Wizard:Start as a Potion Master

In the forest, a carriage trudged along a muddy path.

The coachman, a middle-aged man, chatted away with the passenger inside. "You're from the big city, aren't you, sir? I hear you're heading to the Saint Sophia Cathedral."

"Heh, once we reach Mapleleaf Town, you'll find a reliable caravan to travel with. Don't worry, I know these routes well. I'll get you there. Just pass that castle ahead, and head straight to the town. That castle belongs to the baron, or so they say—"

A cold, authoritative female voice interrupted from inside the carriage. "Stop. We're not going that way. Take another route to Mapleleaf Town."

The coachman hesitated but offered a warning. "If we take another road, we might run into bandits. The Peter Barony has its share of robbers. And why not go that way, ma'am?"

Inside, the woman's thoughts churned. Fool. Can't you see it? Can't you sense the malevolent aura around that castle?

Such an evil force... How did it bypass the Storm God's shepherds to return to this land and grow unchecked?

It's better to avoid it. I don't know who—or what—is behind it. But if someone dares to act so brazenly, even in this era, I must hope they won't interfere with the task my ancestors entrusted to me.

In the attic of Peter Barony's castle, Su Nan completed the final step of his potion.

As he added the last dose of elderberry powder to the cauldron, the liquid began to spin on its own, forming a small whirlpool.

Following the precise sequence, Su Nan dropped four minerals—malachite, lapis lazuli, hematite, and labradorite—into the vortex, one by one. The minerals dissolved rapidly into the potion.

Finally, he tossed in ten gold coins.

As if striking a deal, the coins vanished into the liquid. In their place, the potion thickened into a gelatinous mass.

The ominous whispers that had filled the air disappeared.

With the potion complete, the magical energy that had stirred the atmosphere began to settle.

Su Nan carefully divided the gelatinous substance into three glass bottles.

"AI, evaluate the potion's quality," he instructed.

[AI Analysis]

"Perfect quality. However, due to insufficient isolation from external factors during brewing, the result is within predicted quality ranges."

"There were no errors, not even minor ones, during your process."

"Your mental strength has now fully converted into mana, bringing your mana to 9.8. You are approaching the estimated levels of a true wizard. However, the current (+1) Mental Enhancement Potion is losing its effectiveness for you. It is recommended to allocate computational resources toward developing the (+2) version."

"The records recovered from the bandits provide valuable data for this project, increasing the likelihood of successful formula upgrades."

Su Nan raised an eyebrow.

While he had made significant progress, his limited knowledge of wizardry remained a bottleneck. Upgrading formulas required extensive computational power and a trial-and-error process akin to reconstructing an entire magical civilization.

That said, he was not entirely in the dark—his forays into the occult had yielded fragments of valuable knowledge.

The library in Mapleleaf Town, rumored to be the largest in the region, intrigued him. Seizing it could potentially unlock even more wizardly secrets.

Su Nan uncorked one of the bottles and poured its contents onto the back of his left hand.

A searing heat spread across his skin, as if he had plunged his hand into boiling water.

According to the instructions, he would need to apply the Sacrificial Hand Potion daily for three consecutive days, for at least twelve hours each time, to complete the transformation of his left hand.

As the potion adhered to his skin, it clung like double-sided tape, remaining firmly attached without hindering movement.

Satisfied, Su Nan gathered four Steel Claw Potions, four Wolf Venom Potions, and four Sleep Beetle Potions before leaving the attic.

In the castle hallway, Su Nan stopped a maid carrying a silver tray.

"Fetch the steward and the head maid," he ordered.

The maid nodded quickly, understanding that the baron's requests were paramount, regardless of her assigned duties.

In the study, Su Nan commanded his two loyal hunting dogs to transform into wolf emissaries in broad daylight.

The two creatures obediently drank the Steel Claw and Wolf Venom Potions he had prepared.

Their claws gleamed with a metallic sheen, indicating that their strength had reached the durability of steel.

To test their enhanced abilities, Su Nan presented a caged rooster in the study. With a swipe of their claws, the wolf emissaries injured the rooster, which immediately began attacking the other roosters in a frenzy.

Perla, the head maid, widened her eyes in astonishment. "Oh my, this venom is so potent it drives them to turn on one another."

Warwick, the steward, observed thoughtfully. "Master, will this work on humans as well?"

Su Nan nodded and handed the remaining potions to Perla and Warwick. "This will make our territory's military force even stronger."

After consuming the potions, both Warwick and Perla felt an immediate surge of vitality.

Su Nan watched as their physical forms subtly strengthened. The additional potions had amplified the dark energy coursing through their veins, making them even more formidable.

Warwick asked, "Master, the people of Mapleleaf Town seem to be working with the three independent knights. When do we strike?"

"They're amusing themselves by encroaching on our interests. How ridiculous," Warwick sneered.

Su Nan considered for a moment. "A lion uses its full strength even against a rabbit. We wait a few more days. At the very least, I want my Telekinetic Hand to be complete. I also want more wolf emissaries."

Creating wolf emissaries was inexpensive. Over the past five months, Warwick had procured fifteen young hunting dogs, which Su Nan had personally raised to ensure loyalty.

After culling five that displayed signs of disobedience, he was left with ten candidates ready for transformation.

These, combined with his original two emissaries, would bring his total to twelve.

With this force, Su Nan could overwhelm any resistance from Mapleleaf Town.

Patience was a virtue he would wield to its fullest advantage.

"Furthermore," Su Nan continued, "to prevent any assassination attempts during the upcoming battle, I will solidify my own power first."

In his study, Su Nan smiled, fully aware of the carnage that awaited Mapleleaf Town.