As Jared listened to the rules, realization finally dawned on him regarding the reason behind the Alchemist Fair competition's stipulation for participants to be at least Third Level Top Tier alchemists.
With the tolling of a bell, nearly a hundred alchemists in the arena immediately began crafting pills.
All the medicinal herbs and pill cauldrons provided were identical, which meant that everyone was on the same starting line.
The speed of pill crafting would now depend on their individual alchemical prowess.
In no time, flames shot up, carrying with them the rich aroma of herbs, which then spread throughout the surroundings.
Roderick remained composed, keeping a watchful eye on Jared's every move.
After all, making it into the top twenty was enough to secure advancement; grabbing the top spot wasn't an absolute necessity.
Roderick observed Jared, curious to see if the poisoning had affected Jared's alchemical skills at all.
Jared, too, had noticed Roderick's sneaky but constant glances, so he calmly dropped the medicinal herbs into the pill cauldron and began his crafting.
As he worked, he made a show of struggling with things. Sweat began to form on his forehead.
Roderick smirked at the sight as he knew his poison was taking effect.
With Jared's consciousness field compromised, even the task of crafting a Third Level Top Tier pill seemed laborious. Roderick was confident that the later stages of the assessment would surely eliminate him.
He thought with glee that Jared would probably be weeded out after this very first assessment round.
More than twenty minutes later...
Boom!
Following a muffled sound, the air was filled with the scent of medicine. Someone had already successfully crafted a pill!
Following that, more booming sounded as others completed their pills.
Roderick no longer played coy; he hastened his alchemical process. Soon enough, he produced a Third Level Top Tier pill.
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