probably very few people like him who lock themselves in their rooms to study diligently.
"Indeed." Ron nodded, his fingers unconsciously tracing the pages of the book. "I've found Potions to be surprisingly interesting."
"Interesting?" Andrei raised an eyebrow, his expression turning serious.
As a prince who grew up in the palace and was good at reading people, he could naturally see Ron's changes.
The focus and composure in their eyes could not be faked.
"It seems you've really learned something from this."
Ron was about to answer when he noticed Andrei's gaze fall on the thick stack of notes on the table again.
Those notes were almost twice as thick as the "Fundamentals of Potions" itself, with every page filled to the brim.
"These are all from your journal this week?"
Andrei looked at the top notebook, which was half-open, and saw neat handwriting and clear charts.
Many places also have supplementary explanations and questions marked on them. Judging from the age of the handwriting, some of these questions have already been answered in subsequent studies.
"To be precise," Ron pointed to the thickest notebook, "this is the first notebook I started taking. I didn't understand many concepts back then, so I took very detailed notes. Later, as my understanding deepened, the notes gradually became more concise."
Andrei's gaze lingered on the book "Fundamentals of Potions" for a moment, his expression somewhat complicated.
Too many people stumble in potion-making; some apprentices study for years and still struggle to get started, let alone reach proficiency in just a few months.
This book was the one he gave to Ron back then. At that time, he had already determined that he had no talent for potions, so he simply sold this book, which had cost him quite a few magic stone fragments.
"Do you remember where this book came from?" Andrei asked seemingly casually.
Ron thought for a moment and quickly recalled: "It was given to you by Your Highness. At that time, you said that potion-making was not suitable for you and that you planned to switch to studying enchanting."
Andrei's gaze swept over the densely packed notes on the other person's desk, a strange expression appearing on his face:
"It seems you're much more diligent than me; you've managed to take so many notes in just one week."
"To be honest," he said, trying to sound casual.
"I didn't expect you to choose the path of Potions. You know, many experienced apprentices have stumbled in Potions. Just reading books and taking notes is probably not enough."
Andrei chuckled softly, leaving his words unfinished, but his pessimistic attitude was already quite evident.
Enchanting, alchemy, potions... these are all toys reserved for the gifted. He had tried all the mainstream wizarding arts, but all of them had failed.
Wasn't he also like Ron, desperately searching for a way out under the pressure of time?
But the reality is cruel—no wizarding skill is easy to master. Those with talent are not one in ten thousand, but at least one in a hundred, and even among these prospective apprentices, they are chosen.
Ron smiled, roughly knowing what Andrei was thinking, but didn't care, and casually changed the subject:
"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen Tracy. She's been..."
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that the thirteenth prince, who had always displayed excellent manners, had momentarily lost control of his expression.
Although the other party quickly regained her elegant and composed demeanor, Ron still caught that brief moment of lapse in composure.
"Oh, you mean her? She's already an intermediate apprentice." Andrei maintained his elegant smile, his tone light to the point of being deliberately cheerful:
"He just completed his promotion ceremony last month. He truly deserves to be the only genius among our fellow villagers."