Master Of None

"Walker! A little help!" Since Walker was able to use the earth elemental mana, he had been called upon a few times now. He could encapsulate the cauldron that was overheating while the water mages used their skills to flood the flames and rapidly cool it.

With this call, Walker was brought to focus on a cauldron that was already smoking black toxic fumes. If he hadn't used the eternal orb staff form in that second, then it would have burst in to explosive flames spewing the contents at nearby participants.

The earth wrapped around the cauldron leaving a small space at the top. One of the water mages stepped forward using their skills to fill it with water. Together with Walker, the pair was able to freeze the top. The next moment the ice cracked and caused the water to bubble over. The steam let off was still burnt black but it had cooled enough not to cause anyone injury.

"I would say you need to work on your long term mana control. You allowed the fire elemental mana to get too powerful even more, you were out of mana to keep a handle on it." Walker gave the little advice that he could while also pushing himself to keep moving on. He had dealt with this a decent number of times so far.

"We have the first high health potion success. The herbs used were perfect quality, perfect method, and perfectly stored!" This announcement gained a lot of attention. The man who had accomplished this was a forest elf that clearly spent a lot of time on their technique.

From the distance away that Walker was, he could tell that Trish was glad to see him succeed. She had not taken any students really in her recent years. However, she had shared that she had met many alchemists that learned within the city. Trish hadn't even known that there had been more of the forest elf alchemists that had come to specifically join the competition and guild.

Just as Walker was making another round of the area, he caught on to a younger herbalist walking toward the judges. The demon girl was one of the ones that was rescued with the water elves. She had been dragged by Lust but was not able to be controlled by the poison Lust had used. Therefore, she had been forced in to the prison cells for most of her life.

She appeared to have gained a lot more weight which was much healthier than the malnourished state. Even more, she was bright. There was a warmth around her that most people could see. Just in the way she walked, spoke volumes of how confident and full of life she was.

"Hm, that girl seems to have found a high quality porous mushroom. I bet she will get something very good handing it in." Walker took the chance to follow behind her and listen in on the presentation of the item.

When the old master alchemist saw her coming he stood up, two master herbalists followed him and stood waiting to hear what the demon girl had to say. "Is this your final appraisal results for your competition entry?" One of the master herbalists asked to ensure that this was what the participant desired.

"Yes. This is my entry. I have found the highest quality herb within the entire pile offered." She spoke with perfect posture and confidence. It was clear that she had been practicing this over and over.

"This may appear to be a basic porous mushroom. But you would be wrong, it is not basic. This is the best high quality porous mushroom you could get. From the small black ridges on the stem, you can tell that it is perfectly ripe for the picking. If they were smudged that meant that it had absorbed too much moisture. The cap is firm but not soft so it still has the important oils needed for potions within it."

The two master herbalists were nodding along. These two traits were exactly what they wanted the participants to find. It was a perfect answer to the question of how the mushroom should be appraised. "But that is not all. There is a lot more that makes this even better an ingredient to an herbalist than an alchemist." This was what caused them all to frown.

"Can you please share what that is? As an alchemist, I would like to use that in a high quality potion now rather than hand it over to an herbalist." The two master herbalists were equally confused.

"Due to my past, I was forced to consume mushrooms grown in the dark. That taught me a lot about harvesting unique mushrooms and what unlocked my foraging herbalist system. This porous mushroom was picked at the perfect time to develop spore pouched here, here, and here. It is perfect to grow more of the same quality porous mushrooms if the herbalist is careful to set up the proper environment."

The demon girl broke the cap and showed the three spore pouched, she removed them without breaking them. At first, the herbalists recoiled thinking that the mushroom had been broken for no reason. However, as soon as the old master alchemist saw this he was delighted.

"You have gone above and beyond what we expected from your appraisal. You have learned a great deal about mushrooms which you have used wisely. I believe you are qualified to achieve a high reward from this event." Walker was not the only one that had caught on to the fact that this demon girl had turned her tragedy in to a boon.

The old master alchemist whispered to the two master herbalists who had nothing but smiles now. "It has been evaluated that an herbalist has met the requirements to take over a field and be welcomed as one of the new elite students. We expect the successful participant to continue their confident learning for many years!" This announcement brought cheers from many people. They were proud to see someone succeed so well.

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