After examining his dantian, Adrius wanted to sleep because the whole operation had drained him mentally. It was a common knowledge in the magus world the best way to restore mental power is to sleep, of course there are potions that can restore it instantly. But it won’t be good for the magus to use it often. Because it can cause damage, it won’t show immediately but it will build over time.

Adrius took off his clothes and laid on the bed, the moment his head touched the pillow he went into deep sleep. The operation was one if not the hardest thing he has done in both of his lifes.

At the lab

Croft was still researching the connection between the mind destroying parasite and the white flower cat.

“Amazing, this parasite has become part of the cat, making the cat smarter and stronger mentally. “Sigh” If this only can apply to humans, there is a lot of dumb people out there that need to be smarter” Talked Croft to a chrystal in his palm, it was a recording chrystal. It can record everything the magus wants and then play it again with full control. Croft was recording his research because if he came up with something he can give the recording for verification that he was the one who discovered it.

After putting the crystal down, Croft wanted to go back to work. Looking at the cat that had half of its upper head open an old memory flashed through his eyes. It was two people standing beside each other with white lab coats on. One of them looked like Croft but when he was 16, and the other was a middle aged man with a smile on his face.

The old man looked at Croft lookalike and said: “ Croft, when will you stop being a pussy when you see blood?”

The teenager was Croft, he then looked at the middle aged man and said: “ May I curse you Professor?”

“Go ahead”

After getting the confirmation Croft prepared himself: “ Professor I say this with the most respect but go fuck yourself you old fucking piece of shit”

“Ahahahah, shut your mouth now and work you little shit” Said the middle aged man laughing.

Croft smiled when he remembered these moments, everything with his dead mentor is important to him. Because for him he was not only a mentor but his family. He took Croft from the streets, and raised him to become a well respected magus and potion master. As to why he was on the street, it was because of his Father and step-mother that threw him out so their son. His brother can become the heir. Of course after Croft became strong enough he came back and killed everyone in that family to the last child. But the incident of them casting him out and him living on the streets as a beggar has scarred Croft. Croft is someone who you would call a bi-polar, he has mood changes by the second. And that made him very unstable but his mentor still took him in and trained him.

‘Why am I thinking about the past?’ Wondered Croft internally

“ When will that piece of shit apprentice come to visit?” Talked Croft to himself, the last time he saw Adrius was when he got out of the exam. It has been 2 days since the exam ended and Adrius hasn’t visited him.

Croft was not worried that something happened to him, he was literally the strongest student in the rank 1 magus apprentice.

The moment he stopped thinking about Adrius the door to the lab opened. And a masked figure walked in. He was around 170 cm with short black hair and the school uniform. He was wearing a black mask that looked like a skull with horns coming out of its head. You couldn’t see his eyes because they blend in the darkness of the mask.

Croft recognised him immediately: “ Here you are, where have you been, wait? This aura, did you advance to rank 2?”

Adrius nodded: “ Yes I advanced yesterday”

“ Good, now that you are rank 2, I can start to teach you the real mastery of potioning and making poisons” “Also is the Demon's Wrath?”

“ Yes it is, it is the most suitable thing I can find in the treasury”

“Are you crazy? The most suitable thing? This mask is fucking cursed!” Said Croft aloud

Adrius sighed: “ Yes I know professor, but it is not that bad, I feel the same as always. Maybe more violent but nothing big”

Croft was not having it, but he then thought about it and agreed: “ As you say, it's your problem not mine. So if you kill anyone for the sake of killing or without a purpose then I won’t interfere. Understood?”

“ Loud and clear, now can I measure my magic power?”

Croft then brought the orb, Adrius has done this for a hundred times so it was like breathing to him.

Croft nodded looking at the result: “ 23 points, good job. The normal person would have 21 and in some rare cases 22. But you had 23 this is good, and the credit goes to you because you stayed in the peak of rank 1 for quite long thus you had a good foundation. Now you have to get to at least 30 so you can advance to rank 3 magus apprentice.”

Adrius looked at Croft then asked a question: “ Can’t I just use the soul refining method again?”

Croft shrugged: “ You can, but it will have smaller effects. Also if you use it a lot you will lose your mind. So no, I don’t recommend doing it.”

Adrius was really tongue tied, the time it will take him to reach 30 points will take years without help: “ Is there something else that can help me with the situation?”

“ Well of course there is but you are still too weak to use them, anyhow don’t think about this subject much I will find something. At the time you have to meditate everyday and this gives you magic power maybe not as much as other things, but meditation is the best way to increase your magic power.”

Adrius sighed, his mentor was right: “ Okay, now I have to go because I have some unfinished business, see you tomorrow.” He then walked to the door.

“ Don’t kill anybody!” Said Croft while Adrius was walking out.

Adrius got out and walked to his room again, Adrius lied to Croft. He couldn’t tell Croft that he didn’t get affected by the mask. He tried putting it on Mary and she was crazy for a second, she even tried to kill Adrius. But when Adrius wore it, it didn’t affect him, he came to the conclusion that Cthar in the last second made something to the mask so nobody of the magus world can wear it. But too bad for him Adrius was and was not of the magus world so he bypassed the rule and now he has a magic artifact that is completely overpowered without any cons to it.